AwardsWatch - Retrospective

‘Jackass: The Movie’: 20 years later, the era of the teenage dirtbag lives on, concussions be damned

Retrospective

‘Jackass: The Movie’: 20 years later, the era of the teenage dirtbag lives on, concussions be damned

Veronica Phillips October 19, 2022

The Jackass film franchise is now twenty years old. With four films under their belt (plus three extra bonus feature films and a handful of... Read More

‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ at 10: How Stephen Chbosky turned “We accept the love we think we deserve” into a teenage celebration of self [Retrospective]

Retrospective

‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ at 10: How Stephen Chbosky turned “We accept the love we think we deserve” into a teenage celebration of self [Retrospective]

Billie Melissa October 5, 2022

If you were a certain kind of teenager in 2012, The Perks of Being a Wallflower would’ve been your Bible. It defined how it felt... Read More

‘The Ice Storm’ retrospective: How Ang Lee’s 70s suburban American drama remains his most underrated masterpiece

Retrospective

‘The Ice Storm’ retrospective: How Ang Lee’s 70s suburban American drama remains his most underrated masterpiece

Catherine Springer September 28, 2022

If a director is lucky enough to find success in Hollywood, chances are they will stick with whatever works – it’s the rare director who... Read More

‘Pink Floyd: The Wall’ at 40 retrospective: What the classic concept album turned jaw-dropping rock opera told us about the chilling rise of white male rage

Retrospective

‘Pink Floyd: The Wall’ at 40 retrospective: What the classic concept album turned jaw-dropping rock opera told us about the chilling rise of white male rage

Kyle Wilson September 12, 2022

On May 23, 1982, at the Cannes Film Festival, the lights rose after the world premiere screening of Pink Floyd: The Wall and director Alan... Read More

‘L.A. Confidential’ retrospective: At 25, still the best neo-noir film of the latter 20th century

Retrospective

‘L.A. Confidential’ retrospective: At 25, still the best neo-noir film of the latter 20th century

Catherine Springer September 12, 2022

Kids today are so spoiled, with their Moonlights and Parasites and Nomadlands and CODAs winning Best Picture at the Oscars. Life seems so just and... Read More

‘Superbad’ at 15: Still a stupid, fantastic cinematic coming-of-age gift [Retrospective]

Retrospective

‘Superbad’ at 15: Still a stupid, fantastic cinematic coming-of-age gift [Retrospective]

Veronica Phillips August 12, 2022

To pick an all-time favorite high school film is a deeply personal process, perhaps more so than other film genres. No one makes it out... Read More

‘Ruby Sparks’ retrospective: How the 10-year old quirky writer fantasy still feels topical in the way we talk about power, art, muses and love

Retrospective

‘Ruby Sparks’ retrospective: How the 10-year old quirky writer fantasy still feels topical in the way we talk about power, art, muses and love

Veronica Phillips July 22, 2022

The titular character of Ruby Sparks first appears in a dream. In the midst of a crippling, neurotic, self-serving writer’s block, the acclaimed novelist Calvin... Read More

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ retrospective: The case for Andrew Garfield as still the best Peter Parker

Retrospective

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ retrospective: The case for Andrew Garfield as still the best Peter Parker

Nicole Ackman June 29, 2022

There’s little denying that 2021 was Andrew Garfield’s year. He starred in three Oscar-nominated films, as the embezzling evangelist Jim Bakker in The Eyes of... Read More

‘A League of Their Own’ at 30: Penny Marshall’s baseball classic remains an empowering and enduring example of sisterhood [Retrospective]

Retrospective

‘A League of Their Own’ at 30: Penny Marshall’s baseball classic remains an empowering and enduring example of sisterhood [Retrospective]

Zofia Wijaszka June 28, 2022

Growing up in Poland, I was curious about one particular American sport: baseball. After seeing Mary-Kate swinging a bat and playing baseball in the middle... Read More

‘Beware! The Blob’ at 50: The genre osmosis of the first and last film directed by Larry Hagman [Retrospective]

Retrospective

‘Beware! The Blob’ at 50: The genre osmosis of the first and last film directed by Larry Hagman [Retrospective]

Tony Madia June 16, 2022

Fans of classic television will most likely remember Larry Hagman as the menacing J.R. Ewing on CBS’s Dallas, or in his earlier role as Anthony... Read More