Author: Jonathan Eig
The Cinema of William A. Wellman: A Film Primer
The die, in hindsight, may have been cast in 1968, when iconic American film critic Andrew Sarris, published his iconic book “The American Cinema.” In it, he included William A. Wellman in his chapter called “Less Than Meets the Eye.” Wellman was in good company, lumped in with Billy Wilder and William Wyler among others.…
One Film Critic’s Week in Review: From Beasts of No Nation to The Last Witch Hunter
For film fans, the time period from late October through New Years is like one extended Christmas morning. All the big movies that you have been hearing about for the past year have their releases clustered together so that they can maximise their award-season potential. But for a film reviewer, you feel more like an…
Understanding the Gap Between ‘Freeheld’ and ’99 Homes’
I recently went on line to buy some socks and bought a big screen TV instead. No value judgement here. They are both fine products which I needed. (Yes, I needed the big screen TV.) I only mention it to point out how we sometimes begin a day with one destination in mind and end…
The Coen Brothers’ Films Sorted From Worst to Best: Part Two
If you read the first part of this countdown, you know which eight movies are remaining. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Coen Brothers’ career is that those eight movies represent Film Noir, Absurdist Comedy, Western, Gangster, Musical, as well as three movies that defy any easy description. They are spread throughout the brothers’…
The Coen Brothers’ Films Sorted From Worst to Best: Part One
They came out of St. Louis Park, Minnesota in the heart of the baby boom, endowed with a deep love of classic Hollywood film noir, a passion for image and idea, and the quirky sense of humour that seems the purview of the northern end of the mighty Mississip. Initially, the older brother directed, the…