Benjamin Mercer

Benjamin Mercer has written on film for The Village Voice, The New York Sun, The L Magazine, and Reverse Shot. He is a copy editor at Bookforum. More

He has also copyedited for two New York dailies: The New York Sun and amNewYork.

Filtered by blog articles (Clear filter)

Matthew McConaughey's Awesome Journey to the Dark Side

Matthew McConaughey's Awesome Journey to the Dark Side

In the best year of his career, the once-brotastic actor has played three characters relying on charisma to live outside the law. More »

Beyond Best Picture: The Off-the-Radar Oscar Nominees to Catch Up On

Beyond Best Picture: The Off-the-Radar Oscar Nominees to Catch Up On

Where to watch the more-fascinating, less-talked-about Academy Awards contenders More »

A Cinematic Cheat Sheet for 'The Artist'

A Cinematic Cheat Sheet for 'The Artist'

Decoding the references to film history in a movie in love with film history More »

Why Eternal Bachelor George Clooney Makes for a Great Family Man

Why Eternal Bachelor George Clooney Makes for a Great Family Man

Films like the soon-to-be-released 'The Descendants' put his movie-star charm to the ultimate, frustrating test: domestic life More »

Before 'J. Edgar,' Catch Up With Films That Show How the FBI Really Works

Before 'J. Edgar,' Catch Up With Films That Show How the FBI Really Works

From Mulder and Scully to the man who caught John Dillinger, 5 flicks get the bureau right More »

'Martha Marcy May Marlene' the Latest Indie Fave to Borrow From B-Movies

'Martha Marcy May Marlene' the Latest Indie Fave to Borrow From B-Movies

Elizabeth Olsen's turn as a recovering cult member plays like a psychological horror film—the latest genre, from sci-fi to action, that arthouse flicks have raided More »

Before 'Contagion,' Catch Up With the Spotty History of Disease Cinema

Before 'Contagion,' Catch Up With the Spotty History of Disease Cinema

Invisible, infectious killers have proved to be problematic villains for filmmakers More »

Fall Movies Preview: 12 Oscar Contenders to Watch For

Fall Movies Preview: 12 Oscar Contenders to Watch For

Film-festival season is here, which means prestige flicks aren't far behind More »

Is Indie Smash 'Bellflower' Sexist? Sure, but Also Derivative

Is Indie Smash 'Bellflower' Sexist? Sure, but Also Derivative

It's not a critique of men being savage but rather a pastiche of other films about men being savage More »

Hollywood's Summer of Retro Sci-Fi

Hollywood's Summer of Retro Sci-Fi

The new blockbuster formula: recreate the past, add aliens or superpowers More »

Ahead of 'Tabloid,' a Netflix Primer on Errol Morris's Bizarre, Brilliant Career

Ahead of 'Tabloid,' a Netflix Primer on Errol Morris's Bizarre, Brilliant Career

Curl up with these documentary masterpieces before seeing the director's newest More »

From  'Network' to 'Horrible Bosses,' the Idiots in the Corner Office Endure

From 'Network' to 'Horrible Bosses,' the Idiots in the Corner Office Endure

Meathead-management movies tap into workplace anxieties of the moment as well as eternal cubicle-drone angst More »

5 Recent Films to Catch Up With Over the Holiday Weekend

5 Recent Films to Catch Up With Over the Holiday Weekend

Halfway through the year, these 2011 flicks are worth renting More »

Beyond 'Page One': 5 Underrated Newspaper Movies

Beyond 'Page One': 5 Underrated Newspaper Movies

The best depictions of inked-stained wretches outside of 'Citizen Kane' and 'His Girl Friday' More »

The New Oscar Rules Are a Mistake

The New Oscar Rules Are a Mistake

By messing with the number of Best Picture nominees yet again, the Academy makes the awards race less inclusive--and less interesting More »

'The Company Men' and the Rise of the Unemployment Flick

'The Company Men' and the Rise of the Unemployment Flick

The Ben Affleck drama takes on the recession more directly--but less effectively--than others in the recent crop of layoff-minded movies More »

On 'Drive Angry,' the Schlocky Role Nicolas Cage Was Born to Play

On 'Drive Angry,' the Schlocky Role Nicolas Cage Was Born to Play

Drive Angry, now out on DVD, is not a great movie. But it is a great Nicolas Cage movie. More »

Dubious Life Lessons From 'The Dilemma' and 'No Strings Attached'

Dubious Life Lessons From 'The Dilemma' and 'No Strings Attached'

These two studio comedies try to answer big questions, with mixed results More »

How to Prepare for Terrence Malick's 'The Tree of Life'

How to Prepare for Terrence Malick's 'The Tree of Life'

Anticipation for the "New World" director's latest film has been building for months. A guide to getting ready for its release More »

Beyond 'Grizzly Man': Other Werner Herzog Films Worth Watching

Beyond 'Grizzly Man': Other Werner Herzog Films Worth Watching

As his latest documentary, "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," goes into wider release this weekend, a look at the director's lesser-known films More »

The Biggest Story in Photos

Photos of Tornado Damage in Moore, Oklahoma

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