Features
Monday, January 23 2012
The 40 Best Films of 2011
2011 was a year of good, not necessarily great, films, though the amazing choices by our staff might argue against such a overall cinematic classification.
Wednesday, January 18 2012
The Best Male Film Performances of 2011
In another strong year, crime and punishment take on heart and heroism for the right to be called 2011's best male film acting work.
Monday, January 9 2012
The Best DVDs of 2011
With the continuing rise of Blu-ray, this year sees a lot of repeat entries. Just because they're here again, however, doesn't mean they're any less special.
Friday, August 26 2011
The 100 Essential Directors Part 8: Jean Renoir to Douglas Sirk
From Jean Renior through Douglas Sirk, there may be some choices that raise an eyebrow. While each of the directors we look at today might not be on every cinephile's list of great directors, they absolutely merit inclusion for their distinct visions and dedication to their craft, some despite their questionable personal lives and politics.
Wednesday, January 12 2011
The Best Films of 2010
Among this year's winners include a fake documentary, a comedy about Jihad, a vampire story NOT dealing with tacky tween romance, a haunting hillbilly noir, and an elegant tale about clones. Not necessarily the usual cinematic suspects.
Columns
Tuesday, April 7 2009
Waltzing with Wilco
As any experienced concert-goer knows, a lively audience can mean the difference between a lackluster event and a memorable night. Sometimes, it’s more important than the band's actual performance.
Reviews
Wednesday, November 23 2011
'Hugo': Remembering and Forgetting
As much as Hugo is being touted as Scorsese's foray into 3D, Méliès' images, flat, awkward, and strangely beautiful, are its most memorable.
Wednesday, October 5 2011
Martin Scorsese Presents a Complicated Picture of George Harrison in 'Living in the Material World'
"People say I'm the Beatle that changed the most," George Harrison muses in George Harrison: Living in the Material World. "The whole thing is to change, to make everything better and better."
Sunday, July 17 2011
When Time Twists Within Itself: 'Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies'
Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies explores the connections between the birth of the motion picture and the evolution of modern art, particularly Cubism.
Wednesday, June 15 2011
Scorsese's Age of Swing: 'New York, New York'
An artifice sometimes too beautiful. It's as if Al Jolson romanced Doris Day.
Monday, April 11 2011
'Taxi Driver': Descent into Hell
The sharpness and clarity of this new Blu-Ray release allows us to see how Martin Scorsese turned the city of New York into a character, a chaos monster wallowing in filth and a perpetual dirty rain.
Blogs
Monday, November 28 2011
Diamonds in the Dream Factory: 'Hugo'
Like a labyrinth larded with shards of celluloid sensations past and filtered through the latest in Tinseltown commercial gimmickry, Hugo is an amazing masterwork.
Saturday, June 18 2011
Start Spreading the News: 'New York, New York' (Blu-ray)
For all its formalism and experimentation, New York, New York fails one of the quantum aspects of the onscreen musical - it provides little to no escape.
Friday, February 18 2011
The Animal Inside: 'Raging Bull' (Blu-ray)
This is an epic tragedy, with a hateful anti-hero at the center whose flaw may be a total lack of redeeming social or personal value.
Monday, November 1 2010
Goodfellas: The Most Definitive American Movie of the Last Two Decades
Goodfellas was so great its largest "fault" was its own success; that it inspired so many lame, shameless rip-offs.
Monday, June 7 2010
Everyone Is Totally Insane: 'Shutter Island' (Blu-ray)
Do we marvel as the man responsible for Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino works a similar artist magic on material that many would consider exploitative schlock? You betcha.
News
Friday, January 27 2012
Oscars 2012: Five directors, five approaches
LOS ANGELES — They have worked in diverse disciplines — acting, screenwriting, theater, television, exploitation films — were born in three countries and have made…
Tuesday, January 10 2012
Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese receive nominations for DGA Award
LOS ANGELES — There’s only one newcomer to the feature film nominees announced Monday for the 64th annual DGA Awards: Michel Hazanavicius for “The Artist.”…
Tuesday, November 22 2011
‘Hugo’: A kinder, gentler Martin Scorsese
LOS ANGELES — You think you know by now what you’ll get in a Martin Scorsese movie. Someone will be gothically whacked. A person’s tenuous…
Tuesday, June 14 2011
Expect Martin Scorsese's George Harrison documentary this year, says Olivia Harrison
A documentary on the life of George Harrison directed by Martin Scorsese is nearly done and is expected to premiere this year, Harrison's widow, Olivia…
Tuesday, April 5 2011
Martin Scorsese's gritty 'Taxi Driver' tops list of latest Blu-rays
The powerful psychological drama "Taxi Driver" leads this week's lineup of new Blu-ray titles. Deftly directed by Martin Scorsese, "Taxi Driver 35th Anniversary Edition" (Sony,…
