Hollywood Revisited — Blog — Reflections on a Silver Screen

"Do me a favor, will you, pal?": a brief moment of tenderness from In a Lonely Place

In the midst of Nicholas Ray’s bitter film noir, this thirty-second scene is striking for its unexpected intimacy.

"Could be...:" a queer reading of They Live By Night

Director Nicholas Ray eschews codes of patriarchy by comprehending and responding to his leading man’s beauty.

"You're in pain and so am I:" heartbreak in the movies

In the wake of a romantic rejection, I find myself remembering several great screen portraits of women who are grieving — from Esther Garrel to Barbra Streisand.

"...and then I'll be free of the past:" Vertigo and the perversity of resurrection

Robert Downey Jr.’s upcoming remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece is an act of corporate vandalism.

“It has to do with constancy:” the feminist underpinnings of Kramer vs. Kramer

The 1979 Best Picture-winning family drama offers a fascinating diagnosis of contemporary gender expectations.

“So happy, Mr. Bradley:” the perennial grace of Roman Holiday

Seventy years after its initial release, Roman Holiday remains a lovely, charming movie of gentle humanity.

“The way nature’s been cheating us, I don’t mind cheating her a little:” the fantasy of Cocoon

Director Ron Howard’s fantasy of rejuvenation via close encounters is a negotiation of our collective fears or wishes for old age.

Hollywood RevisitedBen RendichJanuary 18, 2023Cocoon, Ron Howard, Comedy, Fantasy, Aliens, Don Ameche, Hume Cronyn

"In every old man's eye...:" The retroactive significance of the Romeo and Juliet lawsuit

Nearly six decades after the release of Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 adaptation, stars Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting are suing the film’s studio for sexual exploitation.

"The fear of offending": empowerment vs. exploitation in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

David Fincher’s 2011 adaptation of the bestselling novel is queasily voyeuristic in its obsessive interest in a traumatized hacker’s experiences with sexual violence.

"All will be well in the garden:" the premonitory populism of Being There

Hal Ashby’s 1979 dark comedy locates a dormant conservatism in the American consciousness.

Hollywood RevisitedBen RendichDecember 19, 2022Being There, Hal Ashby, Peter Sellers, Comedy, Dark comedy, Political

“You’ll have to tell us how you did it:” the bloated prestige of Steve Jobs

With the mismatched writer-director team of Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle at its helm, Steve Jobs is an example of how rushing to tell a story can isolate a subject from its proper artistic realization.

“It’s not a war:” the romantic alienations of Closer

Adapted from Patrick Marber’s play, Closer is a fascinating and stylish microcosm of post-9/11 cultural dysphoria.

Hollywood RevisitedBen RendichApril 5, 2022Closer, Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Drama, adaptation, Mike Nichols, Post-9/11Comment

“…even when I’m surrounded by other people:” the lazy ennui of Lost in Translation

Despite tender direction from Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation bolsters its May-November romance with feeble stereotyping of Japanese people and culture.

“All a woman has to hang on to…:” the middling yet murderous Dolores Claiborne

Based on a Stephen King novel about an abused housewife, director Taylor Hackford's film lags due to procedural storytelling and on-the-nose flashbacks.

Review: The Godfather and its lineage

Returning to theaters for its fiftieth anniversary, Francis Ford Coppola’s gratuitous masterpiece maintains a strong influence on American cinema.

“The trick is not minding:” Lawrence of Arabia and the uses of war

David Lean’s epic masterpiece testifies that invasion, regardless of motive, is always a demonstration of innate cruelty.

Hollywood RevisitedBen RendichMarch 1, 2022Lawrence of Arabia, war, David Lean, Russia, UkraineComment

“For we are not who we are told we are…:” three interpretations of Marilyn Monroe

A meditation on the legendary star, filtered through The Misfits (1961), My Week with Marilyn (2011), and Joyce Carol Oates’ Blonde (2000).

Hollywood RevisitedBen RendichFebruary 22, 2022Comment

Spotlight and The Post: two movies about the press

Todd McCarthy’s Oscar-winning drama affirms the ethos of Obama-era institutional consistency, while Steven Spielberg’s film is an anti-Trump call to action against abusive leadership.

Hollywood RevisitedBen RendichFebruary 15, 2022The Post, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Spotlight, Todd McCarthy, journalismComment

Cabaret: a time capsule of the timeless battle to be queer

My first reaction to Bob Fosse’s Oscar-winning 1972 musical.

Hollywood RevisitedBen RendichFebruary 1, 2022

Johnny Guitar

An absolutely gonzo, fabulous firecracker of a movie, Johnny Guitar is the Wild West by way of Joan Crawford.

Hollywood RevisitedBen RendichJanuary 25, 2022