Category Archives: Drama

1942 Films, Animated, Coming-of-Age, Disney, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Kids, Top 250 Films

Bambi-1942

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Bambi-1942

Director David Hand

Starring Various voices

Top 250 Films #129

Scott’s Review #556

Reviewed December 22, 2016

Grade: A

Bambi (1942) is one of my favorite classic Disney animated features. It is simply a lovely, endearing, and heartbreaking tale.

Gorgeous and flawless, the film conveys a clear message about animals yearning for peace in a world where hunters seek to disturb and kill the graceful deer.

After all these years, this message still resonates loud and clear, sad, heartbreakingly. All deer hunters should watch this film and dare to take a shot.

Bambi was released during the Golden Age of Disney films, which was led by notable films such as Snow White, Dumbo, and Pinocchio, among others.

We first meet baby Bambi as his dear mother nurtures and nestles him, fawning over him with pride and teaching him the joys of the forest. Bambi’s father is the Great Prince of the Forest- protector of all the creatures of the land.

Bambi’s mother (unnamed) warns an exuberant Bambi to be cautious of the gorgeous yet dangerous meadows, where the deer are vulnerable and unprotected.

During the film’s famous gut-wrenching scene, tragedy occurs, and violence disrupts the peaceful forest, leaving Bambi alone, lost, and devastated, forced into a cruel world of tragedy, realism, and responsibility.

The scene gets to me every time, as we see the pain and harshness of life for the sweet deer, to say nothing of the other animals in the forest —namely, Thumper (a rabbit) and Flower (a young Skunk).

These characters are Bambi’s best friends. The dripping teardrop that oozes from Bambi’s eye can never be forgotten.

To counterbalance the film’s darkness, Disney successfully incorporates cheerful scenes of the animals dancing and interacting with each other as a unified community.

This is nice, as it shows the power and bond between the creatures – they are united as a family and take care of one another. I love this message, especially as young people will watch the film for the first time.

There is also a sweet romance offered between Bambi and Faline.

Watching the film and listening to the musical score is a way to experience sheer beauty. The music makes the film powerful- its classical and operatic elements are gorgeous and will elicit emotions.

Visually, each frame is a drawing set against a still, and it is magical to watch and marvel at the amount of work that undoubtedly went into this preparation.

In the end, the circle of life comes full circle. Bambi becomes the Great Prince of the Forest, replacing his father as the protector. Now, all grown up with two tiny babies of his own, he must protect his family and friends.

Life goes on. This is a sad yet realistic message. How brave Disney was in creating a masterpiece like Bambi.

Personal satisfaction is observing my beloved female feline friend, Thora, become mesmerized and attentive to the film each time I watch it.

Disney’s Bambi is a wonderful, cherished treasure that evokes emotions and conveys a valuable, poignant message. It is a timeless masterpiece to be enjoyed for generations to come.

One will not escape the film with dry eyes, a testament to the marvelous filmmaking involved.

Oscar Nominations: Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Original Song-“Love Is a Song”, Best Sound Recording

1976 Films, Drama, Psychological Drama, Psychological Thriller, Thriller, Top 250 Films

Taxi Driver-1976

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Taxi Driver-1976

Director Martin Scorsese

Starring Robert De Niro

Top 250 Films #130

Scott’s Review #776

Reviewed June 20, 2018

Grade: A

It is incredibly tough to choose a favorite among Martin Scorsese’s films, since nearly all of them are exceptionally well-made.

Goodfellas (1990), Raging Bull (1980), and Taxi Driver (1976) come to mind immediately. Taxi Driver may be Scorsese’s darkest film of all.

The thriller is intense, dangerous, and ferocious, led by a riveting performance by Robert De Niro, a regular in the director’s earlier films. The film is nail-biting and compelling, and a great, character-driven watch.

Set in the bustling and (at that time) decrepit New York City shortly following the Vietnam War, Travis is a veteran suffering from some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lonely and angry, he works as an overnight taxi driver who falls for a snooty presidential campaign worker, Betsy (Cybill Shepherd).

He also forges a relationship of a protective nature with an underage prostitute, Iris (Jodie Foster). As he gradually spirals out of control due to the unhappiness surrounding him, he plots to kill Betsy’s boss while protecting Iris from her pimp (Harvey Keitel).

One great aspect of Taxi Driver is De Niro’s extremely strong performance. Along with Jake LaMotta’s later role in Raging Bull, Travis Bickle’s role is my second favorite of his.

With Bickle, he is unpredictable, on edge, and angry, as De Niro infuses the character with those qualities in a seamless fashion.

As he teeters on the brink of insanity and is ready to snap at any given moment, the character is impossible not to watch with both fear and marvel.

De Niro is that brilliant.

While not to be outdone by the aforementioned negative and dangerous qualities, Travis also possesses a few benevolent traits, making the character complex.

Much of this comes through in the protective nature he develops toward Iris.

Almost like a big brother/kid-sister dynamic, the deranged man treats her with kindness rather than taking advantage of her as he easily could have.

The diner scene, which the two actors (De Niro and Foster) share, is rich in interesting dialogue and binds the characters together.

Travis also feels both love and hate toward Betsy (Cybill Shepherd). As a political volunteer for a potential presidential candidate, Travis first sees her while spying on her through the large glass windows where she works.

Coaxing her to accept a date, they have coffee and eventually attend a film together. Betsy is offended by the pornographic film, and their date goes south fast.

After a vicious showdown between the pair at the campaign office, Travis goes off the deep end and plots revenge.

Scorsese’s gritty, atmospheric approach in Taxi Driver is an enormous highlight of the film. Dingy, dark, and dangerous, the director creates numerous scenes that show just how seedy New York City was in the 1970s.

Working the night shift, sure to bring out the rancid and most decaying elements of the city, Travis experiences many cretins and undesirables in his work- and arguably is one of them!

Many scenes feature the notorious 42nd Street and its accompanying porn theaters that made New York City famous (or infamous!) at the time.

In one of the film’s most frightening (and best) scenes, Travis can get his hands on a gun. He practices drawing his weapon in the mirror, repeatedly uttering the famous line “You talkin’ to me?” as we wonder if he will pull the trigger.

The scene is fraught with cerebral tension and quite frightening. Later, when Travis shaves his head and brandishes a mohawk, his new look is downright terrifying.

Scorsese creates a dark world enriched by his incredible cinematography and astounding portrayals of compelling characters in dangerous, unstable times.

Taxi Driver (1976) is a treasure to watch closely and appreciate as a timeless piece of art. Instead of decaying in the vaults of cinema, the film gets better and better with age.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor-Robert De Niro, Best Supporting Actress-Jodie Foster, Best Original Score

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Actor- Drama- Robert De Niro, Best Screenplay

1985 Films, Comedy, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama, Top 250 Films

The Breakfast Club-1985

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Breakfast Club-1985

Director John Hughes

Starring Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez

Top 250 Films #131

Scott’s Review #755

Reviewed May 8, 2018

Grade: A

The Breakfast Club (1985) is one of the most beloved films of the 1980s and perfectly captures what it was like to be a teenager at the time.

Containing both innocence and authenticity rarely found in films targeted at younger audiences (and there were plenty in the 1980s), the film is timeless and holds up exceptionally well, still feeling fresh.

Director John Hughes avoids cliches and creates genuine truth in cinema. The theme song, “(Don’t You) Forget About Me,” is nearly impossible to hear without associating it with this film.

The storyline is uncomplicated: five high school students (Bender, Claire, Andy, Brian, and Allison) from different social classes gather one Saturday morning in the high school library for a day of detention.

Each student appears to know the others, but only peripherally, having little in common.

Assistant Principal Vernon (Paul Gleason) assigns them to complete a thousand-word essay by the end of the day. The group engages in mischievous antics, squabbles, and discusses their respective roles and troubles in life throughout the day.

The film looks and feels like a small, independent feature rather than a big-budget offering, which is a great compliment. The cast is very small- only the aforementioned six principles and two minor characters.

The setting is almost entirely inside the walls of a suburban high school, with only a few exterior shots. Mainly, what succeeds is the characters’ interactions, rich dialogue, and good texture, along with underlying insecurities that make the screenplay bristle with genuine angst.

It is tough to pinpoint who the lead characters would be, but arguably Claire and Bender (Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson) are the pair expected to unite as a couple, as they do in the conclusion- this is predictable yet sweet.

Unexpectedly, however, the film pairs Andy and Allison (Emilio Estevez and Allie Sheedy).

Both couples are complete opposites; Claire and Bender even despise each other for most of the film, yet they realize their mutual attraction.

Careful not to weigh down the film with too much heavy drama, Hughes, who also wrote and produced the work, peppers in some comedic moments.

Gleason is the easy foil as the sole authority figure, a bit too dedicated to his job of humiliating and disciplining the students, but he does get his due humorously.

Either on-screen or off-screen, no adult figures are written in a positive light, giving The Breakfast Club a complete teenage perspective.

But the main appeal lies with teenagers and the message that Hughes successfully relays: that of the misunderstood young adult.

Each character is unhappy in some way and feels placed into a category or defined by the cliques they belong to, whether they want to or not.

Hughes makes the film a treasure in terms of relating to the characters- everyone remembers high school and the insecurities wrestled with while attempting to get good grades and obtain acceptance.

Hughes brings these aspects to life with his slice-of-life tale.

Even if not every character is immediately recognized by the viewers, each is empathetic nonetheless.

When Andy reveals his father’s criticisms, or Bender painfully recounts his father’s physical abuse, we feel for them, suddenly seeing the strong athlete or the burnout from our high school days in an entirely new way.

Mousy Allison gets a makeover from Claire and suddenly shines like a new dime- finally not being ignored. Brian’s overbearing parents’ pressures are almost too much for him to bear.

After the film, we are left to wonder what will happen on Monday morning during homeroom. Will the group continue their new friendships (or more) or return to the normalcy of their respective peer groups?

Hughes wisely does not satisfy our piqued curiosity but rather leaves it to our imagination.

The Breakfast Club (1985) holds appeal for the masses without feeling cliched or put upon- only feeling insightful and inspired to accept others we may have preconceived notions about.

1980 Films, Biography, Drama, Sports, Top 250 Films

Raging Bull-1980

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Raging Bull-1980

Director Martin Scorsese

Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty

Top 250 Films #132

Scott’s Review #1,256

Reviewed May 14, 2022

Grade: A

Raging Bull (1980) might be director Martin Scorsese’s most personal film and his most character-driven.

His other films contain great characters, rich with life, but with the focus firmly planted on controversial real-life boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro), there is much to explore.

His descent into madness is hard to watch but also impossible to look away from.

It’s tough to top the De Niro/Scorsese pairing in Taxi Driver (1976), when the actor simply kicked the audience’s ass with his ferocious portrayal of the maniacal Travis Bickle.

LaMotta arguably surpasses that portrayal because the boxer experiences the highest of the highs with the lowest of the lows.

And the audience is whisked away with him on the journey from heaven to hell. Arguably, director and actor’s finest film, Raging Bull, is often painful to watch, but it’s a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero who we can’t help but explore.

A double-pairing film extravaganza of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull is a fabulous idea, though the viewer may need a Valium to combat the resulting anxiety after watching them.

I love the title, Raging Bull, because it is so apt and central to the film. Fueled with machismo, testosterone, and anger, Jake LaMotta certainly is a raging bull.

Screenwriters Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin, frequent collaborators of Scorsese’s, adapt the story from Raging Bull: My Story, a 1970 memoir written by LaMotta.

Raging Bull tells the story of an Italian-American middleweight boxer as he struggles through the ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown.

He possesses a self-destructive and obsessive rage, jealousy, and animalistic appetite that destroy his relationship with his wife and family.

Wonderfully cast as his wife, Vickie is played by Cathy Moriarty, a gorgeous girl from the Bronx who falls head over heels in love with Jake. Joe Pesci plays his well-intentioned brother and manager, who unsuccessfully tries to help Jake battle his inner demons.

Jake’s inability to express his feelings enters the ring and eventually takes over his life. He is sent into a downward spiral that costs him everything.

Comparisons to the exceptional Rocky (1976) are cute and perhaps contain some merit on paper, but. In contrast, the former is heroic and compelling; the main characters are nothing alike except that they are both struggling boxers who achieve success.

Both are sports films, but Raging Bull is much, much darker and purely a character study.

The cinematography by Michael Chapman and the Film Editing by Thelma Schoonmaker are deserving of accolades and make the picture as flawless as it is.

Scorsese includes enough boxing scenes to showcase the fantastic editing required for these difficult sequences.

The editing is lightning-quick, and the thunderous bombast makes the viewer feel each blow of the glove against the skin. The blood and sweat are legendary components of these scenes.

The black-and-white cinematography is jaw-dropping, especially powerful in the kitchen fight scene between Jake and Joey. The brutal buildup is hard to stomach as Jake’s dementia becomes evident.

Despite the other qualities of the film that bring it all together, my favorite aspect is the performance De Niro delivers, which wins him a much-deserved Best Actor Oscar.

He is powerful and animalistic, playing both subtle rage and explosive anger. His tragic final act as a much older and fat man is shrouded in heartbreak and pain for both the character and the viewer to experience.

All the pieces of Raging Bull (1980) add up perfectly into a masterpiece.

The violence and pain are enshrouded in poetic dialogue and beautiful, illuminating camerawork that explore one man’s battles and struggles, both inside the squared circle and internally.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor-Robert De Niro (won), Best Supporting Actor-Joe Pesci, Best Supporting Actress-Cathy Moriarty, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing (won), Best Sound

2021 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Period Drama, Top 250 Films, Western

The Power of the Dog-2021

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Power of the Dog-2021

Director Jane Campion

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons

Top 250 Films #134

Scott’s Review #1,199

Reviewed November 21, 2021

Grade: A

Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a harrowing and brutally honest performance in The Power of the Dog (2021), a thought-provoking and layered film by Jane Campion. Parts western, gothic, and drama, Cumberbatch leads the charge, but all players associated with the film knock it out of the park.

If the superior acting is not enough, the eerie subtext and gorgeous cinematography firmly place the viewer in 1925 Montana, where a vast and open range serves as the primary setting. Characters are riddled with secrets, and the fun lies in peeling back the layers to reveal their motives and true desires.

There are enough bare male butts to titillate most viewers, and Cumberbatch himself did not use the aid of a body double. He stated he wanted to be as raw and vulnerable as his character, the dastardly and cruel Phil Burbank.

Campion, who hasn’t made a film in over a decade, is back with a vengeance, paying homage to Ang Lee and his movie Brokeback Mountain (2006).

From the first moment on screen, we know something is mesmerizing about Phil. He is handsome and severe, an alpha male if there ever was one, and attributes his savvy to his deceased father figure, Bronco Henry. His relationship with this man is key to the whole story.

Along with his brother George (Jesse Plemons), the Burbank brothers are wealthy ranchers. One day, at the Red Mill restaurant on their way to market, the brothers meet Rose (Kirsten Dunst), the widowed proprietress, and her impressionable and effeminate son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Phil behaves cruelly to Rose and Peter, but George becomes enamored with Rose and they marry, much to Phil’s chagrin. Now all living together, Phil taunts Peter and terrorizes Rose, but slowly begins to take the boy under his wing.

But what are his true intentions, and what will Peter do to save his mother from a complete breakdown?

The acting is so brilliant that I immediately became immersed in their lives. Particularly fascinating is Phil, but Rose, George, and Peter are all substantial characters. All the characters intertwine and have special relationships with each other, and all the principal actors are central to our fascination with them.

Rose may be Dunst’s best role yet, and Plemons is terrific as the kind and steady George. Smit-McPhee, unknown to me, is a revelation as the androgynous young intellectual.

There are enough homoerotic scenes to make the viewer question Phil’s sexuality. His secret stash of strong man magazines and his long gazes at nude male sunbathers may be enough to unlock the key. Still, when he rubs a handkerchief belonging to Bronco all over his body, the relationship between the two men oozes to the surface.

Campion has a lot of guts in taking on the male-driven western genre, and she brilliantly succeeds. Forgetting the storyline for a moment, the ravishing and oftentimes lonely landscape makes the film gorgeous to look at, especially on the big screen.

Plenty of long shots of the mountainous regions will inevitably captivate viewers and transport them to a bygone era.

The Power of the Dog was shot in New Zealand, but I was completely fooled into thinking Montana was the real filming location.

I adored seeing the costumes, whether it be Rose in a housedress or more distinguished characters like the governor and his wife dressed for a dinner party. All costumes appear authentic, peppered with a touch of glamour amidst the dirtiness of the range. Even the grubby ranch hands look great.

Discussions will certainly erupt once the film ends, and isn’t that the point of great films? The Power of the Dog (2021) takes the tried-and-true Western genre and infuses it with psychological depth.

Thanks to Campion and the team, she masterfully uses no gimmicks to draw the viewer into the world of the characters, instead offering authenticity and edge-of-your-seat drama.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Jane Campion (won), Best Actor-Benedict Cumberbatch, Best Supporting Actor-Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jesse Plemons, Best Supporting Actress-Kirsten Dunst, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Sound

1962 Films, Adventure, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Best Picture-Drama Golden Globe Winners, Biography, Drama, Epic, Top 250 Films, War, World War I

Lawrence of Arabia-1962

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Lawrence of Arabia-1962

Director David Lean

Starring Peter O’Toole

Top 250 Films #139

Scott’s Review #355

Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is quite a grand film that must be seen on a large screen. This will ensure full appreciation of the production’s enormous scale.

Numerous shots of objects in the distance are featured, and the small screen dulls the experience.

An excellent film from top to bottom and groundbreaking at the time, Lawrence of Arabia achieves its place in cinematic history due to the scope and vast proportions of the production.

It’s a treat to revisit from time to time.

The film is divided into two parts with an intermission, as with epics that last nearly four hours.

Peter O’Toole stars as T.E. Lawrence, a bored British Army Lieutenant who talks his way into a transfer to the Arabian desert.

As the film opens, it is 1935, and Lawrence has just been killed in a motorcycle accident. While this concept of revealing the ending and working backward is common in current films, it was novel in 1962 when the film was made.

While in Arabia, Lawrence successfully bonded bitter rival tribes to unite against Turkish oppression during World War I. He meets two young guides and other central characters there: Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) and Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif).

Much of the film features the battles between the rival tribes and Lawrence’s struggle to achieve peace.

Many location sequences show Lawrence and company traveling miles and miles across hot desert.

Some complain that Lawrence of Arabia is too slow-moving a film, but that is its selling point. I find the scenes of the group languishing across the desert incredibly lush and rich in meaning.

The intense heat and beating sun are fantastic in their cinematic grandeur. The film is meant to take its time—precisely what an experience in the Arabian desert would be like—and the mountainous dunes and swirling winds are brilliantly filmed.

David Lean is the king of the sprawling epic, and Lawrence of Arabia is his crowning achievement.

Lawrence is a well-written, layered, and complex character. He is not easy to describe or understand, which is also to the film’s credit.

The sheer weight loss that O’Toole underwent over the two years it took to film Lawrence of Arabia is impressive enough, but he was also a tortured soul emotionally.

The epic film Lawrence of Arabia (1962) requires a half-day of dedicated viewing, but it is worth every minute.

For a reminder of what an actual, breathtaking film looks like sans the oversaturated CGI and quick edits, one should take a deep breath and appreciate this work of art for its majestic look.

Oscar Nominations: 7 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-David Lean (won), Best Actor-Peter O’Toole, Best Supporting Actor-Omar Sharif, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Music Score-Substantially Original (won), Best Sound (won), Best Art Direction, Color (won), Best Cinematography, Color (won), Best Film Editing (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: 6 wins-Best Motion Picture-Drama (won), Best Director-Motion Picture-David Lean (won), Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama-Anthony Quinn, Peter O’Toole, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture-Omar Sharif (won), Best Original Score-Motion Picture, Best Cinematography-Color (won), New Star of the Year-Actor-Omar Sharif (won), Peter O’Toole (won)

1975 Films, Camp, Drama, Fantasy, Musical, Top 250 Films

Tommy-1975

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Tommy-1975

Director Ken Russell

Starring Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret

Top 250 Films #140

Scott’s Review #617

Reviewed February 15, 2017

Grade: B+

The film version of Tommy (1975) is a musical fantasy, a rock opera based on The Who’s famous 1969 album.

Composed and adapted by Pete Townshend of The Who, the film tells the story of a deaf, dumb, blonde kid named Tommy.

Featuring a star-studded cast of actors and singers performing musical numbers, the film is an over-the-top treat and quite campy late-night fare.

The stage version is usually a bit more serious and sedate than the film.

I enjoy the film, but it pales in comparison to the stage versions, which I was fortunate enough to see at my local community theater recently.

Ken Russell directs the film.

Set in the 1940s and told mainly through song, the film opens with a montage of Captain Walker (Robert Powell) and his wife, Nora (Ann-Margret), on their honeymoon, then shows Walker being sent off to war, leaving a pregnant Nora behind.

When his fighter plane is shot down and he is presumed dead, the montage skips ahead five years, and Nora is now involved in a relationship with Frank (Oliver Reed).

Tommy is five years old, and his father visits him, alive and well. After a struggle with Frank and Nora, Powell is killed, and a traumatized Tommy is unable to speak, see, or hear (except within his mind) as Frank and Nora are desperate to make sure he keeps quiet.

As Tommy grows into a young man, he becomes a “Pinball Wizard”, a prodigy at pinball, creating great wealth for Nora and Frank. Still unable to speak or see, he is first abused by his Uncle and cousin, but then championed as they are all able to get rich off of his abilities.

Through the years, Nora and Frank attempt to “cure” Tommy of his ailments via a preacher (Clapton) leading a Marilyn Monroe cult and a prostitute (Turner).

The joy in Tommy (the film) is seeing the star-studded cast- Elton John, Tina Turner, and Eric Clapton, as well as Roger Daltrey- bring a sense of wonderment to the film. Who doesn’t like to see rock stars perform?

Famous actors Jack Nicholson, Ann-Margret, and Reed are featured.

The musical numbers are the splendid part of the film, and one must be prepared to escape into a world of fantasy. Musical highlights for me include “Acid Queen”, “It’s A Boy”, and “We’re Not Gonna Take It”.

My most recent viewing of the film Tommy disappointed me slightly, and this may be because I recently saw the stage version, which I find far superior.

Ann-Margret, while superb and believable as Tommy’s mum, isn’t the character Townshend had in mind.

Sultry and sexy, she is cast to bring some sex appeal- nothing wrong with this, but the stage character is more of a working-class woman and more in line with the rest of the cast.

The film also seems a bit too over-the-top, almost silly at times. But Tommy is an escapist film, based on an album that is more serious.

I wonder if Russell was going for a more late-night, Rocky Horror Show- or Little Shop of Horrors-type feel.

Tommy (1975) has its place, certainly, but I’d recommend the stage or album version as a starting point, then move to the film as escapist fare.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Ann-Margret, Best Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation or Scoring: Adaptation

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture-Comedy or Musical, Best Actress-Comedy or Musical-Ann-Margret (won), New Star of the Year-Actor-Roger Daltrey

2000 Films, Crime Drama, Drama, Top 250 Films

Traffic-2000

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Traffic-2000

Director Steven Soderbergh

Starring Michael Douglas

Top 250 Films #143

Scott’s Review #333

Reviewed January 8, 2016

Grade: A

Simply put, I adore this film. I loved Traffic when it first came out in 2000, and I still love it today.

In an age when overlapping stories with hefty casts were still in their infancy (Crash-2006 and Babel-2006, similar films, wouldn’t be released for several years), Traffic was groundbreaking, compelling, thought-provoking, and a damned good drama!

With drug use still a continuing problem in the United States, the film remains both relevant and important.

Featuring three main, intersecting stories with a central theme of drug trafficking, each is told from various perspectives: users, political figures, law enforcement, and criminal traffickers.

Traffic also wisely shows how the drug problem knows no specific classes- affluent, middle-class, and poor are all represented in the film.

A strong political story is represented, led by conservative Ohio judge Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), who is appointed “drug czar” as the President’s Office of National Drug Policy leader; he vows to end all drug trafficking and serves as the film’s moral center.

However, his prep school daughter, Caroline (played exceptionally well by Erika Christensen), and her equally affluent friends are dabbling in cocaine, heroin, and other drugs, so much so that their lives are slowly spiraling out of control.

The Mexico story follows Mexican police officer Javier Rodriguez (played convincingly by Benicio del Toro). He becomes heavily involved in a web of deceit, money, and drugs.

His partner, Sanchez, makes a deal with the devil, and his fate is thereby sealed. Javier has moral questions and only wants to do right by some local neighborhood boys.

Finally, San Diego is the setting for a story of corruption involving the DEA’s investigation of a drug lord, Carl Ayala.

After his arrest, his wife, Helena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), faces a moral dilemma: either carry on the illegal proceedings or come clean.

She, up until this point unaware of her husband’s business, faces enormous pressure, both financially and through the threat of violence.

My favorite aspect of Traffic is that all of the aforementioned stories are fascinating in their own right- and could make terrific films on their own- but as the film progresses, they begin to intersect.

Keys to the puzzle slowly unlock themselves.

I love how many of the central characters (Helena, Javier, and Wakefield) begin as “good” people only to have their moral intentions challenged, and in some cases, threatened.

Each is conflicted in some way.

The film poses an interesting, crucial question of what can be done about the United States drug trafficking problem. The answer at the end of the film is a disappointing, perhaps even depressing, realization.

Drugs will never stop being a problem, and Traffic explains how drugs show no barriers when it comes to either wealthy or more financially challenged individuals.

How wonderful to see a stellar cast, even in smaller roles (Dennis Quaid and Amy Irving immediately come to mind), with all of the characters having a purpose in a wonderful example of how a mainstream Hollywood film can achieve a true ensemble effort that works.

Great job, Steven Soderbergh!

Oscar Nominations: 4 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Steven Soderbergh (won), Best Supporting Actor-Benicio del Toro (won), Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Film Editing (won)

1983 Films, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Chick Flicks, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Sentimental, Tearjerkers, Top 250 Films

Terms of Endearment-1983

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Terms of Endearment-1983

Director James L. Brooks

Starring Shirley MacLane, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson

Top 250 Films #152

Scott’s Review #368

Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Terms of Endearment (1983) is a sentimental favorite of mine, and while I am slightly embarrassed to include this chick-flick to end all chick-flicks on my favorites list, it is also a damned good sentimental film and makes me a bit weepy each time I see it.

It is pure Hollywood mainstream formula, but somehow Terms of Endearment works (romantic films are not usually at the forefront) and even won the coveted Best Picture Oscar in 1983.

That must say something.

So if it is so sappy, what makes it so great? For starters, it has exceptional acting all around, especially from the leads Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, and Debra Winger.

How can you go wrong with a talent of that caliber?

MacLaine and Winger play Aurora and Emma Greenway, a mother and daughter (the father is deceased) who share a lifelong love-hate relationship and live in the Midwest in the present.

Nicholson plays Garrett, a retired astronaut (and womanizer) and the object of Aurora’s affection.

The chemistry among all three is apparent- I sinfully find it delicious that Winger and MacLaine despised each other throughout filming, adding a layer of curiosity and intrigue to the film, and during their scenes.

Director James L. Brooks wisely balances the heavy drama with comedy, so the film does not become too overwrought.

For example, Garrett and Aurora have a humorous courtship, constantly bickering or misunderstanding each other- he is a womanizing playboy type and Aurora a domineering, insecure woman- they end up needing each other, nonetheless.

Unforgettable is the hilarious drive and the beach scene that the two share. Even though the duo is tenuous and difficult, I love them all the same.

The tear-jerker scenes are emotional, especially the deathbed scene at the end of the film. There is so much raw emotion going on at once, and, a rarity in film, the child actors involved are real, believable, and flawless.

The film feels like watching a true, real-life drama play out. The heartache feels real, and the film as a whole feels very genuine.

Also interesting is Emma’s failing marriage to Flap (Jeff Daniels) and her subsequent affair with kind-hearted Sam (John Lithgow), as well as her departure from her mother’s hometown, the constant phone calls, and being in one another’s lives, just like a real mother and daughter relationship often is.

Terms of Endearment (1983) incorporates all of the elements that make a good, old-fashioned, dramatic tear-jerker, and I find myself a sucker for it each time that I watch it.

Oscar Nominations: 5 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-James L. Brooks (won), Best Actress-Shirley MacLaine (won), Debra Winger, Best Supporting Actor-Jack Nicholson (won), John Lithgow, Best Screenplay Based on Material Based on Another Medium (won), Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing

1985 Films, Drama, Period Drama, Top 250 Films

The Color Purple-1985

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Color Purple-1985

Director Steven Spielberg

Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey

Top 250 Films #153

Scott’s Review #358

Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Steven Spielberg, admittedly a director who focuses more on sentimentality, mixes heartbreak with the courage to blend a recipe that makes for a perfect, mainstream film from 1985.

It is a different direction for him, far from the summer blockbusters he was known for until this time.

Exceptional acting and cinematography lend themselves to The Color Purple, a film based on Alice Walker’s much darker novel—certainly, one of the best films of the 1980s.

A relative unknown when the film was made, Whoopi Goldberg gives an astounding performance in the lead role.

The film spans approximately forty years in the early twentieth century and is set in rural Georgia.

Celie Harris (Goldberg) is an oppressed black woman; her sister and best friend, Nettie, is sent away, leaving Celie a virtual prisoner with a man, Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), whom she is forced to marry and care for in addition to his children.

Raped and beaten, Celie is left with little self-worth until two women, rotund, feisty, Sophia (Oprah Winfrey), and Shug (Margaret Avery) inspire her to be something better.

The Color Purple is a deeply sentimental film filled with inspiration for anyone who has been beaten down or otherwise abused by people or society.

The depiction of southern life for blacks, especially black women, is depicted well, though softened, I have no doubt. Liberties must be taken for the sake of film, as black men, in particular, are not portrayed well- surely there must have been some decent black men in this time?

But, despite Spielberg being a male, The Color Purple is told from a definite female perspective.

Her role of Celie is Goldberg’s finest, and hers is a case of the Academy getting it all wrong; she should have won an Oscar for this performance instead of a consolation win a few years later for her secondary (and unremarkable) role in Ghost.

Goldberg never achieved any roles as great as Celie.

Her expressions and mannerisms spoke volumes, and her occasional wide, beaming smile would melt the coldest heart.

Winfrey, equally brilliant as Sophia (and also robbed at the Oscars time), is a completely different character. Angry, abrasive, and outspoken, she fills Sophia with life and energy, which makes her big scene heartbreaking to watch.

Defying a white man, she is beaten, arrested, and reduced to living out her days as a limping maid to a white woman, whom she swore she would never serve.

The cinematography and direction of The Color Purple are grand.

Spielberg does a believable job of depicting time accurately. The costumes worn by the cast and the lighting, in general, are bright and colorful, and I think this gives the film a pleasant look.

Again, Walker’s novel and the real-life experience were undoubtedly much darker, but for the film’s sake, this adaptation (numerous stage versions preceded and followed) makes for a wonderful film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress-Whoopi Goldberg, Best Supporting Actress-Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Original Score, Best Original Song-“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Costume Design

1981 Films, Camp, Drama, Los Angeles, Top 250 Films

Mommie Dearest-1981

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Mommie Dearest-1981

Director Frank Perry

Starring Faye Dunaway, Steve Forrest

Top 250 Films #154

Scott’s Review #195

Reviewed November 20, 2014

Grade: A

Camp, camp, camp!

By this point in film history, Mommie Dearest and this description go hand in hand, but when made in 1981, it was meant to be a much more serious film than it turned out to be.

Sadly, because of a few very over-the-top lines, it is forever inducted into the halls of cult-classic memory.

Based on the scandalous tell-all book written by Christina Crawford (Joan’s adopted daughter), Mommie Dearest tells the story of Joan Crawford, a Hollywood screen legend, from her heyday in the 1930s until her death in 1977, and mostly focuses on the tumultuous relationship with Christina, played as an adult by Diana Scarwid.

Convinced a baby was missing from her life and unable to conceive after several miscarriages with a former flame, Crawford’s beau at the time, an attorney, wrangles a way for her to adopt both Christina and, later, Christopher Crawford.

Dealing with her mother’s demands and abuse, Christina goes from a happy little girl to a rebellious teen sent to live in a convent and later struggling to find her way as an actress in New York City with no financial support from Mom.

The film also wonderfully describes the career of Crawford- from highs (winning the Academy Award for Mildred Pierce) to lows (being cut from MGM and reduced to screen tests).

The film recounts Joan Crawford’s continuing battles with booze and neuroses.

From start to finish, the film belongs to Dunaway as she becomes Crawford- the eyelashes, the mannerisms, every detail is spot on.

Unfortunately for Dunaway, due to the unintentional comedic view of this film, she was robbed of an Oscar nomination, shamefully so. The film was awarded several Razzies- a derogatory honor given to the year’s worst films.

Dunaway must have put her heart and soul into this performance.

During the infamous wire hanger scene, Dunaway looks frightening as her face, caked with cold cream, reveals a grotesque mask- reminiscent of Batman character The Joker- as she shrieks at her daughter in the middle of the night, during a drunken tirade, after finding beautiful clothes on wire hangers.

She then trashes her daughter’s bathroom, insisting it is already filthy.

One will shriek with gales of laughter as Crawford berates her maid Helga for not scrubbing beneath a potted plant, only to insist, “I’m not mad at you, Helga, I’m mad at the dirt”.

In another haunting scene, Joan throws a birthday party for Christina, complete with a merry-go-round, balloons, presents, and the paparazzi.

Joan’s attire is a little girl’s dress, matching young Christina’s- a morbid foreshadowing of the competition that is to exist between them as the years go by.

The secondary characters are merely an extension of Dunaway’s character and do their best to support her- her harried live-in assistant, Carol Ann, played by Rutanya Alda, both of her love interests, lawyer, Greg Savitt, played by Steve Forrest, and later, Pepsi-Cola mogul Alfred Steele, played by Harry Goz.

The actors do their best with the material given and are neither exceptional nor flawed. None of these supporting characters has any backstory beyond reacting to Crawford’s drama and, if written better, could have given the film a bit more depth.

The look of the film is pleasing- Crawford’s house is beautifully decorated with lavish furniture, and the colors throughout the film are both bright and vivid.

The now-legendary lines of “No wire hangers ever!”, “Christina! Bring me the ax!”, and “Don’t fuck with me fellas, this ain’t my first time at the rodeo” are hysterical in their melodrama and effect.

Crawford is portrayed as an obsessive-compulsive, demanding, control freak. One may debate the authenticity of Christina’s claims against Joan Crawford until the end of time.

Not the masterpiece it was intended to be, Mommie Dearest (1981) can be enjoyed viewing after viewing for some campy silliness, with one hell of a great performance by Dunaway mixed in.

1950 Films, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Drama, Theater, Top 250 Films

All About Eve-1950

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

All About Eve-1950

Director Joe Mankiewicz

Starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter

Top 250 Films #155

Scott’s Review #73

Reviewed June 27, 2014

Grade: A

All About Eve is a cynical masterpiece from 1950 set in the competitive world of the New York theater.

Insecure Margo Channing, played to perfection by Bette Davis, is an aging actress whose career is declining. She meets naïve Eve Harrington, played by Anne Baxter, who insinuates herself into Margo’s life and career.

One interesting aspect of this film is the opening scene of Eve’s acceptance speech. The look of anger and disdain on the front table indicates what is to come.

The film backtracks from the first time the two women meet, and the story begins.

It is undoubtedly a dark film, and jealousy and back-stabbing are common themes throughout, as had never been done before, set in the world of theater.

One by one, Margo’s friends catch on to Eve’s plot, but at what cost?

This is Bette Davis’s comeback performance as a talented Broadway star, and she makes the most of the opportunity as she deliciously delivers her famous revenge-minded line, “Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Marilyn Monroe has a cameo as a debutante in her first film.

The film deservedly won the 1950 Best Picture Oscar.

Oscar Nominations: 7 wins-Best Motion Picture (won), Best Director-Joseph L. Mankiewicz (won), Best Actress-Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, Best Supporting Actor-George Sanders (won), Best Supporting Actress-Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter, Best Screenplay (won), Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Sound Recording (won), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (won), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (won), Best Film Editing

Golden Globe Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Motion Picture-Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama-Bette Davis, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture-George Sanders, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture-Thelma Ritter, Best Screenplay-Motion Picture (won)

1953 Films, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Black & White, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Romantic Drama, Top 250 Films, War, World War II

From Here to Eternity-1953

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From Here to Eternity-1953

Director Fred Zinnemann

Starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr

Top 250 Films #156

Scott’s Review #875

Reviewed March 7, 2019

Grade: A

Based on a popular 1952 novel of the same name by James Jones, From Here to Eternity (1953) tells a powerful story of romance and drama set against the gorgeous backdrop of Hawaii.

The film is poignant and sentimental for its build-up to the World War II Pearl Harbor attacks, further enhancing the storytelling.

With great acting and a compelling story, the film is a bombastic Hollywood creation that has endured and remains timeless.

A trio of United States Army personnel is stationed on the sunny island of Oahu. The primary principals are First Sergeant Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster), Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift), and Private Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra). Their lives in the Schofield Army Barracks are chronicled.

Their respective love interests, Alma Lorene (Donna Reed) and Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr), join them, and the triumphs and sorrows of each are explored dramatically before the devastating incident.

The film’s perspective is centered on the male characters, which risks it being classified as a “guy’s movie.”

Enough melodrama and romance offset the testosterone and masculinity, and as the characters weave in and out of each other’s lives, a broader canvas emerges.

This point is to the film’s credit, as each character is rich with development, sympathy, or sometimes pure anger.

Many films have been told, and continue to be told, about the terrors and after-effects of World War II, but From Here to Eternity remains at the top of the heap.

While not going full throttle with excessive violence or grit, the film tells of the trials and tribulations of people affected by, and soon to be affected by, the war.

The characters co-exist peacefully in their little slice of the world. Though there is the occasional bullying or insubordination among the ranks, the romance soon takes center stage, followed by the dire attacks.

The smoldering beach scene featuring Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr on the ravaging shores of Halona Cove is as iconic as any cinematic moment.

Rumors of the star’s torrid love affair and the need to run off to make love after shooting the scene could be myths, but they have never been disproven.

The camera crew reportedly shot the scene quickly, leaving the duo to their desires. Regardless, the scene may cause the iciest of hearts to turn into a torrent of heart-pounding flutters.

The film suddenly turns dark, as if realizing it is about a devastating war.

A central character dies, and another character hunts for revenge. Despite these deaths not being at the hands of an enemy or a battle, they are powerful and dim.

Finally, the attack on Pearl Harbor is upon us, just as the audience will no doubt sense it coming. The film ends sadly with a simple dialogue between the two main female characters.

Thanks to the fine direction of novice director Fred Zinnemann, From Here to Eternity (1953) elicits a wide range of emotions and subject matter.

At its core, it is a cynical film, but it is also rich in courage, integrity, and love of one’s country, without succumbing to phony patriotism.

With a dash of romance and sexuality, the film is utterly memorable and deserving of the hefty Academy Awards it achieved.

Oscar Nominations: 8 wins– Best Motion Picture (won), Best Director-Fred Zinnemann (won), Best Actor-Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Best Actress-Deborah Kerr, Best Supporting Actor-Frank Sinatra (won), Best Supporting Actress-Donna Reed (won), Best Screenplay (won), Best Musical Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Sound Recording (won), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (won), Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Film Editing (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: 2 wins-Best Director-Motion Picture-Fred Zinnemann (won), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture-Frank Sinatra (won)

2006 Films, Drama, Musical, Musical Drama, Top 250 Films

Dreamgirls-2006

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Dreamgirls-2006

Director Bill Condon

Starring Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson

Top 250 Films #159

Scott’s Film Review #792

Reviewed July 20, 2018

Grade: A

Dreamgirls (2006) is a glossy, show-business-style drama with plenty of glitz and glamour.

Adapted from the Broadway production of the same name, the story is loosely based on the trials and tribulations of The Supremes, a popular all-girl group from the 1960s.

Despite the film being heavily focused on the drama and tension between the characters, it boasts a wonderful soundtrack and fantastic acting- most notably newcomer Jennifer Hudson, who garnered a surprising Best Supporting Actress Oscar win for her role.

The film tells the story of the evolution of American R&B music during the 1960s and the 1970s- the action mainly taking place in Detroit, Michigan, where the genre began.

Taking center stage is the incarnation of a girl group called The Dreams, who are controlled by their manipulative record label executive, a conniver and creep, Curtis Taylor (Jamie Foxx), who guides the girls to stardom but beds both the beautiful Deena (Beyoncé) and the talented yet overweight Effie White (Jennifer Hudson).

This leads to conflict, as Curtis decides that the less talented Deena is more marketable and thus should be the band’s central figure.

With a stellar cast in tow, Dreamgirls contains a plethora of talent and a good history lesson to boot. The main draw in the acting department is the revelation of the talented Jennifer Hudson.

Winner of the talent show American Idol, she was met with much pooh-poohing for her film direction, apparently assuming she was a flash in the pan and a “reality television” star.

The challenging role of Effie is perfectly suited for Hudson- brazen, pipes for days, and plenty of attitude.

Her acting aside, Hudson scorches through an unforgettable rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, which is assuredly what won her the Oscar.

Otherwise, the supporting cast is worthwhile and impressive, with Beyoncé in a pivotal role. Surely, the singer/actress faced her share of detractors, as did Hudson, but their chemistry is amazing, and she nails all her songs.

Eddie Murphy is a gem in the role modeled after James Brown, James “Thunder” Early. The role is perfect for Murphy- a far cry from his standard comedic roles that have grown stale over the years.

This role rejuvenates the actor’s credibility.

Dreamgirls does, at times, falter a bit in its drama, with almost soap-opera-like ituations. A triangle forms among Effie, Curtis, and Deena, leading to tension, bad blood, cattiness, and melodrama.

If the film were a standard drama, it would undoubtedly suffer from a tired script or generic writing.

But the musical numbers are so riveting that these flaws can be completely overlooked. The glitz, glamour, and sparkles that erupt during “Dreamgirls” and “One Night Only” are wonderful fun, and the songs are memorable, leaving audiences humming along as they dance in the aisles.

The story has been told many times before. A dream of rising to musical stardom and the many trials and tribulations that accompany these hopes and desires.

Comparisons can be made to Chicago (2002), Valley of the Dolls (1967), or even Gypsy (1962), but the mostly black cast and the 1960s Motown theme are interesting, particularly as the Civil Rights movement was underway.

The film does not invest much time in politics, sticking mainly to drama and music, which may be a wise move to avoid too much of a message.

As the film concludes in 1975, Effie is reaffirmed as a meaningful member of The Dreams after her career has tanked and she has wound up on welfare.

A paternity twist is also thrown in for good measure, but the film has a clear “happily ever after” vibe that softens it and keeps it more on the PG-13 side rather than leaning into darker themes.

Dreamgirls (2006) is a musical that is especially memorable to me because it made Jennifer Hudson a household name and confirmed the talent and glory she is rightfully due.

In subsequent years, the star lost weight, softened her image a bit, and became generic. But then, we have a gorgeous performance to always appreciate her for.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Supporting Actor-Eddie Murphy, Best Supporting Actress-Jennifer Hudson (won), Best Original Song-“Listen”, “Love You I Do”, “Patience”, Best Sound Mixing (won), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design

1997 Films, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Chick Flicks, Disaster, Drama, Epic, Historical Drama, Romantic Drama, Top 250 Films

Titanic-1997

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Titanic-1997

Director James Cameron

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet

Top 250 Films #160

Scott’s Review #327

Reviewed January 6, 2016

Grade: A

1997’s Titanic is a sweeping, gorgeous epic, directed by James Cameron, that is perfection at every level.

This film has it all: romance, disaster, gorgeous art direction, and flawless attention to detail.

The film will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with the characters, even though you know the inevitable outcome.

The film is based on the real-life sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, when the ship collided with an iceberg.

I have witnessed this film being derided for being a “chick flick” or too “sappy”, but I vehemently disagree and feel it is a classic for the ages.

Titanic successfully re-invented the Hollywood epic.

Jack Dawkins (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a penniless artist who meets high-class socialite Rose DeWitt (Kate Winslet) aboard the luxurious Titanic, on its maiden voyage from the coast of England to the United States.

Rose is engaged to cagey Cal Hockley (Billy Zane).

Depressed, Rose contemplates diving overboard to her death, but Jack saves her and convinces her otherwise. They spend time together, and he draws her portrait. As their romance blossoms, Cal catches on and plots revenge.

In the mix is Rose’s snobbish mother, Ruth, played by Frances Fisher.

The main theme of the film is social class and the divide between the haves and the have-nots.

James Cameron demanded perfection from this film, and he sure got it. Every detail of Titanic is flawless and historically accurate, from the dining room silverware to the costumes to the set pieces barely visible in the background.

Cameron even had a replica of the original Titanic built for filming purposes- with limitations, but what a vast undertaking this must have been.

That, along with the smoldering romance between Jack and Rose, is what makes Titanic one of my favorite films.

Two fantastic scenes are when Jack is taken under the wing of Molly Brown, played by Kathy Bates. Molly is not the snob that many other upper-class people are, and she lends Jack a tuxedo so he will look dapper for Rose. She also tenderly teaches him the appropriate way to use silverware.

Tragically, the other scene is more melancholy- a gorgeous classical piece plays in the background as the vast ship is engulfed in water and slowly sinks, causing many deaths.

At well over three hours long, the film’s conclusion is quite sprawling, and one feels as if one is aboard the ship. By this time, I was invested in the characters, both lead and supporting, and the tragedy that ensues is both a marvel and heart-wrenching.

Titanic (1997) is a film that must be viewed on the big screen for full effect, and is a timeless masterpiece that has aged perfectly.

Oscar Nominations: 10 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-James Cameron (won), Best Actress-Kate Winslet, Best Supporting Actress-Gloria Stuart, Best Original Dramatic Score (won), Best Original Song-“My Heart Will Go On”, Best Sound Effects Editing (won), Best Sound (won), Best Art Direction (won), Best Cinematography (won), Best Makeup, Best Costume Design (won), Best Film Editing (won), Best Visual Effects (won)

1988 Films, Chick Flicks, Comedy, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Sentimental, Tearjerkers, Top 250 Films

Beaches-1988

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Beaches-1988

Director Garry Marshall

Starring Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey

Top 250 Films #162

Scott’s Review #352

Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Beaches (1988) is a film that can easily be described as sentimental, sappy, and a chick flick- all in a derogatory fashion- but that, regardless, is a treasure to me.

I fall for this tearjerker every single time that I watch it.

It is not necessarily a great film, not high art, nor particularly edgy, but a good, old-fashioned, conventional film about friendship.

Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey give the film believability, whereas other similar films would appear contrived.

C.C. Bloom (Midler) and Hillary Whitney (Hershey) are lifelong friends from opposite backgrounds. Besides, they could not have more opposite personalities. C.C. is blue-collar, outrageous, and brash; Hillary is demure, rich, and sophisticated.

We meet our friends as young girls on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, C.C., hiding from her overbearing stage Mom, and Hillary is lost and wandering the boardwalk.

The two become fast friends despite their vastly different upbringings and stay connected through life’s ups and downs for over thirty years.

The chemistry between Midler and Hershey is great. I completely buy them as best friends through the years, despite having little in common.

Throughout their tender, emotional scenes and the knock-down-drag-out fight at the mall (a fantastic scene!), there is never a doubt about what they have.

They compete over a man, which ordinarily is a lame plot device, but in Beaches, it works because the two stars make it work.

Each actress puts her mark on the individual role. Midler’s C.C. is arrogant, feisty, and interesting as she begins as a “have-not” and becomes a “have”.

She becomes spoiled and pampered- all of the things she envies about Hillary. She does not handle wealth as well as Hillary because she lacks education. Hillary, an attorney, is classy and graceful.

These characteristics make it believable that the women would be at odds.

The last act is a weepy one as one of the women dies, leaving the other to pick up the pieces and move on- alone. This is a sad moment in the film, but the women’s devotion and loyalty are admirable.

Beaches (1988) may not be high art, but boy, will it get you reaching for the tissues.

Oscar Nominations: Best Art Direction

2016 Films, Best Feature- Independent Spirit Award Winners, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Top 250 Films

Moonlight-2016

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Moonlight-2016

Director Barry Jenkins

Starring Trevante Rhodes, Andre Holland

Top 250 Films #167

Scott’s Review #512

Reviewed November 6, 2016

Grade: A

Moonlight (2016) is an excellent film rich in character and grit. It tells the story of one man’s life, from childhood to teenage years to adulthood, sharing the bonds he forms and the demons he wrestles with.

The acting is fantastic, and the story is poignant and truthful.

The film is not preachy but instead tells a story, leaving the audience to sit and observe, quietly formulating their opinions.

Moonlight is a mixture of beauty and heartbreak and is told very well.

The film is divided into three chronological chapters that describe the central character’s life.

Chiron is a shy, docile young boy of six or seven living in the drug-filled world of Miami, Florida, in the 1980s. He is bullied for being “different,” though he does not know why he is shunned. Chiron is introverted and distrustful.

A kind-hearted drug dealer named Juan (Mahersala Ali) takes a shine to Chiron, whose own mother becomes more and more absent and emotionally abusive to her son.

Naomie Harris plays Paula, mother to Chiron and herself a drug addict. Juan and his girlfriend Theresa (Janelle Monae) become surrogate parents to Chiron and share their home with him as needed.

Chapter two focuses on Chiron as a teenager, still bullied and coming to terms with his sexuality and feelings of insecurity. By this time, his mother has spiraled out of control, and his life is a sad one.

He is filled with emotions such as rage, despair, and confusion. An experience with his best friend, Kevin, changes the direction of his life. Kevin is his saving grace and a decent person amidst his troubled life.

In chapter three, we are re-introduced to Chiron as an adult, having wholly reinvented himself and become a changed man, but is he changed for better or worse? People from his past resurface at this time, and Chiron must face various demons and emotions and come to terms with himself and the others surrounding him.

Does his story have a sad or a happy ending? This is the question we are left wondering.

The aspect that impressed me the most is the storytelling and the ground broken with this film.

From an LGBTQ+ perspective, by this time (2016), we have experienced numerous offerings on the subject. Still, the fact that Moonlight is not only a character study but a love story between two black men has not yet been done to this degree in cinema, or arguably at all, especially in mainstream fare.

Happily, Moonlight is receiving critical praise. The fact that Chiron lives in a macho, male-driven society makes his self-acceptance all the more challenging for him.

The direction in Moonlight is impressive, and director Barry Jenkins deserves much praise.

Quiet scenes of Chiron as a boy asking Juan and Theresa why the bullies call him a specific name are heartbreaking. Another scene muted and in slow motion, reveals an abusive Paula calling Chiron a degrading name, leaving him confused and hurt.

The tender scenes between Chiron and Kevin are sweet and passionate and are told on a humanistic level.

Moonlight delves into such territory as loneliness and self-identity. It is an interesting film for anyone who has struggled with these issues or is empathetic to those who have.

Moonlight (2016) breaks stereotypes and molds a subtle and low-key film that speaks volumes.

Oscar Nominations: 3 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-Barry Jenkins, Best Supporting Actor-Mahershala Ali (won), Best Supporting Actress-Naomie Harris, Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 6 wins-Best Feature (won), Best Director-Barry Jenkins (won), Best Screenplay (won), Best Cinematography (won), Best Editing (won), Robert Altman Award (won)

2002 Films, Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Psychological Drama, Top 250 Films

The Hours-2002

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Hours-2002

Director Stephen Daldry

Starring Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep

Top 250 Films #169

Scott’s Review #803

Reviewed August 17, 2018

Grade: A

The Hours (2002) is a film containing the ultimate in acting riches. With names like Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and Julianne Moore associated with the film, this is not surprising.

Not solely belonging to the ladies, however, Ed Harris, in particular, is dynamic in his role, as are all the other males who appear in the film.

Told in three different sections in chronological order, but going back and forth, the stories all share connections via the novel Mrs. Dalloway, written by Virginia Woolf.

One of the best films of the decade!

Each segment of the film takes place within a single day, but decades apart.

Wisely, director Stephen Daldry frequently switches between the stories, leaving a sort of cliffhanger and making the drama more compelling and spicy.

In 1923, a depressed Virginia Woolf is portrayed by an unrecognizable Nicole Kidman in a role that won her the Best Actress Oscar.

Woolf resides outside of London and struggles to complete her novel amid nervous breakdowns and the watchful eye of her husband, who is aware of her mental pain.

In 1951, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) seemingly has it all, living the “American Dream”. Residing in a nice neighborhood with a loving husband, she is pregnant with her second child and spends her days at home raising her young son, Richie, whom she is very close to yet does not understand.

After a fleeting lesbian dalliance with a neighbor, Laura goes off to a hotel with bottles of pills, intending to kill herself. She changes her mind after reading Woolf’s novel and dozing off, deciding instead to make a different decision.

Finally, in 2001, Clarissa (Meryl Streep) is bisexual and in a same-sex relationship. She lives with Richard (Harris), whom she dated in college, and is now the best of friends.

He is gay, stricken with the AIDS virus, and close to committing suicide as he plans to jump out of a window.

This story (set in the present) is crucial to the film because it involves two characters from the 1951 story. These characters intersect with others in a touching and heart-wrenching way.

The greatest parts of The Hours are the brilliant acting and the richly written storytelling.

Arguably, Kidman, Streep, and Moore could all have won Oscars for their performances.

I must mention that, as brilliant as Kidman is (she is the sole Oscar recipient) and as universally good as Streep is, I would have given the Oscar to Moore, the standout in my opinion.

Glamorous and intelligent, warm to her son, she makes a monumental and controversial decision. The character should not be sympathetic- yet she is.

This is a testament to Moore’s infusion of the character with confidence, reasonable thought, and even some empathy. We finally understand why she does what she does.

May I boast for a moment about Harris’s performance? Richard, once known as Richie as a kid (this will give something away), has lived a difficult life.

Abandoned, wounded, and suffering much loss, he is a tragic figure, pained beyond belief. His suffering is so monumental that we almost welcome his demise, and Harris offers so much of himself in this difficult role.

He is both physically and emotionally hurt, and Harris portrays this in spades.

Uniquely, all three stories work independently of each other. Yes, characters from one appear in another, but they are like well-crafted vignettes.

Similarly, they each begin with breakfast, then involve the planning of a party or celebration of some sort, and culminate in sadness.

Yet the film does not feel like a downer or preachy in any way; rather, it is good, solid, humanistic storytelling, which I adore.

Sure, the film is considered a drama, but it also contains multiple gay or bisexual characters and therefore must be included in the chambers of LGBT filmmaking.

With an A-list cast, the film helps lead the charge (successfully so) to bring more rich LGBT films to the center stage and garner mainstream audiences.

The great aspect of The Hours is that it is a mainstream film- a good, solid drama.

Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michael Cunningham, The Hours (2002) does not try to draw parallels between the stories or necessarily connect them in an obvious fashion.

Rather, the film version provokes thought both with LGBT and feminist approaches. Each female central character lives in a world run by men, as Woolf argues in her novel.

The film brilliantly adapts the novel and brings it to large audiences in a fantastic, riveting fashion.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Stephen Daldry, Best Actress-Nicole Kidman (won), Best Supporting Actor-Ed Harris, Best Supporting Actress-Julianne Moore, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing

1993 Films, Courtroom, Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Top 250 Films

Philadelphia-1993

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Philadelphia-1993

Director Jonathan Demme

Starring Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington

Top 250 Films #171

Scott’s Review #782

Reviewed July 3, 2018

Grade: A

Having the powerful distinction of being one of the first Hollywood LGBT films to deal with heavy issues such as HIV/AIDS and homophobia, Philadelphia (1993) is a film to champion.

The film does contain some less-than-positive stereotypes across the board, but it was a tremendous box office success and, more importantly, introduced a large audience to a still (at that time) taboo subject.

Hopefully, this had a tremendous effect on creating an understanding of a vicious disease and its ramifications.

Tom Hanks deservedly won the Best Actor Oscar for his lead performance as an AIDS and discrimination victim, as did the heartbreaking theme song “Streets of Philadelphia”, penned by Bruce Springsteen, win for Best Original Song.

Director Jonathan Demme creates a world that is quite realistic in portrayal at the corporate level. Hotshot attorney Andrew Beckett (Hanks) has a promising future at one of the country’s largest law firms in Philadelphia.

Assigned a high-profile case, it is noticed that Andrew has developed lesions across his body and is subsequently fired from the firm.

After deciding to sue the firm and having no luck finding an attorney to represent him, he finally meets struggling black attorney Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), who begrudgingly takes the case to gain exposure.

Philadelphia is a film that is a courtroom drama with a cause, firmly ensconced in the “message movie” genre. A lesser version, and perhaps one made even a decade or so after 1993, might be reduced to the Hallmark television movie category.

Fortunately, the timing is perfect, and Philadelphia can be remembered as a film championing LGBT rights.

Hanks’s performance is just dynamic- his character is meant to be empathetic, a victimized man unjustly suffering not only discrimination but a death sentence.

The audience knows what is to come, and as Andrew loses more weight and appears more sullen and haggard, the tale grows sadder.

The final act of Andrew’s court victory is to be celebrated, but it is also heartbreaking as a feeble and dying Andrew now lies close to death.

Hanks brilliantly infuses Andrew with courage, heart, and values, so much so that he becomes a hero to the audience even if their sexuality is different than his.

As much as the undying love for Hanks is deserved, the powerful supporting cast is a treasure. Washington is not as sympathetic a character as Andrew is, but he learns a lesson and eventually sets his machismo aside.

The heart-wrenching death scene culminating in the hospital room involves lover Miguel (Antonio Banderas), surrounded by Andrew’s family, all-embracing as one. There is beauty mixed with tragedy in this one scene alone.

Even Mary Steenburgen, as the tough defense lawyer, shows some heart. And who can say more about the dynamic Joanne Woodward as Andrew’s mother?

Unfortunately, there are a few stereotypes to endure, and sadly, many early LGBT films (and some still do!) include these for emphasis- or perhaps ignorance? Nonetheless, these make the film seem slightly dated, given the progress LGBT people have made in the decades since it was released.

Joe Miller is portrayed as a macho guy afraid to be viewed as gay- he even jokes around about being a “man” with his wife. Joe also grimaces when he shakes hands with Andrew and suddenly realizes Andrew has AIDS.

Nearly all of Andrew and Miguel’s gay friends are effeminate- this hardly seems possible.

Such is a monumental achievement when a film breaks barriers by telling a story of critical importance. Philadelphia (1993) does just that by patiently asking its audience for tolerance, understanding, and heart.

In return, the film educates, floods with emotion, and breaks hearts. Other LGBT films would come along that were arguably even better, but Philadelphia is a groundbreaking experience sure to be remembered as the first of its kind.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Actor-Tom Hanks (won), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song-“Streets of Philadelphia” (won), “Philadelphia”, Best Makeup

2016 Films, Comedy, Drama, Musical, Musical Comedy, Musical Drama, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama, Top 250 Films

La La Land-2016

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

La La Land-2016

Director Damien Chazelle

Starring Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling

Top 250 Films #173

Scott’s Review #538

Reviewed December 6, 2016

Grade: A

La La Land (2016) breathes new life into the classic musical genre of the 1950s and offers a fresh glimpse into Hollywood.

The film explores the glitz and glamour, triumphs and heartbreaks, and dreams both broken and fulfilled in a town laden with broken hearts.

The bright, colorful film stars two of today’s top young, talented actors: Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. The chemistry between the leads and the dynamic musical numbers is incredible.

It’s a masterful nod to old Hollywood.

Mia (Stone) is an aspiring young actress struggling to survive the Hollywood scene. She serves lattes in a coffee shop on a studio lot and auditions endlessly for film and television parts without much luck.

Her passion is acting, but she also writes a one-woman play she plans to star in.

On the other hand, Sebastian (Gosling) is a dedicated jazz musician, struggling to make ends meet by playing demoralizing gigs that ruin the essence of jazz, meeting many people who tell him that jazz is a dying genre.

Sebastian’s dream is to open his nightclub one day.

Through circumstances, Mia and Sebastian meet and continue to run into each other, forging a wonderful friendship that eventually leads to romance.

The film is a gorgeous experience with bright sets, creative sequences, and numerous song and dance numbers to keep you humming. Mia and Sebastian even tap-dance one beautiful night following a Hollywood party under the moonlight with the Los Angeles skyline in view as they bond.

It is one of the best scenes in the film.

La La Land is seasonal and begins in the winter, though this is strictly an attempt to separate the chapters. Los Angeles is always warm, but the timing is Christmas, which is engaging in a warm climate.

In the first scene, we are immediately treated to a musical number. Stuck in stifling freeway traffic, the car drivers get out in unison, sing and dance, and then return to their cars to continue their mundane day.

Director Damien Chazelle cleverly balances the cheerful tone with the everyday redundant tasks and the struggles of artists hoping for a dream.

La La Land excels during the scenes of Sebastian and Mia as the chemistry is palpable. Gosling and Stone have something.

Supporting players like J.K. Simmons and Rosemarie Dewitt add pizzazz to their small but meaningful parts.

I adore the odes to classic Hollywood films that director Chazelle incorporates into his movie.

Classics such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946) and the legendary film Casablanca (1940) are mentioned twice.

During a sweet moment, Sebastian takes Mia to see Rebel Without a Cause (1956) at an old-style theater; he is shocked that she has never seen the film and eagerly excited to introduce her to it.

This continues as he shares his love for jazz music with her.

Later, the theater closes, and the film takes a more dour tone as the struggles of both characters overwhelm them.

The film’s finale is terrific.

Suddenly, five years later, many events have happened. In a brilliant sequence, the characters’ lives are explained through a song as we see the period play out until we reach the point of the film where the song began, a treasure of an ode to the truth of the characters.

The sequence is emotional, heartbreaking, and choreographed without missing a beat,

Gosling and Stone sing all their songs, not live as in Les Miserables (2012), but wisely on a sound stage. They are neither novices nor Grammy winners, but they are honest, truthful, and with heart.

It is refreshing to see classic Hollywood told in such a riveting fashion, as seen through the young’s eyes.

Films and styles of decades past are renewed through this excellent piece of cinema.

I noted similarities to An American in Paris (1951) and countless other gems from years ago and stood proudly, knowing that a nostalgic piece of cinema is precisely what we need.

Oscar Nominations: 6 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Damien Chazelle (won), Best Actor-Ryan Gosling, Best Actress-Emma Stone (won), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score (won), Best Original Song-“City of Stars” (won), “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design (won), Best Cinematography (won), Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing

2003 Films, Biography, Crime Drama, Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Serial Killers, Top 250 Films

Monster-2003

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Monster-2003

Director Patty Jenkins

Starring Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci

Top 250 Films #174

Scott’s Review #347

Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Monster (2003) may feature one of the best acting performances of all time-Charlize Theron simply embodies the role of the notorious female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, in a simply astounding triumph.

The mannerisms, the anger, and the charisma that Theron portrays are nothing short of brilliance.

This brazen acting is simply the best aspect of Monster and the main reason to witness the film.

Besides, the film itself is great.

The film immediately focuses on Theron- we meet the down-on-her-luck prostitute sitting in tatters underneath an overpass.

Suicidal and with five dollars to her name, she goes to a dive bar for one last beer. Having blown five dollars, she reasons that the money will go to waste if she does not spend it.

Her older confidante is Thomas, a grizzled man assumed to be an occasional client of hers, played by Bruce Dern. She goes to a gay bar and meets Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a lesbian.

Aileen insists she is not gay but winds up spending the night with her in Selby’s family home. The two form a connection and bond immediately, spending more time together and becoming immersed in each other’s lives.

When Aileen is brutally raped and beaten by a client, she begins down a dark and murderous path, killing men she meets after she steals their money.

Selby eventually catches on to this and is conflicted over whether to turn her friend in or serve as an accomplice to her crimes as the police close in on the pair.

Enough cannot be said of Theron’s performance. She becomes Wournos- from her walk to her infamous manic mannerisms, and her hair flip.

Theron, a gorgeous woman, gained weight, used false teeth, and became simply unrecognizable in the role of a brutal, angry, and trashy-looking woman.

Ricci also deserves praise, but plays her role as a bit clueless or dimwitted, counterbalancing Theron’s manic, in-your-face role.

It works well. Both characters long for love and companionship and are misfits.

In a sweet scene, the pair go roller skating together, hand in hand, to the famous rock song, “Don’t Stop Believin”.

This is a great scene.

One can argue that the director, Patty Jenkins, softens the way that Wournos is written. Known as a hardened, mean woman, Jenkins writes her as much more sympathetic.

This can also be attributed to the fact that Theron emits some vulnerability to the character- the woman never knew love until she met and bonded with Selby.

Needless to say, Monster (2003) is a dynamic, energetic film, thanks in large part to the powerful performance of Charlize Theron- a role that awarded her the Best Actress Academy Award.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Actress-Charlize Theron (won)

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 2 wins-Best First Feature (won), Best Female Lead-Charlize Theron (won), Best First Screenplay

1989 Films, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, New York City, Top 250 Films

Last Exit to Brooklyn-1989

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Last Exit to Brooklyn-1989

Director Uli Edel

Starring Stephen Lang, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Top 250 Films #176

Scott’s Review #152

Reviewed August 13, 2014

Grade: A-

Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989) is a slice-of-life film set in lower-class Brooklyn, NY, in the early 1950s.

It tells the story of a group of struggling neighborhood people- sex workers, union members, drag queens, etc., whose lives intersect. Also in the neighborhood is a military base where soldiers come and go on their way to war-torn Korea.

The central characters, though there are several with small yet interesting stories, are Harry, played by Stephen Lang, a sexually conflicted union worker with a wife and newborn child.

He is in love with a selfish drag queen, and Marilyn Monroe lookalike, Tralala, played superbly by Jennifer Jason Leigh, a prostitute whose best days are behind her, and who will do anything for attention.

The sets and cinematography in the film are very well done- the feeling of despair and hopelessness is accomplished by the dowdy streets, homes, and bars that the cast frequents.

Some of the characters are sympathetic- the aforementioned plus Tralala’s love interest, the Diner boy madly in love with Tralala, and the virginal seeming (but not really) Donna, portrayed by a young Rikki Lake.

Other characters are abhorrent in their violence and hatred.

Last Exit to Brooklyn is quite a dark film and sometimes tough to watch, but it captures a dreary time and atmosphere. The Brooklyn set is excellent in its dreariness.

Jennifer Jason Leigh is the standout as the tough-talking, boozy prostitute who is losing her luster, and the final scene of the film is truly a heartbreaker.

The topics of union, strike, bisexuality, gangs, and drag queens are covered, and unique characters and conflict/loneliness are presented.

This film is an overlooked gem from 1989.

1999 Films, Biography, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Top 10 Most Disturbing Films, Top 250 Films

Boys Don’t Cry-1999

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Boys Don’t Cry-1999

Director Kimberly Peirce

Starring Hilary Swank

Top 250 Films #177

Top 10 Most Disturbing Films #10

Scott’s Review #340

Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Boys Don’t Cry (1999) is a fitting tribute to real-life figure Brandon Teena, a transgender man from Nebraska, who adopts a male identity and attempts to find love with Lana, played by Chloe Sevigny.

Hilary Swank plays Brandon.

Sadly, Brandon was brutally raped and murdered at the hands of some local men- a fact that the film does not gloss over.

Boys Don’t Cry is a heartbreaking and tragic film that will disturb some with its shocking and violent content- sadly, it is a true story.

Swank deservedly walked away with the Best Actress Oscar statuette.

Set in working-class Nebraska and in the heartland, Brandon has the cards stacked against him from the start. Not exactly the most open-minded of areas, the film also sets a working-class environment for Brandon, as most of his friends are poor factory or bar workers.

Born as Teena Brandon, a female, Brandon (Swank) is a drifter and in trouble with the law for various unpaid tickets.

He befriends ex-convicts John and Tom and becomes part of their crowd, falling in love with Lana- they are all unaware of Brandon being a female.

When Brandon’s secret is revealed, Lana is accepting, and the pair decide to run away together, but Tom and John decide to murder Brandon.

Swank’s portrayal of Brandon is brilliant and believable, and very few actresses could successfully pull this off. Swank has angular, androgynous features to begin with, but her drastic physical transformation is jaw-dropping.

With close-cropped hair and a male swagger, Swank immerses herself in the role so thoroughly that, as I watched the film, I completely forgot that Brandon was not physically male.

Her physical transformation is not the sole reason for the fantastic performance, though- Swank is emotionally there in the role, and in a heartbreaking scene, after being beaten and raped, is treated poorly by a sheriff handling the accusations- just when Brandon could use an understanding ear.

What a cold world it can be for someone different from most others, as Boys Don’t Cry reveals in a brutal, honest fashion.

Anyone who knows the true story of Brandon Teena knows he led a painful, tragic life, but was also filled with life and love- mainly for Lana.

Worth mentioning is Sevigny’s performance as Lana, in love with the person that was Brandon, not so much the gender. Sevigny portrays Lana as supportive, confused, and loving.

Director Kimberly Peirce became obsessed with the real-life case and does a fantastic job of tackling it in a true, compelling way.

To say nothing of the writing and the acting, Peirce also successfully uses a hand-held camera during Brandon’s strip scene and a surreal, muted light to portray the gloomy Midwest and the cold, hard lives that most of the characters lived.

Impressively, Peirce accomplished all of this on a shoestring budget and took a wealth of inspiration from independent film legend John Cassavetes, who proved that gorgeous films can be made for very little money.

Many scenes take place in bars as Lana, a devoted karaoke singer, croons one tune after another, the highlight being Restless Heart’s 1988 country hit, “The Bluest Eyes In Texas”, which Lana sings in Brandon’s presence.

The use of somber songs gives the film a tragic soundtrack.

Famed film critic Roger Ebert described Boys Don’t Cry as “Romeo and Juliet set in a Nebraska trailer park.”

Boys Don’t Cry (1999) is an enormous victory in film for the LGBT community and, along with Brokeback Mountain (2006), is a perfect double-feature, as both are similar films, only one featuring males, the other featuring females.

Both are tragic, bleak, and all too real.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Actress-Hilary Swank (won), Best Supporting Actress-Chloe Sevigny

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 2 wins-Best First Feature (Over $500,000), Best Female Lead-Hilary Swank (won), Best Supporting Female-Chloe Sevigny (won), Best First Screenplay, Producers Award

1972 Films, Art, Drama, Erotic, Top 10 Most Disturbing Films, Top 250 Films

Last Tango in Paris-1972

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Last Tango in Paris-1972

Director Bernardo Bertolucci

Starring Marlon Brando

Top 250 Films #178

Top 10 Most Disturbing Films #8

Scott’s Review #202

Reviewed December 5, 2014

Grade: A-

Last Tango in Paris is a very dark 1972 erotic art film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci (The Conformist, 1970), starring Marlon Brando as a disturbed, angry American man named Paul, whose wife has committed suicide.

He is left to survive on his own in Paris, lost and without her, where he runs a decrepit apartment complex.

Lonely and bitter, he meets a much younger Parisian woman (Maria Schneider), equally disturbed for different reasons, and they forge a relationship that is sometimes brutal and degrading but also contains mutual affection and need.

They are addicted to each other.

This film may very well be my favorite performance by Marlon Brando. He plays a hateful, unpleasant character, yet something about him is appealing, and the viewer sympathizes with his grief.

That is to Brando’s credit, of course. A lesser actor would not be as effective.

He is damaged, treats everyone like shit, but there is also a vulnerability to him that is mesmerizing to watch. Brando was such a great method actor that he morphed into the characters he played. Paul is certainly having the most raw and emotional performance of his career.

Actress Maria Schneider is also tremendous in the film. Equally disturbed, her character Jeanne experienced a vastly different upbringing- that of wealth and pampering.

She has a fiancé who loves her dearly, yet she is drawn to the power and abuse of Paul- the fact that he is an older man is sexy to her.

I kept thinking, “What is wrong with this woman?” She seems to have everything, yet she yearns for excitement. Is Paul a fling for her? Does she care about him, or is she using him? Is he using her? Could they be using each other?

The film raises many psychological questions. Jeanne is clearly in emotional turmoil. Both Jeanne and Paul are.

Last Tango in Paris is a difficult film to watch- several scenes are unpleasant, even brutal, but it is a character study of two damaged individuals.

When Paul anally penetrates Jeanne on the floor of his apartment, forcing her to recite gibberish, it is almost too much to bear. Paul wants to know nothing about Jeanne.

He does not want to know her name, her past, nothing- complete anonymity. He lives for the present, and their sex is animalistic, filled with lust and need.

But these examples are a testament to the power of Last Tango in Paris. It is not boring.

The finale leaves you wondering what will happen to Jeanne. Will she commit suicide? Will she return to her fiancé and life of luxury, or will she end her affair with Paul? Was the affair only a fling for her, or does she love Paul?

The film is a dark, tragic romance. It is brutal, raw, and honest, and is not to be missed.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director-Bernardo Bertolucci, Best Actor- Marlon Brando

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Picture- Drama, Best Director-Bernardo Bertolucci

1993 Films, Best Picture Oscar Winners, Biography, Drama, Epic, Historical Drama, Holocaust, Top 250 Films, War

Schindler’s List-1993

August 1, 2025 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Schindler’s List-1993

Director Steven Spielberg

Starring Liam Neeson

Top 250 Films #179

Scott’s Review #775

Reviewed June 19, 2018

Grade: A

Schindler’s List (1993) is a film that is arguably Steven Spielberg’s finest directorial work and Liam Neeson’s finest acting performance.

The film is as disturbing as it is awe-inspiring, as many emotions will undoubtedly envelop any viewer, most of them dark and dire.

Spielberg’s most personal story centers on the devastating Holocaust of World War II, which will grip and tear audiences to pieces.

The work deservedly secured the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, as well as numerous other accolades.

Oskar Schindler (Neeson) is a powerful German businessman who arrives in Krakow, Poland, during the atrocities of World War II, presumably to make his fortune.

Handsome and respected, he is charismatic and feared by the German army, who have forced most of the Polish Jews into the overcrowded ghettos where they await their fates.

Schindler himself is a Nazi, but becomes more humanistic than most and ultimately against the Holocaust killings. He establishes a factory and hires a Jewish accountant (Ben Kingsley) to assist.

As he is tremendously affected by the inhumanity he sees throughout the city, he makes arrangements to hire and thus save the lives of over a thousand Polish refugees.

He does so by allowing them to work safely and productively in his factory. The story is reportedly true and was a rare instance of humanity in a cold and ugly chapter in world history.

To be clear, Schindler does not start as a hero and is admittedly rather an unlikely one. The man is a businessman, greedy, and undoubtedly flawed. He plans to use the Jews because they are cheap labor and can be used to his advantage.

Because of the very long running time of the film (over three hours), Spielberg slowly depicts Schindler’s complex character growth and eventual determination to save these poor people from the Auschwitz gas chambers.

Spielberg shoots Schindler’s List entirely in black and white with tremendous results. The camera work adds such ambiance and style to the 1990s film that, throughout, I felt as if I were watching a documentary from the 1940s.

The film is epic and choreographed with precision and timeliness- some of the best camera work in cinema history as far as successfully creating the perfect solemn and dreary mood.

Supporting turns by Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes are notable. In vastly different types of roles, both shine.

As the understandably nervous Jewish accountant for Schindler’s factory, Itzhak Stern is best known for creating the famous “list”. This contains the names of those who would be transferred to the factory and thus have their lives spared.

Kingsley, a brilliant actor, fills the character with empathy and heart.

Conversely, Fiennes plays a dastardly character as Amon Göth, a commander at the concentration camp. Evil and known for taking glee from killings, he is the man instrumental in deciding to exterminate all of the people in the ghetto.

A pivotal character, Göth, is important because he is the man who makes Schindler realize how sickening and inhumane the treatment is.

Fiennes carves the character with such hate that he is believable in the role.

One of the most beautiful scenes is aptly named “the girl in red” and is highly symbolic and worthy of analysis. Oskar watches as prisoners are escorted, presumably to their executions. He notices a three-year-old girl walking by herself- she is clad in a bright red coat.

The coat is Spielberg’s only use of color throughout the entire film.

The scene is incredibly important as the girl stands out, proving that all the Nazi commanders are accepting of her death. In tragic form, Oskar later sees her dead body draped in her red coat.

The scene is sad and powerfully distressing.

Schindler’s List (1993) is an outstanding film that elicits raw emotion in anyone who watches it.

By no means an easy watch and most assuredly “a heavy”, the film depicts the true struggles and catastrophic events occurring not all too long ago.

A film for the ages that all must see to appreciate the terror and inhumanity that occurs throughout the world.

Oscar Nominations: 7 wins-Best Picture (won), Best Director-Steven Spielberg (won), Best Actor-Liam Neeson, Best Supporting Actor-Ralph Fiennes, Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Original Score (won), Best Sound, Best Art Direction (won), Best Makeup, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography (won), Best Film Editing (won)

Welcome to my blog!1,550 reviews posted so far! I'm Scott Segrell and I reside in Stamford, CT. My site features hundreds of film reviews I have written since I launched the site in 2014. I hope you enjoy reading my latest reviews or searching for your own favorites to see if we agree. Please see my Recent Posts section, and don't forget to utilize the tags and category links.