Tag Archives: Present Tense

Present Tense: On Rukus: An interview with director Brett Hanover

Posted on October 11, 2019 by sheila

For my next “Present Tense” column at Film Comment, I interviewed director Brett Hanover about his film Rukus, which we awarded Best Feature in the “Hometowners” category at Indie Memphis last year. A documentary-narrative hybrid, Rukus is a coming-of-age story, … Continue reading →

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Present Tense: Death Scenes

Posted on September 26, 2019 by sheila

William Holden, “Sunset Boulevard” For my next “Present Tense” column at Film Comment, I wrote about a long-time obsession – which I have covered from time to time here on my site: Actors performing death scenes. And a tribute to … Continue reading →

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Present Tense: Matthias Schoenaerts

Posted on September 12, 2019 by sheila

I’ve written a lot about Matthias Schoenaerts over the years. From Bullhead to Rust and Bone (which I went really long on here), to 2016’s Disorder (which I reviewed for Ebert). I decided to discuss Schoenaerts’ work – especially his … Continue reading →

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Present Tense: Female Comedians

Posted on August 23, 2019 by sheila

For my next column at Film Comment, I wrote about actresses who come from a comedy/improv background, and the special gifts they bring to bear in dramatic material. Featuring a couple of interviews I did with circus people, and also … Continue reading →

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Present Tense: On Dennis Hopper’s Out of the Blue (1980)

Posted on August 9, 2019 by sheila

My new column for Film Comment is about Dennis Hopper’s wild and nihilistic Out of the Blue, starring Linda Manz, in a definite high watermark for performances by teenagers. She’s an icon, and WAS an icon to me when I … Continue reading →

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Present Tense: On that thing we call “back-ting”

Posted on July 25, 2019 by sheila

For my latest “Present Tense” column at Film Comment, I wrote about something that’s been percolating for decades. In college, my friend Mitchell coined the phrase “back-ting” – moments where actors perform scenes with their backs to the camera (or … Continue reading →

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Present Tense: On What Happened Was…, one of the great films about loneliness

Posted on July 11, 2019 by sheila

For my next “Present Tense” column at Film Comment, I wrote about Tom Noonan’s award-winning 1994 film What Happened Was… It was impossible to see the film for a good 10 years too (it was never released on DVD. If … Continue reading →

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For Film Comment: On Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story

Posted on June 13, 2019 by sheila

For my fourth “Present Tense” column at Film Comment (archive here, thus far), I wrote about the WONDER that is Martin Scorsese’s new documentary (or should I say “documentary”?) about Bob Dylan’s 1975 “Rolling Thunder Revue” tour.

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For Film Comment: On Marlon Brando’s Body

Posted on May 31, 2019 by sheila

For my new “Present Tense” column at Film Comment, I wrote about Marlon Brando and David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest. Because one led me to think in a new way about the other. This was a fun one. Present Tense: … Continue reading →

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Present Tense: On Ripley and Corporal Hicks in Aliens

Posted on May 16, 2019 by sheila

One of the fun things about having a column (my new column Present Tense at Film Comment) is writing down a list of all of the random things I’ve always wanted to write, but never got around to here, for … Continue reading →

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