By John H. Foote (****) The greatest films of divorce are often demanding, difficult films that have the courage to ask the audience not to take a side. Yet as great as An Unmarried Woman (1978), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Shoot the Moon (1982) are superb films, a side is usually taken, we are…
By John H. Foote (**) Adventure films are often dazzling visual treats for the audience. Consider the Indiana Jones tetralogy, beautiful films all, with splendid production design, exotic lavish locations, and constant motion driving the non stop narrative. Even if the film is more cerebral, such as John Houston’s soaring epic The Man Who Would…
By John H. Foote (****) I loved every second of this magical film. No humbug here folks, this was pure enchantment. Though The Polar Express has its detractors, humbugs among us, I thought director Robert Zemeckis, his computer artists, his sound and sound engineers, editors, cinematographers, musicians and songwriters, designers, and his wonderful actors captured…
By John H. Foote The unpredictable New York Film Critics Circle announced their awards today, once again surprising us with some of their choices. The Irishman won the Best Picture Award from the New York Film Critics, the most prestigious of the Critics groups passing out year-end awards. This marks the second consecutive year that…
By John H. Foote (***) Every once in a while a film slips by me, through the cracks as it will, and I end up catching up with it on Blu Ray to be very surprised. This is such a film. An original, striking, genuinely frightening horror film, the picture is anchored by a sensational…
By John H. Foote Martin Scorsese’s masterful crime epic The Irishman won Best Picture today from the National Board of Review. The film also won for its screenplay and the Icon Award for Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Adam Sandler won Best Actor for his feverish high wire act in Uncut Gems, while…
By John H. Foote (*) Given my deep dislike for the Disney Studios and their “suits” one might think I am the wrong person to review their films. Believe it or not I am able to distance myself from the powers that be and be fair and impartial to all their films. While I loathe…
By John H. Foote (***) In the early eighties the most exciting new actors in movies were Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, William Hurt, and Robin Williams. By the end of the decade, Williams was working steady, doing impressive work consistently. Hurt, having won an Oscar and three consecutive nominations could not draw an audience, while…
By John H. Foote On May 31, next year Clint Eastwood, two-time Academy Award winning Director, two-time Academy Award winning producer, two-time DGA winner and twice nominated for Best Actor turns 90. 90! His new film Richard Jewell is another superbly crafted example of cinematic storytelling, which Eastwood mastered four decades ago. And once again…
By John H. Foote (***) One of the most intensely controversial and criminally under appreciated films of the eighties finally makes its way to Blu Ray. Cruising, perhaps the last great film from Academy Award winning director William Friedkin, has been released leaving a handful of seventies films including the searing Looking for Mr. Goodbar…