John Gielgud

[7] A filthy rich, alcoholic man-boy is threatened with disinheritance if he doesn’t immediately marry a well-to-do woman his family has approved for him. Trouble is, the flyboy suddenly finds himself infatuated with a lower-class shoplifter. Will true love triumph over the all-mighty dollar? Arthur, written and directed by Steve Gordon, is a welcome, class-oriented throwback to screwball comedies of the ’30s and ’40s. It’s …

[3] Remember the Robert Altman movie The Player? At the end of that movie, they mock the typical Hollywood movie by showing the end of a cheesy movie in which Julia Roberts is sentenced to death in the gas chamber, only to be rescued by Bruce Willis at the very last possible second. Bruce shoots his way into the gas chamber and carries Julia out in his …

[3] A Jew and a Christian compete in the 1924 Olympics, both running in the name of God and adversity. I’m sorry to say I just couldn’t give a shit. I couldn’t empathize with their motivations. They feel God when they run. Good for them. It would at least be nice if the two competed against one another in the third act, but they don’t. …

[4] George C. Scott stars as a police officer who follows a murder case that gets him embroiled in a mystery involving the Nazis and big oil. The film’s ahead of its time in vilifying the oil companies, represented here by none other than Marlon Brando. Scott’s character hits the nail on the head when he tells Brando: “You’re not in the oil business, you’re …

[7] Director Sydney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Network) takes on Agatha Christie and delivers a light-hearted soufflé of a murder mystery. I always tend to enjoy ensemble films within a claustrophobic setting, so being trapped on the Orient Express during a blizzard with Lumet’s star-studded cast was a real treat. Albert Finney headlines the venerable collection of stage and screen actors as Christie’s famous detective …