In Praise Of | Little White Lies

In Praise Of

A monochrome image depicting a close-up of a hand partially obscured by a translucent material, creating a soft, ethereal effect.
In Praise Of

In praise of Stan Brakhage’s most disturbing film document

by Tyler Thier

This Hal­loween, no body hor­ror fic­tion can com­pare to the haunt­ing rev­e­la­tions of Brakhage’s 32-minute film The Act of See­ing with One’s Own Eyes.
Distorted image of a person's face with vibrant pink, blue and black tones, and visual glitches.
In Praise Of

A third predator in these woods: Gone Girl at 10

by Riley Rogers

A decade after its release, David Fincher’s thrilling adap­ta­tion of Gillian Fly­n­n’s nov­el about a woman scorned retains its unnerv­ing power.
Person in white lace outfit performing on stage, with purple smoke
In Praise Of

The timeless fluidity and androgyny of Purple Rain

by Ariana Martinez

As Prince’s ground­break­ing fea­ture debut turns 40, its dar­ing atti­tude towards gen­der and sex­u­al­i­ty still feels revolutionary.
Two young men wearing black clothing standing in front of a graffiti-covered wall.
In Praise Of

Shopping ’til you drop: Paul W.S. Anderson’s anarchic debut at 30

by Fran Bowden

Three decades on from its release, this 90s thriller echoes the dis­en­fran­chise­ment of young peo­ple and sen­sa­tion­al­i­sa­tion of shoplifting.
Smiling young man wearing a jersey with number 20 in front of a colourful, abstract background.
In Praise Of

Pills, thrills and bellyaches: the lost underworld of Human Traffic

by Billie Walker

Twen­ty five years on from its release, the rave cul­ture of Justin Ker­ri­g­an’s ode to doomed youth is all but lost.
A smiling man in a black coat gestures as he walks up a set of stone steps, with other people seated on the steps behind him.
In Praise Of

How 10 Things I Hate About You made Shakespeare hot property

by Nadira Begum

25 years ago, Gil Junger’s spiky teen romance rein­vent­ed The Tam­ing of the Shrew – and made Shake­speare cool again.
Dark silhouettes of two figures, one gripping the other's collar, against a backdrop of blue and black lines.
In Praise Of

Why I love Kevin Conroy’s performance in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

by Kevin Bui

The voice actor brought his life expe­ri­ence to the role of the Caped Cru­sad­er, and in the process gave us a bat­man for the ages.
A man in a yellow uniform stands on a football pitch, with other players visible in the background.
In Praise Of

Why Shaolin Soccer is the greatest football movie ever made

by Cian Tsang

By com­bin­ing his sig­na­ture absur­dist style and sin­cer­i­ty with the beau­ti­ful game, Stephen Chow cre­at­ed an exhil­a­rat­ing and uncon­ven­tion­al sports movie that cap­tures the highs and laws of football.
Green serpent-like creature with scales; woman submerged in yellow-tinted water, surrounded by greenery
In Praise Of

Green Snake and the search for belonging in a hostile world

by Xuanlin Tham

Cel­e­brat­ing its 30th anniver­sary, Tsui Hark’s take on a Chi­nese folk­tale is a breath­tak­ing alle­go­ry for our inhos­pitable world.
Two figures, a woman with a headpiece and a man in a suit, appear in a black-and-white photograph on a background of musical notes.
In Praise Of

Sadness with Pizzazz: The Saddest Music in the World at 20

by Theo Rollason

Two decades after its release, Guy Maddin’s eccen­tric Pro­hi­bi­tion era satire speaks to a con­tem­po­rary obses­sion with cor­po­ratis­ing pain.