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Published by Film at Lincoln Center

Sheila O'Malley

Seeing Double: Shane & Everybody Wants Some!!

By Sheila O'Malley
September 7, 2021
Are we not men: Two films, from 1953 and 2016, subtly undermine traditional definitions of masculinity

Monte Hellman’s Two-Lane Blacktop

By Sheila O'Malley
May 10, 2021
One for the road: a tribute to the late director and his minimalist, elliptical masterpiece

The Ecstatic Art

By Sheila O'Malley
May 8, 2020
For modernist poet H.D. and her contemporaries at the journal Close Up, the young medium of cinema lit up the room with soul-stirring force

Present Tense: Citizens Band

By Sheila O'Malley
April 24, 2020
Breaker breaker: Jonathan Demme’s 1977 CB-radio comedy spoke to the present moment in all kinds of unexpected ways

Present Tense: Arizona Dream

By Sheila O'Malley
April 9, 2020
Flying high: the original 1993 cut of Emir Kusturica’s dreamlike vision of the American west captivates with an all-star cast, out-there humor, and emotion

Present Tense: Jean Arthur

By Sheila O'Malley
March 19, 2020
Earth angel: the actress who helped define classic Hollywood comedy possessed an extraordinary voice

The Big Screen: Never Rarely Sometimes Always

By Sheila O'Malley
March 9, 2020
Director Eliza Hittman’s feeling for adolescence is extremely intuitive, and she is not tempted by melodrama or polemic

Present Tense: Martha Coolidge

By Sheila O'Malley
March 4, 2020
Like, wow: the director of Valley Girl has compiled a long track record of sensitive and insightful films

Present Tense: Miracle on Ice

By Sheila O'Malley
February 19, 2020
Power play: Gavin O’Connor’s rousing 2004 sports flick features a remarkable performance from Kurt Russell

Present Tense: Nick Nolte

By Sheila O'Malley
February 6, 2020
Turbulence ahead: there is nothing comforting about Nolte’s characters, men tormented by pain so deep it can’t be acknowledged

Present Tense: Daughters of the Sun

By Sheila O'Malley
January 22, 2020
In dreams: Maryam Shahriar’s only feature is made up of images which, dream-like, create space for the unconscious to operate

Short Takes: Bombshell

By Sheila O'Malley
January 9, 2020
Charlize Theron is excellent, but the film pulls some of its punches, especially politically

Present Tense: Used Cars

By Sheila O'Malley
January 7, 2020
Would I lie to you?: Robert Zemeckis’s 1980 madcap comedy pulls no punches with its portrayal of utter corruption

Present Tense: Sophia Takal’s Small Moments

By Sheila O'Malley
December 19, 2019
I’ll be your mirror: the refreshing honesty of the Black Christmas filmmaker’s depiction of identity

The Big Screen: A Hidden Life

By Sheila O'Malley
December 9, 2019
Terrence Malick’s latest is a meditation on the nature of faith, of belief in God even (or especially) in a lunatic world

Present Tense: Kristen Stewart

By Sheila O'Malley
December 5, 2019
A natural fit: thoughts on the mercurial talents of an actress who lets us see her discomfort and shyness

Present Tense: Tomboys

By Sheila O'Malley
November 21, 2019
One of the guys: the figure of the tomboy has popped up regularly throughout the timeline of movies

Present Tense: Angel Baby

By Sheila O'Malley
November 5, 2019
Darkness at the break of day: Michael Rymer’s 1995 film is a vivid portrayal of the highest highs and the lowest lows

Present Tense: Audience vs. Alone

By Sheila O'Malley
October 24, 2019
On an island: what we lose—and gain—when we watch alone

Present Tense: Brett Hanover’s Rukus

By Sheila O'Malley
October 10, 2019
Fuzzy memory: an interview with the director of Rukus, a highly personal docu-fiction hybrid of significant scope and emotional power