Benjamin: The Final Bob Saget-Directed Film

Directed by Bob Saget, Benjamin is a dysfunctional family comedy that does its best to tackle the subject of drug addictions. If you’re looking to pay tribute to the late Bob Saget, there are probably better films or TV series to watch. Full House, The Aristocrats, you name it. However, I saw the comedian directed a film a few years ago so I had to watch. It’s not a bad film at all. If you’re…

"Benjamin: The Final Bob Saget-Directed Film"

The Last Picture Show: A Peter Bogdanovich Classic

Co-written with novelist Larry McMurtry, Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show is a coming-of-age tribute to a bygone era of time. “Nobody wants to come to shows no more. Kid baseball in the summer, television all the time.” — Miss Mosey (Jessie Lee Fulton) to Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges). Over fifty years later, these lines hit harder. Because of the pandemic, many theaters are fighting for their life. Movie palaces are especially fighting for their…

"The Last Picture Show: A Peter Bogdanovich Classic"

In the Heat of the Night: The Best Picture of 1967

In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger as very different officers of the law, is one of the best movies ever made. “They call me Mister Tibbs!” – Officer Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) tells Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) when asked what he’s called in Philadelphia. Officer Tibbs is waiting at a train depot to make his journey back to Philadelphia when he’s suddenly accused of killing industrialist Phillip Colbert. Tibbs…

"In the Heat of the Night: The Best Picture of 1967"

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: A Masterclass

Stanley Kramer’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner features a masterclass in acting from Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn. When the film first came out in late 1967, it couldn’t have been more controversial for the era. After all, so few films depicted an interracial marriage in a positive manner. A Black person and a white person couldn’t be married to each other in 17 states during the time of filming. It wasn’t until…

"Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: A Masterclass"

The 355: The First Dud of 2022

January is a month that studios typically use as a dumping ground for the not-good films and The 355 is no exception to the rule. The 355 is billed as a fast-paced espionage thriller but it didn’t feel fast-paced nor much of a thriller. This film takes us to the likes of Paris, Morocco, and Shanghai. There’s a star-studded cast but unfortunately, they can’t elevate the material no matter how much they try. The gist…

"The 355: The First Dud of 2022"

Four Hours at the Capitol: The January 6 Insurrection

Four Hours at the Capitol is an in-depth chronicle of what took place during the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. “Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith The above quote is one that I kept going back to in the final two months of 2020 and early days of 2021. It’s sad that it’s even relevant but this is…

"Four Hours at the Capitol: The January 6 Insurrection"

Antisemitism: A Must-Watch Doc on Jew-Hatred

Antisemitism is not an easy watch but the Ilan Ziv documentary is essential viewing to understand why there is so much hatred towards Jews. The hatred towards Jews predates the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. It predates the Holocaust. Jew-hatred predates World War I. It even predates Henry Ford, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the writing of both Wilhelm Marr and Édouard Drumont’s books on Jews. The two were…

"Antisemitism: A Must-Watch Doc on Jew-Hatred"

The Aviator: Another Martin Scorsese Epic

Martin Scorsese successfully gives the biopic treatment to Howard Hughes with a superb performance from Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator. This is the second annual year in which I watch a film that Thelma Schoonmaker worked on for her January 3rd birthday. Last year, I decided on Gangs of New York, a film which is celebrating the 20th anniversary this year. Schoonmaker’s work in this film is what earns her a second Oscar. The other…

"The Aviator: Another Martin Scorsese Epic"

The Day After Tomorrow: A Climate Change Thriller

Action filmmaker Roland Emmerich took a break from alien invasions to get audiences talking about climate change with The Day After Tomorrow. While this film is a big budget blockbuster, the film’s contents could easily fit in as the SyFy movie of the week. There are certainly elements of the film that might be right but only when spread out over a period of time. The climate crisis is a problem but it’s not going…

"The Day After Tomorrow: A Climate Change Thriller"

Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name

Frank Marshall is back with another brilliant music documentary, Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name, to kick off 2022. The documentary opens with a montage featuring the late night hosts. This is before the film gets into the main focus: the 2010 Troubadour Reunion Tour featuring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members (Taylor-2000, King-1990 and 2021). The Troubadour shows took place over a series of days in November 2007…

"Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name"