Don’t Look Now (1973) | CLASSIC REVIEW

Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland in Nicolas Roeg’s DON’ LOOK NOW — PHOTO: Casey Productions / Eldorado Films / D.L.N. Ventures Partnership.

Directed by Nicolas Roeg — Screenplay by Allan Scott and Chris Bryant.

Whenever you watch a film two times in a row, you know it has its hooks in you. Don’t Look Now — Nicolas Roeg’s iconic, impressionistic, and occasionally scary psychological thriller based on a Daphne du Maurier short story of the same name — follows John and Laura Baxter (played by Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie respectively) not long after they have recently lost their daughter to an accident by their country home in England. They now find themselves in Venice, Italy, where John has been hired to help restore an ancient church. In the meantime, Laura befriends two elderly sisters, one of whom, Heather (played by Hilary Mason), claims to be clairvoyant and able to see their deceased daughter sitting between them in a restaurant. John, however, is skeptical of clairvoyance, and yet, from time to time in Venice, he sees a small figure wearing a similar red raincoat to that his daughter wore on the day that she died.

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Sorcerer (1977) | CLASSIC REVIEW

An image of one of the film’s two trucks almost falling off an unsafe bridge in the jungle in William Friedkin’s Sorcerer — PHOTO: Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

Directed by William Friedkin — Screenplay by Walon Green.

Based on Georges Arnaud’s French novel Le Salaire de la peur, William Friedkin’s Sorcerer follows four very different individuals from all over the world– the Mexican assassin named Nilo (played by Francisco Rabal), a Palestinian militant named Kassem (played by Amidou), a French investment banker named Victor Manzon (played by Bruno Cremer), and an Irish-American gang member and driver named Jackie Scanlon (played by Roy Scheider) — as they all eventually find themselves in a remote village in Colombia. Here they are all trying to hide away from their old lives, and they desperately want to build new lives for themselves. However, their wages are insufficient. However, one day a lucrative job becomes available as an oil well has exploded. An American oil company now needs four drivers to risk life and limb by driving highly unstable dynamite through the unpaved jungles of Colombia. Of course, the film’s four leads line up to take part in the risky endeavor.

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CLASSIC REVIEW: Raging Bull (1980)

Release Poster – Tom Jung

The following is a classic movie review of Raging Bull – Directed by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest filmmakers – and my personal favorite – of all-time. But while I’ve loved his work for years, I still have a lot of his past films to watch for the first time. One movie that I, somehow, managed to always avoid was the classic biographical boxing tragedy Raging Bull. It’s been at the top of my Martin Scorsese watchlist for quite a while, and I’m happy to say that I understand the love Raging Bull has been getting. Raging Bull is, indeed, a masterpiece.  Continue reading “CLASSIC REVIEW: Raging Bull (1980)”

CLASSIC REVIEW: Ghostbusters (1984)

The Ghostbusters fighting Gozer in Ivan Reitman’s GHOSTBUSTERS — PHOTO: Columbia Pictures.

The following is a classic review of Ghostbusters (1984).

Ghostbusters takes place in New York City and follows a team of scientists who focus on the supernatural, who, after getting their team name out to the public, are contacted by a woman named Dana Barrett (played by Sigourney Weaver). Barrett reports of a monster or spirit in her refrigerator by the name of Zuul. One of the scientists, Dr. Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray), takes lead on the investigation, but he is more interested in Dana than the case. 

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CLASSIC REVIEW: Schindler’s List (1993)

Theatrical Release poster - Universal Pictures
Theatrical Release poster – Universal Pictures

The following is a classic review of Schindler’s List, a Steven Spielberg film. There are spoilers in this review.

Schindler’s List tells the story of how Oskar Schindler (played by Liam Neeson), a German businessman, saved more than a thousand of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. This review will be a little bit different. I’ll review this film, by explaining why I didn’t see it until 2016. There are spoilers in this review, so I will not hold anything back.

One of the things I always wondered about, was why my father would never watch Schindler’s List with me. He has always been intrigued by films set during World War II, but for some unknown reason he would never watch it with me. He has always told me that he had seen it, but he has no interest in ever seeing it again. Continue reading “CLASSIC REVIEW: Schindler’s List (1993)”

The Collection #2 – Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park - Collection

  • Jurassic Park (1993) – Directed by Steven Spielberg.

The Collection is a monthly opinion piece, which features a single film, trilogy, or the like that I consider to be one of the best of all-time – a must watch film or franchise. A new entry in The Collection will be highlighted and revealed on the third Monday of every month. This month I’m adding to The Collection with Jurassic Park, arguably the most visually impressive film of the 1990s. Continue reading “The Collection #2 – Jurassic Park”

CLASSIC REVIEW: Jurassic Park (1993)

Universal Pictures poster for ‘Jurassic Park’

The following is a Classic Review of Jurassic Park. 

Way back in 1990 the late, great Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park novel was released, three years later Steven Spielberg had directed its cinematic adaptation, and suddenly it was one of the most celebrated blockbusters in cinematic history. The film would eventually spawn sequels, and the franchise has become a healthy part of western pop culture.  Continue reading “CLASSIC REVIEW: Jurassic Park (1993)”

CLASSIC REVIEW: The Godfather (1972)

Theatrical Release poster by Paramount Pictures

Way back in 1969, Mario Puzo’s novel The Godfather was published – not long thereafter Paramount Pictures had the film rights, and were to adapt it into a movie. Sergio Leone passed on the film, as did Peter Bogdanovich – finally Francis Ford Coppola signed on, and the rest is history.

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