Wit

May 16, 1988 — Prior to the success of Scaramouche in 1952, many in Hollywood felt that the big-budget “swashbuckler” film was no longer a safe investment. While such motion pictures as MGM’s version of The Three Musketeers (directed by George Sidney, 1948) and...

Feb 1, 1988 — Charles Laughton’s classic has the feel and the force of an American folk fable; yet, it also mixes rural humor with gothic humor, biblical quotation and Freudian symbolism, and everyday realities with a near-mythic confrontation between the forces of good...

Jan 4, 1988 — The Secret Agent (1936) came to life in the prime of Alfred Hitchcock’s British period. It arrived between the popular triumph of The 39 Steps and the box-office rejection of Sabotage, a more daringly downbeat work. Secret Agent partakes of...

Oct 12, 1987 — Akira Kurosawa’s thrilling Cinemascope epic is set squarely within the traditions of the Japanese film genre known as the “Chambara.”

The actor celebrates a New York Knicks victory with Hoop Dreams, praises the way Todd Solondz and Gregg Araki bring humor to dark subjects, and selects favorites like Mean Streets and Love Streams.

The musician and composer reminisces about watching A Hard Day’s Night with his dad, explores the beautifully unnerving score for Eyes Wide Shut, and shares what he learned from collaborating with Alfonso Cuarón.

The performer and author sings (literally) the praises of the Tootsie score, talks about Barbra Streisand as a “North Star for anyone unconventional trying to make it in show business,” and shares the moving experience of watching My Beautiful Laundrette...

The actor and comedian explains why His Girl Friday is “extremely Hacks-coded,” connects with David Lynch’s love of Los Angeles, and selects favorites like Thelma & Louise and Paper Moon.