Action in the North Atlantic (1943) — Merchant Seaman in WWII. Good stuff.
Paper Moon (1973) — A con man and a homely, homely little girl in the 30’s. Awesome! Highly recommended to men and women of all sexes.
Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022) — Guy who is good with numbers outsmarts the lottery. What a banal waste of Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening.
The Ledge (2022) — Ignore the mediocre reviews. Combines 2 favorite genres: Mountain climbing and a woman killing allll the men.
A Lonely Place to Die (2011) — Combines 2 favorite genres: Mountain climbing and a woman killing allll the men.
Harold and Maude (1976) — Enchanting love story of a quirky couple with a 54 year age difference. Oh wait, the woman is the older one — just wrong! Somehow manages to be a great movie with that wacky relationship and music by Cat Stevens. Best 4th wall breakage in movie history.
Fatman (2020) — Alex P. Keaton puts a hit out on Santa. I don’t know if it is because he is nuts or in spite of it, but every oddball under-the-radar movie Mel Gibson appears in turns out to be pretty good. He is the anti-Cage.
Brightburn (2019) — Ignore the critics. A solid what-if-Kal-El-were-evil flick despite a very miscast kid.
Murder by Death (1976) — Very funny. Trigger warning: Peter Sellers plays a Chinese guy. The cast is all dead except James Cromwell, and the old lady from Downton Abbey who I find disturbingly hot. In 1976, I mean, so not that disturbing.
Die Hard Trilogy — Probably the only trilogy (with Star Wars and Indiana Jones) without a bummer in the lot. Yeah, I said trilogy.
The Offer (2022) — The fine series about making The Godfather makes more of the Hollywood / Mafia metaphor than I can here. I’m rarely impressed by actors, but there are some amazing performances here.
The Last Waltz (1978) — Farewell concert by The Band.
I Think We’re Alone Now (2018) — Peter Dinklage survives the apocalypse. Maybe because he was 50% ahead of everyone doing “duck and cover.”
Armageddon (1998) — Nice to see a healthy Bruce Willis. Buscemi is always welcome even if his “funny” lines are dreadful. Includes many other talented performers I enjoy. And Ben Affleck. I thought he was bad now — 25 years ago, he was bloody insufferable. There is no “star” whose success is more of a mystery to me.
Transit (2012) — Innocent family gets mixed up with bad guys. Sure gets no love from online critics, but was a perfectly fine movie to watch during an almost-tropical storm.
Dual (2022) — Good stuff. Original sci-fi idea, uniquely executed. Did I wake up in Bizarro Hollywood on June 1st?
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) — Practical effects, nostalgia, grown-ups, loyalty, not anti-America, lacking a Scorcesian 600 F-bombs — WTF greenlit this thing!