This emotionally stirring, but thematically incisive social drama about the various interconnections among three families is the high point of Merchant Ivory Productions, if only because all the terms generally associated with such a film—stately,Continue reading

Jones’s feature directorial debut can be best described as an intriguing space oddity, which is appropriate given that Jones, a successful British commercial director, is also the son of pop legend David Bowie. The film’sContinue reading

This amusing, sometimes schmaltzy British dramedy mixes meaningful ruminations about growing old with broad black comedy about the ultimately awkward nature of death. Set in the late-Thatcher-era English countryside, it falls prey to easy ’80sContinue reading

More of an slow-burn exploration of interpersonal dynamics and the disjunction between exteriors and interiors, Frears’ return to the big screen after nearly 15 years in television is an interesting trip. From a story perspective,Continue reading

It begins like another one of Lean’s expressionist Dickens adaptations, but is quickly exposed as a witty social comedy, one of Lean’s few forays into the genre. The legendary Charles Laughton’s performance as the boozingContinue reading

Danny Boyle’s breathlessly told fable about a Mumbai “slumdog” whose experiences with Dickensian turmoil and heartbreak have equipped him with the knowledge he needs to possibly win millions on a national television game show isContinue reading

Ritt’s socially and politically minded adaptation of John le Carré’s breakthrough spy novel is a bleak portrait of Cold War espionage that self-consciously replaces the increasingly romanticized theatrics of James Bond with a chilly sense ofContinue reading

Buoyed by the excellent performances by its lead child actors, Mark Herman’s adaptation of John Boyne’s allegorical young adult novel gives us a child’s eye view of unimaginable evil, which makes said evil all theContinue reading