338. Man with a Movie Camera
Once “too revolutionary”, Dziga Vertov’s avant-garde masterpiece is now felt in Man on Fire, Ratatouille and Inception.
Once “too revolutionary”, Dziga Vertov’s avant-garde masterpiece is now felt in Man on Fire, Ratatouille and Inception.
Intersectionality, hyperlink cinema and cinema diaspora are some terms you can apply to Monsoon Wedding. Another is #MeToo.
Terrence Malick’s first feature is not just one of the greatest debuts in the history of American cinema, Badlands also succeeded in redirecting screen violence.
Is Krzysztof Kieslowski’s trilogy only about liberty, equality and fraternity? Look again and you’ll find it also addresses fate, coincidence and co-existence.
On the surface Yasujiro Ozu’s examination of family life in post-war Japan may sound simple, but what he delivered is one of cinema’s supreme achievements.
What makes for a great shot? Beauty? The lens? Lighting? Combine them and you have more than just an image.
Adapted from Paolo Lin’s non-fiction novel, director Fernando Meirelles cast non-actors to capture life, death and everything in-between in Rio’s favelas.
David Lynch’s shocking and mesmerising look at suburbia’s underbelly also showed he could turn popular music into a nightmare.
Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust or The Thin White Duke. Who was David Bowie is the wrong question to ask. Much better to ponder on what he made and why.
Sergio Leone’s masterpiece doesn’t only reference American westerns. He also drew inspiration from an English film.
This video-essay addresses the abuse inflicted by men against women in cinema. The films are critically acclaimed, Oscar winners and box-office hits. WARNING: It features scenes of extreme graphic violence.
Out of Sight is about second chances and it helped the three main players; Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez to relaunch their careers.
It took Jonathan Glazer over ten years to bring Under the Skin to the screen, but with that long gestation he might just have delivered the film of the decade.
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.
20 years after its release, it is startling to see how original Pulp Fiction still is. Ironic considering it was inspired by and borrowed from so many other films.
Gravity was one of last year’s biggest hits ($650m). But how much of that is due to critics giving it 98% approval? Is word of mouth more valuable?
When it comes to history, we are told that Hollywood always make mistakes. But could it be that it’s the historians who get it wrong?
LA Confidential is adapted from James Ellroy’s highly regarded crime novel that spans seven scandalous years in the life of Los Angeles.
Despite his many box-office successes, critics did not hold Tony Scott in high regard. With the sad news of his death, we offer a re-evaluation of his work.
Quentin Tarantino exploded onto the screen 20 years ago and in the time since, he has had but one crucial collaborator; his editor Sally Menke.
With over 400 film scores, Ennio Morricone has worked across many genres and with many of directors, yet has maintained his own inimitable sound.
As far back as World War II, Hollywood cinema has assisted in promoting American foreign policy. How has it responded to the 9/11 atrocities?
John Boorman’s first film in America brought a very distinctive and European look to the hardened Hollywood gangster genre.
Copyright © 2025 Steven Benedict. Icons by Wefunction. Designed by CMS installed by PixelApes