My life at the movies.
Directed by Sidney Lumet. Starring Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon, and Irene Worth.
In this adaptation of Ira Levin’s long-running Broadway hit, Michael Caine plays a once prominent playwright staring down his fourth straight flop. Needing a hit, he hatches a plot to steal a dazzling manuscript from a former student played by Christopher Reeve. Complications ensue and spoilers follow. Continue reading...
Directed by Jim Henson. Starring David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud, and Shelley Thompson.
Jennifer Connelly plays a teenage girl who must traverse a large maze in a magical world to rescue her infant brother after wishing him away to the Goblin King, played by David Bowie. Continue reading...
Directed by Michael Curtiz. Starring William Powell, Margaret Lindsay, Ruth Donnelly, Gordon Westcott, and Arthur Hohl.
William Powell plays an American agent operating in Paris. An exfiltration mission goes awry, resulting in his apprehension and deportation. But just as his ship reaches New York harbor, the captain receives word to return Powell to France. Powell jumps ship and swims ashore. Disavowed by the government and unable to find work, he finagles his way into a private investigator job, only to fall for a gambler played by Margaret Lindsay, who’s targeted for a frame up job by a crooked casino operator. Continue reading...
Directed by William Dieterle. Starring William Powell, Joan Blondell, David Landau, and Helen Vinson.
William Powell plays a womanizing Lower East Side lawyer who joins a prestigious uptown firm. His rising star attracts the attention of local political boss John Gilmurry. Powell rebuffs Gilmurry’s advances but loses the moral high ground when he accepts a breach of promise case from a seductive actress. Ignoring advice to drop the suit, Powell becomes entangled in a manufactured scandal, leading to his ruin. Vowing to fight back, Powell promises to “fight dirty” to take down those who wronged him. Continue reading...
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Starring Masato Hagiwara, Kôji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, and Anna Nakagawa.
Detective Takabe investigates a growing series of murders where the perpetrators carve a large “X” into their victim’s throats. Though they admit guilt, the perpetrators cannot explain their motives, just that the urge to kill felt as matter-of-fact as turning on the lights in a dark room. The trail leads Takabe to a mysterious young man named Mamiya who claims amnesia and displays an inability to form fresh memories, but harbors a dark secret. Spoilers follow. Continue reading...
Directed by Tim Burton. Starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, and Robert Wuhl.
Jack Nicholson plays a mobster who falls into a chemical vat and emerges with white skin, green hair, and a rictus grin. Renaming himself Joker, he sets out to remake Gotham City in his image, but encounters resistance from Batman, played by Michael Keaton. Continue reading...
Directed by Richard Donner and Richard Lester. Starring Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, and Ned Beatty.
Christopher Reeve returns as Superman, who forsakes his powers for a human life with Lois, played again by Margot Kidder, only to face a threat from three Kryptonian criminals led by Terrance Stamp as the menacing General Zod. Continue reading...
Directed by Alex Phillips. Starring Phillip Andre Botello, Sammy Arechar, Betsey Brown, and Trevor Dawkins.
Two men struggling through emotional low-points snort and eat hallucinogenic worms and descend into a drug-fueled nightmare. Continue reading...
Directed by Michael Curtiz. Starring Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Arthur Byron, and Lyle Talbot.
Spencer Tracy plays Tommy, a smart but arrogant young convict entering New York’s Sing Sing prison, where he’s set to serve five to thirty years for armed robbery. There, he clashes with the incorruptible warden, but time sees the two develop a mutual respect. A trust tested when the warden grants Tommy a twenty-four-hour leave to visit his ailing girlfriend, played by Bette Davis. Continue reading...
Directed by Tod Browning. Starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, and Lionel Atwill.
When Sir Karell is discovered drained of blood and bearing puncture wounds in his neck, vampires are blamed. Lionel Barrymore plays an occult expert summoned to protect Sir Karell’s daughter who appears to be the vampire’s next target. Also, Bela Lugosi plays a Dracula-like character sporting an unexplained gunshot head wound whose only two lines come in the finale. Spoilers follow. Continue reading...
