By Alan Hurst I readily admit there are a lot of movies I don’t like, some that I’ve fallen asleep watching (yet they still went on to win a Best Picture Oscar) and a few – very few – that I’ve walked out of before they were finished (take that Blair Witch Project). But narrowing…
By Alan Hurst The idea to compile a list of some of the great production numbers from the last 90 or so years (basically since the advent of sound) came to me while watching – yet again – That’s Entertainment! (1974). The success of this documentary took a lot of people by surprise 44 years…
By John H. Foote By the time it had won five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director (Michael Cimino) the backlash against The Deer Hunter (1978) had been going on for several weeks. One of the first films to deal with war in Vietnam and how it impacted men and women who fought…
By John H. Foote At the conclusion of American Graffiti (1973) as the plane carries Curt high into the heavens, college bound, the faces of the characters we have just spent two hours with flash onto the screen, their futures briefly discussed. With melancholy and deep sadness, we learn that one of the friends will…
EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC (1977) By John H. Foote Just eighteen when I saw the film, not yet a film critic but already writing reviews, this was the worst film I had ever seen at that time. Forty-one years have past since seeing the film for the first time, and I have watched it three…
By John H. Foote In the hopes of bringing back young audiences, the Academy, in their infinite wisdom (yep, sarcasm) will add a new category, Most Popular Film. This further dilutes the Best Picture category, as moving from five to up to Ten Best Picture nominees did. The night’s biggest award has become Best Director,…
By Nick Maylor The Dark Knight (2008) recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of its release. A sequel to Batman Begins (2005); the film was directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Although Iron Man (2008) had come out earlier in the year, there was no way of knowing what kind of animal the Marvel Cinematic…
By Alan Hurst The deaths almost two years ago of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds – only one day apart – produced volumes of commentary, career retrospectives and forever enshrined them in a tragic but oddly fitting way. Aside from Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, no other Hollywood mother-daughter were so inextricably linked with each…
By Nick Maylor How can one decide what film truly is the “worst”? Something like The Room (2003) might qualify. Anything made by Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg (or any other hacks) never has the prospect of being good. Maybe something that features quality talent but disappoints and bombs? It’s hard to say. I’ve got…
By John H. Foote Is it possible that a quarter of a century has passed since Schindler’s List (1993) was first seen on the big screen? The film forever altered the career of Steven Spielberg, the academic community’s perception of Spielberg, and the opinion of far to many critics who considered him a director of…