A Tamil Trio: Views on the Cinema of Tamil Nadu in the 21st Century
Three new texts on Tamil cinema Continue reading A Tamil Trio: Views on the Cinema of Tamil Nadu in the 21st Century
Category: compilation
Digging Shallow And Deep—Portrayals Of ‘The Farmer’ In New Tamil Cinema
“The customary hero-introduction shot in Tamil language drama Kadaikutti Singam (2018) happens during the scene of a rekla race, the traditional bullock cart sport held in Tamil Nadu villages. Before Karthi Shivakumar, the star actor who plays the lead character, makes an appearance, Soori, the comedian who plays the hero’s best friend, takes a look at the bustling arena where bulls are rubbing shoulders with men, and gushes, “How could you curtail this happiness!”” Continue reading Digging Shallow And Deep—Portrayals Of ‘The Farmer’ In New Tamil Cinema
Squeal Like a Pig—Custodial Violence in Tamil Cinema
“The subject of this essay is custodial violence in Tamil cinema, films produced in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where over a hundred custodial deaths were recorded in the past two decades without a single conviction.” Continue reading Squeal Like a Pig—Custodial Violence in Tamil Cinema
A Sculpture of Ashes—Liner Notes On A Modern, Cinephilic Tragedy
” When I boarded the Nellai Express early in the morning of 16 June 2019 to journey from Neyveli to Chennai along the eastern stitch of the Indian peninsula, I was only marginally surprised to find a thick diary, of the corner-stationery variety, lying atop the brief table next to my berth. Someone had also left behind a half-eaten packet of salted almonds.” Continue reading A Sculpture of Ashes—Liner Notes On A Modern, Cinephilic Tragedy
International Women’s Day 2022
Happy International Women’s Day! Continue reading International Women’s Day 2022
‘Women in Revolt’
Women in Revolt is the kind of glorious filth they just don’t — or is it can’t? — make any more. Continue reading ‘Women in Revolt’
Re-Introducing Warhol
A new dossier of short texts on the cinematic work of Andy Warhol. Continue reading Re-Introducing Warhol
‘Outer and Inner Space’
by paul a. As its title vaguely implies, Outer and Inner Space is primarily concerned with personal (inner) and public (outer) spheres of societal life — even as the film itself is sinuously situated between these two opposing ideologies and operates in something of an intermediate territory. It’s a title that also reinforces a stark cultural dichotomy, fueling a never-ending conflict fought since the inception … Continue reading ‘Outer and Inner Space’
Vested Interest – ‘My Hustler’
by Luise Mörke “I could introduce you to people… interesting people,” Ed Hood’s character in My Hustler (1965) promises the object of his desire (Paul America) in exchange for continuing their transactional relationship. The people Ed is referring to likely stem from his upper class circles. We can imagine that he will take Paul to lavish soirées and swanky parties, where one basks in the … Continue reading Vested Interest – ‘My Hustler’
‘Vinyl’
by Will Sloan It’s cliché to observe that Andy Warhol’s filmography resembles the evolution of cinema itself. Warhol begins, as did Edison and Lumière, with silent films that invite us to wonder at a single visual idea (Sleep, Kiss, Eat). Quickly he introduced sound, color, movie stars, and more conventional visual grammar until finally arriving at Andy Warhol’s Bad (1976), which is so close to … Continue reading ‘Vinyl’
ULTRA DOGME 