Gideon58's Reviews

I didn't like Traffic as much as I hoped, but I love L.A. Confidential, Superman, and Overboard.

The war against drugs, of which we are fighting a losing battle, was effectively brought to the screen in 2000 in Traffic but the reason we are fighting this battle, the horrors of drug addiction itself and what it can bring you to, was the focus of another winner from 2000 called Requiem for a Dream, a bone-chilling look at the horror of drug addiction and the virus that the business behind it has become.

The film, brilliantly realized by director Darren Aronofsky, weaves together three stories about drug addiction that clearly demonstrate that addiction does not discriminate and that no matter how an addiction starts or for what alleged positive purpose was its genesis, once the line has been crossed from recreational use into addiction (and we never know when that line is actually crossed), we all begin the same swift, downward spiral into a quicksand of consequences that usually leads to one of three places: jails, institutions, or death.

The primary and most heartbreaking story revolves around a middle-aged woman named Sara Goldfarb, played by Ellen Burstyn, in a powerhouse performance that should have won her an Oscar, who begins taking diet pills so that she can fit into a particular dress that she wants to wear when she appears on her favorite television show, an event for which she has been planning for years, but has received no confirmation that it's actually going to happen. This story is particularly unsettling to watch because when we think of drug abuse we don't think about middle-aged women and we don't think about diet pills as being dangerous, but Sara's obsession to lose weight takes her to such a dark place that she starts hallucinating that her refrigerator is talking to her. Burstyn effortlessly imbues Sara with a sadness and confusion about what is happening to her that is positively haunting.

Jared Leto plays Sara's son, Harry, a recreational drug user who is so deeply steeped in his own addiction that he doesn't see what is happening to his mother and decides that he and his running partner (Marlon Wayans), should start selling drugs but really don't have a clue as to what they're doing, evidenced by their complete ignorance about the first rule of selling drugs: Don't get high on your own supply. Watching Harry and his buddy's downfall is so pathetic because we can see all the mistakes they are making even if they don't.

Jennifer Connelly turns in the performance of her career as Harry's girlfriend, Marian, whose casual use of drugs with Harry gets so out of control that Harry can't keep enough drugs around for her so she has to go elsewhere looking for them and doesn't care what she has to do to get that high she so desperately craves. Marian's addiction finds her taking prostitution to a dangerous place she never imagined, yet at the same time, not terribly concerned about how easy it is to get what she wants, using nothing more than her body.

Hubert Selby's screenplay, based on his own book, pulls no punches and offers no apologies for this twisted look at drug addiction that, to the uninitiated viewer might seem a little over-the-top, but for those who have ever dealt with addiction or love someone who has dealt with it, there are emotions and events and images presented here that have a basis in reality.

Aronofsky's bold directorial vision and some spectacular performances, especially Ellen Burstyn, make this film worth watching...it's not an easy watch, but there are rewards to be had here and it might actually make you think twice the next time someone offers to buy you a beer. 8.5/10

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Director Peter Bogdanovich scored a bullseye with The Last Picture Show, a lilting and atmospheric coming-of-age drama that follows several disparate characters in a tiny hamlet in Texas during the 1950's that is so small that the town only has one movie theater and it shows the same movie for months on end.

Larry McMurtry's eloquent screenplay's primary focus is on a pair of high school buddies, Sonny (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane (Jeff Bridges) who find their relationship coming to a fork as they prepare to graduate from high school and both have feelings for the town tramp, Jacy (Cybill Shepherd). Jacy eventually chooses Duane and Sonny then actually drifts into an affair with the lonely wife of his football coach (Cloris Leachman).

Filmed in beautiful black and white, this movie evokes a period feeling and teenage sexual awakenings better than just about any film that came out of the 70's. Bogdanovich pulled rich performances from his cast with Bottoms giving a star-making performance as Sonny, Ben Johnson won a Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Sam the Lion, the local businessman who pretty much runs the town and Leachman won supporting actress, though, personally, I think that award should have gone to Ellen Burstyn, who is just luminous as Jacy's mother.

A beautiful and lovely drama that will entertain and haunt. 8.5/10

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Movies about the mob have been part of cinema history for decades, but never was life as a mobster made to look more glamorous and more alluring than it was presented in Martin Scorsese's 1990 masterpiece Goodfellas, a sweeping cinematic epic that spans several decades in the lives of a select group of men working their way up through the social strata of the syndicate.

The film opens on the childhood of one Henry Hill (a real person BTW, who is now in the Witness Protection Program), a teen who started his career with the mob as an errand boy and was paid handsomely for his efforts. It's a little unsettling the way the mob draws Henry in and makes what he does seem so glamorous and exciting, but Nicholas Pileggi's screenplay brilliantly shines light on the allure of life in the mob. Even though we know it's wrong, the way the director and screenwriter make it completely understandable. There's something rather pathetic about the fact that when a teenage Henry is arrested for the first time, the fact that he keeps his mouth shut about his employers, makes him the new hero of this dangerous inner circle and that he will be protected by them for life.

The inner circle includes a couple of career mobsters Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy De Vito (Joe Pesci) who take the adult Henry (now played by Ray Liotta) under their wing and the sometimes conflicted emotions Henry goes through when he realizes some of the things that are required of him. The movie's opening is proof of this as we see Jimmy, Tommy, and Henry in a car with a body in a trunk which they are preparing to bury somewhere in New Jersey. Despite the rampant ugliness that is a part of this life, the perks seem to outweigh the ugliness for Henry until he is in so deep that he can't get out, to the point where his job has direct correlations to the Don, Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino) who treats Henry like a son until he learns that Henry has branched out into his own side business that has threatened the primary business and everyone involved.

Scorcese has created a world that looks impossible to resist and it is very easy to understand how Hill got pulled in, and as we all know, once you're in, you never get out. Eventually, Henry was in so much trouble, his only alternative to being whacked was selling out.

The cast is absolutely perfect, led by De Niro as Conway and a star-making performance by Ray Liotta as Henry Hill. Liotta is sexy and charismatic as Hill and no matter what Hill does, Liotta always makes the viewer sympathize with Henry, no matter what he's going through. Joe Pesci won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his outrageous performance as Tommy, which produces equal doses of laughs and chills, whether he is amusing cronies with wild stories, beating the crap out of old buddies, or borrowing a shovel from his clueless mom to help bury a body in the trunk of his car while he is at mom's dinner table eating pasta. Lorraine Braco received a supporting actress nomination for her fiery performance as Karen, Henry's wife who turns a blind eye to what her husband is doing because the perks for her seem to be even better than the perks Henry gets. Paul Sorvino commands the screen as Big Paulie and Catherine Scorsese (the director's mother) is adorable as Tommy's mother.

Scorsese's cinematic eye for violence and shock is in full view here, creating a glamorous look at mob life that doesn't minimize the violence and ugliness that comes along with it. The art direction and divine musical score also deserve mention here. The film and Scorsese were both robbed of Oscars...in a word, a masterpiece. 9/10

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Pretty Woman was one of the biggest hits of 1990 that made a superstar out of an actress named Julia Roberts.

Fresh off her Oscar-nominated turn in Steel Magnolias, Roberts got the role of a lifetime as Vivian, a streetwise prostitute who works LA's Hollywood Boulevard. Even though Vivian is smart and very good at her work, it is also apparent that she wants more out of her life. One fateful night, she is picked up by a wealthy businessman named Edward Lewis (Richard Lewis), who has come to town on business after being dumped by his fiancee. After an initial night together, Edward decides some arm candy while he's in town would be a good idea and offers Vivian $3000 to spend the week with him. As can be imagined with such a story, Vivian starts to develop feelings for a man who thinks of her nothing more than a business arrangement, but is smart enough to know that a woman like her getting swept off her feet by a man like Edward is just a fairy tale, like Cinderalla that never happens in real life.

Director Garry Marshall has mounted one of the most charming romantic fantasies ever produced that became the ultimate date movie. Roberts' charismatic starring performance in the lead role earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and her chemistry with leading man Gere is off the charts. The slow burn of their relationship is so much fun to watch, not to mention Vivian's eventual acceptance of what is happening to her. I love when Edward takes her on a shopping spree for clothes and she goes back to the boutique that treated her like dirt when they thought she was just a hooker window shopping and rubs it in the clerk's face.

Mention should also be made of a couple of effective supporting performances by Marshall's good-luck charm Hector Elizondo as the manager of the hotel where Edward and Vivian are staying and Jason Alexander as Edward's friend and business partner, who is so jealous of Edward and Vivian's relationship he can't see straight.

J F Lawton's surprisingly intelligent screenplay is well-serviced by the director, giving us a contemporary version of Cinderella that is pretty hard to resist. Roberts and Gere were re-teamed in 1994 for Runaway Bride but the film barely made a blip on the radar compared to the instant classic that this film became. If you're a sucker for a good love story, have your fill here. 9/10

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Billed as a "Slobs vs Snobs" comedy, the 1980 comedy Caddyshack, directed by Harold Ramis, was a raunchy and side-splitting, episodic comedy focusing on various members and employees of the Bushwood Country Club. This was the movie that helped to make golf cool.

The primary story here is about a young caddie named Danny Noonan, played by Michael O'Keefe, who wants to win the Caddy Tournament, so that he can have enough money to go to college. Along the way, we meet Danny's mentor, the demented Ty Webb (Chevy Chase), a professional golfer who really doesn't give a damn about golf, if the truth be told, Judge Smalls (Ted Knight), the tightly wound president of the Country Club who finds himself in a battle of wills with one Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield), a rich slob who wreaks havoc at the club and makes an instant enemy out of Smails and Carl (Bill Murray), a nutty groundskeeper who finds himself in battle with one wild gopher who is digging holes all over the golf course.

This movie provides non-stop laughs from start to finish and features a soundtrack that is a dream to lovers of music from the late 1970's. Dangerfield and Murray provide the lion's share of the laughs here and, if the truth be told, Ted Knight has never been seen to better advantage. A comedy classic that just gets funnier with age. 8/10

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1967 was a very good year for Sidney Poitier. In addition to appearing in that year's Oscar winning Best Picture, In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, he created one of his most endearing characters, making To Sir, With Love, one of the best movies ever made about high school students changed by the dedication of one teacher.

Based on the book by ER Braithwaite, Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, a recent engineering school graduate unable to get a job in that field, who accepts a job teaching at a school in the slums of London's east end, teaching high school age students and the lengths to which he goes to reach these kids.

Not only does Thackeray have to deal with the kids' bigotry, but realizes that normal teaching methods are not going to work as most of the kids are barely literate and have no social skills whatsoever and it is when Thackeray decides to throw away the textbooks and decides to teach the kids the basics of being civilized human beings, he finally starts making a connection.

Poitier is magnificent here, creating a character of quiet dignity and unassuming intelligence with whom respect is immediately demanded, from the viewer as well as the rest of the characters in the movie. Poitier is one of those actors, like Meryl Streep, who never has to resort to scenery chewing in order to command the screen. If memory serves, there is only one scene where Thackeray actually raises his voice. This is a performance that, like a lot of Streep's work, should be studied by acting students...Poitier beautifully internalizes Thackeray's initial confusion on how to reach these students and the joy it brings him when it begins to happen.

Christian Roberts and Judy Geeson offer effective support as Thackeray's biggest problem student and another student who develops a crush on him, but this is Poitier's show all the way and his performance is the film's number one appeal. Mention should also be made of the smash hit single of the title tune the film produced, performed by Lulu, who also appears in the film as student Barbara Peg. 8/10

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48 HRS was one of the best action/adventure/buddy cop movies ever made that introduced a brand new movie star to the world named Eddie Murphy.

The film stars Nick Nolte as Jack Cates, a world weary cop, who finds himself in a bind when a fellow officer is killed with his gun by a slimy criminal who broke out of jail in order to get his hands on a booty that is in the trunk of the car of a former running partner named Reggie Hammond, who is now in jail. Cates realizes the only way to get this guy is by enlisting the aid of Hammond, who he gets a 48-hour pass out of jail in order to nab the bad guy.

Eddie Murphy deservedly became a movie star with his star-making turn as Reggie Hammond, but Nolte's Cates is an equally effective characterization, a veteran cop who might be slightly over the hill but in complete denial about it. Nolte effortlessly nails the world-weariness of his character without ever letting Murphy blow him off the screen. James Remar also had one of his best roles as Ganz, the bad guy that Cates and Hammond are after. The scene where Murphy takes command of a redneck bar is just outstanding.

Nolte and Murphy were reunited for a sequel, but like I always say, stick to the original. 8/10

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Loving You was Elvis Presley's second film that displayed him at the zenith of his hip-swiveling, nostril-flaring appeal in addition to introducing some of his best songs( including "Teddy Bear").

Elvis plays Deke Rivers, a young delivery boy who is discovered by a publicist (Lizabeth Scott)who decides to make Deke a star. The paper-thin plot is basically a showcase for Elvis to show what all the fuss was about...Elvis really hadn't learned anything about acting at this point, but no one really cared. Scott adds a touch of class to the proceedings as Glenda the publicist and Wendell Corey has one of his better roles as Glenda's beau, who resents the attention Glenda is showering on Deke. Pretty Dolores Hart also has one of her earliest roles as a back up singer in Deke's band who he falls for, much to Glenda's outrage.

A must for Elvis fans and fans of classic cinema who can revel in the presence of Lizabeth Scott and Wendell Corey, who make the most of the sparse material they are provided. 6/10

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The Rainmaker is the 1956 film version of the N Richard Nash play about a slick-talking con man who breezes into a sleepy little town, suffering from a serious drought, who promises he can bring rain while bringing some magic into the life of a lonely spinster.

Burt Lancaster turns in one of his most charismatic performances as Bill Starbuck, the fast-talking con man whose ego definitely outweighs his actual abilities. Katherine Hepburn received a Best Actress nomination for her performance as Lizzie Curry, a buttoned-up spinster who bristles at the phrase, "Old Maid", no matter how many times her father and her brother Noah sling it her way. It is the brief encounter of these two people from completely different worlds, who have no business being together, who make a special connection, which may or may not be genuine, that makes this story so special.

Lloyd Bridges and Earl Holliman provide solid support as Lizzie's brothers, Noah and Jimmy, who have completely different feelings about Starbuck and Wendell Corey is wonderful as File, the local deputy who has been fighting feelings for Lizzie and realizes that with Starbuck around, he has to put up or shut up.

Nash adapted his own play for the screen with care and though Joseph Anthony's direction is a little static, giving the film the look of a photographed stage play, the performances by the stars more than compensate. The story was later turned into a Broadway musical called 110 IN THE SHADE. 8/10

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Goldie Hawn had one of her biggest hits with the 1980 comedy Private Benjamin, an entertaining comedy that provides more than its shares of laughs, even if they don't sustain the length of the entire film.

Hawn received a Best Actress nomination for her enchanting performance as Judy Benjamin, a bubbly, Jewish-American Princess whose sheltered existence is completely shattered when her new husband (Albert Brooks) dies of a heart attack during sex on their wedding night. Aimless and clueless about what to do with her life now, Judy enlists in the US army on a whim after being duped by a slick recruiter (Harry Dean Stanton) about what the army could offer her.

The strongest part of the film focuses on Judy's complete ignorance about the military and what it involves, including her disappointment at learning that green is the only color the uniforms come in. Judy's struggle with army life is further complicated by her battle of wits with her hard-nosed commanding officer, Captain Doreen Lewis (supporting actress nominee Eileen Brennan). The hate/hate relationship between Judy and Lewis is the strongest part of this comedy and just as it reaches a fever pitch, Judy's parents arrive at the base to take their baby home because they had no idea what she had done and, in a moment that induces cheers, Judy grows up and tells her parents she is going to stay.

Surprisingly, this is where the film begins to lose steam as Judy is drafted as part of an elite military squad and becomes involved with a European playboy (Armand Assante), who wants to turn Judy back into the spoiled princess she was, completely dependent on a man that she used to be, but the film is still worth watching.

Howard Zeiff's spirited direction is a plus as is the solid support provided by Barbara Barrie and Sam Wanamaker as Judy's parents, Mary Kay Place as one of Judy's fellow soldiers and Robert Webber as the squad leader who recruits the new Judy for his team and though the film does peter out, it is a pleasure most of the way, thanks primarily to Hawn and Brennan, who makes their roles sizzle. 7.5/10

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Desperately Seeking Susan is a clever and extremely well-written comic confection revolving around a bored New Jersey housewife named Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) who religiously follows the postings of a girl named Susan in the personal ads of her local newspaper because she apparently finds some kind of vicarious release in reading about Susan's wild lifestyle. One day she reads in the paper that Susan is meeting her boyfriend Jimmy in the city and decides to go to the city to actually see what Susan looks like and possibly meet her. Just as Susan arrives on the scene (unbeknownst to her or Roberta, she is being tailed by a killer), Roberta hits her head, wakes up and thinks she's Susan and that's where the fun really begins.

To try and explain further would be confusing and totally ruin this delicious romantic comedy for those who have never seen it. Susan Seidelman's direction is crisp and detail-oriented and the screenplay by Leora Barish is absolutely brilliant and the real star of the film...the unpredictable twists and turns this story takes are too numerous to count, but be warned that this is one of those rare gems of a movie where if you walk away for five minutes without pausing it, you won't have a clue as to what's going on.

Arquette gives a star-making performance as Roberta and she is well supported by Madonna, in her first major film role, as Susan, a character who is pretty much just a fictionalized version of Madonna herself so the character doesn't really come off as much of a stretch for her. I absolutely love the scene where Susan is in a club dancing to Madonna's smash "Into the Groove"...it feels almost like the 4th wall is broken but it really isn't. Kudos as well to Aidan Quinn as Susan's confused ex, Mark Blum as Roberta's slimy husband, and Robert Joy as Jimmy. And if you blink, you'll miss a brief appearance from ROSEANNE's Laurie Metcalf as Roberta's sister-in-law.

This is a comedy/mystery/romance that, due to a beautifully constructed screenplay, on-target performances and a rocking soundtrack, makes all the right moves to an extremely satisfying conclusion. 8.5/10

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One of Tyler Perry's more tolerable screen offerings was 2007's Daddy's Little Girls, the story of a divorced mechanic (Idris Elba) who enlists the aid of a snooty, high-powered attorney (Gabrielle Union) to regain custody of his three young daughters, who he lost custody of through the machinations of his obnoxious ex-wife and her drug dealer boyfriend.

This movie definitely has its problems...Union's character is thoroughly unlikable and our leading man's attraction to her is somewhat of a mystery beyond the obvious physical aspect and the ex-wife re-defines the term shrew and though the screenplay is fighting him and his character all the way, the one thing that makes this film worth sitting through is the powerhouse performance by Idris Elba in the lead role. The actor is sexy and charismatic and evokes immediate sympathy and respect for the character. It is Elba's performance and his performance alone that makes this film worth sitting through. 6.5/10

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Saving Silverman is another guilty pleasure of mine, a film that is kind of silly and pointless, but I think is really funny and has great re-watch appeal.

The film is about a trio of childhood pals (Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn, Jack Black), who have a Neil Diamond tribute band, who find themselves torn apart when Biggs meets an emasculating psychologist (Amanda Peet), who demands that Biggs not see Zahn and Black anymore and their mission to get Biggs away from this shrew, who has Biggs so whipped he doesn't even realize it when the woman he really loves (Amanda Detmer) re-enters his life.

The film goes all the places you expect it to, but the journey is very, very funny thanks primarily to deliciously entertaining performances from Zahn and Black. The breezy direction by Dennis Dugan, who directed a lot of Adam Sandler's best comedies, is a big plus and the film is worth seeing, if for no other reason, to see Jack Black and R Lee Ermey (STRAIGHT METAL JACKET) share a kiss. 6/10

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After spending a few years as a Hollywood pretty boy, Warren Beatty took control of his career and defined himself as a filmmaker to be reckoned with as the Executive Producer and star of Bonnie and Clyde, a vivid and blistering, if somewhat glamorized look at the infamous bank robbing duo, the formation of their gang, and their rise to being the most wanted outlaws of the 1930's.

Beatty, director Arthur Penn, and screenwriters David Newman and Robert Benton have taken the basic story of some real-life criminals and ushered in a new generation of in-your-face film making that redefined the art of cinematic storytelling as well as the presentation of cinematic violence that seemed to stem from the works of directors like Sam Peckinpah and had to be a major influence on people like Scorcese, Coppola, De Palma, and Tarantino.

Beatty gives a nicely controlled performance as Clyde Barrow, one of cinema's premiere anti-heros who Beatty chose not to make a superhero by inflicting his hero with several very human characteristics, some of which that weren't discussed out loud in 1967, mainly his impotence, which is implied in his problematic relationship with Bonnie Parker, beautifully realized by Faye Dunaway, in a star-making performance, whose attraction to Barrow physically as well as his lifestyle is in direct conflict with the real relationship she wants to have with Clyde but never will. There is a school of thought that Barrow was actually gay, but I guess 1967 film audiences weren't ready for that yet. It doesn't change the fact that Beatty and Dunaway create mad chemistry here that burns a hole through the movie screen.

They are well-supported by Gene Hackman as Clyde's brother, Buck, Estelle Parsons as Buck's wife, and Michael J Pollard as CW Moss, the gang's wide-eyed young driver.

This masterpiece was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and was one of the few films in history to receive nominations in all four acting categories. Beatty, Dunaway, Hackman, Parsons, and Pollard all received nominations and Parsons walked away with the award for Best Supporting Actress. Mention should also be made of an early appearance by a very young Gene Wilder as a reluctant temporary passenger/hostage of the gang.

Penn's powerhouse directorial hand is also in full force here, especially in the bloody and brilliant finale that redefined cinematic violence forever. A classic that ushered in a new generation of filmmakers and was the beginning of an entire new phase of the career of Warren Beatty, who proved he was not just a pretty face. 9/10

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Galaxy Quest is a surprisingly clever comic adventure that does stretch credibility, but provides a little more substance than you might expect from this kind of comedic adventure.

The title of the film is actually the title of a short-lived, sci-fi television series that during its brief time on the air, developed cult status, a fictionalized STAR TREK, if you will, that continues to live on through conventions and live appearances for its cast, whose careers have pretty much been reduced to these live appearances, which most of the cast seems bored with, except for the star of the show, Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), who lives for these live appearances until he accidentally overhears a couple of fans talking about how ridiculous the show and Nesmith are, which sends Nesmith on a drunken bender.

The following morning, a seriously hungover Nesmith is actually confronted by a group of aliens, who believe he is the character he plays on Galaxy Quest and have come to ask him to help them with a mission on their own planet.

This film manages to achieve the impossible, by literally throwing reality and credibility out the window and still presenting an entertaining satire that takes on-target looks at fan obsession as well as science fiction television in such an entertaining way, that you can't help but be immediately sucked in by the proceedings.

Tim Allen lights up the screen here, proving to be a commanding comedic presence who manages to make the character of Jason Nesmith funny, likable, and human in seemingly effortless fashion. Allen receives solid support from Sigourney Weaver, Daryl Mitchell, Tony Shaloub, and especially Alan Rickman as the rest of the cast of the television show. Sam Rockwell is also very funny as an actor who guest starred on one episode of the show but still manages to get in on the adventure here and mention should also be made of a very young Justin Long, who is adorable as a nerdy fan of the show who ends up being very instrumental in helping the gang with their mission.

David Howard's screenplay is intelligent and surprisingly clever, mining laughter and warmth out of an outrageous story, well-anchored by Dean Parisot's effective direction, which makes a completely off-the-wall and unrealistic story completely watchable and enjoyable, with enormous re-watch appeal. As long as you don't take it too seriously, this film can be so much fun. 7.5/10

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One of the very rare examples of a sequel surpassing the original was the 1980 epic Superman II.

Director Richard Lester has mounted an edge-of-your-seat adventure that pretty much begins where the 1978 film left off. The opening credits appear over clips from the first film for anyone who might have missed it or needed a reminder of what happened.

The intricate screenplay effortlessly weaves together two basic stories. The first involves three super criminals with super powers from the planet Krypton, who were imprisoned for life at the beginning of the first film by Jo-rel, Superman's father, who escape from their interplanetary prison and vow revenge on Jo-rel by going after his son. The other story, which is the one we had been wishing for at the end of the first film, revolved around Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) FINALLY learning that Superman and Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) are the same person and his reveal that the only way he can actually be with Lois is to give up his Superman identity and his powers, which is exactly what he does, the timing of which is unfortunate as the three super criminals from Krypton are methodically destroying planet earth in their quest to find Superman.

This film is so effectively constructed because it captures the spirit of the original film without rehashing or altering what happened in the first film. The story introduces new characters who bring a variety of comedic and dramatic layers to the story, from a redneck sheriff, hilariously portrayed by Clifton James, to Krypton's, General Zod, played with bone-chilling intensity by Terrence Stamp, who actually ends up teaming up with Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) in his quest to find Superman.

And despite the expensive production values that are clearly present throughout this film, it is still the endearing and endlessly charming work by Christopher Reeve as Superman and especially the powerless but in love Clark Kent, that makes this film even more fun to watch than the original. 8.5/10

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After her smash success in Pillow Talk, Doris Day was actually Hollywood's # 1 Box Office attraction and she actually cemented that position with a rather shrill melodrama called Midnight Lace.

Day plays Kit Preston, the American trophy wife of wealthy British industrialist Anthony Preston (Rex Harrison), who starts receiving phone calls threatening her life and though she can't get anyone to believe her initially, she is driven to the edge of her sanity when all the clues start to point to her own husband as the guilty party.

This film was one of 1960's biggest box office hits and for the life of me, I have never understood why. Day's performance here is strictly a matter of taste...this is the kind of role that Lana Turner could play in her sleep, but I found Day to just be out of her element here and Rex Harrison seems to be phoning it in as the husband.

The presence of the eternally wooden John Gavin as Day's hero doesn't help matters either, but Myrna Loy is fun as Kit's Aunt Bea. For hard-core Doris fans only. 5/10

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Though it's not considered one of his masterpieces, 1963's The Birds is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie, a film that not only provides genuine scares, but is a master class in the art of cinematic suspense.

Based on a short story by Daphne Du Maurier, this is the story of a wealthy socialite from San Francisco named Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), who travels to a small Northern Californian town called Bodega Bay to pursue a possible relationship with the town's most eligible bachelor, Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) and, upon her arrival, a series of unmotivated attacks by birds end up terrorizing the entire town.

Other than the technical mastery and animal training that had to be involved in getting these birds to do what they were supposed to do when they are supposed to do it, this film shows what a master Hitchcock was at building suspense...watch the scene where Melanie is sitting on a bench smoking a cigarette while birds begin gathering on a jungle gym behind her or the scene before the final attack where Melanie, Mitch, his mother, and kid sister are sitting in the front room of the Brenner home waiting for a bird attack on the house. The suspense created in these scenes will have you either holding your breath or screaming at the screen for the characters to wake up.

The wooden performances, especially Hedren, are irrelevant to the artistry that is Hitchcock that makes this classic a film that gave me nightmares for months and to this day, I still get very nervous when I see 3 or more birds gather in one location. 8/10

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One of Tyler Perry's earliest big screen offerings was 2005's Diary of a Mad Black Woman, a glossy, yet empty comedy/drama/romance that suffers from a somewhat muddled screenplay and some unappealing characters (including Perry's most famous creation, Medea).

The film stars Kimberly Elise as Helen, the pampered wife of a sexist mob lawyer named Charles (Steve Harris) who finds her comfortable existence shattered when her husband announces that he is in love with another woman and unceremoniously throws her out of the house with nothing but the clothes on her back. She then moves in with her grandmother Medea and while trying to learn how to live her life as an independent woman, attempts to start a relationship with a regular guy named Orlando (Shemar Moore), who cannot provide the life her husband did, but treats her like a queen, but she is so damaged by what her husband did to her, she keeps pushing Orlando away. Things become even more complicated when Charles' work gets him seriously hurt and Helen finds herself compelled to be the man's caregiver.

This film pretty much aggravates the viewer throughout because the central character is kind of all over the place...it's a mystery why she stayed married to Charles as long as she did, not to mention her ignorance about his work or why even after cheating on her and throwing her out, she still seems to have feelings for him. It's aggravating as we watch Orlando makes all the right moves with Helen and being kept at arm's length and it's also aggravating watching Helen getting lots of bad advice from Medea on how to move on with her life. The scene where Medea enters Charles' house and starts sawing the furniture in half is just ridiculous.

Kimberly Elise works very hard at making Helen likable but she is fighting the screenplay all the way and Perry's arrogant casting of himself as not only Madea, but Helen's cousin Brian AND Medea's husband Joe is pretty hard to take as well. Moore's role as Orlando is pretty thankless, but he looks good while he's doing it. Harris is extremely effective as Charles though, completely investing in one of the most despicable characters I have ever seen in a movie. The movie might have worked a lot better if it was a little clearer what point Perry is trying to make here, as his central character is a lot more stupid than she is "mad. 5/10

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