Movie Reviews

In Brief: Akira Kurosawa's brilliant but hardly subtle film version of Shakespeare's Macbeth is one of the director's strongest films — and an essential for anyone interested in Japanese cinema.

In Brief: One of the greatest of all horror films, Night of the Demon is as fresh and brilliant today as it was when it first appeared in 1957. This is a rare case of a movie where absolutely everything comes together just right: the script, the direction, the acting, the musical score. In fact,…

In Brief: Paul Verhoeven's art house classic The Fourth Man (1983) — an erotic thriller about a gay alcoholic Catholic writer who becomes besotted with the boyfriend of the woman he's staying with — holds up nicely today as a splendid — and heady — mix of mystery thriller, quasi-horror, eroticism and religious iconography (sometimes…

In Brief: It mightn't seem as striking as it did in 1966, but Alfie is the film that cemented Michael Caine as a bonafide movie star. The story, of an unregenerate Cockney lothario who starts to see the emptiness of his life, fit Caine perfectly — allowing his easy charm to segue almost effortlessly into…

The Story: A look at the last days of royalty in France as witnessed by the Queen's reader. The Lowdown: An unusual approach to a perhaps overplayed subject makes this take on the story surprisingly fresh and compelling.

The Story: A violent, mentally ill World War II vet falls in with the leader of a cult of quack science, who’s determined to cure the disturbed veteran through his teachings. The Lowdown: Brilliantly made, masterfully acted, but it's a bit too dense and seems to be missing an emotional center.

The Story: More zombie action with Milla Jovovich in a kinky outfit firing big guns. The Lowdown: More of the same as the others, though with even less plot and more noise.

In Brief: An eccentric film — or series of little films — about the equally eccentric Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. It sounds more awkward than it plays — and it does come together to offer a kind of biographical narrative, albeit a frequently playful and deliberately enigmatic one. Some of the vignettes work better than…

In Brief: One of Ernst Lubitsch's funniest, raciest and most sophisticated films stars Maurice Chevalier as a lieutenant in the Austrian army who makes the mistake of winking at his girlfriend (Claudette Colbert) just as a visiting princess (Miriam Hopkins) passes by. A misunderstanding follows that results in Chevalier having to marry the princess to…

In Brief: Bargain basement cheesy 1950s sci-fi horror of the finest kind. It's all about a tropical lost world that's somehow (don't ask) in Antarctica, and which is discovered when a group of intrepid explorers' helicopter goes down. This leaves them prey to man-eating plants, a guy in a Tyrannosaurus rex suit, a puppet sea…

In Brief: Robert Bresson's entertaining but overrated 1956 "true story" (he claims it as such) — about a man's escape from a Nazi prison in France during World War II — has the distinction of being one of the director's few profitable film, probably because it's the most accessible. The escape itself is very well-done…

The Story: A capital investment manager tries to cover a shortage until he can sell his business, all while a detective is on his trail over the car wreck that left his mistress dead. The Lowdown: Strong central performances, an intelligent script and solid professional filmmaking make this complex crime thriller compelling entertainment.

The Story: A bleak look at the entitled American man-boy — in something other than his usual rom-com confines. The Lowdown: An unfailingly bitter and grim comedy from Todd Solondz that doesn't always work, but which is rarely less than fascinating in its examination of a character we've merely come to accept without question.

The Story: The tale of what happens when a struggling writer finds a manuscript in an old briefcase and passes it off as his own. The Lowdown: Nicely made and with a good cast, but never very compelling due to a screenplay that lacks much in the way of characterization or believable drama.

The Story: When a young woman's husband is murdered, his four cohorts come looking for the fortune they believe she has. The Lowdown: A brilliantly entertaining mix of sexy romance, suspense and comedy anchored to sophisticated writing and direction with two bonafide classic movie stars, Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.

The Story: Music documentary about the mysterious and little-known pop star Rodriguez who disappeared from the scene after two critically-praised, but commercially disastrous albums in early 1970s. The Lowdown: An absolutely splendid documentary that tells a true stoty of amazing improbability. Beautifully structured with a genuine dramatic arc and a lot of nice music. Don't…

The Story: A young girl becomes possessed by the demon inside an old box she buys at a yard sale. The Lowdown: Well-made, nicely acted and slick exorcism tale that — even with the unusual wrinkle of Jewish mysticism — is ultimately just another possession story.

The Story: The Oogieloves go in search of five golden baloons for the birthday party they're throwing for a throw-pillow. The Lowdown: Anyone over the age of 3 who doesn't run screaming from the theater is probably some hapless movie critic.

In Brief: Yes, Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) is one the great films — a must-see for anyone with a serious interest in film. That said, bear in mind that it's more nightmarish than uplifting -- and pretty certainly not something you'd want to see too often.

The Story: In the mountains of Virginia, three brothers try to make a living bootlegging, but must deal with a crooked cop who wants a piece of their profits. The Lowdown: A brutal, often unsettling crime drama with good performances, some heart and strong direction. But it's simply too nasty to be enjoyable.

In Brief: Mae West and W.C. Fields team up for this comedy set in the Wild West that finds West "marrying" Fields in order to become respectable (and because she thinks he has money). While the fireworks one might have expected from two such iconic comedians don't quite happen, it's still a very funny movie…