Josh Matthews, Author at Josh Matthews

Playtime — Jacques Tati’s 4th Feature Film

PlayTime 1967 ★★★★★ If you're beginning with Tati, I recommend avoiding this movie at first, until you've watched one or preferably two of his others. Start with "Monsieuer Hulot's Holiday," my least favorite of his but the most classic and basic. Then "Mon Oncle," then "Playtime." Watching in…

Josh MatthewsDecember 19, 2020

Uncategorized

Crisis — Ingmar Bergman’s First Movie

Crisis 1946 ★★★½ Apparently not many people here have seen, or at least rated, Bergman's first feature film, the 1946 "Crisis." Of those who did, they are down on it, rather bizarrely. For its time, it's technically excellent. I was shocked to see Bergman had the blocking…

Josh MatthewsDecember 19, 2020

Horror

Rosemary’s Baby

Rosemary’s Baby 1968 ★★½ I can envision using this movie in a critical thinking class. During the entire movie, I'm thinking about "pre-partum" syndrome, and then two hours into the movie, the Cassavetes character mentions it. Here we have the crux of the simple horror movie: is…

Josh MatthewsDecember 19, 2020

War

“The Ascent” — Larisa Shepitko

The Ascent 1977 ★★★ Larisa Shepitko's "The Ascent," intentionally or not, is an anti-Hollywood movie, much as say Tarkovsky's "Solaris" is just that. Both feature the Russian actor Anatoliy Solonitsyn, who has a great face, and who played Andrei Rublev in the film of the same…

Josh MatthewsDecember 19, 2020

Video Essays Video Reviews

What Makes This Movie Great? – Master List of Videos from Learning About Movies

Newest videos are listed first. Just click on the image for the Youtube video! Learning About Movies main Youtube page. Videos Coming Soon! Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Elia Kazan's East of Eden (1955) About Schmidt (2002) Sideways (2004) Network (1976) Dark City…

Josh MatthewsMarch 25, 2020

Best Movies Video Essays

Stagecoach — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 14)

https://youtu.be/YRqsBUdWFUw It could be one of the most influential movies ever made. It's one of the most acclaimed and famous Westerns ever made. It's "Stagecoach," a 1939 Western directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. The movie features an ensemble cast that rides a…

Josh MatthewsMarch 4, 2020

Video Essays

Why the PG-13 Rating is a Problem

https://youtu.be/iefY9K1N5Uk What's the difference between a PG-13 rated movie and an R-rated movie? I'll show you in this video, and I'll make the case that the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) rating system is absurd. The moral philosophy underlying the American movie ratings system…

Josh MatthewsMarch 3, 2020

Uncategorized

Breaker Morant — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 13)

https://youtu.be/YVvfgOaDoaA What was the first instituted use of concentration camps? The Boer War. What's the greatest movie about the Boer War? Probably "Breaker Morant." In this episode of my series "What Makes This Movie Great?", I'll introduce you to this 1980 Australian movie directed by…

Josh MatthewsMarch 2, 2020

Video Essays

Akira Kurosawa — What Are His Greatest Movies

https://youtu.be/UhI5ybYCe6c Akira Kurosawa is a widely acknowledged master of the cinematic arts. His best-known films are considered by everybody to be beloved world classics: Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Red Beard, Yojimbo. I watched his 30 movies, thought hard about them, and then created this video for…

Josh MatthewsFebruary 28, 2020

Video Essays

The Night of the Hunter — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 12)

https://youtu.be/19aY8955IdU Where did the Love/Hate knuckles come from? The American movie classic, "The Night of the Hunter." Starring Robert Mitchum and directed by Charles Laughton, this movie is justifiably famous for its beautiful, shadowy images, its haunting story and music, and its frightening themes. I'll…

Josh MatthewsFebruary 28, 2020

Josh Matthews

Playtime — Jacques Tati’s 4th Feature Film

Crisis — Ingmar Bergman’s First Movie

Rosemary’s Baby

“The Ascent” — Larisa Shepitko

What Makes This Movie Great? – Master List of Videos from Learning About Movies

Stagecoach — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 14)

Why the PG-13 Rating is a Problem

Breaker Morant — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 13)

Akira Kurosawa — What Are His Greatest Movies

The Night of the Hunter — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 12)

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