I seem to be extolling the virtues of Kanopy in this column, and there’s good reason for that. Since the demise of FilmStruck, it has become my go-to for classics and more obscure films, made even better by the fact that it’s free (!) and that my local […]
I have loved Sherlock Holmes since I was in fifth grade. The great detective inspired my interest in the Victorian novel, in dressing like a page boy from the age of eleven to the age of fourteen, and even in Dracula, Edward Gorey, and classic film (my first […]
Last week I talked about Ganja & Hess, Bill Gunn’s influential “black vampire movie.” This week, we’re going to talk about Spike Lee’s 2015 remake of the film, now available on Kanopy and Vudu. Da Sweet Blood of Jesus takes the basic plot of Ganja & Hess, its […]
The history of Bill Gunn’s 1973 experimental vampire film Ganja & Hess is almost as interesting as the film itself. It premiered to a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, but was subsequently sliced up by its producers due to poor box office and the objection that […]
With the exception of the early films of Alfred Hitchcock, British silent film often gets short shrift when discussed in comparison to the pantheon of other Western cinemas. And it is true that British film heavily borrows from the other cinematic traditions – many directors from the silent […]
Based upon an informal poll on my Twitter, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are enough people who have not seen The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to make this one of my recommendations. Because not only is it an essential work of cinema, a historically significant film […]
When we discuss Nazi propaganda films, we usually talk about only two: Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia and Triumph of the Will. Those films are recognizably propaganda—supposed documentaries meant to showcase the power and pomp of Germany under the Nazis. Riefenstahl’s work has become the only mode by which many […]
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