Do intelligent non-humans like chimpanzees, elephants, and dolphins deserve human-like rights? According to Steven Wise, the animal rights lawyer at the centre of Chris Hegedus’ and D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary Unlocking the Cage, it’s overdue.
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Landscape and limbo in Fish Tank
In Fish Tank, physical boundaries stand for social boundaries — the constraints imposed by gender and class and the walls we build for self-protection
An Unmarried Woman: a classic film with a modern touch
When writer-director Paul Mazursky’s An Unmarried Woman opened in 1978, it had the slogan, “She laughs, she cries, she feels angry, she feels lonely, she feels guilty, she makes breakfast, she makes love, she makes do, she is strong, she is weak, she is brave, she is scared, she is… an unmarried woman.” This makes the film sound hokey, but it’s actually an unpretentious look at a woman’s life turned upside down.
Hail, Caesar: The Coen Brothers’ Golden Age
The Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar is a glorious, hilarious tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood. With its very own Esther Williams (Scarlett Johansson), Carmen Miranda (Veronica Osorio), and Gene Kelly (Channing Tatum), it’s got all the stock characters and genres of classic cinema. Even Roger Deakins’ 35mm cinematography mimics old movies, framing the action head-on as if filming a stage.
Rams: Sheep farming is deadly serious business
Grimur Hakonarson’s Rams is part dark comedy, part family drama about two elderly brothers who haven’t spoken in years. The gorgeous Icelandic landscape provides the backdrop to this story about sheep farming and family reconciliation.
Why you’ve never heard of the Sloan Prize
I’d like to think of the Sundance Film Festival’s Alfred P. Sloan Prize as a beacon of hope for science in film. But it’s an award that no one is promoting, bestowed for reasons no one can divine, based on a process that no one will talk about