The Boys Are Back

There are many reasons why a person likes or dislikes a particular movie. Sometimes it’s as simple as the mood you’re in at the time you watch it. I viewed this movie with a friend who had lost her husband when her children were small and it brought feelings to mind that were probably better …

Crossing Delancey

I was with my Troop Group today packing goodie boxes for our guys and gals in the war zones. In the middle of the small talk, one of the ladies asked what I was reviewing this month. I said that I had reached way back to 1988 and was doing the little movie, Crossing Delancey. …

The Blind Side

When I first saw this movie in the theater, I thought, “I love this movie but it will never get the acclaim it deserves.” Wow, was I wrong! The Blind Side is an incredibly heartfelt drama based on the life of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), who grew up neglected and impoverished but went on to …

Julie & Julia

Meryl Streep has never been one of my favorites. This isn’t because she can’t act, quite the contrary, she’s amazing. It’s because for so many years every Streep movie I watched was a ‘downer’ with a capital D. I still remember the love/hate relationship I had with Out of Africa. In many ways, I’m a …

The Passion of The Christ

Every year most Americans find themselves celebrating Easter. Whether you are a casual member of the Easter Lily and Poinsettia crowd, participate in another faith or a follower of Christ you know when spring comes, Easter can’t be far behind. Some of you may even remember actually getting new Easter clothes every year so you …

No Reservations

It’s that time of year fellas. You get Christmas, then New Years, then the big one—Valentine’s Day. So it’s time to suck it up and slip the Chick Flick in the DVD player. One of my more recent favorites is No Reservations. Now, I’ll tell you right now, there were no Oscars; not even a …

Tea with Mussolini

A decade ago, Roberto Benigni was the talk of Hollywood and the world with his award winning Italian film Life is Beautiful. Tea with Mussolini (1999) is also a quasi-autobiography written and directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Both films set in the same time and place, about the same subject: the growing Fascist movement in Italy …

It’s A Wonderful Life

This month I’m reviewing my brother-in-law, Frank’s favorite movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. Knowing this about Frank has made me appreciate him all the more. George Bailey, played superbly by James Stewart, is a noble man who oozes small town forthrightness. An adventurer at heart, wishing to trek to all parts of the world, he …

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Sometimes silly is just what you need. With the busy holidays coming up you might want to try a little stupid…just for fun! Planes, Trains and Automobiles stars Steve Martin as Neal Page, an uppity marketing executive who, on a flight home at Thanksgiving, finds himself bumped from first class and forced to sit in …