I, Claudius: Fool, Biographer, Emperor

Derek Jacobi. Photo: BBC One thing is certain. The years may fly by in this adaptation of Robert Graves's books on the first four Julio-Claudian emperors, but when 77 years…

John Adams: The Reluctant VP

Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti. Photo: HBO Sometimes there are discrepancies between filmmakers and the people hired to market their work. The tagline of this ambitious HBO miniseries has nothing…

Belle de Jour: Nasty Girl

Catherine Deneuve. Photo: Valoria Films Luis Buñuel scholar Julie Jones once claimed that the famous director told her that he doesn't know what the end of this film really means.…

Chariots of Fire: For God and Honor

Photo: Allied Stars I have taken up running recently and discovered that it is easy to get hooked. It’s tough in the beginning but some days it is as if…

Gentleman’s Agreement: Walk in My Shoes

Dorothy McGuire, Gregory Peck and John Garfield. Photo: 20th Century Fox This film caused quite a stir on its arrival, but ended up winning an Oscar for Best Picture. Still,…

Rome: Rise and Fall of a Dictator Perpetuus

Photo: HBO It is obvious where Rome got its primary inspiration. In 1976, I, Claudius was quite the phenomenon, a well-written British drama series that chronicled key events in Rome…

Closer: Bodies in Motion

Clive Owen, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts and Jude Law. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing Mike Nichols was lauded for turning Tony Kushner’s play “Angels in America” into a great miniseries in…

Amadeus: The Burden of Mediocrity

Tom Hulce. Photo: Orion Pictures Most of us recognize Antonio Salieri’s feelings. He has worked hard to achieve something, got a good education and managed to become court composer to…

Falkenberg Farewell: Avoiding Adulthood

Photo: Memfis Film When this film premiered, I realized that I was probably not the only one in the audience who kept thinking back to the period in life depicted…