His Girl Friday (1940) Walter Burns (Cary Grant) is an editor for The Morning Post. His ex-wife, Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell), was a star reporter for his paper, but quit when she got engaged to Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy). Walter goes to great lengths to convince Hildy to return, including framing Bruce for various petty crimes,… Continue reading Best of the 1940s
Dean’s list
Despite only appearing in three major films before his death at age 24, James Dean was ranked the 18th greatest male film star by the American Film Institute. This is my ranked list of his films. 3) Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Teenager Jim Stark (James Dean) moves to Los Angeles with his parents and befriends outcasts Plato… Continue reading Dean’s list
Best of the 1990s
Dreams (1990) Nearing the end of his life, legendary director Akira Kurosawa reflects on his childhood and finds inspiration for several beautiful vignettes. After a child stumbles upon a fox wedding during a sunshower, his furious mother demands he apologize. Their surviving commander orders the ghosts of Japanese soldiers returning from the second World War… Continue reading Best of the 1990s
Best of the 1950s
Sunset Boulevard (1950) Faded silent screen star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) steadfastly believes she will regain her former glory and hires writer Joe Gillis (William Holden) to help with her planned comeback, but as the project drags on their relationship becomes dangerously complicated. William Holden brings a weary everyman quality to Joe Gillis while Gloria… Continue reading Best of the 1950s
Best of the 1980s
The Shining (1980) Writer Jack Torrance takes a job as a winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel which was built on a Native American burial ground. Haunted by the numerous evil spirits which populate the hotel, Jack slowly loses his mind and unsuccessfully attempts to kill his wife, Wendy and young son, Danny. Contrary to what… Continue reading Best of the 1980s
Best of the 1970s
Watermelon Man (1970) White salesman Jeff Gerber (Godfrey Cambridge) wakes up to discover he’s become a black man overnight. His transformation causes problems at work, with the police, and with his neighbors. His seemingly liberal wife (Estelle Parsons) who once chastised him for not caring about the problems faced by black people in America, leaves… Continue reading Best of the 1970s
Best of the 1960s
Testament of Orpheus (1960) In the final film installment of Jean Cocteau’s Orphic trilogy, he encounters characters from his previous films and appears before a tribunal to defend his life and art. Though not as well-known as later French filmmakers, Jean Luc Godard or Francois Truffaut, Cocteau’s films introduced avant-garde sensibilities and philosophical underpinnings into cinemas.… Continue reading Best of the 1960s
Best of the 2000s
The Gleaners and I (2000) Agnes Varda’s beautiful film follows gleaners at work, from people who depend on the practice for survival to hobbyists. She exposes how connected we are and shines a light on our coldness to the needs of others as she pointedly interviews jurists about the seemingly arbitrary French laws which prohibit some forms of… Continue reading Best of the 2000s
The player always dials for help in Phenix City
The Phenix City Story (1955) After his election as Attorney General of Alabama in 1954, Albert Patterson was assassinated by forces resisting his efforts to clean up organized crime in Phenix City. Fortunately, his death compelled state action in the corrupt town. The beginning of this film, featuring reporter Clete Roberts interviewing residents of the city, straddles the line between… Continue reading The player always dials for help in Phenix City
The piercing carols
A Christmas Carol (2009) The ghost of Jacob Marley (Gary Oldman) visits his former partner,the rich but miserable, Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carey) to warn him he needs to change his selfish ways. On Christmas Eve, three ghosts (all played by Carey) show Scrooge visions of Christmases Past, Present, and Future and by the end of… Continue reading The piercing carols