Thursday, April 23 2009
Anna Karenina
This 1961 BBC production of Tolstoy's classic starring Claire Bloom and Sean Connery is a beautifully acted, gorgeously shot little gem -- worthy of the masterpiece it interprets.
Tuesday, May 27 2008
Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection
There should be room in our collective imagination for a hero who makes mistakes, lots of them, and still saves the day -- these are films that should be owned.
Friday, April 27 2007
You Know His Name: A History of James Bond
James Bond was the perfect hero for Great Britain of the 1950s, still licking its post-war wounds and eager for a champion who defended old-fashioned values like upper-class snobbery.
Monday, August 22 2005
The Red Tent (1971)
The 1971 Sean Connery film recounts the true story of an ill-fated 1928 expedition to the North Pole. In a dirigible.
Monday, November 1 2004
The Untouchables: Special Collector’s Edition (1987)
It's a story of a (nearly lone) lawman standing up against the bad guys, replete with a High Noon type showdown.
Monday, December 15 2003
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Allan Quartermain is complex, to be sure, resenting imperialism even as he embodies it.
Thursday, July 10 2003
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
'You're probably too young to remember,' Allan Quartermain (Sean Connery) tells the messenger, 'but the Empire is always in some kind of peril.'"
Thursday, August 1 2002
Cuba (1979/2002)
The idea that an individual, like Robin Hood, could stand up for the rights of the oppressed comes across as a pleasant fantasy, worthy of song and legend, but devoid of the means to stand up against state power.
