1987

Beverly Hills Cop II Review

Beverly Hills Cop II Review

RATING: (3.5 STARS) On the heels of Top Gun, the highest grossing movie of its year, it seems like an odd choice to step in and direct the sequel to an even higher grossing film from a few years ago, like Beverly Hills Cop. Even stranger, perhaps, is that this is a sequel to a […]

Radio Days Review

Radio Days Review

RATING: (3 STARS) Radio Days comes at an interesting time within the Woody Allen canon. That output that follows it (excepting Crimes and Misdemeanors) for the next several years is generally regarded as a series of high-concept, well-intentioned misfires. Preceding Radio Days, of course, were Hannah and Her Sisters, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Broadway […]

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Review

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Review

RATING: (0.5 STARS) It isn’t hard to see where Superman IV: The Quest for Peace goes wrong. Its awfulness hides in plain sight and renders the film as a whole nearly unwatchable. It’s a little like the sun—stare for too long, and you’ll feel physical pain. But then you start to feel a little bad […]

Full Metal Jacket Review

Full Metal Jacket Review

RATING: (3.5 STARS) In the immediate aftermath of the Vietnam War, Hollywood produced a series of spectacular anti-war films—The Deer Hunter, Coming Home, Apocalypse Now. Time, it seems, doesn’t heal all wounds as, almost a decade later, Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning Platoon kicked off a second wave of Vietnam pictures. The world’s greatest director, Stanley Kubrick, […]

The Last Emperor Review

The Last Emperor Review

RATING: (2.5 STARS) It’s somewhat ironic that I watched 1987 Best Picture winner The Last Emperor so soon after seeing 1996 winner The English Patient because the two share so many techniques, strengths, and weaknesses. It’s a gorgeous piece of work in every way. The way director Bernardo Bertolucci rendered this world is astounding. It’s […]

Raising Arizona Review

Raising Arizona Review

RATING: (3 STARS) If Blood Simple was our introduction to Joel and Ethan Coen as smart, talented filmmakers, Raising Arizona is our introduction to them as crazy geniuses. At times, the comedy is laid on a little thick, but for the most part, this is a fantastically fun and breezy ride and a total departure […]

Wall Street Review

Wall Street Review

RATING: (2 STARS) Could there have been a worse time for me to watch Wall Street for the first time? After the job losses, corrupt CEOs, bailouts, and bonuses, how could I enjoy watching a film that celebrates that sort of culture? Because whatever sort of redemption the main character gets, whatever lesson we learn, […]