Watch the Skies
Classic Films
Just who was responsible for The Thing from Another World (1951)? If you look at the credits, you can see it was directed by Christian Nyby. But if you ask ... Read more
Classic Films
Better Than Kane?
Classic Films
Is Ambersons better than Kane? If you’re talking about the first part of the film, then the answer is yes. The problem with The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), which Orson Welles ... Read more
Living on the Edge
Classic Films
Only Angels Have Wings (1939) is one of Howard Hawks’ best and most personal films. Hawks was a master of taking on the conventions of a genre and adding deeper ... Read more
No Fighting
Classic Films
It’s hard to write about Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) without resorting to superlatives. It’s the best comedy of ... Read more
Inspired Lunacy
Classic Films
I had a difficult time compiling my Top 20 Screwball Comedies list. The biggest challenge was where to put Bringing Up Baby (1938). In the end, I gave it the ... Read more
Best Movie Musical
Classic Films
Is there anyone into classic films who doesn’t like Singin’ in the Rain (1952)? Given that 19-year-old Debbie Reynolds had never danced before, and the script had to be written ... Read more
Silly Little Irish Story
Classic Films
One of John Ford’s most popular films — The Quiet Man (1952) — almost didn’t happen. According to Jordan R. Young’s book John Ford’s The Quiet Man, Ford first tried ... Read more
Best Film Ever Made?
Classic Films
If you’re going to write about classic films, you have to stick your neck out — and take the chance others will stick their tongues out in response. OK, here ... Read more
Same Only Different
Classic Films
The Awful Truth (1937) is one of the least appreciated of the top screwball comedies, in part because director Leo McCarey isn’t as well known as directors Frank Capra, George ... Read more
The Forgotten Man
Classic Films
While the screwball comedy is a byproduct of the Great Depression, not every screwball comedy reflects the era head-on. My Man Godfrey (1936) is both a spoof of — and ... Read more
Concentric Layers
Classic Films
How can a film be loathed at the time of its release, yet be recognized as great many years later? The answer varies according to each film. In the case ... Read more
Who Cares Whodunit
Classic Films
What if someone created a murder mystery so entertaining you didn’t care who did the murder? That’s the case with The Big Sleep (1946). Based on Raymond Chandler’s first novel, ... Read more
No Man’s Land
Classic Films
Though the two films are worlds part, Paths of Glory (1957) has a lot in common with Dr. Strangelove (1964). Both were directed by Stanley Kubrick, both are hard-hitting anti-war ... Read more
Falling in Love Again
Classic Films
Ask film buffs about director Josef von Sternberg, and you may receive a blank stare. Others assume that The Blue Angel (1930), his best known film, was probably the work ... Read more
Heaven on Earth
Classic Films
Wim Wender’s Wings of Desire (1987) is an unusual film. It’s the story of the guardian angels who watch over the citizens of Berlin. One angel (named Damiel) yearns to ... Read more