The casino sequence
Gambling is one of the few activities cinema can film honestly in real time, and one it almost never does.
Kitchen scenes
Cooking on screen is nearly always a performance of competence. The exceptions are more interesting than the rule.
The cafeteria as a documentary subject
School kitchens have been filmed for a century, and the camera has almost always been pointed at the wrong end of the room.
Uncut Gems
Josh and Benny Safdie, 2019. A film that solves the problem of filming risk by refusing to let anyone finish a sentence.
More from the archive
Everything we have published →-
Big Night
Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci, 1996. The most patient food film ever made ends with a silent breakfast, and earns it.
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The second viewing
Some films can only be reviewed twice.
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Tampopo
Juzo Itami, 1985. A western about noodles, and a lesson in changing genre between scenes without losing the audience.
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The long take and the lie
An unbroken shot is usually an argument that nothing was hidden. Often the opposite is true.
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The Cincinnati Kid
Norman Jewison, 1965. A card film that understands the difference between suspense and waiting.
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What a repertory programme is for
A season is an argument, not a playlist.