17. Sideways
Sideways is more than just a funny, sad and honest study of encroaching middle-age and desperation. It’s also about the search for the perfect Pinot Noir.
Archive for 'Podcasts'
16. Reservoir Dogs
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.
15. Silent Cinema
Synchronized sound arrived in 1927. But the theaters were far from silent before that and perhaps something was lost with the coming of the new technology.
14. It’s a Wonderful Life
Based on a short story no one would publish, It’s a Wonderful Life is a seasonal favourite with a surprisingly dark tone.
13. Platoon
Oliver Stone spent over a decade trying to make a film based on his experiences in Vietnam. Financed on a shoestring, Platoon won four Oscars including Best Picture.
12. Dirty Harry
‘Dirty Harry and the homicidal maniac. Harry’s the one with the badge.’ With a tag-line like that, no wonder the film has been the subject of controversy.
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?
10. Robert Altman
Robert Altman was one of the great mavericks of American cinema. But even iconoclasts have to stand for something, so what did Altman believe in?
9. Ennio Morricone
With over 400 film scores, Ennio Morricone has worked across many genres and with many of directors, yet has maintained his own inimitable sound.
8. The Innocents
This adaptation of Henry James’s novella has influenced a host of chillers from Rosemary’s Baby and The Shining, to The Others and Shutter Island.
7. West Side Story
A Broadway smash, West Side Story may have borrowed its plot from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet but the film itself drew inspiration from somewhere else.
6. The Hustler
Robert Rossen took Walter Tevis’ little read novel and turned Fast Eddie’s character from a pool shark into a metaphor for a broken artist hoping to find redemption.
5. Terrorism in Film
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?
4. Point Blank
John Boorman’s first film in America brought a very distinctive and European look to the hardened Hollywood gangster genre.
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.
2. Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet left behind a body of work comparable to the likes of Scorsese, Coppola and Altman. So why wasn’t he given them same recognition?
1. Credits
Credits used to simply announce the names of those involved. But then someone came up with the idea of making them part of the story itself.
