Kameradschaft (1931) -G.W. Pabst

  The next title up for review in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film is one I’d previously covered as I return to the Action & Adventure genre, the fantastic Wages of Fear, so I dove right into the few recommendations for this one that I hadn’t covered yet, starting with this French-German…

Super 8 (2011) – J.J. Abrams

  Spielberg takes on the Executive Producer role in J.J. Abrams 80s-filled nostalgia thrill ride which is the next stop on the journey through the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. Having Stranger Things to compare it to isn’t necessarily fair, they get to tell their story over a season, Abrams and company only had a two hour…

Hell or High Water (2016) – David Mackenzie

  Director David Mackenzie and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan (Sicario) update the western for the modern age, while tweaking and twisting it into this crime drama. Tanner (Ben Foster) and Toby (Chris Pine) are brothers. Tanner is a career criminal, and Toby, like those in his family before him, is dirt poor. Like so many places…

Into the Wild (2007) – Sean Penn

  The final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of American Beauty is this drama that casts Emile Hirsch in the role of Christopher McCandless. A top student, a promising athlete, Christopher, upon his graduation from Emory University, gives away his money to charity, and begins a…

Morning Star (2016) – Pierce Brown

  Pierce Brown’s epic science fiction trilogy comes to an explosive, and emotionally satisfying conclusion with Morning Star, this week’s title on The Book Shelf. After the stunning cliffhanger of Golden Son, I was left to wonder what Brown would do to finish off the story, and what would the cost be to characters I’ve…

Crash (2004) – Paul Haggis

  Walking away with the Academy Awards for Best Picture (controversially – as Brokeback Mountain was the presumptive winner), Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing, writer/director Paul Haggis’ tale of a cross-section of denizens of Los Angeles, tied together by race, loss and redemption come together in Crash, my next recommendation from the Great Movies…

Do the Right Thing (1989) – Spike Lee

  Writer/director Spike Lee’s powerful drama is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of American Beauty. A powerhouse cast brings a multi-cultural street in Brooklyn to life on the hottest day of the year, as the heat builds so does the tension as hate, racism…

Minority Report (2002) – Steven Spielberg

  Tom Cruise takes center stage in the next Sci-Fi Chronicles film as I continue reviewing Spielberg science fiction titles that I haven’t covered for the blog yet. Based loosely on the short story by Philip K. Dick, the film follows John Anderton (Cruise) the chief of the Pre-Crime Unit in the year 2054. Using…

Midnight Cowboy (1969) – John Schlesinger

  Schlesinger’s classic is the next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. The film features stand out performances from Jon Voigt and Dustin Hoffman, as well as introducing an iconic (and improvised) piece of dialogue and one of my favorite Harry Nilsson songs, Everybody’s Talking. Voigt is Joe Buck, a…