Here is a list of classic movies I didn't appreciate or fully appreciate on first viewing

 

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – Tim Robbins is a good director. He doesn't work for me as a lead actor. He has the right qualities in things like Bull Durham, but like many of his films I think other actors could have done as well or better. The movie was long and Robbins doesn't do much here. But the subtlety works on the second viewing. Morgan Freeman is just excellent in a dynamic performance as a hard man made better through his friendship with Robbins.

Forrest Gump (1994) – The spectacle of the thing is all I could see the first time around. The special effects and Hanks's idiot manchild Rainman performance felt grating to me. A gimmick. But I was surfing around one day and I caught it midway through and it was mesmerizing. Showed it to Abby a few years ago and I think she has watched it 5 times since.

American Beauty (1999) – Annette Benning is too much. The militaristic Great Santini father has been done better. Spacey's and his obsession with a high school girl is creepsville. But once you know the plot and can it's dreamlike quality is captivating.

The Apartment (1960) – I saw this before I experienced the corporate ladder and the corruption of the real world so the subdued humor was lost on me. I have since read the screenplay and the stage directions alone or so funny I laughed aloud. I needed to lose some innocence to appreciate it. It's great and timeless about how limited people can only get ahead through power manipulations.

Heat (1995) – Derivative in the heist genre which it excels at but I didn't appreciate the complexity of career men and their relationships until I saw it again years later.

Vertigo (1958) – One of 5 Hitchcock films owned by the master and barely seen outside of the film buffs for decades until the early 1980s and because I enjoyed Rear Window (1954) in the same batch even moreso I immediately thought Stewart was wrong for the film, something even Hitchcock reflected on. With time I disagree with Hitch and appreciate it on its own. It has detractors. Quinten Tarantino doesn't like it. Even kind of silly to see it lead the Sight and Sound poll in 2012, but still great.

Chinatown (1974) – Another movie I saw when I was too young to appreciate the cynicism when I sought heroes. Nicholson is over his head the entire time and it's true to life rather than the movies I grew up on.

Million Dollar Baby (2004) – Without Eastwood I think this would have been a slight and forgettable story. It brings out everything good about Morgan Freeman and the two of them together made far too films together.

The Third Man (1949) – Saw a public domain copy with a poor soundtrack and didn't appreciate the subtle humor. Saw a restored version later and it was a different film for me.

Network (1976) – Saw the movie when it seemed like an over-the-top dark comedy. It was prescient in a way that Paddy Chayefsky scripts do not get the modern-day credit. You have to be in the right mood for it still, but great at what it was doing.

The Counselor (2010)

 

The Counselor (2010) – Ridley Scott film written directly for the screen by the great Cormac McCarthy. I remember being interested in seeing this on the strength of the Trailer but it didn't last long in the cinema and the reviews were middling. Roger Avary discussed it on Rogan when talking about how Ridley Scott's body of work isn't adequately appreciated. He felt this particular film was an important story about how the world really works. Michael Fassbender is an attorney planning to propose to Penelope Cruz, possibly the greatest underrated beauty in movies. Her real-life husband, Javier Bardem, plays a drug lord client of Fassbender. Talky in that it's a series of philosophical conversations to that lead later to consequences. Things start getting going when Fassbender negotiates a drug deal with Bratt Pitt, also philosophical, but about the practicality of their business and what he needs to know. Pitt knows Fassbender isn't cut out for it, but he won't take the hint. Due to a coincidence and the cartel doesn't believe in coincidences, Fassbender is in the jackpot, as Bardem tells him. One thing leads to another. It's Cormac so it gets bleak, and real. People don't go back to see this again so the drop off at the box office was inevitable. Still, this one must have stayed with people for a while.

Rocky IV: Director's Cut (2021)

 

Rocky IV: Director's Cut (2021) – A notoriously weak entry in the Rocky series, Stallone re-cut this in 2021 as a more focused story of his friendship with Apollo Creed and how his death left unfinished business. It no longer reads like a super hero story. His foe, the dangerous Ivan Drago, comes off as more a Frankenstein's monster not without sympathy himself. There are only a few exposition moments as it is expected you know the characters and what they've been through. You can see Stallone had a smaller story to tell the and studio was looking for a summer blockbuster. The new cut feels more like the Later Rocky Balboa (Rocky 6), it's somber and reflective. A better choice to go with if you decide to make your way chronologically through the series.

Comancheros (1961)

 

Comancheros (1961) D: Michael Curtiz. Excellent Score by Elmer Bernstein. I don't know how this one slipped through my John Wayne watching. Duke is a Texas Ranger sent to get fugitive Stuart Whitman, an affable guy who shot a judge's son in a duel. Lee Marvin shows up early as a villain with the energy of a star he would become. The plot is a group of white men that team up with Comanches Indians for no good. Plenty of Monument Valley scenery and enough pretty women for the lighter moments. Whitman doesn't wither next to Wayne which says a lot about his underused screen persona.

Stardust Memories (1980)

 

Stardust Memories (1980) – Follow up to Annie Hall and Manhattan taking on the same themes of relationships. This time Woody is a noted film director constantly hounded for autographs during his public time. A running theme is how people prefer his earlier, funny movies. It uses the dual temporal format of remembering his lost girlfriend played by Charlotte Ramplin, who has those piercing eyes that still sparkle but are somewhat subdued by the Black & White cinematography. She is one of those actresses that are sexy without being beautiful and it probably makes their forlorn romance more bittersweet in ways that hit differently with beautiful women that never feel attainable even when you obtain them. When you are new to Woody Allen movies it's always jarring how his character gets women, but once I learned that he is just playing a variation of Bob Hope's screen persona it kind all makes more sense. Rampling had a long career and you still here in the modern. I looked up her filmography to learn her father was the last surviving gold medalist from the 1936 Olympics, the Hitler Olympics, the one where Jesse Owens kicked everyone's ass. Her dad live to 100. Woody is 90 and still going although he seems to be slowing down. Last movie was 2023. The movie has a jarring assassination attempt by a fan that hits too close to home released in 1980 months before the same thing happened to John Lennon. The movie is not for all tastes but will be worthwhile to fans of his work during this period. I always enjoy his early 20^th century jazz soundtracks.

Aftersun (2022)

 

Aftersun (2022) – Scottish father and his ten year-old daughter holiday to Turkey. It's implied that their visits are somewhat infrequent with her parents split. You would characterize the movie as a slow-burn with nothing really happening on the surface but human angst underneath. The father that is about to turn 30 considers himself a failure not achieving whatever dreams he secretly holds. The daughter has an emotional understanding of his troubles , but wants him to snap out of it. The film interspersed with clips from the video camera they shot with on their trip and the adult daughter looking back on what might have been the last trip should took with her father. Critically acclaimed but somewhat bittersweet as a viewer. I wanted the guy to be present for his daughter instead of a slave to his personal expectations. Here is a guy who would have benefited from reading Scott Adams. First time filmmaker called it autobiographical, meaning she was trying to understand her naval gazing dad.

Blue Moon (2025)

 

Blue Moon (2025) – Ethan Hawke portrays Lorenz Hart, the lyricist that partnered with Richard Rodgers before he found Hammerstein. The movie takes place in a single night at the Broadway restaurant, Sardis, on the night Oklahoma opens and everything changes. It reads like a filmed stage play. The action never leaves the restaurant and although there would be ample opportunity for flashbacks, the movie handles everything with dialogue. I was surprised to learn that it was written directly for the screen. Blue Moon refers to the Rodgers and Hart tune you have heard your whole life. Elvis even did a cover of it at Sun Records. Hart was a cliché of a theater guy, short, gay, and an alcoholic. Ethan Hawke portrays all of this quite impressively even shrinking in size when necessary. Adam Scott gives a pleasantly subdued performance as Richard Rodgers. Simon Delaney plays the coruplent Oscar Hammerstein. Other famous people making appearance include E.B. White (Charlotte's Web), Hammerstein's protege Stephen Sondheim is somehow dragged to the restaurant looking 10 years old. Future Film director, George Roy Hill is squeezed in. Now although Hart plays for the other team so much of the drama is around Hart's infatuation with the Elizabeth Weiland character played by Margaret Qualley. She gives him a hope and rejection arc. How did Andie McDowell who couldn't act worth a lick wind up with two daughters than can? Richard Linklater is the underrated Gen X director, although it's hard to understand what he was thinking with his Bad News Bears remake. I bet you this is one day made into a Broadway show. If I were an Academy member I'd vote for Hawke. He's good here and too talented to have never won.

Worst Person in the World (2021)

 

Worst Person in the World (2021) – Joachim Trier's previous effort. Same lead actress, Renate Reinsve. Renate smiles occasionally in this one making her 2x more attractive. The downside is she is flighty like a lot of manic pixie dream girls, even if the Scandinavian version of that trope is otherwise more outwardly reserved than the crazy American version, but every bit as loopy on the inside. I have not read any reviews on it but my guess is that American critics will like her feminist free spirit although the observant viewer will understand how such a thing overlaps into self-destruction. The title is ironic. She's not the worst person. She's capricious. I've dated women like her. Nearly every attractive theater chick has these qualities. They are fun to date until they blow up. Trier captures the qualities of such a dame and demonstrates the vivaciousness that keeps me on the train longer than their wisdom would otherwise allow. There are obligatory topless shots, but she shows us a ding dong too. Equity, I guess. The ending is presented as upbeat on the surface, but it leaves open the question of whether she is happy or just not yet bored yet with her newest reality. If a person can't settle for happiness they will no doubt earn unhappiness in the long run.

Sentimental Value (2025)

 

Sentimental Value (2025) - Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting Math Professor) returns to his Swedish ancestral home for the funeral of his ex-wife reuniting, himself with his estranged adult daughters played by actresses I have not previously seen. Skarsgard we learn is a film director of some note, but hasn't made a movie in like 15 years. One of his daughters is a rising stage and television actress who holds a grudge against him for abandoning the family. Skarsgard has written a script for a comeback film and asks the daughter to star in the film. She rejects the offer accusing him of using her new ascending notoriety to get financing, Skarsgard retreats and is next seen in a theater celebrating the retrospection of his film career. He is forlorn by the ending of his active career but still touched by a scene he shot two decades prior that stars his other daughter as a ten year old. When the lights come up we see a teary Elle Fanning, who the audience learns is a big Hollywood movie star. Fanning invites him to join her group for dinner and they click. One thing leads to another and Fanning is going to star in his dormant project. That's the plot point that ends Act 1 and I found the entire film brilliant, maybe for personal reasons as I have two daughters. Skarsgard is an artist and his artistry is central to who he is and therefore central to the conflicts with his ex-wife and why he became estranged to the family. Late in the film the more accepting daughter is upset that he pitched a role in the film to her ten year old son. She doesn't want her son invested in that world. She says making the film with him was the best moment of her life and then he disappeared. She cannot have him do that to her son. Meanwhile, Elle Fanning realizes that she is wrong for the part, and seeks out the stage actress daughter to understand why she turned it down. Taken together the audience starts to see that art is how he shows his love to his family. He wrote the script not as a comeback, but as a way to connect with the estranged daughter. I think I'm most impressed with the effort because I don't think that an artist's personal flaws have ever been explained in such personal and familial context as related to the art. Thankfully it was nominated for Best Picture or I doubt I ever would have bothered with it.

Complete Unknown (2024)

 

Complete Unknown (2024) James Mangold directed biopic of Bob Dylan's life from discovery until he went electric at the Newport Folk Festival. I'm hostile to Hollywood turning Timothee Chalamet into the quintessential beta leading man, but his skinny ass works as Robert Zimmerman and he plays brooding well. Casting against type they found a real babe to play Joan Baez, Monica Barbaro. You'll remember her as one of the token female pilots in the Top Gun sequel, hidden behind too many flight suits. I'm thankful that it didn't start with a flashback like every other biopic in this century. Instead the film starts with Dylan hitchhiking to New York to see his hospitalized hero, Woodie Guthrie and it ends with a moment between the two after he goes electric. Edward Norton plays folk musician, Pete Seeger, as a consummate gentleman. Elle Fanning plays a composite of Dylan's girlfriends not Joan Baez. It gets nearly all of the good songs in but somehow skips JUST LIKE A WOMAN, a perfect summation of how crazy dating Joan Baez must have been.

Rambo III (1988)

 

Rambo III (1988) – I never saw this in the 30+ years since the release. The explosive tipped arrow in Part II just couldn't be topped. It surprisingly feels like an Indian Jones sequel with funny Muslims and the Soviets standing in for Nazis. You even have this little Afghan kid tagging along like Short Round. Hand it to Richard Crenna, an actor with 50 years experience that was believable in anything he did. Very William Holden like and yet spent most of his time on television. Crenna has his biggest part of the series as Rambo's mentor captured by the Soviets. I remember how much this movie was panned but it follows the formula perfectly and is no worse than Part II. It's even kind of comforting to see a new film from the 1980s and appreciate it for its time and genre. Stallone was so mocked for these sequels I was surprised at the star power intensity that seems to be a scarce commodity in current times.

Broadway Melody of 1936 (1936)

 

Broadway Melody of 1936 (1936) – Robert Taylor is a Broadway impresario. The leading lady is the dancer, Eleanor Powell who is both fetching and competent. Taylor and Powell grew up together in Albany and he thinks too much of the kid to allow her to get in the showbiz what with the decadence, worrying she will become a wanton woman. So Powell impersonates a French dancer so that she can get an audition. Alright silly and yet miles above what passes for comedy today like Duane Johnson's shifting eyebrow.

The top billed star is Jack Benny as a gossip columnist in the mode of Walter Winchell. Benny rarely leaves his office in the picture. He's typically seen talking to his assistant so that Robert Taylor can barge in every 10 minutes or so to punch him out for something written in his column. The assistant is played by the film's co-writer, Sid Silvers (No relation to Phil that I could find). This might be an interesting double bill at Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema, paired with Sweet Smell of Success, a darker take on Walter Winchell.

Interesting supporting performances from Buddy Ebsen and his real-life sister Vilma as a dancing team. Vilma lived to be 97 and this was her only movie. Enjoyable if you aren't put off by 1930s acting styles and/or enjoy ratatatat dialogue.

Jack Benny (To Eleanor Powell): If you are French I am a Chinaman.

Powell: (slowly in French accent looking him over): That is possible.

Man Who Inveted Christmas (2017)

 

Man Who Inveted Christmas (2017) – Charles Dickens gets the Shakespeare in Love treatment while trying to write “A Christmas Carol: among his other life problems. Money troubles, pregnant wife, nary-do-well farther wanting money. The gimmick is that the Scrooge characters in the story appear as characters in this movie to say the lines and help him envision the story,. Interesting if you know the Dickens references. I know fewer than the Shakespeare ones. It's a perfectly competent production without surprising the viewer with anything extraordinary.

Sentimental Value (2025) - Movie Review

 Sentimental Value (2025)  - Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting Math Professor) returns to his Swedish ancestral home for the funeral of his ex-wife, reuniting with his estranged adult daughters played by actresses I have not previously seen.  Skarsgard we learn is a film director of some note, but hasn't made a movie in like 15 years.  One of his daughters is a rising stage and television actress who holds a grudge against him for abandoning the family.  Skarsgard has written a script for a comeback film and asks the daughter to star in the film.  She rejects the offer accusing him of using her new ascending notoriety to get financing,  Skarsgard retreats and is next seen in a theater celebrating the retrospection of his film career.  He is forlorn by the ending of his active career but still touched by a scene he shot two decades prior that stars his other daughter as a ten year old.  When the lights come up we see a teary Elle Fanning, who the audience learns is a big Hollywood movie star.  Fanning invites him to join her group for dinner and they click.  One thing leads to another and Fanning is going to star in his dormant project.  That's the plot point that ends Act 1 and I found the entire film brilliant, maybe for personal reasons as I have two daughters.  Skarsgard is an artist and his artistry is central to who he is and therefore central to the conflicts with his ex-wife and why he became estranged to the family.  Late in the film the more accepting daughter is upset that he pitched a role in the film to her ten year old son.  She doesn't want her son invested in that world.  She says making the film with him was the best moment of her life and then he disappeared.  She cannot have him do that to her son.  Meanwhile, Elle Fanning realizes that she is wrong for the part, and seeks out the stage actress daughter to understand why she turned it down.  Taken together the audience starts to see that art is how he shows his love to his family.  He wrote the script not as a comeback, but as a way to connect with the estranged daughter.  I think I'm most impressed with the effort because I don't think that an artist's personal flaws have ever been explained in such personal and familial context as related to the art.  Thankfully it was nominated for Best Picture or I doubt I ever would have bothered with it.  I had not seen a film by Joachim Trier previously but I am going seek out his other works.

Complete Unknown (2024) - Movie Review

 Complete Unknown (2024) James Mangold directed biopic of Bob Dylan's life from discovery until he went electric at the Newport Folk Festival.  I'm hostile to Hollywood turning Timothee Chalamet into the quintessential beta leading man, but his skinny ass works as Robert Zimmerman and he plays brooding well.  Casting against type they found a real babe to play Joan Baez, Monica Barbaro.  You'll remember her as one of the token female pilots in the Top Gun sequel, hidden behind too many flight suits.  I'm thankful that it didn't start with a flashback like every other biopic in this century.  Instead the film starts with Dylan hitchhiking to New York to see his hospitalized hero, Woodie Guthrie and it ends with a moment between the two after he goes electric.  Edward Norton plays folk musician, Pete Seeger, as a consummate gentleman.  Elle Fanning plays a composite of Dylan's girlfriends not Joan Baez.  It gets nearly all of the good songs in but somehow skips JUST LIKE A WOMAN, a perfect summation of how crazy dating Joan Baez must have been.