Category: ★★★★
-
There are a couple kinds of Westerns, once you break it down enough. Ones where people go places, ones where people don’t. The Outlaw Josey Wales is a going places Western. It’s about a man on a trip and what the trip does to the man on the trip. I’ve seen Josey Wales before, probably…
-
Above and Beyond breaks one of my severest rules–don’t start with narration and then drop it. Above and Beyond starts with Eleanor Parker narrating the film, mostly because otherwise she wouldn’t be in it for the first hour. Once she is in the film full-time, the narration quickly disappears. I can’t remember the last time…
-
In an American history survey class, when we got to Nixon, one student asked if we could cover it. She felt we hadn’t covered it well enough. The professor said we would not be covering it–everyone knew it. He was–obviously–wrongly assuming some knowledge of history from college students, a foolish presumption (I have MFA instructors…
-
Dark Star is probably John Carpenter’s second finest film (after The Thing). It’s the John Carpenter film I’ve always been saying he should make–a funny one. I have seen Dark Star before, probably nine years ago, back when it was somewhat rare (it got picked up, a year after I saw it, by a video…
-
Outstanding, ambitious biopic of Samuel Mudd (Warner Baxter), the doctor who unknowingly treated John Wilkes Booth and ended up tried for treason for his trouble. Fantastic performances from Baxter and Gloria Stuart as Mrs. Mudd. But Ford’s direction–along with Nunnally Johnson’s script–really put the film over the top; it’s beautifully produced, with Ford ably toggling…
-
Outstanding, emotive, melancholic biopic of Chaplin, with a transfixing Robert Downey Jr. playing the lead role. The film covers Chaplin’s whole life, from a childhood in poverty to the silent successes to the eventual sound failures. Fantastic all-star supporting cast–especially the various Chaplin flings (Marisa Tomei is a standout)–but Downey’s the whole show. Downey, John…
-
Scandal presents an incredibly humane side of Kurosawa, one his historical pictures don’t convey. He shows the desperate sadness of people and offers little visible hope throughout. There’s one scene, when the protagonist (played by Mifune Toshirô) and the main character (Shimura Takashi) come across a pond reflecting the stars and Mifune comments about the…
-
Spectacular adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham novel about WWI vet Tyrone Power trying to fit into the world after the War, whether it’s with too rich for him (but still madly in love with him) girlfriend Gene Tierney, good friend Anne Baxter, or erudite author Herbert Marshall (playing Maugham). Power travels the globe trying to…
-
Great procedural about a police investigation into government corruption with a phenomenal lead performance by Mifune Toshirô in the lead. Intricate, complex screenplay–inspired by HAMLET no less–but tender and playful in a very un-HAMLET way. Kurosawa’s got a deliberate focus as the film follows multiple characters through the run time, with salient events often coming…
-
Mark Robson made some great films. I first saw Bright Victory before I knew who he was (I think Victory was probably my first Robson, actually). I saw it on AMC in 1997 probably. Julie Adams is in it and maybe I had AMC flagged for Julie Adams movies somehow. I can’t remember if they…
-
Outstanding not soapy soap opera about wealthy Texan Robert Mitchum, suffering wife Eleanor Parker, and his two sons–the legitimate one, George Hamilton, and the bastard, George Peppard. Once Hamilton comes of age and starts hanging out more with Peppard, away from Parker’s helicoptering, everyone gets in a lot of trouble. Fantastic performances from the entire…
-
Iowa farmer Kevin Costner hears a voice telling him, as disembodied voices no one can hear do, to build a baseball field in the middle of his field. Much to wife Amy Madigan’s chagrin, Costner listens to the voice and builds the field, kicking off a journey through the American love of baseball and Costner’s…
-
Compilation of three short films by director Harris. The first is a segment for the TV news about a young man in Utah who likes to get into Olivia Newton-John drag and perform. Second is Sean Penn reenacting that segment, only while addressing the damage Harris’s handling of the actual news item did to the…
-
Interrupted Melody is an interesting example of economic storytelling. The film covers about ten years, has a number of strong character relationships, but moves gently through all of it. It’s got moments where there isn’t any dialogue, just the look between characters, it’s got a great love story–and, even better, a great struggling marriage. Director…
-
Outstanding drama about John Lynch and Jacqueline McKenzie, who both have schizophrenia, meeting, falling in love, and trying make a life together, contending with their treatment and Lynch’s concerned/disapproving family. Wonderful performances from Lynch and McKenzie, great script and direction from Rymer. Rymer establishes a wonderful sense of empathy, never letting the characters become pitiable…
-
Spectacular comedic, romantic drama about Korean Lee Jung-jae falling for a Japanese webcam girl (Tachibana Misato) and because it’s the movies (and the year 2000), he’s not a creep and she likes him. Great script from director Lee, phenomenal performances from the leads. Tachibana probably wins if its a contest but actor Lee is great…
-
Excellent drama set on one winter weekend in 1970s Connecticut about two families and the various ways they’re connected, through infidelity, lust, and tragedy. Great performances from the cast–Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Jamey Sheridan are the parents, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Adam Hann-Byrd, and Elijah Wood are the (teenage or older) kids.…
-
Two hours of glorious, unrelenting sci-fi adventure as desert planet orphan Mark Hamill discovers he’s really a space wizard and teams up with interstellar smuggler Harrison Ford and old man space wizard Alec Guinness to save princess Carrie Fisher from the evil Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones). Revolutionary special effects, an…
-
One of a kind picture from Archers Powell and Pressburger–in terms of story and visuals–about Deborah Kerr’s group of nuns establishing a convent in the Himalayas. They soon find themselves in conflict with nature and each other, as the pristine environment invokes various feelings–jealousy, pride, lust, love–all while constrained by their vocation and location. Great…
-
Singular motion picture recounting three nights of New York paramedic Nicolas Cage’s life and experiences on the job. Amazing on all counts–the lead performances from Cage and Patricia Arquette, the showy supporting ones from everyone else. Marc Anthony stands out as a frequent “customer.” Once frequent Scorsese scripter Paul Schrader adapted Joe Connelly’s novel, which…
-
Layered, complex TREK outing has William Shatner and company dealing with aging in the 23rd century, but also with Ricardo Montalban returning (from the original show) and going after the good guys. Beautifully produced, with fantastic direction, and a gorgeous James Horner score. Excellent acting from pretty much everyone. DVD, Blu-ray.Continue reading →
-
4F Eddie Bracken spends WWII working in a shipyard but writes letters back home about his overseas exploits. He tells a group of Marines (led by William Demarest) about the regrettable ruse and they decide to make it real, taking him home the hero. Ella Raines is the girl he left behind. Spectacular script and…
-
Excellent propaganda thriller with Joel McCrea as an American reporter heading to Europe before the outbreak of WWII. He finds himself in a bunch of intrigue concerning fetching Laraine Day and her father, Herbert Marshall. George Sanders is great as a British reporter. Outstanding pace, set pieces, and script. Magnificent direction from Hitchcock. DVD, Blu-ray,…
-
Singular Western pits rustler-turned-farmer Jack Nicholson against mercenary Marlon Brando. Exceptional on most fronts, including Penn’s direction, Nicholson’s performance, and the John Williams score. Brando’s good too, he’s just not Nicholson. DVD, Blu-ray, Streaming.Continue reading →
-
Outstanding Civil War Western with William Holden as the hard-ass Union prison camp captain who falls for visiting Eleanor Parker. Only her ex is Confederate captain John Forsythe, who breaks out while she’s there and she lambs it out with him. So Holden goes after them only for an Indian tribe to ambush them. Great…
-
Awesome adventure/romance set in WWI Africa; Katharine Hepburn’s a British missionary hitching a ride with American ex-pat steamer captain Humphrey Bogart. After a first act where Bogart seems like a guest star, the movie really gets going as Hepburn convinces Bogie it’s their duty to take on a German gunboat. Incredible performance from Hepburn, amazing…
-
Superlative mystery drama about L.A. private investigator Gene Hackman going to Florida on a case (to avoid his crumbling marriage to Susan Clark) and getting mixed up with stunt men, smuggling, and Jennifer Warren. Young Melanie Griffith is the missing person in the initial case. Exceptional performances from Hackman and Warren. Clark’s real good too.…
-
Wonderful gem of a movie romance (between Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall) amid a 1930s-set crime drama. Will Carradine pick a life of bank robbing or listen to Duvall and go straight. Great performances from all involved and Altman’s direction excels in the setting. Screenplay by Calder Willingham, Joan Tewkesbury and Altman. DVD, Blu-ray.Continue reading…
-
Beautifully written (by Richard Price) mystery has Al Pacino as a bachelor cop who tries to catch a killer who picks his victims through a dating service. Ellen Barkin is the date who becomes more than part of the job. Phenomenal performances from Pacino, Barkin, and John Goodman; great use of the New York City…
-
Cillian Murphy wakes up from a coma to discover the world overrun by zombies and has to try to survive. Not just from the zombies, but also from the military. Visually stunning, with Boyle shooting on DV; great script by Alex Garland; excellent performances. Murphy makes an outstanding Everyman. The film has at least one…
The Stop Button 