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Tag Archives: war movies
Review: A Call to Spy (2020)
I found A Call to Spy fascinating from start to finish. It’s about Britain’s secret recruitment of “lady spies” during WWII, who were sent over to France – with little to no organizational support – to engage in “ungentlemanly warfare” … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged historical drama, reviews, war movies, women directors, WWII
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Podcast #1: Talkin’ the Cooler King
I was a guest on the Speeding Bullitt podcast, devoted to the life and films of Steve McQueen. Host Kelsy Norman had me on to discuss The Great Escape (I came to his attention because of the essay I wrote … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged action movies, John Sturges, podcast, Steve McQueen, war movies
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The Great Escape: Criterion release today 5/12
The long-awaited Criterion release of John Sturges’ 1963 classic The Great Escape is now available for order. The release includes a number of special features: a couple of different audio commentaries, one done in 1991 by Sturges and Elmer Bernstein … Continue reading
Criterion May releases announced
I wrote booklet essays for two of Criterion’s May 2020 releases – Dorothy Arzner’s 1940 film Dance, Girl, Dance, and the 1963 beloved classic The Great Escape. There are multiple reasons these were very exciting assignments. Dance, Girl, Dance is … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged action movies, dance movies, Dorothy Arzner, John Sturges, Lucille Ball, Maureen O'Hara, Steve McQueen, war movies, women directors
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January 2020 Viewing Diary
Hell Is for Heroes (1962; d. Don Siegel) A spare lean and mean war movie – pretty standard, actually – except Steve McQueen is actually presenting a character study here, a character he probably knows something about. He is eerie … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, children's movies, Colin Farrell, comedy, coming of age, crime movies, Dean Stockwell, documentary, Dorothy Arzner, drama, Dustin Hoffman, England, France, Ginger Rogers, heist movies, Iran, Iranian film, Jean Arthur, Joaquin Phoenix, Joel McCrea, John Sturges, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lucille Ball, Martin Scorsese, Maureen O'Hara, musicals, Nick Nolte, Quentin Tarantino, Robert De Niro, romantic comedy, screwball comedy, Steve McQueen, Supernatural, true crime, war movies, women directors
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Review: Semper Fi (2019)
I reviewed Semper Fi for Rogerebert.com.
September 2019 Viewing Diary
Satanic Panic (2019; d. Chelsea Stardust) Rebecca Romijn is reason enough to see this. My review at Ebert. A Hidden Life (2019; d. Terrence Malick) The new Terrence Malick film, about WWII conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter, a man from Austria, … Continue reading
Review: Monos (2019)
I reviewed Monos, an intense new film from Brazilian filmmaker Alejandro Landes, for Rogerebert.com.
Review: Megan Leavey (2017)
This is a very powerful and very well-done film about a really important topic. It opens today. My review is now up at Rogerebert.com.
April 2016 Viewing Diary
The Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016; d. Taika Waititi) My favorite thing I saw at Tribeca. It hasn’t opened yet but this is one you want to see. My review here. Midsummer in Newtown (2016; d. Lloyd Kramer) I was … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged AFME, Al Pacino, Brian De Palma, Claude Chabrol, Denmark, documentary, drama, France, Guillermo del Toro, historical drama, Howard Hawks, Jean-Paul Belmondo, July and Half of August, Lily Tomlin, Mervyn LeRoy, Michael Mann, New Zealand, Pre-Code, Preston Sturges, romantic drama, silent films, Supernatural, war movies
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