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. Continue reading Hacksaw Ridge Review (2016)
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. Continue reading Full Metal Jacket Review (1987)
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. Continue reading The Longest Day Review (1962)
Patton isn’t really a war film in the traditional sense. It’s a character study of one of history’s most complicated military minds, anchored by George C. Scott’s all-time great performance. Continue reading Patton Review (1970) (Throwback Thursday #5)
Midway got written off by critics in 2019 and that was mostly unfair. Roland Emmerich’s Pacific War epic is flawed but worth your time, especially around this Memorial Day weekend and the lead up to it. Continue reading Midway Review (2019)
William Wyler directs Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in the film that made her a star. Charming, beautiful, and honest enough to skip the fairy tale ending. A perfect film. Continue reading Roman Holiday Review (1953)
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. Continue reading Charade Review (1963) (Throwback Thursday #4)
Blake Edwards directs Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in one of the most iconic performances in cinema history. Charming, beautiful, and a little melancholy in all the right ways. Continue reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s Review (1961)
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. Continue reading The Children’s Hour Review (1961)
Mel Gibson at his peak, Jodie Foster at her most charming, and one of the most likable supporting casts of the nineties. Maverick (1994) is still an absolute blast. Continue reading Maverick Review (1994) (Throwback Thursday #3)
Deep Impact came out the same summer as Armageddon and has been unfairly compared to it ever since. It is the better film. Robert Duvall is outstanding, Tea Leoni earns her emotional payoff, and it treats the audience like adults. Continue reading Deep Impact Review (1998)
Kid me watched Blank Check twenty or thirty times and loved every minute of it. Adult me can see the seams. Still a decent watch for the nostalgia and Karen Duffy and Tone Loc make it worth revisiting at least once. Continue reading Blank Check Review (1994)
Here on Earth is everything A Walk to Remember does right, done wrong. Two unlikable leads, a sympathetic boyfriend treated like an obstacle, and an emotional payoff the film never earns. Leelee Sobieski deserved better material than this. Continue reading Here on Earth Review (2000)
Night Train had Danny Glover, Steve Zahn, and Leelee Sobieski and still managed to be one of the most boring and incoherent thrillers of 2009. A good premise squandered completely. The bottom of the Leelee Sobieski filmography. Continue reading Night Train Review (2009)
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. Continue reading The Mummy (1999) Review
The Elder Son is a light comedy drama that asks very little of you and delivers a pleasant hour and a half in return. Great performances from Shane West, Leelee Sobieski, and a great Rade Serbedzija make it worth your time. Continue reading The Elder Son Review
Leelee Sobieski’s adaptation of The Turn of the Screw builds strong atmosphere and delivers committed performances before stumbling into an ending that undermines everything it set up. Continue reading In A Dark Place Review
Walk All Over Me is a different side of Leelee Sobieski than most of her fans have seen. A scrappy Canadian crime comedy with a loose plot, genuine laughs, and great chemistry between its two leads. Better than its reputation suggests. Continue reading Walk All Over Me Review (2007)
Lars and the Real Girl is not what you think it is. It is sincere, warm, and quietly beautiful, carried by a Ryan Gosling performance that never winks at the audience once. One of the most underrated films of the 2000s. Continue reading Lars and the Real Girl Review (2007)
Joy Ride is a very good thriller carried by an unseen villain with one of the most intimidating voices in modern horror. The cast delivers, the tension is real, and a few logic lapses are the only thing keeping it from being something great. Continue reading Joy Ride Review (2001)
