Category: movie reviews

40. GRIZZLY (1976)

A gloriously inept rip-off (almost scene-by-scene) of “Jaws.” Truly laughably stupid in ever way. The better you know that shark flick, the funnier it is.
Verdict: I watched it with the assistance of the guys from RiffTrax. Here, check it out for yourself!

41. MY MAN GODFREY (1936)

I’ve never been as fond of this as many are, but William Powell can do no wrong, and he’s miraculous in it. Everyone else was too grating for me to care about, even the normally lovable Lombard.
Verdict: See it for Powell. He is, as always, a complete and utter joy and makes the movie, as he does every movie he’s in.

42. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)

What a freaking masterpiece this is. Dazzling visuals, intelligent and nuanced writing, a magnificent score, and superb performances. I know I’m supposed to revere Gregory Peck’s Oscar winning turn in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” but I don’t. Peter O’ Toole’s performance is imbued with genius and HE WAS ROBBED.
Verdict: One can’t help but not, in contemporary reviews, that one is supposed to be all bothered about “race-swapping” in the casting of this film (e.g. Alec Guinness playing an Arab). But since race-swapping is everywhere nowdays in all manner of productions, all I can say is…just shut up. Guinness is terrific and so is Anthony Quinn. Deal.

37. SHANE (1953)

Good movie, but I don’t think it deserves its lofty reputation. Gorgeous, thanks to the ever-looming Grand Tetons, it’s got very good performances, especially from Alan Ladd and Jean Arthur, who manage to have a relationship of real depth entirely in subtext. But it’s slow and some the writing is very labored.
Verdict: Overrated, and do they really need to say Shane’s name every damn second?

38. HOPE AND GLORY (1987)

I saw this in the theatre back in the day and remember liking it but thinking that it didn’t affect me as much as I thought it would. Watched it again, lo these many years later, and thought the exactly the same thing. Good WWII movie, with an unusual and compelling child’s point of view, but it’s lacking the emotional punch it seems like it should have.
Verdict: If you haven’t seen it, it’s definitely worth watching.

39. AMERICAN FICTION (2023)

One of those movies that starts out better than it ends up, but it’s a very worthy effort, if for no other reason than Jeffrey Wright’s wonderful performance. The race relations material is trenchant and witty, the indictment of academia and culture works pretty well too. The family stuff is pretty trite, and distracts from the quality to be found elsewhere in the movie.
Verdict: Writer/director Cord Jefferson tries to do too much, but well worth seeing for Wright’s work. He’s terrific.

34. SAHARA (1943)

Terrific war movie with Bogart as an American tank commander leading a ragtag group of survivors as they battle the unforgiving North African desert as well as the equally hard-pressed Germans. Bogart is tremendous, and the rest of the cast, representing soldiers of differing nationalities, races, and faiths, is also splendid.
Verdict: Most highly recommended.

35. THE MUSIC MAN (1962)

If it had done nothing more than record Robert Preston’s force-of-nature performance for the ages, it would be worth seeing. But it is so much more. It’s just a pure joy. A tad long, perhaps, but it’s a minor carp.
Verdict: Highly recommended, particularly if you’re feeling blue, because you won’t be after watching it.

36. BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (1925)

As story-telling goes, it’s pretty ham-fisted, as state propaganda tends to be. But technically and stylistically, it’s a marvel.
Verdict: Nothing else to say really, except that I watched it because I’ve heard of it and it showed up on YouTube. See it here, if you feel so inclined.

2024 Movie Diary

31. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (1966)

Just saw this recently. Don’t get its reputation. I think I saw an extended cut, and it was just too much time for too little story. Also, you really, really have to love Eli Wallach and his brand of scene-chewing to really appreciate this film, and, well, I really don’t.
Verdict: I’ll stick with “Once Upon a Time in the West” if I want to see a spaghetti western.

2024 Movie Diary

32. JAWS (1975)

Still one of the greatest movies ever made. I think it’s Spielberg’s best. There I said it.
Verdict: Inductee, Laurie’s Cinematic Hall of Fame.

2024 Movie Diary

33. ATTACK FROM SPACE (1965)

There’s lots to love about this awful Japanese sci-fi flick. It’s brutally incompetent in every respect, yet somehow this makes it kind of lovable.
Verdict: I can’t explain it. It’s a dumpster fire, but it has some heart.

28. Oppenheimer (2023).

In a word, overrated. The parts about the development of the bomb, and of Los Alamos, was quite well-done and interesting. The rest was kind of a mess. Robert Downey Jr. was entertaining, but that’s about it.
Verdict: Overall, a bloated “meh” from me.

29. The Holdovers (2023)

Just when my Christmas movie rotation was getting a tad stale… What a delight, and what a joy it is to see Paul Giamatti in a role worthy of his enormous talent. Verdict: It’s nice to know they still make movies like this.

30. The Gorgon (1964)

Decent Hammer fare about a gorgon possessing people (there’s one female character so, you know, there goes the mystery) and turning people to stone. In Germany, for some reason.
Verdict: It’s fun to watch good actors having stupid fun with this stuff. I liked it.

25. CAPOTE (2005)

This is a terrific film. There’s something bewitching in Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance, which never descends into mimicry, as easy as that would have been. And then there’s nuanced presentation of the plot, which isn’t what it appears to be at first. Great stuff.
Verdict: Highly recommended.

26. BLACK NARCISSUS (1947)

A bunch of nuns are sent to an exotic locale to set up a school for the natives, with predictable results. However the story, slim as it is, is handled so well, with such good performers, artful visuals, and beautiful production values that you’ll walk away believing there’s more to it than there actually is.
Verdict: Definitely recommended

27. AWAY (2019)

A years-long labor of love of one man, Gints Zilbalodis, this is a moving, thoughtful, harrowing, amusing, meditative movie about…that’s kind of up to you. To me, it was about life’s journey, and the inevitability of death, and our spirit’s ability to rise above it. Your mileage may vary: you may find that for you, it’s about something completely different. It’s that kind of movie.
Verdict: Stays with you long after it ends. I need to see it a couple more times. This has Hall of Fame potential.

22. BEYOND MOMBASA (1956)

An incredibly B movie with an incredibly A cast. Cornel Wilde is a devil-may-care adventurer, Donna Reed an uptight (or is she?) churchman’s daughter, and Christopher Lee is a mysterious (and incredibly good looking) French guide. Much cheesy excitement and stock footage of animals ensues. Wilde, in particular, is having a blast .
Verdict: Stupid and fun, if you’re in the mood for that kind of thing, this is your flick.

23. THE SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH (1963)

One of my great childhood favorites has aged like fine wine and stands as one of Disney’s finest live action efforts, with plenty of appeal for kids and adults alike. Location filming creates terrific atmosphere, and Patrick McGoohan’s brainy, elegant, swashbuckling performance as Dr. Syn, mild-mannered vicar by day, scary masked smuggler by night, is one of my all-time favorites.
Verdict: Inductee, Laurie’s Cinematic Hall of Fame
Watch here: Part I, Part 2, Part 3

24. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1969)

Very long, very slow and suffused with a surreal quality that makes it hard to tell if you are watching it while asleep or not. A strange recommendation, but a wholehearted one. It’s pretty great. Great looking, epic in scope, with a fantastic cast, with Henry Fonda commanding the entire movie playing spectacularly against type as a villain of chilling, inhuman cruelty.
Verdict: It’s easier to watch broken up into multiple viewings. Worth seeing for Fonda’s work alone. And I’m not even a fan of his.

19. WHITE ZOMBIE (1932)

One of the worst acted movies I’ve ever seen (except for Lugosi, who strikes the right tone of genuine menace and glee). The visuals, however, are great and very stylish, and there are moments of genuine creepiness.
Verdict: Pretty awful and pretty fun at the same time, if you know what you’re getting into.

20. HIS ONLY SON (2023)

A low-key, thoughtful take on the story of Abraham and Isaac. It’s nicely done, and although slow, the very quiet yet charismatic performance by Nicolas Mouawad as Abraham keeps you engaged.
Verdict: Slow as molasses, but well acted, and very earnest. Pretty good.

21. STARGATE (1994)

When a movie feels a lot longer than it actually is, that’s not a good sign. And this one feels like it goes on forever. It has its delights, mainly James Spader as a dorky archaeologist with wire-rimmed specs and a fabulous set of surfer bangs. He’s pretty damned good, but he’s not enough.
Verdict: Once was enough. Maybe too much.

16. THE QUIET MAN (1952)

One of my favorite movies, and my favorite female character in any movie, ever. Pure, joyful blarney.
Verdict: Inductee, Laurie’s Cinematic Hall of Fame

17. RISEN (2016)

This has become an Easter tradition at my house. Joseph Fiennes is sensational as a Roman centurion tasked with solving the mystery of the disappearance of Jesus’ body. Starts out as a kind of Biblical police procedural and evolves into something far deeper and more meaningful.
Verdict: Excellent and recommended.

18. LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945)

It’s far from perfect, but when you’ve got the divine Gene Tierney pulling out all the stops as one of cinema’s great sociopaths, Ellen Berent, it’s easy to forgive its flaws. Miraculously, in addition to being a monster, she’s almost unbearably vulnerable. She is sensational, and makes this an absolute must-see.
Verdict: It’s Gene Tierney’s show. The rest is just window dressing.

13. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)

When it’s good, it’s so very good. When it’s not, it’s usually because there’s some stupid romance thing going on. I don’t care, Charlie. Just give me the Little Tramp dealing with the outrageous situations he finds himself in and I’m good. Like his starving roommate trying to kill and eat him for dinner because he thinks he’s a chicken. Classic.
Verdict: Funny is timeless. And a lot of the time, Gold Rush is very funny.

14. PUMAMAN (1980)

One of the greatest of all MST3K outings. There are so many reasons that it soars, but one reason is its immortal flying scenes, the true horribleness of which has yet to be matched. I have linked to the MST3K version of the film, which is just flat-out brilliantly funny.
Verdict: The MST3K version is an inductee in Laurie’s Cinematic Hall of Fame.

15. METEOR (1979)

Mediocre. And dull. But it’s got a great cast, all keeping it professional so it’s got that going for it.
Verdict: A solid meh.