Directed by Don Siegel Dirty Harry feels like a dose of old-school cowboy badassery, at the time polite racism, the Zodiac killer, the terminator and a 'fight the power' mentality wrapped up in a man who looks like he voted for Richard Nixon, twice. Inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is mean, focused, silent, brooding and … Continue reading Dirty Harry (1971)

Directed by Peter Weir This film isn't about Paris, France like I thought it was.  In fact, I operated under the assumption that it was some kind of documentary about the auto industry in Paris or about a series of auto-related riots in the city.  I don't know why, but I'm glad I watched it. … Continue reading The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)

Directed by Tom McCarthy There are obvious comparisons to be made between this movie and All the President's Men (1976), but while that film featured two reporters venturing deep into a world they didn't have much access to, Spotlight follows a team of reporters uncovering a scandal taking place in their own community, one they could have noticed … Continue reading Spotlight (2015)

Directed by James Mangold Logan is a film about a guy redeeming himself.  Well, it's about two guys redeeming themselves, actually.  They both die, and they both get their moments of zen, but one dies in the middle of the night, disoriented and alone, realizing he may have made another huge mistake which he will … Continue reading Logan (2017)

Directed by Robert Eggers The Witch is about, well it's about a witch, but it's really about the family terrorized by the witch and the way they turn on each other.  The film presents a bleak landscape bathed in blue.  The world feels barren and lonely, like everything that isn't your blood is trying to kill … Continue reading The Witch (2016)

Written by Robert W. Nelson (101 pages) Nebraska is a story about an old man, Woody, who's convinced he has won a million dollars and must go to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect his winnings.  Woody's family debates his senility, and his son, David, ultimately decides to indulge his father out of respect and a subconscious … Continue reading Nebraska (2013) [Script Only]

Directed by Don Siegel Escape From Alcatraz isn't longer than it has to be, which is great.  It's a quiet, methodical film like The Martian.  We focus on one character's mission, spending more time on the intricacies of his escape than character development.  In fact, we don't know much of anything about our protagonist, Frank Morris … Continue reading Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock In many Hitchcock thrillers it feels the protagonist gets caught up in some sort of plot bigger than himself, but he still never loses sense of himself.  In Strangers on a Train, Guy Haines has everything working against him, but he's constantly battling back, representing the clear good against the clear evil. … Continue reading Vertigo (1958)

Directed by Sofia Coppola Somewhere is less like a movie and more like a poem.  It's a portrait of an isolated actor stuck a Hollywood hotel.  The actor, Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) seems to live the same day over and over again.  He wakes up, smokes, drinks, goes to an occasional party, drifts around town in … Continue reading Somewhere (2010)

Written by Matt Ross (128 pages) Captain Fantastic is a story about Ben and his children, who live mostly self-sufficiently in a forrest somewhere in Washington.  Ben's wife is hospitalized, and he soon finds out she has committed suicide.  Ben is reluctant to attend her funeral, but he eventually gives in to his children's stubborn … Continue reading Captain Fantastic (2016) [Script Only]