How did we get from Vincent Price and Boris Karloff to Saw VI? Film critic Jason Zinoman charts the evolution of old-school fright cinema into postmodern horror by focusing on the new wave of filmmakers who arrived in the 1970s, including Wes Craven and John Carpenter. As Hitchcockian subtlety gave way to splatterpunk gore, box office receipts bolstered the trend. But where this gruesome aesthetic ultimately leads, not even Zinoman can say. 

In a series of in-depth interviews conducted over several years, film critic Richard Schickel directs the director of Mean Streets, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and many other stunning cinematic creations in a performanceilluminated by Scorsese's insight, intelligence, and preternatural alertness.

Presenting a film a day for a one-year education in cinematic history—encompassing high art, low comedy, commercial blockbusters, and quirky gems it's a real treat to discover—BNR contributor Chris Barsanti proves himself an astute and witty guide to screen treasures of every description.

From the Marx Brothers to the Coen Brothers, Charlie Chaplin to Woody Allen, Mae West to Will Ferrell, Billy Wilder to Judd Apatow, film critic and historian Saul Austerlitz takes us on a smart, encyclopedic, and appreciative tour of American movie comedy.

Of Leo McCarey's 1937 film, a poignant and profoundly moving story of an elderly couple who must prevail upon the mercy of their children once a bank repossesses their home, Orson Welles said, "It would make a stone cry." Don't miss it. Read more...