‘Witness for the Prosecution’ (1957) an elite court drama
Sleuthing Sunday (Movie review): Billy Wilder’s adaptation of Christie’s play/story shows droll comedy and high drama can smoothly blend.
Slow-burn ‘Dune’ illustrates imperial machinations
Movie review: Villeneuve’s film is homework more than entertainment. But it’s interesting to see how “Star Wars” was influenced by “Dune.”
‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999) invigorates meditative horror
A Week of Night (Movie review): “The Sixth Sense” put M. Night Shyamalan on the map, but the film’s quality goes beyond the twist.
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968) is as cold as space itself
Throwback Thursday (Movie, book reviews): “2001: A Space Odyssey” influenced later works such as “Contact,” “Event Horizon” and “Ad Astra.”
Snyder’s ‘Justice League’ beefs up Steppenwolf, DCEU
Movie review: The Whedon and Snyder versions are polar opposites. The most notable metric is that the original is 2 hours long and this one is 4 hours.
‘Seven’ (1995) is Fincher’s dirty, gorgeous masterpiece
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): The director paints NYC as such a cesspool that there’s no way anyone would want to set foot there after seeing “Seven.”
‘Silence of the Lambs’ (1991) threads needle to Oscar glory
Hannibal at 40 (Movie review): A great Foster performance combines with a style that influenced “X-Files.” The result: the only horror-film Best Picture.
Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ (1960) a masterpiece of tension
‘Psycho’-analysis (Movie review): Hitchcock’s horror classic is a masterpiece of slowly ratcheting tension — and that’s before we even meet Norman Bates.
‘V for Vendetta’ (2006) a gorgeous revolution
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): This comic adaptation is a message movie about the value of freedom, and also a beautiful work of art.
‘The Thing’ (1982) simmers in atmospheric dread
Frightening Friday (Movie review): John Carpenter’s best film simmers in wintry dread that doesn’t go away with the closing credits.