Donald Sutherland Was A Versatile But Prolific Actor

Upon hearing news of the death of Donald Sutherland, I decided to watch Ordinary People. It had been the first time in over a decade since I saw it. But I always thought his performance as Chicago-area lawyer Calvin Jarrett was one of the best of his career, quite possibly the best. And for that,Continue reading “Donald Sutherland Was A Versatile But Prolific Actor”

‘Chinatown’ At 50 Is Still A Masterpiece That You Can’t Forget About

This post contains spoilers as well as reference sexual assault and incest!! Jack Nicholson’s career is the type of most actors would fight each other to the deaths over to get. He’s won the Oscar three times, one of three male actors to do so next to Daniel Day-Lewis and Walter Brennan. He’s made aContinue reading “‘Chinatown’ At 50 Is Still A Masterpiece That You Can’t Forget About”

ICYMI, Send Out A S.O.S ASAP Because ‘I.S.S.’ Is A P.O.S JSYK

Rather than spend the hour and a half watching I.S.S., you can just watch the trailer in under three minutes and see the entire movie. This is the type of movie in which when you are introduced to the main characters within the first 10 minutes, you know all you need to know about themContinue reading “ICYMI, Send Out A S.O.S ASAP Because ‘I.S.S.’ Is A P.O.S JSYK”

‘Once Upon A Time In America’ At 40, Still A Conflicted Masterpiece

Sergio Leone is mostly remember for his western. He was basically the John Ford of the Spaghetti Western genre, a somewhat misleading term for some good movies. Spaghetti Westerns were known for being filmed in the Iberian Peninsula or Mediterranean area and featured mostly Italian and other European actors. The most famous one is TheContinue reading “‘Once Upon A Time In America’ At 40, Still A Conflicted Masterpiece”

RIP Dabney Coleman

One of the earliest movies I remember seeing is 9 to 5, so I had known who Dabney Coleman was for a long time. His performance as the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot Frank Hart in the movie was so perfect. Coleman was able to balance the awful, cold-hearted sleaze with the sardonic, goofy, gullibleContinue reading “RIP Dabney Coleman”

Roger Corman Was The John The Baptist Of American Cinema

In the mid-1970s, Ron Howard was attempting to make a name for himself as a movie director after he had grown up over the years as a child actor. For a man who had appeared on two popular TV shows, been in the Oscar-nominated American Graffiti and even co-starred alongside The Duke himself John WayneContinue reading “Roger Corman Was The John The Baptist Of American Cinema”

‘Dawn’ Good Remake Of Dead Horror Classic Released 20 Years Ago

Twenty years ago when I first saw the commercials for the Dawn of the Dead remake, I groaned. The original by George A. Romero isn’t perfect but its few flaws are easy to dismiss for how great it’s made. Set mostly at a shopping mall in the suburbs of Pennsylvania, it was social commentary onContinue reading “‘Dawn’ Good Remake Of Dead Horror Classic Released 20 Years Ago”

‘Miller’s Girl’ Is About As Erotic As Marjorie Taylor Greene Naked On A Cold Day

There’s been so much talk in the media about Miller’s Girl that I was expecting something more. For the most part, it plays like a Red Shoe Diaries episode that has been stretched out to an hour and a half and there’s no sex. Sorry. If you don’t want to read this blog any further,Continue reading “‘Miller’s Girl’ Is About As Erotic As Marjorie Taylor Greene Naked On A Cold Day”

‘Joy Ride’ Is One Helluva Trip

Back in 1971, a young up-and-coming TV director named Steven Spielberg was given the opportunity to direct a TV movie in which Dennis Weaver played a businessman harassed by the driver of a tanker semi on desolate Southwestern highways. The movie was called Duel. There was such critical acclaim for it that the movie thatContinue reading “‘Joy Ride’ Is One Helluva Trip”

‘The Matrix’ At 25: How It Changed Sci-Fi And Action Movies

T.S. Elliott famously stated “Good writers borrow; great writers steal.” And Aaron Sorkin also updated this by stating “Good writers borrow from other writers. Great writers steal from them outright.” The first I ever heard of The Matrix was during the 1999 Super Bowl where the images of Keanu Reeves bending over backwards as bulletsContinue reading “‘The Matrix’ At 25: How It Changed Sci-Fi And Action Movies”