The Ice Storm: Criterion Collection

Director Ang Lee has had a fascinatingly diverse career. He’s tried his hand at the literary adaptation with Sense and Sensibility (1995), the Civil War epic with Ride with the Devil (1999), a period martial arts tale with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon... 

Thank You For Smoking

As more and more cities, states and countries ban smoking in public places (Philadelphia has been one of the latest) and the government tries to make us more conscious of our health, the more pressure is on the tobacco companies to find other, creative... 

Batman Begins

The fact that it took eight years for a new Batman film to be released illustrates how freaked out the studio was over the commercial and critical failure of Batman and Robin (1997). Warner Brothers gave the franchise a much needed rest while they quietly... 

The Singing Detective

For years, Keith Gordon has been quietly building up an impressive career as a director. He initially made his mark as an actor in some of Brian De Palma’s early work. Eventually, Gordon got tired of starring mindless fluff like Back to School (1986)... 

Pieces of April

There are countless movies that take place during Christmas but very few seem to occur during Thanksgiving—Home for the Holidays (1995) and The Ice Storm (1997) being the obvious exceptions. Along comes Pieces of April (2003), a heartfelt, often funny,...