Ben-Hur: The Gospel of Judah

Charlton Heston. Photo: MGM The kind of film that starts with a five-minute overture, Ben-Hur is about as classic a 1950s Hollywood blockbuster as they come. Burt Lancaster was reportedly…

The Karate Kid 

Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother (Taraji P. Henson) move to China; the boy is bullied in school by a kid who doesn't like the newcomer, but Dre turns…

Last Year at Marienbad: Haunting Memories

Photo: Cocinor I remember watching this French New Wave classic in film school, being oddly fascinated by it even though we watched many other similarly slow-going movies that were anything…

The Serpent’s Way 

In 19th century northern Sweden, a widow (Stina Ekblad) loses her home to a salesman (Ernst Günther) who makes her a deal; it’s the beginning of a humiliation that will…

Glowing Stars 

Liv (Annika Hallin) and her 13-year-old daughter (Josefine Mattsson) are planning a trip to Thailand, but when Liv’s cancer gets worse they temporarily move in with her strict mother (Anki…

The Pacific: Slaughter in Paradise

Photo: HBO After producing the successful limited series Band of Brothers in 2001, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks knew that they were not finished with World War II. They had just portrayed…

Band of Brothers: Memories of Hell

Photo: HBO The original quote from William Shakespeare’s “Henry V” is: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall…

Boogie Nights: Sex, Drugs and Disco

Photo: New Line Cinema The movie that looked like it might reenergize Burt Reynolds's career (it didn't really) is a fascinating look at the American porn industry in the late…

I’m Not There: A Multitude of Voices

Cate Blanchett. Photo: The Weinstein Company Todd Haynes knows how to suck up to Bob Dylan. When contacting the legendary artist's manager to obtain permission to use Dylan's music in…

The Girl

When two aid workers (Shanti Roney, Annika Hallin) leave for a journey to Africa, they entrust their 11-year old daughter (Blanca Engström) in the care of an unreliable aunt… which…