‘Klute’ (1971) a grimy classic of Seventies noir
The ‘paranoia trilogy’ (Movie review): Rightly known for launching a new decade of noir style, Alan J. Pakula’s masterpiece is even more impressive as a romance.
Oscars
‘Klute’ (1971) a grimy classic of Seventies noir
‘The Third Man’ (1949) doesn’t even need a third man to be great
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): Starring Cotten and Welles, this is one of the definitive film noirs, elevated by great dialog and fascinating oddities.
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ goes bananas with character creation
Movie review: Kevin Durand and Peter Macon are especially great as the “Apes” saga launches a new dystopian storyline.
‘A Simple Plan’ (1993, 1998) chillingly shows how easily things can spiral
Book club book report (and movie review): Smith’s book and Raimi’s film show good people’s disturbingly mundane descent into evil.
‘Ghost World’ (2001) gets more substantial on repeat viewings
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): The best movie of the first year of the millennium works on additional levels as time goes by.
‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023) is Japan’s ‘Independence Day’
Movie review: Takashi Yamazaki’s character-driven prequel to 1954’s “Godzilla” illustrates the changing Japanese culture after WWII.
‘Suspicion’ (1941) a lesser companion piece to ‘Rebecca’
On a Hitchcock kick (Movie review): You usually can’t go wrong with Hitchcock, Grant and Fontaine, but “Suspicion” goes a little bit wrong.
Hitchcock’s ‘Lifeboat’ (1944) reminds us that Nazis are evil
On a Hitchcock kick (Movie review): One of Hitchcock’s most stripped-down movies is also among his least surprising.
Hitchcock improves on his own ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ (1934, 1956)
On a Hitchcock kick (Movie reviews): Hitchcock knew a lot more about moviemaking by the time he took a second crack at this story of an average family thrown into international intrigue.
Mix of romance, psychology, mystery leaves a viewer ‘Spellbound’ (1945)
On a Hitchcock kick (Movie review): The chemistry of Bergman and Peck propels this early filmic exploration of the human mind.