Nostalgic Impulse

No matter what the subject or how affecting the lessons were, humanity never learns from mistakes of the past. Sidney Lumet’s 1976 masterpiece could easily have been made in 2017. Watching Network post-Trump feels like a particularly cynical (though accurate) look ...

This cult classic courted controversy when it was first released for its ‘vulgar violence’. It was rated R in its home country of Japan and was either banned or found only limited releases in other countries. Watching it now, I ...

In 1999, comic book writer Jhonen Vasquez pitched his idea for a cartoon to Nickelodeon. That wacky little idea became Invader Zim, a series that began airing in 2001. The network had no idea what a gem Vasquez had produced for ...

Ahead of the alternately anticipated or dreaded live-action version, this week saw the re-release in cinemas of Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell. The film is a landmark in world and animated cinema, spawning a host of imitators and is, ...

Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity is a recognized noir classic, preserved by the National Film Registry for being deemed ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant’. Perhaps you will focus on the venetian blind lighting style that became a staple of the noir ...

Without question, The Muppet Christmas Carol is the greatest Christmas film ever made. People from all walks of life and distressingly opposing views will converge upon this one universal fact. Can you pick fault in a film like this? No, I don’t ...

This hasn’t been a good year for me. Two of my idols have died (Prince and Bowie). If there can be a silver lining to the death of an admired genius, it’s that Bowie’s films are being remastered, The Man ...

They don’t make films like this anymore. I realise Sunset Boulevard is well before my time and that I’m a tad young to be so nostalgic for the past, but I defy anyone to watch this classic without feeling this ...

An aged lord reflects on the legacy of his kingdom. He resolves to divide his realm between his three children expecting them to act harmoniously. Despite the protestations of his youngest that this is grossly unwise, the lord proceeds to ...

Five shocking days in the life of an alcoholic While Wilder’s 1945 Oscar winner, The Lost Weekend, was not the first big-screen look at alcoholism, it was one of the earliest to take such an honest and unrelenting approach. Though ...