The Quiet Man The Quiet Man
That's John Wayne, who used to speak with his fists and has to brandish them once again to win the girl of his dreams.
Jan 2, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Manny Farber
Jaws Jaws
All it took were three mechanical sharks and a two-note tuba chorus. In the summer of 1975, the fish had the oceans to themselves.
Jan 2, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Robert Hatch
The Battle of Algiers The Battle of Algiers
Gillo Pontecorvo's realistic recreation of Algeria's struggle for independence against France remains one of the most influential political films ever made.
Jan 2, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Harold Clurman
The Blackboard Jungle The Blackboard Jungle
A film about juvenile delinquency left kids dancing in the aisles to devil's music--Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock"--and the rock 'n' roll generation was spawned.
Jan 2, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Robert Hatch
A Day at the Races A Day at the Races
Who doesn't love a hot tootsie-frootsie ice cream?
Jan 2, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Mark Van Doren
Gandhi Gandhi
Ben Kingsley's channeled Mohandas Gandhi so deeply that it's difficult to view pictures of the sainted Indian leader without thinking of the actor.
Jan 2, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Robert Hatch
Tootsie Tootsie
Twenty-five years before Katy Perry, Jessica Lange kisses a girl and it feels good, even if it is Dustin Hoffman.
Jan 2, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Robert Hatch
Roger and Me Roger and Me
The real question is who comes off worse: the callous GM executive, the bunny-cidal woman or Bob Eubanks, the anti-Semitic, joke-telling gameshow host.
Jan 1, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
A mental institution is the setting for Ken Kesey's 1962 parable about the power of the state.
Jan 1, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Robert Hatch
The Great Dictator The Great Dictator
Hitler was said to have seen this twice. One tends to doubt, however, that he gave it a thumbs up.
Jan 1, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Franz Hoellering