In 1965: Lyndon Johnson unveiled the Great Society; The United States passed the Voting Rights Act; Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov became the first person to walk in space; The Astrodome opened; Bob Dylan went electric; The Watts riots take place in Los Angeles; The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium; After fifty five years, Casey Stengel retired as… Continue reading The thirteenth year of the reign of the second Queen Elizabeth: A look back at 1965
Tag: Foreign films
Everything that follows is older than Tom Holland: A look back at 1995
In 1995: O.J. Simpson was acquitted for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman; Mississippi ratified the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution; Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City; The first DVD was made available; eBay went online; Calvin and Hobbes ended its ten-year run in… Continue reading Everything that follows is older than Tom Holland: A look back at 1995
Best of the 1940s
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
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 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
Byzanitum is a contender for the best place to slay badgers in the past
The Past (2013) Iranian Ahmad travels to Paris to complete his divorce from Marie (Berenice Bejo) who’s already in a new relationship with the married Samir, whose wife is comatose after a failed suicide attempt. This is a melancholy film about the difficulties in multicultural relationships and the importance of honesty to the success of… Continue reading Byzanitum is a contender for the best place to slay badgers in the past
Mrs. Henderson proudly presents: The dark star of Burma
The Burmese Harp (1956) At the end of the Second World War, Private Mizumisha is sent to convince a group of Japanese holdouts to surrender to British forces, but a bombing separates him from his platoon. A monk finds Mizumisha and nurses him to health. After his recovery, he travels the country, burying the fallen… Continue reading Mrs. Henderson proudly presents: The dark star of Burma
Prophecy is just an illusion
The Illusionist (2006) When Eisenheim (Ed Norton) was young, he fell in love with a duchess well above his social class. After years traveling the world perfecting his craft as a magician, he returns to Vienna to pursue the same duchess (Jessica Biel), who’s now engaged to the Crown Prince Leopold. The film becomes a battle of wills… Continue reading Prophecy is just an illusion
I’m throwing a celebration for my friend Beau
Festen (1998) A family gathers for a weekend celebration of Helge’s sixtieth birthday. At dinner, one of his sons, Christian, alleges Helge repeatedly raped him and his sister Linda when they were younger. Tormented by dreams their father would molest her again, Linda committed suicide just before the events of the film. In 1995, hoping… Continue reading I’m throwing a celebration for my friend Beau