Directed by John Hillcoat. Screenplay by Nick Cave, based on the book “The Wettest County in the World” by Matt Bondurant. This is a re-watch. And here’s the thing: I saw this in theaters when it first came out, and it is not, by any means, a perfect movie. It feels overly long, it ranks […]
Directed (and, somewhat uniquely, photographed!) by Josef von Sternberg. This was (real-life couple…for a time) von Sternberg & star Marlene Dietrich’s final (of 7) film collaborations – a run which included such gems as THE BLUE ANGEL (1930), MOROCCO (1930), & SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932). Based on the novel “La femme et le pantin” (translation: “The […]
Directed by William Beaudine (…as well as an uncredited Tom McNamara – who was originally the film’s AD & was left to complete the project when Beaudine – who is reported to have clashed frequently & aggressively with the film’s star, Mary Pickford – walked off the set toward the end of filming, ne’er to […]
Directed by Don Weis. Screenplay by George Wells, story by László Vadnay, with additional dialogue by Ruth Brooks Flippen. I’m a fan of the design of the opening credits – after Debbie Reynolds spies us over her shoulder, she writes the film’s title in red lipstick (to be clear, the text was digitally added – […]
Directed by Alan Crosland. Screenplay by Warren Duff, from the story “The Old Doll’s House” by Damon Runyon. Okay, y’all – this is a great movie title. None of that WIFE VS. SECRETARY (1936) or MAYBE IT’S LOVE (1935) or THE GORGEOUS HUSSY (1936) shit. Midnight. Alibi. Um…yes, please? Once upon a time, Gangster Man […]
Written and directed by Spike Lee. Spike Lee was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at that year’s Oscars (an award he’d end up losing to Tom Schulman, for DEAD POET’S SOCIETY) – but, rather disappointingly, he was not recognized in the Directing category. (To this day, people remain outraged by this, and – watching it […]
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