The Ten Commandments (1923)Director: Cecil B. DeMilleScreenwriter: Jeanie MacphersonStarring: Theodore Roberts, Leatrice Joy, Richard Dix, Rod LaRocque, Nita Naldi The opening 45 minutes of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 silent epic The Ten Commandments are breathtaking. The film’s art direction, cinematography and technical effects reveal a level of craftsmanship that still impresses a century later. Directed … Read more
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023) Director: Sam FellScreenwriters: Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, Rachel TunnardStarring: Bella Ramsey, Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, Jane Horrocks, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, Josie Sedgwick-Jones, Peter Serafinowicz, Nick Mohammed, Miranda Richardson The original Chicken Run (2000) made a lasting impression: a stop-motion animated caper … Read more
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)Director: Sam FellScreenwriters: Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, Rachel TunnardStarring: Bella Ramsey, Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, Jane Horrocks, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, Josie Sedgwick-Jones, Peter Serafinowicz, Nick Mohammed, Miranda Richardson The original Chicken Run (2000) arrived as a near-perfect slice of stop-motion animation: sharp, … Read more
Godzilla Minus One / Gojira -1.0 (2023)Director: Takashi YamazakiScreenwriter: Takashi YamazakiStarring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Mio Tanaka, Sae Nagatani Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One returns to the emotional and thematic roots that made the original Toho Godzilla films enduring pieces of cinema. Unlike recent big-budget … Read more
Godzilla Minus One / Gojira -1.0 (2023)Director: Takashi YamazakiScreenwriter: Takashi YamazakiStarring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Mio Tanaka, Sae Nagatani Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One returns Toho’s legendary monster to the screen with a focused, character-driven approach that balances large-scale spectacle with intimate human drama. Set … Read more
Maestro (2023)Director: Bradley CooperScreenwriter: Bradley Cooper, Josh SingerStarring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Sam Nivola When On the Waterfront opened in 1954, Leonard Bernstein’s score drew critical praise nearly equal to that given to the film’s performances and direction. It remains notable that Bernstein contributed so little originally intended for … Read more
Maestro (2023)Director: Bradley CooperScreenwriter: Bradley Cooper, Josh SingerStarring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Sam Nivola When On the Waterfront premiered in 1954, its score attracted as much critical attention as any other element of the film — a remarkable achievement given the movie’s eight Academy Awards. That score was one … Read more
Wonka (2023)Director: Paul KingScreenwriters: Simon Farnaby, Paul KingStarring: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Olivia Colman, Matt Lucas, Matthew Baynton, Tom Davis, Hugh Grant Willy Wonka has always been a mysterious figure. In the classic 1971 film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka is a charismatic, eccentric showman whose … Read more
Wonka (2023)Director: Paul KingScreenwriters: Simon Farnaby, Paul KingStarring: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Olivia Colman, Matt Lucas, Matthew Baynton, Tom Davis, Hugh Grant Willy Wonka remains one of cinema’s most enigmatic figures. In the 1971 film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we meet a charismatic, slightly unhinged confectioner … Read more
According to Screencraft, the essential ingredients of a successful Christmas movie include nostalgia, magic, family, atmosphere, hope, and redemption. Those elements define many seasonal classics such as It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Elf (2003), and the British favorite Nativity! (2009). Yet debate continues over which films belong in the holiday canon—most famously whether action films … Read more
