Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

Dir. Norman Jewison. Starring Topol, Norma Crane, Rosalind Harris It’s been more than forty years since they made this movie, and with the possible exception of Moulin Rouge!, Fiddler on the Roof stands as the last good live-action Hollywood musical. I vividly remember Hugh Jackman saying during the filming of Les Miserables he did not always want to go for the… Read More Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

Before Trilogy: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), Before Midnight (2013)

Dir. Richard Linklater. Starring Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy “I know, because I’ve actually already lived through this night,” Jesse (Hawke) says to Celine (Delpy) eighteen years after his first night with her. “I’m a time traveler.” Jesse’s verbal play isn’t delivered with a grin but with more grim intensity, surely, than he means to let… Read More Before Trilogy: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), Before Midnight (2013)

Sideways (2004)

Dir. Alexander Payne. Starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen One of the beats Jack (Church) hits with great frequency is the beat about how Miles (Giamatti) is in the way of his own happiness. The depression and anxiety Miles deals with badly might be there, but Jack is sure that more of what’s… Read More Sideways (2004)

Brideshead Revisited S1E9, “Orphans of the Storm”

Dir. Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Starring Jeremy Irons, Diana Quick, Jane Asher (My thoughts on the preceding episode are here.) “Oh, yes” Charles says. “He was the forerunner.” The beginning of this episode charts, as every other episode must, really, the ongoing changes and worsening of the Flytes. Yet it seems that everyone is very much the… Read More Brideshead Revisited S1E9, “Orphans of the Storm”

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

Dir. Pedro Almodovar. Starring Carmen Maura, Maria Barranco, Antonio Banderas Picture links back here From a narrative perspective, it is a minor miracle that Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown can add characters at the breakneck speed that it does without losing track of the plot or slowing it down even a little. In under ninety… Read More Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)