The moment I finished Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, I knew it was tome to check out the cinematic version, another hole in my viewing category. Gregory Peck headlines as Atticus, a role that garnered him an Academy Award. The film garnered two more wins, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Set/Art Dec. It received…
Tag: best actor
Training Day (2001) – Antoine Fuqua
I forgot what a tightly crafted, perfectly executed film Training Day was. I knew it was excellent, I remembered it as gritty and intense, but I hadn’t seen it since 2001. Watching it afresh over twenty years later, and one is struck by the intensity of the performances, Denzel Washington deservedly won an Oscar for…
American Fiction (2023) – Cord Jefferson
I’m a little upset that I didn’t go to see this one when it screened at TIFF, but I was very happy that this was a film that my partner and I could watch together, and we greatly enjoyed it. But it’s Jeffrey Wright, the man can do anything, and play anything, and he brings…
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) – 4K Review
Sony Pictures’ release of their Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 4 brings me another iconic film that was missing from my viewing history, the Robert Benton film, Kramer vs. Kramer. Based on the novel by Avery Corman the film stars Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep as the titular Kramers. Hoffman is Ted Kramer,…
Whiplash (2014) – Damien Chazelle
I am well aware that I’m playing catch-up on this title, but I knew this one would have to be one that I was ready and in the mood for, and wow, a fantastic film. The first half of the film is a huge stress-watch for me, but what an amazing ride and one that…
In the Heat of the Night (1967) – Norman Jewison
In the Heat of the Night shouldn’t be as timely and relevant as it still is. You’d think we could have moved beyond such levels of racism and prejudice, and yet, sections of society seem worse than ever before, and it seems to be both hidden and overt. Featuring powerhouse performances by Sidney Poitier and…
My Fair Lady (1964) – 4K Review
A high definition upgrade can be a revelation, and if the film is a classic, it can not only revitalize the film (not to mention save it from further degradation), it can make it look better than it ever has. That is the verdict on Paramount Picture’s release of the 1964 Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn…
Gladiator: 20th Anniversary 4k Review
It’s hard to believe that Gladiator is twenty years old. I can still recall the evening I saw in the theatre, and how the group of friends and I simply loved it. Ridley Scott proved what an amazing and technical director he was, and continues to be, Russell Crowe became a new hero to many…
Scent of a Woman (1992) – Martin Brest
Ten Bad Dates With De Niro lets me dive into some Al Pacino films, movies where he gets shouty, and the first one I get to rewatch that I haven’t previously covered for the blog is this film from 1992, and just seeing the poster art sends me back. I was just getting into the…
On Golden Pond (1981) – Mark Rydell
The next title up in the Ten Bad Dates with De Niro book, under the category of movies not to watch while you are medicated, is this classic Oscar-nominated film starring Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, and Jane Fonda. The film, based on the play by Ernest Thompson, who also wrote the screenplay, follows Norman (Henry…
The Mind Reels 