The Critic Lady
Erika Balsom on the shifting landscape of women’s film criticism and the battles that remain ahead.
All posts filed under: Quorum
Kanopy: Not Just Like Netflix, and Not Free
Chris Cagle on Kanopy and the uneven nature of the streaming landscape today.
Lust Stories: A Dossier
Meheli Sen, Nilanjana Bhattacharjya, Monika Mehta, and Anupama Kapse on the Netflix Bollywood anthology film Lust Stories.
Who is America? On Truth, Lies and Laughter
Maggie Hennefeld on Sacha Baron Cohen’s mockumentary series, and political satire in the age of post-truth politics.
Time’s Up for the Male Canon
Girish Shambu asks: “What will it take to break the stranglehold of male domination in filmmaking?”
Wakanda Forever: The Pleasures, The Politics, and The Problems
Racquel Gates and Kristen J. Warner are colleagues and soul twins who enjoy applying their expertise in race and media to popular culture debates. One such conversation arose —inevitably—around the release of Marvel’s Black Panther directed by Ryan Coogler.
Millennial Movie Myths Dispelled
Filmmaker and critic Caroline Golum weighs in on and takes issue with the recent New York Post op-ed on the moviegoing habits of Millennials.
Ten Intergroup Relations Films
Following the eruption of racial violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the 1943 US War Department film, Don’t Be a Sucker, went viral, suggesting that news outlets and social media users found its message to be newly relevant. Don’t Be a Sucker, which warns Americans of the perils of falling for divisive fascist rhetoric, was one of countless films, radio broadcasts, and television specials produced by governmental and civic organizations during the mid-twentieth century.
Saving the Archive
The earthquake of September 19 left me shaken but unharmed in my Mexico City hotel. Others were not so lucky. Hard hit was the Permanencia Voluntaria Film Archive in Tepoztlán, an hour or so outside Mexico City. The invaluable archive is dedicated to very neglected fare: the rich heritage of Mexican popular film, especially the unique genres of wrestling movies and fichera (showgirl) features.
Scandale! Dorothy Arzner in Paris
The Cinémathèque Française in Paris announced it would present a major retrospective of Arzner’s films in March and April. Whatever one might say about the many treasures of the Cinémathèque, one fact is incontrovertible: women film directors have never figured prominently. Could the Arzner program offer a refreshing change in the Cinémathèque’s offerings, perhaps even a sign that traditional French cinephilia is loosening its hold on French film culture? Sadly, not.
