The Magic Lantern

It is a very great pleasure to revisit something you think you know well and find new facets and new dots to connect. That was certainly the case for both Cole and I when coming back to Chinatown (Polanski, 1974), though we have both seen it multiple times. There is…

The post Episode 083 – Chinatown appeared first on The Magic Lantern.

This episode celebrates the return of one of my favorite filmmakers, Lucrecia Martel. It’s been ten years since her last feature film and two years since we last discussed one of her films on the show. With the arrival of her new film, Zama (2017), the wait is over and…

The post Episode 082 – Zama appeared first on The Magic Lantern.

For some reason, whenever I think of They Live (Carpenter, 1988), I remember it as a rip-roaring, good-time kind of movie. Something perfect for summer, perfect for a late night. I probably have that idea because when I first saw it in my teens, I was enthralled by the famous…

The post Episode 081 – They Live appeared first on The Magic Lantern.

Will I ever get tired of talking about or recommending Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin (2013)? Not likely. I think it is one of the best films of this millennium and I think Macon Blair’s performance as Dwight, our wounded protagonist, is the best. The film upends every revenge thriller cliché…

The post Episode 080 – Blue Ruin appeared first on The Magic Lantern.

Every time I watch Wake in Fright (Kotcheff, 1971), I just want it to be over. Then I want to watch it again. It is just as terrifying each time, and I am just as much a prisoner to its landscape as John, played here by Gary Bond. I know…

The post Episode 079 – Wake in Fright appeared first on The Magic Lantern.

In this special episode we discuss the films and symposiums of the inaugural Toronto True Crime Film Festival, a two day festival devoted to true crime on the big screen, including both documentaries and fictionalized films based on true crimes. The program included five features, each paired with a thematically…

The post Episode 078 – The Toronto True Crime Film Festival 2018 by Lantern Light appeared first on The Magic Lantern.

“This view of the world, from this country where there aren’t filmmakers, is very important I think. So, I do it through solidarity and because I feel a responsibility not to leave this country invisible.”– Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, on his responsibility as a Chadian filmmaker. It was with extreme delight that…

The post Episode 077 – Daratt appeared first on The Magic Lantern.

In this special episode, we discuss the films of Noir City Austin 2018 and its theme of “Film Noir from A to B” featuring a program of five genuine “A” and “B” double bills. We were delighted to be at Noir City Austin again this year, hosted by The Czar…

The post Episode 076 – Noir City Austin 2018 by Lantern Light appeared first on The Magic Lantern.

In preparing to watch In a Lonely Place (Ray, 1950) for this episode, I read the source novel by Dorothy B. Hughes, though source is a misnomer as this film adaptation kept only the main characters and modified the plot. The novel is absolutely stellar, and I highly recommend it.…

The post Episode 075 – In a Lonely Place appeared first on The Magic Lantern.

Rope (1948) is Alfred Hitchcock’s almost perfect crime. Based loosely upon the real life case of Leopold and Loeb, it was Hitchcock at his most experimental, plumbing the chilly depths of the murderous impulse. It featured limited cuts and long, unbroken takes to approximate the appearance of the real time…

The post Episode 074 – Rope appeared first on The Magic Lantern.