Guide for the Film Fanatic

Great, campy fun. Gruesome deaths (including a great new reason to hate brussel sprouts), tongue-in-cheek dialogue, and Vincent Price and Joe Cotten. Dr. Phibes is the original Jigsaw (of the "Saw" flicks), with a lot more flair. I doubt you're ever going to see death by unicorn in any other horror flick.

Solid, gritty crime drama PACKED with great performances. James Whitmore and Sterling Hayden stand out as down on their luck criminals, violence seething underneath them, but yet will go out of their way to feed a stray cat or provide a safe haven for a wayward dame. Sam Jaffe is great, and a young Marilyn Monroe is absolutely stunning. It's very clear why she became such a huge star from her small role in this. A dark, gripping heist story with a beautiful ending. As a fan of noir flicks, this is an excellent addition.

One of my favorite movie musicals ever. Not as complex as the BBC mini-series it's based on (starring the best actor EVER, Bob Hoskins), but it stands up great on its own. It's unlike any musical I'd ever seen, none of the characters actually singing, but rather lip-synching old standards from the Depression era. And the story is pretty damn bleak for a movie musical. The musical numbers are some of the best, most visually exciting this side of "Singin' in the Rain" and "Moulin Rouge!" You could tell Steve Martin was trying to break free from his "wild and crazy" persona on this one, playing a fairly unlikeable cad who you still somehow find yourself rooting for. Bernadette Peters is cute as a button, particularly in her "Love is Good for Anything" number, and Christopher Walken. . .oh Christopher Walken. His striptease routine is one of those rare screen gems that more people should see but haven't. This one belongs with modern musicals like "Dancer in the Dark" and "Once", taking the audience's expectations of what a musical is and turning it on its ear.

Blech. When Peter Sellers is on the screen, there's a laugh or two guaranteed. Unfortunately, Sellers is woefully underused in this first installment. There's far too much time spent on David Niven and Robert Wagner's characters, both of whom are completely uninteresting, as is the plot to steal the Pink Panther. Skip this one and head on to "A Shot in the Dark" and the rest of the series to truly appreciate Sellers' talents.

Come back, Vincent! After watching "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" double feature, and thoroughly enjoying both of them, I decided to take another Vincent Price horrorfest out for a spin. And I'm glad I did! "Theater of Blood" is basically a remake of "Abominable", only this time VP is bumping off arrogant theater critics rather than arrogant doctors. "Theater" is "Saw" for the intellectual set, with Price designing elaborate deaths based on various Shakespeare plays such as Richard III and The Merchant of Venice. High-minded and high camp, you can tell Price is relishing his role, getting to play so many different classic Shakespearean roles AND getting to dispose of theater critics in very gruesome ways. Plus Diana Rigg's in it. Growr. Too bad about the poodles, though.

I typically shy away from silent dramas. Silent comedies tend to translate well to a "modern sensibility", but in my experience, it's generally not the case for dramas. Too much overacting for me to really immerse myself in the story. But "Greed" is a rare exeption, and is in fact one of the better movies I've seen. Von Stroheim is a masterful director, getting the most out of both his actors and his locations. Gibson Gowland is fascinating to watch; his physical power leaps off the screen, and he has a fascinating, expressive face. At over two hours (cut down from an original nine), the story never slowed, and the ending was good and bleak. Highly, highly recommended.

Rented this on a whim a few years ago after a suggestion from a coworker. Since then, it's become one of my favorite movies. David Byrne is such a gentle, sweet-natured narrator, and all the characters are so darn cute and likeable, you can't not smile when you're watching this. Plus you can't beat Talking Heads music. An odd, funny, wonderful little flick.

Solid '50's sci-fi. I actually prefer the paranoia of John Carpenter's remake, but this one was entertaining throughout. And I have to say, there aren't many monster flicks from the era that actually produced a legitimate scare for me, but this one had a great one that made me jump. Keep watching the skies!

What a great movie! Having watched "Greed" last weekend, this was the antithesis of it. Where "Greed" was cynical and bleak, "The Crowd" is hopeful and triumphant. While made nearly 80 years ago, the story holds up unbelievably well. The relationship between Johnny and Mary is as authentic if not more so than many screen couplings today. It's a pretty basic story, boy meets girl, they get married, have kids, struggle with tragedy and finances and everything a typical family still struggles with today. And it's all done with a perfect blend of humor and drama. I've been pretty reluctant to watch silent dramas as many that I've seen have been a bit too over the top, but having seen two amazing ones in a row, I'm happily surprised to find such cinematic treats!

I am really digging these American International exploitation flicks! "Last Man on Earth" is a pretty faithful adaptation of Richard Matheson's excellent story "I Am Legend". Vincent Price is great as ever as Robert Morgan, the only survivor of a plague that turns its victims into vampires. I read somewhere that George Romero was greatly influenced by this flick when making "Night of the Living Dead", and you can definitely see how that might be the case, especially the shots of the vampires trying to get into the house. Some very creepy dialogue, including Price's former best friend moaning for him to come out to see him, and "Let me in" whispered over and over by a certain someone (I won't give it away, it creeped me out in the book, and it's just as chilling in the film). Solid end of the world entertainment.

"Panic" is a great post-apocalyptic paranoid nuclear fantasy. You can't beat a nuclear war flick that's got Frankie Avalon in it! It's actually a pretty tense story, or at least it would be if they didn't daddy-o beach party music playing during all the action sequences. Were it not for the music, this would be a pretty solid B-movie drama, but it's hard to take things too seriously when you're waiting for Frankie and Ray to drop their rifles and start doing the Watusi.

Not so much a remake of "The Thing From Another World" as an alternative sequel had the original crew not fared so well. This is truly a horror classic, and while the ground-breaking special effects make it so, it's really the story of twelve men stuck in an isolated outpost not knowing who among them has a monster lurking within them. A taut, tense tale, with some truly horrifying scenes of the Thing itself. Kurt Russell makes a great ignoble hero, and he leads a great cast. Keith David and Wilford Brimley in particular shine as men on the verge, one barely containing his rage, the other barely containing his sanity. One of a select few horror movies that has a satisfying story and a killer ending.

inTENSE! Any time you get Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, and Louis Gossett, Jr. in the same room together, watch out. This was just mesmerising to watch; there was an energy coursing through every scene and every actor/actress that kept you riveted to the screen, which is especially impressive since the majority of the film takes place in one room of the family's small apartment. For all intents and purposes, you are basically watching a stage play, and that immediacy comes through loud and clear. Strikingly ahead of its time, with discussions of feminism, abortion, and equal rights, this is a must-see powerhouse of a drama.

Awesome hard-edged Billy Wilder flick, cynical as hell, with great dialogue. Kirk Douglas chews through every bit of scenery. Sadly, over 50 years later, the story is every bit as relevant as it was when it was made. Thousands of people camp outside the mine, the level of absurdity getting so bad that a carnival comes in replete with a Ferris wheel, all while Douglas' character Tatum milks the miner's tragedy for all its worth. Like "Network", this one's a scathing indictment not just on the field of journalism, but on all of us who consume its sensationalism. In an age where Britney Spears' custody battles and Lindsay Lohan's trips to rehab are considered "news", this one hits right on the money.

I've been meaning to watch this for years after Stephen King recommended it in his book "Danse Macabre". A great premise: Ray Milland experiments with hormones to increase his eyesight to superhuman abilities and succeeds far beyond his greatest dreams (and nightmares! bwoohahahaaa!). Campy fun with some creepy music and pretty passable special effects for the time, but it's the very end that you have to stick around for. King described it in his book, and he definitely did it justice. Corman tapped into something pretty horrifying here; I'd love to see the idea explored again, preferrably in a sci-fi remake without Will Smith or Nicolas Cage attached (actually, come to think of it, Cage could probably camp it up to great effect).

What a wonderful movie! This one defines "feel-good". Everyone in this was outstanding. I don't think I've ever wanted two characters to get together more than I have Keri Russell and Nathan Filion's. Andy Griffith was charming and greatly cast against type as a bit of a grump, Jeremy Sisto was just mean enough so that you disliked him and there was an undercurrent of danger but not so much as to darken the story, and Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Shelly were absolutely wonderful as Russell's fellow waitresses. Eddie Jemison also shined as Ogie, he was absolutely hilarious. And don't forget the pies, they looked so yummy. Shelly's death was a horrible tragedy, but I can't think of a better memorial than this sweet, funny movie. She did an amazing job as writer and director; I was smiling the whole time. Really, really wonderful!

Read the book first. Seriously. I'm glad I did. This is a great film, but I can understand why it got such a critical lambasting when it came out. The book is a wonderfully complex story filled with political intrigue, religious mysticism, and planetary ecology. And that's a pretty heady mix for any movie. Lynch does a great job in adapting it into a screenplay, but because of the book's complex nature, it's understandable why the uninitiated would be pretty much completely lost as to what the hell is going on in the movie. But if you HAVE read the book, this is a great adaptation. Considering this is David Lynch, he took very few liberties with the story; this is a pretty doggone faithful adaptation, even including the nature of the Voice power. The second half does tend to speed through a lot of major events pretty quickly, but at the same time, I don't know that anyone but Lynch could capture the cosmic intrigue of Paul's transformation into the Arrakis messiah. The one major, MAJOR shift away from the book is the milking of the cat. Seriously, that came out of nowhere. Bless your heart, David Lynch. One thing I really enjoyed as I was watching this was imagining those that hadn't read the book watching this in jaw-dropped confusion, trying to figure out what the hell all this reference to "the spice is the worm" is all about and why the hell that guy had to milk a cat (all right, I'm still trying to figure out the cat thing). You go, David Lynch!

For a movie about a guy who made up some basically innocuous stories, this one was pretty intense. And all of it due to some outstanding performances. Since his big break on "Attack of the Clones" and subsequent films like "Life as a House", Hayden Christensen has perfected whiny unpleasantness, which is exactly what Stephen Glass is all about. You can completely understand why he duped so many people. His false modesty and "niceness" was the perfect cover for a compulsion to lie that is pretty astounding. To really appreciate Christensen's performance, check out the 60 Minutes Glass interview included as a bonus feature. His false sincerity is just as grating in real life as it is in the movie. Other stand-out performances by Hank Azaria, Steve Zahn, and Chloe Sevigny, but the other real heavy hitter in this is Peter Sarsgaard. The more movies of his I watch, the more I like him. He has a very understated style which has served him well in his roles, and this is no exception, playing an editor who has to juggle personal responsibilites, office politics, and a scandal that is likely to ruin a respected magazine. You can see the strain and immense pressure he's under in every scene. A smart, tense drama.

"Sherlock, Jr.", on the other hand, is not only hilarious but brilliant filmmaking. The scene where Buster gets trapped inside a movie showing at the theater is technically amazing and shows that Keaton had a wonderful grasp on the magic of what film can do. Beyond that, the various comedy bits are still funny after all this time, and Keaton's sense of timing is physically breathtaking. This would be a great introduction to anyone not familiar with how wonderful (and funny) silent comedies can be.

About 20 minutes into this movie, I wondered why I started watching it. Not because it was bad, but because it was damn scary. I'm a huge baby when it comes to scary movies, and if it's even remotely frightening, I'm generally hiding under the couch for most of the flick. This would be one of those couch-hidin' movies. Medak is not about the cheap scare. This is all about mood and location and camera angles, all combining to make for a real sense of dread as George C. Scott starts to realize that the house he's rented has a big problem. It's a great scary story, and leave it to a late '70's/early '80's flick to incorporate "Excorsist"-style horror with "All the President's Men"-style political conspiracy. A great creepy ghost story. I wouldn't recommend watching it in a big, empty house unless your ticker's in good shape.

The Coen brothers have made an excellent noir film in a style that only the Coen brothers could create. This really did feel like a noir crime thriller from the '50's; the tone, the style, the dialogue, all of it was very in tune with what I love about noir films (with the addition of a few minor scenes that never would have gotten past the ratings board back in the day). And of course only the Coens would come up with a crime that involves dry cleaning and unidentified flying objects. The use of shadows and light is some of the best I've seen in a black and white movie; the scene in the prison where the lawyer reveals his strategy based on German scientific theory is just beautiful. And the cast is top-notch. The more I see of Billy Bob Thornton, the more I've really come to appreciate his talent, and his understated performance here is superb. Frances McDormand is great as always, and Tony Shalhoub, one of my absolute favorites, is his usual wonderful self. If you would have told me this was a remake of some classic flick starring Montgomery Clift in the Billy Bob role and Tony Curtis in the Shalhoub role, I'd totally believe it. This really does feel like a classic noir movie. In fact, this IS a classic noir film. If you're a fan of the genre, this is one of the best.

If you only know Andy Griffith from "The Andy Griffith Show", you're in for a treat. Lonesome Rhodes is like Sheriff Andy's evil twin, still with that aw-shucks demeanor, only it's just a facade to hide a power-hungry madman. This movie's eerily prescient of the public's embracing of celebrity over substance, the glorifying of demagogues like Oprah and O'Reilly, and the public meltdown when the facade slips and the real man slips out (a la Michael Richards and Trent Lott). Lonesome Rhodes is a folksier, more sinister, more manipulative Howard Beale: recognizing the power he holds over his audience, but unlike Beale, not believing a word that comes out of his mouth. Andy Griffith gives an amazing performance, as does Patricia Neal and a young, surprisingly suave Walter Matthau. A pretty scathing commentary on the public's obsession with "celebrities" with no discernible talents and the danger of mixing television with politics. Considering we're living in the age of Paris Hilton and the Swift Boat Veterans, this one could just as well have been made this year.

Ever since I read "Old Yeller" as a kid, I was horrified by the tale Bud Searcy told in the book about a guy who got the "hydrophoby" and chained himself to a tree so he wouldn't attack his family. So I was looking forward to watching this one with a macabre fascination; facing my fears, if you will. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. Overall, this was a basic variation on your typical zombie movie. The rabies angle wasn't really explored. However, this is a David Cronenberg film, so it's still well done, and the nature of how Rose transmits the virus is. . .well. . .it's unique. As well as disturbing in a Cronenbergian sexually disturbing way. Since watching this, I did a little reading up on Cronenberg's work and came across the term "venereal horror" to describe his style. That sums it up pretty nicely. Using a porn star as the carrier of a highly contagious disease that turns the infected into foaming, raging maniacs; if that ain't a metaphor, I don't know what is. Not as good as I'd hoped, but still entertaining, with some amusing moments involving Santa, windshield wipers, and leather pants.

Um. . .Hm. Great performances all around. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has made a successful transition from child actor to just a great actor. This is not a film for the faint of heart. It's a very graphic, very disturbing look at pedophilia and the havoc it wreaks. Not fun to watch, but it's also not sensationalised. Your heart will break for the two boys, and will, hopefully, fill you with anger at what was done to them. That's about all there is to say; this was a tough one.

Decent melodrama/noir flick, but in my opinion, there were at least two more people who should have gotten pumped full of lead besides Mildred's second husband (don't worry, I'm not giving anything away). The main reason to watch this one is Eve Arden. She's a cynical, wise-cracking dame who got a chuckle out of me every time she was on screen. It was a nice contrast to the wolves, dishrags, and other assorted unpleasant characters who rounded out the story.

John Sayles is great. Only he would write a movie about a giant alligator living in the sewers that was also a sly commentary on classism, vivisection, and environmental pollution. This is a tongue-in-cheek monster flick (the first victim is a sewer worker named Edward Norton, if that gives you a clue as to the wink-winkness of the story). Robert Forster is fun to watch, as usual, even poking fun at his own male pattern baldness, not something you're likely to see with too many action heroes. The alligator itself is pretty realistic looking, and Harry Silva is fun as the "great white hunter" who's replaced hunting on the savannah with hunting in the ghettos of Chicago, replete with his own "natives" (another nice touch by Sayles). You can't beat a flick that lets a giant alligator loose at a garden party. Amusing, cheesy stuff.

Absolutely hilarious. The Kerrigan family is now one of my favorite screen families. Working-class, down-to-earth, and happy with the simple things. Michael Caton is spot-on as the patriarch who adores his kin, and their love for each other rubbed off on me within the first five minutes. A great David vs Goliath story with genuine, heartfelt laughs throughout. Good on you, Darryl!

Beautiful, bleak, haunting, and uplifting. It's really exciting to watch a silent film in its earlier stages directed by an auteur who really understands the visual power of cinema. This is one of the best silent films I've seen. There are few title cards, proof how well Murnau knew how to tell a story visually, and those title cards that are there are as stylized as much of the rest of the movie (the title card where O'Brien's mistress suggests drowning his wife is particularly effective). The story itself is simple and wonderful, a tale of lust, love and redemption. There are so many striking visuals in this movie, it really is amazing. The scene of O'Brien agonizing over his decision in his bedroom, images of his mistress squeezing and tempting him, the sight of bulrushes on water, the marvelous shots of the city: this is truly a work of art. And there is some great humor in this as well, to balance out some pretty dark themes, including drunken pigs and unruly shoulder straps. Wonderful film and highly recommended!

"Last Tango in Paris" with Nazis. This is about the most sexually provocative and disturbing movie I've yet come across. Charlotte Rampling is stunning, both physically and emotionally. The sexual dynamics between the two main characters are thought-provoking, to say the least. Wouldn't recommend this to just anyone, but if you're up for a challenging movie, this is a great one to wrap your noggin around.

A rare firsthand, personalized look into what it was like to be around the private Hitler. And after having watched so many documentaries about the Nazis rise to power, so many interviews with former cogs in the German machine, it is a relief to listen to someone who was involved, however peripherally, express remorse and guilt for what happened. In a way, it's actually a bit infuriating that a woman who was no more than a girl taking innocuous dictation expresses more sadness for what happened than the guards and officers who actually committed the atrocious acts of the Holocaust, but it still provides a glimmer of hope for human nature. This is a very bare-bones documentary, just an hour and a half of an old woman recounting her time as one of Hitler's personal secretaries, but it's of course a fascinating story nonetheless. Frau Junge brings up some vivid memories, many of them jarring, such as Hitler cuddling a puppy or Eva Braun insisting on getting a statue of a nymph as Berlin falls down around her. A great addition to the film documentation of the Nazi regime.

Action-tastic! The Bourne movies have been consistently top-notch action entertainment, and this is a great conclusion (?) to the trilogy. The plot's as tight as the last two, but really, who cares? I'm there to watch Jason Bourne evade, outmanuever, and kick ass. Which he does to great effect. The action scenes here are intense, and while the car chase in "Supremacy" was still the best car chase scene I've seen next to those in "Ronin" and "The French Connection", there are two nail-biters here as well, not to mention THE most intense hand-to-hand fight scene I've seen probably ever. I love watching this dude come up with weapons and decoys on the fly. He's like a deadly version of MacGyver without the big hair. Plus an excellent cast including David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Scott Glenn and Albert teh awesome Finney. A great action flick where you don't even have to check your brain at the door.

Yikes. Artful and terrifying. Aesthetically, this is a great-looking movie. Shots of Hitler walking down a long walkway for von Hindenburg's memorial, surrounded by hundreds of soldiers in perfect square formations are pretty stunning to look at. Of course, ethically and morally, this is a pretty terrifying film. Numerous shots of beaming men, women, and children near ecstasy as they get a glimpse of their Fuhrer, the cult-like presentation by the laborers with their creepily happy chant leader, thousands of Germans enthusiastically shouting "Seig Heil!" and of course Adolf himself raving at the mike. Yikes. It's an important film to watch both for its effectiveness and its historical significance, and seen through those lenses, it is shrouded with a sense of foreboding at what will shortly follow this glorification of the Nazi party.

"I want all child of world to be happy. I just don't know how to do it." These are the words of a Russian pilot who flies 500 tons of Nile perch out of Mwanza airport while the local residents starve to death. And that basically sums up this movie. The situation around Lake Victoria in Tanzania is one giant cluster. A huge fish not native to the lake has killed off every other fish and now eats its own young. Meanwhile, the locals starve, subsisting on the heads of these fish while the choice cuts get shipped off to Europe. HIV and AIDS run rampant, orphans huff melted fish packaging, and women prostitute themselves to survive. And local politicians complain that they need more positive images of their country to be exported rather than focusing on the problems at hand and European Union representatives are either woefully or willfully ignorant of the situation. It's a frustrating film to watch as it seems like things are so messed up that there doesn't seem to be any possible solution. A great documentary, just unbelievably bleak. Side note: best to watch this with complete English subtitles as the English accents are many times so thick as to be nearly unintelligible.

Bright, beautiful, bittersweet, and bon. Maybe call this a pop opera? All of the dialogue is sung, and the subject matter includes war, sex, and lost love: everything you need for a good musical. Catherine Deneuve is gorgeous in this, the music is great, but this isn't a musical like any I've seen. There are no "numbers" breaking up the action, it's all just musical dialogue. It's a beautiful movie to look at, too. The restored version has colors that just pop out of the screen. A great filmic experiment that resoundingly succeeds.

Hysterically bad. At this point, I don't know that I'll be able to see a Vincent Price flick that I WON'T like. No matter what role he plays, he's got this hulking, creepy dignity about him with that distinct voice, he's just fascinating to watch. This one's good for a chuckle, which I did the whole way through. With lines like "You seem upset, Nora. May I interest you in a sedative?" and "All husbands have wanted to murder their wives at one time or another", that should give you an idea the kind of movie you're dealing with. By the time the skeleton shows up, the camp factor has gone off the scale. It's a short, non-scary fun flick. My only complaint, we don't get the original effect of Emergo, the ghost that flew across the audience when this one originally played at theaters. Oh, well, you still get to see a guy in a suit casually trotting down a hallway with a severed head in his hand. You gotta love William Castle.

Wow! Great musical! The story on this one is really incidental, it's the performances that you'll really want to see. And they are amazing performances. Lena Horne is stunning, Bill Robinson is great, Cab Calloway and Fats Waller are joys to watch and listen to. But it's the Nicholas Brothers who absolutely steal the show. Their dance number is truly a grand finale. I actually clapped for them when they were done, it was that amazing.

I think what I like most about this movie is that Kate Winslet followed up her phenomenal success with "Titanic" with this so un-"Titanic" role in a very un-"Titanic" movie. This isn't a Hollywood film. The plot structure's pretty loose, the characters are pretty complex, and even the subject matter is pretty non-mainstream. What is great about Winslet is that with her charm and natural beauty, she can make a questionably unlikeable character likeable. As a mother dragging her kids through Morocco as she tries to "find herself", this role could very well have painted the mother in a selfish, wreckless light. But through a strong script and great work by Winslet, it doesn't come off that way. I didn't necessarily agree with her way of life, but I also felt that she had good intentions both for herself and her children. And the two little girls pretty much define "precocious". The shots of Morocco are pretty to look at, as well. If you're a Kate Winslet fan, definitely worth a look.

God, I love this movie! It never fails to reduce me to a blubbering idiot several times throughout the movie, and by the time we hit the finale in the Bailey living room, I'm a wreck. George and Mary Bailey are the perfect screen couple, not sickeningly cute, with a small wry streak but basically two decent people who are perfect for each other. It's sentimental, but never really sappy, mostly because Stewart's portrayal of George Bailey has a bit of a dark streak in him. He gets angry, he lashes out, he can be bitter about his life. In short, he's a good ol' American human being, and it's that performance that anchors this one in enough reality to keep this from being eye-rollingly sappy. A truly timeless classic; in my humble opinion, one of the best movies ever made.

Whew. Talk about exhaustive. Absolutely gorgeous movie. The scenes of the emperor as a young boy really feel like they take place in another world. There was so much attention to detail here that I felt kept at an emotional distance from the main characters, but regardless, it still definitely deserved all the awards it got. The story is a fascinating one, watching a boy go from ruling a kingdom to merely a tourist at his own palace. The final scene really brought out the significance (and also, contrastedly, insignificance) of the last emperor's life. I wouldn't watch it for the emotional impact, but for the amazing production itself. And take a bathroom back. Kidneys weren't made for 3 1/2 hour epics.

The Coen brothers really know how to breathe life into old genres. Whereas "The Man Who Wasn't There" brought a new perspective to noir, "Miller's Crossing" is a refreshing take on '30's gangster films. A smart script, a great cast, and lots of hat symbolism (maybe because Byrne's character wears many hats?). Jon Polito especially stands out as the Italian gangster who can't stand getting handed the high hat and is obsessed with being an ethical mobster. Marcia Gay Harden also does a great job; her characters tend to be pretty fragile and/or neurotic, but here she's a tough-as-nails moll. A great film for Coen fans and gangster flick fans alike.

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"-lite. A serviceable drama, some good moments here and there, but overall I felt I'd seen all this before in other movies. There weren't any deep moments of insight and no real surprises. Definitely Angelina Jolie's best role, though, and Vanessa Regrave was great as always.

I wouldn't recommend this to just anyone; this is a movie for pretty hardcore film lovers. It's a very slow, beautifully composed film that follows the life of a family in Taiwan through the course of a year. The shots themselves are beautifully arranged. There is very little camera movement, mostly static shots with long takes, but composed in such a way that they make ordinary places like living rooms and hallways lovely to look at. My only complaint is that it felt like all the characters were kept at a distance from us. With the exception of the mother's frustration with not know what to say to her mother, all of the emotional scenes are shot from long shot, and in some cases with the characters' backs to us, so we're never really let in and must watch as mere voyeurs. And while there was some humor throughout, all of it very sly and subtle, besides A-Di everyone was so unbelievably somber throughout, even little Yang Yang, who delivered some funny lines with Buster Keaton seriousness. There were no moments of genuine happiness and laughter, every smile and chuckle tinged with sadness and regret. Still and all, an artfully contructed film that's worth the experience.

Great drama about the complications of love, sex, and class in Britain. Laurence Harvey has the rakish, smoldering confidence of a young William Holden, and Simone Signoret, who resembles Gena Rowlands, is at once both confident and vulnerable. While Harvey's character Joe makes quite a few questionable moves to better himself, because all the upper crust he's trying to join are such self-righteous, pompous, sneering prigs, you still root for him. He's the lesser of two evils, though what that costs him is the heart of the story. Intelligent drama for adults, could very well have been made yesterday with its modern look at adult relationships.

Good concept here. An abandoned police station under siege by a murderous street gang, all forms of communication shut down so that the few police, civilians, and prisoners are cut off from the rest of the world in the middle of a city, a fact that is lamented several times by police lieutenant Bishop throughout the movie. This actually reminded me a lot of "Night of the Living Dead", except that instead of zombies trying to break in, we have gang members. And we've got a bunch of strangers trapped together and fighting to stay alive in a rapidly deteriorating shelter. So considering all of those great elements, I thought I'd like this more than I did. The low budget probably hindered a lot of this, but none of these concepts were really explored to their fullest. It was a slow build-up to the siege itself, the attacks themselves feel a bit anticlimactic each time, and there's no real internal conflicts amongst the characters. With "Night", the best conflicts weren't the ones between the humans and the zombies, but between the strong personalities clashing within the walls of the farmhouse. This one lacked that, and fell a bit flat because of it. Entertaining enough, I was just expecting to enjoy it more than I did.

Much less straightforward narrative than "World of Apu" (haven't seen "Aparajito" yet), but great movie nonetheless. A very slice-of-life story that moves at its own pace, full of the subtle sadness, humor, and fear that make up the human condition.

To quote Donald Rumsfeld: "You fight with the army you have, not the army you wish you had." That pretty much sums up "Pork Chop Hill", an effective war movie chronicling the taking of the hill during the Korean War. Very frustrating to watch as Gregory Peck and his soldiers have to deal with bad communication, not enough troops, and the fact that they could very well be the last ones to die as the U.S. and China negotiate for a truce. Some great young talent of the day pop up, including Martin Landau, Robert Blake, and Harry Dean Stanton (and Norman Fell. I saw that Rip Torn and Gavin MacLeod were in it as well, but I didn't recognize them in the movie). One of the better war movies of its time with some memorable images, such as soldiers slowly ascending the hill as the Chinese play "Taps" over loudspeakers.

Excellent war flick with a very young Michael Caine playing a soft-spoken, veddah British soldier, a side of him I've yet to see on screen. Considering the amount of bloodshed this tale involves, this was pretty bloodless in terms of what we see on-screen. Would love to see a re-telling of this that shows how horrific the carnage actually was; as it is, it feels much more like a video game, each side inflicting bloodless casualties. Very interesting to watch the "civilized" British deal with the Zulu's effective military strategies. Will be seeking out "Zulu Dawn" now as it covers the British defeat leading up to this story.

I was going to give this three stars as it's an entertaining and interesting film for its day, full of some great cinematography. But after reading a bit more on it, specifically that this was a veiled metaphor representing Russia's strength to withstand Hitler and his German scourge, in that historical context it's an even more interesting film. There's a parallel here between this and "Triumph of the Will", in that both are propaganda pieces espousing the courage and unconquerable spirit of their respective peoples. Well worth a watch for its historical significance both in terms of the rise of the Third Reich and its place as a classic of Russian cinema.

Probably the weakest of the trilogy, but a weak classic is still a classic. Ray's storytelling style seems to reflect Apu as he grows up. In "Pather Panchali", the narrative was very slice-of-life, moving at its own pace, much like Apu as a child. In "World of Apu", the plot was much more structured as we follow Apu into adulthood. "Aparajito" seems to straddle both these styles, starting out much more leisurely as we follow Apu at ten and becoming more structured as he heads off to college. A good second act in the life of Apu Roy, though it ends a bit abruptly.

They just don't make political thrillers like they used to. A big ol' middle finger to the Warren Commission and the single gunman theory in the JFK assassination. Tense, intelligent thriller with great performances by Warren Beatty and Hume Cronyn, and like a lot of the great movies of the '70's, leaves you depressed and cynical as hell.

I watched this while fighting the flu, so that may color my review, but I wasn't blown away by this one. The plot is basically "Talk, talk, fight, fight", rinse, repeat. But the cinematography is beautiful, and the martial arts scenes are pretty cool. Definitely worth it for the visuals alone.

Cheesy Elvis goodness. Go into it expecting some good Elvis songs, Ann-Margret looking HOT, and a nice bit part with William Demarest, and you'll be completely satisfied. Has one of the quickest endings in movie history.

Episodes 1-3 of "Star Wars" and the second and third installments of "The Matrix" were the biggest disappointments ever for me as a sci-fi fan. But on the flip side, they inspired some great tangential work that equaled and surpassed the creators' original visions. "The Clone Wars" animated films are a perfect example, as is this anthology. Anthologies tend to be very uneven, but the stories presented here are definitely not. Starting out with the excellent computer animation of "Osiris" and ending with the punk/metaphysical "Matriculation", every vignette here is visually amazing and extremely creative in exploring different aspects of the Matrix universe. Of particular interest was "The Second Renaissance", which explains in-depth the rift between the humans and machines (and to me, kinda justifies what the machines ended up doing), and my favorite was "A Detective Story", a sci-fi noir full of great black and white imagery. For fans of the series and even for those like me who were turned off by the second two films in the trilogy, this is a great one to watch.

Pretty craptacular, but with a name like "Zombie Island Massacre", what did you expect? Spoiler ahead: ain't no zombies in this one. Just enough cheesy gore and cheesy lines to make it watchable and laughable. "Laughter is the best medicine. That's what it says in Reader's Digest."

Sweet-natured, simple love story. Moves pretty slowly, but Reeve and Seymour are lovely to look at, and it's such an innocent story that you kinda feel obligated to like it. Plummer also turns in a good performance (not surprising, since he's a great actor). Also makes a good case why we need to get rid of the penny.

Solid suspense/dark comedy trying to make sense of the Kennedy assassination, this time with Jeff Bridges as the president's half-brother following a convoluted trail of conspiracy. I wouldn't have liked it as much (the story was a little slow and a little confusing at times), but the cast was really fun to watch. Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors, but the real treats here were John Huston as his egomaniacal father (seeing Huston walking around in bikini briefs is not something I ever really needed to see), Anthony Perkins as an egomaniacal man behind the curtain, and Sterling Hayden as just plain maniacal.

A four-star movie, but the extra star is for Felicity Huffman's unbelievably amazing performance. She was totally robbed of the Oscar for best actress (Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line"? Seriously?) No contest that she should have won. A great nuanced performance that could easily have been a caricature. The story itself is good, but not as much of an emotional journey as I was expecting. It was nice to see some of my favorite character actors/actresses like Graham Greene, Elizabeth Pena, and Burt Young. A well-done movie that is completely carried by Huffman's amazing performance.

Effective head-scratcher. Don't watch if you don't like clear-cut resolutions. A very deliberate, suspenseful movie with a creepy premise involving mysterious tapes of a couple's house, and then get more creepy from there. At turns frustrating, thought-provoking, and shocking, it's a well-done movie. Watching the interview with the director will help give you more context of the film if it leaves you a little confused as it did me.

Enjoyable screwball comedy, though this one wasn't as screwbally as some of the stronger Cary Grant comedies like "Bringing Up Baby". And while I adore Myrna Loy, she seems tired and bland throughout this one. Overall, though, a fun, light, funny comedy with some good screwball moments.

As long as they keep making Westerns like this now and then, the genre will never die, thank goodness. The most emotionally complex Western since "Unforgiven". I don't like Russell Crowe as a person, but I have to grudgingly admit that the guy is a helluva actor. There's a shot of him early on in the pic when he realizes that he's just had the drop put on him, and there's this barest flickers in one eye of fury that had more power in it than a lot of actors are able to pull off in a whole movie. And of course Christian Bale is in it, and he's one of my favorite actors. It's ironic that neither of the two leads in this most American of genres is actually originally from the States. Some other great performances by Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, and Alan Tudyk, and a great plot full of twists and turns all based on what's going on inside the characters themselves makes this rank as one of the better Westerns I've seen. I'm not quite sure I completely buy the last 15 minutes of the movie and the decisions made by Ben Wade, but that's all right, it still made for a great finale. Excellent movie!

Silly, bawdy fun. Phil Silvers, Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, and Buster Keaton, plus a bevy of beautiful women. What's not to like? A light musical comedy that's fairly light on the musical, full of cross-dressing, debauchery, and horse sweat. Delightful!

Masterful retelling of "Macbeth", with samurais. It moves a bit slow at times, but Toshiro Mifune is mesmerizing to watch. This is actually my first foray into Kurosawa territory, and it's solid, excellent work. Looking forward to watching more of his films. And proof once again that the tales of the Bard transcend all genres and time periods.

I have a love-hate relationship with Woody Allen. I can't stand the guy personality-wise, his ultra-neurotic schtick is beyond stale at this point, but I can't help but grudgingly admire his talent and admit that I enjoy the hell out his movies, especially when he's either not in it at all or in it only peripherally. This falls into the latter category, where we're only subjected to mere snippets of Allen being genuinely funny, but mostly see him in stills and silent film reels. It's a great love letter to the 1920's, as well as just a clever, amusing mockumentary about conformity and Allen's own obsession with being liked. And years before "Forrest Gump" fascinated audiences with its seamless blending of Tom Hanks and historical figures, "Zelig" does the same, blending Allen in with luminaries of the day like Fanny Brice and even Hitler, looking amazingly seamless, and I'm assuming, without the help of computers. A pleasant little movie that brought a smile and a chuckle throughout. Damn you, Allen.

Another funny mockumentary from Christopher Guest. You would think that the premise would get old, but he and his ensemble continue to inject humor into these strange and silly characters. And unlike "Guffman" and "Best in Show", this one's much less cynical, doing a lot less mocking of its subjects than the previous films. It's the relationship between Mitch and Mickey that gives this one a sweet nature missing from the other two films, and the final concert feels like an actual triumph both for the characters and for us, rather than a successful moment for the characters for us to mock. And the music is pretty darn good. I'd have given this five stars, but the final denouement throws a bunch of cold water on the goodwill that led up to the concert finale.

A movie about a man dying of cancer is not particularly unique, but it's what Kurosawa does in this one that makes it so brilliant. Takashi Shimura is wonderful as Watanabe, but it's the story structure itself that makes this film. Not wanting to give too much away, the second half of the movie truly captures the meaning of the title "To live." We see how even a fairly lowly, powerless beaureaucrat can make his chosen profession, seemingly an insignificant one, into something bigger than him. Inspiring because it looks at the changes that can be made by the common man with a common job, heartbreaking because the ending isn't as uplifting as one would like, but all too realistic. A brilliant film.

Called a masterpiece for a reason. At 3 1/2 hours, it held my attention throughout, with great camerawork and well-rounded characters. It's really the camaraderie of the seven warriors that keeps you watching; though deadly, they are a good-natured bunch, laughing and joking with each other, sometimes even during some pretty grim fighting. Takasha Shimura is amazing, especially after watching his compelling performance in "Ikiru". His wise, strong samurai is nothing like the halting, stooped Watanabe in that other great film. And Toshiro Mifune is simply awesome. He part man, part bear, part monkey, laughing and lumbering and scratching and weeping and killing, by far the most complex character in the film. An epic tale told on a small scale, this is truly a classic and a great introduction to the work of Kurosawa for those unfamiliar with his work.

Enjoyable musical with some great numbers like "Rockin' the Boat" and "Luck Be A Lady". Not quite as good as "Singin' In the Rain" or "The Sound of Music" but still full of catchy tunes and toe-tapping dance routines. It wasn't quite clear why sometimes Nathan Detroit and his gang didn't use contractions and sometimes they did, but all right. The main reasons to watch this are to listen to Sinatra do some crooning and Marlon Brando acting in a musical. It's the first time that I've seen him in a role where he played a character who wasn't intense or brooding or violent or anything you generally expect when you watch Brando do his thing. There were still a few moments where you waited to watch him punch a window or scream out or something, but nope, he's an affable gambler with a decent singing voice. If you weren't familiar with his other work, you'd think he was just a kinda serious, friendly guy, nothing like Don Corleone or Stanley Kowalski. Sky Masterson is a great testament to Brando's talent in that he could reign in all the Method and just do some singin' and dancin'. It was also a bit risque for its time, it seemed to me. The dance number in Havana with the men staring hypnotically at their dance partners' breasts and Adelaide's dance numbers instructing her lover to "pet her" in one and stripping off her clothes and shaking her moneymaker in another, I'm surprised it got past the censors. Not that I'm complainin'.

No one does ensemble pieces better than Robert Altman (except maybe John Sayles), and this is one of his best, as good as "M*A*S*H" and "Nashville". With a fairly loose plot structure, Altman tells a murder mystery that's also a cutting commentary on the English class system. It's a brilliant piece of work in that all the character development seems almost peripheral. Brief snatches of dialogue, seemingly throwaway scenes, all of them add up to a rich exploration of all of the characters, regardless of how small a part they play in the movie. All of the actors do a great job with their parts. There isn't anything laugh out loud here, but the entire movie is dry and droll (in the very best sense) and highly entertaining.

Watching Richard Pryor reminds you that there's a difference between telling jokes and being a real comedian. While this isn't the funniest I've ever seen him, it does show why he's considered one of the best. Because his jokes and observations aren't just to get laughs, he's actually got something to say. His riffs on race relations aren't your standard "White people do things this way, and black people do things this way, isn't that funny?" He's really trying to get to some sort of truth with his act, such as when he talks about how the audience can all sit together for a couple of hours and get along and enjoy his act, but once they're back out in the "real world", things get ugly again and why is that. Unfortunately, this particular audience is ridiculous. People are constantly interrupting his act, and while Pryor handled it remarkably well, I felt really bad that his concert film was being partially ruined by those who were supposedly his fans. I think the bit that really sums up why Pryor is on a higher level than most comedians is that of his depiction of a heroin addict complaining about his life. It's not particularly funny, but I don't think it's really meant to be, and again, it shows that Pryor is trying to get at a deeper understanding of the human condition than just if it will get a laugh or not. Definitely worth a watch to see a talented man who has conquered many of his demons and isn't afraid to talk about it.

I initially went into this watching a well-made coming-of-age drama about two young girls who have a love affair over the summer. But during the course of it, especially at the end, it also becomes an indictment of religion and a bit of an indictment on "true love". The tone goes from passion and longing to cynicism so quickly that you can practically hear the needle get ripped off the record it's so abrupt. But it works, I'm just still figuring out what exactly it means. Nathalie Press and Emily Blunt are both great in their roles, as is Paddy Considine, who I'm enjoying more and more the more I see of him. A well-done sensual movie.

All right, I now can add samurai movies to genres that I love. "Seven Samurai" and "Throne of Blood" were awesome, and this one's swayed me completely. This is an excellent "story within a story", and it kept me spellbound throughout. Great dramatic tension revolving around the ideal of the samurai culture and the reality of it. Absolultely loved it!

This would be an excellent one to watch with the Russell Crowe/Christian Bale remake because it shows that you can appreciate a good film and its remake on their own individual merits. The original is a much more straightforward story that goes from point A to point B with no real tangents in between. Van Heflin and Glenn Ford have some great moments as they wait for the train in Contention, and Glenn Ford makes an amiable, no-nonsense Ben Wade, a much milder version of Crowe's much more volatile (and MUCH more homicidal) version. What's interesting in both of these movies is that the decisions made by Wade at the end of the story, neither one is completely logical. The original makes a lot more sense compared to the last 15 minutes of the remake, but even so, while Wade gives an explanation, it's still pretty weak. It's interesting that neither group of filmmakers could quite get the characters to make sense at the end. While the characters in the remake are quite a bit more emotionally complex, this one's still a solid, entertaining, original Western.

Another great samurai flick by Kurosawa, with Toshiro Mifune playing yet another awesome sword-wielder. You can see why Leone lifted the entire plot from this one and why it's inspired so many other films. It's just a great story, with Mifune playing one side against the other and basically being the ultimate antihero. Great cinematography and mise en scene in this one. The climactic battle between Mifune and the townspeople is powerful with the wind whipping the dust all around the master swordsman. Sweet!

Powerful, heartbreaking movie that tells a unique perspective of World War II, this time from the point of view of two children who witnessed the firebombings of Japan. The animation is strong, and you forget pretty quickly you're watching a "cartoon". Like "Barefoot Gen", because the story's told with animated characters instead of the real thing, the loss and horror are made even moreso. This type of thing isn't supposed to happen to cartoon kids, right? A beautiful movie.

Besides the goodness that is pretty much anything that comes out of Pixar, this is my favorite animated movie. It's still hard for me to believe that this is a Disney movie. It's pretty subversive and just so out there humor-wise it's something I'd be more likely to believe came out of Dreamworks. The animation is gorgeous and shows there's no reason that 2-D can't survive in the age of computer animation. And the characterization is perfect. Ving Rhames as Bubbles and Kevin McDonald as Pleekly (sp?) are my favorites, but everybody's wonderful. You can't go wrong with a movie set in Hawaii involving Elvis, aliens, and the importance of family. A family movie for really cool families.

Doesn't quite stand up to "Seven Samurai" on which it's based, but it comes close. The main thing that's missing is that the filmmakers weren't able to find someone to match the dynamic screen presence of the lumbering, emotional Toshiro Mifune. But you can't go wrong with Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson as cool, unflappable gunmen. It's a definite must for Western fans, and for fans of "Samurai", it's worth it to see the American translation, as the noble gunman is the perfect American version of the noble masterless samurai.

Imagine, if you will, if Ian McKellan, Anthony Hopkins, Cate Blanchett, and a hopped up Jude Law agreed to star in a big-budget historical epic directed by Larry Flynt featuring hardcore pornography and other acts of depravity. Got that? All right, well then you've got an idea of the spectacle/debacle that is "Caligula". I'm giving this three stars, but in all honesty, this is the first movie I've ever watched that I'd have to categorize as unrateable. I don't think that I can say that I liked it, because what would that say about me? But I gotta tell ya, I was riveted for 2 1/2 hours. To see Malcom McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, and JOHN GIELGUD, for god's sake, traipsing around and emoting while hundreds of naked men and women writhe around all around them, it's just. . .well, you really can't not watch. This is for movie completists and fans of the bizarre only. When Netflix warns you that there's disturbing imagery, they ain't lyin'. There've been many a movie I've watched wondering how the heck they ever got made, but this one takes the cake, absolutely no contest.

It's shot well and acted well (Jeff Bridges is one of the best actors working, and even if the movie's crap he isn't), but I found every single character, besides the caretaker and (I guess) the young man who comes to stay for the summer, to be selfish and unappealing. While the tragedy that leads up to the events in the movie is indeed tragic, everyone responds to it in such a destructive nature, and by destructive I mean destructive to everyone around them except themselves, by the end of the movie I didn't really care. No one really learns anything and I have a feeling these characters will be engaging in more of the same next summer and then wringing their hands about how tragic their life is and using the tragedy that lead to it initially as an excuse. It's basically rich people engaging in wreckless behavior with no repercussions. Worth it for Bridges' performance, but otherwise not my cup of tea.

Lean, down and dirty Western that tells a quick, occasionally disjointed story. The 40 guns mentioned in the title are pretty much just window dressing, and I think if their role as Barbara Stanwyck's personal entourage would have been explored more this could have been cranked up a notch. As it is, Fuller doesn't quite know if this is a romance or a tale of revenge and frontier justice. He tries to do both, but it leaves the story meandering here and there. Still and all, a solid, entertaining Western.

The granddaddy of shows like "Law and Order", this one plays more like a TV police procedural than a movie. Barry Fitzgerald, who I swear is a leprachaun in human form, is great as the seen-everything homicide detective who still has a twinkle of good humor despite all the murder and low-lifes he's seen. I'd give this four stars except that the narration, which was nice at the very beginning in that it lets you know this was filmed on the streets of New York, very quickly detracts from the story and negates any tension and build-up as the case unfolds. Imagine watching a "Law and Order" episode where a narrator breaks in frequently with lines like "Uh oh, guys, it looks like this case just got more complicated!" and you have an idea how annoying it is. If you could ignore that, which unfortunately you can't, this is a solid police drama.

Solid '30's melodrama with exotic locales, distinct characters, and two appealing leads. Not the best I've seen, but if it can inspire both "Casablanca" and Pepe le Pew, more power to it.

Witty and engaging. An enjoyable enough story with a wonderful cast including the wonderful Cate Blanchett and the beautiful Minnie Driver. If you're a fan of Oscar Wilde and period comedies of errors, a fun, light affair.

I just finished reading the book, which I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and I was really looking forward to watching this adaptation as I'd heard so many good things about it. And this was a delight to watch. A very faithful adaptation of the book. Several peripheral characters were cut, but it didn't detract from the story at all, and the casting and acting are superb. Keira Knightley makes a great Elizabeth, and Matthew McFadyen is great as Mr. Darcy, though his portrayal telegraphs the romantic punches fairly early on in the film so we're pretty clear on his feelings right out of the gate. Judi Dench is perfectly cast as Lady deBourgh, Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland are perfect as the Bennetts. It's definitely worthwhile for Jane Austen fans. One thing I wished hadn't been cut is that the filmmakers let the Bennett family off pretty lightly compared to the book, which has Elizabeth realizing why Mr. Darcy was justified in his feelings on her background. And this is another movie that shows how ridiculous the MPAA is. This one's rated PG for "some mild thematic elements". Are you kidding me? There is no reason this shouldn't be rated G. It's Jane Austen, for the love'a Pete. Get those kids watching early and often.

This was a great movie. And it's really great to watch it now that Leonardo DiCaprio has proven he's one of the best of the new generation of actors, because we get to see a young budding talent paired with one of the greatest actors of the last generation. DiCaprio turns in a fine performance as a conflicted troubled youth, and DeNiro turns in one of his most nuanced performances. His portrayal of Wolff's abusive stepfather could easily have been over the top and made him an easy villain. But for a good part of the movie, while Dwight isn't a likeable guy, you can almost relate to him on his level as he does what he thinks best for his delinquent stepson. The relationship between Barkin and DiCaprio shows a strong bond as well. Easily one of the better movies of '93 and a great showcase for the promise DiCaprio displayed in his teens.

A superb thriller/drama, definitely one of the best movies I've seen from last year. You can't beat the cast: George Clooney is eminently watchable, Tom Wilkinson is strong as always, Tilda Swinton definitely deserved her Oscar, and Sydney Pollack has playing the sober, powerful and serious kind-of-a-jerk role down to an art. It's solid, smart moviemaking with a great and satisfying ending.

I've been meaning to watch this for a long time. The only thing I really knew about it was that Bill Cosby was really perturbed that Lisa Bonet was in it. And now I know why. This is a great stylistic detective story with some extremely spooky and disturbing themes, maybe a little silly near the end, but still effective. I kinda had an idea where the story was headed about halfway through, but I'm a sucker for a well-made detective story, and this one is that, with the supernatural/voodoo elements adding a unique twist. Mickey Rourke makes for a great private eye, and it's cool to see a young (and thin!) Pruitt Taylor Vince. Not for everyone, but I thought it was a pretty effective thriller disguised as a period gumshoe tale.

If you hadn't told me this was a Scorsese movie, I'd have never guessed. Women generally don't fare too well in Marty's flicks, so it was great to see a movie with a focus on a female character trying to find independence in a society that was still redefining just what that meant. Ellen Burstyn is superb in this; the scenes with her and her son or her and Kristofferson or her and Ladd are filled with warmth and humor. We get a little glimpse of the Scorsese we know so well in Keitel's brief but frightening presence. The best non-gangster/brute flick I've seen from Scorsese, I would love to see him tackle another female-driven story reflecting current society. Another example of why he's one of the best directors ever.

Spoiler contained in this review: I'm amazed at the number of reviews celebrating this one, and equally amazed at how well it did. While Anthony Quinn's performance is indeed wonderful, Alan Bates' character is appalling in his impotence, as is the tolerance and acceptance of the horrific behavior of the Crete islanders. The cold-blooded murder of the widow was atrocious. But more atrocious was the reaction of both Quinn and Bates, i.e. barely an eyeblink. How can you celebrate the characters' "joy of life" dance in the finale knowing they witnessed the execution of an innocent woman and then go on to employ the same people who executed her? To me, this is not a movie about the joy of life, but rather about selfishness and sociopathic behavior, remaining completely unaffected by the suffering of others while you go on your merry way. Disgusting.