Foreign Correspondent Review
RATING: (4 STARS) For a film that frequently goes way over the top, Foreign Correspondent is still an exceptional piece of work. It’s very much what you’d expect from a Hitchcock film (international intrigue, questions of identity, and an ordinary man getting caught up in something much bigger than himself), but it contains some amazing […]
Munich Review
RATING: (4 STARS) The buzz around the opening of Steven Spielberg’s Munich back in 2005 was deafening. After a shift into more commercial projects (A.I., Catch Me if You Can, Minority Report, The Terminal, War of the Worlds), the director finally transitioned back to the kind of film that won him an Oscar. But many […]
The Best Years of Our Lives Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) Sometimes the hardest thing for a soldier isn’t surviving the war—it’s coming back home when it’s over. This theme has been explored dozens of times (including very recently in The Hurt Locker), but one of the first to do so was William Wyler’s Best Picture-winning The Best Years of Our Lives. The […]
Driving Miss Daisy Review
RATING: (3 STARS) Of all the Best Picture winners I’ve seen, I think Driving Miss Daisy might be the one I’m most surprised won the award. There are some among the 82 distinguished films that are so ambitious and different that it’s a marvel they were acknowledged (Midnight Cowboy and No Country for Old Men […]
The Godfather: Part III Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) I recently read an article calling The Godfather: Part III the “most reviled sequel of all-time.” It’s a debatable point, but I honestly can’t understand why. While imperfect on its own, it’s a very good addition to director Francis Ford Coppola’s transcendent crime saga. It brings the focus onto its tragic main […]
Up Review
RATING: (4 STARS) Up is without a doubt one of Pixar’s best films. The film’s first scene is one of the most sublime cinematic moments I’ve ever experienced. And while the rest of the film doesn’t quite measure up to that level of greatness, it’s still a rousing adventure, complete with all the humor and […]
Erin Brockovich Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) I don’t really understand the whole “Julia Roberts is America’s sweetheart†thing. Sure, Pretty Woman is great fun, but she spent most of the ‘90s doing average (or in many cases, below average) romantic comedies. For some reason, people ate it up, and by 2000, she was one of the biggest movie […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Kids Are All Right Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) “The Kids Are All Right†is an extraordinary film about the inner workings of a “non-traditional†family. The film, exquisitely directed by Lisa Cholodenko, tells a story that’s unique to these characters, but its ability to capture the messy feelings and relationships inherent in any family is what elevates it from great […]
Gladiator Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) I don’t think the hate heaped on “Gladiator†for winning Best Picture is fair. Was it the best film of 2000? Absolutely not (the best film of the year was Requiem for a Dream, while the best nominated film was probably “Traffic). I think “Gladiator†is everything it should be—entertaining, exhilarating, and […]
Slumdog Millionaire Review
RATING: (4 STARS) There was little doubt going into the 2009 Academy Awards what film was going to win Best Picture. Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire†had captured the hearts of the critics, the guilds, and the public—and understandably. The film is the ultimate underdog story and is capable of giving joy to just about anyone. […]
Milk Review
RATING: (4 STARS) When “Milk†came out, Proposition 8 had just passed in California, outlawing gay marriage. It was a sad time among gay-rights supporters, and then a film like this comes along about the assassination of one of its heroes to remind us all that as far as we’ve come, we still have a […]
Frost/Nixon Review
RATING: (3.5 STARS) In my review of All the President’s Men, I said I think I’m inclined to love pretty much any film about Nixon and the Watergate scandal. It’s a larger-than-life moment in American history that’s ripe for dramatization. Such is what happened with Ron Howard’s “Frost/Nixon,†an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning play […]
