Thompson on Hollywood

Now and Then: Do Silent Movies Still Matter?

Reviews

In some quarters I'll be considered a heretic for even asking the question. But think about how many people you know — discounting film school types and critics, people pretty much required to do so — who have ever seen a silent, let alone watch them regularly. I'll bet the number is small. Should we care?

By Matt Brennan
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June 11, 2012 7:08 PM
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Now and Then: Wes Anderson and Ridley Scott, Two Master Stylists Whose Best Work Is Past

Reviews

Let me begin by clarifying my headline. I am not saying that Wes Anderson and Ridley Scott, two master stylists with new movies in theaters, will not someday surpass their best films; that kind of prediction is impossible and counterproductive. But it must be admitted that they set the bar high, and neither has yet leaped over it.

By Matt Brennan
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June 5, 2012 6:01 AM
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Now and Then: Tilda Swinton's Big Crack-Up

Reviews

Tilda Swinton is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She's been sent reeling by the loneliness of a Russian winter, the carnal passions of an Italian chef, a kidnapping conspiracy, two murderous sons, and a class-action lawsuit. In fact, it's her affinity for such crack-ups that have made her a critical darling and art house star.

By Matt Brennan
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May 29, 2012 2:54 PM
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Now and Then: The False Promise of Kiarostami's 'Certified Copy'

Reviews

Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's 2010 Cannes entry "Certified Copy," which won Juliette Binoche the festival's Best Actress prize, is out today on Blu-ray and DVD from the Criterion Collection. Given that he debuted his latest effort on the Croisette this week, the timing is felicitous. I wish I could say the same about the movie.

By Matt Brennan
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May 22, 2012 7:17 AM
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Now and Then: The Top Ten Films of All Time

Reviews

Every ten years, "Sight and Sound" magazine conducts a poll asking critics and directors to rank the best films of all time. It's more Rorschach test than lab experiment, an impossible task that invariably goads people into calling you an idiot. But I'm a glutton for punishment, so in honor of this year's voting, I offer my (unsolicited) ballot:

By Matt Brennan
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May 15, 2012 6:57 AM
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Now and Then: 'Haywire,' 'Bourne' Trilogy Prove That Style Is Substance

Reviews

Steven Soderbergh is a tough guy to peg. He made his name with a densely talkative indie about orgasms ("sex, lies, and videotape"), and in 22 films since has tackled everything from classy capers ("Out of Sight, the "Ocean's" trilogy) to the biopic of an iconic revolutionary ("Che"). But one thing is clear: the man's got style.

By Matt Brennan
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May 7, 2012 6:06 AM
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Now and Then: On Film, America's Culture of Violence

Reviews

The most terrifying 80 minutes I've spent in my career as a film critic were those spent watching "Elephant," in which even the rhythmic click-click-click of photographic negatives being shaken in chemicals brought me the edge of what I can bear.

By Matt Brennan
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May 1, 2012 6:14 AM
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Now and Then: Old-School Horror Is All in Your Head

Reviews

The most innovative thing about writer-director Ti West's "The Innkeepers" (on DVD today) is how low-fi it plays. The gore is minimal, the music restrained, the body count limited. Call it the rebirth of the classic American horror picture.

By Matt Brennan
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April 24, 2012 7:20 AM
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Now and Then: Werner Herzog's Matters of Life and Death

Reviews

Paranoia has long been Werner Herzog's preferred tropic, morbidity his comfort zone. His films brim with self-inflicted wounds, crazed schemers, and ruinous hubris. "Into the Abyss" is different; it shifts the frame. We have seen the enemy, and he is us.

By Matt Brennan
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April 16, 2012 1:40 PM
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Now and Then: The Mad-As-Hell Women of Mad Men

Reviews

History is not the most useful dramatic backdrop for a television show. It is, really, just one big spoiler alert: we already know what happens. But "Mad Men" is canny enough to twist this problem to its advantage, letting the past knock on the door in the middle of the night.