Christopher Saunders

LATEST ARTICLES ( 667 )

• Groggy History Month

  

  "Writing about history will prove that I'm not silly - I'm serious!"Lately, my mind has been geared away from movies into history-related topics. Read more

  Posted on 07 June 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• History: Joseph II and the Myth of Karansebes, 1788

  

  One of history's most unbelievable anecdotes involves the "Battle of Karansebes." It's a staggering, unbelievable tale cited as the epitome of military... Read more

  Posted on 06 June 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Twelve O'Clock High

  

  "I believe that to a certain degree, a man makes his own luck."Henry King's Twelve O'Clock High (1949) is one of Hollywood's best World War II films. Read more

  Posted on 29 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Christine (2016)

  

  "We all have these different versions of ourselves competing to be the real us."Few movies even try to capture depression accurately, making Antonio Campos's... Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Rules of the Game

  

  "The awful thing about life is this: everyone has their reasons."Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game (1939) wasn't appreciated in its day; its social satire... Read more

  Posted on 24 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Return (2011)

  

  Since playing confused teen Lindsay Weir on Freaks and Geeks, Linda Cardellini has been a delight to watch, an unforced actress with heart, shyness and endearin... Read more

  Posted on 22 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Big Deal on Madonna Street

  

  Mario Monicelli's Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) beautifully synthesizes several disparate genres: broad farce, gritty neo-realism, the high-toned heist... Read more

  Posted on 20 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Other Boleyn Girl

  

  Interest in the Tudors never dies, allowing each generation a chance to relive Henry VIII's Great Matter and Elizabeth's Golden Age through tony bodice rippers... Read more

  Posted on 16 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Rosa Luxemburg

  

  "I can't dance with you tonight and argue with you tomorrow."Margarethe Von Trotta's Rosa Luxemburg (1986) takes on the monumental task of humanizing Germany's... Read more

  Posted on 15 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• A Most Violent Year

  

  (2014) is a measured thriller, impeccably shot and well-observed dramatically, yet occasionally distant and cold. Writer-director J.C. Read more

  Posted on 14 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• History: Richard Nixon Tells Archibald Cox, You're Fired!

  

  Prior to July 16th, 1973, the Watergate scandal remained containable. Despite the revelations of the Washington Post, the high drama of Sam Ervin's televised... Read more

  Posted on 10 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Whiplash (2014)

  

  From its earliest scenes, Whiplash (2014) is unremittingly, intensely violent. Damien Chazelle, more recently of La La Land, treats music as psychological... Read more

  Posted on 09 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Winter Kills

  

  "I'm all that's standing between you and darkest night, son. The other side of me, there's Chaos."Winter Kills (1979) came too late for the '70s conspiracy... Read more

  Posted on 07 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Viva Villa!

  

  "You can't win a revolution with love, you need hate!"Here's the granddaddy of every Mexico-set "Zapata Western," from Vera Cruz and A Bullet for the General... Read more

  Posted on 06 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Adapting Philip Roth: Goodbye, Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint

  

  Let's rewind the clock to 1959. Philip Roth, at twenty-six years old, publishes his debut, Goodbye Columbus, a novella accompanied by several short stories. Read more

  Posted on 05 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Adapting Philip Roth: The Human Stain

  

  The Human Stain (2003) is another underwhelming Philip Roth adaptation. Robert Benson approaches the material with respect, but can't overcome the material's... Read more

  Posted on 04 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Adapting Philip Roth: American Pastoral and Indignation

  

  Philip Roth's novels have long frustrated filmmakers, who seem incapable of rendering his complex, neurotic world-building in cinematic terms. Read more

  Posted on 03 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• La La Land

  

  Calling La La Land (2016) old-fashioned isn't a knock but a complement. Damien Chazelle's musical is a swoon-worthy throwback to classic Hollywood, with catchy... Read more

  Posted on 02 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• Jackie

  

  Pablo Larrain's Jackie (2016) is one of those prestige dramas so caught up in being an actor's showcase that it forgets to work on any other level. Read more

  Posted on 01 May 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

• The Immigrant

  

  "I am not nothing."James Gray's The Immigrant (2013) is a remarkable movie, almost an anachronism. It offers the look and staging of Classic Hollywood... Read more

  Posted on 27 April 2017 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES