Oscar

1991 farce starring Sylvester Stallone, Peter Riegert, Tim Curry, Marisa Tomei, Chazz PalPalminteri, Harry Shearer.

John Landis directed this farce buoyed by stellar cast.

You may not be inclined to check out a comedy starring Stallone but everyone shines in this one.

30's gangster Spats Provolone promises his father ( a cameo by Kirk Douglas) to go straight but complications arise. Mistaken identities, misplaced suitcases, all add to the mix.

Look for Tim Curry giving Stallone elocution lessons, Tomei adorable as spoiled daughter, Riegert doing his best Bugs Bunny, Palminteri as a dim-witted henchman, Harry Shearer as one of the Fannuci Brothers tailors ( "Is not a suit...is a Fannuci")

Definitely worth a look for the great job this cast does with wacked out characters and situations

Zombieland

Oh, the joys of indiscriminately blowing away flesh eating zombies!

2009 film from director Ruben Fleischer stars Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson.

Learn the rules of survival first then go on a road trip across country as Eisenberg seeks his parents, Stone looks for Playland amusement park, and Harrelson searches for a Twinkie...all trying to survive in a world gone crazy with zombies.

Great fun, funny...look for a great cameo by Bill Murray as...well, Bill Murray.

Pineapple Express

2008 film directed by David Gordon Green stars Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole.

Slacker process server witnesses a murder and has to go on the run accompanied by his weed dealer.

Very funny if you like stoner films...I do. Rogen and Franco are a 21st century Cheech and Chong.

Hysterical ending...all shot up and they go to the diner for breakfast before going to the hospital.

Adventures of Robin Hood

Forget Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner, this is the definitive Robin Hood.

Adventure, suspense, comedy, this has it all from Friar Tuck and Little John to great swashbuckling action.

Not to be missed.

Key Largo

Bogart and Bacall, 1948, also stars Edward G. Robinson, Lionel Barrymore. Directed by John Huston.

Not as much heat as "To Have and Have Not" but interesting nonetheless.

War vet traveling through Florida stops at hotel owned by the father and sister of a war buddy who never made it back. Complications arise when gangster takes over the off-season hotel just before a hurricane strikes.

Adaptation of the Maxwell Anderson play.

Chemistry between the stars is evident but supporting characters make this one something to watch.

Look for Jay Silverheels ("Tonto") in a bit part.

Amadeus

1984 Milos Forman film starring F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Jeffery Jones.

I never really liked opera 'til I saw this film.

Solieri is fustrated that he does not receive the respect as a composer that young Mozart does. And Mozart is such a jerk! How can God allow this to happen? And what will Solieri do about it.

Peter Shaffer wrote the script based on his play.

This is a brilliant fim and works on so many levels: as a study of the two personalities, on the nature of creating art, on faith and religion...and the music and opera sequences wonme over.

Long, but worth it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/

3:10 To Yuma

This is a remake of the 1957 classic. Watch both. Either way you can't go wrong.

Gripping, suspenseful western from 2007 directed by James Mangold and starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe.

Poor, disbled farmer takes on the task of taking a muderer to a far off town to put him on a train to prison while the bad guy's gang tries to intercept them.

Both stars turn in great performances...Crowe is a bad guy you can't help but like. That is the probelm Bale faces as Crowe tries to psych him out along the way.

I had a couple problems with the ease in which Crowe gets the upper hand, but all in all a taut thriller with spurts of well shot action.

Both films, this one and the original from 1957, are well done action adventures with a psychological overtones.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381849/

Chocolat

Charming, good hearted film from 2000 directed by Lasse Hallstrom and starring Juliette Binoche, Alfred Molina, Johhny Depp, Carrie-Ann Moss, Lena Olin, Leslie Caron.

A woman and her daughter arrive in a small French town and prepare to open a chocolate shop during lent much to the dismay of the town's mayor.

This feel good movie is funny, romantic, and has a lot to say about acceptance of others. But most of all it is fun. The cast is wonderful. I have a crush on Binoche.

Definitely worth seeing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241303/

Pulp Fiction

If you haven't seen it...run - don't walk to the DVD store, NerFlix, or wherever and see it!
Arguably the coolest movie ever made.

Made in 1994 by Quentin Tarantino this dramedy stars John Travolta, Ving Rhames, Samuel Jackson, Uma Thurman..shall I go on? Bruce Willis, Eric Stoltz, Amanda Plummer, Tim Roth...and more.

Non-linear look at four stories that interconnect very cleverly. Dramatic, freaky, funny, and above all...cool.

Look for: Royale with cheese
It's a chopper, not a motorcycle
The Watch
and especially the segment with Mr Wolf
Don't miss it!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/

Seven

Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow star in this David Fincher drama from 1995.

Wow, and I thought I was good at twist endings...this one threw me for a loop!

Younger cop is assigned to a serial killer case. His training officer is about to retire but they both go to work trying to find the perp who uses the biblical Seven Deadly Sins as clues to the murders.

Great cast, very good performances. Surprise after surprise in this one.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/

Purple Rose of Cairo

Woody Allen comedy from 1965 stars Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello.

1930's woman is unhappy with her husband and falls in love with a character in a movie who "steps out" of the movie to woo her.

Quirky, fantasy film is funny and also touching. Great performances from entire cast.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089853/

Mean Streets

1973 drama co-written and directed by Martin Scorsese stars Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro.

Keitel plays a young man in New York's Little Italy who makes a living doing collections for his wiseguy uncle. When offered a restaurant to run for his uncle he is forced to choose between what might be a lucrative future or love and friendship.

His girlfriend is has epilepsy and his best friend, Johnny Boy, is a loose cannon. These relationships create tension between he and his uncle.

The young cast (then) shines in what is basically the story of a young man's conflicts between his real life and his moral dilemmas...all played out on the "Mean Streets".

Fascinating and riveting. De Niro is incredible (What's a mook?)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070379/

Nothing Sacred

William A. Wellman directed this deric March and Carole Lombard.

One of the original screwball comedies about a reporter who fakes a story and the hilarious complications that ensue.

Romance, comedy, and drama all belnd well. Lombarde was a masterful actress who excelled in comedic roles. Catch this one.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029322/

Sea of Love

Harold Becker directed this 1989 film starring Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin.

Suspense thriller about a detective who is searching for a serial killer who finds victims through a lonely hearts column.

Barkin is the love interest and possibly the killer.

Intense, taut mystery with both actors turning in pro performances.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098273/

Diner

Barry Levinson directed this 1982 comedy/drama about a group of friends coping with responsibilities and adulthood.

Great dialogue and good story...part of Levinson's group of films centered in Baltimore. Outstanding cast includes Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Paul Reiser, Ellen Barkin, Steve Guttenberg, and Tim Daly.

Has a lot of heart...and humor. Love the scenes in the diner (natch) and the sports test a fiance has to take before she is considered worthy of marriage.

I'll have some gravy on those fries.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083833/

Paths of Glory

Stanley Kubrick film from 1957 stars Kirk Douglas as a French officer and lawyer who defends soldiers who are accused of cowardice after a badly planned World War One battle.

Looks at the futility of war, what constitutes bravery, and tears apart the justice system.

Dynamic social commentary with great acting.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050825/

The Big Sleep

Bogart and Bacall in a 1946 classic from Howard Hawks.

Their chemistry is evident in this noir mystery about a rich family that hires detective Philip Marlowe to protect the patriarch's younger daughter. But Marlowe falls for the older sister. Can she be trusted?

Great thriller-mystery with killer cast.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038355/

The Legend of Bagger Vance

Robert Redford directed this film from 2000 starring Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Jack Lemmon, and Will Smith.

Golfers love this film but it should appeal to everyone.

Traumatized World War One vet tries to piece his life - and golf game - together. Big match pits him againsy legendary golf figures like Bobby Jones. Help is provided by a mystical caddy (Smith at his best...humble and folksy.

Touching drama with an excellent cast is seen through the eyes of a youngster who adores the game and idolizes his golf hero.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146984/

To Have and Have Not

Bogart and Bacall at their best. Howard Hawks directed them in 1944. This is the first film they worked on together and the chemistry is evident.

Faulkner worked on the screenplay from an uncredited Hemingway novel.

Bogart plays a charter boat captain during World War Two who tries to remain aloof and neutral. But circumstances force him to become involved in the resistance and with a sexy cabaret singer.

Great adventure romance.

Walter Brennan shines as Bogart's drunk first mate ("Ever been stung by a dead bee?"), Bacall is HOT and Bogart is prime.

Not to be missed.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037382/

The Magic Christian

Joseph McGrath directed this 1969 comedy adapted from a Terry Southern novel. It stars Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr, and Christopher Lee.

The richest man in the world sets out to prove that anyone can be bought.

Sellers, as usual, is hysterical. Ring Starr once actually had a promising career in film...what happened to that?

Funny English satire. Outstanding soundtrack.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064622/