Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014)

I really loved Chinese director Diao Yinan’s neo-noir The Wild Goose Lake. I’ve seen it twice now, and it is definitely style over substance, in that I remember most fondly the images and sequences rather than the story itself. Purple neon hotel lighting engulfing a room where three thieves talk shop. A motorbike at night, […]

Gun Crazy (1950)

Always gratifying to hear about a film for a long time that’s considered a classic, like Gun Crazy (1950) is considered a classic of film noir, and when you finally watch it, it’s so clear and apparent how great the movie is. Yes, this is a classic. Why did it take me so long to […]

Trouble Every Day (2001)

When it comes to Claire Denis, the word I think of is “elliptical.” The opening of Trouble Every Day (2001) begins with a couple kissing in a car at night, a couple who are not even characters in the film. We also see the Seine river at night, the water lapping under street light. A […]

Simone Barbes Or Virtue (1980)

I love movies set over one night. What wonders and surprises does the night hold? Or chaos and calamity? Then again, maybe a night is just like any other. Loneliness as the sun comes up. Within that uneventful time, there’s still lots to observe. Fleeting moments. Simone Barbes Or Virtue (1980) is a French arthouse […]

Vengeance Is Mine (1984)

Typing Vengeance Is Mine as a movie title produces a few results including the Shōhei Imamura movie from 1979 and a direct to video Steven Seagal action flick from 2010. For Michael Roemer’s film, Vengeance Is Mine (1984), which he wrote and directed, the title might give the wrong impression. It is not a revenge […]