Life During Wartime: Criterion Collection

With his misanthropic comedy Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), Todd Solondz announced himself as an independent filmmaker with a unique vision of American culture. His film, and subsequent efforts since, explore the trials and tribulations of people living... 

Stop-Loss

It has been almost ten years since Kimberly Peirce’s critically acclaimed, award-winning independent film, Boys Don’t Cry (1999). She’s returned with her first studio film – a drama about the current war in Iraq. So far, this kind of film has... 

There Will Be Blood: Special Collector’s Edition

After the highly unconventional romantic comedy, Punch-Drunk Love (2002), many speculated about what writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson would do next. In a bold move, he decided to adapt Upton Sinclair’s novel, Oil! about ambitious oil tycoons in... 

Margot at the Wedding

With The Squid and the Whale (2005), filmmaker Noah Baumbach reinvented himself by finally discarding the comparisons to Woody Allen that followed his early films (Kicking & Screaming, Mr. Jealousy) and produced a more nuanced, mature film with acerbic... 

Miami Vice

It has been 17 years since Miami Vice ended its successful run on television. It became a cultural phenomenon and has since become one of the iconic shows of the 1980s. Michael Mann executive produced and acted as its guiding force in terms of look and... 

The Phantom of the Opera

It’s amazing that it took this long for a film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous Broadway musical The Phantom of the Opera to be made. While it was seen by millions upon millions of people worldwide, the movie failed to draw in the big numbers... 

Road to Perdition

Road To Perdition is a curious beast. It’s polished, poetic and, in some scenes, pretty darn exceptional. It won an Oscar for the late Conrad Hall’s drop dead gorgeous cinematography and the critics lapped it up, even if the public were divided....