By Alan Hurst Sleep Hollow and Dragonwyck are set about 50 years apart but they’re eerily effective in provoking the puritanical, malevolent mood of life along New York’s Hudson River in era’s long gone by. They both tell stories that are influenced by the supernatural and occult. They achieve their visual effects through atmospheric cinematography…
By Marie-Renee Goulet I never much cared for chick flicks. Romantic movies are pernicious. Almost all present an utterly unrealistic set of circumstances that create unattainable expectations by the consumers. The large majority of these movies unfold in a way that would never in a million years happen in real life. However, I sometimes indulge…
By John H. Foote My father introduced me to the original King Kong (1933) when I was a child, and I have been hooked ever since. That classic film has garnered admiration and praise since its release, stirring audiences with its fantastical story of a giant ape smitten by a woman whom he protects from…
By John H. Foote (***) Billy Crystal was never much of an actor. But as Mitch in City Slickers (1991), the sad-eyed father and husband, he was truly brilliant. When his wife tells him to go on a cattle drive with his buddies, that she does not want him in Florida with her, he is…
By John H. Foote (****) Watching the crisp, pristine images on the Criterion Collection’s breathtaking The New World (2005), I can appreciate (with limitations) all the fuss about Terrence Malick. He understands the language of the cinema as well as any director at work today. He is known for his ability to tell his story…
By Craig Leask The Last of Sheila is a brilliantly clever thriller which tries (and succeeds) beautifully in combining the best of a bitchy Hollywood self-satire, mixed with a traditional whodunit. Ultimately the film is tongue in cheek homage to both the murder mystery genre and the cutthroat world of movie making. It’s about playing…
By Marie-Renee Goulet I started this series without realizing it with Contagion (2011) a few months ago. Unfortunately for us, the headlines all seem like the prequel to dystopian movies. THE BILLIONAIRES Billionaires are testing ways to get off Earth while our leaders are mismanaging a pandemic and other issues like drunks trying to pin the…
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 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…