Matthew Thrift

Articles by Matthew Thrift

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  End-of-decade films: One great film per decade

  Looking back at decades past, critic Matthew Thrift selects one masterpiece from each decade-ending year, from 1919 to 2009.

  Thursday, December 26, 2019

  Lists

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  Five things to watch this weekend – 12-14 July

  Swing Time, Our Time, bullet time.

  Friday, July 12, 2019

  Lists

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  Francis Ford Coppola: 10 essential films

  As he turns 80, we pay tribute to one of the American greats: director Francis Ford Coppola, the man behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now.

  Friday, April 5, 2019

  Lists

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  Jack Palance: 10 essential films

  From iconic villainy in Shane and Le Mépris to his Oscar-winning turn in City Slickers, we celebrate the finest performances by Jack Palance, who was born 100 years ago this month.

  Friday, February 22, 2019

  Lists

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  Raoul Walsh: 10 essential films

  No fan of westerns, gangster movies or film noir should ignore the films of Raoul Walsh – he made some of the very best. And was there from the start.

  Friday, March 9, 2018

  Lists

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  King Vidor: 10 essential films

  Not as famous as John Ford or Howard Hawks, Texas-born King Vidor was nonetheless one of the great American directors of the golden age of Hollywood. Get to know 10 of his best movies.

  Thursday, February 8, 2018

  Lists

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  12 masterful Spielberg set-pieces

  Like Hitchcock before him, Steven Spielberg is a master of the cinematic set-piece. These dozen sequences are the essence of his craft.

  Friday, May 27, 2016

  Lists

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  Howard Hawks: 10 essential films + three underrated ones

  Across film noir, action-adventure, westerns and screwball comedies, Howard Hawks made some of the most flat-out entertaining movies you could ever see. Sometimes championing 10 just isn’t enough…

  Friday, May 27, 2016

  Lists

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  Ian McKellen: 10 essential films

  A selection of some of the best places to seek out one of the finest British actors of our era.

  Wednesday, May 25, 2016

  Lists

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  William A. Wellman: 10 essential films

  He directed the first ever winner of the Oscar for best picture, alongside timeless gangster movies, westerns, war films and screwball comedies. Here are 10 of the toppermost films by ‘Wild Bill’ Wellman, who was born 120 years ago.

  Monday, February 29, 2016

  Lists