Film
The Decade After The Decade Before: Merrily We Go to Hell
By Sarahjane BlumOne of the most famous misnomers in American cultural history, “pre-code” has the same romantic character as pre-dawn. When sound revolutionized the film industry in 1929, the pro-censorship forces that had been working ad-hoc on state-by-state bases recognized that their jobs were about to get much harder.
Hausu Party
By David WilentzNobuhiko Obayashi’s Hausu (1977) is one of the most coveted cult films to emerge from the fantastic realm of Asian cinema.
Inept, Righteous, and Extremely Prolific
By Malcolm WyerAtom Egoyan’s ambitious eleventh feature Adoration plays like a retrospective of the director’s three decades of film work.
In League With Satan
By David WilentzRemember when horror was scary?
The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
By Oren ShaiEighty-five feature films made this year’s edition of the Tribeca Film Festival leaner then ever.
Without You, I’m No Thing
By Lisa Moricoli-LathamWhat burns in the heart of a woman? Interviewed by the Rail about her film Sita Sings the Blues, an update on Valmiki’s traditional Indian epic the Ramayana, Nina Paley answers, “Feelings, man. They burn your ass.”
Of Trees and Neighbors
By Lu ChenWith its central image, Lemon Tree evokes the roots of a nation: its soil, its rural heritage, its ancestors and the connection between its past and future.
DAZED AND ABUSED: THE HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE AS INSTITUTIONAL HELL
By Tim Bracy and Elizabeth NelsonLegend has it that the 1984 faux-documentary This is Spinal Tap rendered the experience of a touring rock band so effectively that many audiences believed it to be 100% factual.
