Podcasts Steven Benedict

Michael Haneke asks audiences difficult questions yet never provides easy answers. When he calls his film Hidden, can we expect anything different? The post Hidden appeared first on Steven Benedict.

If such an inscrutable character sits at the heart of John Le Carré's labyrinthine plot, how is the adaptation such a lucid film? The post Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy appeared first on Steven Benedict.

The vampire genre is so ripe with themes of Christianity, paganism, sexuality, feminism, xenophobia and disease, did Let The Right One In break new ground? The post Let The Right One In appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Alfonso Cuarón has long flirted with the neorealist style. His latest masterpiece, Roma illustrates cinema is not about what you show, but how you show it. The post Roma appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Science-Fiction operates in many ways; fantasy, allegory, romance, satire and speculative. Another is prophecy. Twenty years on The Matrix seems eerily prescient. The post The Matrix appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Of the four adaptations of Octave Mirbeau's controversial novel, Luis Buñuel's version is by far the most faithful… and radical. The post The Diary of a Chambermaid (1964) appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Many great auteurs use similar styles to explore similar themes as lesser filmmakers. The only real difference is that great auteurs are more consistent and precise. The post Full Metal Jacket appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Because films about childhood are often nostalgic, they are often about loss. Louis Malle's masterful auto-biopic is about loss of an unfathomable kind. The post Au revoir les enfants appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Sofia Coppola's Oscar-winning, off-beat romance deftly explores themes such as isolation, miscommunication and the superficiality of modern media. The post Lost in Translation appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Krzysztof Kieślowski avoids all the clichés of doppelgängers, doubles and lookalikes to deliver a meditation on freedom. The post The Double Life of Veronique appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Going into production, Gladiator had nothing near a finished script yet one simple change to the start of the story turned it into the greatest opera ever filmed. The post Gladiator appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Despite its title, Cold War is not an espionage thriller. Instead, Pawel Pawlikowski loosely based it on his parents' lives. But it's not a biopic either. So what is it? The post Cold War appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Ever wondered where snow comes from? That and all manner of other wonders - and horrors - are uncovered in Tim Burton's classic fantasy. The post Edward Scissorhands appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Writing, producing, directing and starring in his own films Jacques Tati was a true auteur, influencing the likes of David Lynch, Tim Burton and Wes Anderson. The post Mon Oncle appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Once “too revolutionary”, Dziga Vertov's avant-garde masterpiece is now felt in Man on Fire, Ratatouille and Inception. The post Man with a Movie Camera appeared first on Steven Benedict.

This western opened new frontiers for the genre; celebrity and post-traumatic stress disorder. The post The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Films about writers are tricky propositions but you can roughly divide the genre into two eras; pre- and post-Mishima. The post Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Many audiences complain that Daniel Plainview is unlikable. But where is it written that characters have to be likeable? Characters only have to be interesting. The post There Will Be Blood appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Fairytales transcend not just generations but cultures. Which may explain why La Belle et la Bête exists in so many guises and confronts so many issues. The post La Belle et la Bête appeared first on Steven Benedict.

Intersectionality, hyperlink cinema and cinema diaspora are just some of the terms you can apply to Monsoon Wedding. Another is the #MeTooMovement. The post Monsoon Wedding appeared first on Steven Benedict.