Category Archives: Reviews

Timely Movie Review: The Last Duel

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Tom Garrett

*SPOILERS AHEAD* The Last Duel, Ridley Scott’s latest effort, has much to like.  The cinematography is very strong.  The focus on the legal norms of the day, including the loophole of sorts exploited to arrive at the duel itself, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: Full Metal Jacket

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Tom Garrett

If you saw Full Metal Jacket years ago, or you’ve only watched a few key scenes on YouTube, you probably love the movie.  Or, you think you do, anyway.   If it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, it may come as … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: Lethal Weapon

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Tom Garrett

The next stop in my meandering, years-long journey through the Warner Bros. 50 Film Collection is Lethal Weapon, a film that walks a thin line between wildly entertaining (if absurd) action movie and borderline-self-parody buddy-cop trope-fest.  Man, that was a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: The Color Purple

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Tom Garrett

The Color Purple has the distinction of being the most-nominated film not to win an Oscar.  The 1985 adaptation of the Alice Walker novel earned an impressive 11 nominations, but failed to win a single Academy Award, tying the record … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: Amadeus

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Tom Garrett

There are two vital pieces of insight I’ve learned about Amadeus in the years since I first saw it. The first was Milos Forman’s observation that the film had not two brilliant stars, but three: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: Risky Business

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Tom Garrett

Risky Business is a weird movie. It gets a lot of things right, but, even within the context of 80s teenage-themed films, I don’t think it holds up particularly well.  It’s not as entertaining as the John Hughes canon.  It’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: Chariots of Fire

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Tom Garrett

Watching a Best Picture winner typically leaves me with one of two reactions.  Either, “I completely understand why this won Best Picture,” or “This is a decent / interesting movie, but the field must have been weak that year.” Chariots … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: The Shining

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Tom Garrett

The genius of Stanley Kubrick is readily apparent in the opening “segment” of The Shining, in which Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) painstakingly drives to, arrives at, and participates in an almost-real-time job interview. The exquisitely slow burn takes the audience … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Halfway Home

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Tom Garrett

I purchased the Warner Brothers 90th Anniversary blu-ray Collection over six years ago.  It took me quite a while, but, as I’ve been on a pandemic-fueled review flurry of late, I’ve finally been able to finish the first half of … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews, Site Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: Superman

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Tom Garrett

Approaching the turn in the Warner Brothers 50 Film Collection, I encounter a familiar face: Superman. I’m too young to have seen the 1978 movie in a theater, but I’m the perfect age to have experienced the film’s frequent showing as … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment