A Leaky Ship Without A Country: A Review of Woody Allen and Cate Blanchett’s Blue Jasmine

This was the first piece I ever published online, in 2013, at Queens Free Press. Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen’s 45th film as a director, is an unusually spirited blend of his steadfast themes.  Was he amused by Ruth Madoff’s declarations of innocence? Mindful of the ephemerality of the life he and others have worked, marriedContinue reading “A Leaky Ship Without A Country: A Review of Woody Allen and Cate Blanchett’s Blue Jasmine”

An Investigation of Agnieszka Holland’s THE THIRD MIRACLE, and a career spanning talk with its author, Richard Vetere

THE THIRD MIRACLE, a sort of “spiritual detective story” about a troubled priest chosen to investigate whether a laywoman allegedly responsible for a miracle is a suitable candidate for sainthood, came out in the fall of 1990 and had a brief run on the art-house circuit, collecting some respectful reviews before gently exiting the OscarContinue reading “An Investigation of Agnieszka Holland’s THE THIRD MIRACLE, and a career spanning talk with its author, Richard Vetere”

The Rejected Flower: A Heartfelt Defense of Peter Bogdanovich’s Romantic Freefall Through Space, ILLEGALLY YOURS

A discussion of why ILLEGALLY YOURS didn’t deserve the death penalty and the intriguing nature of “humpback movies” made by great directors.

The Mythic, Unseen, long-lost film CHIEF ZABU has Now Arrived!

By James Kenney. This interview originally appeared at WhatchaReading? on October 25, 2017. Any film with Allen Garfield, Ed Lauter and Zack Norman can’t be bad.  Any film with Allen Garfield, Ed Lauter and Zack Norman that was lost for 30 years, only to re-materialize this November 2nd at Videology for a screening and QContinue reading “The Mythic, Unseen, long-lost film CHIEF ZABU has Now Arrived!”

HONG KONG FAVORITES, FANTASIES, AND FEVER DREAMS: A REVIEW OF THE 6th OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FEST, RUNNING APRIL 8th-10th, 2016 AT THE METROGRAPH THEATER, NYC

I reprint this article where I go deep on Hong Kong action cinema on its 5th anniversary