The Filmic 5: Analog Edition

Your Weekly Film Superlatives By Critic and Film Scholar Jack Hanley

I. Film I Am Loving This Week

I confess I cannot stop thinking about THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME. Perhaps the perfect Father’s Day film (and my favorite cinematic Father/Daughter relationship of recent memory), I expected to enjoy it of course- but I find myself now musing obsessively about Wes Anderson's fence-swinging "third act triptych" of recent films (THE FRENCH DISPATCH, ASTEROID CITY) and their place in the canon.

The acting here is SUBURB, which should be no surprise given the astonishing cast. More surprising is the filmic departure from his earlier "diorama" visual language, his embrace of pure comedy, and (finally) some measure of repudiation of his more boorish bourgeoisie fixations. More musings to come…but while the more “Fantastic Mr Foxish” final act may have left me a bit underwhelmed given the preceding narrative mastery, I must say I rather enjoy this new era of Wes occasionally swinging for the fences artistically. Still the 6th best Wes Anderson by my count. In theaters now.

II. Hobbies Making Me Happy This Week: Analog Pleasures

Sure, it may have started with vinyl- but from my recent "tapehead obsessions" of scouring thrift stores for 80's horror VHS tapes to rediscovering the intentional pleasures of Polaroids and 8mm film, I have been LOVING the return of analog tech. There’s a tactile poetry to analog tech—a gratifying defiance of modern convenience and algorithmic sterility that lets you FEEL time, weight, and intention in every click, whir, and clunky rewind. Because in a world so often anesthetized by instant gratification, analog tech demands your presence in the moment—nostalgically reminding you of a time when you had to slow down, pay attention, and find joy in the beautifully inefficient act of enjoying one thing at a time.

III. Cinematic Life Hack Changing My Life This Week

To mark five years of cinematic curation this April, the Criterion Channel quietly dropped us all a gift: Criterion 24/7—a perpetual stream of deep cuts, global heavyweights, and cult curios from their vault. As part of their streaming service, it’s a cinephile’s fever dream on shuffle—and, frankly, the most elegant way to watch movies in our current age of content fatigue. Criterion 24/7 is gloriously barebones- no schedule, no guide, just one looping channel. If you want to know what you're watching, you’ll need to check their site. There’s no rhyme or reason to the lineup, and that’s part of the charm: pure cinematic roulette. Think of it as your cinephile screensaver- we've had it running in the background at our home, and I cannot tell you how many cinematic treasures I have now discovered. Give it a week of running in the background- I promise it is a GAME-CHANGER.

IV. New Take On An Old Masterpiece I Am Appreciating This Week

In honor of the 50th anniversary of JAWS, I thoroughly enjoyed this recent in-depth analysis and breakdown of the film by content creator and film nerd Erik Voss. What I wasn't prepared for was his wonderfully persuasive take on the film being, ultimately, less about a shark and all about the anxieties and fears surrounding fatherhood. Voss (and Spielberg) argue that within the triumvirate of masculine archetypes on that boat, ONLY a father can save the island. It's a lovely take- and one that will shape your next viewing...which hopefully will be with your Dad. Enjoy.

V. Film History That Made Me Smile This Week

Via our friends at Nineteenth Century Videos on Youtube: "While the Lumière brothers often receive credit for the birth of cinema in 1895, a lesser-known gem from 1892, 'Pauvre Pierrot' (Poor Pierrot), deserves recognition as a trailblazing achievement in animation and visual storytelling. Created by French inventor and artist Charles-Émile Reynaud, this short film predates traditional cinema, offering a fascinating glimpse into the earliest experiments with projected moving images.

Reynaud didn't just make a film; he created a whole system for its presentation. His invention, the Théâtre Optique (Optical Theater), was a complex apparatus that projected hand-painted images onto a screen, creating the illusion of movement. Each image was meticulously drawn on a transparent strip, then mounted onto a band with perforations. This band was then manipulated through the projector, allowing Reynaud to control the timing and flow of the story."

Enjoy.

Jack Hanley is a film scholar, podcaster, and critic based in Boulder, CO. He is a programmer with the Chicago Underground Film Festival, Slamdance's Indies Awards, and the Boulder International Film Festival. He is one-half of Blindspotting: A Film Discovery Podcast and the founder of the Reel Horrors Short Film Festival. Find him at Kinophilia on Medium and at HanleyOnFilm.com