The Man With No Hands: Lucrecia Martel and Zama
This interview was originally published at Mubi. I collaborated on this piece with Daniel Kasman.
Guilt as Madness: An Interview with Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
This interview was originally published at Mubi.
Big Ears 2017
Featuring work by visiting artists Kevin Jerome Everson, Janie Geiser, and Jem Cohen, along with shorts programs and a spotlight on Jonathan Demme.
The American Left and the Problems of History in Philip Roth’s “American Trilogy”
I wrote this essay in 2004—for an academic conference, if I recall correctly. The plan was to revise and expand it for that dissertation I never managed to finish.
“A Dance of Her Whole Life”: Zhao Tao on Mountains May Depart
This interview was originally published at Mubi.
Best Films of 2015
Favorite theatrical releases, undistributed premieres, experimental shorts, and discoveries.
Further Questions for Hou Hsiao-hsien
This interview was originally published at Mubi. I collaborated on this piece with Daniel Kasman.
Best Films of 2014
Favorite theatrical releases, undistributed premieres, experimental shorts, and discoveries.
Horse Money (2014)
In 2007, soon after a screening of Pedro Costa’s Colossal Youth at the San Francisco International Film Festival, I went for a long walk through Golden Gate Park and decided on a whim to explore… Horse Money (2014)
Anticipating IFFR 2014
I plan to post an overview of the fest. Until then . . . Short Films A rough breakdown of all films with a running time of less than 60 minutes, listed alphabetically. PRO D’Annunzios… Anticipating IFFR 2014
Anticipating Rotterdam
After making ten trips to TIFF, I thought I’d gotten pretty good at navigating a massive film program, but International Film Festival Rotterdam is something else entirely.
2014 Film Diary
A day-by-day viewing log of my filmwatching habits in 2014, beginning with John Ford’s The Whole Town’s Talking and ending with . . .
Looking at Women: William A. Wellman’s Style in Frisco Jenny and Midnight Mary
This essay was originally published at Mubi.
Grading Movies
I’ve never written for a publication that required grades, and I’ve always been firmly opposed to the idea on principle. Art shouldn’t be so casually and arbitrarily measured, obviously. But I’m beginning to have a change of heart.