Film
The Macabre Painter Behind the Alien Movies
With Ridley Scott's prequel Alien: Covenant being released this week, it's worth revisiting the documentary on the painter H.R. Giger, who inspired the series' aesthetic.
Jon Hogan
Books
A Graphic Novel in the Form of a Monster-Obsessed Child’s Notebook
In My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Emil Ferris avoids the strictures of any one genre, following the meandering mind of a 10-year-old obsessed with movie monsters.
Film
The Rise and Fall of a 1980s Street Art Star
Artist Richard Hambleton's career took off in the 1980s, but the following decade he was wracked by addiction and destitute. A new documentary tracks his dramatic trajectory.
Film
A Madcap Animated Movie About a High School Slowly Sliding into the Sea
This captivating film offers a strong argument for more graphic novelists to apply their creativity to animation.
Film
A Stilted Cinematic Portrait of Cézanne and Zola's Lifelong Friendship
The new film Cézanne and I focuses on the extreme temperamental differences between the two great friends, but offers few other insights.
Film
A Fantastical Addition to the Fading Genre of Live-Action Children’s Films
Andrés Waissbluth’s Un caballo llamado Elefante (“Elephant, the Horse”), playing at the Museum of Modern Art, is a charming reversal of the trend toward animation.
Film
Revisiting an Antiquated Chris Marker Film About Technology
French director and artist Chris Marker’s 1997 film Level Five, screening this weekend at Metrograph, is a hilariously antiquated portrayal of the internet.
Books
Chronicling the Days When Superheroes Knocked Out Nazis
The new book Take That, Adolf! compiles classic comic book covers that show how American superheroes were marshaled into service during World War II.
Film
The Horror Story of a Dystopian Painter Obsessed with Control
The Last Family is a domestic horror story portraying the violent dissolution of a family.
Film
The Opulent World of Qatari Falconry
Yuri Ancarani's documentary The Challenge immerses viewers in the dazzling subculture of ultra-wealthy sheiks who practice falconry.
Books
Mama Cass Finds Her Voice in a Comics Portrait of Her Teen Years
French cartoonist Pénélope Bagieu has taken a unique opportunity to correct public misperceptions about the musical icon’s life.
Film
From a Suicidal Sheriff to a Scrappy Sandpiper, a Look at the 2017 Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts
The five films nominated for this year's Academy Award for the best animated short film use a range of animation and storytelling styles to shuttle characters and viewers across time and space.