The Dresser: Theatre of War

Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney. Photo: Columbia I went to see the musical “Sugar” last week. I should go to shows like that more often. Apart from enjoying it, I…

The Artist: A Silent Treatment

Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. Photo: Warner Michel Hazanavicius is obviously a man who loves the cinema. French audiences know his OSS 117 films, spoofs of the spy genre, and…

Sunset Blvd: The Walking Dead

Gloria Swanson. Photo: Paramount Gloria Swanson used to be big. She had a pretty decent career as a silent-movie star, but shortly after transitioning into talkies she was abandoned by…

Tom Jones: A Bawdy Adventure

Susannah York and Albert Finney. Photo: United Artists The film that won director Tony Richardson an Oscar and launched the international career of Albert Finney had quite a challenging shoot.…

The Madness of King George 

In 1788, King George III of England (Nigel Hawthorne) starts acting peculiarly for no obvious reason and his son, Prince George (Rupert Everett), conspires to have him dethroned. First-time director…

Boston Legal: Bonding on a Balcony

James Spader and William Shatner. Photo: ABC I hate writing this review. I'm doing it because the last episode of Boston Legal has aired and it is time to close…

Sports Night 

Aaron Sorkin’s first TV series blew some fresh air into network television, but has since been eclipsed by far greater cable shows. To a certain degree, this story about the…

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 

It was supposed to be Aaron Sorkin’s great follow-up to The West Wing, featuring parts of the same cast and crew. A knowing look behind the scenes of a Saturday…

Dalecarlians

Mia (Sofia Helin) is driving home for her father’s 70th birthday, fearing the sense of isolation in the village where she grew up, and the aggressive bitterness of her sister…