Ben Gazzara, R.I.P.
Sean MurphyStill reeling from the sad news about Don Cornelius, it's painful to acknowledge the loss of another irreplaceable master, Ben Gazarra. Some good tributes out there. (Here's one.) What can…
Human Connections, Missed Connections, Chance Connections: ‘Three Colors: Blue, White, Red’
Words need not be minced here: the Criterion Collection treatment of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s trilogy is an essential, if overdue cultural event. The high-definition digital restorations are reason enough to rejoice;…
Remembering (and Celebrating) The Kids In The Hall (7/10)
This weekend PopMatters is revisiting an outstanding feature from a couple of years ago: The Best of TV on DVD. Definitely worth checking out. My entry, below, was on the…
The Insider: Ten Years Later (3/09)
Toward the end of Sydney Lumet's '70s classic Serpico there is an unnerving scene that encapsulates the conundrum faced by the eponymous cop: already persona non grata within the law…
The David Lynch Dilemma (Revisited)
With the 25th anniversary edition of the seminal/infamous/underwhelming Blue Velvet being released this week, it seems like an opportune time to revisit a topic certain to cause some consternation: David Lynch…
Due To Popular Demand…More Catwoman!
Wait, I was the only one clamoring for more? Okay. "Batman, let's throw caution to the wind!"
End of Summer (Camp) with a Bat, a Cat and a Clown
It is an inexorable, if lamentable rite of passage to revisit cultural mementos from one's childhood and discover that, to an adult's eyes, they are lacking. But then, "putting away…
Making the Case for Kubrick
Three Key Films: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971) Underrated: Full Metal Jacket…
The Eccentric and Inimitable Genius of Werner Herzog
PopMatters currently is running a huge feature discussing and celebrating 100 of the most important directors. I signed up to tackle Werner Herzog and Stanely Kubrick. As eager as I…
Remembering the USS Indianapolis, Robert Shaw and The Scene
On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis, which had just delivered key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.…