4 hours and 35 minutes of pure Tarantino cinema, KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR is an immersive thrill of killer dialogue and brilliant action. To experience this new epic on the big screen is palpable, from the first notes of "Bang Bang, My Baby Shot Me Down" to the final, new post-credits Lost Chapter! 90% of the sold out audience left during the long final credits, with only us, in-the-know diehards waiting for Tarantino's final surprise. More on that later. This experience in a theater is a commitment. I sat down at my local AMC (shout out to my fellow AMC A-Listers) at 6:45 when the lights went down. 25 minutes of previews and one 15 minute intermission later, the film wrapped at 11:50! Was it worth it? Hell yes. This is Tarantino's original vision for his Kill Bill saga. This version of the film is very rare and has never been released for home video or leaked online. It is known to exist only as part of QT's personal collection. It has been shown only in theaters at events curated by Tarantino or at film festivals. It feels different in this format, with chapters in a different order and several key changes that vastly improve the narrative into a more complete epic on the scale of Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" or "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly", the influence of which pours out of those long, standoff closeups of eyes and sweaty brows. So what's different about this version? * There's a brand new, extended five minute+ anime sequence showing a teenage O-Ren pursuing and killing her mother's killer, Boss Matsumoto, and a fantastic action sequence between O-Ren and Matsumoto's henchman Pretty Ricky. The elevator set carnage is first rate and the anime slays on the big screen. * One of the best action scenes in the history of film, the House of Blue Leaves Fight, is now shown in full color and with uncensored gore, elevating a great sequence to film nirvana. It's an all-time fave lifted into the stratosphere. SO many moments of this chapter are bigger, bloodier and more hilarious. I forgot how damn funny Charlie Brown and his wife are at their club. Seeing the entire battle on the big screen again was one of the evening's highlights. * Many scenes now unfold in a different order, providing a more complete narrative with improved flow. The cast is amazing. If the film had been originally released in this version, I think Uma Thurman would have been nominated for Best Actress, as her character arc is incredible, a fact more visible when you see the story in one sitting. David Carradine has never been better than he was as Bill. If you're a film buff, grab his book, "The Kill Bill Diary" that he wrote about his experience making the film. Great stuff. And how about Bill's squad? Lucy Liu is perfect as O-Ren and classic scenes abound. I would not want to cross her in a board meeting. Seeing her final face off with The Bride in that snowy garden again on an IMAX screen was a thrill. After the Blue Leaves madness, the entire scene is so...quiet, with only that fountain's repetitive pour marking time. Great film making. Daryl Hannah is an absolute blast as Elle Driver. Talk about lethal. For me, this is her best performance ever, and who doesn't like a red cross eye patch on a nurse? VivIca A Fox still opens the film in fine fashion as Vernita, serving up the best living room death match in the history of film. I loved the moment all over again when that school bus pulls up in front of her house. Hilarious and unpredictable. Michael Madsen comes off as even more sad and desperate in this version as Budd. The life he has carved out for himself is so low. He's just waiting for The Bride to return. Madsen seems to be playing himself here, he's so good in the role. Everything I loved about seeing the original two films is back here, but feels more logical, more informed. Common opinion was that the second film was slower, more thoughtful than the first, but merged together, many of the events feel more natural. Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo is perfection, as is Michael Parks in his dual role that bookends the film. Could two characters in one film be more different than Sheriff Earl McGraw and the urbane Esteban Vihaio stuck in a remote jungle? He should have been nominated as well. Parks is a standout. If you haven't seen either of the Kill Bill films, devote a rainy afternoon or an entire evening to experiencing this legendary film in one sitting. It's Tarantino's brilliant tribute to Leone, Kurosawa, Clint Eastwood and 70's Kung Fu, wrapped up into one beautiful bloody package. Tarantino remains firm that this version will not be released to streaming or on home video, that the only way to see it is on the big screen. Bravo. This is what the big screen was made for. Go see it and stay through the credits for Tarantino's final surprise, a Lost Chapter of the saga, detailing one character's quest for revenge against the bride. It was created by a gaming company and Tarantino, with Uma back to voice her character. It's the perfect final dessert after a long, amazing meal with cinematic friends. Instantly in my Top 100 films of all time, I waited a long time to see this film, and it exceeded high expectations. Bloody Brilliant, an A+.

"All my memories are movies...." A dramatic and funny showcase that feels authentic from its first frame to its superb final minutes, JAY KELLY emerges as one of my favorite films of the year. Every moment of this carefully crafted character study avoids cliches, revealing the life of a very famous movie star and those that surround him. George Clooney has never been better than he is here as aging action MOVIE star Jay Kelly. Kelly has everything that a long career in Hollywood can bring. His European home is stunning, his travel by Range Rover fleet or private jet is world class. Kelly is surrounded by a constant group of support staff, led by his agent of many years, Ron Sukenick, played to perfection by a great Adam Sandler. For any of you out there that haven't caught on to the fact that Sandler is one of our best American dramatic actors, here's more celluloid proof that should win him some acting awards this season. Ron is at Jay's beck and call, 24/7/365. He's committed to Jay and cares about him like family. Some of his other staff, might not be quite so loyal, or the gig is starting to wear thin. Laura Dern (Jurassic Park, Blue Velvet) is hilarious as Liz, whose been at Jay's side as long as Ron, but has a keener eye on the reciprocal nature of his loyalty. Candy (Emily Mortimer) seems to be anxious to move on to a new gig as well. Jay's life as a movie star leaves him little time for family, a fact that hits him squarely in the face as his youngest daughter gets ready to head off to college with her friends after a last summer fling across Paris and Italy. Billy Crudup is excellent as Timothy, a friend from Jay's past who resurfaces and fires up the first moment of Jay's self realization about the years behind him. We've all seen films about very successful people who come to a turning point in their lives. We've certainly seen behind-the-scenes tales of famous movie stars and the glamorous life that they lead. The challenge of those films is to feel sorry for the person who has everything when they have a moment of self realization about their priorities. But that's what is so different, so emotionally resonant in JAY KELLY. Director/Writer Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) finds the perfect actors in Clooney and Sandler to become Jay and Ron. Both are at a turning point in their lives, approaching or crossing sixty years old. It's a time when you face your mortality for the first time and question the choices you've made. What happens in the film is as spontaneous and unpredictable as Jay's sudden whims to break his routine. I had no idea where it was going but I loved every single minute of the journey. Jay's relationship with his oldest daughter Jessica (a terrific Riley Keough) and father (Stacy Keach) become major plot points in the final half of the film, as Jay heads to accept a lifetime film achievement award and invites his family. I made assumptions about where the film was going, but didn't credit Baumbach with enough originality. His storytelling and reveals pack an emotional punch that surprised me, especially with Jay and Ron. The film is packed with stars, some in small but pivotal roles. I'm not going to mention them all here, so you can be surprised as well, but look for the always great Jim Broadbent as a mentor of Jay's and Greta Gerwig as Ron's long suffering wife. The scenes with her and the kids are all hilariously believable. If someone asks me what me favorite film ending is of all-time, I always lean quickly to Warren Beatty and Julie Christie at the end of "Heaven Can Wait". Now, I'll hesitate and think about the final minutes of JAY KELLY, a brilliant, heart pulling line of dialogue that speaks to all of us, especially those of us in the same stage of life as Jay. This is intelligent, funny and moving film work of the highest order. I need to watch a lot more Baumbach, because it's hard to believe this isn't his masterpiece. JAY KELLY gets an A+. Clooney and Sandler deserve every accolade that's about to come their way.

Memorial Day Weekend 2017 seemed like a good time to revisit 2001's big box office hit and patriotic blockbuster PEARL HARBOR. An old fashioned throwback to an epic war film, we meet Rafe (Ben Affleck) and Danny (Josh Whatever happened to him? Hartnett) life long best friends and now hot shot young pilots. As the Nazis overtake Europe and the rest of the world is caught up in the storm, our boys and America sit out the fight, which in retrospect seems amazing. Rafe falls in love with beautiful young nurse Evelyn (stunning Kate Beckinsdale) and their love story, along with introductions to the rest of the pilots fills the first hour of the film. We then see Japan planning the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, woven into the story as Rafe flies off to Europe to fly missions on the front lines. At the time, some critics were harsh on the film saying the romance was to sappy and the dialogue was too cliche, but looking back at the film now, its romantic, funny and yes, at times teetering on cheesy with its dialogue. I'll credit screenwriter Randall Wallace (Braveheart, We Were Soldiers) with going for a classic war film style from the 40's. Director Michael Bay is really hit and miss for me, but I think he nails PEARL, staging the most incredible attack on Pearl Harbor ever seen on screen. The music score by Hans Zimmer is nearly always present and well done and the cinematography by John Schwartzman (Jurassic World, The Amazing Spiderman) is excellent. The special effects and sound design (which won an Oscar) are flawless from the first bomb to the final bullet in dogfights above Hawaii. The combination of full size explosions and effects with state-of-the-art CGI puts you in the middle of the attack for nearly twenty minutes. I learned a lot about the Doolittle raid as our retaliation and it makes me want to read more about the history around the events that drew us into World War II. Alec Baldwin is great as Doolittle, Jon Voight is a formidable Roosevelt and Cuba Gooding & Michael Shannon are both terrific in supporting roles. Three hours long but never slow, with jaw-dropping special effects and plenty of characters you'll care about, PEARL HARBOR is a fitting tribute to all those that have served our country so proudly. Is it cliched? Yes, but damned if Bay and Wallace don't package it in the perfect red, white & blue patriotism and nostalgia that make it incredibly enjoyable. See it on the biggest screen you can find and crank up the sound. You'll BE at PEARL HARBOR. It gets a flag waving and appreciative A from me this Memorial Day.

On today, December 7th, 2016, the 75th anniversary of the attack on our country at Pearl Harbor, we watched the epic 1970 film recreation, TORA! TORA! TORA! Filmed in tandem with a Japanese crew and cast, this big budget drama details the week leading up to the attack from both sides. A classic 70's cast including Martin Balsam, EG Marshall and Joseph Cotten play real life characters in this historically accurate depiction of the near destruction of our Pacific Fleet in 1941. It's fascinating as a co-production with the Japanese, offering a fair portrayal of the war from both sides, showing the glaring failures on both sides that led to the sneak attack on that early Sunday morning and the aftermath. Director Richard Fleischer (Fantastic Voyage, Soylent Green) lets the first hour unwind the history at a pretty slow pace, letting the suspense build slowly and really kick in at the 80 minute mark as the Japanese fighters take off for the attack. The recreation of the massive assault on Pearl Harbor is very well done, especially considering this was long before CGI, with full scale explosions and models doing the heavy lifting, along with some very brave stuntmen. In 2001, Michael Bay unleashed his mega-budget, explosive take on the real story with his huge hit '"Pearl Harbor". The special effects in that version no doubt dwarf this 1970's take, but this film treats the history with classroom-like respect and reverence, versus wrapping it in a splashy soap opera as Bay did. For old-fashioned, respectful war movie style, TORA! delivers, especially in its final 40 minutes. Along with "Hello Dolly", it nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox when audiences didn't turn out in 1970, but its gained respect over the years and remains a war classic. It gets a B.

Based on the true story of how Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol", THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS is an enjoyable holiday film for the whole family. While I know Dickens classic tale inside out and count its many film adaptions among my holiday favorites, I was genuinely surprised by the many facts I learned watching the film. A clever blend of fantasy, author struggles, family drama and Christmas warmth, this one surprised me. Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Beauty and the Beast) is excellent as Dickens. He's in the middle of a massive remodel in the Victorian London home, and hot off three flops in his last three books. Christmas is approaching, his loans are all coming due and he's got a case of writer's block as thick as the London fog. Screenwriter Susan Coyne, basing her screenplay on Les Standiford's novel, creates a clever tale, as the events in Dickens life line up to inspire the story of Scrooge, Marley and the most eventful Christmas Eve in literature. We see moments that inspire and the people around Dickens that quote phrases that will soon become part of legend. Justin Edwards is great as Charles best friend and agent and Jonathan Pryce (Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies) is excellent as Dickens father, John. Their history is complicated and as the film unwinds, their history emerges as a primary motivator for some key characters and events around Scrooge. Stevens and Pryce play off each other incredibly well and some of their verbal battles really leap off the screen. As Dickens begins to imagine Scrooge, he materializes in the form of the always superb, late Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World, The Sound of Music). Plummer inhabits Ebenezer down to the slightest hand movement and snide facial expression. 87 years old at the time of filming, Plummer was the oldest actor to ever play the miser in a major film production. Soon, all the characters surround Dickens in his writing study. It's a smart plot device, well used. The film morphs into an enjoyable blend of comedy and drama as the classic tale unfolds on screen, often mirroring the events in Dickens life that inspire it. Morfydd Clark (Crawl) is another stand out in a large and well cast ensemble as Charles' wife Kate. She may be quiet and supportive, but she's got a lot of things to say when cornered and they're well delivered (and much needed). Dickens created the entire story in just six weeks, the most influential Christmas tale of all time. When it landed in London bookstores in December of 1843, it sold out before the holiday and became an all-time best selling book. It also elevated the spirit and importance of the Christmas holiday to new heights in the UK and America. Dickens fans will find many, many moments & people that clearly inspired his future writings. Production values are first rate. You think you know everything you need to know about Charles Dickens and "A Christmas Carol"? Bah humbug! You don't know anything yet! THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS is an enjoyable holiday film, woven with holiday cheer, London Christmas atmosphere and family drama that packs a punch. It gets three Ho Ho Ho's and a very solid B.

Wait, you're telling me there's a 70's movie with Hannibal Lecter's Anthony Hopkins as a secret agent, James Bond wannabe, blasting his way across Scotland and it's written by Alistair MacLean of "Where Eagles Dare" and "Ice Station Zebra" fame? Indeed. Welcome to 1971's WHEN EIGHT BELLS TOLL . When Sean Connery announced that he was done with OO7 after "You Only Live Twice", film producers Elliott Kastner & Jerry Gershwin thought they had just the recipe to fill the gap. They asked MacLean to adapt his first novel featuring agent Phillip Calvert for the big screen and paid him to write two more screenplays for further Calvert film adventures. But then this one hit theaters with a thud and the plans for the series faded faster than my hopes for an entertaining first chapter. The film opens well, with Calvert (Hopkins) climbing aboard a vessel with some Bond-like intrigue and a fun main title song by Walter Stott. About halfway through the film, I heard some music that sounds exactly like Angela Morley's music for a favorite movie as a kid, "Captain Nemo and the Underwater City". That's not a coincidence. Walter became Angela between the two films. My ear for film music remains intact. Anyway, Hopkins, in his first starring role, struggles to find the right tone as British Agent Calvert. He's not quite as intimidating as you'd like in the action scenes and way too grumpy in many of his interactions with his fellow agents. I think instead of a license to kill, Calvert's got carte blanche to be an a-hole. The case he's on isn't exactly Bond-like world domination either. Calvert's on the trail of a team hijacking ships with gold aboard. It spins off in all sorts of directions, none of which are particularly interesting. There is an occasional action sequence and they aren't bad. James Bond stunt coordinator Bob Simmons was hired to get Hopkins into shape for the film and stage some scenes and that pedigree shows. But every time you think it's heading somewhere, the film just kind of wanders off in another direction. During the finale shootout in the cave, there's a little rowboat with an outboard engine that drifts into a cave wall and explodes, it's hilarious. Maybe it was the inspiration for the shark blowing up like it's full of dynamite at the end of "Jaws: The Revenge". Not a comparison anyone wants for their film. Instead of M, Hopkins reports to Uncle Arthur, played by the pompous and rotund Robert Morley, who's fallen a long way since his role in "The African Queen". Arthur is a bizarre character, often more concerned with his next meal than solving the case. Nathalie Delon is Charlotte, probably the most interesting character here as you're never quite sure where her loyalty lies. She's a sexy, mysterious wannabe Bond Girl and Delon (Frantic, Bluebeard) is well cast. This pales in comparison to some of the other modern classics made from MacLean's undeniably enjoyable action novels. "Ice Station Zebra" made for a fantastic film that I watch almost every year and 'Where Eagles Dare" remains an all-time favorite with Eastwood and Burton blasting Nazis across endless snow set scenes. But those films were mounted on a massive, big budget scale by major studios. This is just one of two MacLean film adaptions released in 1971 by Cinerama Releasing in the states. The other, "Puppet on a Chain" is similarly limited by its budget, but features a fantastic boat chase that's worth watching. Eight Bells may toll, but I can't come up with even two reasons to watch this. It's sole redeeming quality is seeing Hopkins in his one and done effort to become a big screen action star. If they were shooting for OO7, they ended up with about a OO1. WHEN EIGHT BELLS TOLL sinks with a D. Check out the trailer below for a taste of Hopkins as Calvert, Phillip Calvert. The trailer is WAY better than the movie.

So that you will learn by experience that I do not tolerate interference, I will now detonate the nuclear warheads . Yes, they did make thrillers about AI all the way back in 1970, and COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT was one of my favorites as a very young film buff. Thanks to great writing, a strong cast and suspenseful direction, it still holds up 55 years after its release! Deep in the cold war, the USA develops a massive super computer buried underground. As the film opens, we watch its creator, Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden) fire it up, giant banks of computers lighting up as far as the eye can see in either direction. The filmmakers make the absolute best use of their budget, blending some impressive practical sets with exceptional matte paintings by the legendary Albert Whitlock (The Andromeda Strain, The Thing, Earthquake). Production Designer Alexander Golitzen was a Universal Studios legend at the time as well, behind 70's hits like "Airport", "Play Misty for Me" and "The Beguiled". COLOSSUS is a fine example for pre-CGI 70's special effects at their best. Shortly after Forbin turns on the AI beast, it communicates that it's found a nearly identical Russian version named Guardian. Both systems, built to prevent nuclear war, quickly begin chatting and take the world to the brink. Future films all the way from "Wargames"in 1983 to 2025's "A House of Dynamite" have their roots in Colossus. What this tight little thriller gets absolutely right is its careful building of real characters and the tightening of its conspiracy drama screws to a plausible ending. Braeden (Escape from the Planet of the Apes) is terrific as Forbin, typically the calm voice in the room, which makes him the only human that Colossus wants to converse with. Gordon Pinsent (The Thomas Crown Affair) is our JFK-mold President with great intentions, blindsided by the existence of the USSR version and how quickly the world changes when global superpowers are upended. Susan Clark (Coogan's Bluff, Airport 1975) is Dr, Markham, Forbin's right hand scientist. She and Forbin's relationship is fascinating to watch as Colossus takes more and more control of Forbin's life and starts carrying out assassinations and spy work on every level to maintain complete control. "Happy Days' fans should watch for Marion Ross as a key member of Forbin's scientific team a few years before she became America's favorite mom on the 70's sitcom classic. The computer's underground location in the Rockies mirrors the real-life Norad settings still in place today. Over $5 million (a lot more money in 1970 than it is today!) worth of real, state of the art (for the time) computers were used in the main control room set, giving it much more authenticity than the usual cardboard walls with blinking lights that hit most screens in that era. Steven Spielberg, just signed by Universal was on set for most of the production as a very young observer. Watching Director Joseph Sargent on set proved fruitful! As a side note, it's sad that Sargent is mostly remembered today as Director of all-time turkey "JAWS 4: The Revenge", instead of this film and the terrific 1974 thriller, "The Taking of Pelham 123". Spielberg isn't the only major director with ties to this film. James Cameron has said how much he loved it and cites it as a major influence in his creation of the Terminator films. If you wanted to have an early 70's sci-fi binge, watch this, Robert Wise's "The Andromeda Strain" and Crichton's "Westworld" for a killer triple feature. Eerie, effective, still relevant and culminating in an ending that's as unsettling now as it was 5+ decades ago, COLOSSUS gets a nostalgic B.

The best Benoit Blanc mystery since the original, WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A Knives Out Mystery is a hilarious, suspenseful whodunit of the highest order. What a cast! What a mystery. When the original Knives Out hit theaters Thanksgiving week 2019, I had said in my review that I hoped Daniel Craig & Rian Johnson would make a hundred of these Sherlock Holmes style thrillers. Well the great news is our third entry is every bit as good as the first. Writer/Director Johnson has a knack for spinning a tale and he's got a doozy to share this time out. If the last entry "Glass Onion" felt high-tech and modern, 'Wake Up Dead Man" conjures up the atmosphere of a 1960's Hammer film, all gothic churches, rainy nights with mysterious figures running across paths along with a bloody demise for one of our characters. NO SPOILERS here and I'm not detailing anything that's not front and center in the terrific trailer below. But I will tell you that the story is so smartly crafted that I wasn't even focused on the right direction and was not prepared for one of the best plot twists I've ever seen. It's an a-HA! moment for the ages. This cast! Josh O'Connor (Challengers) is Jud, a young priest and former boxer assigned by Bishop Langstrom (the hilarious Jeffrey Wright) to a small, failing Catholic church in a tiny town, led by the completely off-the-rails Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, perfectly cast in the form of Josh Brolinm who's having a great 2025 between this and "Weapons". He's never been better. To say Monsignor Wicks is a fire and brimstone voice from that very high, ornate pulpit is a massive understatement. His quiet confessions to Jud are laugh out loud moments that don't disappoint. Wicks most loyal acolyte is Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close) who will do anything to support the Monsignor. She seems to be lurking around every marble corner. Jeremy Renner (Avengers, Wind River) is Dr. Sharp, who sits meekly in the pew every Sunday, shattered by his recent divorce. Kerry Washington is Vera Draven, a very successful lawyer, whose adopted son Cy (Daryl McCormack from "Twisters") has come back home, a grown up influencer who is never without his iPhone and ring light. His quest for clicks is relentless. Andrew Scott (Spectre) is a famous author who's last big book was awhile ago. He's obsessed with writing a massive tome about Monsignor Wicks that paints him as the savior of the modern age. Cailee Spaeny (Alien:Romulus) is Simone Vivane, a famous cellist whose constant, undiagnosed pain has rendered her unable to perform. She invests all her hope and considerable funds in the Monsignor and his power to heal. The always welcome Thomas Haden Church (Sideways) plays Samson, the handyman at the church who lives just off property. These characters are all present when the Monsignor is impossibly murdered, just off screen, in a small alcove with an open door. It's impossible. And that's when the film is off and running, very cleverly and hilariously revealing itself as local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) and the famous Benoit Blanc arrive on scene. Craig has never been better as Blanc. His eclectic approach, perfect southern drawl and attitude kept me laughing and very intrigued as a murder that he himself calls "impossible" is dismantled piece by piece. In his four films as OO7, Craig never had the chance to play off characters with this kind of old school relish, hanging on every word of the suspects and reacting with facial expressions or stylized comebacks that have their own license to kill. He's having fun in the role and it's impossible for us not to, right alongside him. Like the countless Basil Rathbone/Sherlock Holmes films of old, the characters serve up a smorgasbord of possibilities and motivation. It felt like there was even more humor this time out and every punch line and snarky observation lands with perfection. Connor is fantastic as the young Priest and Blanc's proverbial Watson in solving the crime. It's the ultimate Scooby Dooby-Doo mystery according to Benoit, and I agree. Turn off the lights, settle in for some thunder and rain soaked mystery and 144 minutes of fun that feels more like 90. WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A Knives Out Mystery sleuths its smart, enjoyable path to an A. Mr. Craig and Mr. Johnson, can you please deliver one of these Thanksgiving cinematic feasts every other year? I'm already hungry for the next bite.

Happy Thanksgiving all! It's always great around the holidays to revisit my favorite turkey day movie, John Hughes' PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES . Hilarious, packed with classic physical comedy and an ending that holds an emotional wallop, this is 80's John Hughes at his best. The 5th time in the director's chair after his massive hit with Ferris Bueller the year before, Hughes delivered a huge holiday hit that grossed nearly four times its budget on the way to becoming a holiday blockbuster. Here we are nearly 40 years later and we can all quote a dozen scenes during our annual viewing. Steve Martin (The Jerk, Pennies from Heaven) is straight & serious businessman Neal Page, thrust together with shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith, played by John Candy(Stripes, Uncle Buck). They're thrown together on the road as they try to get home for Thanksgiving. Watching it again today, all the comedy still lands, thanks to Martin's gifts as an actor and straight man Candy's absolute perfection across every bit of Del's character arc. Memorable holiday moments abound: Martin battling Kevin Bacon for the last cab to O'Hare... Candy and Martin waking up together hugging after being forced to share a bed "Those aren't pillows! How 'bout those Bears...." Martin's battle with a rental car agency clerk (Edie McLurg) is a masterclass on the selective use of profanity. My favorite sequence sees Martin and Candy on the road in a wood paneled cousin of the family truckster in the Hughes penned legend "Vacation". Candy escalates the physical comedy to the heights of his film career as he manages to get both arms of his parka bound at his sides, spinning the wrong way down the freeway and eventually burning up their only vehicle. Martin & Candy are a terrific pair, trading sharp dialogue and pratfalls all the way from NYC to Chicago. Look for Dylan Baker, William Windom and the great Michael McKean in small roles that generate big laughs. Hughes script is packed with favorite moments: State Trooper: What the hell are you driving here? Del: We had a small fire last night, but we caught it in the nick of time. State Trooper: Do you have any idea how fast you were going? Del: Funny enough, I was just talking to my friend about that. Our speedometer has melted and as a result it's very hard to see with any degree of accuracy exactly how fast we were going. ---------------------------------- Del: [ s itting outside the motel cafe after finding out they've been robbed ] You know I've been thinking. What we're dealing with here is a small-time crook. He didn't take the credit cards, right? So we charge our way home. What kind of plastic do you carry? Neal: I have a Visa and a gasoline card. Oh, and I have a Neiman Marcus card in case you want to send someone a gift. What do you have? Del: Chalmer's Big and Tall men's shop. It's a seven outlet chain in the pacific northwest. Great stuff. Unfortunately, it does us no good here. ----------------------------------- Del: Y ou play with your balls a lot. Neal: [ scoffs ] I do not play with my balls. Del: Larry Bird doesn't do as much ball-handling in one night as you do in an hour! Neal: Are you trying to start a fight? Del: No. I'm simply stating a fact, that's all. You fidget with your nuts a lot. Neal: You know what'd make me happy? Del: A nother couple of balls and an extra set of fingers? ------------------------------------- Both Candy and Martin have said that this is their favorite film they ever made. It's too bad that we never got another comic pairing of these two. A holiday tradition that we treasure every holiday season, PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES gets an A+. Perfect holiday viewing, year after year.

Jodie Foster's HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS feels like a Thanksgiving turkey overstuffed with drama, comedy and a lot of melancholy, but damned if dessert doesn't almost bail out the meal. The cast is a holiday feast in itself. The always excellent Holly Hunter (Always, Broadcast News) is Claudia, a art restorer who starts off Thanksgiving week by getting fired by, and making out with, her much older boss Peter (Austin Pendelton). It's the opening scene of the film and the first of many where the characters seem a bit forced by the screenplay. Is it kind of funny? I guess, but feels strange. Claudia gets home to her teenage daughter Kitt (Claire Danes) who announces that she wont be joining her Mom for her pilgrimage back to Claudia's family for Thanksgiving Day. After a desperate and very sad call to her brother Tommy, Claudia heads to her childhood home for turkey day. As in most holiday films, her family is an eclectic bunch, but unlike my perennial holiday favorites, a few of them aren't very appealing to hang out with. The excellent Anne Bancroft and Charles During play her Mom and Dad, Adele & Henry. Adele is a chain smoking worry wart and meddler, while Henry rarely leaves his barcalounger unless its to move to the dining table or dance with Adele. These are two great actors reminding us of their incredible talent throughout. Claudia's brother Tommy arrives in the manic form of Robert Downey Jr., whose partner Jack is noticeably absent. Instead, he has Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott) in tow. The energy between Downey, McDermott and Hunter is a lot of fun to watch, until Downey goes off the rails in several scenes, channeling the worst of Robin Williams in all the wrong ways. Downey later admitted that he was doing heroin during the shoot, which explains his performance that is all over the map. You see glimpses of the RDJ that would emerge post rehab, but the unrealistic, over the top moments eclipse them. Steve Guttenberg (The Boys From Brazil, Police Academy) and Cynthia Stevenson (Happiness) arrive as Walter and Joanne, Claudia's sister, along with their two kids. The great Geraldine Chaplin (Doctor Zhivago) is almost unrecognizable as Aunt Glady, Adele's sister who's losing her grasp on reality. Chaplin steals the movie with her Thanksgiving dinner speech about her unrequited love. Watching Durning's face during the entirety of Glady's reveal is a masterclass in acting by During. But every perfect moment of Chaplin's scene is quickly overshadowed by the verbal and physical humiliation of another character that just feels wrong. It's as two pages of Terry Letts' brilliant script for "August Osage County" snuck into the flow, tearing Joanne apart with cruelty. For me, it derails the film almost completely off the tracks. But damned if Director Jodie Foster doesn't steer it back with some heartfelt moments and memories that close the film like a flawless Thanksgiving pumpkin pie at the end of an uneven meal. By the perfect final scenes, the film's messages about love and family emerge, in spite of any missteps mid film. This one definitely gets better as it goes. I think the more dysfunctional your own family is when you go HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS will likely influence how you feel about the film's middle portion. Disjointed but heartfelt, uneven but well acted, we'll give it a C and not add it to the perennial favorites list.

Is it time to tell Osgood Perkins to take a break? That we don't need a new OP film every 9 months? I loved last year's "Longlegs" and his crazy adaption of King's "The Monkey" earlier this year. I went into his new film KEEPER anticipating more Osgood creativity. Mistaking repetition for storytelling, Perkins creates a boring slog that goes on forever. It feels like he's going for something Lynch-ian like "Mulholland Drive" but sadly, he creates his own "Eraserhead", a dull, excruciatingly boring tale that only an art house insomniac could love. It's a waste of a good cast. Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, The Monkey) is believable as Liz, a woman who's been in a relationship with her new boyfriend Malcolm for about a month. He seems too good to be true. She is about to leave for a long weekend at his cabin in the secluded woods (insert sinister music here). Is he secretly married and she's just a fling? Can anyone really be this perfect? Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland from ABC's "Murder in a Small Town") seems calm, appreciative and truly in love with Liz. A doctor, Malcolm gets called away for a few hours to a patient emerging from a coma. When he heads into the city, things in the cabin get strange quickly. Perkins seems more committed to making you jump out of your seat with cheap jump scares and flashes of horror, accompanied by loud, shrieking music, than in creating any real tension. The jump scares startle the hell out of you, but they pass quickly, leaving you stuck with Liz in a big ass cabin for what seems like a real-time, long afternoon. There are mysterious clues, the weirdest chocolate cake since "The Help" and enough dreams and whispers through the air vents to make anyone put a For Sale sign on this place. Things perk up a bit when Malcolm's relative who lives next door pops by one late night with a gorgeous Russian model, who says nothing. Darren (Birkett Turton) is obnoxious, sexist and rude, the ultimate late night, intrusive pop in. Once we get to that cabin, we're stuck right along with Liz. For what seems like an eternity. I almost walked out several times, but as a fan of Perkins other works, I was determined to see what he was building up to; what was the point? Well, the good news is that the final 25 minutes definitely perks up, "The Sentinel" style, as everything that's been lurking manifests itself around Liz. The bad news is that Perkins resorts to the old "this whole thing is so dull, confusing and self important, that I'm going to have a main character explain the entire plot" device. This is the deadly curse of aspirational horror films. Ari Aster's "Hereditary" is one of my Top 10 horror favorites of my lifetime, but it's damn near ruined by the final ten minutes that stoops to the same device that Perkins uses here. Speaking of Ari Aster, there was a long, long passage in the middle of this film that reminded me of Aster's "Beau is Afraid", one of the most boring films I ever completed. When I'm staring at the screen comparing boredom levels, suffice to say that you've failed to engage me. It's saved from an F grade by some truly inspired creature work in that final basement scene that blew me away. It's original, startling and creative. Too little, too late. KEEPER is anything but, slowly creeping and crawling it's way to a disappointing D.

If Indiana Jones and Mad Max had a cinematic offspring, it's surely the fantastic SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE. The leanest, coolest and funniest action thriller I've seen since the first film "Sisu" three years ago, it's a tribute to great action film making with a heavy dose of Coyote/Roadrunner mayhem. Our silent hero Aatami is back, perfectly played once again by Jorma Tomilla. It's 1946 and WWII is over. Aatami lost his wife and children to a Soviet madman in the war and he begins a quest to return across the new Soviet border and take apart his house, log by log. His loyal dog watches in fascination as Aatami takes out every nail and piece of the home and loads it on a large truck, ready to transport it to his new homestead in Finland. Soviet leaders find out that Aatami has crossed their borders. The man has grown into a Sisu legend for the number of enemy he killed in the last film's events and they are anxious to put him down. Who better than the mad Red Army Commander Dragunov that created this mess, to track down Aatami and put him down. Dragunov is perfectly cast in the form of Stephen Lang (Avatar, Manhunter) a brutal psychotic who's been languishing in prison for war crimes and is thrilled to get out and hunt. Everything we loved about the first film is back, bigger and better. The story is split into seven chapters, bold titles announcing each one and building your anticipation for the absolute madness that is about to ensue. I laughed out loud more than once as the aging Aatami took on bad guys, bomber jets, armored motorcycles and fighter planes in George Miller like scenes that seamlessly blend creativity with homages to everything from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Road Warrior". Writer/Director Jelmari Helander takes his larger budget this time out and spends every dollar on screen. He has said he was inspired to create something that Steven Spielberg would be proud of in the final twenty minute train sequence. That train is packed with soldiers, Dragunov and a gaggle of senior Soviet military leaders. Every car is loaded with ammunition and opposition. How will Aatami get through the entire train to his prey in the front car? One incredibly staged fist fight, knife battle, ax throw, pistol, gun and rocket at a time. My face hurt from smiling and laughing in this final sequence as Helander and team blew me away again and again...and again. Relentlessly. It's a tribute to Tomilla and Lang that two guys in their 60's and 70's can battle this brutally for this long and make it believable. Incredibly well staged. Film lovers will appreciate the Sergio Leone style photography and the sheer momentum of this 89 minute action masterpiece. Helander has said that he wanted to create a film in the spirit of Indiana Jones, James Bond and Buster Keaton with his sequel. Mission accomplished. One of the biggest surprises in the film is it's heartfelt coda. Our hero may not mutter a single word, but in the end, you realize he doesn't need to. Only fitting since SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE left me speechless, not earning an A like its predecessor, surpassing it to an A+ with bigger action, a better villain and just a touch of heart. If you haven't seen the first film, see it now and then run to a big screen and buckle up for the Road to Revenge, the best eighties action movie made in four decades. Unleash hell, indeed.... Check out the R rated trailer below for a taste of the madness and let's hope it doesn't take three years for Part 3!