Bride of Frankenstein: They Belong Dead
Elsa Lanchester and Colin Clive. Photo: Universal Perhaps the filmmakers felt that their original adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" came up short. The 1931 film left out much of the…
Patton: Worrisome Warrior
George C. Scott. Photo: 20th Century Fox When I mentioned on Facebook the other day that I had been watching Patton, a friend of mine at work said that he…
Lawrence of Arabia: Lost in the Sand
Peter O'Toole. Photo: Columbia I regret never having seen this film on a big screen, the kind of epic for which the widescreen format was invented. But it is a…
The Exorcist: Touched by a Demon
Linda Blair. Photo: Warner Today it may be hard to understand the impact The Exorcist had on people upon its release in 1973. The film followed in the footsteps of…
The Dark Knight: Say It With a Smile
Heath Ledger. Photo: Warner "Why so serioussss?", hisses the Joker as he flashes his retarded grin. This is after committing several murders, throwing Gotham City into disarray and before trying…
Empire Strikes Back: Deeper Space
Photo: 20th Century Fox I went back to this old favorite certain that I would be less impressed this time and give it a lower rating. But I’m surprised to…
Brief Encounter: Politely Passionate
Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. Photo: Eagle-Lion The legendary film critic Pauline Kael didn’t seem to care much for this film. Acknowledging it as a “celebrated tearjerker”, she also called…
No Country for Old Men: Blood in the Sand
Javier Bardem. Photo: Miramax When I started reading Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”, it took a while before I was hooked, until the author’s way of conjuring a desolate, bleak future…
Amadeus: The Burden of Mediocrity
Tom Hulce. Photo: Orion Pictures Most of us recognize Antonio Salieri’s feelings. He has worked hard to achieve something, got a good education and managed to become court composer to…
Dr. Strangelove: Bombs Away!
Peter Sellers. Photo: Columbia When Stanley Kubrick decided to turn Peter George’s Cold War novel “Red Alert” into a movie, he must have thought the material was too outrageous to…