Presented by Guest Curator – Stephen Conrad, Duke University Libraries
Algorithm: (noun): calculations used to prioritize what appears in a user’s feed based on their interests and engagement patterns.
In the world of cinema, as the present algorithm spews unceasing content with vast quantities of dreck, for a modern cineaste it can be difficult to cut through the noise. Compounding the matter is corporate consolidation that curtails access on a whim and caters to eyeballs for clicks and profits. To wade through the morass, a discerning guide is needed for both the new and the old audience, someone to sift through our landscape of viewership possibilities to remind us of the wonder and power of film.
A.S. Hamrah is just such a critic for these bewildering times, both reckoning with the conundrums of modern filmgoing while pushing forward the art of film with astute observation and keen insight into the history of moviemaking. Writing for n+1, The Baffler, Bookforum and other arenas, Hamrah tackles his subjects in both capsule and long-form essays, catching the reader off guard with his approach or distilling the reasons for watching with a prescient aside.
The incisive A.S. Hamrah comes to campus for the Duke University’s Cinematic Arts department screening of the 1997 Abbas Kiarostami classic Taste of Cherry, winner of the 1997 Palme d’Or at Cannes. Hamrah will provide the introduction, along with a Q&A.
- Taste of Cherry – screening and conversation Event details
When: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 7:00pm
Location: Rubenstein Arts Center Film Theater - Related event: Conversation with Hamrah
When: Monday, March 2, 2026 at 7:00p.m.
Location: Letters Bookshop in downtown Durham, Hamrah will appear with an opportunity for book signings.
Two recent publications cement the importance and timeliness of this writing. In Algorithm of the Night: Film Writing 2019-2025 the critic offers takes spanning filmdom, from annual Oscar nomination reviews to Criterion Collection essays to screening introductions. In Hamrah’s book Last Week in End Times Cinema a year of bad news unfolds in the entertainment industry, filled with dispiriting and absurd anecdotes in an ever-avalanching cascade of awfulness.
Film Criticism – Selected Books in the Duke Libraries
To expound upon this visit to both Duke and Durham by Hamrah, let’s dig into the DUL catalog for some other highlights of film criticism from days of yore, along with a few movies that he spotlights with commentary in Algorithm of the Night:
- Hamrah’s The Earth Dies Streaming: Film Writing 2002 – 2018, a collection of his early writings for n+1
- Molly Haskell was a leading American critic of the 60s and 70s, writing for numerous publications and author of the landmark From reverence to rape: the treatment of women in the movies.
- Haskell’s spouse Andrew Sarris was also one of the central American critics of the era, and a proponent of the auteur theory. Confessions of a Cultist: on a the cinema, 1955-1969 is a fine introduction to his writings.
- No mention of film criticism is complete without Pauline Kael, longtime critic for the New Yorker and one of the most influential film writers of all time. Of her many collections, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, covering the mid and late 60s, is a good place to dive in.
- Manny Farber was one of the most original critics going and a proponent of what he called “termite art”. The Library of America collection Farber of film: the complete film writings of Manny Farber will provide plenty of film fodder.
- Across the pond, Serge Daney was a co-editor and major player at Cahiers du cinema, and his collection of writings, The cinema house & the world. 1, The Cahiers du cinéma years, 1962-1981 features an introduction by none other than A.S. Hamrah.
One of the major joys of reading Algorithm of the Night is the sheer necessity to watch or rewatch a film after reading Hamrah’s words. To wit, here are four such examples:
The Heartbreak Kid (1972), from director Elaine May and a screenplay by Neil Simon, of which Hamrah says “This is screwball comedy without redemption, an underdog comedy where the underdog is a jerk”. Charles Grodin gives one of the most thoroughly cringetastic performances of all time.
The Becomers (2023), a low-budget sci-fi feature from Zach Clark, was not widely seen upon release but in Hamrah’s words is “the first original, insightful film about Covid and the Covid years”, with a premise “that the alien overlords who will take over our bodies deserve our sympathy”. Bonus points that the narrator is Russel Mael of music legends Sparks!
Matewan (1987), a classic of labor strife from director John Sayles, and per Hamrah “one of the few movies produced in the US to make the need for them (unions) its subject”. Unfortunately relevant in our present times, ‘Matewan’ still has a tremendous punch and a persistent ability to agitate and inspire.
Real Life (1979), the debut effort from Albert Brooks is inspired by the PBS series An American Family and also presages our present reality-show reality. As Hamrah puts it “Brooks was telling us something about a world of dubious entertainment yet to come, the world of ethically compromised reality “docuseries” that we inhabit today”. Oh yeah, this one has Charles Grodin too!
So take a chance with some critics and explore the mighty world of cinema through our extensive holdings. Your personal list of favorites is bound to quickly expand!
If you are unable to attend Tuesday’s screening, the film Taste of Cherry is available online via the Duke University Libraries catalog
(NetID and login required) or you can borrow it on DVD along with an external DVD drive.
Guest Curator: Stephen Conrad, Duke University Libraries
