Writing — Juan A. Ramirez

Childhood in Black and White: Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis"

Seeing things in black and white often means denying room for any nuance and detail. And yet, in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, black and white is ultimately a reflection and refraction of its protagonist.

Film, In-DepthJuan A. RamirezAugust 29, 2018persepolis, film, brattle, film notes, marjane satrapi

Scene Analysis: Choreographing the Camera in "West Side Story"

This 1961 Best Picture winner ingeniously builds upon the choreographed camera of Old Hollywood extravaganzas and the neo-Shakespearean tragedy at its core to create a New York at once gritty and dangerous as well as magical and fluid.

Scene Analysis: A "Bumpy Night" in "All About Eve"

And bumpy, it is. What should have been a celebratory night for Margo spirals into self-destructive paranoia, with each move of hers downplayed or eclipsed by her guests.

Film, In-DepthJuan A. RamirezAugust 6, 2018film notes, film, brattle, all about eve, joseph l. mankiewicz, bette davis

Worlds Un/Like Our Own: "Annihilation" and "mother!"

Separate in genre and subject matter but equal in ambition and tone, neither film is explicitly about contemporary life — in fact, they seem to stand completely outside of time.

Feminine Mystique: Vitalizing Sexuality in "Belle de jour"

By casting Catherine Deneuve, an actress whose doll-like beauty is matched only by her ability to act as both a blank slate and an impenetrable enigma, Buñuel was able to engage the audience on the multiple levels needed to attempt to understand a woman like Séverine.

Scene Analysis: A "Very Predictable" Dinner in "Phantom Thread"

This carefully constructed film mirrors its characters by placing a liberal amount of actorly improvisation and dramatic chaos in a painstakingly crafted masterpiece that’s equal parts swooning fairy tale, haunting ghost story and absurdly funny romantic comedy.

Scene Analysis: The Comedic Tilda Swinton in "Trainwreck"

Swinton’s involvement in the romantic comedy confused many when first announced, with the secrecy surrounding the details about her performance causing many to question just what she would be doing.

Film, In-DepthJuan A. RamirezSeptember 14, 2017trainwreck, tilda swinton, film, film notes, brattle, judd apatow

Five Hollywood Movies on Antisemitism

A special page for Brattle Film Notes highlight Hollywood films about antisemitism.

Bonnets, Guns and Trails: Westerns Made by Women

The classic imagination of the Western is decidedly masculine, with an iconography pretty much dominated by the male presence. Yet, women directors made and are still making Westerns.