Shot in the time between El mariachi and Desperado, Robert Rodriguez’s Roadracers aired as part of a series of features that aired on Showtime in 1994, called Rebel Highway. Each film in the 10-part series got its title from a…
Jack Cardiff was a celebrated cinematographer, notably having worked on Powell/Pressburger classics Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes. Cardiff was also an active director, having helmed over half a dozen films, earning a Best Director Oscar nomination for Sons and…
A musical adaptation of the original Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, Thumbelina, is a striking animated film from 1994 featuring original songs from Barry Manilow, Jack Feldman, and Bruce Sussman. Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman for their Independent …
Camelot first captured audiences’ imaginations when it debuted on Broadway in 1960. Penned by the celebrated team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, who had previously collaborated on Gigi and My Fair Lady among others, Jack Warner was quickly…
At the very least, the filmmakers hit on an interesting concept in deciding to tell the story of an alien invasion in which the malevolent beings are invisible for most of the film. Unfortunately, The Darkest Hour is amateurish, lifeless,…
Madonna makes the move to the director’s chair for her first major motion picture, W.E.. Well acted and undeniably stylish, the script—written by Madonna and Alek Keshishian—suffers from a lack of simplicity. Seemingly Madonna wanted to craft a classic love…
*Rated NC-17 There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that pain is a big part of addiction. Addicts going through withdrawal kick, scream, contort, and vomit. Shame, the latest effort from director Steve McQueen (Hunger) offers an up-close and often…
Though he began directing films in Germany in 1919, Fritz Lang didn’t arrive in America until 1934. Over the next quarter century he made many well-regarded pictures and, apparently, made a number of enemies amongst actors and studio execs due…
It’s not unusual to see films about Americans abroad experiencing the difficulties of adjusting to a new culture. But in director Mike Ott’s award-winning indie drama, Littlerock, two foreign tourists find themselves struggling to adjust to small-town America. Japanese youths…
Based on the children’s novel and stage adaptation of the same name, War Horse tells the story of the special relationship between a young man and his horse. While the story of this relationship does have moments of charm, it’s…