The Martian: Left Behind

Matt Damon. Photo: 20th Century Fox If you’ve ever been to Wadi Rum in Jordan, you’ve been to Mars. The valley has been Hollywood’s favorite location for movies set on…

Black Mass 

In the late 1970s, the FBI makes a deal with up-and-coming Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp); in exchange for information on his rivals, the authorities turn a blind…

The Patriot 

In 1780, South Carolina widower Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is drawn into the Revolutionary War when the British murder one of his sons and set his home on fire. When…

Intermezzo 

Famous concert violinist Holger Brandt (Gösta Ekman) falls in love with his young daughter’s gifted piano teacher (Ingrid Bergman). The director was recognized internationally for this film, which introduced Bergman…

Out of Africa 

In the 1910s, Karen (Meryl Streep) marries a Danish nobleman (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and they move to British East Africa to start a farm; she also befriends a handsome big-game…

Stand by Me 

In 1959, four Oregon boys hear about an older boy who was supposedly killed by a train somewhere in the woods, and head out to try to find the body……

Mad Men: A Love Letter Laced With Acid

Photo: AMC Walking down Madison Avenue in New York City is a dream where you can fantasize about the glamorous lives of those who work inside the tall buildings. But…

Whiplash: Blood, Sweat and Tears

J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller. Photo: Sony Pictures Classics Famous jazz drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich had a short temper. His outbursts were caught in secret recordings made in the…

Lost Weekend: Life in a Bottle

Ray Milland. Photo: Paramount The story of The Lost Weekend didn’t start out too well. Audiences laughed during the first preview in Santa Barbara, and some wrote on their cards…

The Passion of the Christ 

One can’t help but admire how Mel Gibson made this ridiculed project into the most talked about movie of the year, and a box office hit to boot. The religious…