Capsules Blog

I MARRIED A WITCH — SHOCKTOBER!

Black and White, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Criterion Channel, Criterion Collection, Cult Film, FIVE STARS, French Cinema, Screwball Comedy, Women's Cinema

October 12, 2024

Welcome! Groupthink doesn't live here, critical thought does. This ad-free website is dedicated to Agnès Varda and to Luis Buñuel.…

MALEVOLENT — SHOCKTOBER!

B-Movie, BDSM, Capsules Blog, Con Men, Horror, Magic Realism, Psychological Thriller, Serial Killer, SHOCKTOBER!

October 5, 2024

“Malevolent” is based on the novel “Hush” by Konstantopoulos, although you’d never guess that this lightweight story was based on…

APARTMENT 7A — SHOCKTOBER!

Capsules Blog, FIVE STARS, Horror, Prequel, sex, SHOCKTOBER!, Transgressive Cinema, Women Filmmakers, Women's Cinema

October 3, 2024

Welcome! Groupthink doesn't live here, critical thought does. This ad-free website is dedicated to Agnès Varda and to Luis Buñuel.…

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL — SHOCKTOBER!

B-Movie, BDSM, Black and White, Black Comedy, Capsules Blog, Children's Cinema, Classic Cinema, Criterion Channel, Cult Film, FOUR STARS, Horror, SHOCKTOBER!

October 2, 2024

William Castle’s 1959 B-Movie horror classic retains its goofy charm with a litany of gimmicky sight gags that, however tame…

CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT

Cannes Film Festival, Capsules Blog, Historical Epic, sex, Sexploitation, Transgressive Cinema, Women's Cinema, ZERO STARS

September 29, 2024

Here is sexploitation in reverse. It’s 22 minutes longer than the original, and boy does it feel like it. Don’t…

MIDSOMMAR — SHOCKTOBER!

BDSM, Black Comedy, Capsules Blog, Cult Film, Dystopia, FOUR STARS, Magical Realism, Serial Killer, sex, SHOCKTOBER!, , Surrealism, Swedish Cinema, Transgressive Cinema, Women's Cinema

September 28, 2024

All you need to know going into this transgressive (if surrealistic) film is that it covers: animal abuse, cannibalism, incest,…

WILD AT HEART — CANNES 1990

Cannes Film Festival, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Cult Film, FIVE STARS, Rock 'n' Roll, sex, Transgressive Cinema, Video Essay

September 27, 2024

“Wild At Heart” is a remarkable film by any standard. What fun. Cole Smithey.

RATED X

BDSM, Biopic, Capsules Blog, FOUR STARS, Independent Cinema, Porn, sex, Women's Cinema

September 26, 2024

Tasteful, dramatic, and fascinating, “Rated X” is a damned good movie that is sorely overlooked. This is one wild ride.…

EYES WITHOUT A FACE — SHOCKTOBER!

BDSM, Black and White, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Criterion Channel, Criterion Collection, FIVE STARS, French Cinema, Gothic, Horror, SHOCKTOBER!, , Transgressive Cinema, Women's Cinema

September 24, 2024

“Eyes Without A Face” is a rare horror film that allows the audience’s imagination to run wild, while also giving…

THE BIKERIDERS

Capsules Blog, FIVE STARS, Hollywood, Politics, Punk, sex, , Transgressive Cinema, War, Women's Cinema

September 21, 2024

Primary to Jeff Nichols’s brilliant five-act film is the female perspective of its protagonist Kathy. Jodie Comer gives an Oscar-worthy…

BEETLEJUICE — SHOCKTOBER!

Animation, Capsules Blog, Franchise, Horror, SHOCKTOBER!, Surrealism, Women's Cinema

September 17, 2024

Tim Burton’s 1988 kids’ movie horror/goof-fest might have impressed that era’s young audiences with its stop-motion animation effects, but “Beetlejuice”…

IN PRAISE OF LOVE — CANNES 2001

Art Film, Avant-Garde, Cannes Film Festival, Capsules Blog, Corporate Corruption, Cult Film, Experimental, FIVE STARS, French Cinema, French New Wave, Hollywood, Independent Cinema, Transgressive Cinema, War, Women's Cinema

September 11, 2024

Welcome! Groupthink doesn’t live here, critical thought does. This ad-free website is dedicated to Agnès Varda and to Luis Buñuel.…

THE FALL GUY — EXTENDED CUT

British Cinema, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Cult Film, Feminist Cinema, FIVE STARS, Hollywood, Romantic Comedy, sex, Women's Cinema

September 9, 2024

Fast, sexy, hilarious, and endlessly entertaining, “The Fall Guy” is a true masterpiece regardless of whether its the short or…

BLAZE

Biopic, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Criterion Channel, Cult Film, FIVE STARS, Music, Romantic Drama

September 2, 2024

Director Ethan Hawke does the memory of Blues singer/songwriter Blaze Foley justice in this transfixing biopic. Cole Smithey.

LADY BIRD

Agitprop, Biopic, Capsules Blog, Coming-of-Age, Corporate Corruption, Cult Film, Current Affairs, Feminist Cinema, LGBTQ, Politics, sex, , Women's Cinema, ZERO STARS

August 31, 2024

Lady Bird is a KAREN. The fact is indisputable and undeniable. Racist, homophobic, lazy, petty, selfish, sociopathic, disloyal, and dishonest,…

THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE — SHOCKTOBER!

BDSM, British Cinema, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Criterion Channel, Cult Film, Erotic, FOUR STARS, Gothic, Horror, LGBTQ, Magical Realism, sex, SHOCKTOBER!, Suspense, Women's Cinema

August 20, 2024

“The Legend of Hell House” is a hoot and a half. Hilarious. Cole Smithey.

RED ROCK WEST — CLASSIC FILM PICK

Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, FIVE STARS, Neo-Noir, Women's Cinema

August 19, 2024

“Red Rock West” is an exquisite example of how far the Neo-Noir genre could be pushed, and with just how…

HOW TO GET AHEAD IN ADVERTISING — SHOCKTOBER!

British Cinema, Capsules Blog, Comedy, Criterion Collection, Cult Film, Horror, SHOCKTOBER!, , Women's Cinema

August 11, 2024

Is “How To Get Ahead In Advertising” a one-of-a-kind satirical masterpiece? Yes, yes it is. Cole Smithey.

BLOOD & WINE

Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, FIVE STARS, Neo-Noir

August 8, 2024

More blood than wine spills in this solid neo-noir romp. Chewy, juicy, and profound. Crack a bottle of vino and…

THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN

Agitprop, British Cinema, Cannes Film Festival, Capsules Blog, Classic Cinema, Cult Film, FIVE STARS, Independent, Music, Punk, Transgressive Cinema, Women's Cinema

August 5, 2024

The cumulative effect of this great documentary is to give viewers a strong sense of Strummer’s uncompromising humanitarian ideals, his…

COLE SMITHEY’S CLASSIC CINEMA