From Russia with Love Review
RATING: (4 STARS) I grew up watching James Bond and separating the quality of the films from the nostalgia I feel watching them is somewhat difficult. Even the worst films in the series hold a special place in my heart, while the best films in the series have some very visible flaws. Still, some entries […]
The Day of the Jackal Review
RATING: (4 STARS) The Day of the Jackal reminds me why I love the spy genre. A brilliant cat-and-mouse game between two great minds, the film follows a terrorist on a quest to assassinate Charles de Gaulle and the cop in charge of the investigation. It’s a real slow-burn thriller, and director Fred Zinnemann’s cold […]
Three Days of the Condor Review
RATING: (3 STARS) The decade of the 1970s were a tumultuous one for Americans—war, scandal, oil crises, etc. As a result, many people thought the government was untrustworthy, the enemy. Three Days of the Condor is a terrific thriller that preys on that distrust. It portrays the government as the ultimate big brother and as […]
City Lights Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Charlie Chaplin is undoubtedly one of film history’s most beloved figures, and City Lights is one of Chaplin’s most beloved films. I found it to be a poignant love story, but the comedy was a little uneven for my taste. Some of the gags are great; others are a little awkward. The […]
Platoon Review
RATING: (4 STARS) I never thought I’d see a war film as brutal and uncompromising as The Deer Hunter, but Oliver Stone’s quasi-autobiographical film Platoon comes awfully close. The film’s you-are-there approach isn’t totally unique, but it has rarely been put to better use. Platoon gives you an idea of what war does to you […]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day Review
RATING: (4 STARS) After the smashing success of The Terminator on home video and the brilliance of Aliens, director James Cameron was giving the keys to the kingdom for Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The budget increased exponentially over the first film in the series, and Cameron was permitted to take a major risk—turn Arnold Schwarzenegger’s […]
The Broadway Melody Review
RATING: (2 STARS) “The Broadway Melody†won the Best Picture award at the second Oscar ceremony all the way back in 1930. It’s generally regarded as one of the worst films to take home that prize, and I can’t quibble with that sentiment. It’s easy to see why people would like this picture eighty years […]
Patton Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) There’s a four-star movie dying to get out of “Patton.†The first half of the film is some of the best stuff I’ve seen, and the central performance is larger-than-life, just like Patton himself. But the second half of the film gets bogged down in repetitive battles and character interaction. The film […]
The Godfather: Part II Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) It’s often called the greatest sequel ever and is as highly regarded as its extraordinary predecessor, The Godfather. Yet, I think Francis Ford Coppola takes a step back with “The Godfather Part II.†It’s a very good film—nobody can deny that. Like the original, it follows the trajectory of an epic Greek […]
Murder on the Orient Express Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Sidney Lumet has been directing exceptional films for over 50 years. With masterpieces like “12 Angry Men†(1957) and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) on his resume, there are many candidates for his greatest film. For me, one of his best has to be 1974’s “Murder on the Orient Express.†[…]
Aliens Review
RATING: (4 STARS) James Cameron’s sequel to the Ridley Scott sci-fi/horror classic Alien is a whole different kind of film than its predecessor. Instead of focusing on the scares, this film ratchets up the action 100 percent. After a lengthy exposition, the film kicks it into gear and never lets up. I was left breathless […]
North by Northwest Review
RATING: (2.5 STARS) In the realm of Hitchcock, few titles are as universally revered as “North by Northwest.†My preference is Psycho, but I’m sure there are plenty of cinephiles out there who would label this film as the Master of Suspense’s greatest. But I’m not really sure why. It’s a serviceable mystery that plays […]
The Godfather Review
RATING: (4 STARS) If I’m being honest, the first time I watched it, I didn’t want to love “The Godfather.” It’s so cliché. I wanted to buck the trend. I wanted to write a searing piece about this overrated “masterpiece†that everyone loves so much. But I can’t. It’s too damn good. Seriously, this film […]
The Apartment Review
RATING: (4 STARS) “The Apartment†is the kind of film that reminds me why I love movies. Even when the quality of new films reaches an all-time low, I’m not discouraged. I know there are plenty of brilliant pieces of cinema like this Billy Wilder classic to bring me out of the movie doldrums and […]
The Shawshank Redemption Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) It’s the highest rated film of all-time on IMDb, but is “The Shawshank Redemption†worthy of that title? Well, no. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad film by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a powerful look at the prison system and raises questions regarding what it means to be guilty […]
Alien Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) “In space, no one can hear you scream.†What a tagline! It perfectly describes the feeling of helplessness present in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror classic, “Alien.†The 1979 film about a group of commercial astronauts being terrorized by a vicious creature hiding in the air ducts of their ship is really, really […]
