Author Archives: Mark Stern

Emotion in Motion

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Mark Stern

Spanning continents and nearly nine decades, the glorious “Emotion Pictures: International Melodrama” showcases 62 films from the “genre that boldly endeavors to put emotion on screen in its purest form.” In addition to masterpieces from mid-20th century Hollywood titans (Douglas Sirk, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos | Tagged , | 1 Comment

No Turkeys

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Mark Stern

Deep compassion and irresistible deadpan humor (and characters with odd–and oddly appealing–faces) are hallmarks of the great Finnish filmmaker, Aki Kaurismäki’s work. (His films also have many canine co-stars–Tähti, Laika, Paju–all perfectly cast.) Six of his best films, all 35mm … Continue reading →

Posted in Dogs, Film, Photography, Photos | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Leo and Bruce (Birthdays and Anniversaries)

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Mark Stern

Today Leo is 15 3/4 and although he’s very slow (serious time has to be budgeted for a walk around the block) and sleepy (of course dogs of all ages do a significant amount of napping), he’s in great shape … Continue reading →

Posted in Dogs, Film, Friends, Photography, Photos | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Off the Walls

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Mark Stern

The Museum of the City of New York’s exhaustive and fascinating new exhibit, “Art in the Open: Fifty Years of Public Art in New York,” brings the work indoors to examine how it transformed the five boroughs–parks, plazas, subways, empty … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, History, Photography, Photos | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Chicago Summer of Changes

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Mark Stern

Needing a break from her depressive father (and longing for a teenager’s summertime meaure of freedom), lovely and uneasy 16-year-old Cyd (Jessie Pinnick, travels from South Carolina to Chicago to spend time with her aunt, Miranda (Rebecca Spence), a famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“A Combination of Michael Haneke and Larry David”

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Mark Stern

Director and writer Ruben Östlund’s new satire, the unlikely 2017 Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or winner, “The Square,” like his earlier films, closely observes human behavior for the gulf between what his characters believe and how they put it into practice. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos | Tagged , | Leave a comment

If a Poplar Falls in the Forest (Stillwater Diary)

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Mark Stern

It had been a dark and stormy night (and a bunch of Labradors were sitting around the fire…oops, I digress)–dramatic wind, fiercer gusts. And the next morning, from all visual indications, the sounds the poplar made as it crashed through … Continue reading →

Posted in Dogs, Film, Nature, Photography, Photos | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Unusual Appetites

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Mark Stern

Paul Bartel (1938-2000), best known as a character actor, was also a director with an incisive (and highly entertaining) take on violence as comedy, sexuality, perversity, race, greed and social-climbing. “The Films of Paul Bartel,” the first retrospective of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos, www.robinholland.com | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

NYFF55: Special Events (Tragedy and Triumph)

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Mark Stern

The great documentary filmmaker Claude Lanzmann (“Shoah”) returns to the New York Film Festival with a four-part film, made from interviews done in the 1970s that didn’t make it into his masterwork. “Four Sisters” recounts the harrowing stories of four … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

NYFF55: Spotlight on Documentary (A Playwright and a Primatologist)

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Mark Stern

Filmmaker and writer Rebecca Miller’s portrait of her father, “Arthur Miller: Writer,” is concerned with the difference between the great playwright’s public persona and the man she knew and deeply  loved. Her film is warm and honest, dealing with Miller’s life, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Photography, Photos, www.robinholland.com | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment