In 1988, one of the most powerful films of all time hit theaters in Japan. Although an animated feature, Isao Takahata’s Grave Of The Fireflies immediately resonated with audiences and continues to touch viewers today. I myself was a little hesitant to revisit this film, and for good reason. Grave Of The Fireflies is a film adaptation of a semi-autobiographical short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, who survived the firebombing of Kobe, Japan during World War II. His mother perished in […]

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Almost thirty years since its release, Ron Howard’s film Apollo 13 remains a gripping and inspirational film. The dramatization of the infamous space disaster sports an all-star cast and a magnificent soundtrack by James Horner. Though it has the feel of a sci-fi thriller, this film recounts a real-life episode that caught the world’s attention in 1969 – and it continues to captivate viewers to this day. Apollo 13 follows astronauts Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton), and […]

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Christopher Lee lived a remarkable life. Mainly known for his feats as a screen actor, Lee performed in over 100 films spanning half of the 20th century. Of all the films of his career, Lee considered this one his crowning achievement – and it just happened to be banned in cinemas worldwide. In 1997, Lee played Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the first prime minister of Pakistan who, with Mahatma Gandhi, helped India gain independence and championed the formation of a separate […]

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Writing about Citizen Kane is a lot like trying to write about Seven Samurai or The Godfather. Galaxies need to be formed to have space enough for the libraries containing only what people have put down in discussion of the greatest movies of all time. Some movies are up for immediate consideration, and Citizen Kane is one of them. Considering how much I love this movie, one of the most popular films ever made (despite not being particularly successful upon […]

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Being four years old when Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing stormed previews and its eventual wider release with electric controversy, I missed out on the discourse. I wish I could have been old enough to see the movie for itself in its time. There’s a little context in my memories that allows Lee’s rapid-paced ensemble drama, with stunning comedic flare-ups of wit and devastatingly funny commentary, to make sense, but obviously not very much. As it is, I appreciate […]

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All Quiet On The Western Front began as a novel by German war veteran Erich Maria Remarque. Published in 1929, this bestseller spawned its first film adaptation in 1930. Nearly a century later, Lewis Milestone’s film still captivates viewers with its grittiness and its unforgiving portrait of life in the trenches. The film follows 18-year-old Paul Baumer (Lewis Ayres) from the classroom to the battlefield as a young German soldier. He, along with his friends, are idealistic and eager to […]

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What makes Vertigo such a powerful movie isn’t its twist, but the core themes and characters that exist at the heart of it. Some movies don’t have the same effect once you know what the twist is, but that’s not the case with Vertigo. There’s infinitely so much to enjoy, and is one of those films that offers something new every single time you watch it. I first watched Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece in a film class in University. At that […]

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Nearly 40 years after its 1987 release and blockbuster success, fans still get way too excited when we talk about RoboCop. It doesn’t hurt that film’s depiction of a bleak, dying American empire separated by stunning glass and steel highrises and apocalyptic slums, has never stopped being relatable to audiences. A world in which the game shows are as sadistic as they are vapid, and in which advertisers cheerfully tell you how to flourish under the death of the ozone […]

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There’s something kinda funny about Paris, Texas, the best American road movie ever made, coming from a West German filmmaker named Wim Wenders. I finally watched the movie just over a decade ago after years of people telling me I should. Having been the cultural stranger in places like West Texas, where Paris, Texas is set, and having traveled as much as I had when I saw the movie in 2012, I was not prepared for the emotional response the […]

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Rocky is another movie that’s always been part of my life. It was one of the first movies I ever remember seeing on TV, which would have been 1990 or so. Always around in some form or fashion. Always as a series of movies rather than just the first one. And I loved watching them, so it was easy for these movies to become part of my life. Either I was renting the first three, or the first two are […]

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Released in 1975 to rave reviews and massive box office success, Dog Day Afternoon really does feel like the product of a very different time. A movie like this would today likely be released as a series, or as something dropped on a streaming service without much fuss or notice. In 1975, it was simply a wide-release movie with a decent budget and some of the most phenomenally talented artists in the medium at that time working on it. This […]

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It’s hard to argue with people who put The Godfather on an almost mythic pedestal. The film was an immediate hit in every possible way upon its release in 1972. Without the benefit of being alive at the time, it certainly feels like the film instantly became part of the cultural landscape. I saw the movie as a child, long before I could completely understand it. If you grew up around people who watched movies with any sort of frequency, […]

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Since approximately 1990, at least once a year, I watch Raising Arizona. Directed by the Coen Brothers in the middle of a fast rise that would see them become two of the most prominent and discussed directors in less than a decade, Raising Arizona is one of my favorite comedies of all time. Fortunately, it’s also considered by many others to be a masterpiece, as well. So many that it easily finds a place among any list of movies to […]

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Accessibility is one of the things I’ve been harping on about with my entries in this Movies to See Before You Die series, focusing on movies that can serve as introductions for anyone who wants to see more black and white films, more arthouse stuff etc, but maybe doesn’t know where to start. It Happened One Night, directed by Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life) nearly a century ago, is a perfect way to start watching “old” movies, if you […]

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There’s another Godzilla and King Kong movie on the way. While I’ve always been a much bigger fan overall of Godzilla, King Kong has also been there for most of the part of my life that’s been spent watching movies. The story of both monsters however, regardless of who you like more in a King Kong or Godzilla debate, begins with the 1933 King Kong. An immediate box office success for its special effects and empathetic portrayal of the giant […]

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