Is Superman Jewish?
Marketplace expectations and cultural norms around race and the body in America explain why Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave Superman a specific identity.
Film
Features, reviews, interviews, and lists about film, covering the latest as well historical topics.
Erich Von Stroheim and Cecil B. DeMille’s Fetishistic Films
Erich Von Stroheim’s films fetishised a scandalous poke to the public’s eye, whereas Cecile B. DeMille’s films obsessed over middle-class verities.
Naughty Naughty Joe Orton
Screenwriter Joe Orton’s specialty was throwing in queer and polymorphous sexuality during a period when English laws were loosening but homosexuals were still being arrested.
‘The Shrouds’ and David Cronenberg’s Cinema of Bodily Grief
David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds harkens back to his early body horror obsessions with a poet’s tone, retaining the connective tissue that embodies him.
‘Racing with the Moon’ Is Artful and Immersive
If cinema is more than the sum of its parts, then Racing with the Moon is an immersive experience that pairs its talented performers with an artful and expert backdropping.
Bob Dylan and Muhammad Ali Are Gods
Bob Dylan and Muhammad Ali are stars, prophets, liberators, kings, and gods, forever immortalized in the mythology of documentary filmmaking.
Cowboy Hero Tom Tyler Rides into Restored Silent Film Westerns
Cowboy hero Tom Tyler rides a horse, swings a fist, and saves a ranch in restored silent westerns The Law of the Plains and The Man from Nevada.
‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’ Is So Very Much Too Much
There is too much passion and too little cynicism in Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning to dismiss it entirely.
Mogwai’s Legendary Enigma Explored in New Documentary
If the Stars Had a Sound may not have all the answers, but it intuitively understands Mogwai’s enduring charisma, even if their enigma remains.
‘The Bermuda Triangle’ Hits the Spooky Pseudo-Science Spot
Richard Friedenberg’s The Bermuda Triangle is an encyclopedia, a smorgasbord, a broom closet of themes from all over its era’s pop culture.
‘Drop Dead City’ Finds New York’s Soul at Its Lowest
Documentary Drop Dead City tells a serious story about NYC’s 1975 financial crisis with wit, gusto, and occasional profanity
‘Girl With a Suitcase’ Charms With Its Magnetic Performances
Despite what appears to be a probing examination of the socioeconomics of the European class system, Girl With a Suitcase‘s pleasures are simple.