Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton Directed by: Frances Ford Coppola Plot: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son. But is it any good? Wow. I think it says an awful lot that despite watching it on a tiny computer screen, and having [...]
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert de Niro, Diane Keaton Directed by: Frances Ford Coppola Plot: The early life & career of Vito Corleone in 1920′s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-Revolution 1958 Cuba. But is it any good? [...]
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis Directed by: Quentin Tarantino Plot: The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. But is it any good? Ten years-plus later and this is still one of [...]
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollack Directed by: Bryan Singer Plot: A boat has been destroyed, criminals are dead, and the key to this mystery lies with the only survivor and his twisted, convoluted story beginning with five career crooks in a seemingly random police lineup. But is it any good? To be [...]
Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci Directed by: Martin Scorsese Plot: Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy. But is it any good? I watched Goodfellas last night for the first time, reluctant as always to watch a mafia movie. Maybe it’s a girl thing, but I [...]
Starring: Gloria Swanson, William Holden Directed by: Billy Wilder Plot: A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity. But is it any good? Another unexpected gem on this list. In Sunset Blvd., a cynical screenwriter named Joe Gillis is down on his luck when he chances [...]
Starring: Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Orson Welles Directed by: Carol Reed Plot Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry Lime, who has invited him, recently died in a car accident. But is it any good? Oh my god, yes! Shame on me for not having seen it earlier, considering I’m such an [...]
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson Directed by: Billy Wilder Plot: An insurance rep lets himself be talked into a murder/insurance fraud scheme that arouses an insurance investigator’s suspicions. But is it any good? I watched Double Indemnity for the first time last night knowing nothing about it, but I generally like Billy [...]
Starring: Morgen Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey Directed by: David Fincher Plot: Police drama about two cops, one new and one about to retire, who hunt a serial killer using the seven deadly sins as his MO. He’s always one step a-head (ahem) of them. But is it any good? Ouch. Se7en is [...]
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor Directed by: John Huston Plot: Sam Spade, a private detective, gets involved in a murderous hunt for a valuable statuette. But is it any good? First, I must say I haven’t seen the 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon, which by a few accounts is superior to this version. This [...]