Welcome to my blog. I write about film. Just remember - there's no fighting in the war room!
Inevitably, there comes a time when tradition is subverted and a fresh voice throws convention out the window. For the Western genre, this came in the form of Spaghetti Westerns - Italian filmmakers who adopted the Western genre tropes in their own upstart style. A Fistful of Dollars (1964), directed by Sergio Leone and introducing Clint Eastwood in his first starring film role, was the first commercially successful Spaghetti Western and thrust Eastwood into star status.
Overlooked Movies is the next Top 5. For this list, the films considered must be gems that the general public most likely are not familiar with, but definitely should be.
Starring a fresh-faced Lou Diamond Phillips and featuring music by the Los Angeles band Los Lobos, La Bamba is a sweet, straightforward film that promotes the importance of the American Dream - working hard, standing by your family, and not giving up on your dreams.
Frank Miller is a legend in the graphic novel and comic realm. For Sin City (2005), he teamed with Robert Rodriguez to deliver a visually stunning adaptation of his work.
This Top 5 is considering the Best Relationships in film - those stories that take a look at one of life’s most desired states and most confusing/difficult/amazing experiences - the process of meeting and falling in love.
The Western genre oftens focuses its lense on the sheriff of a town, glorifying their struggle to keep order amongst the forces of nature and evildoers. Rio Bravo (1959) is no exception to this trope, following the sheriff in the town of Rio Bravo, Texas, as he and his team face off against a local rancher’s gang.
There’s no business like show business - and that is the backdrop to the original and remake of The Producers (1967 and 2005 respectively), the first as the premiere feature from writer / director Mel Brooks and the later remake produced after a successful Broadway re-interpretation.
This Top 5 examines Sports Movies - those tales of inspiration where people are training to achieve physical and mental domination over their opposition in a competition, often facing their own inner struggles as well during the course of the story arc.
Westerns are structurally built on concepts in a state of duality - hero/villain, nature/civilization, cowboy/Indian - and the classic western My Darling Clementine (1946) is an embodiment of the genre’s focus on the pairings of diametrically opposed forces.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), directed by Wes Anderson, is quite the diametrical romp - at once a meticulously art directed composition, with an enigmatic performance from lead actor Ralph Fiennes, while also a convoluted storyline that lacks an emotional punch.
This Top 5 examines Visually Stunning Movies - the films that amaze and delight viewers, that define an aesthetic and expertly and consistently executes that design.
The 2017 Oscars are here - hopefully to provide a bit of lightness in a time of darkness. Celebrating cinema suddenly now seems more urgent than in years past, as we must insist that art (and free speech within art) is a vital aspect of a flourishing society.
Nosferatu: Phantom Der Nacht (1979), written and directed by Werner Herzog, closes out this mini-vampire trilogy (which included the 1920s Nosferatu and Shadow of the Vampire).
Sully, the latest from crazy man Clint Eastwood and every man Tom Hanks, is an ode to the professionalism of workers and a love letter to New York.
Stagecoach (1939) is the story of a group of travelers that book passage on a stagecoach despite the looming threat of ravaging Apache Indians along their route.
As a follow up to the last Top 5 (Best Sequels), this list will consider the flip side: Most Disappointing Sequels. Following the same rules for the definition of a sequel (must be a film directly following an initial installment).
This Top 5 is considering Best Sequels and, as the concept of a sequel has expanded in recent years (think of the Harry Potter eight movie epic series of “sequels”), for this list, a sequel is defined as a direct follow up to an initial movie.
The Searchers (1956) is the story of a Civil War veteran who returns to his family’s homestead, but is unable to prevent his niece from being captured by a tribe of vicious Indians.
This Top 5’s topic is Movies We Can’t Believe We’ve Never Seen and is a chance to reflect upon movies that are perpetually on “the list,” but ones I have never quite dedicated the time to do a viewing.
