Over & Overs: Young Frankenstein (1974)

by Ginny O'Keefe

When you’re blue and you don’t know where to go to 
Why don’t you go where passion sits
PUTTINNNONDAREEEEEEEEEZ

In these dark times we are living in, it’s good to have a little escapism. Even if it only lasts an hour and forty-six minutes. And nothing puts a larger smile on my face quite like Mel Brooks’ classic horror-parody, Young Frankenstein. I watched this movie with my family on a skit trip when I was eight years old, not knowing what I was getting into...

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Mike Leigh on Criterion

by Cláudio Alves

One of the Criterion Channel's newest and most enticing additions is a Mike Leigh collection that includes 11 of the director's films. His is a cinema of compassionate observation that finds beauty in the bleakest settings, the wildest characters, and most complicated psyches. From Thatcher-era social realism to lavish period pieces, passing through farcical character studies, we can find much variety in this director's oeuvre, though some things remain constant. For one, we have Leigh's social preoccupations, a humanistic mindset that bleeds into every aspect of his productions. For another, there's his methodology when working with actors…

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Last Notes on 2002 (a Film Bitch Awards Flashback)

by Nathaniel R

We've had more difficulty letting the latest Smackdown go than usual but then 2002 was a fun fun year to discuss and podcast about.  There were so many more films we could have spoken about.

As an added bonus, since people are always asking about the old Film Bitch Awards that are no longer available online, we thought we'd share a couple of page from the 2002 honors for fun / discussion. (We've thought about compiling a "first ten years" book via GoFundMe or something - would you buy one?).

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Sir Ian Holm (1931-2020)

by Nathaniel R

If you haven't yet heard, beloved actor Sir Ian Holm (Chariots of Fire, From Hell, Ratatouille) passed away on Friday at the age of 88. He started working professionally as an actor in his twenties in the 1950s and he didn't stop working until just a handful of years ago with two final appearances in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy. In his long career he won the Tony (The Homecoming), the Olivier (King Lear) and the BAFTA twice (Boros Gun and Chariots of Fire) though Oscar, sadly, kept missing the chance to honor him.

After the jump 10 roles that hold special meaning for this particular moviegoer...

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Celebrating Father's Day: Tracy Letts in "Lady Bird"

In honor of Father’s Day, Lynn Lee pays tribute to one of her favorite on-screen fathers.  

At first glance, it may seem counter-intuitive to celebrate Lady Bird on Father’s Day instead of Mother’s Day.  The loving but fraught relationship between Saoirse Ronan’s Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson and her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf, who should have won the Oscar) is, after all, the emotional center of the film.  Yet amid the sturm und drang of their clashes and reconciliations, the quiet, soothing presence of Lady Bird’s father, Larry, leaves an equally lasting imprint.  It’s an especially remarkable feat when one considers how few movies devote significant attention to father-daughter relationships unless the mother is dead or there are abuse, neglect, or communication issues.  Think about it.

Lady Bird is the exception that proves the rule...

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