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Tag Archives: war movies
Talking 1953 movies with Jason Bailey and Mike Hull: A Very Good Year podcast
My pal Jason Bailey and his pal Mike Hull host a fascinating podcast called A Very Good Year, which they describe as: “Each week we invite a guest (filmmakers and actors, critics and historians, comedians and musicians) who loves movies, … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Billy Wilder, coming of age, drama, France, Harriet Andersson, Ingmar Bergman, Japan, Marlon Brando, podcast, romantic drama, Stalag 17, Sweden, war movies, William Holden
12 Comments
June 2023 Viewing Diary
Succession (2018-2023) I finally watched, having somehow resisted the DEAFENING buzz over the last couple of years. I like Jeremy Strong, liked his small moment in Zero Dark Thirty, he totally stood out in The Big Short (directed by one … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Billy Wilder, Cristian Mungiu, documentary, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., drama, Elia Kazan, Eva Marie Saint, France, Harriet Andersson, Ingmar Bergman, Karl Malden, Katharine Hepburn, Lee J. Cobb, Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront, Otto Preminger, reviews, Rod Steiger, Romania, romantic drama, Stalag 17, Stanley Kramer, Sweden, true crime, war movies, William Holden, women directors
23 Comments
“The main thing about directing is: photograph the people’s eyes.” — John Ford
It’s his birthday today. For Film Comment, I wrote about his somber, emotional WWII movie, with the title that really BITES: They Were Expendable. And they really were expendable. It’s an amazing film and – in my opinion – one … Continue reading
“I think I’m a pretty good storyteller.” — John Sturges
It’s the birthday today of great and weirdly under-rated American director, John Sturges. One of the best parts about writing about the Criterion essay for the release of The Great Escape was getting to do a deep dive into the … Continue reading
Posted in Directors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged drama, John Sturges, Steve McQueen, thrillers, war movies, Western
4 Comments
Movies I Loved in 2022
It is the month of Top 10 Lists. I’ve submitted a few to different sites. And … each list is slightly different. Because I’m not a list person and I don’t rank things and I really don’t like to argue … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged action movies, Argentina, Aubrey Plaza, Australia, Austria, Baz Luhrmann, biopic, comedy, coming of age, documentary, drama, Elvis Presley, England, France, Georgia, historical drama, Iranian film, Jackass, Jafar Panahi, Kentucker Audley, poetry, Poland, romantic comedy, romantic drama, Scotland, South Korea, Steven Spielberg, Sweden, thrillers, true crime, Ukraine, war movies, women directors, WWI
30 Comments
Review: Cherry (2021)
I reviewed Cherry, the new movie by the Russo brothers, adapted from Nico Walker’s debut novel (which is great!).
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
4 Comments
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