Doug Markowitz

My story on the incredibly impressive Rembrandt show at the Norton Museum made the cover of my alt-weekly 😭

Read here: www.miaminewtimes.com/arts-culture...

NO OTHER CHOICE: The rot consumes. When you eliminate all the competition and all the other employees, what’s left? An astonishing, balletically-directed tour de force from Park that equals his best and the finest film I’ve seen this year. #NYFF63

LATE FAME: Willem Dafoe shines as an affable working class New Yorker who gets one last chance at living his long-dormant artistic ambitions, or so he thinks. A surprising and very funny satire of the city and creatives of all tax brackets. #NYFF63

THE MASTERMIND: A Kelly Reichardt heist thriller? More like a slapstick crime caper that turns into a sad and sordid road movie. Imagine Wendy and Lucy played for laughs. O’Connor rocks. Great jazz score by Rob Mazurek makes the film feel light on its feet. #NYFF63

MIROIRS NO. 3: very plotty, predictable and slight chamber drama from Petzold that spends too much time on conventional psychodrama before briefly touching on the comforts of being watched. Respect for the Frankie Valli needle drop. #NYFF63

Back in the saddle at #NYFF63! Press screenings started yesterday with eight hours straight of movies. Check back for my insights on this year’s most hotly-anticipated films 🎥

Douglas Markowitz Publications: Miami New Times, Hyperallergic, The Miami HeraldEmail Douglas Douglas Markowitz is a writer, editor, and critic covering film, music, art, and other topics. He is the founding editor of ...

Very happy to announce that I am now an official member of the Florida Film Critics Circle! www.floridafilmcritics.com/2025/08/12/d...

American weapons destroyed Hiroshima. American weapons wielded by Israel destroyed Gaza. One of these events happened 80 years ago. The other is happening now. It’s in our power to act and stop this carnage. Do not forget Hiroshima. Free Palestine.

In the past I have invoked this piece as an invective against nuclear weapons and war in general. Now I ask you to recognize that the destruction of Hiroshima is on the same continuum as the ongoing annihilation of Gaza. The weapons are conventional but the effect is the same.

Hiroshima A hundred thousand people were killed by the atomic bomb. Survivors wonder why they lived when so many others died.

Today marks 80 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the U.S. military.

As I always do on this day I am posting a link to John Hersey’s stirring reported account of that day and its aftermath. I highly encourage everyone to read it.

www.newyorker.com/magazine/194...

Here’s a bit more about what Expo is all about.

The site is soft launching as a free newsletter and will eventually offer bonus content through a paid subscription.

The Year in Global Cinema So Far In our first-ever post, Expo takes a snapshot of international film from the first half of 2025

BIG NEWS: I just started a new website.

It's called Expo – a new destination for exploring global culture. A digital World's Fair.

We're starting out with a recap of international cinema from the first half of the year. Read more below:

expoworld.substack.com/p/2025-world...

An Absurd Take on Masahisa Fukase’s Darkness The ridiculous magical-realist flourish of an anthropomorphic raven cheapens his story and flattens the film’s engagement with his art.

For @hyperallergic.com I reviewed a new biopic on legendary Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase. Starring Tadanobu Asano of the hit TV show Shogun as the artist, Ravens screens this weekend at the New York Asian Film Festival: hyperallergic.com/1028646/mark...

Typhoon Club (Somai 1985)
Ash is Purest White (Jia 2018)
Shutter Island (Scorsese 2010)
Night and Fog in Japan (Oshima 1960)
Mississippi Masala (Nair 1991)

Love & Pop (Anno 1998)
Mickey 17 (Bong 2025)
Blue Sun Palace (Tsang 2025*)
Friendship (DeYoung 2025*)
The Phoenician Scheme (Wes Anderson 2025)
Plan 75 (Hayakawa 2022)
The Tobacconist (Nyron Taylor 2024)
Kouté Vwa (Jean-Baptiste 2024)
Bitter Cane (Dupuy/Ives 1983)

Best First Views, Front Half of 2025:
Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick 1997)
Run Lola Run (Tykwer 1998)
The Pianist (Polanski 2002)
I’m Still Here (Salles 2024)
Peeping Tom (Powell 1960)
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Cheang 2024)
Trap (Shyamalan 2024)
House Hunting (Miyazaki 2006)

There’s just no way to choose between Chungking Express - Happy Together - In the Mood for Live. They are three of the most extraordinary films I have ever seen.

iran has given the world a wealth of great cinema which refutes the barbarous image painted by american media. everyone should see the koker trilogy.

Now watching:

Nice one!

My #FloridaPanthers have won their second Stanley Cup. I’m in complete gleeful disbelief that my beloved, yet usually uninspiring local team that I’ve supported since childhood have not only taken the trophy a second time but defended their first title. It’s incredible. Go Cats!!

Tokyo National Museum makes the case for contemporary Ukiyo-e | scrmbl It could be said that no Japanese art form has been more globally i...

Making my debut for the awesome Japan-based publication @scrmbl.com! I reviewed a recent show of contemporary woodblock prints that’s big on startists and manga tie-ins. But is it also big on quality? ぜひ読んでみてください！ www.scrmbl.com/post/tokyo-n...

Tokyo National Museum makes the case for contemporary Ukiyo-e | scrmbl It could be said that no Japanese art form has been more globally i...

The Tokyo National Museum's recent "Ukiyo-e in Play" exhibition merged the traditional art form with contemporary artists, celebrities, and popular culture to demonstrate its lasting relevance.

no one wants this. stop making us suffer for this.

When I was in Japan this year I ate mostly from various grocery stores and conbini and I regret nothing.

Third Horizon 2025 Brought Caribbean Film and Fun to Miami The festival is still an unapologetic space for Caribbean culture.

Third Horizon Film Festival remains one of the most innovative and intimate platforms for underseen cinema in the world. I covered the festival this weekend for @miaminewtimes.com and had a lot of fun in the process: www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/review-...

Wes Anderson Overindulges in The Phoenician Scheme The spy movie extends the Wes Anderson brand into wild new territory.

Also be sure to check out my review of the film here: www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/review-...

Michael Cera Isn’t Surprised Fans Think He’s a Perfect Fit for Wes Anderson Cera is one of the best parts of the auteur's new film, The Phoenician Scheme.

I interviewed Michael Cera, who’s the best thing about Wes Anderson’s new movie The Phoenician Scheme.

Via @miaminewtimes.com www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/michael...

Jafar Panahi has won the Golden Lion at Venice (THE CIRCLE), the Golden Bear at Berlin (TAXI), and now the Palme d'Or at Cannes (IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT).

He is the fourth director to win top honors at all three festivals, after Clouzot, Antonioni, and Altman.