EDWARD HOPPER PAINTINGS COME TO LIFE

One night last week, I was watching a documentary about the Library of Congress and the National Film Registry's effort to preserve American motion pictures and was immediately struck by a short film called "Cologne: From the Diary of Ray and Esther." This charming piece of Americana, shot by Minnesota residents Ray and Esther Dowidat, documents the people and everyday life in Cologne, Minnesota, circa 1939. Compiled by the National Film Preservation...

Read More

NEO NOIR: FOUR FILMS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED, PART III

Clockwise from top, Philip Baker Hall, Michael Madsen, Kim Dickens, and Alec Baldwin My rule: The best thing about noir as a genre is that it can be bent a thousand ways from Sunday. I've said that once and I'll continue. While most classic noir films we've come to love have stemmed from the 40s and 50s (too many to name), plenty of neo noirs have been delivered in the modern day from director Roman Polanski's take of the private eye film in...

Read More