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.
Tag Archives: sound design
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.
174. The Unbearable Lightness of Being
How well did Philip Kaufman succeed in adapting Milan Kundera’s ‘unfilmable’ philosophical love story?
171. Three Days of the Condor
Adapting James Grady’s straight forward thriller, Sydney Pollack delivered a commentary on dehumanising institutions.
168. Rear Window
He was called The Master of Suspense (a title he coined himself), but for all the thrills did Alfred Hitchcock not make rom-coms wrapped inside mysteries?
Moving Pictures: From Hollywood to Silicon Valley
This extended video-essay examines the innovations at the heart of cinema, focusing on how cinema is coping with the move from Hollywood to Silicon Valley.
129. Trainspotting
Released in 1996, Trainspotting was accused of promoting drug abuse. But really, it was a much needed shot in the arm for British cinema.
127. Mike Nichols
Without question, Mike Nichols was one of America’s most feted entertainers. But how did he manage to break new ground and tell such compelling stories?
126. Raging Bull
In a career featuring several masterpieces, Raging Bull is considered Martin Scorsese’s greatest achievement. But what did he achieve in making it?
121. Gone Girl
Adapted from Gillian Flynn’s best-selling thriller, David Fincher’s film keeps its most surprising twist until the final shot. And it’s not what you think.
112. Dazed and Confused
Belonging to a tradition that dates back to Rebel Without a Cause, Richard Linklater’s early masterpiece also owes some debt of gratitude to Robert Altman.
110. The Shawshank Redemption
A box-office flop in 1994, Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novella is proof that some films deserve a second chance.
101. 12 Years a Slave
He has made only 3 feature films, but with each of them being a masterpieces Steve McQueen is now one of the world’s leading filmmakers.
99. Christopher Nolan’s Mementos
He may make blockbusters, but Christopher Nolan’s tastes lean more to art house cinema. So what are his films really about?
96. The Social Network
Aaron Sorkin’s script is lauded as dazzling. But a script is more than just dialogue, and that’s why Sorkin’s is so great.
93. The Deer Hunter
If it was originally called The Man Who Came To Play and took place in a Las Vegas casino, how did the story end up taking place in Vietnam during the war?
88. Bullitt
With Steve McQueen in the title role, a legendary car-chase and a score by Lalo Schifrin, Peter Yates’ Bullitt still oozes as much cool now as it did in 1968.
83. The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow did not just make history when she became the first woman to win an Oscar for directing. She also made a landmark war film.
Spielberg’s Techniques
This video-essay examines Steven Spielberg’s career, from his days in television up until War Horse, and shows how he uses the disciplines of cinema to secure specific emotional responses.
37. Robocop
Robocop is now a quarter of a century old. With a remake soon to be released, we ask is Paul Verhoeven’s original beginning to rust?
34. Do The Right Thing
Spike Lee’s joint was the hottest movie of 1989 and marked him as a major director. The years since have not diminished its power.
15. Silent Cinema
Synchronized sound arrived in 1927. But the theaters were far from silent before that and perhaps something was lost with the coming of the new technology.
10. Robert Altman
Robert Altman was one of the great mavericks of American cinema. But even iconoclasts have to stand for something, so what did Altman believe in?
