Ironically, a new documentary about Tom Wolfe, “Radical Wolfe,” lacks the radical thrust it laments is missing today and that Wolfe himself had.
Author: Emina Melonic (Emina Melonic)
The Good, the Bad, and the Grateful in ‘The Wizard of Oz’
This Thanksgiving we’d do well to revisit this American classic. “Don’t lose your goodness!” this film firmly instructs us.
Human Weakness in Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
There is a clear message in this film: Weakness is evil. But the cacophony of voices and perspectives from which Scorsese draws, demonstrates an ironic weakness in his making of this film.
Bird Naming, Nature Taming, and Reality
As Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” (1963) demonstrates, the exhilaration and beauty of nature can quickly turn to horror. Nature doesn’t care what we call it.
‘The Whole Town’s Talking’ and Edward G. Robinson’s Case of Mistaken Identity
There isn’t one wasted moment in this tightly directed and acted 1935 John Ford screwball comedy featuring Edward G. Robinson and Jean Arthur.
Moral Reckoning in ‘The Masque of the Red Death’
Edgar Allen Poe’s famous short story is a memento mori reminding us that we must one day face our Creator.
The Ghost of Sherlock Holmes
In Sidney Lanfield’s 1939 production of The Hound of Baskervilles, we have a perfect ghostly reflection for spooky October viewing.
The Faustian Bargain of Dorian Gray
Albert Lewin’s 1945 film, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is the perfect selection for this season of reflection about our mortality and the virtues we need to cultivate to make life worth living.
Longing for the Sacred
Though his portrayal of the Catholic saint is superficial at best, Padre Pio director Abel Ferrara's at least accomplish something, accidentally, by leading the film's star onto a redemptive path.
Being Human
Questions of transhumanism have been the subject of many dystopian and futuristic movies, but our fascination with the subject says more about ourselves than the machines.
When Mules Go Ballot Trafficking
Dinesh D’Souza’s 2000 Mules offers an intriguing, if depressing, look at a massively well-organized system of vote fraud apparently executed during the much-disputed 2020 election.