Film
Peter Falk’s Columbo had a heavy patina of grubby naturalism. His raincoat had never seen a dry-cleaner; he was often unshaven and his hair was wild. One of his eyes could look the wrong way—but which eye? His halting speech affected shyness, befuddlement, or hours spent watching John Cassavetes films. He was as unkempt as Hercule Poirot is spick-and-span. But the two characters were equally artificial. READ MORE >>
The Big Small Screen
Too Big to FailHBO Bobby Fischer Against the World HBO READ MORE >>
David Thomson on Films: What Does a Producer Do?
What does a producer have to do to get noticed by film critics? READ MORE >>
Stanley Kauffmann on Films: The Whole Thing
Stanley Kauffmann is on temporary leave. This review was written by David Thomson. The Tree of LifeFox Searchlight The Greatest virtue of Terrence Malick’s new film may be the controversy attending it. Whatever we think of The Tree of Life as a show or a work of art, there are going to be defenders and doubters driven to join a fierce debate that turns on these questions: READ MORE >>
