Then Playing — The Anderson Tapes; Wicked; Monte Carlo
Reviews of movies directed by Sidney Lumet, John M. Chu, and Ernst Lubitsch Continue reading Then Playing — The Anderson Tapes; Wicked; Monte Carlo
Tag: sidney lumet
Playing Catch-Up — The Deadly Affair; Dear Ruth; Breathless
The Deadly Affair (Sidney Lumet, 1967). Only the second film adaptation of a John le Carré work (it’s based on his novel Call for the Dead, although rights reasons prevented the studio from using its main character George Smiley), this … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — The Deadly Affair; Dear Ruth; Breathless
From the Archive: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
This was originally posted at my former digital home. I don’t have much to add today, save for this: Every great director deserves to have a film this strong as their final cinematic statement. It’s already become commonplace to build … Continue reading From the Archive: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Top Fifty Films of the 50s — Number Fifteen
#15 — 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957) In the annals of cinema, there are undoubtedly more impressive debut directorial efforts than Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men, but there are few that so perfectly captured and forecasted the defining strengths … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 50s — Number Fifteen
Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Thirty-Nine
#39 — Long Day’s Journey into Night (Sidney Lumet, 1962) Much as I admire and even love those films that are told with precise expertise, that lock firmly into place as they deliver their ideas, themes and passions, I maintain … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Thirty-Nine
Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Ten
#10 — Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976) I don’t think it’s quite right to say that all great films are timeless. I do think there are broadly translatable qualities to the very best works–things such as wit, grace, intellectual heft and … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Ten
Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Thirteen
#13 — Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet, 1975) Occasionally in the nineteen-nineties, I had to explain to friends that Al Pacino was once indeed a great actor, capability of shrewdness and subtlety in his performances. Presumably this shouldn’t have been … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 70s — Number Thirteen
Cassavetes, Corbijn, Fellini, Lumet, Scott
Unstoppable (Tony Scott, 2010). There are few funnier things a Tony Scott movie can offer than a “Inspired by True Events” credit at the beginning. Scott isn’t a director completely devoid of charm and panache (like his rough American equivalent Michael Bay), but a reasoned approach to preserving the integrity of a story that has its grounding in real life is simply not something that’s going to happen with the director of Top Gun and Days of Thunder at the helm. At least his usual camera jitters are toned down a bit, although he maintains his penchant for the shock … Continue reading Cassavetes, Corbijn, Fellini, Lumet, Scott
Top Fifty Films of the 80s — Number Twenty-One
#21 — The Verdict (Sidney Lumet, 1982) Sidney Lumet directed his first feature film in 1957 and his last one in 2007. Both those efforts were sensationally good, and Lumet had enough similarly marvelous efforts during the half-century between the … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 80s — Number Twenty-One
Almodóvar, Campion, DeBlois and Sanders, Lumet, Pontecorvo
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Pedro Almodóvar, 1988). Almodóvar’s international breakthrough is almost quaint in its kitschy simplicity when held up against the rich, lush films that have sprung from his off-kilter cranium in recent years. It involves a tangled web of romantic and sexual relationships, largely converging in a Spanish apartment that has a convenient batch of sedative-laden gazpacho in the fridge. There evidence of Almodóvar’s sterling eye, especially in the earlier scenes, but it’s mostly an engagingly casual farce, played with a relaxation that feels nicely cultural. Carmen Maura is especially good in the lead … Continue reading Almodóvar, Campion, DeBlois and Sanders, Lumet, Pontecorvo
Coffee for Two 