Gripping in parts, convoluted and stagnant in others, Syriana is screenwriter Steven Gaghan’s attempt to provide an insider’s peek into the varying forces at play in the continuing Middle Eastern oil and terrorism struggles, similar...
Are introductions really necessary for Quentin Tarantino’s best film? Pulp Fiction is nearly perfectly executed in every detail, balancing a fine line between tragedy and comedy, the absurdly surreal and the unflinchingly realistic, morally depraved and...
1990s / Action / Drama / Thriller / Western
by Vincent Leo · Published December 12, 2005 · Last modified May 29, 2019
Unforgiven is one of the rare films where I agree with the Academy Award voters, who proclaimed it the Best Picture of 1992. It ranks among the best Westerns of all time, almost a...
Jon Favreau stars as Mike, is a recently relocated New Yorker trying to make it big as a comedian/actor in Hollywood, but finding that the road to his dreams is filled with one detour...
1970s / Drama / Musical / Romance
by Vincent Leo · Published November 24, 2005 · Last modified May 29, 2019
In my opinion, New York New York is the most underrated of Scorsese’s films. Coming after Taxi Driver, critics probably grew restless looking for more signs of a genius filmmaker that they thought Scorsese to be within...
Claire Danes stars as Mirabelle, who has recently moved to Los Angeles from her Vermont upbringing and has secured a job working as a salesperson in the glove department of the chic Saks Fifth...
Barry Newman stars as Kowalski, a cross-country deliverer of cars for clients that makes a bet that he can drive a 1970 Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in a short amount of...
The Last Picture Show primarily follows the exploits of two small-town Texas high school buddies on the cusp of graduation during the early 1950s, Sonny (Bottoms) and Duane (Bridges). Duane is currently dating the...
It’s Nicolas Cage doing what he does best, play a self-defeating loser, in The Weather Man, a bigger budget Hollywood release that feels like a small, quirky independent comedy. It’s a comedy that just barely...
2000s / Comedy / Drama / Romance
by Vincent Leo · Published October 29, 2005 · Last modified May 29, 2019
Prime ostensibly gets its title from the theory that men reach their sexual prime in their early adulthood, while women hit it as they approach 40. Writer-director Ben Younger goes a step further in...
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.
