posted "Not quite Hollywood." about Mulholland Dr..   October 07, 2012

Not quite Hollywood.
**** out of ****    After one has seen David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive", the word "Silencio" has become one of the most haunting w …

posted "Still saving Latin. And I still have to ask: what did you ever do?" about Rushmore.   September 16, 2012

Still saving Latin. And I still have to …
**** out of ****    For the longest time after seeing it for the first time, I loved Wes Anderson's "Rushmore" without knowing wha …

posted "Simply classic Alfred Hitchcock. Great stuff." about Rear Window.   August 17, 2012

Simply classic Alfred Hitchcock. Great s …
**** out of ****    **** out of ****    I don't recall ever coming across a house without windows. The window …

posted "Birdemic ain't got nothing on this..." about The Birds.   August 17, 2012

Birdemic ain't got nothing on this...
***1/2 out of ****    It would be too easy writing off Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" as dated or foul. This is the kind of thrill …

posted "Guy Ritchie's envisioning of Holmes." about Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie).   August 17, 2012

Guy Ritchie's envisioning of Holmes.
*** out of ****    Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" stylistically reverses the intentions that we are to expect from both cinematic …

posted "Remake, re-imagining; who cares when the original wasn't even good." about Clash of the Titans (2010).   July 19, 2012

Remake, re-imagining; who cares when the …
*1/2 out of ****    I'm starting to think it's nigh impossible to make a good "Clash of the Titans" movie. The first - and unfortu …

posted "Dated with nothing else relatively worthy on its side." about Clash of the Titans (1981 film).   July 19, 2012

Dated with nothing else relatively worth …
*1/2 out of ****    If an older film can be considered "dated" - even by those who claim to be film aficionados - then was it real …

posted "Still in need of a bigger boat." about Jaws (1975 film).   July 14, 2012

Still in need of a bigger boat.
**** out of ****    The dead body that is discovered washed up on Amity Island's beach in Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" will instantly …

posted "Hey...that weren't me." about Hot Fuzz (2007).   April 11, 2012

Hey...that weren't me.
**** out of ****    Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) finds himself the victim of "for-the-hell-of-it" logic. An intelligent, fast-talki …

posted "That's the truth, Ruth." about Do the Right Thing.   March 21, 2012

That's the truth, Ruth.
**** out of ****    It's the hottest day of the summer in an all-black neighborhood somewhere in Brooklyn. Residents search for be …

posted "A visual feast and emotionally delightful comedy." about Amelie.   November 13, 2011

A visual feast and emotionally delightfu …
**** out of ****     "Amelie" is a brilliant work of cinema that contains one of the most delightful and instantly endearing heroi …

posted "Classic fright/camp film. I loved it." about House on Haunted Hill (1959 film).   October 25, 2011

Classic fright/camp film. I loved it.
**** out of ****     I had no idea that the concepts of Camp had originated from so far back in cinematic time, but "House on Haun …

posted "Sadly disappointing and rather boring." about Scream 3.   October 09, 2011

Sadly disappointing and rather boring.
** out of ****     Plenty of effort went into making "Scream 3". Wes Craven would be my first choice - or at least one of them - w …

posted "Shockingly solid slasher satire sequel." about Scream 2.   October 09, 2011

Shockingly solid slasher satire sequel.
*** out of ****     "Scream 2" is all whimsy, all wit, and all entertainment. I don't find it quite as funny, scary, or unforgetta …

posted "Love hurts; as do painful memories. But we must still cling on to them." about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.   September 17, 2011

Love hurts; as do painful memories. But …
**** out of ****     We remember a lot of good things in life; that, as I believe, is given. We remember because we want to, and b …

posted "The epic of all epics." about Lawrence of Arabia.   August 17, 2011

The epic of all epics.
**** out of ****     I believe that "Lawrence of Arabia"; like "Citizen Kane", "The Godfather", and "Psycho", is a film that you n …

posted "A delightful thriller from the master of suspense, thrills, and even humor; Alfred Hitchcock." about North by Northwest.   June 23, 2011

A delightful thriller from the master of …
**** out of ****     Alfred Hitchcock makes some really fine movies; movies that reach, impact, and give the viewer new ways to lo …

posted "The satisfactory second child." about The Godfather: Part II.   June 23, 2011

The satisfactory second child.
***1/2 out of ****       I think what makes Francis Ford Coppola's "Godfather" films so intriguing is the fact that the …

posted "The fated first-born." about The Godfather.   June 23, 2011

The fated first-born.
**** out of ****     The most overrated word is most definitely "overrated". Recently, I've heard the word been used in the most p …

posted "A gloriously funny satire." about Dogma.   June 09, 2011

A gloriously funny satire.
***1/2 out of ****     I don't understand the controversy behind "Dogma". Here, Kevin Smith has crafted some of the most hilarious …

posted "He just wanted to please momma." about Psycho.   May 31, 2011

He just wanted to please momma.
**** out of ****     Contained within "Psycho" are images that are haunting to this day, and also at the time, quite violent. Cons …

posted "ENGLISH!!" about Pulp Fiction.   May 31, 2011

ENGLISH!!
**** out of ****     If there's anyone to take pop culture and flip it to a whole other side, it's Quentin Tarantino. In a world o …

posted "Gondry at gun-point." about The Green Hornet (2011 film).   May 28, 2011

Gondry at gun-point.
*1/2 out of ****     As a superhero movie, directed by Michel Gondry, and written by Seth Rogen; "The Green Hornet" really pisses …

posted "Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone." about Oldboy.   May 23, 2011

Laugh, and the world laughs with you. We …
**** out of ****     Few films go as in-depth into the concept of revenge as Park Chan-Wook's "Oldboy" does. There are so many rev …

posted "The Spanish spirit in the hall." about The Orphanage.   May 17, 2011

The Spanish spirit in the hall.
**** out of ****     We ask a lot out of the horror genre and the filmmakers involved, and often get nothing in return. Remakes ar …

posted "Well, I guess it's alive." about Cloverfield.   May 17, 2011

Well, I guess it's alive.
***1/2 out of ****     I've gotten tired of the gimmicky "found-footage" style of filmmaking, especially in horror films. I love t …

posted "Polanski does it again." about Repulsion.   April 29, 2011

Polanski does it again.
**** out of ****     Every good filmmaker knows that black-and-white photography equals instant surrealism, as long as that's what …

posted ""The only one standing in your way is you."" about Black Swan (2010 film).   April 16, 2011

"The only one standing in your way is yo …
**** out of ****       "Black Swan" is a paragon of psychological filmmaking; a wild melodrama, which was simply made fo …

posted "A charming, if minor, Hollywood classic that embraces the irresistable charm of the classic drunk." about Arthur (Original 1981 movie).   April 10, 2011

A charming, if minor, Hollywood classic …
***1/2 out of ****     How can you like a bumbling, man-child drunk such as Arthur? I too asked myself the same question. But then …

posted "Bring Whoopie Coushions, and take many bathroom breaks." about A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010 movie).   March 23, 2011

Bring Whoopie Coushions, and take many b …
* out of ****     The remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is a mad failure of a horror film; a horror movie trying to seduce us …