Films That Matter
A Bloody Good Time
A very important film from 1935 that is probably not as well known today as it should be, the swashbuckling action adventure Captain Blood, directed by Michael Curtiz (The Sea Wolf, The Breaking Point), featured numerous important happenings that would leave rippling effects on the industry for many years to come. Though Curtiz had immigrated to the United States years before, having some success in the silent era with Noah’s Ark (1928) and with the early sound pictures Doctor X (1932) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), it was this bigger budget extravaganza that would help him become a top tier film maker, someone who would go on to make an inordinate number of future classics, including The Adventures of Robin Hood, Angels with Dirty Faces. Yankee Doodle Dandy, Mildred Pierce, and perhaps most importantly, Casablanca... among others.
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On a Hot Summer’s Night
Double IndemnityJuly 15, 2013One of my favourite genres is the short-lived film noir category, which lasted through the 1940's and petered out towards the end of the 1950's. It grew from the German expressionism period of the 1920's and was compounded by the anxiety and cynicism that came out of World War II. Named by French critics who were describing the black-and-white Hollywood crime movies of the 40's, this is a unique genre that captures a much darker, cynical and more vicious world than most other films from this period.
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The Professional Delivers
Léon: The ProfessionalJune 17, 2013The 1980's and 1990's were two superb decades for amazing action films that contained easy on the eyes stunts, clever storylines, touches of comedy and great villains. Movies like the Die Hard trilogy, Lethal Weapon 1-4 , Mission Impossible, and James Bond entries like License to Kill and Goldeneye entertained in all of these categories. One of the best action movies to come out of the 90's though, is known as Léon or The Professional.
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Fun Viewing for the Whole Family
Uncle BuckMay 16, 2013As you can probably tell from my other reviews, most of the films that I choose are not family friendly, which is why I have decided to change course and review what I feel is an often overlooked comedy, the 1989 John Hughes’ movie Uncle Buck.
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Criterion Brings Film Back to Modern Times
Modern TimesMay 2, 2013There are many different DVD/Blu-Ray companies that release films to the public, but the one that is definitely the most impressive and in-depth is Criterion. Their collection consists of "important classic and contemporary films" that are brought to you in the highest quality audio and video transfers. Each movie also comes with a plethora of excellent special features that highlight the importance of the film. The Criterion Collection is aimed at film aficionados and it shows.
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Man, I Feel Like A Woman
Some Like It HotMarch 18, 2013No, I will not be talking about country music or Shania Twain, but this line aptly describes what either of the two main characters could have said during the 1959 classic comedy Some Like It Hot.