Edward Zwick on his hits — and his misses
Hits, Flops and Other Illusions is a fascinating book, both for what it includes and what it either omits or deals with in parentheses
Film
Thursday
Tuesday
Does Joan Crawford deserve her bad reputation?
It’s unlikely a Crawford could happen in today’s Hollywood
Tuesday
Have we misunderstood David Fincher?
The director’s continuing ability to challenge, provoke and entertain is a marvel
Revisiting Gettysburg
No filmmaker has explored the imaginative appeal of the Civil War in as much depth or from such diverse angles as Ron Maxwell
In praise of Hallmark Christmas movies
There is not enough football on TV not to get drawn into the Countdown to Christmas
Friday
John Waters, the pope of cliché
Cinema’s pet subversive deserves a proper reappraisal
Left-wing politics has repoliticized the arts
The left’s cultural triumph
Wednesday
The lamentable rise of VFX in horror films
CGI is no substitute for glue, tape and ketchup
Is a Kevin Spacey comeback possible?
The actor is not going to disappear into the shadows quietly
Friday
Maureen Ryan exposes the Hollywood horror show
At the end of Burn it Down , it’s hard not to wish that the industry could simply be shut down and rebooted all over again
Finding the warmth in Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography
When I look at the Hitchcock movies, I don’t see icy detachment. Instead what strikes me is their intimacy, gentleness and passion
The death of Superman
How Hollywood killed the American hero
Friday
What’s happening with the SAG-WGA strike?
We may be seeing the death throes of cinema as we know it
Monday
Napoleon heralds the return of the man’s movie
The recreations of the battles of Austerlitz and Waterloo, among others, look peerless
Thursday
The Flash and the downside of hype
This is not an isolated example of hype over achievement
Friday
Bama Rush fails as anti-Greek life propaganda
Lacking a decent angle, the director uses herself as filler
Sunday
Tom Hanks should stick to acting
The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece is as clumsy as its plodding title
Welcome to Ouarzawood, Moroccan desert outpost and set of many major movies
Celebrities flock here to film at the biggest movie studio in Africa
Michael Cimino’s gift to cinema
Heaven’s Gate is a 200-minute-plus mess of beautiful incoherences and stupefying contradictions
Thursday
Why are there no paintings in Star Wars?
They are not talked about, reflected upon or even alluded to
