Movie Review: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Bette Davis’ favorite movie of all time __ 9/10
Review by Brian Wright

The Best Years of Our LivesFred Derry: I dreamed I was gonna have my own home. Just a nice little house for my wife and me out in the country… in the suburbs anyway. That’s the cock-eyed kind of dream you have when you’re overseas.
Peggy Stephenson: You don’t have to be overseas to have dreams like that.
Fred Derry: Yeah. You can get crazy ideas right here at home. Continue reading

Movie Review: Gigi (1958)

Yes, doggonit, a great sense-of-life film __ 9/10
Reviewed by Brian Wright

GigiAunt Alicia: Love, my dear Gigi, is a thing of beauty like a work of art, and like a work of art it is created by artists.

Gigi: Who gave it to you, Aunt?
Aunt Alicia: A king!
Gigi: A great king?
Aunt Alicia: No, a little one. Great kings do not give very large stones.
Gigi: Why not?
Aunt Alicia: In my opinion it’s because they don’t feel they have to.
Gigi: Well, who does give the valuable jewels?
Aunt Alicia: Who? Oh the shy, the proud, and the social climbers, because they think it’s a sign of culture. But it doesn’t matter who gives them, as long as you never wear anything second-rate. Wait for the first-class jewels, Gigi. Hold on to your ideals. Continue reading

Movie Review: The Big Lebowski (1998)

The funniest 60s-burnout flick ever made _ 9/10
Review by Brian Wright

The Big LebowskiThe Dude: This is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous. And, uh, a lotta strands to keep in my head, man. Lotta strands in old Duder’s head. Fortunately, I’m adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug regimen to keep my mind, you know, uh, limber.

Brandt: You never went to college…
The Dude: Oh, no I did, but I spent most of my time occupying various administration buildings… smoking a lot of thai stick… breaking into the ROTC… and bowling. To tell you the truth Brandt, I don’t remember most of it. Continue reading

Movie Review: Mildred Pierce (1945)

Fine intelligent movie that breaks barriers _ 9/10
Reviewed by Brian Wright

Mildred PierceVeda: With this money I can get away from you. From you and your chickens and your pies and your kitchens and everything that smells of grease. I can get away from this shack with its cheap furniture. And this town and its dollar days, and its women that wear uniforms and its men that wear overalls.

Veda: You think just because you made a little money you can get a new hairdo and some expensive clothes and turn yourself into a lady. But you can’t, because you’ll never be anything but a common frump whose father lived over a grocery store and whose mother took in washing. Continue reading

Movie Review: The King’s Speech (2010)

Worth watching, Anglophile or not __ 9/10
Review by Brian Wright

The King's SpeechLionel Logue: [as George “Berty” is lighting up a cigarette] Please don’t do that.
King George VI: I’m sorry?
Lionel Logue: I believe sucking smoke into your lungs will kill you.
King George VI: My physicians say it relaxes the throat.
Lionel Logue: They’re idiots.
King George VI: They’ve all been knighted.
Lionel Logue: Makes it official then. Continue reading

Movie Review: The Americanization of Emily (1964)

Brilliant antiwar satire ahead of its time ___ 9/10
Review by Brian Wright

Americanization of EmilyLt. Cmdr. Charles Madison: I don’t want to know what’s good, or bad, or true. I let God worry about the truth. I just want to know the momentary fact about things. Life isn’t good, or bad, or true. It’s merely factual, it’s sensual, it’s alive. My idea of living sensual facts are you, a home, a country, a world, a universe. In that order. I want to know what I am, not what I should be. Continue reading

Movie Review: City Island (2009)

Bronx neighborhood eccentric charmer ___ 8/10
Review by Brian Wright

City_IslandMolly: The problem is I’ve told this secret about a million times. I’ve auditioned with it in fact. It’s your turn Vincent, I’m stuck.
Vincent: I don’t know is it possible that I don’t have one [a secret]?
Molly: No, that would make you far too normal to want to be an actor. Continue reading