Essays

Black Panther: A Perspective

I haven’t been motivated enough by any of the recent movies to add to the discussion. Black Panther has changed…

7 years ago

On the dopeness of Black Panther

I’ve been excited about Black Panther from the moment I heard about it. Anything that involves Our Lady Lupita (you…

7 years ago

The Tree of Life, or how to fail at the impossible

The world is whole beyond human knowing. -Wendell Berry The Tree of Life, by renowned director Terrence Malick, is years…

13 years ago

In defence of criticism: The case of The Hangover Part II

“Most critics really don’t get it.”, as they say. I feel compelled to respond to the casual filmgoers who don't…

13 years ago

The African diaspora: Colonialism and displacement

The transatlantic slave trade was one of the most disruptive acts in history, separating Africans from their backgrounds, traditions, and…

14 years ago

African cinema, Ousmane Sembene and the Western gaze

In its perspectives and traditions, African cinema draws the spectator into its narrative, nurturing a symbiotic relationship with life itself.

14 years ago

Election (Alexander Payne, 1999)

There are some movies that change your perception of what is possible, what is allowed. Alexander Payne's Election was that…

14 years ago

What is independent cinema?

What is independent cinema? Critics and film scholars have wrestled with a definition of independent for most of cinema’s existence.

14 years ago

Come Drink With Me (King Hu, 1966)

In Come Drink With Me, King Hu considers each of the director’s tools, using camera movement differently than editing or…

14 years ago

Central Station and the Cinema Novo tradition

Central Station is one of the most popular and internationally acclaimed Brazilian films of the 1990s. It heralded a renaissance…

14 years ago