I enjoyed seeing Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer in The Madison, and then I remembered they’d worked together in Tequila Sunrise. Written and directed by Robert Towne, the film is a neo-noir film that entertains. The pair are joined by Mel Gibson (and makes me lament what he’s done to himself) and Raul Julia. Dale…
Tag: score
Jumanji (1995) – Joe Johnston
I hadn’t seen this movie since I saw it in the theaters. I remember that it was on all the loop tapes we played in the video store I worked in. I saw the clips of the monkeys in the police car, and the animal stampede countless times, so much so that it almost overpowered…
Dial M for Murder (1954) – Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock pairs with writer Frederick Knott to bring his stage play, Dial M for Murder to the big screen in this captivating and thrilling adaptation. The film features a top-tier cast, the luminous Grace Kelly, Ray Milland, Robert Cummings and John Williams. Everyone has secrets in this engaging film. Kelly is Margot Wendice, a wealthy…
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) – Stephen Herek
I forgot how much I loved this film. This was one of my go-tos in the mid-90s. It was a film I recommended constantly, one I played in the store, and loved Richard Dreyfuss’ performance as the titular Mr. Holland. An ode to teachers, the film follows Mr, Holland, as he takes a teaching position…
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) – John McTiernan
At the height of his James Bond run, Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo teamed up with director John McTiernan to deliver a vastly entertaining remake of the Steve McQueen classic, The Thomas Crown Affair. What the film delivers is a bold, sexy tale. I hadn’t watched this one in years, and I forgot how solid,…
Predator: Badlands (2025) – Dan Trachtenberg
I loved Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey. It was amazing. It took an IP that continues to endure and intrigue and shake it up in a new way. So when I heard he was cranking out another one, I was ready to see what he did next. Predator: Badlands ends up being a middle-of-the-road entry, one that…
The Great Train Robbery (1978) – Micheal Crichton
Michael Crichton writes and directs The Great Train Robbery and invites Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland and Lesley-Anne Down along for the ride. Not quite a romp, the film is definitely an entertaining heist film, resting easily on Connery’s charm, and Sutherland turning in a wonderfully goofy performance. It’s England, in the 1850s. Connery plays Pierce,…
Mr. Majestyk (1974) – Richard Flesicher
Hard working director, Richard Fleischer delivers a fairly standard action-drama that puts Charles Bronson in the spotlight. He’s surrounded by a score by Charles Bernstein and a script written by Elmore Leonard. Bronson is the titular Mr. Majesytk. He’s got himself a melon farm, and is looking to recruit some migrant workers to help him…
The First Power (1990) – Robert Resnikoff
I did Lou Diamond Phillips, and somewhere in Robert Resnikoff’s The First Power is a solid supernatural police thriller. But everything in it is painfully familiar, though some of it, like the visions characters have are strongly created. Phillips is Russell Logan a Los Angeles homicide cop who has been tracking a serial murderer christened…
White Lightning (1973) – Joseph Sargent
Burt Reynolds stars as Gator McClusky, who feels like he may be a more rough and tumble relative of the Bandit. And speaking of Smokey & the Bandit, Hal Needham, who went on to direct that classic film, served as the second unit director on this film. Gator is in prison, and he’s a model…
The Mind Reels 