Sabrina may not be in the top tier level of Billy Wilder’s filmography but the romantic comedy teams three of the biggest stars of the era. Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) is the daughter of Larrabee family chauffeur, Thomas Fairchild (John Williams). Because of his job, the two of them live right above the mansion’s garage. She has a crush on David Larrabee (William Holden), the playboy of the family. Upset with this, the film becomes…
"Sabrina: Billy Wilder Classic Still Has It"Category: Movie Reviews
Stalag 17 finds a way to mix comedy and drama to give audiences one of the best films to take place in a POW camp during World War II. The film is set at a Nazi prison camp in Austria while the Battle of the Bulge is taking place in 1944. Clarence Harvey “Cookie” Cook (Gil Stratton) provides the narration for the POW camp-set film. Manfredi and Johnson are shot during an attempt to escape. …
"Stalag 17 Is One Of The Best POW Films"
Christopher Nolan’s Inception, the Oscar-winning sci-fi heist film about dreams, marks its tenth anniversary since its theatrical release in 2010. When most people think of extraction, it’s usually sending in covert agents to get someone out. This isn’t so much the case with this film. Not even by a long shot. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) has a particular set of skills that make him a dangerous person. Granted, this also depends on who you are…
"Inception: Nolan Film Marks Its 10th Anniversary"
While Ace in the Hole was not a commercial success on upon release in 1951, the film is still relevant when it comes to media sensationalism. The concept of media sensationalism dates back to the 16th or 17th centuries. It’s not something that is going to go away anytime soon. We still see it in the very media we consume to this day. Much like Network predicted the likes of Fox News, Ace in the…
"Ace in the Hole Is Still Relevant"
Sunset Boulevard isn’t only Billy Wilder at his finest but the film is easily the best film ever made about Hollywood in cinematic history. The fate of Joe Gillis (William Holden) is doomed from the start. Upon flashing back, we later learn how he came to be in this most unfortunate situation. It turns out that Joe is having the worst luck as a screenwriter. He was unsuccessful in Sheldrake (Fred Clark) on a story. …
"Sunset Boulevard: Billy Wilder At His Finest"
Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend is one of three films to take home both the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and Best Picture at the Oscars. The Lost Weekend deals with Don Birnam’s (Ray Milland) alcoholism. What it does not deal with–and I’ll get to this shortly–is the fact that he’s in the closet. Because the film doesn’t press this point, Brackett and Wilder’s script gives Helen St. James (Jane Wyman) a bigger…
"The Lost Weekend Holds Up, Could Be Improved"
A Foreign Affair is a romantic comedy–albeit one that falls under the category of cynical–that takes place in post-World War II Berlin. Iowa congresswoman Phoebe Frost (Jean Arthur) is a part of a committee investigating American troop morale after the war. Captain John Pringle (John Lund), a fellow Iowan) cynically woos her but he has his reasoning for doing so. He’s trying to cover up his affair with singer Erika von Schlütow (Marlene Dietrich). The…
"A Foreign Affair: A Post-World War II Rom-Com"
Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity set the standard for film noir when the seven-time Oscar-nominee was first released in 1944. Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) is having an affair with insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray). Murder is on the horizon because Walter wants Mr. Dietrichson (Tom Powers) to sign a double indemnity policy. The trick will certainly come in making it look like an accident. This is easier said than done, right? Of course, no matter…
"Double Indemnity Set Standard for Film Noir"
Sully revisits the fateful January day when Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger pulled off the Miracle on the Hudson against all odds. January 15, 2009 is a date that will live in history for New Yorkers. This is the day when 155 lives were saved on US Airways Flight 1549 when it crashed in the Hudson. What the film delivers isn’t so much a biopic in the traditional sense. Yeah, we get some flashbacks to his…
"Sully: The Miracle on the Hudson"
Bridge of Spies reteams director Steven Spielberg with two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks to bring us a thriller set during the height of the Cold War. A Cold War setting usually screams thriller. However, this film is a mix of thrills and drama in one epic. And this is in spite of the CIA’s involvement in rescuing pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). Everything leads up to the exchange on Berlin’s historic Glienicke Bridge. This…
"Bridge of Spies: The Height of the Cold War"