Monster’s Ball 2001 with Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton. This brief piece is an amalgam of two comments posted in response to Alt Film Guide’s Monster’s Ball review written by…
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127 Hours movie review: James Franco Great as Aron Ralston in Harrowing survival Story marred by Danny Boyle hyperkinetic direction.
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The Fighter movie (2010): ‘Smart’ (as in Marketable) Hollywood product with impressive Oscar winners Melissa Leo and Christian Bale.
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Black Swan (movie 2010) review: Oscar winner Natalie Portman rises to the challenge in Darren Aronofsky’s brilliantly multilayered psychological thriller. Mila Kunis costars.
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Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? review: Oscar nominee Barbara Harris steals Dustin Hoffman film.
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True Grit 2010 movie review: Far superior to the 1969 John Wayne version, as Joel and Ethan Coen Western is much more than the sum of its parts.
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Hold Back the Dawn (movie 1941) review: Olivia de Havilland showcase is also a solid romantic melodrama. Charles Boyer and Paulette Goddard costar; Mitchell Leisen directed.
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Bette Davis and Geraldine Fitzgerald in Dark Victory (top); Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon in Wuthering Heights (bottom) Academy revisits ‘Hollywood’s Greatest Year’: 10 Best Picture nominees to be screened…
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Blade Runner (movie 1982) review: Starring Harrison Ford, Ridley Scott’s dystopian sci-fi thriller is considered a modern classic. But does it merit that label? Rutger Hauer costars.
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Casablanca (movie 1942) review: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman star in Michael Curtiz’s romance classic. But is it truly great cinema? Top-notch Paul Henreid costars.
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Screenwriter-director Philip Kaufman’s 1983 Best Picture Oscar nominee, The Right Stuff, will be the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Great To Be Nominated” series.…
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Fanny and Alexander (movie 1982) review: Ingmar Bergman’s sumptuous big-screen swan song, this period family drama is even more engrossing as a miniseries.
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The Departed with Leonardo DiCaprio. Best Picture Academy Award winner The Departed boasts a respectable pedigree: the cop thriller was directed by Martin Scorsese; edited by Thelma Schoonmaker; shot by…
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Blow-Up (movie 1966) review: In his ‘Swinging London’ masterwork, Michelangelo Antonioni questions the perception of reality. David Hemmings and Vanessa Redgrave star.
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The Black Dahlia (movie 2006) review: Brian De Palma’s neo-noir is a poor imitation of the actual thing. Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank are the badly miscast stars.
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Seven Samurai (movie 1954) review: This acclaimed Akira Kurosawa classic is one of those rare films that keep improving with each new viewing. Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura star.
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Crash movie (2005): Mostly well cast, Paul Haggis’ ethnically obsessed drama teaches audiences that There’s Good and Bad in Everyone.
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Munich movie (2005): Steven Spielberg’s uneven but complex political thriller is his most satisfying in decades. Eric Bana, Geoffrey Rush + Daniel Craig star.
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Sorrell and Son movie: Adult themes aplenty in father-son drama starring a superlative H.B. Warner. Anna Q. Nilsson, Alice Joyce + Nils Asther costar.
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The Little Foxes (1941) movie review: Bette Davis heads a flawless cast in William Wyler’s masterful adaptation of Lillian Hellman’s stage classic. The Hands That Bilked America: To not choose…
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The Letter 1940 movie: Bette Davis’ outstanding femme fatale in this classic remains one of the most memorable film performances in history.
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Downfall (movie 2004) review: Bruno Ganz Is an unhinged Adolf Hitler and Corinna Harfouch is a coolly deranged Magda Goebbels in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s convoluted WWII drama.
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The Sea Inside (movie 2004) review: Javier Bardem is an inadequate lead in Alejandro Amenábar’s pro-euthanasia melodrama. But the supporting cast is first-rate.
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Yesterday (movie 2004) review: Darrell Roodt’s Oscar-nominated Zululand-set AIDS drama is a must-see partly thanks to a sensational central performance by Leleti Khumalo.
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Finding Neverland (movie 2004) review: Johnny Depp is a lifeless, Disneyfied version of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie in Marc Forster’s feel-good family tragedy.
Alice in Wonderland 2010: Johnny Depp Mad Hatter no help to Tim Burton movie that is a travesty of Lewis Carroll tale. All visuals and no substance.
To Each His Own (movie 1946) review: Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland creates a shrewd portrayal in Mitchell Leisen’s heartfelt melodrama. John Lund costars.
Humoresque (movie 1946) review: Joan Crawford exudes charisma in Jean Negulesco’s stylish but ponderous melodrama. John Garfield costars as violinist lover and protégé.
Three Colors: Red (movie 1994) review: Krzysztof Kieslowski’s brilliant ‘mystical’ romantic drama features outstanding work by Irène Jacob and veteran Jean-Louis Trintignant.
The Devil Wears Prada (movie 2006) review: As an imperial fashion ogress, Meryl Streep is the best thing about David Frankel’s drama. Anne Hathaway and Stanley Tucci costas.
The Letter movie with Jeanne Eagels and Herbert Marshall. The Letter movie (1929) review: Creaky yet a must-see as murderess + adulteress Jeanne Eagels’ sole extant talkie. Having watched William…
Ray (movie 2004) review: Featuring Jamie Foxx in a showy but skin-deep characterization, Taylor Hackford’s uninspired Ray Charles biopic aims for the big bucks.