Grand Hotel (1932)
[6] The lives of tenants at a Berlin hotel interconnect over the course of one day in Grand Hotel, based on the novel by Vicki Baum and produced by the famed Irving Thalberg. With Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Jean Hersholt,…
American Beauty (1999)
[5]
SPOILER REVIEW
I really liked American Beauty when it was first released. Maybe I was wooed by its quirky introspection and aesthetic achievments. Or maybe it was screenwriter Alan Ball’s fresh new way of blending the real with the surreal. Or even the meditative lilt of Thomas Newman’s trend-setting score. But whatever the reason(s), watching the film ten years later, I realize — American Beauty ain’t all that. It’s kinda whack.
Battleground (1949)
[7] Van Johnson and Ricardo Montalban are among the men holed up under snow and fog in William Wellman's (Wings) depiction of the Battle of the Bulge. Unlike most other war films of the time, Battleground is more of a…
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
[8]
You know you’re in for a harrowing journey when the ship’s captain gives a dead man 300 lashes before the ship even leaves port. Charles Laughton steals the show here as the torturous Captain Bligh, a greedy monster who plays recklessly with the lives of his crew. Clark Gable is charismatic as Fletcher Christian, the man who leads the uprising against Bligh (and without his trademark mustache, since facial hair wasn’t permitted in the Royal Navy). Franchot Tone is very good as Roger Byam, a friend of Christian’s who ultimately sides with Bligh… a decision that nearly costs him his life. All three actors were Oscar-nominated for their roles, and the film won the award for Best Picture.
Spartacus (1960)
[8]
Fans of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator might be surprised how much they will also enjoy (perhaps even prefer) its progenitor. Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus is a briskly-paced epic, and uncharacteristically emotional compared to his other work. Kirk Douglas is iconic in the lead role, playing a slave forced to fight in the gladiatorial arena for the enjoyment of the aristocracy. Of course he falls in love with a fellow slave girl, of course he escapes, and of course he leads a mammoth army of slaves in revolt against Rome… but when these broad strokes are painted so earnestly, I don’t care. The bleak, bold final act of the film is what really sells the story for me.
The Towering Inferno (1974)
[7] Steve McQueen and Paul Newman help rescue people trapped in a flaming highrise in Irwin Allen's disaster opus, The Towering Inferno. It is what it is -- we all at one time or another want to watch disaster unfold…
Wings (1927)
[8] Director William Wellman took a full year to shoot it and was nearly fired for his perfectionism, but the gamble paid off. Wings was a huge success at the box office and became the first ever Oscar-winning Best Picture.…
The Heiress (1949)
[7]
Based on the novel Washington Square by Henry James, The Heiress centers around Catherine (Olivia de Havilland), a shy, socially inept young woman who gets swept off her feet by a dashing young destitute (Montgomery Clift). When her father (Ralph Richardson) accuses the man of preying on his daughter’s inheritance, he threatens to cut her off. Putting all her faith in her first love, Catherine ends up brutally betrayed by both men — and begins to trade her naivete and timidity for spite and cruelty.
Black Swan (2010)
[8] SPOILER REVIEW: Natalie Portman is incredible in Black Swan, the story of a ballerina who must tap into her 'dark side' to play the Swan Queen in a New York City performance of Swan Lake. Portman's performance is a…
Inception (2010)
[8] Dreams are a notoriously difficult thing on which to base a movie. In dreams there are no rules, no parameters -- and in movies about dreams, writers and filmmakers are often all too eager to take advantage of our…