Timothy Lawrence

Every now and then, people will say that such and such a city or town "becomes a character" in such and such a film. Usually, this means the locale is depicted in a particularly vivid way or has an especially striking bearing on the plot or atmosphere of the film. For this month's Undefended, FilmFisher's writers picked the five best cinematic depictions of cities and towns onscreen.

At the end of December, it is customary for FilmFisher's writers to assemble "best of the year" Undefended lists. However, given the relative deficit of new releases in 2020, FilmFisher's writers picked the 5 best films they saw all year, regardless of release date.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, I made my way through Fargo – not the Coens’ 1996 opus, but the television series it later spawned....

Brian De Palma. Steven Spielberg. M. Night Shyamalan. David Fincher. Over the years, any number of filmmakers have been hailed as "the next Alfred Hitchcock," though the title rarely sticks for long. This month, FilmFisher's writers picked the best Hitchcock films Hitchcock never made.

This year, in the spirit of Halloween, FilmFisher's writers picked their favorite movie monsters – though they were given leeway to define the word "monster" as loosely as they wanted. Chime in with your own selections in the comments section!

Autumn is upon us and the year begins to draw to a close. In keeping with the season, this month, FilmFisher's writers picked the five best cinematic depictions of a somewhat underrepresented subject in mainstream movies: old age.

Often, the best way to begin interpreting a work of art is to ask good questions of it. The following questions are not trivia prompts with open-and-shut answers to test one’s knowledge of the film; instead, they are meant to spark and sustain thoughtful engagement with the film, whether through individual reflection or discussion in a group setting.

Often, the best way to begin interpreting a work of art is to ask good questions of it. The following questions are not trivia prompts with open-and-shut answers to test one's knowledge of the film; instead, they are meant to spark and sustain thoughtful engagement with the film, whether through individual reflection or discussion in a group setting.

Often, the best way to begin interpreting a work of art is to ask good questions of it. The following questions are not trivia prompts with open-and-shut answers to test one’s knowledge of the film; instead, they are meant to spark and sustain thoughtful engagement with the film, whether through individual reflection or discussion in a group setting.

It is the middle of summer, the season where thoughts incline towards youth. For many, school is just around the corner again and nostalgia is setting in. This month, FilmFisher's writers picked the five times cinema best captured the experience of childhood. Chime in with your own picks in the comments section.