looking back Archives — Page 25 of 89

11/20/202411/19/2024inLooking Backby Craig J. Clark5 min read

The Boys and the Blitz

With Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” landing on Apple TV+ this week, a look back at John Boorman’s wartime memory film “Hope and Glory.”

11/18/202411/17/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Sara Batkie6 min read

Win, Lose, or Drama: A Woman Under the Influence at 50

The crowning achievement of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands’s decades-long partnership is a grueling portrait of a couple that can’t live together but can’t survive apart.

11/15/202411/14/2024inClassic Corner, Looking Backby Craig J. Clark5 min read

Classic Corner: Le Samouraï

In the late ’60s, when both men were at the peak of their powers (and coolness), Jean-Pierre Melville directed the late Alain Delon in his career-defining role.

11/14/202411/14/2024inLooking Backby Sean Burns8 min read

The Creative Fiction of Woody Allen’s Deconstructing Harry

Woody Allen’s scabrous 1997 comedy fascinatingly intermingles his longtime persona, personal scandals, and biting, semi-surrealist satire.

11/14/202411/14/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Craig D. Lindsey6 min read

Harvey’s Hellhole: Heavenly Creatures

For its 30th anniversary, we look back at a small but ambitious film from New Zealand that catapulted a horror filmmaker to A-list-director status and launched the acclaimed careers of its two young stars.

11/13/202411/13/2024inLooking Backby Zach Vasquez6 min read

A Self-Portrait in Self-Hatred: Dennis Hopper’s Out of the Blue

In the 15 years between Dennis Hopper’s exile from Hollywood and his triumphant return, he accidentally ended up directing his masterpiece.

11/11/202411/10/2024inLooking Backby Edwin Arnaudin5 min read

The Breakneck Comic Charms of Billy Wilder’s One, Two, Three

Billy Wilder’s wildest comedy rides a relentless pace, biting Cold War satire, and one of James Cagney’s best performances to cinematic victory.

11/08/202411/07/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Josh Spiegel5 min read

The Debatable Advances and Influence of The Polar Express

On the 20th anniversary of its release — and with his latest critically drubbed technical experiment in theaters — a look back at the film that may have derailed Robert Zemeckis’s entire career.

11/08/202411/07/2024inClassic Corner, Looking Backby Sean Burns4 min read

Classic Corner: A Real Young Girl

Catherine Breillat’s debut feature (now streaming in a Criterion Channel retrospective) is not your typical “summer that changed my life” story.

11/07/202411/06/2024inLooking Backby Kayleigh Donaldson5 min read

Andrea Arnold Brought Earthy Realism to the Gothic Melodrama of Wuthering Heights

With ‘Wuthering Heights,’ Andrea Arnold brought a literary classic into the realm of grim realism and earthy sensuality.

11/06/202411/05/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Audrey Fox4 min read

The Dark Origins of A Nightmare on Elm Street

Thanks to the inspiration Wes Craven drew from lived experiences, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (which turns 40 this week) maintains a tenuous but powerful connection to the real world, making it all the more chilling.

11/05/202411/04/2024inHappy Birthday, Looking Backby Josh Spiegel6 min read

The Contrasting Visions (and Methodologies) of The Incredibles and Toy Story 2

One, released 20 years ago, captured a singular, distinctive voice. The other, released 25 years ago, was the very definition of a group effort. Yet each are among Pixar’s finest and most beloved works.