Dogfight: In Love and War
The gentle rapport between actors Lili Taylor and River Phoenix fuels this humane examination of American masculinity, a film that showcases the nuanced and compassionate approach of director Nancy Savoca.
The Man Behind the Wheel
Amid the anxiety and social turbulence of the Nixon era, car movies served to explore and embody the contradictions of American masculinity.
Cinema Pugilistica: A Century of Boxing on Film
Entwined with the evolution of American culture, boxing movies have used the microcosm of the ring to tackle issues of race, class, gender, and labor.
Miracle in Milan: It Is Goodness
Vittorio De Sica’s neorealist fable deploys barbed humor and surreal flourishes to depict class solidarity and human kindness in postwar Italy.
La strada: Beauty and the Beast
Federico Fellini’s earliest masterpiece is a story of despair and optimism, cruelty and salvation, that occasioned the director’s ascent to stardom.
The Gloomy Side of Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate
In his middle age, Ol’ Blue Eyes embraced a tired, tormented persona on-screen, one that allowed him to show off his formidable acting chops.