Based on a true story, THE COURIER takes us back to the Cold War and the palpable threat of nuclear annihilation. Once again, we are reminded that it was as much luck as it was diplomacy or mutually assured destruction that prevented World War III. In this case, the good luck of two people for… Read More »
COLD WAR – Pawel Pawilkowski Interview
Click here to listen to the interview. When talking about a film that is based on actual events, I always like to ask about the difference between emotional truth and factual truth. It’s a question I posed to Pawel Pawlikowski when I spoke with him on October 5, 2018, about his film, COLD WAR. Loosely… Read More »
COMMAND AND CONTROL — Robert Kenner & Eric Schlosser Interview
Any interview that includes the information that the military once misplaced thermonuclear weapons is an interview that could easily unleash torrents of paranoia. But talking with Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser about their latest collaboration, COMMAND AND CONTROL puts it in perspective. I’m not saying all concerns were quelled by the end, but hearing how… Read More »
OPERATION AVALANCHE
There is something irresistible about a well-constructed conspiracy theory. The juxtaposition between the secret hands behind the scenes pulling the strings that control our destiny, and the peculiar sense of security that the world is not just a series of random events, that there is an order to it even if he have no collective… Read More »
ON THE MAP — Dani Menkin Interview
It was the year, according to filmmaker Dani Menkin, when everything felt right. It was 1977 and the Maccabi basketball team was making history for the young country. Many years later, Menkin would make a documentary about the “miracle on hardwood” that played such a big part of his childhood. When I spoke with him… Read More »
Gary Oldman on Inspiration, Stillness, and Bedroom Acting.
Click here to listen to the interview. Gary Oldman is an actor known for disappearing into his roles, and playing George Smiley, a spymaster known for being able to disappear into the background is a tour de force for him. When I spoke to him on November 16, 2011, I was most interested in asking… Read More »
BRIDGE OF SPIES
Clad, metaphorically, in a shining armor of truth, and wielding an equally luminous sword of righteousness, Tom Hanks as attorney James Donovan is the embodiment of American virtue, right down to the meat loaf he has for dinner, the which is not touched until he has said grace with his wife and three kids. There was, no… Read More »
PAWN SACRIFICE
Chess has never been more compelling cinematically than in PAWN SACRIFICE. Whether you know nothing about the game, or you are a grand master, the story of Bobby Fischer’s rise to the world championship, and the toll it took on his already fragile psyche, has all the suspense and intrigue of an espionage thriller. That… Read More »
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Having quaffed a drink laced with something that will shortly knock him cold, Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) does the sensible thing. He gathers some throw-pillows and carefully places first them, and then himself, upon the nearest sofa. Once, he explains to the person responsible for slipping him the mickey, he hit his head during the… Read More »
DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE
There is a moment in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, one of many actually, that tells you that this is no ordinary sci-fi flick. Michael Rennie as the alien visitor Klaatu has gone undercover in a Washington D.C. boarding house in order to learn more about the Earthlings hes been sent to contact. He… Read More »