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The Hustler (1961)
The Hustler is a straightforward morality play, but told with a lean intensity that pushes it into the realm of classic cinema. It helped that the 1961 picture featured a slew of great acting performances, particularly a superstar-making turn by Paul Newman. Based on a 1959 novel by Walter Tevis, The Hustler follows Fast Eddie…
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The Social Network (2010)
As the boy wonder who invented Facebook in 2004, Mark Zuckerberg was the world’s youngest-ever, self-made billionaire. He was also, at least according to The Social Network, a bona fide genius whose brilliance was matched by a cruelty borne of insecurity and resentment. And this deeply ambivalent portrait of Zuckerberg was in 2010, predating what…
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Year by year: My faves of the 1930s
The end of the silent era and the beginning of Hollywood’s Golden Age and the Production Code. Oh, and the Depression. And Hitler. 1930: 10. Morocco, director: Josef con Sternberg9. King of Jazz, director: John Murray Anderson8. Hell’s Angels, director: Howard Hughes7. The Divorcee, director: Robert Z. Leonard6. The Criminal Code, director: Howard Hawks5. Animal…
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Year by year: My faves of the 1990s
For cinephiles, 1999 is considered a banner year akin to 1939 (Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, etc.), but truth be told, the entire decade was freaking awesome. 1990: 10. The Exorcist III, director: William Peter Blatty9. Reversal of Fortune, director: Barbet Schroeder8. The Comfort of Strangers, director: Paul Schrader7. The Hunt for…
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The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
There isn’t much middle ground when it comes to how one feels about writer-director Wes Anderson. His meticulously fussy visual style, offbeat humor and unflagging quirkiness have won both ardent fans and equally ardent detractors; one viewer’s delight is another’s eye-rolling preciousness. The Grand Budapest Hotel, quintessential Anderson, will not woo the unconverted. As with…
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Year by year: My faves of the 2000s
9/11. The Iraq War. Hurricane Katrina. It was a fascinating decade in life, to say the least, and movies reflected that. 2000: 10. The Cell, director: Tarsem Singh9. American Psycho, director: Mary Harron8. High Fidelity, director: Stephen Frears7. Quills, director: Philip Kaufman6. Gladiator, director: Ridley Scott5. O Brother, Where Art Thou?, director: Joel Coen4. You…
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Holiday Inn (1942)
Holiday Inn is about as corny as it gets, but this Paramount musical conjures magic by bringing together three preeminent figures of 20th century song and dance: Irving Berlin, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Even if this 1942 picture wasn’t so much glossy fun, it would have earned a place in pop culture history for introducing…
Cutting to the Chase with Phil Bacharach
Let’s talk about movies.
Cutting to the Chase with Phil Bacharach 