The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on May 9, 2015

James Crabe’s photography gets The Karate Kid through the rough patches. The film’s incredibly uneven–Bill Conti’s score initially seems like it’ll be a plus, ends up being a minus, and the editing is strange. Director Avildsen, with two other editors, can’t seem   read more

Durnmoose Movie Musings Posted by Michael on April 24, 2015

The problem with Norman Jewison‘s 1984 film A Soldier’s Story is that while it tries very hard to be a movie with a message, and while it works for the most part on that level, it forgets one of the most basic characteristics of  film making: In order to truly...   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on February 5, 2015

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, this is the second installment in the popular series. The film opens in China where Indy is trying to acquire a rare jewel but he runs into problems and must struggle for his life. He escapes with the help of his little...   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on February 5, 2015

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, this is the second installment in the popular series. The film opens in China where Indy is trying to acquire a rare jewel but he runs into problems and must struggle for his life. He escapes with the help of his little...   read more

Once Upon a Screen Posted by Aurora on February 3, 2015

Milos Forman was invited to see “Amadeus” on stage and dreaded the idea of watching a period piece about classical music.  In fact, he said he couldn’t think of anything more boring.  That’s exactly how I felt about the prospect of watching a nearly three-hour retelling of a   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on December 31, 2014

A common film would content itself with developing a biopic on one of the greatest composers of all time reaching the heights of the musical field in the musical capital of the world in Vienna. A typical film might paint on a canvas paying homage to a legend who revolutionized...   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on December 31, 2014

A common film would content itself with developing a biopic on one of the greatest composers of all time reaching the heights of the musical field in the musical capital of the world in Vienna. A typical film might paint on a canvas paying homage to a legend who revolutionized...   read more

The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on December 26, 2014

Footloose isn’t so much awful as dumb and obvious. Some of it is awful–the scene where Kevin Bacon, fed up with the small town getting him down, just has to go to an abandoned mill and dance it out–that scene is awful. So are most of the courtship scenes between...   read more

Critica Retro Posted by Lê on August 29, 2014

Feitiço do Rio / Blame it on Rio (1984) Não existe pecado do lado de baixo do Equador. Esta é a visão que Hollywood sempre teve do país em que eu vivo: o Brasil. Um lugar muito sensual, com praias, mulheres lindas, muita música, festas religiosas e alguns animais exóticos....   read more

The Movie Rat Posted by Bernardo Villela on August 29, 2014

Introduction When deciding what to pick for a 1984-themed blogathon there were many great options. It was a great year. However, many of those were taken so I thought it’d be fun to go off the beaten path. At first I considered something foreign or very obscure. What ended up...   read more

Critica Retro Posted by Lê on August 29, 2014

Feitiço do Rio / Blame it on Rio (1984) Não existe pecado do lado de baixo do Equador. Esta é a visão que Hollywood sempre teve do país em que eu vivo: o Brasil. Um lugar muito sensual, com praias, mulheres lindas, muita música, festas religiosas e alguns animais exóticos....   read more

Journeys in Classic Film Posted by on August 28, 2014

We’re jumping ahead a few decades more than the average review on this site in honor of the 1984-a-Thon Blogathon. I did, however, focus on a film with classic era sensibilities: Robert Zemeckis’ action/adventure, Romancing the Stone combines Indiana Jones – during its release the   read more

Durnmoose Movie Musings Posted by Michael on August 25, 2014

This is my entry in the 1984-A-Thon, being hosted by Forgotten Filmcast. Be sure to click on the picture in the sidebar or this link to check out the entire line-up of blogs and reviews that are celebrating this great year of movies. The last time I looked, there were...   read more

Durnmoose Movie Musings Posted by Michael on August 25, 2014

This is my entry in the 1984-A-Thon, being hosted by Forgotten Filmcast. Be sure to click on the picture in the sidebar or this link to check out the entire line-up of blogs and reviews that are celebrating this great year of movies. The last time I looked, there were...   read more

The Vintage Cameo Posted by Emily on August 24, 2014

By the 1980s, the movie musical was… well, far beyond the time of transition. Since their heyday in the ’30s and ’40s, musicals had become limited to just a handful of movies per year, without a lot to choose from—Disney films for kids, pop hits designed to sell soundtracks, the oc   read more

The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on July 29, 2014

Starman’s first forty or so minutes speed by–director Carpenter gets as much information across as quickly as he can to discourage the viewer from paying too much attention. There aren’t exactly plot holes, but there’s a lot of silliness in the script. For example, Charles M   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on May 9, 2014

Footloose (Herbert Ross, 1984) It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), an upbeat Chicago teen who moves to a small town in which, as a result of the efforts of a local minister (John Lithgow), dancing and rock music have been banned. For the thirty years of this...   read more

The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on March 26, 2014

If Against All Odds had just a few more things going for it, the film might qualify as a glorious disaster. There are a lot of glorious elements to it, even if there aren't quite enough to make it worthwhile. Or even passable. Hackford's direction is outstanding. He's fully committed   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on February 2, 2014

Feb 2 Posted by aaronwest This was arguably one of the weaker years in the 80s. A lot of the American films were dominated by low quality crowd-pleasing flicks. Once Upon a Time in America is an example of how difficult it was to get a challenging film made from...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on February 2, 2014

Feb 2 Posted by aaronwest This was arguably one of the weaker years in the 80s. A lot of the American films were dominated by low quality crowd-pleasing flicks. Once Upon a Time in America is an example of how difficult it was to get a challenging film made from...   read more