200. Apocalypse Now
Francis Ford Coppola’s radical adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novella is one of the most astonishing achievements in the entire history of cinema.
Tag Archives: Oscar
198. Reel Space/Time – Part Two
In his Poetics, Aristotle wrote that drama needs a unity of space, time and action. How does cinema deal with such restrictions?
197. Reel Space/Time – Part One
In his Poetics, Aristotle wrote that drama needs a unity of space, time and action. How does cinema deal with such restrictions?
195. Minority Report
Critics often chide Steven Spielberg for inappropriate optimism and not knowing when to end his films. They should reconsider Minority Report.
194. All The President’s Men
This Oscar winning adaptation of Woodward and Bernstein’s book is one of the great masterpieces of American cinema.
192. Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë’s novel has been filmed over 25 times. Is there a line between radical interpretation and reckless desecration?
186. Spotlight
Spotlight is more than just an investigation into the child abuse scandals that riddled Boston’s Archdiocese. It is an examination of the institutions we create.
185. In the Name of the Father
The story of Gerry and Giuseppe Conlon is one of injustice, but it is also a unique retelling of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio.
182. Gaslight
Made in 1944, Gaslight is an Oscar-winning melodrama concerning madness and murder. The film itself is guilty of attempted homicide.
180. The Elephant Man
To call David Lynch a surrealist is to misses the point. This masterpiece proved he is one of cinema’s great humanists.
179. Traffic
Steven Soderbergh’s drama is fifteen years old but came of age the instant it was released because it dared to reimagine the war on drugs.
178. Brief Encounter
Once dismissed as parochial and passé, the influence of David Lean’s classic can be seen in such unlikely places as The Third Man, The Godfather and Carol.
177. The King’s Speech
This film has two men talking. However, its strength lies in the way it uses sound to tell us one thing while showing us another.
176. Persepolis
How do you make a film relating your experiences of the Islamic Revolution in Iran? If you’re Marjane Satrapi you use animation to tackle the subject.
174. The Unbearable Lightness of Being
How well did Philip Kaufman succeed in adapting Milan Kundera’s ‘unfilmable’ philosophical love story?
169. Withnail and I
When a filmmaker enters the realm of autobiography, the result is all too often soaked in nostalgia. Bruce Robinson’s Withnail & I is fermented in fine wine.
166. The Killing Fields
When it comes to America’s military intervention in South East Asia, David Puttnam’s Oscar winner is the anomaly. Less a war picture, it’s more a love story.
164. The Parallax View
Adapted from Loren Singer’s poorly reviewed best seller, Alan J. Pakula’s conspiracy thriller is a classic of assured pacing and paranoia.
161. Dr. Strangelove
Until 1964, Stanley Kubrick had suffered years of set-backs, disappointments and frustration. But he made his reputation with this satire on nuclear war.
157. Jaws
For all the fun stories and anecdotes about how the shark didn’t work, none of them help explain how Steven Spielberg managed to deliver a masterpiece.
156. The Apartment
With six Oscars, five WGAs, a DGA and the Palme d’Or, Billy Wilder’s career was so blazing you’d be forgiven for saying, “Well, somebody’s perfect.”
154. The Verdict
Sidney Lumet hadn’t read Barry Reed’s novel when he brought it to the screen. Instead, he let David Mamet’s masterful screenplay be his guide.
151. Drive
Nicolas Winding Refn’s film focuses on Ryan Gosling’s nameless getaway driver. But its best scene involves a vehicle of an entirely different kind.
150. The Bridge on the River Kwai
With this Oscar winning classic, David Lean stopped being an ‘English filmmaker’ and became an ‘international star director’.
