Miracle at St. Anna (2008)

Directed by Spike Lee

Synopsis: ” Set in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII.”

Really disappointing. When I heard the bad reviews, I assumed it was just Spike-Lee-hatin’, but unfortunately I think they were right. There are some interesting bits about what it meant for black soldiers to fight to defend the U.S. at a time when they were still considered second class citizens. Other than that, pretty boring. And aside from a cute italian kid, the performances were all lackluster.

5.5/10

Bull Durham (1988)

Directed by Ron Shelton (White Men Can’t Jump, Tin Cup, Dark Blue)

Starring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robins

Synopsis: “Veteran minor-league catcher Crash Davis is assigned to the Class A Durham Bulls to handle the team’s star rookie, wild pitcher “Nuke” LaLoosh. Team groupie Annie Savoy romances both players, creating a comic triangle.”

I forget where I read this, but I’ll paraphrase this sentence that sums up my feelings about this movie: “This movie manages to be a great Baseball Movie, and a great Romantic-Comedy, while avoiding the cliches of both genres.” Costner actually does a good job, but Robins really steals this movie.

8/10

King of Marvin Garden (1972)

Directed by Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces)

Starring Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, and Ellen Burstyn

Synopsis: “‘It’s Monopoly out there’. Jason Staebler, The King of Marvin Gardens, has gone directly to jail, lives on the Boardwalk and fronts for the local mob in Atlantic City. He is also a dreamer who asks his brother, David, a radio personality from Philadelphia to help him build a paradise on a Pacific Island - asking him to believe in yet another of his dreams, yet another of his get-rich-quick schemes.”

Decent movie. Good vintage Jack. If you haven’t yet, see Five Easy Pieces instead of this one.

6.5/10

The Last Picture Show (1971)

Directed by Peter Bogdanovic (Paper Moon, Noises Off)

Starring Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman (in an Oscar-winning role), Ellen Burstyn, a really young Randy Quaid

Synopsis: “The coming of age of a youth named Sonny in a small Texas town in the 1950s.”

Really good movie. Another in the list of great coming of age films. This one is shot to look like a film from the 1950s. It works much better here than it did in The Good German because here it’s not done as a visual experiment, instead Bogdanovich uses these techniques to create the tone and mood for the story, rather than distracting from it. Great performances across the board too.

9/10

Pineapple Express (2008)

Directed by David Gordon Green

Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride

Synopsis: “A stoner and his dealer are forced to go on the run from the police after the pothead witnesses a cop commit a murder.”

It’s decently entertaining. James Franco’s performance is the best thing about the movie, and Danny McBride is a close second. Pretty enjoyable watch, but I’m underwhelmed overall.

7/10