BLFJ
Pop reviews and in-depth analyses of current and classic films from around the world.
Most recent stories in BLFJ
"If, from one angle," writes new BLFJ contributor Raymond De Luca, "BLADE RUNNER 2049 depicts a society collapsing under the weight of its own social, cultural, and biotic stratification, from another, it exposes a postindustrial space in which a radical multiculturalism is taking shape. The “cross-species” relations cultivated by Joi, K, and Deckard reveal the potential for divergent (im)material beings to sustain a sense of community by affirming rather than eliding what differentiates them." More of Raymond's optimistic view of the alleged dystopia of the film is just a click away.
"The existence of films such as BLACK SAMSON and THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR," writes BLFJ Associate Editor Andrew Grossman, "reminds us that there was an era, however fleeting, in which commercial films discarded centrist masks and bravely wore insurrection on their sleeves. Moreover, these images of collectivism were not the products of elite auteurs like Pontecorvo or Godard, but were part of a generic film movement that entertained Marxist ideas. With the exception of Depression-era social conscience films such as I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (1932), OUR DAILY BREAD (1934), and MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (1936), these “lesser” blaxploitation efforts might mark the only trend in commercial Hollywood that explicitly advanced a socialist agenda." For more of Andrew's penetrating analysis that also examines the Obama years, Black Lives Matter, recent films like THE BUTLER and 12 YEARS A SLAVE, and much more, click the link.
A heady-spinning analysis of the head-spinning documentary WHAT IS REALITY? (free on YouTube and running a mere 30 minutes).