You can find the introduction and index for this series here. Film Director Year Type Dawn of the Dead George A. Romero 1978 Narrative feature Real Life Albert Brooks 1979 Narrative feature The Warriors Walter Hill 1979 Narrative feature Popeye Robert Altman 1980 Narrative feature The Fog John Carpenter 1980 Narrative feature Melvin and Howard Jonathan… Read More 100 American Movies to Save: Sneers (1978-1984)
Steven Hyden introduced his five-albums test more than a decade ago as a third way to judge a band, short of its popularity or its critical acclaim. While this one is not meant to stand on its own—for example, he’s not sure that either Bob Dylan nor the Rolling Stones had made five great albums… Read More The Five-Movies Test or: Which Director Has Had the Best Stretch of Consecutive Feature-Length Films in English?
Dir. Norman Jewison. Starring Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden Spoilers follow…I almost never do spoiler warnings, and I can’t remember if I’ve ever done one for a film from the 20th Century. Yet this film ends so dramatically and boldly that the shock, one way or another, feels especially meaningful. It’s not a… Read More The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
The following is from my series of Oscar Best Picture rankings, as well as my strongly worded suggestions for what should have won from among the nominees. For an introduction to the project, click here. For a way to vote on some Oscar-related ideas, click here. If I’ve written a review on any of the… Read More Better than the Oscars: 45-41
You can read up on the basis for this series here, and also find links to other posts in the series. Movies I’ve reviewed on this site have a link in the title which you can follow to read my full review. 10) Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962), directed by Sidney Lumet Picture links… Read More 100 Exceptional American Movies in 10 Genres: Family Drama, 10-6
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)
Seeing Things Secondhand 