Filmmaker of the Month (Page 12) | The Spool

Filmmaker of the Month (Page 12)

“Revolutionary Road” and the Lost Art of Knowing What Isn’t Special

Sam Mendes's tale of forlorn love works best as a study of the pitfalls that litter the American Dream.

Filmmaker of the Month

“Road To Perdition” Is Not A Subtle Film

Sam Mendes' Depresson-era gangster fable is as effective as it is in-your-face with its aesthetics.

Filmmaker of the Month

“American Beauty” as the Ultimate Boomer Opus

Sam Mendes' Best Picture winner is a flawed but evocative time capsule of '90s middle-age anxiety.

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December’s Filmmaker of the Month: Sam Mendes

As his WWI war epic 1917 comes out in time for the holidays, we spend December looking back on the eclectic modes of Sam Mendes.

Filmmaker of the Month

“Die Hard With a Vengeance” Gave Me My Best Friend

One writer's childhood bond with his best friend was sealed by a fateful late-night screening of Die Hard with a Vengeance.

Filmmaker of the Month

Queerness and the Small Subversions of “Big Business”

The Bette Midler/Lily Tomlin mistaken-identity comedy played a curiously strong role in one writer's journey to queerness and leftism.

Filmmaker of the Month

Desire, Use, Repeat: Patterns of Grace in “Her Smell”

Alex Ross Perry's punk-rock elegy isn't just a bittersweet portrait of rock stardom, it's a beautiful model of the long, hard road to sobriety.

Filmmaker of the Month

“You’ve Got Mail” and the Fight for a Vulnerable Life

Nora Ephron's charming Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan comedy also makes the case for letting yourself be vulnerable and brave.

The Royal Tenenbaums: Me and Wes Down by the School Yard

How Wes Anderson’s bittersweet family dramedy helped me break rules, love cinema, & change my life. Every month, we at The Spool select a filmmaker to explore in greater depth — their themes, their deeper concerns, how their works chart the history of cinema and the filmmaker’s own biography. For Thanksgiving, we’re going off the beaten ... The Royal Tenenbaums: Me and Wes Down by the School Yard

How “Fearless” Made Me Grateful for My Stupid Little Life

Peter Weir’s mostly forgotten drama about survivor’s guilt is an uncynical light in the darkness of mental illness. Every month, we at The Spool select a filmmaker to explore in greater depth — their themes, their deeper concerns, how their works chart the history of cinema and the filmmaker’s own biography. For Thanksgiving, we’re going off ... How “Fearless” Made Me Grateful for My Stupid Little Life

The Immersive Pleasure of “Fantastic Mr. Fox”

Wes Anderson took stop-motion animation to another level in a charming story of friendship & adventure.

A Woman Of That Sort: Hitchcock’s “Notorious” and the Feast of St. Alicia

One of the Master of Suspense's best is a darkly romantic take on patriotism & patriarchy.

Filmmaker of the Month

Every Sperm Is Sacred: The Meaning of “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life”

We look back on the anarchic joys of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, and how it shaped the comic sensibilities of a generation.

November’s Filmmaker of the Month: Movies We’re Thankful For

This month, we go off the beaten path and ask contributors to write about films they're thankful they got to experience for one reason or another.

Filmmaker of the Month

Greed Is Good (And God) in “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Martin Scorsese turned his camera to the grotesque excesses of the ultra-rich in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Filmmaker of the Month

Scorsese Captures the Rolling Stones’ Energy in “Shine a Light”

Martin Scorsese shone a light on The Rolling Stones for this rollicking concert film, two cultural titans at the top of their game.

Filmmaker of the Month

“Shutter Island” Struggles Between Monsters and Good Men

Martin Scorsese followed up The Departed with Shutter Island, a claustrophobic psychological thriller about the madness of loss.

Filmmaker of the Month

Martin Scorsese Explored the Madness of Innovation with “The Aviator”

Scorsese recovered from the brutal conditions of Gangs of New York with an intimate, tragic portrait of the foibles of genius.

Filmmaker of the Month

Scorsese, The Band, and “The Last Waltz”

Martin Scorsese's hip, vibrant concert film The Last Waltz captures the ephemerality of The Band and its influence on the rock 'n roll stage.

Filmmaker of the Month

“Gangs of New York” Bites Off More of the Big Apple Than It Can Chew

Martin Scorsese's 2002 historical drama is big, brassy and full of great performances, but its runtime and tone leave it unfocused.

Filmmaker of the Month

Decency is Stifling in “The Age of Innocence”

Martin Scorsese's scintillating period romance is a Victorian treatise on the sufficating gulf between desire and decorum.

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