Author: Sean Burns

David Lynch’s debut is a nightmare vision of what to expect when you’re expecting.

This 1947 British hit, now streaming on the Criterion Channel and Kanopy, sits snugly on the hinge between film noir and kitchen sink drama.

In 1977, Paul Newman re-teamed with director George Roy Hill to make one of the all-time great sports comedies. It’s now streaming on Netflix.

Arthur Penn’s 1975 detective yarn, now streaming on the Criterion Channel, is a quintessential example of ’70s genre-busting bummer cinema.

Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1972 drama (now streaming on Amazon Prime) was one of the most controversial films of its day—and has only grown more so in the intervening years.

Sergio Leone’s 1968 Western epic is less an exploration of genre tropes than an expansion and explosion of them.

George Lucas’s sophomore feature and first big hit (now streaming on Netflix) is a complicated examination of nostalgia and coming of age.

Paul Newman’s directorial debut (now streaming on HBO Max) is, above all else, a tribute to the considerable gifts of wife Joanne Woodward.

Dorothy Arzner’s Pre-Code romance alternates between light comedy and doomed drama with airy ease.

This week’s pick is a killer noir, notable for its racy script and scorching performances by Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Kirk Douglas, and Lizabeth Scott.

Newly minted Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh’s first starring role was in this wild and wacky action comedy, now streaming on the Criterion Channel.

Alan Rudolph’s 1978 character study, long unavailable for home viewing, is now streaming on Amazon Prime – and it’s a sometimes puzzling and utterly scathing work.