Harry and Tonto

Art Carney pulled off an incredible feat by winning the Oscar for Best Actor. He had to have been the darkest of dark horses that year. Just look at his competition: Dustin Hoffman in Lenny, Al Pacino in The Godfather, Part II, Jack Nicholson in Chinatown, and Albert Finney in Murder on the ... Read more »

Harry Brown

Basically this is Death Wish warmed over, and in England. Sub-human young people terrorize a housing development (which I think they call “Council flats” over there) until elderly ex-marine Michael Caine has finally had enough and starts to kick some butt. Parts of it are good, but it eventually degenerates into a mad riot that I didn’t believe for a moment. ... Read more »

Harry in Your Pocket

I believe some people are born with an inherent talent. Maybe it’s for math, maybe for music, maybe you’re a born runner or swimmer. And I think it’s the same with non-violent crime. (Violent criminals may be born, too, but it’s a case of born to be a psychopath.) People discover these talents in themselves, and they stick with them. Thus, a con man will probably not dabble in burglary, a ... Read more »

Harry Potter and the Deathly Half-Blood Secret Order of the Sorcerer’s Fiery Stone Goblet Azkabanian Phoenix Chamber

Harry Potter…
Here will be our greatest challenge in our project to re-view some of our favorite series movies. You know, those rare ones where the sequels are almost as good as the originals, of which there are only a few. There is a lot of Harry Potter to watch …

This series of 8 movies is really an extraordinary achievement. If you don’t think so, ... Read more »

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

About halfway through it really dawned on me, what a remarkable achievement this series is. I can’t think of a single thing in the history of cinema to compare it to. By that I don’t mean that this series is the best that’s ever been done—though it is damn good—but that we’ve never seen a trio of actors grow from children to adolescents to young adults playing the same ... Read more »

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I just re-read my comments on the first four films, and there’s a funny thing. I rated #4 the best of the lot … and I can’t really remember much about it. I’ve been a fan of both the books and the movies, and I’m waiting along with everybody else for HP and the Deathly Hallows. (I don’t think Harry will die, do you?) So … why didn’t this one excite me more?
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Hatari!

This one blew me away when it was new. With today’s wildlife photography that gets you right up the asshole of a tick on a rhino’s behind, it is easy to forget just how revolutionary the hunts in this movie were in 1962. No one had ever filmed some of the stuff we see here. The actors and crew chased and roped wildebeest, Cape buffalo (the most dangerous large animal in Africa), antelope, ... Read more »

The Hateful Eight

Quentin Tarantino drives me crazy. Usually when I hear him speak, I think “What an asshole!” And then I see his new film, and he stuns me once again. Of his eight films (and the opening credits proclaim “The Eighth Film by Quentin Tarantino!”) the only one I didn’t like at all was the Deathproof segment of Grindhouse, though I thought ... Read more »

Haunted

This movie is a little bit better than your usual ghost story. What it mostly lacks is scares. As The Haunting and a few others have proven, you don’t have to have a lot of ghouls and gore and ectoplasm to have a scary ghost story, in fact you don’t really have to see the spooks at all to get a good fright. But this one stays a bit too tame. Aiden Quinn is a ... Read more »

The Haunted Mansion

Not funny, not scary, not imaginative. Three for three. The ride at Disneyland is actually funnier and scarier, and much shorter. Which ride is next? Big Thunder mountain railroad? The whirling teacups? The Main Street streetcar?