FROM THE ARCHIVES

Tag: 4 stars

Platoon Review
Entertainment

Platoon Review (1986)

Gary Smith

The Memorial Day countdown reaches #4. Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and spent ten years trying to get Platoon made. That urgency is in every frame. Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and Charlie Sheen are all exceptional. Full review.

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Hacksaw Ridge Review
Entertainment

Hacksaw Ridge Review (2016)

Gary Smith

The Memorial Day countdown continues with #5. Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of Desmond Doss, the unarmed medic who saved 75 men at Okinawa. Mel Gibson directs it with ferocity. Andrew Garfield is extraordinary. Full review.

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Entertainment

Full Metal Jacket Review (1987)

Gary Smith

The Memorial Day countdown rolls on with #6. Full Metal Jacket is two movies in one. The Parris Island half is Kubrick at his absolute peak. The Vietnam half is excellent on its own terms. Both together are essential viewing.

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The Longest Day Review 1962
Entertainment

The Longest Day Review (1962)

Gary Smith

Our Memorial Day countdown continues with a review of The Longest Day. This beast covers D-Day from every angle with one of the greatest casts ever assembled. It's three hours of old Hollywood ambition that still holds up.

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Entertainment

Charade Review (1963) (Throwback Thursday #4)

Gary Smith

Stanley Donen directs Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in their only film together — a mystery thriller dressed up as a romantic comedy, and one of the most underrated films of the 1960s. The Audrey Hepburn Rewatch series rolls on, this time doubled up as the fourth Throwback Thursday feature.

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Diablo IV Lord of Hatred Review
Game Reviews

Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred Review

Gary Smith

Lord of Hatred is the expansion Diablo IV needed. The Warlock is phenomenal, the Horadric Cube gives you real gear agency, and the War Plan revamps the endgame without adding a single new activity. This is the best Diablo IV has ever been.

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The Children's Hour Review 1961
Entertainment

The Children’s Hour Review (1961)

Gary Smith

William Wyler directs Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine in one of the darker films either actress ever made. A child's malicious lie destroys two women's lives, and the ending doesn't pull its punch.

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Mouse P.I. For Hire Review
Game Reviews

Mouse P.I. For Hire Review (PS5)

PatriotPaine

Mouse P.I. For Hire is exactly the kind of game the industry used to make before everything had to be a platform. Gorgeous visuals, a genuinely funny noir story, and the heart of a PS3-era gem.

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Starfield Review PS5
Game Reviews

Starfield Review (PS5)

Gary Smith

Starfield on PS5 is the best version of the game that's ever existed. The shooting is great, exploration rewards patience, and Free Lanes fixes the biggest launch complaints.

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The Housemaid Review
Entertainment

The Housemaid Review (2025)

Gary Smith

The Housemaid is now streaming on Starz and it is worth your time. Amanda Seyfried gives the best performance in the film, Sydney Sweeney is as hot as ever, the twist earns its reveal, and it is one of those films with high rewatchability.

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The Mummy 1999 Review
Entertainment

The Mummy (1999) Review

Gary Smith

With a new Mummy film on the way, it felt like the right time to revisit the 1999 original. Twenty-five years later it holds up remarkably well. Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and John Hannah are all excellent, and nothing that followed has come close.

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