Eric Kohn
5 John Carpenter Alternatives to "The Ward."
- By Eric Kohn
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- July 6, 2011 6:27 AM
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- 1 Comment
In a review posted today on the main site, I wasn't exactly kind to John Carpenter's "The Ward," although if it was just some forgettable effort from a first-timer I may have simply ignored it. Instead, it's a forgettable effort from a guy who has made masterpieces and for all intents and purposes should still be able to make them. "The Ward" proves that by containing many of the components of great Carpenter works while failing to bring them to life. Here are a few other options that will remain classics long after "The Ward" fades from memory. ("Halloween" being "Halloween," I have left it off this list. It's not really fair to compare any movie to an acknowledged classic of its genre, is it?) With the exception of "Dark Star," all of these titles are available on Netflix Instant.
Robert Sklar, RIP.
- By Eric Kohn
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- July 5, 2011 12:00 PM
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- 3 Comments
I was lucky enough to take one course taught by Robert Sklar, the esteemed film historian and scholar who passed away over the weekend in an unexpected accident, but wish I could have taken many more. Sklar's most influential work, "Movie-Made America," first came out over thirty years ago but remains one of the most important texts for the study of American cinema. (After all, he helped invent the field.) Its thesis, that American film culture owed much to the lower class and the struggles against capitalist interests rather than efforts to sustain them, echoed the egalitarian nature of Sklar's writing: Although primarily an academic, he had the capacity to speak to movie lovers of all stripes. In doing so, he was essentially an activist, capable of making the inarguable case for taking movies seriously--not only as an art form, but a socio-economic force that helps us understand the world.
The Tragedy of Michael Bay.
- By Eric Kohn
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- July 4, 2011 12:00 PM
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- 13 Comments
The best part of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" has no transformers in it. In the first act of Michael Bay's two-hour-plus threequel, regular transformer pal Shia LaBeouf fights a harder battle than any Decepticon has ever forced on him: Finding a job. In a humorous montage of ill-fated interviews, LaBeouf reminds us that he posseses legitimate acting talent beyond those countless reactions shots to CGI. (Remember "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints"?) In a vain display of self-confidence, the erstwhile hero repeatedly gets put in his place by striking out. Even a bemused John Malkovich doesn't bat an eyelash when LaBeouf proclaims that he saved the world twice already. When he tells another potential employer that he received a medal from President Obama, the hustler hits another wall: "We're mostly Republican here," comes the reply.
About Eric Kohn
- July 1, 2011 12:15 PM
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- 1 Comment
Screen Rush is the personal blog of Eric Kohn, the lead film critic for indieWIRE. His writing has also appeared The New York Times, New York magazine, New York Press, The Wrap, Moving Pictures magazine, Filmmaker, Moviemaker, Heeb Magazine and several other outlets. Born in Texas and raised in Seattle, he holds bachelors and masters degrees in cinema studies from NYU. He currently resides in Brooklyn with his girlfriend, two cats and a projector. E-mail Eric here: eric(at)indiewire(dot)com.
The Starman Who Fell to Earth.
- By Eric Kohn
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- July 1, 2011 8:39 AM
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- 0 Comments
Random question: Has anyone ever pointed out the relationship between these two films?
Bill Pohlad on Terrence Malick: "Why isn't he here? It's not an easy question to answer."
- By Eric Kohn
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- May 23, 2011 7:32 AM
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- 0 Comments
Cannes Clip: A Somber Kanye Plays a Great Set, Including a Stevie Wonder Cover.
- By Eric Kohn
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- May 15, 2011 11:54 AM
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- 0 Comments
Eugene Hernandez provides a nice summary of last night's Kanye West show and the context behind it. Here are few clips I took from my vantage point at the front:
Interactive Theater Blows My Mind: "Sleep No More."
- By Eric Kohn
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- May 4, 2011 12:00 PM
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- 1 Comment
Art, particularly when it takes the form of a story, typically encourages a passive experience; the sensational interactive theater production "Sleep No More" works against that tendency. Loosely adapted from "Macbeth," the traveling show is currently housed at a warehouse in Chelsea, where it has been held over through June due to the hugely positive reception. I finally got a chance to try it out last Friday.
Bin Laden Lives...As a Joke: A Few Brief Clips.
- By Eric Kohn
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- May 2, 2011 1:19 AM
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- 3 Comments
For many Americans, Osama bin Laden was a shadowy presence on par with Freddy Krueger, a phantom symbol for fear rather than a flesh-and-blood threat. The news of his death at American hands has been met with such high levels of jubilance partly because the words "bin Laden killed" sound so surreal. How do you kill an idea? Well, putting a bullet in the head of the real deal is certainly a good start.
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