Sam Mendes
-
**This essay was originally published on November 9th, 2012, immediately following the film’s release** As long as I can remember, I’ve been a James Bond fan. It started with the GOLDENEYE video game for the Nintendo 64, then expanded outward as I started watching all the films in the series. I make a concerted effort…
-
In 2008, Sam Mendes teamed up with Hollywood heavyweight producer Scott Rudin and directed REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, a 1950’s-set chamber drama about a rotting marriage stifled by a normal existence in the suburbs. It’s familiar ground that Mendes had already tread in 1999’s AMERICAN BEAUTY, but this time his vision is more stark. More realistic. More…
-
Notable Festivals: Edinburgh, Sao Paulo, Melbourne Following the harrowing chamber drama of 2008’s REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, it’s understandable that director Sam Mendes would want to tackle something a little bit more light-hearted. In his quickest turnaround of a project to date, Mendes returned to screens just a year later with AWAY WE GO, a heartfelt comedy…
-
Every director worth his salt seems, at one point or another, to tackle a war film. Often, the particular war or setting chosen serves as a compelling prism with which to gaze into a given director’s own psyche and mentality about the nature of conflict. In 2005, Sam Mendes followed up his masterful 2002 effort…
-
Notable Festivals: Venice (In Competition) Academy Award Wins: Best Cinematography 2002’s ROAD TO PERDITION was the first film by Sam Mendes that I ever saw. As I wrote previously, I remembered being captivated by the imagery on display during the theatrical trailer, and sought it out on DVD once it was available. Having seen it…
-
Notable Festivals: Toronto Academy Award Wins: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay Some directors share their development with the public over the course of a lifetime. More rare, however, is the director who arrives on the scene fully formed, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Sam Mendes is just such a…