In October of 1944, after German forces had been driven out of Southern France, “Operation Reconquest” was set to begin. It’s main objective was to send several thousand exiled Spanish Maquis resistance fighters to liberate border territory and spark an uprising against the Francisco Franco dictatorship. To prepare for the operation, guerrilla commandos crossed the … Continue reading
5 Phenomenal Movie Train Scenes
Trains. I mean who doesn’t like trains? Bullet trains, freight trains, model trains. How can you not like them? The movies have certainly had loads of fun with trains. For decades we’ve been give one great train scene after another. Today I’m looking at five of the very best to ever grace the big screen. … Continue reading
REVIEW: “Downhill” (2020)
I wasn’t too sure about an English language remake of the superb 2014 Swedish domestic drama “Force Majeure”. I was even less convinced after seeing the trailer for “Downhill”, an Americanized version starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I loved the original (from director/co-writer Ruben Östlund) for its subtle dark wit and dramatic gut punch. … Continue reading
REVIEW: “Fantasy Island” (2020)
The original “Fantasy Island” spawned from two TV movies before becoming a full-fledged television series that ran on ABC from 1978 to 1984. It featured Ricardo Montalbán as an enigmatic fulfiller of fantasies for paying guests on a remote Pacific island. I never watched it much, but I distinctly remember how each show began. With Montalbán’s … Continue reading
First Glance: “The Green Knight”
Chalk it up to me simply not paying attention, but I had no idea David Lowery had a new movie coming this year. He captured my attention on 2017 with his haunting and meditative drama “A Ghost Story” and followed it by working with Robert Redford in “The Old Man & the Gun”. Lowery’s latest … Continue reading
REVIEW: “Zombieland: Double Tap”
Maybe I was out of the loop, but a “Zombieland” sequel was something I never saw coming. The first film came out on 2009 and supposedly everyone was keen on immediately doing a sequel. But the idea ended up in the proverbial development hell for several years before popping up out of the blue. It … Continue reading