“12 Angry Men”, the classic Sidney Lumet film that featured one of the most riveting, thought-provoking courtroom dramas in cinema history. But before the 1957 film was made, writer Reginald Rose would create a teleplay of “12 Angry Men” for Westinghouse Studio One, a CBS Read More …
The 1960 comedy/drama written and directed by Billy Wilder (“Sunset Blvd.”, “Sabrina”, “Some Like It Hot”, “Kiss Me Stupid”) and co-written with I.A.L. Diamond (“Some Like It Hot”, “Kiss Me, Stupid”, “The Fortune Cookie”) was an incredible success in the box office grossing $25 million Read More …
The announcements of David Shepard’s passing came as a big surprise on Tuesday. For many of us who watch silent films, especially silent comedies and have seen the restoration and film preservation work of David Shepard, many of us know how much he put his Read More …
Federico Fellini, the legendary Italian filmmaker and screenwriter known for cinema masterpieces such as “The White Sheik” (1952), “I Vitelloni” (1953), “La Strada” (1954), “Nights of Cabiria” (1957),”La Dolce Vita” (1960), “8 1/2” (1963), etc. Fellini’s films are known for capturing ethereal storylines, fantasy that Read More …
Harold Lloyd is such a wonderful performer. “Safety Last!” is a film that anyone can watch and just be surprised about his risky performance and just seeing a man dangling from a clock tower or a piece of wood with the city of Los Angeles Read More …
Yasujiro Ozu is one of the world’s beloved directors. Having made many films since the 1920’s up to his final film “An Autumn Afternoon” in 1962, his works have been appreciated by viewers and critics for his family comedies but also his serious family storylines Read More …
I make a film that will be seen and appreciated by the thousand of people I probably hate the most. I want to make a film in truly bad taste!” – Marco Ferreri Marco Ferreri, the Italian filmmaker who many looked at as a rebellious Read More …
Today’s blog I dedicate to one of my favorite Christmas films of all time. Bob Clark and Jean Shepherd’s “A Christmas Story“. Based on Jean Sheperd’s novel “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash”, “A CHRISTMAS STORY” has been a part of so many Read More …
Filmmaker Lasse Hallström is probably best know as the director behind the music videos of Swedish disco group ABBA but Hallström is also known for several major hits such as “Chocalat” (2000), “The Cider House Rules” (1999), “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and most recently Read More …
Austrian Director Michael Haneke is one of cinema’s most revered and also most reviled with films that are typically bleak or disturbing, nerve-rattling and shocking. From his first major film “The Seventh Continent” of modern alienation to his next film “Benny’s Video” about a 14-year-old Read More …
An endearing romance classic about a doomed love affair. “Brief Encounter” is filmmaker David Lean’s film adaptation of Noel Coward’s play “Still Life” and their final collaboration together. Featuring great performances by Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, “Brief Encounter” is indeed the highlight of the Read More …
Today’s cinema selection goes to…. no, it’s not Oliver Stone’s “JFK” but to filmmakers who have created JFK documentaries that air on television during this time to commemorate the death of President John F. Kennedy. First, let me say that I enjoyed Oliver Stone’s “JFK” Read More …
“The Secret in Their Eyes” won the Academy Award for “Best Foreign Language” film, before I watched the film, I was stunned. Could there be anything better than Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon”, Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani’s “Ajami” or even the film which I Read More …
The word “REVANCHE” in German means “revenge” but also has the meaning of “second chance”. Götz Spielmann manages to craft his masterpiece through utilizing these five characters in whose lives are intertwined after tragedy but not going through the cliched route of banality or a Read More …
David Kennard has worked on television as director and producer for documentaries such as “2001: HAL’s Legacy”, “Surviving September 11th: The Story of One New York Family”, “Journey to the Universe”, the TV series “Cosmos” and “Keeping Score” to name a few. And back in Read More …
A powerful film about the human spirit. Moving, well-written, well-acted and just magnificent. In 1983, Independent filmmaker George Nava and his co-writer Anna Thomas were responsible for a film that touched everyone’s soul and a rare film that show us a perspective of how tough Read More …
Nagisa Oshima, one of Japan’s most controversial filmmakers and one of the founders of the Japanese New Wave, Oshima was known for taking on Japanese taboos and creating films against the status quo, the filmmaker has been doing his style of films since 1959 and Read More …