The Mule (2018)

 

A ninety-year-old horticulturist and Korean War veteran turns drug mule for a Mexican cartel. 

Well-made rendition of a true crime story has its suspenseful moments, but is mainly told in an easy-going manner, suitable to the protagonist's and Eastwood's age. 

Apocalypse Now (1979)

 

 

During the Vietnam War a captain is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.

I remember: Due to the advance hype for 'Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam' movie the film did not fully live up to the expectations, but did provide unforgettable scenes and an feverish atmosphere of war madness.

On rewatching: Over the decades this movie has grown on me, although I still see it as a somewhat messy masterpiece; and: the French plantation scene in the final cut version is superfluous containing unnecessary pretensions.
 

Halliwell**: "Pretentious war movie, made even more hollow-sounding by the incomprehensible performance of Brando as the mad martinet. Some vivid scenes along the way, and some interesting parallels with Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but these hardly atone for the director's delusion that prodigal expenditure of time and money will result in great art. (The movie took so long to complete it was dubbed Apocalypse Later.)"

Maltin***1/2: "...a mesmerizing odyssey of turbulent, often surreal encounters. Unfortunately, film's conclusion - when he does find Brando - is cerebral and murky. Still, a great movie experience most of the way, with staggering, Oscar-winning photography by Vittorio Storaro."

 

 

The Color Purple (1985)

A black Southern woman struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and others over four decades.

Grand-scale saga with an excellent ensemble and wonderful cinematography tells a meandering tale, at times at risk of drifting apart, but contains many memorable scenes.

Halliwell**: "Well-intentioned and gracious but not always dramatically cohesive generation saga from a director trying to prove he has depth."

Maltin***1/2: "...a sprawling saga...Spielberg's controversial interpretation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-wnning book will either grab you emotionally (in which case you'll overlook its flaws) or leave you cold. Masterfully filmed...with striking cinematography...moving music score...Rich performances include screen debut for Winfrey."

Event Horizon (1997)

A rescue crew investigates a spaceship that disappeared into a black hole and has now returned...with someone or something new on-board.

Although this sci-fi shocker has quite a messy plot, it is indeed fairly effective and has some quite natsy scenes; the star cast helps, too, a bit.

Halliwell (no star): "Creepy horror movie in outer space that delivers the requisite shocks; a little predictability would have been welcome, though."

Maltin**: "Well-acted movie begins promisingly but becomes increasingly unlikely; offers no explanation for the strange events. Some intense horror scenes."

Boyz n the Hood (1991)

The lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles.

Slice-of life approach with a great cast achieves both authenticity and heartfelt drama.

Halliwell**: "Episodic in form and over-schematic in its depiction of social difficulties, particularly those caused by absentee fathers, but it holds one's interest throughout."

Maltin***: "Sober, thoughtful look...Impressive debut...; longish, and not always on-the-money, but overall quite potent and effective."

Standoff (2016)

A troubled veteran gets a chance at redemption by protecting a 12-year-old girl from an assassin after she witnesses a murder.

Fairly professionally made, but not too inspired thriller with a few lengths; wisely, it doesn't outstay its welcome and keeps it short with its 80 minutes length.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

During the Vietnam War a captain is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.

I remember: Due to the advance hype for 'Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam' movie the film did not fully live up to the expectations, but did provide unforgettable scenes and a feverish atmosphere of war madness.

On renewed viewing of the director's cut: The movie retains its feverish nightmare atmosphere (with satiric elements), but can be argued whether the additional scenes improve the original version.

Halliwell**: "Pretentious war movie, made even more hollow-sounding by the incomprehensible performance of Brando as the mad martinet. Some vivid scenes along the way, and some interesting parallels with Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but these hardly atone for the director's delusion that prodigal expenditure of time and money will result in great art. (The movie took so long to complete it was dubbed Apocalypse Later.)"

Maltin***1/2: "...a mesmerizing odyssey of turbulent, often surreal encounters. Unfortunately, film's conclusion - when he does find Brando - is cerebral and murky. Still, a great movie experience most of the way, with staggering, Oscar-winning photography by Vittorio Storaro."

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Fearing that the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the Man of Steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs.

Above-average superhero drama delivers the goods (mostly mayhem) and adds tension to the encounter of Batman and Superman plus some badly needed help from Wonder Woman, collateral damage included.

Contagion (2011)

Healthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in the midst of a worldwide epidemic as the CDC works to find a cure.

Realistic, grand-scale and star-cast catastrophe movie manages to keep multiple stories and locations  seamlessly in line with the major plot; however, the matter-of-fact approach underplays the doom of a pandemic.

Maltin***: "Pulse-pounding account...Scott Z. Burns' screenplay is scary  because it's all so credible. Soderbergh handles the material in utterly straightforward fashion; there's no poetry here."

Man of Steel (2013)

Clark Kent, one of the last of an extinguished race disguised as an unremarkable human, is forced to reveal his identity when Earth is invaded by an army of survivors who threaten to bring the planet to the brink of destruction.

Good variation of the Superman saga thrills with great production and effects and a nicely assembled cast; alas, the final duel gives the term 'collateral damage' a whole new dimension.

Maltin**1/2: "...never quite soars, despite a promising start...the second half of the movie, a nonstop demolition derby that resembles a loud, raucous TRANSFORMERS movie and leaves its characters on the back burner. A good cast, led by the finely chiseled Cavill, can only do so much with this material."

Passengers (2016)

A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers and two passengers are awakened 90 years too early.

Above.average sci-fi movie, for once not an action-laden shoot-em-up, but an original and interesting tale with a small cast of two (although one would love to see the main story after the film's finale); nevertheless, it's enteratining, suspenseful and offers the goods concerning the effects and visuals.

Armored (2009)

A newbie guard for an armored truck company is coerced by his veteran coworkers to steal a truck containing $42 million, but a wrinkle in their supposedly foolproof plan divides the group, leading to a potentially deadly resolution.

High-tension heist drama with an impressible cast, well done, but all for the usual 'crime doesn't pay' result.

Maltin**: "A throwback to low-budget B movies of yore, this OK actioner will neither overly impress nor greatly disappoint genre fans."

Apocalypse Now (1979)

During the Vietnam War a captain is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.

I remember: Due to the advance hype for 'Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam' movie the film did not fully live up to the expectations, but did provide unforgettable scenes and an feverish atmosphere of war madness.

Halliwell**: "Pretentious war movie, made even more hollow-sounding by the incomprehensible performance of Brando as the mad martinet. Some vivid scenes along the way, and some interesting parallels with Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but these hardly atone for the director's delusion that prodigal expenditure of time and money will result in great art. (The movie took so long to complete it was dubbed Apocalypse Later.)"

Maltin***1/2: "...a mesmerizing odyssey of turbulent, often surreal encounters. Unfortunately, film's conclusion - when he does find Brando - is cerebral and murky. Still, a great movie experience most of the way, with staggering, Oscar-winning photography by Vittorio Storaro."

The Colony (2013)

Forced underground by the next ice age, a struggling outpost of survivors must fight to preserve humanity against a threat even more savage than nature.

OK doomsday drama with some nice ice-age settings, but otherwise this is quite routine fare.