The opening scene showing virgin palm tree groves being torched by napalm as The Doors’ song The End lilts away in the background, is truly haunting and sets the mood for the entire experience. [Original publication: June 3, 1999]
Tag: review
Patton (1970)
Patton is listed as #89 on the American Film Institute’s top 100 movies. I think it should be much higher than this, it’s ranked behind Tootsie . . . TOOTSIE! [Original publication: June 3, 1999]
The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 WW II masterpiece based on Pierre Boulle’s novel of the same name, garnering eight Academy Awards nominations and winning seven. [Original publication: June 2, 1999]
Platoon
Platoon is must see as a lesson of the Vietnam conflict, and a testimony to the horrors that our soldiers endured in that seemingly pointless war. [Original publication: May 30, 1999]
Kelly’s Heroes
If you view Kelly’s Heroes as a fast paced comedic treasure hunt across the battlefields of WW II you’ll probably enjoy it as much as I do. It is definitely my favorite WW II comedy. [Original publication: May 29, 1999]
Braveheart
This is a great historical piece as well as an action packed war flick. Mel Gibson does an outstanding job starring in, producing, and directing this near three hour epic. [Original publication: May 28, 1999]
To Hell and Back
This is a true classic and you owe it to yourself to check out To Hell and Back and discover what one American hero did to save his fellow comrades and liberate Europe. [Original publication: May 27, 1999]
Review: The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard
In 1936 Robert E. Howard tragically put a gun to his head and ended his own life upon hearing that his beloved (and terminally ill) mother would never come out […]
Retro Review: Seven Samurai
Here’s another non-science fiction offering re-posted from my deep and dusty archives. I often strip irrelevant bits and pieces out of old DVD when I post them. In this case I decided to leave the entire review intact, for the main reason that I was reviewing a very expensive Criterion Collection edition of Seven Samurai. [Original publication: Mar 5, 2000]
He Said, She Said: The Martian
The Martian, starring Matt Damon, is a science fiction drama/thriller about the survival of one astronaut left for dead. Though it is mostly true to the novel, there are differences. The good news is these differences have almost no impact on the effectiveness of the storytelling.
Retro Review: The Road Warrior
The Road Warrior was my first exposure to the Mad Max milieu. I quickly went back and watched the original Mad Max. Beyond Thunderdome has some problems. Fury Road returns Max to his true element. The Mad Max series is one of the favorite in my DVD/Bluray collection. [Original publication: Mar 7, 2000]
Retro Review: eXistenZ
Holy crap, I remember nothing about this movie. Even re-watching the trailer sparked no memories of eXistenZ. Nothing about the plot, characters, or if I even loved it or hated it. Apparently from my 16 year old review I thought it was pretty decent . . . but clearly not memorable.
