Author: Simon Hardy Butler
Interviewing Keith Gordon: From De Palma to ‘Dexter’
Keith Gordon may not drive a Plymouth Fury like his character does in Christine (1983), but he finds other ways to get noticed – right now by directing hit shows for television. In truth, though, he has already made an indelible mark on cinema with sensitively crafted independent films such as A Midnight Clear (1992)…
The Wrongs of Protocol: Movie Screenings and the Right to Complain
I talk at the movies. I also grumble, murmur, whisper, chuckle, snort, roll my eyes and shake my head. Muttering under my breath isn’t out of the question, either, nor is sighing so loudly that anyone within three rows of me can hear it. The good news is a flick’s got to be bad enough…
Movie Music Gems: 12 Terrific, Little-Known Movie Scores
Musical scores have become so ingrained in our cinematic culture that we often notice when a film doesn’t have one. And it’s easy to take such tunes for granted; they form part of the fabric of a picture and – at their best – provide definition, as well as texture. In thinking about what makes…
Art and Greatness: On the Essence of Being a Master
While listening to Manuel de Falla’s Harpsichord Concerto in the past, I’ve often wondered whether an artist with few works that I like can be considered a master. Since then, I’ve come to an answer: yes, of course. He or she can. It has been difficult for me to categorise such creators because I then…
The best of films: Charles Dickens, the cinema, and the trials of adaptation
Could the film of a live performance be the definitive screen version of a Charles Dickens novel? I asked myself this recently after contemplating The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, a masterful, 8-hour-long play adapted from the titular Dickens novel, which I saw on Broadway more than 30 years ago and now periodically rewatch…