John Cassavetes

The infamous distributor may (or may not) be making a comeback, so we take a look back at five of their most essential films.

With enough similarities and differences to make each film stand apart in their own right, Robert Siodmak’s version of “The Killers” is better in almost every way.

A Woman Under the Influence Directed by John Cassavetes Written by John Cassavetes 1974, USA “Woman is a symptom of Man” — Jacques Lacan A Woman Under the Influence (1974) tells the story of a marriage in crisis. Mabel (Gena Rowlands) is suffering from an unnamed psychological condition that is threatening to tear her family apart. Her …

Featuring a closely-coiffed Mia Farrow as the soft-spoken, childlike Rosemary Woodhouse, potential mother to the devil; John Cassavetes, post-Shadows, and just about to truly kick off his great directorial run; and the inimitable Ruth Gordan as a sort of Grace Zabriskie-precursor: the creepy neighbor next door, heavily made-up and eerily meddlesome, Rosemary’s Baby picks up the paranoid thread of 1965’s Repulsion. The film also anticipates the similarly – though more political – claustrophobic suspicion of Alan Pakula’s 1970’s films.

“Love Streams,” John Cassavetes’ final film as an actor and penultimate film as director, is also one of his most unusual features. While his distinctive work can oftentimes be divisive, it’s easy to see how this film more than most others could be rather off-putting to those not appreciative of, or even accustomed to, his filmmaking technique.

Riffing on Terek Puckett’s terrific list of director/actor collaborations, I wanted to look at some of those equally impressive leading ladies who served as muses for their directors. I strived to look for collaborations that may not have been as obviously canonical, but whose effects on cinema were no less compelling. Categorizing a film’s lead …

Rosemary’s Baby Directed by Roman Polanski Written by Ira Levin and Roman Polanski USA, 1968 Without actress Mia Farrow, Roman Polanski’s 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby perhaps isn’t the classic that we know today. Inhabiting the crucial and now infamous lead role with such sheer force and authenticity, the slender actress would become a trailblazer for disturbed female characters …

Crime in the Streets Directed by Don Siegel Written by Reginald Rose U.S.A, 1956 Magic can be created on a studio set. Today, in 2012, filmmakers, critics cans fans alike take great pleasure in watching films which are said to have been filmed on location. Said decision to shoot a picture in a real world …

Shadows Written by John Cassavetes Directed by John Cassavetes USA, 1959       “We did everything wrong, technically…. The only thing we did right was to get a group of people together who were young, full of life, and wanted to do something of meaning.” – John Cassavetes As one of the first movies to be …

“The Fury ends up being a lame followup to the pyschokinetic mastery of Carrie that De Palma hoped to cash in on.” The Fury Director: Brian De Palma Writer: John Farris Starring: Kirk Douglas, John Cassavetes, Amy Irving 1978 United States | R | 118 mins Brian De Palma solidified himself as a household name after …