J. Hoberman
Posts
Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Masterpiece of Existential Angst
His moody 2004 film, ‘Distant,’ about an unemployed factory worker in Istanbul, has been revived for a short run at Film Forum in Manhattan.
‘Mississippi Masala’: A Love Story Among the Displaced
In Mira Nair’s sweet, sexy film from 1991, an Indian American woman falls for a Black cleaner played charmingly, as ever, by Denzel Washington.
‘Bronco Bullfrog’: Hello Young Lovers
Barney Platts-Mills’s 1969 feature about aimless East End teenagers in love comes to Film Forum after a cinematic rediscovery.
‘Top of the Heap’: Is It Blaxploitation? Avant-Garde? Afrofuturism? All Three.
Released in 1972 and now rediscovered, the movie is as ambitious as “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” and even weirder.
France’s Colonial Conflict, Filmed From Both Sides
“The Olive Trees of Justice,” a neorealist take on the Algerian War made with nonprofessional actors, is newly restored and still resonates today.
‘My Girlfriend’s Wedding’: Her Life Plays Like a Movie
Newly restored, Jim McBride’s 1969 documentary is about his lover who gets married to another man. Her story remains anything but boring.
‘Out of the Blue’: When Dennis Hopper Cast Himself as a Dad
As the director and star, Hopper delivered some wildly self-indulgent moments. But it’s Linda Manz, playing a troubled teenage girl, who stole the show.