Melanie Mayron and Anita Skinner star in director Claudie Weill’s Girlfriends

Girlfriends (1978) by Claudia Weill

November 9, 2020

Retro Review by Miranda Barnewall

I adore Girlfriends; the premise itself would hook me, but it's also executed very well. There is not enough art that realistically explores the tensions or breakups of female friendships. While Anne and Susan’s relationship survives at the end, the mini conflicts and struggles that occur throughout the film are a result of the drastic shift in their relationship. It's reassuring to see these conflicts play out on screen and to know this is something many women grapple with in their own lives.

2020 Knoxville Horror Film Festival

November 2, 2020

Festival Coverage by Andrew Swafford and Jessica Carr

Well, it was certainly a weird year to have a Horror Festival considering it feels like 2020 itself has been a living nightmare. I really do appreciate all the hard work that the Knoxville Horror Fest team put into making this year’s festival feel safe. They hosted all of the evening features at the Parkway Drive-in in Maryville and created two different tracks for daytime festival goers knowing that theater space was going to be at a limited capacity. Also, all theater attendees were required to wear masks at all times, which was really comforting to me.

BFI London Film Festival 2020

October 19, 2020

Festival Coverage by Logan Kenny and Joseph Bullock

For twelve days in October, the BFI London Film Festival screened over 50 feature films from around the world. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and the United States’s response – all of the films featured here were viewed on their virtual platform rather than in person. Cinematary writers Logan Kenny and Joseph Bullock were both able to “attend” the festival and here present writing on 10 features from 8 different countries.

Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbot star in director Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor — Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbot star in director Brandon Cronenberg’s *Possessor*

Possessor (2020) by Brandon Cronenberg

October 12, 2020

Review by Jessica Carr

With its amazing visuals and effective storytelling, I think Possessor is able to create a riveting cinematic experience. It isn’t a comfortable one by any means, but it’s definitely something you feel viscerally.

Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds — Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock’s *The Birds*

INTERVIEW: Dan Callahan on Alfred Hitchcock, the movie stars he directed and his new book, 'The Camera Lies'

October 7, 2020

Interview by Zach Dennis

This is an excerpt from a 30-minute interview with film historian Dan Callahan on his new book, “The Camera Lies: Acting for Hitchcock.” The full interview transcript and audio can be found on our Patreon channel at patreon.com/cinematary.

Consider supporting us on Patreon for more interviews and bonus content from Cinematary.

Jim Parsons, Robin De Jesus, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Andrew Rannells star in director Joe Mantello’s adaptation of The Boys in the Band — Jim Parsons, Robin De Jesus, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Andrew Rannells star in director Joe Mantello’s adaptation of *The Boys in the Band*

The Boys in the Band (2020) by Joe Mantello

October 5, 2020

Review by Ash Baker

The Boys in the Band has been called “a time capsule of a dark period for LGBTQ+ Americans.” So, why open the time capsule now?

2020 Toronto International Film Festival

September 28, 2020

Reviews by Zach Dennis

For ten days in September, the Toronto International Film Festival screened over 50 feature films from around the world. Established in 1976, it has been described as the “most important film festival in the world.” Due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and the United States’s response – all of the films featured here were viewed on their virtual platform rather than in person. Zach was able to “attend” the festival for several days and, during that span, caught 15 features from 6 different countries.

Pale Flower (1964) by Masahiro Shinoda

September 22, 2020

Retro Review by Joseph Bullock

The stylistic vocabulary of Pale Flower is one inherited equally from Yakuza movies, existential cinema, and noir. What results is remarkably unique: a story of a disillusioned, misanthropic man becoming increasingly numbed to a landscape of isolation and violence; as well as images that stunningly evoke this world in its stark, rain-drenched textures.

Women Make Film (2020) by Mark Cousins

September 15, 2020

Review by Miranda Barnewall

Women Make Film is not a comprehensive overview of the history of female filmmakers, it is not about the female filmmakers’ personal lives and struggles, nor it is not how female filmmakers’ styles differ from those of men. Instead, it is simply about the films. Its path is not linear with a clear destination, but rather a road trip that meanders and weaves, often much more interested in the side-road forgotten amusements that people often pass by than the popular attractions.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020) by Charlie Kaufman

September 7, 2020

Review by Michael O’Malley

In terms of mysteries, this isn’t a procedural or a whodunnit; it’s simply a gigantic question mark for us viewers – what on earth is going on? As such, I’m Thinking of Ending Things fits mostly within the subgenre of puzzlebox mysteries, a kind of story where traditional exposition and context are delivered out-of-order or unconventionally, creating initially perplexing situations that viewers must slowly piece together as the story feeds them more and more of the big picture.

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves reprise their iconic roles in director Dean Parisot’s Bill and Ted Face the Music

Bill and Ted Face the Music (2020) by Dean Parisot

August 31, 2020

Review by Logan Kenny

Bill and Ted Face the Music is one of the most emotional tributes to family, friendship and the power of creation that I’ve ever seen, and in the current chaos of everything, its sincere optimism and compassion makes things a little easier to bear.

Steve Coogan, left, and Rob Brydon in The Trip to Greece. The entire Trip series is available on Hulu. — Steve Coogan, left, and Rob Brydon in *The Trip to Greece*. The entire *Trip* series is available on Hulu.

The Trip to Greece (2020) by Michael Winterbottom

August 24, 2020

Review by Zach Dennis

It’s difficult to feel much sympathy for these two wildly successful comedians (or at least their alter-egos), but there is a lot of truth in the insecurity evident between the two men.

Ethan Hawke stars as Nikola Tesla in director Michael Almereyda’s biopic of the inventor

Tesla (2020) by Michael Almereyda

August 17, 2020

Review by Reid Ramsey

Almereyda and his team want to reflect the fractured inner-mind of their main character, not just retell his life as a movie. It could be the fact that I haven’t been to a theater in months, but my eyes could not get enough of Almereyda’s construction. It is not necessarily a loud movie, but it is a big movie.

Kate Lyn Sheil stars as Amy in She Dies Tomorrow by Amy Seimetz — Kate Lyn Sheil stars as Amy in *She Dies Tomorrow* by Amy Seimetz

She Dies Tomorrow (2020) by Amy Seimetz

August 10, 2020

Review by Jessica Carr

Director and writer Amy Seimetz has created a movie that not only perfectly encapsulates the anxiety we are all feeling during the pandemic, but also shows an honest portrayal of her own personal struggle with it.

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Black is King (2020) by Beyoncé Knowles

August 3, 2020

Review by Courtney Anderson

This project is not only a visual recreation of Beyoncé’s Lion King album, but it’s also a literal re-telling of the Lion King story. In making Black is King, Beyoncé and her team created a real live-action version of the story, breathing new life into The Lion King in a way that fans of Beyoncé have become familiar with in the past couple of years: grand, majestic, and with Black people in the forefront.

Vin Diesel stars in director David S. F. Wilson’s Bloodshot — Vin Diesel stars in director David S. F. Wilson’s *Bloodshot*

Bloodshot (2020) by David S. F. Wilson

July 27, 2020

Review by Logan Kenny

Vin Diesel is 52 years old, and he’s as fit as you can be at that age, but after a certain point, the stamina and shape it takes to do stunts every scene for months on end runs out – he can’t do all the same shit that he used to do full time. But with Bloodshot, Vin has made a movie in which for 2 hours, his frame is eternal.

Vincent Gallo and Chloë Sevigny star in director Vincent Gallo’s The Brown Bunny — Vincent Gallo and Chloë Sevigny star in director Vincent Gallo’s *The Brown Bunny*

The Brown Bunny (2003) by Vincent Gallo

July 20, 2020

Review by Reece Beckett

Vincent Gallo is certainly a director known for his ego. Whether it’s the scene in which he plays himself in Julie Delpy’s 2 Days In New York and buys Delpy’s soul only to keep it in a pouch on his groin, his appearance as ‘Flying Christ’ in the hilariously titled Vincent Gallo as Flying Christ or just his website (particularly the merchandising section – there is some real gold there!), he’s definitely earned that reputation. But his work as an actor and a director often also show a dedication to artistry that knows no bounds.

Damon Wayans stars in director Spike Lee’s Bamboozled — Damon Wayans stars in director Spike Lee’s *Bamboozled*

Bamboozled (2000) by Spike Lee

July 13, 2020

Retro Review by Will Carr

Many filmmakers spent the year 2000 celebrating the achievements of cinema’s first century, but Spike Lee decided to tackle its failures. Bamboozled, Lee’s fourteenth feature film, is a direct criticism of how Black people and people of color have been consistently degraded and relegated to the sidelines from the beginning.

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Cinematary Canon #14: Best Non-Movies of 2020

July 8, 2020

Featuring writing by Michael O’Malley, Reid Ramsey, Ash Baker, Nadine Smith, Andrew Swafford, Logan Kenny, Miranda Barnewall, and Lucy Palmer

2020 has been a rough year for movie releases. Release dates have been pushed back indefinitely, productions have been halted, and event titles have unceremoniously shuffled onto VOD platforms, making this feel like a year without movies. So at this mid-point in the year, when many outlets ordinarily release their “best of the year so far” listicles, here at Cinematary we’d like to acknowledge the situation by doing something a bit different: we’ve invited our writers to share one or two pieces of non-film media released in 2020 that they’ve personally found comforting amidst all the uncertainty. Below you’ll find writing on music, sports, workout routines, television, and viral videos, all of which we invite you to enjoy with us.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Daveed Diggs star in a filmed production of Miranda’s hit broadway show

Hamilton (2020) by Thomas Kail

July 6, 2020

Review by Andrew Swafford

It’s difficult to place a value judgement on the #HamilFilm, as it seems like the people declaring “it is good” and the people declaring “it is bad” often have very different definitions not only of what “good” or “bad” is, but also what “it” is. When I ask myself “Is Hamilton good?,” I think I’m really asking myself three different questions: Is Hamilton a good musical? Is Hamilton a good film? Is Hamilton a good political project? These questions elicit a tricky, often contradictory, mess of responses from me, so for clarity’s sake, I’ll answer them each separately.