By John H. Foote (****) Streaming on Apple Val might be the most compelling documentary I have ever experienced. The film deals with Val Kilmer’s life, moving from his time at the Juilliard School, where he was accepted as the youngest student in their history, through his stage career into movies, his marriage and subsequent…
By Marie- Renee Goulet (*) Why? The sudden loss of Anthony Bourdain by suicide in June 2018 left us all gutted and shocked. Bourdain was a tall, charismatic, and incredibly candid former chef with our dream career. But depression can be debilitating. He was a brilliant writer who did not leave a note. He was…
By John H. Foote (****) In theatres I am astounded by how few films are made from the 13th century tales of Arthur and his knights of the round table and that legendary place called Camelot. There are a few—the musical Camelot (1967) of course, John Boorman’s bloody and brilliant Excalibur (1980) and more recently,…
By John H. Foote (***) In theatres Matt Damon began his career wanting to be more than just a major movie star; he wanted to be an acclaimed actor. His breakthrough came with a trio of films beginning with the war drama Courage Under Fire (1996) for director Edward Zwick, followed by the critically acclaimed…
By John H. Foote (**) In theatres More than 20 years have passed since we were stopped in our tracks with the trailer of Haley Joel Osment whispering with hushed urgency and terror, “I see dead people.” M. Night Shyamalan exploded into the forefront of American film with his extraordinary ghost story The Sixth Sense…
By John H. Foote (****) Limited release in theatres Of the greatest actors to emerge since the 70s – Sean Penn, Denzel Washington, Eric Roberts, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon – the most consistently daring and risk-taking is Nicolas Cage. Over his many years on the screen, he has continued to take risks no other actor…
By John H. Foote (***) Was it ever as good as people thought it was back in 1976? Who can forget that Rocky won the Academy Award for Best Picture over masterpieces of modern cinema such as All the President’s Men, Network and Taxi Driver, all greater films in every way. I was 17 years…
By John H. Foote (***) In Theatres and Streaming Fanboy alert—a new superhero opened, and it is a dandy. Great action sequences, two great performances along with several very good ones (however under-written) and enough high voltage action to be three films. Superheroes are back. This is a sure sign the film industry is back…
By Alan Hurst When I see a trailer or read about a movie featuring a number of female stars from my formative years as a movie goer, I get a little excited and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s the idea that these ladies are still working well into their seventies and eighties, or…
By John H. Foote Martin Scorsese is regarded by many as the greatest filmmaker in history, certainly the greatest living director. He just might be, though I would argue that Steven Spielberg gives him a powerful run for that title. Has Martin Scorsese ever made a truly terrible film? Choosing his 10 best films was…