IN OUR TIME, NO FOREIGN ARMY HAS EVER OCCUPIED AMERICAN SOIL. UNTIL NOW. When joint Soviet-Cuban forces invade the United States after a nuclear strike, a group of teenagers in Colorado flee into the woods and organize armed resistance. Criticized for its violence after the premiere, this film has much greater problems than that. The … Continue reading Red Dawn
ANARENE, TEXAS, 1951. NOTHING MUCH HAS CHANGED… The most famous film Peter Bogdanovich ever made didn’t come from a complete beginner. In the 1960s, he had worked as a film programmer for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and critic for Esquire. After deciding to become a director, he went to work … Continue reading Last Picture Show: Small-Town Decay
THERE’S A SCORE TO SETTLE… AND THIS IS IT! Shane was Jack Palance’s breakthrough. Playing a villainous gunslinger, the actor flashed a very creepy smile and became a minor Western icon. His only problem was a lack of experience with horses. He was able to dismount, but getting back up again was much more of … Continue reading Shane: The Boy and the Stranger
A STORY ABOUT FRIENDS, FAMILY AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. In 1988, Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) has a strained relationship with her grandchildren and eventually agrees to see a therapist (Bill Paxton). The sequel to Terms of Endearment (1983) desperately tries to rekindle our feelings for that sentimental masterpiece, but never really comes close. MacLaine carries … Continue reading The Evening Star
