Four Weddings and a Funeral, even with some of its flaws, most notably the casting of Andie McDowell whom I normally love, is still a wonderful, feel-good, film led way by Hugh Grant’s charm and some heartfelt scenes.
When Harry Met Sally… is just a wonderful and damn near perfect romantic comedy from the tightly and sharply written Nora Ephron script, Rob Reiner’s creative direction and, most of all, the incredibly chemistry shared between Crystal and Ryan.
Streets of Fire is a rare breed of film that features a unique yet familiar style and with some interesting casting choices, two of them brilliant with the young Diane Lane and Willem Dafoe.
Dragnet is a really fun, and often funny, crime-comedy that does a good job balancing spoofing or satirizing the original television series and yet at the same time paying respect, which shines through.
Get Shorty is a fun, frilly crime-comedy thanks to some snappy dialogue and enjoyable performances from the entire cast including Travolta, Hackman, Russo, DeVito and the late Denis Farina.
City Slickers is a fun and best yet, timeless, movie that resonates just as well today as it did back then. What especially works is the core cast of Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby who work so well off one another.
The Man in the Iron Mask is a well made adventure film featuring solid performances, namely Gabriel Byrne and Jeremy Irons and fairly impressive for being screenwriter Randall Wallace’s directorial debut.
The ‘Burbs is one fun comedy with a dash of horror that excels primarily due to Tom Hanks’ charms versus anything with the script or even the character. Not sure why I hadn’t seen it before, but the replay value is high.
Macon County Line is a well developed drama that really stands out from others of the 1970s and does feature some great performances, particularly Max Baer (he also co-scripted) who previously was known as a comedic actor.
Home for the Holidays is, to me anyway, holiday classic that probably doesn’t get the attention it deserves. While Planes, Trains and Automobiles is in its own right a great Thanksgiving film, this one deserves its place on the holiday as well.
The Moderns is an environmentally rich drama that has shades of Robert Altman which makes sense as director Alan Rudolph was a disciple of his, and even a little Woody Allen in some respects. It’s not the most fascinating tale or anything but the performances by both Keith Carradine and Linda Fiorentino were both top great.
While I grew up in the 1990s, and in the Pacific Northwest, I never really got into grunge music, though I knew all about Nirvana of course, so Hype didn’t do a whole lot for me but at the very least did give a good history of the music from that time and the bands that sprung from it.
The Pink Panther Film Collection Starring Peter Sellers is a nice set, well 5 out of the 6 movies anyway, showcasing Sellers physical comedic style and those around him. Outside of Trail of the Pink Panther, these are well worth checking out.
Car Wash is an oft funny 1970s ensemble comedy with the likes of Richard Pryor and George Carlin making brief appearances but making the most of their limited screen time.
Streets of Fire is a rare breed of film that features a unique yet familiar style and with some interesting casting choices, two of them brilliant with the young Diane Lane and Willem Dafoe.