Best Picture Winner

Slumdog Millionaire Review

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. […]

The Godfather Review

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

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 […]

Million Dollar Baby Review

Million Dollar Baby Review

RATING: (4 STARS) It was supposed to be the year of Martin Scorsese. The Aviator had all the makings of an Oscar darling—it was a biopic with great acting, direction, and technical features. But all of a sudden, at the end of December, a little film called “Million Dollar Baby” gets released and knocks just […]

The French Connection Review

The French Connection Review

RATING: (4 STARS) Possibly the defining film in the gritty urban cop genre, “The French Connection” astonishes with its amazing direction, writing, and performance from Gene Hackman. The film grips you from beginning to end with its realistic portrayal of 1970s New York and its wild man lead character, Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle. It represents one […]

Kramer vs. Kramer Review

Kramer vs. Kramer Review

RATING: (2.5 STARS) “Kramer vs. Kramer” stars Dustin Hoffman, one of the greatest actors of his generation, and Meryl Streep, probably the greatest actress ever. Both actors won Academy Awards. Robert Benton won two Academy Awards (for directing and writing the picture), and the film won the big award back in 1979, Best Picture. With […]

Annie Hall Review

Annie Hall Review

RATING: (4 STARS) “Annie Hall” was the beginning of Woody Allen as most know him. It marked the beginning of a career transition that moved him from pure comedy to the realistic romantic dramedy – the genre he’s most closely associated with. Part of the reason he is so well-known for it is because of […]

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Review

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Review

RATING: (3.5 STARS) “Mutiny on the Bounty,” Academy Award winner for Best Picture all the way back in 1935, is surprisingly powerful stuff, not because it’s filmed in black and white, but because everything else about it is black and white. There are no shades of gray – no three-dimensionality among its principal characters. Two […]

The Departed Review

The Departed Review

RATING: (4 STARS) “The Departed” is director Martin Scorsese’s best work since “Taxi Driver.” Yeah, I said it. I think this film is better than “Goodfellas” and “Raging Bull.” In fact, for a long time, this film was my standard answer for the dreaded “What’s your favorite movie?” question. I no longer hold it in […]

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Review

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Review

RATING: (4 STARS) After two phenomenal films, Peter Jackson and the crew for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” had a lot to live up to. It’s hard to believe what an accomplishment this film is. What could they do that wasn’t in the first two movies? I asked myself that […]

Midnight Cowboy Review

Midnight Cowboy Review

RATING: (3 STARS) The first X-rated film to ever win Best Picture, Midnight Cowboy, is unique and shocking. It features great acting and is exceptionally directed. It’s possibly the definitive fish-out-of-water film, as well as one of the most quintessentially “sixties” movies ever. But it’s a hard movie to love. It does a lot of […]

The Hurt Locker Review

The Hurt Locker Review

RATING: (4 STARS) Real suspense is hard to achieve. It’s easy to throw in a shock or two into a film to keep the audience on edge. To sustain that feeling over a prolonged time is a challenge, but it’s something Kathryn Bigelow achieves in her uncompromising war film The Hurt Locker. Director after director […]

Gone with the Wind Review

Gone with the Wind Review

RATING: (3 STARS) How do I go about reviewing a film that feels so much like two separate films, especially one as classic and timeless as Victor Fleming’s (or is it David O. Selznick’s) Gone With the Wind? Separated by an intermission, Gone With the Wind‘s two halves couldn’t be more different, both in content […]

The Bridge on the River Kwai Review

The Bridge on the River Kwai Review

RATING: (4 STARS) “The Bridge on the River Kwai” is a fascinating look at war, its rules, and the madness often required to follow them. What is the responsibility of a prisoner-of-war? Should he follow the orders of his captors and work to assist their cause? Or should he sabotage their efforts by any means […]

All Quiet on the Western Front Review

All Quiet on the Western Front Review

RATING: (2.5 STARS) War movies have been staples of the film industry and the Academy Awards seemingly forever, but it all began with Lewis Milestone’s anti-war tale All Quiet on the Western Front. When it was released in 1930, the world was a very different place. Much of American history had not yet been written. […]

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