Retrospective: Tsai Ming-liang: The Art of Isolation

Tsai Ming-liang makes movies that so perfectly speak to our modern day communal, lived experiences; yet the three films I’m going to be talking about were made in times ranging from the early 90s to early 2000s.  This just speaks to the power of his work, since it can still be so relevant to our lives, yet it was made before I was even born.  Tsai Ming-liang is a Malaysian-Taiwanese filmmaker who is considered one of the best “second new wave” directors in Taiwanese cinema.  He has made many films but the three I’m covering are The Hole, Goodby Dragon Inn, and Rebels of the Neon God.  I immediately became infatuated with his work from the latter of the films mentioned above and couldn’t stop watching his work after that.  Thematically all three of these films really tie together and provide a beautiful look into the world we live in by encouraging the audience to take time to analyze the world around them in order to better live within it. 

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Retrospective: ‘Ocean’s Twelve’: The Most Fun a Movie’s Ever Been

Everyone and their mother loves Ocean’s Eleven. It stands tall to this day, almost two decades after its initial release, as one of the great heist movies in the history of cinema, and is essentially universally regarded as such. Held together by one of the most astoundingly talented ensemble casts in all of modern cinema, the chemistry and wit of the famous Eleven launches the film toward stratospheric levels of fun, paired with an extremely clever and engaging heist narrative. Continue reading “Retrospective: ‘Ocean’s Twelve’: The Most Fun a Movie’s Ever Been”

Retrospective: ‘Wanda’ Is A Pioneering Feminist Film

When watching Barbara Loden’s Wanda, it’s hard to imagine how this film is even remotely considered feminist. The main character, Wanda Goronsky, modeled after Barbara Loden herself, seems to refuse to stand up for herself or take control of her situation. Continue reading “Retrospective: ‘Wanda’ Is A Pioneering Feminist Film”

Retrospective: ‘Adventureland’ is an Underrated Comedy Recalling the Horrors of Post-College Anxiety

It is a truth of being 20-something that if you have a crappy summer job, the best way to take your mind off of it is to befriend the other 20-somethings who hate it there just as much as you do. You are trapped there together, 8 to 10 hours a day for three months, right? So what else is there to do? Even in a film set in 1990, like 2009’s Adventureland, this is all too relatable if you’ve had a summer job. Continue reading “Retrospective: ‘Adventureland’ is an Underrated Comedy Recalling the Horrors of Post-College Anxiety”