Once upon a time in Hollywood: Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to 1960s Hollywood is his most satisfying film since Pulp Fiction.

Once upon a time in Hollywood, featuring an all star-cast of Leonardo Di Caprio, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino etc..., is Quentin Tarantino's most satisfying and most personal  film since Pulp Fiction. He has gone beyond his quirky Tarantinoisms to craft a technically competent, mature film that expands his range as a filmmaker (Mild spoilers included) … Continue reading Once upon a time in Hollywood: Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to 1960s Hollywood is his most satisfying film since Pulp Fiction. →

Ulzana’s Raid: Burt Lancaster and Director Robert Aldrich reunited after 18 years to create this gritty, revisionist Vietnam-era western

Director Robert Aldrich and star Burt Lancaster reunited after 18 years to make the gritty, revisionist 1972 Western, Ulzana's Raid , which plays out as an allegory of United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. Ulzana's Raid is the third film that Burt Lancaster and Robert Aldrich made together. The first two films, Apache and Vera … Continue reading Ulzana’s Raid: Burt Lancaster and Director Robert Aldrich reunited after 18 years to create this gritty, revisionist Vietnam-era western →

Vera Cruz: Burt Lancaster gives a scene-stealing performance opposite Gary Cooper in this colorful Mexican adventure that anticipates & influenced Spaghetti Westerns

Director Robert Aldrich teamed up Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster in his highly entertaining 1954 western, Vera Cruz. Apart from being the first of the the 'grey' westerns, it also happens to be the chief inspiration for the ultra-violent Euro-westerns of the Sixties. It's too bad that Burt Lancaster never did a toothpaste ad. With … Continue reading Vera Cruz: Burt Lancaster gives a scene-stealing performance opposite Gary Cooper in this colorful Mexican adventure that anticipates & influenced Spaghetti Westerns →

The Missouri Breaks: Marlon Brando gives a wildly entertaining performance opposite Jack Nicholson in this bizarre and Fascinating Western

Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson teamed up for the first and only time in the quirky and fascinating 1976 Western, The Missouri Breaks, directed by Arthur Penn. After conquering the world of theater in the 1940's and the world of movies in the 1950's - with a totally new 'method' that redefined the craft of … Continue reading The Missouri Breaks: Marlon Brando gives a wildly entertaining performance opposite Jack Nicholson in this bizarre and Fascinating Western →

Once upon a time in the West: Sergio Leone’s epic, all-star cast Western fairy-tale is one of the greatest movies ever made

Director Sergio Leone's magnum opus, Once upon a time in the West(1968), starring Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson and Jason Robards, is considered one of the greatest Westerns ever made. Like the title suggests, its an exaggerated, fairy-tale for adults, set in the old West. "the rhythm of the film was intended to create … Continue reading Once upon a time in the West: Sergio Leone’s epic, all-star cast Western fairy-tale is one of the greatest movies ever made →

McQ & Brannigan: Taking a break from Westerns, John Wayne maneuvers the urban frontiers of the 1970s

McQ(1974) and Brannigan(1975) are not great films and may not figure in a Best of John Wayne List.  But watching them today, they both come across as well crafted pieces of mainstream entertainment in which John 'Duke' Wayne is seen attempting to connect with a contemporary audience by featuring in modern-day urban crime dramas. Throughout … Continue reading McQ & Brannigan: Taking a break from Westerns, John Wayne maneuvers the urban frontiers of the 1970s →

The Professionals: Burt Lancaster and Lee Marvin are at the top of their game in this rousing ‘Men on a Mission’ Western adventure

Director Richard Brooks' all-star cast 1966  film, The Professionals, starring  Lee Marvin, Jack Palance, Claudia Cardinale and Burt Lancaster is the kind of  intelligently written, beautifully photographed, western adventure that just isn't made anymore. The Professionals is a rousing adventure story set on the Mexican-American border in the year 1917. It's  about four mercenaries who … Continue reading The Professionals: Burt Lancaster and Lee Marvin are at the top of their game in this rousing ‘Men on a Mission’ Western adventure →

Sorcerer: William Friedkin’s visceral, minimalist epic is a mesmerizing exercise in pure cinema

When William Friedkin's  Sorcerer came out in 1977, it was rejected outright by both audience and critics. It was a very expensive, ambitious and idiosyncratic film , whose failure ,almost destroyed the career of Friedkin  But now , with the release of a restored print of the film personally supervised by Friedkin, it has  finally … Continue reading Sorcerer: William Friedkin’s visceral, minimalist epic is a mesmerizing exercise in pure cinema →

Goldfinger: Sean Connery’s James Bond is fully formed in this definitive Bond Blockbuster that set the template for the subsequent films in the series

 Goldfinger(1964) is the third film in the James Bond series and the first Bond Blockbuster. Apart from being the film that kicked off the Bond Phenomenon, it's also a very sleek, sophisticated  spy thriller in the  spirit of the best in the genre, with Sean Connery giving, what i consider, his most confident, well-rounded performance … Continue reading Goldfinger: Sean Connery’s James Bond is fully formed in this definitive Bond Blockbuster that set the template for the subsequent films in the series →

True Grit: John Wayne piled on the pounds, put on an eye patch, and finally won an Oscar

John Wayne passed away on June 11 1979. Exactly a decade before that, on July 11 1969, "True Grit" was released. It's the film that finally won Wayne an Oscar for his acting after almost forty years in film business. I was getting anxious because there was this young guycalled Clint Eastwood making Westerns in … Continue reading True Grit: John Wayne piled on the pounds, put on an eye patch, and finally won an Oscar →

The Bridges of Madison County: Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep creates an unforgettable portrait of Romance and Renunciation

The 1995 romantic drama, The Bridges of Madison County, brought two screen Legends, Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, together for the first and only time . Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep; two of the most durable, popular and honored Star\actors in movie history. Between them, they have seven Oscar wins and more than thirty Oscar … Continue reading The Bridges of Madison County: Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep creates an unforgettable portrait of Romance and Renunciation →

Where Eagles Dare: Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton join forces to battle the Nazis in this classic tale of wartime adventure

Where Eagles Dare(1968), the highly entertaining World War II adventure film that brought together the talents of British thespian Richard Burton and American superstar Clint Eastwood, is great fun even after 50 years. "The world is grown so bad / That wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch,” The above quote from Shakespeare's Richard … Continue reading Where Eagles Dare: Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton join forces to battle the Nazis in this classic tale of wartime adventure →

Django: Franco Nero and Sergio Corbucci took the Western to the next level with this politically-charged, ultra-violent masterpiece

Sergio Corbucci's iconic Spaghetti Western,  Django(1966), which made a star out of Franco Nero, looks better than ever  in a newly restored print. When one thinks of adaptations  of  Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, the title that comes to mind first is Sergio Leone's A fistful of Dollars. Of course, it was the first of the Spaghetti … Continue reading Django: Franco Nero and Sergio Corbucci took the Western to the next level with this politically-charged, ultra-violent masterpiece →

White Heat : James Cagney made it to the Top of the World in one of the greatest screen performances ever

James Cagney gave a performance of a lifetime as gangster Cody Jarrett in Raoul Walsh's classic film White Heat (1949) that completes 70 years.   Made It Ma, Top of the world One of the most famous exit lines in movies, spoken by the great James Cagney in the 1949 film White Heat. James Cagney … Continue reading White Heat : James Cagney made it to the Top of the World in one of the greatest screen performances ever →

Unforgiven: Gene Hackman’s brilliant performance as the self-righteous antagonist powers Clint Eastwood’s revisionist western classic

Unforgiven(1992), which Clint Eastwood directed and acted in, was a major milestone in his career. It finally won him the respect of his peers as the film was decorated with Oscars for best picture and director, as well as a supporting actor Oscar for Gene Hackman for his extraordinary performance as the morally ambiguous antagonist … Continue reading Unforgiven: Gene Hackman’s brilliant performance as the self-righteous antagonist powers Clint Eastwood’s revisionist western classic →

Apocalypse Now: Francis Ford Coppola’s psychedelic Odyssey into Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is as hypnotic as ever

It was in 1979 that Director, Francis Ford Coppola premiered his long delayed, troubled production, Apocalypse Now, in Cannes. The film was not yet finished and it was shown as a work in progress. But still it won the Palme D'or. Looks like the film is still a work in progress for Coppola. He has … Continue reading Apocalypse Now: Francis Ford Coppola’s psychedelic Odyssey into Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is as hypnotic as ever →

The Towering Inferno: At the height of new-Hollywood, two golden age studios joined hands to create the ultimate film spectacle that remains the crown jewel in Disaster film genre

Though 1970s is considered to be the height of dark, serious auteur-driven cinema, Two old-Hollywood studios, Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century-Fox joined hands to make the big budget spectacle, The Towering Inferno(1974). The spectacular disaster film brought Steve McQueen and Paul Newman together on screen for the first time,  along with an assortment of stars … Continue reading The Towering Inferno: At the height of new-Hollywood, two golden age studios joined hands to create the ultimate film spectacle that remains the crown jewel in Disaster film genre →

Nightmare Alley: Matinee Idol Tyrone Power proved that he can be really good in a dark Film Noir

The recent release of Guillermo Del Toro's remake of Nightmare Alley has renewed interest in this 1947 original. This dark, disturbing yet fascinating film Noir provided handsome Matinee idol Tyrone Power with the darkest role of his career. Nightmare Alley is back in the news. Guillermo Del Toro is making a new adaptation of the story and … Continue reading Nightmare Alley: Matinee Idol Tyrone Power proved that he can be really good in a dark Film Noir →

The Searchers: John Wayne’s greatest performance powers John Ford’s seminal Western magnum opus

May 26th marks John Wayne's birth anniversary. To commemorate this moment, here is a look back on his greatest performance in his greatest film. John Ford's Magnum opus, The Searchers(1956), is universally considered the greatest, and the most influential, Western of all times, and often makes it to the top ten list of the greatest … Continue reading The Searchers: John Wayne’s greatest performance powers John Ford’s seminal Western magnum opus →

Touch of Evil: A baroque and wildly innovative Orson Welles masterpiece that came at the end of the golden era of film Noir

Touch of Evil(1958) is one of  Orson Welles' greatest films and it's perhaps the last great film Noir from the classic period. The Film  was butchered by the studio at the time of its release, but has since been restored to its intended form.   Everything about me is a contradiction, and so is everything … Continue reading Touch of Evil: A baroque and wildly innovative Orson Welles masterpiece that came at the end of the golden era of film Noir →