394. Amarcord
Like many Fellini films, Amarcord is a contradiction; an account of his youth yet a complete fabrication, a vivid realisation of the past, but also a dream.
Tag Archives: George Lucas
387. The Third Man
The Palme d’Or winner in 1949, Carol Reed’s masterpiece drew on covert sources and unexpected styles and techniques to deliver a melancholic mystery.
381. Singin’ in the Rain
Almost seventy years young, this masterpiece offers up for our modern age unexpected and pertinent meaning.
378. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d’Or for his unflinching drama about a single day in the lives of two young women.
364. Das Boot
How did Wolfgang Petersen manage to get audiences to care about a bunch of Nazi sailors trying to destroy the British fleet in the North Atlantic?
334. La Belle et la Bête
Fairytales transcend not just generations but cultures. Which may explain why La Belle et la Bête exists in so many guises and confronts so many issues.
321. Die Hard
What makes a classic film? The plot’s originality, director’s vision, or the star’s magnetism? Paradoxically, any, all, yet none of the above. It’s the audience.
287. Reds
As the US embraced Reaganomics and Hollywood found the formula for the modern blockbuster, Warren Beatty embarked on a project examining the origins of American communism.
259. THX-1138
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas was an avant-garde filmmaker whose sole interest was in making highly experimental short films.
212. American … What?
Beauty, Gangster, Hustle, Psycho, Sniper. With so many films using “American” in their title, is the appellation losing its significance?
209. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Thirty-five years old, Spielberg’s classic was inspired by more than just the Saturday matinee serials he watched as a child.
204. The Most Influential Films Ever Made – Part Two
The films that really changed the course of cinema are often ones few people have seen.
149. The Last Picture Show
How did New York’s Peter Bogdanovich make a masterpiece set in small town Texas when he had never set foot in the state?
144. The Searchers
The Searchers is both a cinematic monument and an extremely unsettling depiction of the racism that lies at the heart of America’s own mythology.
American Trailers
This extended video-essay charts the development and possible future of the America movie trailer. Beginning in 1912, taking in the coming of television and suggesting where it might go in the age of the internet.
112. Dazed and Confused
Belonging to a tradition that dates back to Rebel Without a Cause, Richard Linklater’s early masterpiece also owes some debt of gratitude to Robert Altman.
80. The Wizard of Oz
This 1939 children’s classic, starring Judy Garland is one of Hollywood’s most enduring pictures. But is there more to it than a pair of ruby slippers?
78. American Graffiti
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas built his own cinema empire. But American Graffiti, made in his hometown, is his masterpiece.
Spielberg’s Techniques
This video-essay examines Steven Spielberg’s career, from his days in television up until War Horse, and shows how he uses the disciplines of cinema to secure specific emotional responses.
53. Brazil
Brazil is Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece. But when he first showed it to the studio, they didn’t know what to make of it. So they decided not to release it.
45. Spielberg & Friends
Steven Spielberg is one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers ever, so what accounts for his phenomenal success?
11. Pixar Animation
From Toy Story and Finding Nemo to Wall-E and Up, Pixar Animation seem to have the midas touch. What is the secret behind their success?
3. Stand By Me
Under Rob Reiner’s direction, William Goldman’s script excised all of the supernatural elements of of Stephen King’s short story and became a surprise hit in 1986.
