Category: Film Reviews

Six Action Heroes Ripe For Movie Treatments (With Casting Suggestions)

Here are six series of books for men, that have been absolutely ripe for the picking for years now, but which for some reason haven’t been turned into movies yet.


Rewind, Review, and Re-rate: ‘G.I. Jane’: Can Women Be Navy SEALS?

August 22, 1997 | R | 2h 5min “Navy SEALS” (starring Charlie Sheen) came out in 1990 and kicked off America’s current SEAL infatuation. Active-duty SEALS apparently enjoy quoting “Navy SEALS” dialogue while on operations. When rescued local non-combatants (in, say, Afghanistan) thank them, SEALS like to say, “There’s no reason to thank us because we…


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’: A Precursor to ‘Pretty Woman’

July 28, 1982 | R | 2h 4min “An Officer and a Gentleman” was the fourth highest grossing film in 1982, after “E.T. The Extraterrestrial,” “Rocky III,” and “On Golden Pond.” I saw it at least five times. It set the stage for “Pretty Woman” eight years later. Both “An Officer and a Gentleman” and “Pretty Woman” contain the…


Katharine Hepburn in ‘Woman of the Year’ and ‘Adam’s Rib’: Femininity Over Feminism

Katharine Hepburn is remembered as a feminist icon because of her liberal views on gender equality and the strong roles she played in movies. However, her personal ideology was rarely reflected in the Golden Era movies she made. If you actually watch her movies from the 1930s to the ’50s, you’ll find that most of…


Film Review: ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’: Jessica Chastain Gives an Acting Clinic

PG-13 | 2h 6min | Biography, Drama | 17 September 2021 (USA) Given Hollywood’s dismal track record when it comes to the unbiased portrayal of organized religion, it’s a near-miracle that the content found in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” is so clear-eyed and nonjudgmental. While many of the characters in the film “spreading God’s…


Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘Pretty Woman’: Pretty Sure We’re All Responsible

1990 | R | 1h 59min Anticipating backlash for reviewing the 1990 monster rom-com hit, “Pretty Woman,” let me preface it by pointing out that “Pretty Woman” is a bona fide Cinderella archetype. This archetype resonates off the charts with the world’s women—more than 700 versions of the Cinderella story exist, spanning the globe. The…


Film Review: ‘The Card Counter’: Yet Another Redemption Yarn From Paul Schrader

R | 1h 49min | Drama, Thriller, Mystery | 10 September 2021 (USA) Love him or hate him (and there are few people on the fence), you’ve got to give filmmaker Paul Schrader credit for one thing: He’s consistent. He’s consistent in that he uses the same blueprint for most of his movies, something that some might deem as lazy and repetitive….


‘Teenage Rebel’: How Divorce Hurts Children

Sometimes the publicity for a film is hard to understand. Rather than promoting a film’s actual attributes, many ad campaigns sell themes that aren’t even in the movies. “Teenage Rebel” is an example of such misleading advertising, starting with its title. “Teenage Rebel” evokes images of reckless youth racing around on motorcycles—James Dean style. That’s…


Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘Dead Poets Society’: How It Contributed to Society’s Downfall

1989 | PG | 2h 8min “Dead Poets Society” won the Oscar for Best Screenplay in 1989, beating out Woody Allen’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” Nora Ephron’s “When Harry Met Sally,” Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing, and Steven Soderbergh’s “Sex, Lies & Videotape.” Remembering it as very inspiring in 1989, I originally thought this would be a “Popcorn and…


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Bridge to Terabithia’: A Brilliant Coming of Age Fantasy

PG | 1h 36min | Drama, Mystery, Fantasy | 16 February 2007 (USA) Based on the immensely popular fact-based novel by Katherine Paterson, “Bridge to Terabithia” is a textbook example of how great a Hollywood movie can be when it treats child characters as complex individuals and not stock caricatures. This movie should not be confused with another sub-par effort sporting the…