For his first film both as a producer and in color, Alfred Hitchcock set out on a bold experiment to adapt a drawing-room set stage play about the playful murder of a former classmate by two friends in a singularly composed presentation through as few cuts as physically possible for the time. Rope has often been dismissed as a one-off film by the legendary master for being singular in its technical ambition, but beneath the gag and conceit of the framing is a gripping and thrilling story centered around a hidden corpse and the arrogance of the nouveau riche who treat murder like a game. Hitchcock carefully paces out the story with the same deftness of execution seen in his later masterpieces, weaving between rooms and various shot compositions while incorporating cuts only when the magazine has run out of film. As one of the "Lost Hitchcocks," Rope was rarely seen until the 1980s, where it reevaluated and came to be regarded as one of his more noteworthy works. It has certainly earned its placed in the Hitchcock pantheon, proving to be more than the failed experiment some considered it to be upon its initial release.

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Charlie Chaplin once called George Stevens' lurid encapsulation of ambition, desire, love, and unconscionable murder: "The greatest movie ever made about America." A Place in the Sun is a titanic film in tackling grandiose themes of American duality. The story charts a struggle between the polarizing embodiments of class within the country while also spinning a yarn of unbridled sexual romance through the electrifying chemistry of Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, and Shelley Winters. It's a harrowing love triangle story that pits Clift in the midst of these two indelible women; one whom he inescapably is obliged to, and one who is irresistibly desirable and magnetic. The film's three juggernaut performances are only the beginning of its brilliant presentation. Stevens so deftly directs the film with that the thrilling events of the story are expertly laid out to pull the audience from one thought to the next, all the while lavishing their eyes with unparalleled cinematic beauty that truly showcases the inimitable glory of black and white photography from this period of American cinema.

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In the wake of master maestro Ennio Morricone's passing this week, we look to one of his most memorable and emotionally stunning compositions in memoriam of his illustrious and unrivaled career as a musician extraordinaire. Cinema Paradiso is as profound a love letter to cinema as they come, one that captures the true magic and unifying power of the medium, as we see reverberations of emotion echo throughout an entire community, and through one young boy in particular. Giuseppe Tornatore's ode to the art of cinema showcases an evolving culture of the hallowed screen and the congregation of the masses who pay tribute to the shining stars projected upon the holy canvas, all set to the beautifully operatic score stemming from Morricone's ingenious musical mind. There could be no better film to sum up our feelings on the exalted experience of the cinema, as well as the music makers, and the dreamers of dreams; those magnificent movie making giants who gift us these great works of art which resonate and humble us every time we look towards the flickering light of their projected celluloid creation.

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Sergio Leone's electrifying follow up to the massive success of his groundbreaking A Fistful of Dollars (1964) demonstrates marked improvement on everything that made the original Italian Western such a sensation to begin with. The stakes and drama are upped with the inclusion of a secondary lead to compliment Clint Eastwood's laconic Man with No Name: the dignified Lee Van Cleef in a career-defining role which usurps even Eastwood as a confident and merciless gunfighter of the West. The two play off each other in an incredible bout of charismatic oneupmanship, each attempting to outdo the other and elevating the experience of the film in tandem. Also returning is the collaborative efforts of Ennio Morricone and his dynamically angelic score, complete with haunting leitmotifs and pulsating themes that stick with you long after the credits roll. For a Few Dollars More marks Leone as a true original, taking the strides he made in his first Western entry and expanding them at every point, charting an iconoclastic growth in the genre that remains unparalleled in its impact on popular culture.

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Director Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of the most respected auteurs of the Japanese cinema. An heir to the legacy of Yasujirō Ozu, Kore-eda has found universal acclaim for his heartfelt family dramas. Expanding his international lens, this year finds the release of his first non-Japanese-language film, The Truth. We're honored to present a conversation about his new film, touching on the shifting realities of a long career in filmmaking, and what is so tangibly elemental and human about Kore-eda's own work. The Truth is a different kind of family drama: this time, concerning the family of a famed French actress (Catherine Denueve), and how success has adjusted her relationship with daughter (Juliette Binoche). Also starring Ethan Hawke, as the English-speaking husband absorbed in these dicey family dynamics. Listen to our interview for more on The Truth, premiering July 3 online.

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The latest film from director Spike Lee comes at a time of utmost relevancy, as the country continues to rail against systematic racism and the imperative energy of the Black Lives Matter movement. Reminding us that the lingering effects of the disastrous Vietnam War still permeate in our society, Da 5 Bloods weaves the tragic after effects of that unending conflict with the ongoing struggle of Black Americans, still fighting the same oppressive battles against racism as they were during the heights of the Civil Rights movement concurrently with the war in Vietnam. Lee's signature style is prominent throughout, vocally expressing his themes through colorful characters, flashy editing, and prominently featured historical footage reminding us of the tangible reality his stories are based in. We take this opportunity to reflect on his entire filmography as well, ranging from the small budget successes of his early films in the 80s to the more ambitious and even more politically charged films of the last decade. His latest joint isn't to be missed, especially in this time of critical social pertinence.

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As a follow up to the smash, blockbuster success of his inspired body-horror remake The Fly (1986), David Cronenberg's more dramatically centered observation of inner human turmoils still more than delivers on the external horrors of his ethos, but without relying on the more obliquely grotesque images that have come to be expected of him. The bulky and inhumanly organic looks of the twin gynecologists', both played by an astounding Jeremy Irons, evoke the inescapable squirming sensation of Cronenberg's previous works for sure, but it is the more personal and existential crisis of identity that grounds Dead Ringers in a decidedly relatable fear, usurping even some of his better known efforts as a horror classic that gets under your skin in ways you never thought possible. The characteristic combination of overtly sexual horror blended with internal human conflict is as potent in Dead Ringers as it is in any of his more decidedly provocative films, and, at times, all the more disturbing because of it.

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The stylized, subversive, and astonishing legacy of the Spaghetti Western starts here, with Sergio Leone's explosive genre breakthrough, making the careers of not only himself, but also squinting star Clint Eastwood and legendary composer Ennio Morricone. Despite its infamous plagiarizing of Akira Kurosawa's samurai smash Yojimbo (1961), A Fistful of Dollars has carved out its own respectable place in film history as an excitingly original take on the Western genre, completing the circle of genre influences passed between the cowboys and their Japanese counterparts. Eastwood bursts onto screen with immediate, enigmatic charisma. His iconic turn as the laconic hero of the west is cemented as one of the most immutable in all of cinema. Morricone saw his star rise just the same, with an earth-shattering soundtrack that changed the way we think about Westerns today. With this single accomplishment, the legacy of Hollywood's escapist fantasies was wiped from the zeitgeist, and Italy took center stage in the realization of America's favorite mythology. Better films were still to come, but A Fistful of Dollars lit the match that set the genre ablaze.

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Jacques Demy's beloved musical sensibilities brought to France the style and glamour of Golden Age Hollywood extravagance with the grace and grounded human elements embodied by the French New Wave of the 1960s. With The Umbrellas of Cherbourg he took the emotional intent of the musical format to the next level by not only coating the film in a candy-colored, dreamlike cinematic look, but by maintaining the emotional grandeur of the format by translating all the film's dialogue into song. The conventions of rhyming lyrics or melodic variance matter not in this operatic ode to young love, as the film is an artistic reflection of reality rather than the overly fantastical incarnations of its Hollywood counterparts. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a beautiful, dreamy, but simultaneously grounded work of musical magic from an international legend, and one that influences and delights many of the filmmakers of today.

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A modern RomCom film with a whopper of a dramatic hook, The Big Sick is a refreshingly honest and touching tale of love, personal growth, and cultural hurdles plucked from the real life courtship of writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon. Nanjiani also stars in the film, marrying his capable comedic sensibilities as best seen in his role on Silicon Valley with the raw, dramatic chops of someone who's truly experienced an unfathomable hardship during a most tumultuous period of personal growth. All this is laid bare on the screen for us, with great naturalistic dialogue channeled through terrific supporting performances from not just screen icons Ray Romano and Holly Hunter, but also the humanizing portraits of Nanjiani's Pakistani family, which gives credence to the film's alternating conflict of cultural clash when matched against Nanjiani's burgeoning American identity. The film also opens up a Pandora's Box of personal relatability for us here, with Emily's intensive medical struggle mirroring co-host Calvin Kemph's own inspiring life experience. Needless to say, this one has a bit of a personal affectation here. Timestamps: 0:00: Calvin returns! 4:57: Remembering Lynn Shelton 9:50: Scoob!, investigating & the mysteries of corporate branding 17:56: The Painter and the Thief 20:48: The Lovebirds 26:14: The Big Sick

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