Best Movies That Were Nominated to Golden Globes (USA) - Best Director

There is nothing quite like The Substance right now. It’s unsubtle, it’s provocative, and its satirical humor can be a hit or miss for some viewers, but it strikes at the one thing that’s fundamental to everyone, that can make or break their lives, yet that is rarely given grace and consideration– that is the […]

Even a director of William Friedkin’s caliber had his work cut out for him with this remake of the towering 1957 drama tracking a jury’s fraught deliberations in an apparently open-and-shut murder trial. Wisely, he changes little: most of the incisive dialogue remains the same, and the film still only takes place in one sweltering […]

Plenty of films celebrate this popular instrument, but rarely have we seen it in a story like The Piano. For some of the characters, it’s the thing that makes music, or nice decor, or simply extremely heavy luggage. For Scottish immigrant Ada McGrath, however, it’s the one thing that allows her to express herself directly, […]

The Children’s Hour was one of the few sympathetic depictions of a lesbian character at a time when same-sex relationships were illegal. That being said, the film doesn’t really focus on forming a couple. It’s also about how destructive the rumor mill can be, but really, the film is  mostly an indictment of how terrible […]

The award-winning third feature by director Ava DuVernay, Selma, was released around the 50th anniversary of the historically significant marches (Selma to Montgomery) that aided the civil rights movement’s efforts to assure African-American citizens can exercise their constitutional right to vote, harassment-free. The film has been celebrated not only as an artwork, but also as […]

A film written by screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, about screenwriter Charlie Kaufman as he struggles to adapt a book about poaching a rare plant into a successful movie. Through Kaufman’s clever writing and Spike Jones’ unique style of directing, the film unfolds using “mise en abîme” as the viewer sees the lessons the writer in film […]

Ostensibly about Fanny Brice, there could never be any other Funny Girl than Barbra Streisand. Reprising her role on stage, she practically immortalized the story on screen, carrying it through her immaculate performance, compelling chemistry with Omar Sharif, and of course, the spectacular song numbers. She’s one reason as to why Funny Girl became one […]

Given the Hays Code, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has toned down an important part from the original play, which is the revelation of what Skipper truly meant to Brick. And given its theater origins, it makes sense that there’s still a sense of staginess as it takes place mostly in one building. However, […]