Top Films by Year
Top Films of 2020
Top Films of 2017
Top Films of 2015
In the Valley of Elah 8
We saw this a year later, and on TV, but my firm belief is that this is the one movie about the Iraq war, so far at least, that will stand the test of time. (We tried to watch The Deer Hunter the other night, to see if that plays a similar role for Vietnam, […]
Anvil 4.5
Unfortunately, a loser of a film about unfortunate losers in the rock’n’roll sweepstakes, the Canadian heavy-metallists, Anvil. The two leads, Lips and Robb, look so much like the stars of Spinal Tap, the film often resembles a parody of a parody, which is not a good thing. The songs, of which we get to hear […]
Body of Lies 7.5
The Mideast terrorist world seems to be the new Cold-War-spy paradigm for thrillers, and if this scenario hadn’t felt so familiar it would have rated even higher. Mark Strong was sharp as the Jordanian security chief, and all the Arabs were convincing Arabs. Brad Pitt’s Arabic accent was standard American, but otherwise he was a […]
Burn After Reading 6
Not nearly as bad as reviews led me to expect, but its triviality did confirm for me that all the Coen Bros. movies aren’t worth saving, let alone masterworks. Sort of like Woody Allen, I guess. Anyway, this is a one-joke movie that passes the time, however implausibly, and depends on how you like various […]
Appaloosa 6.5
Another director, Ed Harris this time, is enticed by the beauty of the Old West, this time New Mexico, to make a post-modern Western, with noble Indians in a cameo role. Unfortunately, in mining a past genre, the filmmakers have come up with nary a novel plotline or character. Viggo Mortenson is exemplary, Jeremy Irons […]