Revisiting Jane Campion's "The Piano" (1993) and riveted not by the drama, but by the silent seduction she and her lensman, Stuart Dryburgh, evoke in a 19th-century setting. The actors allow their characters to be exposed canvases in an era when repression often thwarted passion. #Cinematography

Now playing (03:50 PM PST): "Yi Yi" (2000) By Edward Yang Runtime: 174 min.

My new feature in The Brooklyn Rail argues that 90s queer cinema's power wasn't in its darkness, but in depicting characters who rejected submissive surrender to an uncaring system. These films sketched the path toward today's more hopeful LGBTQ+ stories. brooklynrail.org/2025/09/film...

When the prompt is #skyline, don’t overthink it #blueskyartshow #photography #photo #nyc

The medium of Jackson Pollock's 'Number 1A' is perhaps its most radical component. Instead of relying solely on traditional oils, Pollock combined oil, enamel, and commercial house paint in a variety of colors on an enlarged canvas. He would often work on the floor, flinging paint. #JacksonPollock

For 40 years, Kate Bush's 'Hounds of Love' has been the sound of 'what imagination feels like.' I wrote about its otherworldly power and "Kabuki theater in the clouds" aesthetic for @popmatters.com. Thrilled to share this one. www.popmatters.com/kate-bush-ho...

Phil Collins' sensual voice in 'In Too Deep,' combined with the jazzy, sexy soundscape, fit well into 'Mona Lisa' (1986). It makes Bob Hoskins' visit to London's Soho an elegant complement to the 'Relax' scene in 'Body Double' (1984). #moviesky #britishcinema www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_57...

'Japanese Toilet.' c. 1870s-90s. By using albumen print, Kusakabe Kimbei provided this image with an ethereal glow. A perfect example of nineteenth-century photography presenting beauty as more of an 'implied' aesthetic. #Japanesehistory #Vintagephotography #retrophoto

Bernie Wrightson's (1948-2017) artwork had a moody, chilling edge all its own. The way he captured shadows, with an equal mixture of pulpy, larger-than-life, yet lived-in quality in his subjects, and a detached, eerie atmosphere, is sorely missed. #BernieWrightson #HorrorArt #WeirdArt

Kristi Noem is seen as a "delicate, beautiful, tiny woman" while leading DHS, yet Rep. McIver was arrested for protesting it, and Sen. Padilla was tackled for even questioning it. It's clear who gets to be “delicate, beautiful, and tiny,” and who is seen as a violent threat to law enforcement.

The symbolism in Salvador Dali's 'The Persistence of Memory' runs a gamut of themes from the disintegration of time as well as the decay of living matter in the midst of pristine natural beauty. Would love to have seen how he approached the age of AI. #Surrealism #SalvadorDali #ArtHistory

George Platt Lynes was an American photographer who took early risks in his work. In this untitled photograph, Lynes depicts two naked men, one in contemplation and the other obscured apart from his naked body. Lynes frames his subjects in an unadulterated light. #NudeArt #QueerArt #Photography

My latest feature for @popmatters.com explores David Cronenberg's latest film, 'The Shrouds,' by weaving the thread of bodily (and philosophical) grief across his decades-long filmography. www.popmatters.com/the-shrouds-... #filmsky #horror

Stani Labonia - In Due [Italy - Soul, Easy Listening] (1978) One of the most obscure Italian records. Perfect arrangement and such a unique voice.. https://redd.it/q8c32b https://youtu.be/1o2qX5qNw9I

'Self-Portrait' by Herbert Bayer. 1932. The photograph contrasts the real with the fake, as Bayer manipulates the image to appear as a deconstructed mannequin. To me, this is a representation of the yearning for something new and unique. #SelfPortrait #Bauhaus #ContemporaryArt #Modernism

What does it mean to fly? I wrote a psychoanalytic and postmodern analysis of Alan Parker’s haunting 'Birdy' (1984)—a film about trauma, repression, and the desire to escape. Read more: charlesswitzer.com/2025/05/22/b... #Postmodernism #FilmStudies #AlanParker #Birdy1984

I have always found this movie to be perceptive and underrated. The promo campaign was terrible, but I am sure Greg Mottola had little say in that. It captures that hazy, stoner period of the early 20s well, and the period detail (1987) and soundtrack are first-rate. #Adventureland2009 #IndieRomance

I miss film these days. Digital cameras add such clarity, but that grainy, almost dreamlike, lush, lived-in texture of film is sorely missed. 'Nan and Brian in bed.' Nan Goldin. 1983. #NanGoldin #80sNYC #FilmPhotography #FeministArt

Kate Bush has always been more than a TikTok meme. In my latest post, I explore why her refusal to play by industry rules makes her more timeless than “relevant—" kind of like Mozart. Read it here → charlesswitzer.com/2025/05/15/k... #KateBush #MusicCriticism #WomenInMusic #Artpop #HoundsofLove

The lasting terror in ‘Lord of the Flies’ isn’t that civilization breaks down: it’s that the tools of empire (dominance, ideology, forced conformity) remain alive and well, even in our children.

I wrote about how modern film and TV are steeped in nihilism — not as despair, but as a lens through which characters (and we) confront the absurd -- more so now than ever... Full post here: charlesswitzer.com/2025/05/10/n... #Film #Nihilism #TVAnalysis