Happy Feet (2006)
Directed by: George Miller
Written by: George Miller, John Collee, Judy Morris and Warren Coleman
Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia, Magda Szubanski and Steve Irwin
Music by: John Powell
Rated: U
All emperor penguins in Antarctica are expected to win their mates over with a “love song”. Mumble (Elijah Wood), the chick of the best singing penguins in Emperor Land, Memphis (Hugh Jackman) and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman), however, has a horrible singing voice, but can instead tap-dance his way to happiness. After being thrown out of his colony when the bigoted Elder, Noah (Hugo Weaving), blames him for the fish disappearing, Mumble and his Adele penguin companions, led by the suave Ramón (Robin Williams), must journey across the snowy wastelands to find the reason of the lack of food..
Notable throughout the animation community as one of the few animated films in 2006 that was actually better than average throughout that terrible year for animation, Happy Feet may not have aged well in terms of predictably and originality, but the outstanding animation and huge musical set-pieces make this penguin tale worth re-releasing in IMAX 3D (even if Over the Hedge and Flushed Away also deserved the nomination.)
While the jukebox musical format can get really annoying, especially with some really awkward innuendos (that infamous gif of Mumble and Gloria’s “positions” on the ice says it all), the realism in the animation is absolutely stunning on the big screen. However, Miller could have made each penguin look a bit different as nearly every emperor penguin apart from Mumble and the bigoted Noah, looks too identical, especially the love-interest, Gloria (Brittany Murphy) and Mumble’s mother, Norma Jean, looking like two identical twins.
Overall, there is not much else to say about George Miller’s first foray into animation. Happy Feet may feel like a overblown extended music video at times, but it’s clear that his iconic style of directing and cinematography did manage to make this film stand out in such a weak year, despite it’s predictability and the questionable voice-acting.
Rating: 3.5/5
Labyrinth (1986)
Directed by: Jim Henson
Written by: Terry Jones
Starring: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Brian Henson, Ron Mueck, David Shaughnessy, Michael Hordern, Denise Bryer, Timothy Bateson and Toby Froud
Music by: Trevor Jones
Rated: PG
Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly) is a teenage girl who loves fantasy stories, but hates looking after her new baby stepbrother, Toby (Toby Froud). After she wishes that Toby would be taken away by the main antagonist of her favourite book The Labyrinth, Jareth the Goblin King (David Bowie), the seductive ruler ends up granting her wish. Instantly regretting what she said, Sarah is given only thirteen hours to escape from Jareth’s labyrinth along with a grumpy dwarf named Hoggle (Brian Henson), a massive hairy creature named Ludo (Ron Mueck), and a small fox-like knight named Sir Didymus (David Shaughnessy) before the Goblin King can turn Toby into a goblin…
Despite having a slightly clumsy narrative, and some out of place sequences such as the infamous Chilly Down and ballroom scenes , the final film directed by Muppets creator, Jim Henson, mostly works thanks to his amazing creature and production design of the world of Jareth’s Labyrinth, from a cave full of interactive hands to the incredible final sequence that takes inspiration from Salvador Dali paintings.
The characters of Hoggle, Ludo, the talking snail, the Banjo-Kazooie-like messenger, the pit of Hands and the rest are extremely well designed thanks to the efforts of Jim’s puppeteering skills and Trevor Jone’s score manages to give the Labyrinth a good sense of dread and wackiness.
Overall, as well as featuring a wild performance from the late great David Bowie and an incredible skill at world-building from the trio of Henson, George Lucas and even Monty Python’s Terry Jones, Labyrinth is a fitting send-off for one of the greatest entertainers in the world and an incredible celebration of the talents of the late David Bowie.
Rating: 4.5/5
Blue Velvet (1986)
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Hope Lange, George Dickerson and Dean Stockwell
Music by: Angelo Badalamenti
Rated: 18
While caring for his recently injured father in his suburban hometown of Lumberton, North Carolina, college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) discovers a severed human ear in a field. After learning from the police that the ear may have something to do with a lounge singer named Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), Jeffrey, along with his girlfriend, Sandy Williams (Laura Dern), discover that the singer has connections to a dark criminal underworld, led by the psychotic gangster and drug lord, Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). However, things get even more complicated when Dorothy starts falling for Jeffrey…
Despite his recent passing, David Lynch’s legacy as one of the best modern auteur British directors, will never be forgotten. Although he had made a large impact early on his career with Eraserhead and The Elephant Man, Lynch’s ill-fated 1984 adaptation of Dune, had been a complete disaster both at the box office and critically. Thankfully, his fourth film, Blue Velvet, despite being very divisive when originally released, put him back onto the map and set the stage for his skill at mystery stories when Twin Peaks came along.
While the mystery presented in Blue Velvet, on paper, is quite easy to understand, this film thrives on Lynch’s skill at thematically dark imagery, underlying themes about the darkness of small town secrets and complex characterisation of its inhabitants, to tell this interesting film noir tale.
While much has already been said about Isabella Rossellini and the late Dennis Hopper’s iconic performances in documentaries, books and essays about this film’s impact on popular culture and Lynch’s filmography, Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern in one of her first movies, also manage to give their young protagonists, a lot of depth and character development, especially with the former’s Oedipus-like arc with Rossellini’s character.
Overall, Blue Velvet is a fantastic and unique piece of cinema that, along with Twin Peaks, shows why David Lynch was such a unique voice of cinema history, even during a time period where New Hollywood cinema, was going out of fashion.
Rating: 4.5/5
Wild at Heart (1990)
Directed by: David Lynch
Written by: David Lynch
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Diane Ladd, Isabella Rossellini and Harry Dean Stanton
Music by: Angelo Badalamenti
Rated: 18
A year after being jailed for manslaughter, Elvis Presley fan Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage), is reunited with his beloved girlfriend, Lula Fortune (Laura Dern). Setting off on a roadtrip to California, despite the fact that it will break Sailor’s parole, they both set out on a wild adventure of sex, fights and strange characters, while Lula’s deranged mother, Marietta (Diane Ladd), sets out to bring Sailor down, without thinking of nasty consequences…
Along with his ill-fated adaptation of Dune, Wild at Heart, also based on pre-existing material, is often regarded as one of the late David Lynch’s weakest films. However, while Dune has remained quite divisive, especially with the newer film adaptations getting more attention, Wild at Heart has gotten more popular over the years, even if the story is a lot wackier, even by Lynch standards.
Even if the shocking violent incidents in this film are remarkably tame by today’s standards, a few issues with Wild at Heart do remain, such as not having as much surprises or interesting characters than in some of Lynch’s other projects. However, both Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern have fantastic chemistry and their wild twisted Wizard of Oz-style arcs, do get some of the film’s best moments, especially with a much more satisfying ending than what the original book provided. While some of them lack enough screen-time to make them memorable, Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Harry Dean Stanton and especially the Oscar nominated Diane Ladd (who, ironically, is Laura Dern’s mother in real life), all get fantastic supporting roles.
Overall, while not as trippy or as unconventional as his other works, Wild at Heart is another memorable ride as only David Lynch can provide!
Rating: 3.5/5
A Knight’s Tale (2001)
Directed by: Brian Helgeland
Written by: Brian Helgeland
Starring: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon, Laura Fraser, James Purefoy and Alan Tudyk
Music by: Carter Burwell
Rated: 12A
Set in fourteenth century Europe, three peasant squires named William Thatcher (Heath Ledger), Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk), are forced to act quickly, and dress the former in a knights’s costume to participate in a jousting match, after their master, Sir Ector (Nick Brimble), is killed during the sport. After winning, William decides to become a professional knight and jouster under the name of “Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein”. With the help of Roland and Wat, as well as a disgraced poet named Chaucer (Paul Bettany), a female blacksmith named Kate (Laura Fraser), and even an undercover prince (James Purefoy), William sets out to be the best jouster in history, while avoiding the attention of his jealous rival, Count Adhemar of Anjou (Rufus Sewell)…
The fact that Shrek was released one week after this film, may have buried this take on a medieval tale that also uses modern pop songs in its soundtrack into obscurity until a decade ago. However, A Knight’s Tale, rather than be a parody of English mythology about knights, is a clever take on what a sports movie would be like, if the setting was changed to medieval Europe, and the sport was jousting, leading to some very funny and entertaining moments, that blend both these aspects together.
However, despite having a predictable plot, A Knight’s Tale is not without its charms, which mostly consist of supporting actors like Paul Bettany and Alan Tudyk stealing the show, with the former playing a fictional version of Geoffrey Chaucer (the author of the story that this film loosely adapts from his Canterbury Tales), getting the biggest laughs.
The impressive production design of Medieval Europe and the jousting looks fantastic, despite the fact that this film was shot entirely in the Czech Republic, and Carter Burwell’s pop soundtrack, although distracting at times due to the amount of Queen songs used when compared to the other featured artists like David Bowie , is fun to listen to.
Overall, it’s a shame that Heath Ledger was taken away from the world so soon, because A Knight’s Tale, along with 10 Things I Hate About You, was a great showcase in his skills in comedy, and is overall, a feel-good ride on whatever horse you ride on!
Rating: 3.5/5
The Revenant (2015)
Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Written by: Mark L. Smith and Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter
Music by: Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto
Rated: 15
During the Arikara War of 1823, fur trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), along with his half-Pawnee son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), lead a group of fellow fur trappers to safety after they are attacked by an Arikara tribe. However, after Hugh is unexpectedly mauled by a bear, one of the group, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), betrays him by murdering Hawk after he objects to mercy killing his father. Hugh then sets out to cross the wilderness of Dakotas, to seek vengeance on Fitzgerald…
Regarded in popular culture as the film that finally gave Leonardo DiCaprio his long-awaited Academy Award for Best Actor, The Revenant, a story based on the trek of fur trapper Hugh Glass after 1954’s Lord Grizzly noveland 1971’s Man in the Wilderness film, is a very well done example of how mainstream culture could make a slow paced autobiographical Western, one of the biggest original box office successes of the 2010s decade.
Despite its tendency to loose focus on its main revenge story, The Revenant is one of director Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s best films, alongside Birdman. While Leonardo gives his all as a traumatised soldier surviving numerous situations, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter, all give great performances as well, with Hardy’s full commitment to making his character as despicable as ever, setting up his future career for these types of roles, very successfully.
Overall, despite being as slow paced as a horse pulling a train at times, The Revenant’s great cinematography of the American wilderness, fantastic characters and in showing off the brutality of nature, does make it a must watch for anyone interested in this period of American history, or for DiCaprio fans in general.
Rating: 4.5/5
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Written by: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, Jacek Koman and Caroline O’Connor
Music by: Craig Armstrong
Rated: 15
In 1899 Paris, a young British playwright named Christian (Ewan McGregor) manages to complete a script for a group of eccentric performers, the Bohemians, and is assigned to present it to Satine (Nicole Kidman), the most popular actress working in Harold Zidler’s (Jim Broadbent) Moulin Rouge theatre. While Satine is currently being forced to sleep with the selfish Duke of Monroth (Richard Roxburgh) in order to support the theatre, she decides to help Christian and the Bohemians green-light Spectacular Spectacular, an epic Bollywood musical and soon, both Christian and Satine start falling in love…
Quite possibly the most insane film musical ever made, Baz Luhrmann’s magnum opus, Moulin Rouge, takes elements from Greek tragedy, vaudeville, Bollywood, Broadway and MTV music videos, in order to make it a film that one definitely has to be in the right mindset, in order to fully enjoy.
While not the first jukebox musical to exist, nor the first one to be adapted to film, Moulin Rouge! takes Baz Luhrmann’s auteur showmanship and pushes it to its highest level, even if it does result in the first act to be very rushed. Both Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman do have a sweet romantic arc, Jim Broadbent is lovable as always and while the tolerance of numerous clichés will be pushed to the absolute limit, the utter confidence of everyone involved will make these problems slip away.
Overall, Moulin Rouge! is a fantastic conclusion to Baz Luhrmann’s Red Curtain trilogy and while it may be too annoying for some people, the show must always go on!
Rating: 4.5/5
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Written by: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke and Elizabeth Debicki
Music by: Craig Armstrong
Rated: 12
Set during the Roaring Twenties, a young writer named Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) moves to New York City, to live more closely with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and her grumpy husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton). When he ends up befriending his mysterious neighbour, a handsome billionaire named Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), Nick ends up falling in love with his lifestyle. But things start going downhill when Gatsby reveals that he once dated Daisy and asks Nick to help him get back together with her, with tragic consequences…
Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby had already been adapted into an opera and three previous film adaptations in 1926, 1949 and 1974, Baz Luhrmann’s love of the theatrical and artistic flair, would make him the perfect choice in depicting the colours and life of 1920s New York. However, this adaptation does completely miss the point of the source material, which was to critically point out the flaws of living with wealth.
The acting is fantastic, with Leonardo DiCaprio stealing every scene he is in as the charming, sneaky and tragically obsessed Gatsby, Carey Mulligan making an interesting Daisy and the likes of Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke and Isla Fisher, all giving memorable performances. Although Tobey Maguire’s take on Nick is way too similar to his Spider-Man performance, he does manage to get some emotional moments as well.
Overall, Baz Luhrmann’s take on The Great Gatsby lacks the subtlety and complexity of the novel. However, the fantastic acting, terrific production design and incredible costumes make this adaptation one of the best in visual terms!
Rating: 3/5
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Directed by: John Hughes
Written by: John Hughes
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones, Cindy Pickett, Edie McClurg, Lyman Ward and Charlie Sheen
Music by: Ira Newman
Rated: 12A
One sunny day in Chicago, is enough for the most popular student in school, Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), to plan the best day off ever. After successfully faking an illness, Ferris, along with his hypochondriac best friend Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck) and girlfriend Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara), head out to the big city to enjoy the day, much to the annoyance of Ferris’s sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey) and the Dean of Students, Ed R. Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), who plans to catch him in the act..
Regarded as one of the best films ever made by the late John Hughes along with The Breakfast Club and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off may have different meanings depending on the perspective of certain characters or viewpoints, but while some of them, including the darker ones about Ferris’s personality, may be valid, it also does its job at being a moving reminder of how important good days of fun can be in life.
While still being utterly hilarious (especially with added context regarding Jeffrey Jones’s character’s constant pratfalls, being either even funnier or funnier in a twisted way regarding the actor’s fall from grace), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off also manages to be both a loving tribute to Hughes’s love of Chicago and very emotional at times, especially with Cameron and Jeanie’s character arcs.
Overall, while some of Matthew Broderick’s acting can get a bit flat, almost everything about Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is absolutely perfect, in. comedy, soundtrack, and having a sheer sense of fun, much like the titular day!
Rating: 5/5
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Written by: Craig Pearce and Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlewaite, Paul Sorvino, Paul Rudd, Miriam Margolyes, Harold Perrineau and Diane Venora
Music by: Nellee Hooper, Marius de Vries and Craig Armstrong
Rated: 12A
Set in modern day Verona Beach, the Montagues and the Capulets are two warring mafia empires and are constantly terrifying the residents with their violent fights. When Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes), the only children of the heads of the families, Ted (Brian Dennehy) and Fulgencio (Paul Sorvino), fall in love, Father Laurence (Pete Postlethwaite) hopes that their love will unite the families. However, a tragic event caused by Juliet’s cousin Tybalt (John Leguizamo), soon puts those plans in jeopardy…
Although there have been even weirder adaptations of William Shakespeare’s romance tragedy, Romeo and Juliet with seals, garden gnomes and lions, this 1996 modern take on the tale really takes the biscuit here.
Fresh off his success with Strictly Ballroom, Baz Luhrmann’s infamous directing style of fast editing, extreme close-ups and completely crazy tones, might have been a complete disaster for the most famous tragic romance story of all time. However, despite numerous unintentionally funny moments, Romeo + Juliet does manage to keep the message of the play intact and Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are acceptable versions of these characters, even if more could have been done with other characters, aside from the late Pete Postlethwaite.
Overall, Romeo + Juliet does have a very divisive presentation that not everyone will get, especially with the decision to keep the original dialogue of the play, despite the modern setting and replacing swords with guns, while the characters keep calling them swords or daggers . However, the acting, the score, the wacky presentation and great performances from the leads and Pete, does make this one of the most interesting Shakespeare adaptations out there.
Rating: 3.5/5
Elvis (2022)
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Written by: Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner
Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Luke Bracey
Music by: Elliott Wheeler
Rated: 12
Lying on his deathbed in 1997, disgraced music producer Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) thinks about the life of his greatest success, Elvis Presley (Austin Butler). Spanning from their first meeting in 1955 during his early career, the creation of his songs, his army deployment, the death of his mother, his marriage to Priscilla Bealieu (Olivia DeJonge), to his American tours during the final decade of his life, a once close relationship between Elvis and Tom soon starts to fall apart, when the latter’s dark secrets are exposed…
As one of the trends of the modern film industry right now is turning the lives of famous singers such as Freddie Mercury, Elton John and even the Cornwall-based Fisherman’s Friends into the hit films; Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman and Fisherman’s Friends, it was only a matter of time before the King of Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis Presley, would get his time to shine in a biopic.
Although Elvis has been the subject of hundreds of films such as Viva Las Vegas, Jailhouse Rock and Blue Hawaii, and his music has been featured in thousands of more examples such as Lilo & Stitch and even the 2014 Godzilla film, this film is a biopic covering his entire life,rather than certain random events such as John Carpenter’s 1979 television film or the likes of Elvis and Nixon.
Choosing to tell his life from the perspective of one of the most controversial figures in the King’s career, Colonel Tom Parker, is an interesting direction for Romeo + Juliet and The Great Gatsby’s director, Baz Luhrmann. Both Tom Hanks and Austin Butler have excellent chemistry together, with the former going from warm and grandfatherly, to the abusive bully with perfection, and the latter doing a fantastic job in portraying the King’s movements and singing voice.
As expected from a Baz Luhrmann film, Elvis looks incredibly colourful and cinematic in terms of production and costume design and Austin Butler’s performances, despite being rushed at times, are all great versions of classic Elvis songs!
Overall, Elvis is a fantastic and lively celebration of the man’s career, for visual style and ambition alone!
Rating: 4.5/5
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Written by: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner
Starring: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, June Chadwick, Tony Hendra and Bruno Kirby
Music by: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner
Rated: 15
Director Marty Di Bergi (Rob Reiner), has started filming a documentary about the English rock band, Spinal Tap. Consisting of vocal and guitarists David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), keyboardist Viv Savage (David Kaufman) and drummer Mick Shrimpton (R.J. Parnell), the band find themselves recounting their “colourful history” to Marty, showing off their guitars and dealing with constant bad ideas from David’s girlfriend, Jeanine Pettibone (June Chadwick), as their latest tour and album covers start to decline in popularity…
With both his last and his first film serving as the story of his fictional band, Spinal Tap, the late great Rob Reiner’s debut, This is Spinal Tap, may not have been the first mockumentary film, but it was the first one to gain so much mainstream attention, that many people mistook the misadventures of the titular band, for a real one.
With so much hilarity in how this film pokes fun at nearly every aspect of both the rock’n’roll and the music industry as it was by the time of 1984, This is Spinal Tap greatest strength lies in how committed stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and future Simpsons voice actor, Harry Shearer, are in making these band members capable of capturing the essence of a band that takes itself way too seriously, without making them unlikable, a trap that most films about musicians tend to fall into.
Overall, This is Spinal Tap, as well as being credited for kickstarting a new subgenre into mainstream culture, was a perfect beginning to the career of one of the most beloved directors in history.
Rating: 5/5
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Directed by: Bryan Singer and Dexter Fletcher
Written by: Anthony McCarten
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aiden Gillen, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander and Mike Myers
Music by: N/A (All Queen songs)
Rated: 12
On the day of the 1985 Live Aid concert in Wembley Stadium, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), the lead singer of the extraordinary British rock band, Queen, starts thinking about his past. Covering how he formed the iconic band with guitarists Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello), and drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) in 1970, his complicated relationships with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) and Paul Prenter (Allen Leech) and the difficulties of writing the songs that changed the music industry throughout the 70s and 80s, Freddie struggles to find the perfect balance between all of these elements that define him, even when a fateful diagnosis changes everything…
It’s ironic that this long-delayed biopic about one of the most unconventional icons of musical pop culture, was hampered by so many problems, such as Sacha Baron Cohen being forced out of the role of Freddie Mercury due to creative differences with the real Brian May and Roger Taylor, over how their late bandmate was going to be portrayed on film and director Bryan Singer being fired two weeks before filming ended, for bad behaviour on the set, replaced by the director of RocketMan, Dexter Fletcher, that Bohemian Rhapsody ended up as a mostly generic rags-to-riches story, that misses the point of Freddy himself.
Although the musical sequences of everyone’s favourite Queen songs are impressively staged, and Rami Malek absolutely nails the eccentricity and energy of the late singer, most of the other band members are portrayed as the straight men without diving into any of their own lives. This is a shame as Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello, do try their hardest at giving live to these musicians.
Overall, if one is looking for an in depth look into the whole story of Queen’s fame and impact on the music industry, there are many documentaries out there, that have covered this subject in more detail. However, Bohemian Rhapsody’s mostly entertaining celebration of the life of Freddie Mercury should satisfy both Queen fans and anyone looking for the novelty of singing along to the likes of Under Pressure, Killer Queen and of course Bohemian Rhapsody, on the big screen, and credit should also be given at how this film’s massive box office success led to music biopics being one of the most profitable sub-genres of the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Rating: 3/5
A Star is Born (2018)
Directed by: Bradley Cooper
Written by: Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper and Will Fetters
Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle and Sam Elliott
Music by: Aaron Raitiere
Rated: 15
Despite playing to sold-out crowds around the world, veteran musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), has a serious drinking problem that puts him at odds with his older half-brother, Bobby (Sam Elliott). All of this changes however, when Jackson meets a waitress named Abby (Lady Gaga), who has dreams of becoming a singer and Jackson vows to make her a star. But as Abby’s fame grows and grows over time, Jackson’s career starts going downhill at a much faster pace…
Although it is true that the large amounts of remakes and reboots being made these days have had most audiences wanting more original stories, there is some content out there that, in which no matter how many times it’s retold and re-adapted into films, shows, books or video-games, the narrative structure has remained the same in plots, is because have a timeless feeling in their storytelling. Examples of this include the many film adaptations of classic literature such as A Christmas Carol, the works of William Shakespeare and in this case; A Star is Born.
The directorial debut of Guardians of the Galaxy star Bradley Cooper faithfully follows the same structure of this tragic rise and fall story of the first three films, without much surprises and new sub-plots. However, writers Eric Roth, Will Fetters and Bradley Cooper himself, manage to make this story feel fresh again, by focusing on the best elements of the 1937 original’s character development, the 1954 musical with the singing, and the previous “modern” reworking in 1976, by using the music industry rather than the Hollywood lifestyle as its setting.
Following in the footsteps of Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand was never going to be an easy task, but Lady Gaga does manage to capture both the spunkiness and the vulnerability that the “Esther Blodgett”-like character Abby is supposed to be, with her surprisingly down-to-earth performance being the main highlight of this film.
As with every other adaptation, the best aspects have always come from the tragic love story between both the rising and the falling star. Even if Bradley Cooper, at that point in time, had been known mostly for his comedic acting in films like The Hangover, much like James Mason and Kris Kristoffersson before him, he has wonderful chemistry between himself and his leading lady, while also managing to convey the tragic drunken side of the character.
Taking inspiration from both the 1954 film’s use of staging and lighting, and the 1976 film’s use of contemporary songs in the soundtrack, the new musical numbers add in the additional element of the impressive showmanship of Lady Gaga’s own music videos, that makes them stand out from the other versions in terms of sheer scope.
Overall, despite not adding much new elements to a story that’s been around for more than eighty years and a few unfunny jokes revolving around Anthony Ramos’s character, the 2018 A Star Is Born succeeds in execution alone, thanks to Lady Gaga’s electrifying acting skills and the outstanding music.
Rating: 3.5/5
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Directed by: F. Gary Grey
Written by: Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff
Starring: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, LaKeith Stanfield, Marlon Yates Jr., R. Marcos Taylor and Paul Giamatti
Music by: Joseph Trapanese
Rated: 15
During the late 1980s, three young black men from Compton, California, O’Shea“Ice Cube” Jackson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), Andre “Dr. Dre” Young (Corey Hawkins) and Eric “Eazy-E” Wright (Jason Mitchell), bond over their shared love of rap and hip hop, and frustrations with the constant abuse they receive from the police. As they form the group, N.W.A. with numerous other members and sign record deals to get their music out to the world, Ice, Dre and Eazy-E soon change the music industry forever with their skills at introducing gangsta rap to mainstream audiences, even during numerous break-ups, conflicts, world changing events and deaths from 1987 to 1995…
While the flawed, yet visually spectacular 2018 Freddy Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, is often credited as the film that started this new wave of music biopics that have dominated the late 2010s and early 2020s, F. Gary Grey’s Straight Outta Compton, beats that film three years ahead at 2015, and manages to be a far more interesting watch.
Even though, like Rhapsody, a lot of N.W.A’s less sympathetic traits are not present here (mostly due to the influence of the real Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as producers on this), this film doesn’t shy way from showing the band’s struggles at showing popular culture, the truths about how their backgrounds in Compton, shaped their songs. While the casting of Ice Cube’s actual son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., to play his own father does seem like stunt casting, he, along with Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell’s takes on Dre and Eazy-E, do offer fantastic performances, with the latter’s character arc getting the most emotional moments, when it gets to that moment in time, that broke the hearts of hip hop fans.
Overall, with sleek energy, powerfully emotional moments dand a strong story about why this band was both controversial and inspiring for numerous artists and forces, Straight Outta Compton is a music biopic that uses its premise to its full potential in how it tells the story of N.W.A and their lives.
Rating: 4.5/5
Stand By Me (1986)
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Written by: Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans
Starring: Will Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Bruce Kirby, John Cusack, Richard Dreyfuss and Kiefer Sutherland
Music by: Jack Nitzsche
Rated: 15
After hearing about a murder in the newspaper, author Gordon “Gordie” Lachance (Wil Wheaton and Richard Dreyfuss as an adult), recalls back to his childhood years in late 1950s Castle Rock, Oregon. During those days, Gordie and his best friends, Chris Chambers (River Phoenix) and Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman), are told by their other friend, Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell), about the body of a dead boy being discovered near a train track. As the boys set out to find the corpse, believing that the discovery will make them local heroes, they learn more and more about each other’s difficult lives, changing their outlook on the world….
Although he is mostly regarded for his horror and thriller stories, there are three major examples of Stephen King’s stories, that showed he is an author that can transcend any genre and have led to three of them, being adapted into some of the best film adaptations ever made.
Before two of those examples, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile won the hearts of critics and audiences, the first of these adaptations and also one of Rob Reiner’s greatest films, Stand By Me, turned one of King’s shortest stories, The Body, into a deeply emotional film about the loss of childhood innocence and the bond of friendship in a difficult world.
The plot of trying to find the dead body is very basic to understand, even with some of the additional subplots, such as the bully’s antics and Gordie’s fictional story being there to extend the original story’s running time to feature length. While more could have been done to give more visual backstory to Vern and Teddy, (even if the latter does get some emotional moments due to his father’s backstory), Stand By Me uses its short running time, to its full advantage
With some of the best acting from children in decades, Wil Wheaton, the late River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell, are absolutely fantastic as these four carefree, yet deeply emotional characters, with Wheaton and Phoenix in particular, being so good in displaying emotions, that it is shocking that, both actors were not nominated for some kind of acting awards for their work.
Overall, Stand By Me is both a fantastic turning point for both Stephen King adaptations and for being one of the biggest highlights of the late Rob Reiner’s career, with fantastic acting, a deeply emotional story and one of the best soundtracks in the entire decade.
Rating: 5/5
Purple Rain (1984)
Directed by: Albert Magnoli
Written by: Albert Magnoli and William Blinn
Starring: Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos and Clarence Williams III
Music by: Prince and Michel Colombier
Rated: 15
Using his passion for music to escape his abusive home life, The Kid (Prince), a talented musician and frontman of The Revolution band, spends his time performing in the First Avenue nightclub. While going up against his rival, Morris Day (Himself) and the other bands of the nightclub, The Kid ends up falling in love with a singer from Minneapolis named Apollonia Kotero (Herself). However, his past soon catches up with him…
Although loads of Elvis Presley and Beatles films, and to a lesser extent, Saturday Night Fever, could be seen as just shameless examples of exploiting their respective singer’s music for the big screen, at least films like A Hard Day’s Night and Yellow Submarine, were trippy enough with fantastic performances, so that they are fondly remembered in their own right.
The late Prince’s feature film debut, Purple Rain, while it did lead to one of the most popular soundtracks ever made, is a bit too restrained to make it as memorable as those films, with the plot being very boring and poorly paced despite being nearly two hours long. Having nearly every character apart from Prince’s fictional “The Kid” and his parents play fictional versions of themselves, also feels like Prince’s massive ego (that he apparently had at the time, and was the whole reason this film was made), going out of check.
Overall, with barely a plot, having a very unpleasant tone for a film meant to be a celebration of his music, and a snails pace in spite of the fantastic cinematography and musical numbers, Purple Rain hasn’t aged as well, despite being one of the most famous moments of Prince’s musical career. Fans and people interested in this legendary singer’s work on the music industry, would get the most of of this.
Rating: 2.5/5
Akira (1988)
Directed by: Katsuhiro Otomo
Written by: Katsuhiro Otomo and Izo Hashimoto
Starring: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Taro Ishida, Tesshō Genda, Mizuho Suzuki, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Fukue Itō and Kazuhiro Shindō
Music by: Tsutomu Ōhashi
Rated: 15
In the far future of 2019, three decades after the unexplained destruction of Tokyo resulted in World War III, the city has been rebuilt into Neo-Tokyo, and is completely overrun with gang violence, conflicts and motorcycle racers. Two of these racers, Shotaro Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) and his best friend, Tetsuo Shima (Nozomu Sasaki), find themselves caught up in the conflicts when the latter is captured by the government, and the former ends up joining forces with a young resistance fighter named Kei (Mami Koyama). However, the government soon discovers that Tetsuo has hidden psychic abilities, ones that were similar to the powers of Akira, a gifted child that caused the destruction of Tokyo in the first place…
Anime has come such a long way since the days of Osamu Tezuka in the 1960s. While anime is now, as of 2026, has been more popular and easily accessible than ever before, thanks to the huge popularity of shows like Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Spy x Family and the massive resurgence of One Piece in mainstream culture, it wasn’t always like that pin the last century. While the likes of Astro Boy was a rare exception to achieve worldwide popularity and live-action Japanese franchises like Godzilla found its appeal, a lot of anime shows and films were hard to distribute to mainstream audiences, or, were horribly dubbed to appeal more to Western audiences (see the first dub of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, for example). At least it was, until Akira came along.
Based on Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1980s manga of the same name, Otomo himself, along with numerous Japanese companies, combined their production resources to bring this fantastic world to life in this landmark film. Along with Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell, Akira paved the way for the cyberpunk subgenre, with the neo-noir world and environment of Neo-Tokyo, looking stunningly different from anything that had come before, especially with the worldbuilding around the elderly looking psychic children, and the titular god-like character.
Inspiring nearly every piece of action and sci-fi cinema from the 1990s to today, such as The Matrix, Kill Bill, Inception, The Dark Knight, The Star Wars prequel trilogy, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse just to name a few, Akira’s animation, action sequences including the infamous bike swerve and destruction sequences in the climax and scope, are so large and well staged, even by 1988 standards, that it is impossible to believe that barely any CGI was used.
While Otomo himself would regret adapting his manga before he finished it in 1990, the story is still very interesting and powerfully written, especially with the themes of uncontrolled power and trauma amoung young adults, especially in the main character arc between Kaneda and Tetsuo, and how their differing paths lead to them eventually becoming enemies, as the latter is overwhelmed by his new powers.
Overall, despite the narrative being a bit jumbled and difficult to understand due to how abrupt it can be at times, Akira is an incredible piece of science fiction storytelling and animation history, that every one interested in these aspects of film, needs to see at least once.
Rating: 4.5/5
The Bodyguard (1992)
Directed by: Mick Jackson
Written by: Lawrence Kasdan
Starring: Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston, Gary Kemp, Bill Cobbs, Tomas Arana and Ralph Waite
Music by: Alan Silvestri
Rated: 15
In response to numerous death threats from a mysterious stalker, actress and musical performer Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston), is assigned a new bodyguard, to work with her staff to protect her from the culprit. The new bodyguard, a former U.S. Secret Service agent named Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner), has little patience for Rachel’s diva lifestyle, which changes when both of them break the most important rule for bodyguards, never fall in love with each other…
Although the script for The Bodyguard had been in works by The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark writer, Lawrence Kasdan since the 1970s, the finished film, when it was finally released in 1992, is tied so closely to the identity of the late singer, Whitney Houston, that almost no-one would believe that her and Kevin Costner’s roles, were originally intended with Diana Ross and Steve McQueen in mind. However, Costner gives an overly weak performance without much character, aside from being gruff or romantic, even when only compared with the other characters and not Rachel, who is played fantastically by Whitney.
Even if the iconic songs and her performance are the best things about The Bodyguard, it definitely did not deserve to have been nominated for so many Razzies, as the story does function as a passable love story with an interesting mystery, although it is extremely obvious that it was supposed to end in a completely different way.
Overall, The Bodyguard, despite being a bit overrated, does manage to be one of Whitney Houston’s most memorable parts of her career, and a cheesy, yet solid example of popular 1990s cinema, even if the parodies are much more entertaining.
Rating: 3.5/5
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Directed by: Sharon Maguire
Written by: Helen Fielding, Andrew Davis and Richard Curtis
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Shirley Henderson and Gemma Jones
Music by: Patrick Doyle
Rated: 15
Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) is a thirty-something single woman, who resolves to stick to her New Year’s resolutions, Lose twenty pounds, stop smoking and find a sensible boyfriend. Unfortunately, this isn’t made easy by her divided attention between her high-class childhood friend, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and her perverted boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant)…
Starting off as a series of fictional columns in the British newspapers The Independent and The Daily Telegraph revolving around the misadventures of a character named Bridget Jones, it wasn’t until the author, Helen Fielding, combined them into a highly successful 1996 novel, Bridget Jones’s Diary, that one of the most beloved British comedy franchises was born.
While her American background did get some fans worried, Bridget Jones’s Diary shines the best in Renée Zellweger’s Academy Award nominated performance as the quirky titular character. While some of the jokes don’t always work, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant’s two male leads get the biggest laughs, especially in the infamous Greek restaurant fight scene and anytime Grant has to talk his way out of a “naughty” situation.
Overall, while some of the subplots do give this film the feeling about a possible stronger tv series version of this story, Bridget Jones’s Diary does manage to be a funny and sweet love story that embraces both the good and bad of quirkyness and relationships.
Rating: 4/5
8 Mile (2002)
Directed by: Curtis Hanson
Written by: Scott Silver
Starring: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, Anthony Mackie, Michael Shannon and Mekhi Phifer
Music by: Eminem
Rated: 15
Set in 1995 Detroit, a young aspiring rapper named Jimmy Smith Jr. (Eminem), is struggling to make his music popular, while also moving back to his mother Stephanie (Kim Basinger)’s trailer after breaking up with his girlfriend. As Jimmy tries to work on improving his music, things get tense when he ends up in the crossfire of a rival hip hop group, “Free World”, and their spoiled leader, Papa Doc (Anthony Mackie)…
Despite having hip hop rapper Eminem as the lead and having a soundtrack heavily featuring his music, 8 Mile is not a music biopic of his life, only loosely adapting events from his life, to tell the story of a struggling young rapper, with the right amount of grittiness that L.A. Confidential director, Curtis Hanson, can provide.
While this reviewer has almost no knowledge of hip hop and doesn’t plan on being a fan of it anytime soon, the sincerity in its storytelling and Eminem’s grounded performance as Jimmy, really helps 8 Mile make his struggles feel very real and sympathetic. Despite having a few miscast characters like with Kim Basinger playing Jimmy’s mother, others like Anthony Mackie’s antagonistic rival, Omar Benson Miller and Evan Jones’s friend characters, and especially the underrated Mekhi Phifer as Jimmy’s mentor, help in making the hip hop subculture, a lot more interesting than how obnoxious the marketing around it can be.
Overall, while it may not be for everyone’s taste, 8 Mile is a very impressive and enjoyable debut for Eminem’s venture into feature films, which offers a much more interesting and surprisingly humble approach to a pop star’s film debut, then what Purple Rain did almost decades before this.
Rating: 4/5
Walk the Line (2005)
Directed by: James Mangold
Written by: Gill Dennis and James Mangold
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Dallas Roberts, Waylon Payne, Tyler Hilton and Robert Patrick
Music by: T Bone Burnett
Rated: 15
During his 1968 performance at Folsom State Prison, singer Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix), starts thinking about his life. From witnessing the death of his brother during his childhood in 1944 Arkansas, his 1950s war enlistment, his relationship with his first wife, Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin), and his musical career taking off in the band, Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two. Although his band also includes a young Elvis Presley (Tyler Hilton), Johnny’s most important relationship comes when a country singer who he had a crush on as a boy, June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), comes into the band. However, Cash’s drug addictions soon threatens their future…
Nearly two decades before bringing the story of Bob Dylan to life in A Complete Unknown, Director James Mangold’s previous music biopic, Walk the Line, manages to tell the rise and fall of Johnny Cash’s career in the 1960s, with a lot more grit than expected for this type of film.
While it is utterly hilarious about how this film attempts to treat Cash’s relationship with a young Elvis Presley like a cameo for another film, Walk the Line does manage to be a lot more honest in displaying the flaws that this singer had, with Joaquin Phoenix giving the country singer, a lot of hidden depths, while also having great chemistry with Reese Witherspoon’s fantastic take on June Carter, even if the ending is a lot more creepy than intended.
Overall, while feeling like it is missing a lot of details, Walk the Line is a much more interesting take on a singer’s life, thanks to its honesty in depicting troubled relationships and great performances from its leads.
Rating: 3.5/5
Ray (2004)
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Written by: James L. White
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Terrance Howard, Larenz Tate, Richard Schiff, Aunjanue Ellis, Warwick Davis and Regina King
Music by: Craig Armstrong
Rated: 15
Despite having a difficult start in life, such as witnessing the drowning of his younger brother and losing his eyesight during his childhood in rural Florida, Ray Charles Robinson (Jamie Foxx), takes his mother’s (Sharon Warren) advice of solving problems by yourself, and sets out to become a piano player. From his gigs in nightclubs in the 1940s and 1950s, his record contracts with Atlantic and setting up his music groups, and his relationships between his wife, Della Bea (Kerry Washington), and fellow singers Mary Anne Fisher (Aunjanue Ellis) and Margie Hendricks (Regina King), the biggest test to Ray’s new life, comes, when his addiction to heroin starts getting out of control…
Despite both this film and the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line, sharing exactly the same formula, (witnessing the death of a sibling in childhood, forming numerous bands, having multiple relationships, and ultimately, drug addictions forcing the subject matter musician to turn their life around), Ray’s background as an independent film that took decades to make, and the stylish direction of Taylor Hackford, does make this biopic of soul musician, Ray Charles, a lot more entertaining than expected.
With very inventive cinematography and transition edits, Ray shines the strongest in how Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of Ray, expertly crafts both the piano playing sequences, and how he manages to play both the sincerity and mischievous sides of this singer, even if the film doesn’t really address his less admirable qualities, that made him a lot more interesting.
Overall, while being a bit too long and having a very abrupt ending, Ray is a mostly enjoyable celebration of the career of one of the best soul musicians of all time, even if seeing this as a double bill with Walk the Line, isn’t recommended for fear of whiplash in seeing the same story over again.
Rating: 4/5
Fight Club (1999)
Directed by: David Fincher
Written by: Jim Uhls
Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf Aday and Jared Leto
Music by: The Dust Brothers
Rated: 15
While on the verge of being shot in the mouth, an unidentified narrator (Edward Norton), thinks about how he got into this position. Dissatisfied with his life, the narrator befriends a young soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), who encourages him to set up an underground fight club to let out his repressed feelings and masculinity. However, Tyler’s methods of running the clubs soon get dangerously out of control, leading to a wild ride of insanity for the Narrator.
Fight Club, based on the 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk, is a darkly humorous fable, that manages to make the act of establishing unique identities through violence, seemingly understandable according to the character’s twisted worldview , which is why it’s statements on the flaws of living in a utopian society with no individuality, has been constantly misinterpreted by some of its more rabid fans, especially the ones who think that Tyler’s logic is right . However, much like David Fincher’s other films, there is no easy answer to how Fight Club’s message should be interpreted, especially in the memorable ending that China recently tried to censor.
Both Brad Pitt and Edward Norton give amazing performances as the two leads, and David Fincher’s direction gives both the cinematography and visuals, a dreamlike quality. While more could have been done with Helena Bonham Carter’s love interest character, it is both the narrator and Tyler himself, that truly carries Fight Club to its heights, especially during some major plot points in the third act.
Overall, it may not be for everyone, but Fight Club is an incredibly powerful experience that truly defined David Fincher as one of the best directors of the late twentieth century.
Rating: 4.5/5
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Written by: Nora Ephron
Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby
Music by: Marc Shaiman and Harry Connick Jr.
Rated: 15
Ever since they first met as university students in 1977, Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan), have been running into each other over the last decade. While becoming friends, Harry’s opinion that a man and a woman can’t be platonic companions, due to sex always getting in the way, does get tested, as both of them face numerous challenges throughout their lives…
Despite the copping out of the interesting premise of one of the most important romantic comedies in cinema history, When Harry Met Sally, is still a fantastic and funny slice of life story from Rob Reiner. While the film could have fully committed to its ideas by introducing another set of couple characters that do keep their relationship platonic, both Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are absolutely fantastic as the charming, yet relatable titular characters.
Throw in some of the funniest moments in Reiner’s filmography, a great soundtrack of hits and additional comedic moments from Bruno Kirby and the late Carrie Fiaher, When Harry Met Sally is undeniably a masterpiece in the subgenre, though the idea could have been fully realised, if someone decides to take the premise in a more serious direction in the future.
Rating: 4.5/5
A Few Good Men (1992)
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Written by: Aaron Sorkin
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall, J.T. Walsh, Wolfgang Bodison and Kiefer Sutherland
Music by: Marc Shaiman
Rated: 15
After the young U.S. Private William Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo), is accidentally killed during a brutal punishment gone wrong, Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), is assigned to Cuba, to serve as defence lawyer for the two suspected murderer officers. With the assistance of his best friend, Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollak), and an ambitious Commander named Joanne Galloway (Demi Moore), Daniel soon discovers that the chief of the Cuba base, Col. Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson), may be hiding some details about the case…
While the Jack Nicholson moments in this film, based on a play written by Aaron Sorkin, that itself was inspired by a true story that was supposedly witnessed by his sister during her time working with the U.S. Navy in Guantanamo Bay, have become the most memorable aspect of A Few Good Men, that doesn’t mean the rest of the film is bad at all.
Despite being a lot more mainstream than expected for a Rob Reiner film, especially with his longtime composer of choice, Marc Shaiman, giving this courtroom drama a score that does go really over the top at times, the powerful ending of accepting some consequences, even if you are found mostly innocent, does make this film, a lot more emotionally satisfying.
Jack Nicholson, as mentioned before, as absolutely terrifying as the sadistic Col. Jessep, while both Demi Moore and the memorable Kevin Bacon, do manage to make their presence known without being a distraction. The same cannot be said for Tom Cruise, as while he does do a fine job at playing a slightly more serious role than what he was known for at the time, his screen presence is very distracting as you can’t buy for one second, that he is a defence lawyer.
Overall, A Few Good Men is another great film from Rob Reiner, even if the story does feel a bit removed from what this late director provided before or since. However, he did manage to make a courtroom drama feel like an epic adventure, even if the score feels like rejected music from Top Gun.
Rating: 4/5
Misery (1990)
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Written by: William Goldman
Starring: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen and Lauren Bacall
Music by: Marc Shaiman
Rated: 15
Paul Sheldon (James Caan), a world famous novelist, has decided to move on in his writing career, by ending his most successful series, a Victorian romance about a young woman named Misery Chastain, with her death in the final book, Misery’s Child. While on the way to release his first post-Misery book, Paul ends up in a car accident and ends up being saved by his “number one fan”, a woman named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). However, despite seemingly friendly and supportive, Annie is overly attached to the Misery character, and when she reads the final book, Paul finds himself in a nightmare scenario…
The second of the late Rob Reiner’s Stephen King adaptations after Stand by Me, rumoured to have been based on a nasty experience that King himself had with a fan of his horror books, who couldn’t accept him trying a new genre when he published a fantasy novel, The Eyes of the Dragon, Misery has stood the test of time, mostly all thanks to just one person.
Kathy Bates’s Annie Wilkes, though very tame when compared to most “fans” these days, earns her reputation as one of the most unnerving and entertaining antagonists in cinema history, thanks to how her arc keeps everyone guessing, until the most horrifying details are revealed, and that’s not even mentioning the infamous wood scene.
The late James Caan also does a fantastic job as this author trapped in the worst hell possible, even if some of his facial expressions does make one think of this being a demented prequel to Elf at times, showing how Walter drove himself insane to calmly react to a man in an elf suit, like it was nothing.
Overall, with everything that everyone has already mentioned in other articles, such as the unnerving atmosphere, having one of Reiner veteran Marc Shaiman’s greatest scores, and one of the best uses of non-swearing in a film, Misery is indeed, a masterpiece of horror, even if you have to agree with a murderous nurse to realise that.
Rating: 5/5
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey and François Truffaut
Music by: John Williams
Rated: PG
In the state of Indiana, two people are brought together under mysterious circumstances involving UFOs. Single mother Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon), witnesses her infant son, Barry (Cary Guffey), chasing and then, getting abducted by alien spacecraft, and an unappreciated blue collar worker named Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), after witnessing the same spacecraft fly away, drives away his family when he gets visions of and constantly draws sketches of a massive hill. When they find out that the hill is real and currently guarded by government forces on a mission of their own, Roy and Jillian seek to find out the truth…
Riding high after hitting mainstream attention with Jaws, and with the invention of the summer blockbuster in general with that film, Steven Spielberg would follow in his friend and future Indiana Jones collaborator, George Lucas’s footsteps into space and aliens with his next film.
While Star Wars definitely wore the crown for the biggest film of 1977, Spielberg’s more down to Earth science fiction tale about humanity discovering aliens, (though no less groundbreaking in visual storytelling), Close Encounters of the Third Kind, wasn’t far behind, with that infamous motif, being just as memorable as John Williams’s Star Wars score (with Williams losing an Oscar for Best Original Score to himself, being a funny example of this).
While the effects by Douglas Trumbull are as amazing as both his past work on 2001: A Space Odyssey, and John Barry’s work on Star Wars, the deeply human story of how the unknown effects humanity, is what sets Spielberg’s film apart from those. Both the arcs of Richard Dreyfuss’s Roy and Melinda Dillon’s Jillian, as well as the numerous other humans effected in different ways by the alien’s arrival, does offer interesting themes about humanity, fears and sacrifices, including the first of many examples of Spielberg’s trauma over his parent’s divorce, being present here.
Overall, despite having an incredibly slow pace at times, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a great first showing of Spielberg’s talents with science fiction storytelling, that he would refine with E.T., War of the Worlds and the upcoming (as of 2026), Disclosure Day.
Rating: 4/5
Highlander (1986)
Directed by: Russell Mulcahy
Written by: Gregory Widen, Peter Bellwood and Larry Ferguson
Starring: Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown and Sean Connery
Music by: Michael Kamen and Queen
Rated: 15
After being exiled from his village on suspicion of witchcraft due to surviving an injury that would have killed him, a sixteenth century Scottish warrior named Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), learns from wandering swordsman Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez (Sean Connery), that they are both are “Immortals”, beings who cannot die in any way, apart from being beheaded. After being trained by Juan, Connor spends the next few centuries battling other immortals in preparation for a final battle against the most evil one, the Kurgan (Clancy Brown) , that will take place in modern day New York City…
Regardless of the quality of the infamously bad sequels and potentially, the upcoming remake starring Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe, the original Highlander is still a very cheesy, yet entertaining fantasy epic, that stands out as one of the best films to have come out of Cannon Films.
The interesting world-building of this secret society of immortal warriors in an endless battle against each other, could have been explored better, apart from two great scenes set during eighteenth century England and during World War II. However, the well shot battle sequences, great acting from Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Roxanne Hart and especially Clancy Brown and the usage of Queen songs in the soundtrack, does make this film incredibly memorable, especially as director Russell Mulcahy, was known for directing music videos with Elton John and Duran Duran before this.
Overall, despite the missed potential at further exploring this fantastic premise, (something that even the television series struggled with), Highlander is another great example of how memorable 1980s fantasy cinema could be, even if not from Amblin, James Cameron, or George Lucas. A kind of magic indeed.
Rating: 4/5
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O’Connor, Brendan Gleeson, Jack Angel, Meryl Streep, Robin Williams and William Hurt
Music by: John Williams
Rated: 12A
In the far future, most of the world’s cites have been flooded by global warming and the world’s declining population mostly rely on mechas, human-like androids, to carry out roles in society. Seeking to create a mecha capable of genuine love, Professor Hobby (William Hurt), gives David (Haley Joel Osment), his greatest creation resembling a young boy, to a couple coping with their own child’s terminal illness. As David grows closer to the mother, Monica (Frances O’Connor), he suddenly finds himself alone after her child is unexpectedly cured, and frames David for a crime. Thinking that Monica will love him if he becomes a real boy, David, with his grumpy sidekick, Teddy (Jack Angel), and a wisecracking prostitute mecha named Gigalo Joe (Jude Law), sets out on a journey to find the one person that he thinks can grant his wish, The Blue Fairy (Meryl Streep), from The Adventures of Pinocchio…
One of the most divisive Steven Spielberg films, as well as one of the most underrated of his works, this feature length adaptation of Brian Aldiss’s 1969 short story, Supertoys Last All Summer Long, most notably, started off as a Stanley Kubrick film, that, contrary to popular belief, was always going to be his first family-aimed film, because of his love for the Pinocchio story.
As mentioned before, the second act of the wacky adventures that David, Teddy and Gigalo Joe go on (which ironically, came from Spielberg, not Kubrick), does feel a bit off when compared to the cold and emotional energy of the first and the beautifully executed third act. However, Spielberg’s respect for keeping Kubrick’s dream of making a science fiction retelling of Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, is kept intact, especially with how characters and events from the book are reimagined for this half-dystopian, half-fantastical world of robots living among humans, with the lovable Teddy being the Talking Cricket stand in, the Flesh Fair and Rouge City being unique takes on the Puppet Theatre and a very literal take on either “Pleasure Island” or “The Land of Toys (or in this case, a specific type of toy)” and William Hurt and Frances O’Connor’s characters displaying two of the darkest and most heartwarming takes on the Geppetto character.
Overall, regardless of some of Kubrick’s less admirable traits and how dated some of the CGI is in this, Steven Spielberg deserves so much credit for bringing his last project to life. A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a fantastic reinvention of a classic tale, with one of Haley Joel Osment’s best performances to date, and much like Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, is a great showcase of how the theme of love, can overcome even the darkest of science fiction dystopian worlds.
Rating: 4.5/5
Top Gun (1986)
Directed by: Tony Scott
Written by: Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.
Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Tim Robbins, James Tolkan, Meg Ryan and Tom Skerritt
Music by: Harold Faltermeyer
Rated: 12A
Due to one of the US top military pilots, Lt. Bill “Cougar” Cortell (John Stockwell) resigning because of suffering trauma while in flight, Commander Tom “Stinger” Jardian (James Tolkan), is forced to send two young reckless pilots, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), to Top Gun, an academy which is designed to train the best pilots in the world, in Cougar’s place. As Maverick forms a rivalry with fellow pilot, Lt. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer), and a romance with an instructor named Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood (Kelly McGillis), unexpected events will change his life forever as he desperately tries to live up to his late father’s name…
Along with 1983’s Risky Business, the late Tony Scott’s best known film, Top Gun, is widely regarded as the film that launched the mainstream popularity of Tom Cruise, as one of the best known action stars of modern cinema. Although the plot itself is not that impressive as a typical coming of age training film, the stunning cinematography of the real flights and the awesome soundtrack with bangers like Danger Zone and the Oscar winning Take My Breath Away, is why Top Gun has become one of the most loved films of the 1980s.
Both Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards have great chemistry as friends Maverick and Goose, Val Kilmer makes for a great rival as Iceman and the respect that Tony gives to the American Air Force, (despite getting a bit over the top at times), makes this a great example of good American patriotism, even if some aspects haven’t aged well.
Overall, Top Gun is a great show of the insane talents of 1980s action cinema and of Tom Cruise’s insane commitment, to do whatever the hell he wants, in terms of stunts.
Rating: 3.5/5
Shrek (2001)
Directed by: Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson
Written by: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman
Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow and Vincent Cassel
Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell
Rated: U
Shrek (Mike Myers) is a green, smelly and sarcastic ogre who loves his solitary life in a swamp located in a universe where fairytale, nursery rhyme and fantasy literacy characters co-exist. When Lord Farquaad of Duloc (John Lithgow), dumps several characters such as the Three Bears, Pinocchio (Cody Cameron) and the Big Bad Wolf (Aron Warner) on the ogre’s swamp, Shrek heads to the kingdom along with a talkative Donkey (Eddie Murphy), to demand his land back. Farquaad only agrees on one condition, Shrek and Donkey must first rescue a feisty Princess named Fiona (Cameron Diaz), from a dragon-guarded tower…
Known nowadays as the film that changed the future of DreamWorks Animation forever, and the first animated film to win in the newly created Best Animated Feature category, created by the Oscars in 2001, in response to the controversies of not nominating Aardman’s critically acclaimed Chicken Run for Best Picture, Shrek started off life as a children’s book by William Stieg in 1990, before having Steven Spielberg try to create his own adaptation in 1991. When that didn’t work, he gave it to Jeffrey Katzenberg for his new studio, DreamWorks SKG, in 1996.
Although some of the jokes and use of CGI haven’t aged well, Shrek is still one of the funniest films of the entire 2000s decade, with Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers’s comedic banters, being some of the most quotable dialogue of any comedy in existence. Even if some of the relentless use of Disney jokes and pop culture gags, such as the design of Duloc resembling Disneyland and The Magic Mirror (Chris Miller) acting like a dating show host, may not be for everyone’s tastes, the film also has a surprisingly mature take on the importance of acceptance, and has one of the best representations of this message in the heartwarming ending.
Overall, the endless fairytale parody rip-offs that followed this film, such as Happily N’ver After, Hoodwinked and even Disney’s Enchanted may have turned people off from this film, but in spite of the endless memes and spoofs, Shrek is still one of the best animated films of the twenty first century. This film helped establish DreamWorks Animation as a major studio, to make the likes of Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon which has made it, one of Disney and Pixar’s most significant rivals to date! A legacy that will never be ogre!
Rating: 4.5/5
Minority Report (2002)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Scott Frank and Jon Cohen
Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Ferrell, Samantha Morton, Neal McDonough, Lois Smith, Kathryn Morris, Mike Binder, Steve Harris, Peter Stormare, Tim Blake Nelson and Max von Sydow
Music by: John Williams
Rated: 12
In the future of 2054, a special police force known as the “Precrime” program, are tasked with preventing homicides before they can happen, thanks to the abilities of three young people with clairvoyant abilities called “precogs”. When one of the precogs, Agatha Lively (Samantha Morton), suddenly predicts that Precrime’s Chief, John Anderton (Tom Cruise), is the next one to commit a murder, he sets out on the run to prevent his fate, while also learning truths about Precrime’s past in the process..
Much like A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Steven Spielberg’s next science fiction film at the time, took another notable figure in the genre, author Philip K. Dick in this case, and expands on a short story that he wrote, 1956’s The Minority Report, into another of Spielberg’s more experimental films of the 2000s. However, unlike the divisive reception to A.I., Minority Report was, and still remains, a critical and financial success, even if it has been slightly overlooked nowadays.
While it is funny that Tom Cruise’s infamous running style first appeared in this before the later Mission: Impossible films, his performance as John Anderton, is one of the most interesting ones, despite it being obvious that this role was originally going be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s protagonist from another Philip K. Dick adaptation, Total Recall, back when this was originally going be a sequel to the 1990 film. Colin Farrell, Tim Blake Nelson, Peter Stormare and especially Samantha Morton, are all very memorable as well, even if some of the plot twists start getting a bit too obvious in the third act (and no, it’s not related to the fan theories that dominate other Philip K. Dick films, like some have theorised about this film as well).
Overall, with all the complexities in the anti-predetermination themes that people love about Blade Runner and Total Recall present here, a thrilling mystery that gets better with every rewatch, and a very creative use of worldbuilding in how the Precrime system operates, Minority Report is another great showcase at how experimental Steven Spielberg was willing to be with his 2000s filmography, even if some of its bleached cinematography look, did negatively influence loads of films after this.
Rating: 4.5/5
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Jeff Nathanson
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams and James Brolin
Music by: John Williams
Rated: 12
Set in 1960s America, despite having a mostly happy childhood in New Rochelle, New York, a young man named Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), has his life torn apart when his parents (Christopher Walken and Nathalie Baye), first get forced to move by the IRS due to his father’s financial crimes, and then, get divorced. Desperate to get his family’s money back, Frank Jr. sets out with his own schemes, by pretending to be a doctor, a Pan Am pilot and a secret service agent, while catching the attention of FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks)…
While Steven Spielberg had made films based on the lives of real people before such as Empire of the Sun and Schindler’s List, Catch Me if You Can was the first of these “based on a true story” films, to have had significant contact between Spielberg and the person this film was based on, Frank Abagnale Jr., who made a cameo as a French police officer in this adaptation of his biography.
As Spielberg was going in a much more experimental direction in the 2000s decade, Catch Me if You Can is a much more comedic and low stakes heist film when compared to the fantasy, science fiction and war films that defined Spielberg’s career at this point. While taking many liberties with how Frank’s crazy schemes were actually portrayed, Spielberg does such a good job in directing a Leonardo DiCaprio film, that it is shocking that this, as of 2026, was their only major collaboration. While the subplot revolving around yet another broken family might feel a bit forced, even by Spielberg standards, it does, however, lead to a surprisingly emotional payoff, especially with Tom Hanks’s great supporting performance as Agent Hanratty, that would to that actor working with Spielberg with the underrated The Terminal and Bridge of Spies.
Overall, while not as grand or epic as the director’s other works, Catch Me if You Can is a very entertaining and likeable take on one of the craziest true stories in American history.
Rating: 4/5
Hook (1991)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Jim V. Hart and Malia Scotch Marmo
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, Dante Bosco and Charlie Korsmo
Music by: John Williams
Rated: U
Peter Banning (Robin Williams) is a workaholic father, who struggles to spend time with his family. Little does he know, he is actually the adult version of Peter Pan, who, a few decades ago, decided not go back to Neverland after witnessing Wendy Darling (Maggie Smith) become a grandmother to his future wife, Moria (Caroline Goodall). When Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), Peter’s old enemy, kidnaps Peter’s children and takes them to Neverland, Peter, with the help of his fairy, Tinker Bell (Julia Roberts) and a new generation of Lost Boys, must rediscover his former identity and regain the ability to fly…
Receiving terrible reviews when it was first released, but has since become a cult-classic, Steven Spielberg’s twist on the J.M Barrie Peter Pan stories may have a few issues in tone, balance and plot, but Hook does manage to be one of his most underrated films. While it was originally planned as a straightforward Peter Pan adaptation with Michael Jackson finally playing the role, the decision to make Hook an alternate sequel to the J.M. Barrie stories with a grown up Peter rediscovering his former self, does set it apart from the likes of the 1953 Disney and 2003 film adaptations.
The late Robin Williams’s interpretation of a grown-up Peter Pan is one of his more interesting performances, the casting of Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins as the threatening, yet hilarious Hook and Smee is utterly fantastic, the incredible production design of Neverland makes it look like the 1953 location brought to life (even if some locations are limited in scope) and John William’s beautiful score is one of his most underrated out there.
Overall, despite having some slow moments and Julia Roberts doing very questionable take on Tinker Bell by making her a bit too friendly than how the iconic fairy is usually depicted, Hook is a very entertaining and fun twist on the legacy of both Steven Spielberg’s filmography and the story of the boy that wouldn’t grow up.
Rating: 3.5/5
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Melissa Mathison
Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore and Pat Walsh
Music by: John Williams
Rated: U
A group of aliens end up getting scared away by government agents during a mission to gather Earth plants, leaving one of them behind. Meanwhile, Elliott Taylor (Henry Thomas), a young boy going through his parent’s recent divorce, ends up befriending the strange-looking alien (Pat Welsh). Now, it is up to Elliott, his older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and his little sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) to help the newly renamed “E.T.”, build a communication device in order to get the aliens to come back and take him home…
Steven Spielberg’s magnum opus in his 1980s fantasy film career has been interpreted by critics, audiences and scholars to have been about many different things , a spiritual sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, an semi-fictional autobiography of Spielberg’s childhood experience with divorce and even a Jesus metaphor. What makes E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial stand out from numerous other “boy and his supernatural creature” stories like The Iron Giant, Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, is that his style of direction makes it come across as if all of them are true, which is what filmmaking is truly about.
Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore are some of the best child actors that Spielberg ever hired, E.T. is an adorable little guy whose strange appearance makes up for the fantastic puppetry and John Williams gives one of the best scores in a career already packed with the likes of Jaws and two Star Wars films up to that point in time.
With thrilling sequences, a touching story about an unlikely friendship and a powerful message about finding happiness in sad times, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is simply perfect in every way!
Rating: 5/5
Chaz’s Cinematic Odyssey 