I recently saw the new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, now in its last weeks at the Hudson Theatre, and it’s been rattling around in my brain ever since. (Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe are outstanding. If you can make it, don’t miss it.) A musical […]
The Feather on the Scales: ‘Defending Your Life’ (1991)
Defending Your Life is a comedy, but this doesn’t mean it should be taken lightly. A vision of the afterlife that ponders the nature of existence and what the sum of all our days might finally amount to, it suggests there is a fate even worse than death: never having truly lived. Daniel Miller (Albert […]
The Criterion Channel Celebrates New York
As part of its September lineup, the Criterion Channel just launched New York Stories, a dazzling tribute to New York City celebrating its boroughs and byways, its idiosyncrasies, struggles and triumphs. Just the trailer made my heart leap with joy, then brought me close to tears as I realized what the series also commemorates. I […]
Screen Escapes: A Year of Pandemic Viewing
It’s been one year since the coronavirus pandemic began: a year of lockdowns, social distancing, mounting anxiety and masks. I’ve watched a lot of films since last March (I don’t think I’m alone in that), but looking back I realize many of them weren’t new to me. As reality edged uncomfortably close to fiction, I […]
Pilgrims’ Progress: ‘A Canterbury Tale’ (1944)
This post is part of The World War II Blogathon, hosted by Cinema Essentials and Maddy Loves Her Classic Films. See the other posts here. In A Canterbury Tale, Alison Smith (Sheila Sim), a Land Girl doing her bit in wartime Kent, goes for a walk on the Old Road pilgrims once travelled to Canterbury. […]
La Grande Fête: ‘The Young Girls of Rochefort’ (1967)
This post is part of the Vive la France! Blogathon, hosted by Lady Eve’s Reel Life and Silver Screen Modes. See the other posts here. Jacques Demy’s Les Demoiselles de Rochefort or The Young Girls of Rochefort is the essence of euphoria. A carnival of colour and sound, it looks at the world through a […]
Boiling Point: Thoughts on ‘Do the Right Thing’ (1989)
Back after a brief hiatus: my ‘New York State of Mind’ series. When it was released in July 1989, Do the Right Thing was a grenade thrown from the front line: the system isn’t working; America is a pressure cooker, not a melting pot. Spike Lee’s film, about two days in the life of a […]
From Page to Screen: Seven Films Set in Bookshops
Happy Independent Bookstore Day! Every last Saturday in April, since 2015, bookworms across the country have celebrated indie bookshops: marvellous, idiosyncratic creatures that these days feel like an endangered species. It’s a great excuse to buy books. Not that I’ve ever needed one. Glancing at my shelves, I’ve sometimes wondered if I’m in danger of […]
Grand Tapestry: ‘War and Peace’ (1966-67)
Yesterday I spent eight and a half hours swept up in the great current that is Sergei Bondarchuk’s adaptation of War and Peace—now playing in a dazzling new restoration at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. A patriotic Soviet response to King Vidor’s 1956 version—which starred Henry Fonda and Audrey Hepburn and had been a […]
My Favourite Discoveries of 2018
As 2018 ticks to a close, time for one more list. These are my favourite discoveries of the year—films that aren’t new, but were new to me. Bells Are Ringing (1960) A musical featuring the combined talents of Judy Holliday, Dean Martin, Vincente Minnelli, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. This film is so easy to […]