Julia Sirmons
Heavy on Politics, Light on Fun
By Julia SirmonsThe term “consciousness raising” may rankle or alienate a contemporary audience. Perhaps it seems like a relic of a bygone age or, worse, calls to mind the worst excesses of politically correct activism.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
By Julia Sirmons“Concerning ourselves,” Nietzsche wrote, speaking of those who engage in intellectual pursuits, “we are not seekers of knowledge.” But this statement has ramifications far beyond the blazer-with-elbow-patches-wearing crowd.
NOT OF OUR TIME
By Julia SirmonsOne simply cannot deny that Metropolis–Lang’s 1927 tale of insurrection and a maniacally sexy robot in a mechanized futuristic city–is not of our own time, and it took a helluva trip getting here.
Without Men, Without Women, Without Roots
By Julia SirmonsAs someone who devotes a significant chunk of her mental life to the question of women in film, the title Women Without Men intrigues, but ultimately stirs up a distinct sense of dread.
TOTALLY, TENDERLY, TRAGICALLY
By Julia SirmonsThe arrival of the 50th anniversary restoration of Breathless at Film Forum left me with a distinct feeling of trepidation.
DVD Culture
RED DESERT
By Julia SirmonsToday one cannot watch Antonioni’s Red Desert, with its ever-present smokestacks and overwhelming industrial milieu, without thinking of that underwater camera, constantly bringing us seemingly ceaseless images of oil billowing into the sea.
Never Insignificant
By Julia SirmonsJunior year of college, I was quite unexpectedly decided upon as a person of interest by the film department and invited to a reception and dinner at the president’s house, preceding an Antonioni film screening.
