‘The Princess Bride’ At 35 – Inconceivable

When The Princess Bride opened in late September 1987, it was a modest success but nowhere near the success one might think. Produced on a budget of $16 million, it didn’t even make twice that much, just about $30.9 million. So, why has it become so popular over the years? Maybe it’s because it’s aContinue reading “‘The Princess Bride’ At 35 – Inconceivable”

Louise Fletcher Made Nurse Ratched One Of Cinema’s Best Villains

Mildred Ratched, the antagonist of the Oscar-winning movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest never brandishes a gun or sword. She never orders the mass killing of innocent people. She doesn’t punch, slap, kick or physically harm anyone in the movie. She rarely ever screams or yells. No, Nurse Ratched is a more menacing villain.Continue reading “Louise Fletcher Made Nurse Ratched One Of Cinema’s Best Villains”

‘The Good Son’ Focuses On The Mind Of A Young Sociopath

Warning: This post contains spoilers. By the time The Good Son hit theaters on this date, Sept. 24, 1993, Macaulay Culkin’s star was already starting to fade a little. It wasn’t because he wan’t bankable. It was because his father was making things just to difficult in Hollywood. In the five years, he had goneContinue reading “‘The Good Son’ Focuses On The Mind Of A Young Sociopath”

‘L.A. Confidential’ Still Makes The Bust

Warning: This post contains spoilers about this movie. If you haven’t seen it, please be warned before reading ahead. About three-fourths into L.A. Confidential, the character of Det. Sgt. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) is fatally shot by Capt. Dudley Smith (James Cromwell). The scene comes without much warning and happens so fast, you realize theContinue reading “‘L.A. Confidential’ Still Makes The Bust”

‘The Game’ Plays You, The Viewer

I know it sounds like a boring Yakov Smirnoff joke. “In America, you play The Game. In Soviet Russia, The Game plays you.” But that’s exactly what it does. Coming from David Fincher as only his third movie following the great thriller Se7en, this is an entirely different movie that seems like a carbon copyContinue reading “‘The Game’ Plays You, The Viewer”

‘Mazes And Monsters’ Throws Young Tom Hanks Into RPG/Satanic Panic Era

There was once a time in which Tom Hanks was a young starving actor like many others. As one of the producers would recall during the filming of the 1980 movie He Knows You’re Alone, Hanks appeared on set early while he was trying to have lunch and they both shared a sandwhich and chatted.Continue reading “‘Mazes And Monsters’ Throws Young Tom Hanks Into RPG/Satanic Panic Era”

‘Stand By Me’ Examines The Horrors Of Adolescence

Stand by Me is based on a short novella The Body written by Stephen King. And the scariest thing about it is how accurate it is. Rob Reiner, who was more known for comedies directed it. Yet, there are many elements of drama and the conversations and actions of the characters seem real. It seemsContinue reading “‘Stand By Me’ Examines The Horrors Of Adolescence”

‘Cutting Class’ Has Brad Pitt As Alumni

Brad Pitt’s evolution over the years from a Okie to one of the most in-demand actors and successful producers of all time is the stuff of Hollywood legend. It’s been reported that during the mid-1990s his star power was so high that his lack of interest in a script led to all the studios refusingContinue reading “‘Cutting Class’ Has Brad Pitt As Alumni”

Dissecting ‘American Psycho’

American Pscyho opened in the spring of 2000 to good reviews and a modest box office of over $34 million considering it’s relatively low budget of just $7 imillion. But even before it went into production, it was an issue of controversy for years. When Bret Easton Ellis published the novel by the same nameContinue reading “Dissecting ‘American Psycho’”

‘Das Boot’ Was Wolfgang Petersen’s Masterpiece

Claustrophia is a big issue for some. So is personal space. Even those most extroverted person could go nuts or get cranky. Imagine being in a vessel that’s only about 10 feet wide and about half the size of a football field give or take a yard and you’re several hundred feet underwater. Wolfgang Petersen’sContinue reading “‘Das Boot’ Was Wolfgang Petersen’s Masterpiece”