Christopher Saunders

LATEST ARTICLES ( 667 )

• Son of Frankenstein

  

  Boris Karloff bade Frankenstein's monster farewell with Son of Frankenstein (1939). While lacking the artistry of James Whale's earlier films, it's an... Read more

  Posted on 12 October 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Bride of Frankenstein

  

  (1935) not only improves on James Whale's original Frankenstein, it's easily the best of Universal's '30s horror movies. Not merely iconographic, Bride shows... Read more

  Posted on 09 October 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Frankenstein (1931)

  

  Many Universal horror films haven't aged well, more iconographic than scary. James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) is an exception. Crude around the edges, it... Read more

  Posted on 07 October 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Deliverance

  

  "Sometimes you have to lose yourself before you can find anything." John Boorman specialized in art-inflected explorations of masculinity. Read more

  Posted on 05 October 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Jinnah

  

  Biopics of national heroes are dicey propositions, especially those of a country as contentious as Pakistan. Jinnah (1998) suffered from funding and distributio... Read more

  Posted on 05 October 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• ...tick...tick...tick...

  

  Ralph Nelson degenerated from a competent genre filmmaker to Stanley Kramer for the exploitation set. As derivative as it is poorly titled,... Read more

  Posted on 02 October 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Massacre Time

  

  Many Spaghetti Western titles are more entertaining than the actual film. Directed by future horror maestro Lucio Fulci, Massacre Time (1967) tries to enliven... Read more

  Posted on 20 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT

• Keoma

  

  For those who like their Spaghetti Westerns with a shot of strangeness, Keoma (1976) fits the bill. Enzo G. Castellari's experimental oater places a close secon... Read more

  Posted on 18 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Most Beautiful Wife

  

  "We're not on Earth to be happy, Francesca!"Damiano Damiani's The Most Beautiful Wife (1971) seems curiously topical. Commendable in its tasteful presentation o... Read more

  Posted on 18 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Last Days of Mussolini

  

  Benito Mussolini's downfall makes for a gripping drama in Last Days of Mussolini (1974), also known as The Last Four Days. Director Carlo Lizzani skillfully... Read more

  Posted on 15 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Le Notti Bianche

  

  "Never trust anyone, especially if they are in love."After the overblown Senso (1954), Luchino Visconti returned more measured material. Read more

  Posted on 14 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• L'Eclisse

  

  Michelangelo Antonioni's films maintain a detached stillness that cineastes either find engrossing or dull. L'Eclisse (1962) is his third collaboration with... Read more

  Posted on 13 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Un Flic

  

  "People will do the wrong thing, they always do." Alain Delon switches from criminal to cop in Un Flic (1972), Jean-Pierre Melville's final film. Read more

  Posted on 12 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Purple Noon

  

  "I might not look it, but I've got lots of imagination." Purple Noon (1960) adapts Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley, with a French cast and crew... Read more

  Posted on 11 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Sicilian Clan

  

  (1969) pairs three legendary French stars: Alain Delon, Lino Ventura and Jean Gabin. Henri Verneuil's crime saga provides a slow burn thriller with a stylish... Read more

  Posted on 11 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Out of the Past

  

  "Build my gallows high, baby!"Cineastes have long regarded Out of the Past (1947) as a seminal film noir. Jacques Tourneur's classy show is enjoyably immersive... Read more

  Posted on 09 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Working Class Goes to Heaven

  

  Gian Maria Volonte is best-known for his Spaghetti Westerns, even though he really relished political cinema. The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971) (also know... Read more

  Posted on 05 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Lucky Luciano

  

  The Godfather's success inspired a rash of mostly forgettable gangster flicks, trading Francis Ford Coppola's artistry for exploitative thrills. Read more

  Posted on 03 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Organizer

  

  "You have to hold out and make them pay, so they know the next time it'll be even worse."The Organizer (1963) provides a seriocomic treatment of labor disputes. Read more

  Posted on 02 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Many Wars Ago

  

  "A man who has seen the true face of war does not think highly of it."Francesco Rosi's Many Wars Ago (1970) depicts Italy's traumatic First World War experience... Read more

  Posted on 02 September 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES