Young Frankenstein (1974)

E legant and refined aren't words you'd normally bandy about Mel Brooks' filmography, but with Young Frankenstein, they just seem to fit. This horror homage is really a delicate soufflé, crafted with care and dedicated to the Universal horror flicks of the 1930s. Brooks seems to genuinely love the James Whale/Boris Karloff adaptation of Mary Shelley's book,…

ByTodd WoffordApril 10, 20240Comments

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Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

B ram Stoker’s Dracula pulls off a rare double feat. As directed by Francis Coppola, this vampire epic manages to be deeply reverential to the beloved source material, while also blazing its own cinematic trail. Stoker’s novel has been filmed--in some form--nearly 300 times, but it’s never had such perfect alchemy: Coppola…

ByTodd WoffordMarch 27, 20240Comments

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The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

I t may have all the aesthetics of a big, burly action epic, but don't get it twisted: The Bridge on the River Kwai is a nuanced, character-based drama, and a philosophical rumination on the absurdities of human nature. Yes, Kwai has explosions and combat, but even those are just an extension of the cerebral debate that rages…

ByTodd WoffordMarch 6, 20240Comments

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The Marvels (2023)

A s a Star Trek nerd, I remember the 90s as an embarrassment of riches. Actually, it was a never-ending glut: We got seven seasons of The Next Generation, plus seven of Deep Space Nine! But wait, there's more--seven seasons of Voyager, featuring a holographic doctor and a chef that looks like a warthog! Toss in four feature…

ByTodd WoffordFebruary 28, 20240Comments

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The English Patient (1996)

I can still remember those heady days in 1996, when everybody this side of Elaine Benes swooned over The English Patient. To audiences and critics alike, Anthony Minghella's magnum opus was a magnificent symbiosis of Lawrence of Arabia's sweeping desert majesty and Doctor Zhivago's soapy wartime romance, recalibrated for the Crystal Pepsi Generation. I mean, Ralph Fiennes'…

ByTodd WoffordFebruary 14, 20240Comments

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Gladiator (2000)

D eep in the mine shafts of my brain, I keep a list of perfect movies. Deeper still, there's a list of perfectly awful movies. Below that, under hundreds of feet of bedrock, you'll find a list of perfectly okay movies. Burrow long enough, and you'll find Gladiator down there. I know, tons of people…

ByTodd WoffordFebruary 6, 20240Comments

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The Godfather (1972)

M odern cinema simply could not exist as it is without The Godfather. Francis Coppola's masterpiece redefined the width and depth that movies could explore, and inspired a million imitations and homages along the way. No film has ever distilled disparate elements so well: Arthouse ambition melds with pure popcorn entertainment. Nouvelle Vague flourishes flow through the dimensions…

ByTodd WoffordJanuary 30, 20240Comments

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Gremlins (1984)

G remlins attracts more clashing adjectives than any other blockbuster of its era: It's both cute and disturbing. Clever, but also idiotic. There's Christmas cheer, but it's coated with the bubbling slime of Halloween. All this adds up to a movie that's fun, but...weird. I grew up watching Gremlins, but I can't say with certainty that…

ByTodd WoffordDecember 20, 20230Comments

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The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

I n The Nightmare Before Christmas, producer Tim Burton and director Henry Selick deliver an amiably grimy little world, perfectly content with its own gurgling, soot-stained aesthetic. The monstrous characters smile and sing to one another, as if they’re goth outcasts from a bigger, shinier Disney production. All this adds up to a Christmas movie for the weirdo…

ByTodd WoffordDecember 13, 20230Comments

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Hook (1991)

H ook must've had an elevator pitch for the ages: Imagine a sequel to Peter Pan, starring Robin Williams as an adult version of the character. Next, add Dustin Hoffman as an aging Captain Hook, and Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell. Now, let's seal it with Steven Spielberg in the director's chair and John Williams in front…

ByTodd WoffordDecember 6, 20230Comments