Christopher Saunders

LATEST ARTICLES ( 667 )

• God's Not Dead

  

  (2014) was an unexpected blockbuster, striking a chord with Christian evangelicals who decry Starbucks cups and halal-certified turkeys as landmarks in our... Read more

  Posted on 22 February 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Heavenly Creatures

  

  Peter Jackson scored an early success with Heavenly Creatures (1994). It's based on a bizarre true story, a New Zealand murder by two disturbed teens (one of... Read more

  Posted on 20 February 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Passion of Ayn Rand

  

  Ayn Rand is an intriguing subject. Her life - her escape from Soviet Russia and integrating into American society, her ideology, her bizarre personality cult -... Read more

  Posted on 19 February 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• More Marvel Miscellanea: Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy

  

  For better or worse, the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows no signs of stopping. It behooves all sentient beings to follow Marvel's cinematic hegemony, which now... Read more

  Posted on 13 February 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• In the Line of Fire

  

  Clint Eastwood scores one of his best roles with In the Line of Fire (1993). Wolfgang Petersen's thriller does an excellent job matching Clint's persona with a... Read more

  Posted on 13 February 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Game Change

  

  What a strange, memorable election 2008 was: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's brutal primary fight, John McCain and Sarah Palin's dysfunctional campaign,... Read more

  Posted on 12 February 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Sons and Lovers

  

  Jack Cardiff's Sons and Lovers (1960) is an affecting melodrama, adapted from D.H. Lawrence. While simplifying Lawrence's complex, morbid novel, Cardiff capture... Read more

  Posted on 10 February 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Tightrope

  

  One of Clint Eastwood's darkest vehicles, Tightrope (1984) gives an edge to his usual police roles. Sloppy and uneven, it gets by on atmosphere and Eastwood's... Read more

  Posted on 06 February 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• RIP Jacques Rivette

  

  French filmmaker and critic Jacques Rivette passed away at age 87. I haven't seen any of Rivette's movies, but I do remember enduring his insufferable essays... Read more

  Posted on 30 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• You're a Big Boy Now

  

  Francis Ford Coppola's second feature, You're a Big Boy Now (1966) earned him his Masters from UCLA, and a mainstream career after apprenticing with Roger... Read more

  Posted on 29 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Peggy Sue Got Married

  

  Francis Ford Coppola's director-for-hire work, The Godfather notwithstanding, matches his weakest personal films. Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) was Coppola's... Read more

  Posted on 28 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Tucker: The Man and His Dream

  

  (1988) mutated from musical to biopic over its 15 year gestation. Francis Ford Coppola couldn't find backing until George Lucas offered to produce. It offers a... Read more

  Posted on 27 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• RIP Abe Vigoda

  

  Since we've been reviewing Coppola movies recently, it's sadly appropriate that Abe Vigoda passed away. While his best-known film role is Tessio in The... Read more

  Posted on 26 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Gardens of Stone

  

  (1987) was another flop for Francis Ford Coppola. It's better-remembered for the death of Coppola's son Gio during production than the actual movie. Well-acted... Read more

  Posted on 24 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• One from the Heart

  

  Francis Ford Coppola derailed his career with One from the Heart (1982), an expensive flop that destroyed the goodwill from his '70s masterpieces. Read more

  Posted on 23 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Love & Mercy

  

  (2014) is an oddly bifurcated biopic of Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson. This approach seems unnecessary, considering that its subject is compelling without any... Read more

  Posted on 23 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Sicario

  

  For two-thirds of its runtime, Sicario (2015) is a well-conceived thriller. Denis Villeneuve's thriller is dramatically terse and beautifully shot; no... Read more

  Posted on 22 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• 42

  

  Baseball legend Jackie Robinson's a natural movie subject, with Robinson playing himself in 1950's The Jackie Robinson Story. His most recent biopic, 42... Read more

  Posted on 21 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Clockers

  

  Few of Spike Lee's movies fit easily into genres. Clockers (1995) has elements of a crime thriller, a whodunit and an urban drama, singed with searing... Read more

  Posted on 20 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Malcolm X

  

  At the height of his notoriety, Spike Lee directed Malcolm X (1992). Producer Marvin Worth had been trying to make it ;for 25 years; the project passed through... Read more

  Posted on 19 January 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES