CRITERION OFFERS MODERN CLASSICS
I tend to associate the Criterion Collection with exemplary releases of classics from Hollywood (like the recent Blu-ray of John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln) and international cinema (like Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Vampyr ). But Criterion is also home to…
THE MIXED BLESSINGS OF ‘A WRINKLE IN TIME’
I wouldn’t presume to guess how a 12-year-old will respond to this film, especially if that girl or boy hasn’t read Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved book. I can only express my feelings, which are decidedly mixed. On the one hand,…
THE DEATH OF STALIN: GENIUS AT WORK
I consider writer-director Armando Iannucci to be a comic genius. The creator of Veep cut his teeth in British TV comedy working with Steve Coogan on his Alan Partridge character, then created a series called The Thick of It, which like its…
RED SPARROW
Jennifer Lawrence scores points for taking on challenging parts instead of coasting on star-power, as she easily could. But does that mean we have to watch her being abused and subjected to unrelenting torture? I vote “no.” That’s not…
REDISCOVERING THE FIRST EPIC WESTERN
Before John Ford’s The Iron Horse, before William S. Hart’s Tumbleweeds or Raoul Walsh’s The Big Trail there was The Covered Wagon in 1923. It was a bona fide blockbuster, in terms of its budget and its enormous box-office success. What’s more, it introduced audiences to…
ON THE RECORD: BING CROSBY AND MORE…
This is a great time to be a Bing Crosby fan, as the singer’s estate continues to mine the Crosby vaults for rare goodies and releasing them on CD. The latest duo: a reissue of one of my favorite…
‘EARLY MAN’ ACHIEVES ITS GOAL
I’ve been a sucker for Nick Park’s animated work since I first laid eyes on his Oscar-winning short Creature Comforts more than twenty years ago. (Little did I know that I’d already seen some of his stop-motion work in the “Penny”…
