In Praise Of | Little White Lies

In Praise Of

Green frog puppet and blonde female puppet together.
In Praise Of

Why I love Abbas Kiarostami’s Homework

by Nadine Mamoon

More than three decades after it was made, this land­mark work defies clas­si­fi­ca­tion – a por­trait of young peo­ple caught between war­ring coun­tries, attempt­ing to have a typ­i­cal childhood.
Two men in casual clothing standing before an American flag backdrop.
In Praise Of

Michael Bay’s American Nightmare: Bad Boys II at 20

by Olivia Hunter Willke

Two decades on, Michael Bay’s nihilis­tic, hyper-vio­lent police dra­ma serves as a state of the union address.
Two men in formal attire, one with grey hair, embracing against a pink background.
In Praise Of

Crisis of faith: The Exorcist at 50

by Greg Cwik

Fifty years since William Fried­kin unleashed a demon at the mul­ti­plex, the impres­sive per­for­mances of Max von Sydow and Jason Miller are as haunt­ing as ever.
Three figures in red, green, and purple suits, standing in a row.
In Praise Of

David Byrne and the autistic euphoria of Stop Making Sense

by Raine Petrie

As an anniver­sary restora­tion of Jonathan Demme and Talk­ing Heads’ land­mark con­cert film hits cin­e­mas, it remains a land­mark in autis­tic rep­re­sen­ta­tion on screen.
Two smiling individuals, a man and a woman, seated on a sofa and engaging in conversation. The image features warm, pastel colours.
In Praise Of

The enduring joy of Dick Cavett’s Old Hollywood interviews

by Sarah Cleary

Stars includ­ing Kather­ine Hep­burn and Glo­ria Swan­son appeared on Dick Cavet­t’s sem­i­nal Amer­i­can talk show – a reminder that the tele­vised inter­view is some­thing of a lost art.
Group of soldiers in military gear and helmets, many faces visible, standing closely together.
In Praise Of

How Saving Private Ryan changed the war movie

by Sam Moore

Twen­ty-five years on, Steven Spiel­berg’s World War Two epic com­plete­ly rev­o­lu­tionised the way Hol­ly­wood thought about depict­ing con­flict on screen.
A young person with a distressed expression, uniformed individuals standing in a row, and an intimate embrace between two people.
In Praise Of

Why I love the lesbian documentaries of the 1990s

by Lucy Talbot Allen

Film­mak­ers includ­ing Bar­bara Ham­mer and Karen Everett explore var­i­ous facets of les­bian cul­ture in their unabashed, lo-fi films, cel­e­brat­ing the defi­ant acts of queer joy and activism.
A man wearing a striped shirt and glasses, looking directly at the camera against a blurred background.
In Praise Of

Portrait of the journalist as a young grifter: Shattered Glass at 20

by Kyle Turner

Bil­ly Ray’s 2003 thriller about a young jour­nal­ist who fab­ri­cat­ed sto­ries for The New Repub­lic is a curi­ous rel­ic two decades on, with an under­cur­rent of homo­erot­ic tension.
Two Asian people, a man and a woman, standing in front of a large red sun-like shape against a dark, cloudy background.
In Praise Of

Oldboy and the aesthetics of national trauma

by Anabelle Johnston

As Park Chan-wook’s sem­i­nal revenge thriller turns 20, it remains one of South Kore­an cin­e­ma’s most pierc­ing polit­i­cal indictments.
Large group of tribal men wearing traditional clothing and accessories, holding weapons and tools, standing in a forest setting.
In Praise Of

Exploring Ousmane Sembène’s activist cinema at 100

by Henry Roberts

A new BFI sea­son high­lights the incred­i­ble cin­e­mat­ic lega­cy of Sene­galese film­mak­er Ous­mane Sem­bène, who saw film as a tool to bring pow­er to the people.