I was nervous for this film for two reasons. The first being that the expectations that the audience was going to have for this film were going to be high, due to how well the first film performed. The second reason was because I am well aware of the ending of the novel and how hard that can be to portray on screen with no … Continue reading It: Chapter 2 (2019)
It is notoriously hard to make a PG-13 horror film that is actually scary and/or creepy. It takes a perfect balance of imagery to push it just to the limit. Director Andre Overdal did just that. It really is impressive. At one point I found myself wondering how the film was pg-13 because it’s so creepy. Which, I then quickly reminded myself that the books … Continue reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. The truth? I’ve never seen this film all the way through. I’ve caught parts here and there. I even went to see this film in the theater when it came out in 2001. My grandparents thought it … Continue reading 50. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor and high jinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war. MASH is one of those films that was always on my list of “Films to watch”. I just never got around to it until now. A common occurrence, I have found, when I watch a film directed by Robert Altman … Continue reading 54. M*A*S*H (1970)
When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach resort, it’s up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down. In one fell swoop, Steven Spielberg created the summer blockbuster. He just had to go through hell to do it. The issues that Spielberg had during the filming of Jaws have all been well-documented, though. So, I’m … Continue reading 56. Jaws (1975)
In Africa during World War I, a gin-swilling riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship. Never in my life have I seen a character more annoyingly frustrating in a film than Katherine Hepburn’s Rose Sayer in The African Queen. Look, her performance is great. However, how Charlie Allnut, Humphrey Bogart’s character, doesn’t throw her overboard … Continue reading 65. The African Queen (1951)
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn’t go as planned. When stripped away of all the bizarreness, A Clockwork Orange is a very well formulated crime drama. But, why would you want to strip away all of the bizarreness? That’s what makes it so wonderful and timeless. First, I want to talk about Stanley … Continue reading 70. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims. I always find it enjoyable to rewatch a film that I have seen a billion and one times through an analytical lens. The Silence of the Lambs is one of my favorite films for a few reasons: 1. … Continue reading 74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
