Matthew Thrift
BFI
United Kingdom
Contact Matthew
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Past articles by Matthew:
Where to begin with Erich von Stroheim
A beginner’s path through the work of one of cinema’s most notorious director-geniuses, whose staggeringly ambitious projects were infamously curbed by Hollywood. → Read More
Deep cuts: 10 lesser-known Satyajit Ray films
Seen the big ones? Here’s what to watch next from the career of one of the world’s greatest filmmakers. → Read More
5 things to watch this weekend – 18 to 20 February
A western, a heist movie, a sports drama and a Hitchcockian thriller – there’s a genre feast on offer this weekend. → Read More
10 great disaster films
Earthquakes, viruses and icebergs right ahead... As Roland Emmerich sets the moon on a collision course with Earth in Moonfall, we count down 10 of the best disaster movies. → Read More
5 things to watch this weekend – 28 to 30 January
New Almodóvar, a century-old adventure epic and Will Smith fighting a genetically-engineered version of himself – what are you watching this weekend? → Read More
Where to begin with the Shaw Brothers
As a colossal box set arrives on Blu-ray, we fight our way through the vast back catalogue of Hong Kong’s legendary action producers, the Shaw Brothers. → Read More
Where to begin with Ernst Lubitsch
As his sparkling Christmas classic The Shop Around the Corner returns to cinemas, we plot a beginner’s path through the much imitated but never bettered comedies of Ernst Lubitsch. → Read More
10 great films set in classical Japan
Japan in the second half of the first millennium. A time of art and culture, but also of pestilence, power struggles and bloodshed. Here’s what the pre-medieval period looks like on film. → Read More
Where to begin with Clint Eastwood
As his 39th film as director enters cinemas, we chart a beginner’s path through the prolific and controversial career of one of cinema’s most famous actor-directors – Clint Eastwood. → Read More
Where to begin with Jaume Collet-Serra
As his riverboat adventure Jungle Cruise opens in cinemas, we steer a beginner’s course through the visceral pulp cinema of Jaume Collet-Serra. → Read More
10 great films about the American frontier
As acclaimed pioneer tale First Cow arrives in cinemas, we go west in search of other tales of exploration and new beginnings on the American frontier. → Read More
Where to begin with Tsui Hark
A beginner’s path through the breathtaking action cinema of Hong Kong New Wave figurehead and ‘heroic bloodshed’ pioneer Tsui Hark. → Read More
10 great Japanese winter films
From Kwaidan to Lady Snowblood... Japanese cinema offers many of film history’s most memorably snowy movies. → Read More
Stanley Tucci: 10 essential performances
From lockdown negroni-making to his exemplary turn in the upcoming Supernova...On his 60th birthday, we salute the inestimable talents of Stanley Tucci. → Read More
Five things to watch this weekend – 14-16 August
One of TV's scariest films, Nolan back in cinemas and a unique look at the beautiful game – what are you watching this weekend? → Read More
10 great Japanese summer films
Films for soaring temperatures from the Land of the Rising Sun. → Read More
Celebrating Ray Harryhausen’s centenary: 10 essential films from the stop-motion genius
A hundred years after he was born, we pay tribute to the stop-motion special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen and his fabulous creature creations. → Read More
10 great Japanese film noirs
Draw the blinds for our 10-film trip along the mean streets of Japanese noir. → Read More
A look inside Christopher Lee’s personal photo scrapbooks
With the late actor’s photographic archive donated to the BFI, we take you inside the three, personally annotated albums at the heart of the collection. Matthew Thrift Updated: 24 May 2019 → Read More
Mikio Naruse: 10 essential films
As highly regarded as Kurosawa, Mizoguchi and Ozu by many, director Mikio Naruse is far less well known in the west. These 10 films offer the perfect introduction. → Read More