William Peter Blatty (A Shot in the Dark, The Ninth Configuration) provides the Oscar-winning screenplay, based on his best-selling 1971 horror novel, which in turn is purportedly partially based on a true-life exorcism performed in...
by Vincent Leo · Published September 20, 2007 · Last modified January 28, 2019
Redford (All the President’s Men, Three Days of the Condor) and Fonda (Coming Home, Nine to Five) reunite for the third and final time starring together in a film, and the result is an amiable but...
Bill Murray’s first starring role showcases the easygoing smart-alecky character that would take him through nearly a career of suitably memorable roles. It’s the first of four films he would make with director Ivan Reitman...
The Japanese didn’t plan an assault on Hollywood, Spielberg did. One of his few misfires, but it’s a big one, 1941 sees director Steven Spielberg having fun playing with a “sky’s the limit” budget and...
1970s / Science Fiction / Thriller
by Vincent Leo · Published June 11, 2007 · Last modified August 1, 2018
Michael Crichton’s 1969 sci fi-thriller novel of the same name serves as the basis of this film, which jumped into production not long after the book’s release. It starts off in the town of...
11 Harrowhouse is a wryly witty spoof on the heist flick, adapted by star and first-time screenwriter Charles Grodin from a Jeffrey Bloom script based on the Gerald A. Browne novel of the same...
1970s / Action / Martial Arts / Thriller
by Vincent Leo · Published March 22, 2007 · Last modified March 20, 2019
Bruce Lee’s (Return of the Dragon, The Chinese Connection) final completed film before his untimely death at the age of 33, Enter the Dragon, the first Hollywood martial arts film, is definitely is one of the...
by Vincent Leo · Published March 11, 2007 · Last modified January 18, 2019
This is the third time I’ve seen The Getaway (as of this writing) and with each instance, I have grown to like it more. It’s one of those films that seems edgier and fresher as time...
by Vincent Leo · Published December 26, 2006 · Last modified July 16, 2018
Although John Carpenter’s 1978 film, Halloween, is widely called by many people the first of the true modern slasher films, many genre enthusiasts point to this little Canadian shocker, released four years earlier, as the one...
The seed of inspiration for Rocky was planted on March 24, 1975. Sylvester Stallone attended a closed-circuit Los Angeles movie theater presentation of Chuck Wepner fighting Muhammad Ali. Severe underdog Wepner wasn’t expected to...
Reviews from film writer Vince Leo, covering all eras and genres of films from classics to the latest releases.
Film reviews from Vince Leo, from classics to new releases, since 1996.
