Author Archives: Jacob Calta

Akira Kurosawa is one of the most important filmmakers of the 20th century. Through his feudal films, we saw the works of Shakespeare reborn and new tales that have been told for decades. Through his modern-day exploits, we looked into the heart of humanity at the time, peering into the souls of many. In hisContinue reading “Ran (1985): “In A Mad World, Only The Mad Are Sane””

As much as I love film, both its creation and consumption, I have never been able to go to the theater as often as I’d like to. Some of it is a matter of transportation, but much of it has been a disinterest in the contemporary. I never like to stay ignorant of modern film,Continue reading “The Lighthouse (2019): It’s Bad Luck to Leave a Toast Unfinished, Lad.”

What Dario Argento’s Suspiria did for witches, and what Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Hausu did for haunted houses, Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula does for the titular vampire: create a film as out-there as the myths & tales themselves. Dracula is a character immortalized in pop culture, born out of the 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker and adapted into a string ofContinue reading “Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992): The Blood is Life”

Animation is a medium that has fascinated us to no end. Whether the artist wields paints, pencils, clay, or even a computer, animation affords us near-limitless possibilities for telling stories and crafting images. Animation of maturity is not a rarity as some would assume, granted that the bulk of Western animation is dominated by largeContinue reading “The Plague Dogs (1982): “Can’t You See It? Our Island!””