Released: 1957 Dir.: Andrzej Wajda First time viewing reaction. A few days ago, I had never heard of the Polish film Kanał, and now I can’t forget it. Which is a good thing. The film is about a nightmare, but not the nightmare of our dreams. This nightmare is real, it’s a nightmare about war. It is also, in a way, a horror film. In late September 1944 the Warsaw Uprising is in its final days, as German…
Released: 1950 Dir.: Nicholas Ray First time viewing reaction. I received a DVD copy of In a Lonely Place the other day for my birthday and completes my collection of essential Humphrey Bogart films. It’s also a film that has eluded me for years, often overshadowed by Bogart’s many other great films. It’s also a film I’ve read very little about, so it came as a great surprise to me what I saw and felt. Bogart plays Dixon Steele, a…
Released: 1987 Dir.: Wim Wenders First time viewing reaction and reader request. I try not to read reviews or learn anything about the films I’m watching for the first time before viewing or writing about them, I just usually have a brief synopsis handy as a reminder and to make sure I get the names of the actors and their characters correct. However, I couldn’t help but notice Wings of Desire being described as a ‘city symphony’, and I…
Released: 1967 Dir. Takashi Nomura First-time Viewing Reaction Once upon a time, action/thriller movies would develop their story to a stunning climax and give you an exciting tension building ride to get there. The kind of thing you can’t wait to talk about with your friends the next morning. The problem, of course, is one or more of your friends hasn’t seen the movie, and you don’t want to give away the ending. How do you discuss this journey…
Released: 1959 Dir. Bernhard Wicki Impressions from First-time Viewing Movies come and go, and sometimes there are movies that stay with us for a while. Perhaps longer. This is the case with the West German film The Bridge. Made in 1959, The Bridge tells the story of a small group of teenage boys who are left to defend a small bridge from the advancing American army at the very end of World War 2. When I was much…
Released: 1958 Dir.: Louis Malle First time viewing. Deep in my gut, which can be a dark and foreboding place, I knew Elevator to the Gallows was going to be good. What I didn’t realize was how good it was going to be. It’s not just good, it’s great, especially if you like seeing Hollywood formulas turned on their head. Elevator to the Gallows is a French film noir/new wave crime story that reimagines the classic story of…
