Misery (1990) Director: Rob Reiner This twisted and delightfully awkward horror film is based on the 1987 Stephen King novel of the same name. The film tells the story of a successful novel series writer, Paul Sheldon (James Caan) who escapes to the remote Colorado countryside to write in the winter. He is hoping to … Continue reading Misery

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Director: Frank Darabont The Shawshank Redemption is the film that made Morgan Freeman's classic narration a household staple. The film is based on the Stephen King novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption published in 1982. Frank Darabont directed other Stephen King stories put to film, such as The Green Mile. The Shawshank Redemption was nominated for seven … Continue reading The Shawshank Redemption

Gone with the Wind (1939) Director: Victor Fleming The film is based on the 1936 celebrated and controversial sole novel by Margaret Mitchell, a southern woman who grew up hearing stories of the "old south" in all its graces and vices from her grandmother. The novel was told in five parts, while the film condensed … Continue reading Gone with the Wind

The Wizard of Oz (1939) Director: Victor Fleming et al 1939 is possibly the greatest year in cinematic history with the release of films like Gone with the Wind, and The Wizard of Oz. Interestingly, both films have a storied history and even overlapping directors. Victor Fleming was the primary director of the film (replacing two other … Continue reading The Wizard of Oz

Memento (2001) Director: Christopher Nolan The idea for Memento came from a screenplay idea by Christopher Nolan's brother, Jonathan Nolan. Memento is the second feature film by Nolan, the first being self-funded called Following. Guy Pearce stars in the film as a man suffering from acute amnesia, in which he can only remember things that happened within the … Continue reading Memento

Gladiator (2000) Director: Ridley Scott Gladiator is the modern warrior-revenge epic film. Of course, the film stars Russell Crowe, in his finest performance as the Spaniard-Roman general, Maximus Decimus Meridius, alongside Joaquin Phoenix, the pale and greedy son, Commodus, who murders his father, the noble Marcus Aurelius, in pursuit of power. Maximus is favored by Marcus … Continue reading Gladiator

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) Director: Lotte Reiniger The Adventures of Prince Achmed is remarkable primarily because it is the oldest surviving animated feature film. Apparently there were two even earlier animated films created in Argentina, but those are now lost. Several avant-garde and abstract artists and filmmakers were involved in the creation of this … Continue reading The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019) Director: Quentin Tarantino Tarantino's latest deliberately historically revisionist and ultra violent film (though not til the very ending) is a somewhat different film from his other recent notables, like Django or The Hateful Eight. It stars: Leonardo Dicaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch and others. It is Tarantino's ninth film … Continue reading Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Mary Queen of Scots (2018) Director: Josie Rourke The tragic story of Mary Queen of Scots has been played out many times -the story of a woman who fought for power, trying to move the appropriate chess pieces, however in the end she lost her love and her life. Her life is greatly overshadowed by … Continue reading Mary Queen of Scots

Us (2019) Director: Jordan Peele Us is the follow-up to Peele's celebrated contemporary horror film Get Out released in 2017. It stars Lupita N'yong'o, a Kenyan American actress. Us tells the story of Adelaide Wilson and her family on vacation in Santa Cruz, CA when they are mysteriously attacked by a group of Doppelgängers - a pseudo-German word … Continue reading Us