Christopher Saunders

LATEST ARTICLES ( 659 )

• The Birthday Party

  

  "You're a bit depressed for a man on his birthday!"William Friedkin's The Birthday Party (1968) adapts Harold Pinter's absurdist play into a challenging film. Read more

  Posted on 18 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Tap Roots

  

  "Don't lose your freedom. Rally to Lebanon!"George Marshall's Tap Roots (1948) draws inspiration from the same incident informing The Free State of Jones. Read more

  Posted on 17 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Kremlin Letter

  

  Spy films don't come much drearier than The Kremlin Letter (1970). John Huston's convoluted thriller struggles to engage viewers despite international... Read more

  Posted on 16 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Tennessee Johnson

  

  "Is it a crime to forgive? My enemies think so!"To modern eyes, Andrew Johnson seems a poor candidate for a laudatory biopic. William Dieterle's Tennessee... Read more

  Posted on 14 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Alexander Hamilton

  

  (1931) is a competent biopic of the Founding Father which tries balancing his political achievements with personal scandal. George Arliss does his best work... Read more

  Posted on 13 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Ace in the Hole

  

  "I don't make things happen; all I do is write about them!"Few embraced Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole (1951) upon release. Bosley Crowther led the critical... Read more

  Posted on 12 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Guest Post: Deadpool

  

  I received an offer from Cassie to write a guest post. She is a blogger for Culture Coverage and Secure Thoughts, writing about pop culture and Internet... Read more

  Posted on 12 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Double Indemnity

  

  "Murder is never perfect. It always comes apart sooner or later."Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944) isn't the first film noir, but it's probably the most... Read more

  Posted on 07 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Faust (1960)

  

  Peter Gorski's Faust (1960) records Gustaf Grundgens' legendary performance as Mephistopheles, considered the definitive portrayal of Goethe's charming demon. Read more

  Posted on 06 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Nazi Brit Bashing: My Life for Ireland and Titanic (1943)

  

  SourceDuring World War II, Germans needed little persuasion to hate France, their perennial enemy, or the Soviet Union. But England was a different matter:... Read more

  Posted on 05 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Quare Fellow

  

  "We never hang a man unless he's in the best of health!"Brendan Behan's satiric The Quare Fellow was a success on the Irish stage, a bitter jailhouse comedy... Read more

  Posted on 03 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Pt 109

  

  One would expect PT 109 (1963), an authorized biopic of John F. Kennedy's WWII exploits, to be an overblown vanity project. One would be right. Leslie H. Read more

  Posted on 02 June 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Ohm Kruger

  

  "The belief in our cause is stronger than death!"Joseph Goebbels commissioned Ohm Kruger (1941) after watching Gone With the Wind, resolving to make his own... Read more

  Posted on 31 May 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Sergeant York

  

  "Them guns was killin' hundreds, maybe thousands, and there weren't nothin' anybody could do, but to stop them guns." Of all Hollywood's pre-WWII propaganda... Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Coming Home

  

  (1978) came out the same year as The Deer Hunter and Go Tell the Spartans, showing Hollywood finally tackling the Vietnam War. Read more

  Posted on 29 May 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Sunset Boulevard

  

  "No one leaves a star. That's what makes one a star!"Hollywood loves showing itself as a soul-destroying wasteland, endless repeating the message in films... Read more

  Posted on 26 May 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Father (1966)

  

  "Only weaklings keep making up stories!"Istvan Szabo's second feature, Father (1966) established him as a leading light of Hungarian cinema. Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Out Goes She: Local Film Project

  

  Recently, a friend asked me for help promoting their new film project. I don't ordinarily promote independent projects, but I'm happy to lend a hand for... Read more

  Posted on 23 May 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• All the Way

  

  "You don't bring nice to a knife fight."Bryan Cranston won a Tony playing Lyndon Johnson in Robert Schenkkan's All the Way. He reprises the role for HBO's new... Read more

  Posted on 22 May 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Fantastic Four (2015)

  

  In an era where even Ant-Man makes money, Fantastic Four (2015) flopped. Josh Trank managed a wretched production marred by on-set fighting, last minute reshoot... Read more

  Posted on 20 May 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES