Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: Die Hard (1988) I was genuinely saddened by the death of Alan Rickman. He was one of the very few contemporary performers whose name got me into a cinema seat no matter what the movie was. It all started with his first big role in the 1988Continue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: Johnny Got His Gun (1971) I first saw Johnny Got His Gun when I was a freshman in college. It came out at the height of the Vietnam War and quite simply blew me away. It was the only film to be directed by legendary blacklisted screenwriterContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Having been enthralled by Guillermo del Toro’s latest effort Crimson Peak, I decided to choose his masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth for this month’s DVD pick. I say masterpiece because I can’t imagine him doing anything to surpass this but only time will tell. If I’mContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: Tales from the Crypt / Vault of Horror (1973) Actually it’s a Blu-Ray pick as the DVD of this double feature contains the TV print of Vault of Horror which is sloppily (and I do mean sloppily) censored. For those of you without Blu-Ray players, the DVDContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: Java Heat (2013) Having thoroughly enjoyed No Escape (see my review this issue), I was immediately reminded of this little action flick from Indonesia that did decent business back in 2013. The setting is Southeast Asia, it has action to spare, and has the added bonus ofContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) This film was brought to mind by the recent release of the film Mr. Holmes (see my review this issue) about an elderly Sherlock Holmes. Thirty years ago producer Steven Spielberg and director Barry Levinson concocted this fanciful tale about how Holmes andContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: The Wicker Man (1973) It is “singularly unfortunate” (to quote my son) that for most people the title of The Wicker Man conjures up the 2006 abomination featuring Nicholas Cage. This original version from 1973 is in a different league altogether. In fact there are several criticsContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: Mad Max (1979) Having made it through Mad Max: Fury Road, the latest installment in the series (see my review), I went back and re-watched the original to revisit the character’s humble origins when he first hit the screen back in 1979. The original was made duringContinue Reading
Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) While Citizen Kane always grabs the top slot as Orson Welles’ greatest cinematic achievement, I cast my vote for The Magnificent Ambersons. Welles’ follow-up to Kane is the antithesis of that film. While Kane loudly proclaims its brilliance from every frame, Ambersons isContinue Reading
