The Magic Lantern

Recent Episodes

Episode 162 – Vagabond

Posted July 12, 2021 • 00:52:23

When we first see Mona, she is already dead. In Vagabond (1985), Agnès Varda then sets about to reconstruct the last days and weeks of this young woman’s...

Episode 161 – My Brilliant Career

Posted June 28, 2021 • 00:59:16

Gillian Armstrong’s My Brilliant Career (1979) belongs to a special category of films in my personal canon. Sometimes a movie hits you like a bolt...

Episode 160 – Rushmore

Posted June 14, 2021 • 00:54:58

Is Rushmore (1998) your favorite Wes Anderson film? It is certainly mine. When I first saw it in the theater when I was about 22, it hit me where I...

Episode 159 – Tremors

Posted May 31, 2021 • 00:49:45

We owe a debt of gratitude to Tremors (Underwood, 1990). Its arrival kicked off another boom cycle for one of our favorite subgenres – the creature...

Episode 158 – Diabolique

Posted May 17, 2021 • 00:49:36

Is Diabolique (Clouzot, 1955) a film noir or a thriller? We firmly assert that it is one of the most delectable, and yes, diabolical noir masterpieces...