10 Items or Less (2006)
10 Items or Less is the “express lane” of filmdom; it looks like a quick and easy proposition, but once you’re in line, it almost invariably takes just as long for getting so little....
10 Items or Less is the “express lane” of filmdom; it looks like a quick and easy proposition, but once you’re in line, it almost invariably takes just as long for getting so little....
Nominated for six Oscars, and winner of four, Ordinary People is a small-scale drama that is almost as notorious for besting Raging Bull for Best Picture as it is for being a good film. Although it seems like...
Characterizations are the key to this fantastic mob story, perhaps only rivaled by The Godfather as the best of them all. Violent, compelling, daring and rich, Scorsese (The King of Comedy, The Last Waltz) crafts Nicholas Pileggi’s...
by Vincent Leo · Published February 20, 2007 · Last modified February 18, 2019
Rob Reiner followed up his cult smash comedy, This is Spinal Tap, with a more conventional form of film: the road trip comedy. It’s a bit of an easy putt to make on first glance,...
1990s / Science Fiction / Thriller
by Vincent Leo · Published February 20, 2007 · Last modified November 21, 2019
Surely there is very real and very convincing data that the planet cannot survive the excesses of the human race: the proliferation of atomic devices, uncontrolled breeding habits, the rape of the environment, the...
2000s / Action / Horror / Superhero
by Vincent Leo · Published February 18, 2007 · Last modified February 23, 2019
One of Marvel’s second-tier “superhero” comics combines elements that were popular in the 1970s, including horror influences, motorcycle stunts, and a nomad protagonist who righted wrongs wherever he was needed. “Ghost Rider” wasn’t exactly...
The Infernal Affairs series borrows another page from the Godfather series by having the next entry serve as both a sequel and a prequel to the first chapter (the first sequel mirrors The Godfather Part II by tracing the character...
by Vincent Leo · Published February 16, 2007 · Last modified March 30, 2019
As much as I love Hong Kong action films, I must still admit that most directors tend to prefer style over substance, slow-motion shootouts over character development. This is why it comes as a...
by Vincent Leo · Published February 15, 2007 · Last modified February 15, 2019
It’s interesting to see that, after the critical failure that was A View to a Kill, that the brain trusts behind the Bond franchise would choose to ride the same horses behind the scenes, as...
by Vincent Leo · Published February 11, 2007 · Last modified February 11, 2019
It’s difficult to divorce Lethal Weapon 2 from the first Lethal Weapon, as it assumes a certain familiarity with the characters that is crucial in order to understand their nature and motivation, as well as to relate...
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.