He ' s an expert at films that tackle some of history ' s heaviest subjects, such as the Civil War ( " Glory " ) and child soldiers in Africa ( " Blood Diamond " ). His latest is the Holocaust story " Defiance. " (Article continued below...)
My Five Most Important Movies
1. " Lawrence of Arabia. " Places a flawed hero in an epic context. Suffice to say, the filmmaking is sublime.
2. " The Lady Eve. " A laugh-out-loud comedy that also manages to be a meditation on the nature of attraction, the cluelessness of men and the silliness of sex.
3. " We All Loved Each Other So Very Much. " A tale of friendship that reveals how the personal is political and the political is personal.
4. " The Battle of Algiers. " It forever changed what we imagine something looks like when it's "real."
5. " Annie Hall. " It's as if Woody Allen said to himself, I'm going to throw out every rule, steal from whomever I choose, basically do whatever I please—to end up with something utterly, indelibly unique and personal.
A film to which you always return: "The Seven Samurai." A film school unto itself. When I come upon it at night, I'm in trouble; it's one of those movies you have to watch until the very end.
A film you revisited with disappointment: "Last Year at Marienbad." Two hours I will never get back.