The Film Canon

A series of articles and reviews of older movies that have entered, well, the film canon, for being creatively or culturally important. Everything from Citizen Kane to The Breakfast Club to Fargo to The Dark Knight. So we can all create a diverse list of essential movies for the young folk cinephiles to watch

The Film Canon: Princess Mononoke (1997)

In his landmark study The Hero with a Thousand Faces, American mythologist Joseph Campbell defined…

The Film Canon: Blue Velvet (1986)

[Warning: Contains spoilers!!] A green lawn, red roses, and a white picket fence. Red lipstick,…

The Film Canon: High and Low (1963)

[Warning: Spoilers Ahead] Film critics must always be on guard against the temptations of hyperbole.…

The Film Canon: El Topo (1970)

Roger Ebert once wrote: “If you have to ask what something symbolizes, it doesn’t.” Such…

The Film Canon: The Wizard of Oz (1939)

There are certain films in the canon of American cinema that we should always leave…

The Film Canon: The Ascent (1977)

Larisa Shepitko’s The Ascent is one of the most tactile of films. The soundtrack submerges…

Film Canon: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Unlike other childhood favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles don’t quite hold the same sway…