The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

I’ve always thought of the The Prisoner of Zenda as a “smart” Swashbuckler, and it is, in dialog, character, and structure, if not in story.  The action is first rate, but secondary to the film, for in this case, it is all about words—superbly crafted words—and the voices that pronounce them.  While fun to watch, the true joy

Phantasm (1979)

Phantasm (1979)

Things are just not right at the cemetery. Jody and Mike attend the funeral of their friend, only for Jody’s compulsively spying little brother, Mike, to spot the undertaker lifting the 500 lb coffin with ease. Soon, hooded dwarves are coming after Mike and a living amputated finger persuades Jody that there is evil that

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)

Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward), in full ‘60s TV-era form must face off against Catwoman (Julie Newmar), The Joker, The Riddler, and The Penguin and their plot which involves a duplication ray. The daring duo follows them, even into space, to stop their dastardly scheme, but fails to take into account Catwoman’s plan

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

In 1926—in the pre-Harry, Harry Potter world—Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) comes to a terribly quaint New York with his suitcase full of magical creatures. That probably wasn’t a good move on his part as magical creatures are illegal there. An accidental run-in with Kowalski (Dan Fogler) a “no-mag” allows several of his beasts to escape.

Superman III (1983)

Superman III (1983)

Evil businessman Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn), standing in for Lex Luthor, forces a computer genius (Richard Pryor
 Yes, I said Richard Pryor. That’s not a mistake.) to control the weather and help in the destruction of Superman (Christopher Reeve). Without Richard Donner to restrain the Salkind production team, and with director Richard Lester one-upping them

Thor (2011) [MCU Ranking]

Thor (2011) [MCU Ranking]

Thor, the arrogant and unworthy son of the Asgardian King is exiled to Earth, giving his troubled brother, Loki, a chance at the throne. Thor is two movies: A bold, beautiful, epic fantasy of gods and monsters, and a small scale relationship/self-improvement flick. One of these works. Everything in Asgard is bright and huge and

Time Raiders (2016)

Time Raiders (2016)

An older Wu Xie (Lu Han—a Chinese/Korean boy band idol) is approached by a writer to tell the story of what happened when he was a teen. Wu Xie had belonged to a traditional family of grave robbers. His family had tried to keep him out of the business, but his flair for tinkering and

Pharaoh’s Curse (1957)

Pharaoh’s Curse (1957)

In British-occupied Egypt, a band of archaeologists, lead by the loutish Quentin (George N. Neise), have gone on an expedition without permission. With rebellions rising up, the military sends Capt. Storm (Mark Dana), along with Syliva (Diana Brewster), the recently arrived lout’s wife, to find the team before the locals hear of it. On route,

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

A series of mysterious disappearances in the arctic leads the military to call in paleontologist Ned Jackson (William Hopper). His keen use of a magnifying glass allows him to work out that the culprit is a giant praying mantis, recently released from the ice. Ned teams up with Colonel Joe Parkman (Craig Stevens) and hot

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), whose parents disappeared while believing they were in a James Bond movie, is just your average, everyday super genius high school teenager. While attempting to connect with Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father’s old one-armed colleague, he is bitten by a genetically altered spider and yada yada yada, Spider-Man, dead

Batman Vs. Two-Face (2017)

Batman Vs. Two-Face (2017)

Continuing the adventures of Batman and Robin (Adam West and Burt Ward) from the 1966 TV show, the Dynamic Duo are back to stop the criminals King Tut, Bookworm, The Joker, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Clock King, and The Riddler. It all started after Batman’s brief romantic visit to the imprisoned Catwoman (Julie Newmar). Dr.

Our Man in Havana (1959)

Our Man in Havana (1959)

Wormold (Alec Guinness), an English vacuum cleaner salesman in Cuba, is propositioned by stiff-upper-lip spy Hawthorne (Noël Coward) to become an agent for Britain. Having no applicable skills, his friend Dr. Hasselbacher (Burl Ives) suggests he invent his reports, a suggestion he takes to heart. The heads of MI6 back in London (Ralph Richardson, Raymond