Movie thoughts and fiction updates.
Erich von Stroheim's directing career last little more than a decade from the middle period of the silent era right through the beginning of the sound era, though his first full sound film can hardly be called his at this point, reshot by two other directors and mangled by the studio. Several of his films… Continue reading Erich von Stroheim: The Definitive Ranking
I'd happily be wrong if Clint Eastwood managed to find the money for one more film after Cry Macho, but I don't think it's going to happen. His last two films were box office disappointments, he's been on the wrong side of the political monoculture of Hollywood for too long, and the man is well… Continue reading Clint Eastwood: The Definitive Ranking
This is one of those franchises that probably shouldn't exist because its first film was so obviously built to be a stand-alone film. The story of a cop who becomes so jaded by the institutional rot around him that he kills the bad guy and throws away his badge probably shouldn't have been followed up… Continue reading The Dirty Harry Franchise: The Definitive Ranking
Peckinpah is hard whiskey, as a friend told me, and he was right. His best films are uncompromising views at violence, masculinity, and friendship in an uncaring world. His worst films are victims of his later, much deeper descents into alcoholism and drug addiction. Sam Peckinpah's work is hard-edged and rough, not the sort of… Continue reading Sam Peckinpah: The Definitive Ranking
The Universal Monster boxset that covers the highlights (and some of the lowlights) from Universals horror output from 1931 through 1956 was indeed a quality addition to the collection. I didn't love everything, and I disliked its fair share, but there were enough nice, little surprises along the way that I feel confident in keeping… Continue reading The Universal Classic Monsters: The Definitive Ranking
David Vining, Author 