Italian film kicked off in the 1940s with the neo-realist movement and maintained their reputation as one of the greatest cinematic countries throughout the century. The films of this era went down as some of the greatest of all time and the directors as the greatest auteurs. While the neo-realist sub-genre was the building block,…
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French cinema is some of the most acclaimed and studied across the globe, and for good reason. Some of film’s greatest minds have blossomed from the republic, especially the New Wave movement that featured the most innovative and thought provoking movies of all time. Trying to reduce all of these great auteurs down to a…
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It’s no secret that documentaries are the least loved of all movie genres, at least in terms of box office, and water cooler chat is reserved for a select few every year that manage to capture a popular subject. Often this spot is filled by a topical, political film, which has its place but is…
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Occasionally I come across a film that is rarely remembered or talked about but I find brilliant. Some of these films were acclaimed but forgotten, some were made in the wrong time and some just never found an audience. Hopefully some of these pique your interest and some of these films will get some deserved…
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1973: My Pick: Don’t Look Now (Nicolas Roeg) Best Picture Winner: The Sting (George Roy Hill) Don’t Look Now is a masterpiece in atmospheric gothic horror, building tension throughout to a thrilling finale rivaled only by Hitchcock. Donald Sutherland is his usual solid self that carries us through the mystery and Roeg’s nontraditional cinematic techniques. For whatever…
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The title of Best Picture is given out every year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to what their voters consider to be the greatest. Often, however, this award goes to topical, politically charged movies instead of those with greater artistic merit. This shouldn’t be a problem, except that the award has…
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2018 was a deceptively great year for movies. Most of the attention was focused on big budget, often over-hyped blockbusters and as a result several great gems flew under the radar. Another factor was the emergence of the direct-to-streaming release, a medium exercised this year by some of the greatest working directors. While there are…
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Along with American and Britain, France has been the most consistent producer of great film and master auteurs. The classic artistic history of the country immediately attracted the most revolutionary minds, starting in the silent era and continuing on ever since. In the 1940s and 50s, the great formalists of French cinema shined, and leading…
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Italy was one of the greatest powerhouses of film in the middle of the 20th century, putting out some of the most moving and thought provoking cinema, not only of it’s time, but of all time. This auteur driven cinema gained worldwide acclaim starting in the 1940s with the ‘neorealist’ movement that stripped away the…
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Despite being from halfway across the globe, Japanese cinema is remarkably similar to American cinema in many aspects. Because of this, Japanese cinema has always maintained a fairly high level of popularity overseas, with the notable genres being samurai films and anime. The directors of both countries have likewise been very influenced by each other,…
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