Molly Haskell wrote of the 1978 Claudia Weill movie “Girlfriends,” one of my favorite films of all time: “We’re currently living in a time that, at least by comparison, seems like a golden age of gal-pal movies and TV, but we should remember just how much rarer such cultural products once were. Before ‘Thelma & … Read more
The name Stuart Rosenberg will never be forgotten by a certain breed of film lover. To others, he may never gain any kind of a foothold at all. Rosenberg was a solid craftsman of sturdy dramatic work but he was also a crucial crafter of some of the most important parts of Paul Newman’s legend. … Read more
Berger worked for everyone from the high-brow likes of Joseph Losey and Vittorio De Sica to the tawdry likes of Umberto Lenzi and Jesus Franco. He finally ended his career in a valedictory capacity, as the screen’s regal gremlin king in the stupendous “Saint Lauren” by Bertrand Bonello and Albert Serra’s impish “Liberté.” Here’s a … Read more
Bernardo Bertolucci was one of the first directors I encountered as a teenager who demonstrated to me that art shouldn’t have barriers; that no subject was off limits. He took this too far in his artistic life, forever changing how I thought about him, but you can’t turn away from your own history. You have … Read more
Yes, I know it was just April 1st, but your eyes do not deceive you. It’s about time for a spirited defense of “Paint Your Wagon.” The famously derided musical was one of the films that helped kill the entire genre for about 25 years. I understand America’s hunger was for grit and realism, but … Read more