Dune Can you believe they made a Dune movie AGAIN? And that it turned out THIS good? Jodowosky’s Dune opened my world to the mythos surrounding the book and to Jodorowksy himself. My cultural world was changed after watching that documentary, so of course, after seeing David Lynch’s movie, the idea of a new Dune movie is a loaded proposition to me. What was a good sign was that Denis Villeneuve would be directing. The man has proven himself...
A Clockwork Orange At first, I thought this was going to be a tough review to write. When I first started getting into Kubrick’s movies, I remember really liking A Clockwork Orange but some scenes at the beginning sort of tainted my opinion of the movie. Yep, I’m talking about that scene you’re thinking about, and I really couldn’t think about A Clockwork Orange for years without thinking specifically of that scene. Going through the AFI Top 100 list, I...
The Shawshank Redemption Hello there, dear reader and welcome to another edition of TV Party Tonight! We have several Warner Brothers movies in the chamber and I want to start with the movie I’m most excited to talk about which is the Shawshank Redemption. Why? Because. I’m about to go to bat for this movie and bat HARD. The reason why I think I need to do this is because this movie gets a bad rap, and it kind...
F9: The Fast Saga We love the number 9! If there ever was a global hit franchise, it’s the Fast and the Furious series. They were certainly the underdog at first, but the franchise knew how to play it smart. We’re used to thinking of movie successes as being domestic, but these guys are thinking globally. First off, they knew to include continental superstars which would attract a worldwide audience. Sure, this came out in pandemic times, but it...
Nobody Bob Odenkirk is known as a powerhouse of comedy. Over the past 3 decades he’s been in just about every comedy project worth watching. Few people get the craft quite like him. As someone who had been an underdog through most of his career, it’s been interesting watching him blow up as a serious actor after his role as Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad. Odenkirk is becoming quite the household name. But an action star? Are you serious?...
Jaws45th Anniversary We can argue all night about what the best New England movies are, but for my money nothing comes close to Jaws. OK Second Sight might be a worthy contender, but the sheer terror of Jaws probably still overpowers it. Jaws is one of these movies that terrified us as kids and manages to stay with us in our deep consciousness. And for me, I also grew up on an island with sandy beaches. I’ll let you...
Ghost in the Shell: 4K/Blu-Ray When speaking of classic Japanimation, the words Masamune Shirow and Ghost in the Shell are standards. And if they’re not, they should be, because Ghost in the Shell is one of my favorite movies. Adapted from the masterful mangas (read: Japanese comics) of the same name, Ghost in the Shell is one of those films that has been lingering in my mind ever since I saw it, which last was about 10 years ago. While...
Beverly Hills Cop It’s a weird time to be a fan of movies. Or, more of a catch 22, I should say. With the lockdown we have more time than ever to indulge in new TV Shows or movies, but because of the lockdown, the movie-going business is at a stand-still. We have the time to go see movies, but theatres aren’t open. Or at least, they shouldn’t be. So, movies are either going straight to streaming services or...
Hitchcock Classics Collection I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to watch Hitchcock movies. If you’re familiar with him, you’ll be reminded of why his movies keep standing out after all these years, and if you’ve never watched his movies, prepare for your mind to be blown. I think people often neglect Hitchcock’s early work when they think of his filmography, like Foreign Correspondent or The Lady Vanishes, and think of him as more of a...
Hudson Hawk(Mill Creek Retro VHS) I’d like to take you to a time, 1991, when Bruce Willis was the cats pajamas. By then, he had solidified himself as a bona fide action movie star and a blockbuster artist. It seemed like Willis’ presence in a movie would be enough to carry it. So the man had carte blanche. If he fancied himself a musician, he could be one, and the Return of Bruno (his questionable blues covers album) was a...