You Should Have Never Come Back: A Comparison of CRISS CROSS and THE UNDERNEATH
Steven Soderbergh’s The Underneath, if it’s remembered at all, will likely be remembered entirely as…
Atonement: PRINCE OF THE CITY (1981)
The term “1970s Hollywood” calls up a particular kind of movie, something often dark, auteurist,…
Before BIRDMAN: Films about Actors – Part 6: FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
The mockumentaries assembled by Christopher Guest, such as This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and Best…
“Continue down your mistaken path”: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
Everything Stanley Kubrick learned went into the making of 2001, and he made something utterly…
DARK CITY: An Appreciation
Far higher authorities than I have praised Dark City. When Roger Ebert himself deigns to…
“Continue down your mistaken path”: DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
I am troubled by the feeling which runs all through the film, of discredit and…
Before BIRDMAN: Films about Actors – Part 5: SUNSET BOULEVARD
Sunset Boulevard (1950) is about how the motivations for actors can get really twisted. Released…
The Language of Events: SPECIAL BULLETIN (1983)
Ed Zwick, who has just been handed the Jack Reacher franchise, has produced, written, and…
“Continue down your mistaken path”: LOLITA (1962)
In 1962, or in 2015 for that matter, if you’re making a film about a…
Before BIRDMAN: Films about Actors – Part 4: ALL ABOUT EVE
Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, All About Eve (1950) is the story of…