Gallipoli (1981)
89%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: 11 wins & 6 nominations
Peter Weir’s devastating anti-war film features a low-key but emotionally wrenching performance from Mel Gibson as a young soldier fighting in one of World War I’s most deadly and horrifying battles
Gallipoli is like that one friend who always tells the same story at every party, but you still love them anyway. Sure, it’s predictable and filled with all the classic war movie cliches, but there’s something about it that just hits different. Maybe it’s the stunning visuals or the heart-wrenching performances, but either way, it’s a triumph. Plus, who doesn’t love a good anti-war film? Overall, Gallipoli may not be the most gripping or dramatic experience, but it’s definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, Georgetown Productions Inc., Sean S. Cunningham Films,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Cairo, Egypt
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1981
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 50m
-
Language(s):English, Arabic, French
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 1981 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 13, 2005
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Mark Lee, Mel Gibson, Bill Kerr, Ron Graham, Harold Hopkins, Charles Yunupingu, directed by Peter Weir, written by Peter Weir, David Williamson, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Michael Blowen, David Stratton, Evan Williams, Martin Chilton, Dave Kehr, Ian Nathan, Richard Freedman, Diego Galán, Lawrence O’Toole, Rachel Wagner, Margaret Pomeranz, produced by Patricia Lovell, Robert Stigwood, PG, World War I, anti-war film, Australian soldiers, Gallipoli campaign, Archy Hamilton, Frank Dunne, Jack, Wallace Hamilton, Les McCann, Zac, messengers, bloodiest battles, Mono, Paramount Pictures
Worldwide gross: $5,732,587
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $19,314,739
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,729
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,106,296
US/Canada gross: $5,732,587
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): A$2,600,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Mel Gibson – Frank Dunne
Bill Kerr – Jack
Ron Graham – Wallace Hamilton
Harold Hopkins – Les McCann
Charles Yunupingu – Zac
Director – Peter Weir
Producers – Patricia Lovell, Robert Stigwood
Writers – Peter Weir, David Williamson
Director(s)
Peter Weir
Writer(s)
Peter Weir, David Williamson
Producer(s)
Patricia Lovell, Robert Stigwood
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
11 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (4)
Gallipoli is a predictable war movie filled with all the gung-ho cliches of the genre — and I loved it.
June 29, 2018
Michael Blowen
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Gallipoli was, and is, a triumph.
July 7, 2017
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Weir’s objective was not to show us Gallipoli through a documentary lens, but with an artist’s vision. He has succeeded magnificently.
July 7, 2017
Evan Williams
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
One of the most elegiac anti-war films ever made.
July 7, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
Martin Chilton
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Classy and lifeless.
July 7, 2017
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A haunting and moving tribute to the Australians who sacrificed their lives in WWI.
July 7, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It maintains interest throughout, without ever being a particularly gripping, dramatic experience.
May 13, 2020
Richard Freedman
Newhouse News Service
Peter Weir concludes his movie by leaving promises unfulfilled. But it’s precisely that absurdity, that emptiness, that he had set out to communicate. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 23, 2019
Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)
Gallipoli, like most recent Australian films such as Breaker Morant and The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, is fastidiously well-made and furthers the boast that Australian actors, down to the smallest bit player, can do no wrong.
July 19, 2019
Lawrence O’Toole
Maclean’s Magazine
There was a humanity in Gallipoli that moved me because it wasn’t just a clinical exercise but a story of 2 young men who wanted to run but ended up being unable to outrace the foolish decisions of their generals.
February 28, 2019 | Rating: 9/10
Rachel Wagner
rachelsreviews.net
It moved me so terribly.
July 7, 2017
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)
Gallipoli remains one of the better World War I dramas yet made, well worth revisiting.
July 7, 2017 | Rating: 4/4
Graeme Tuckett
Stuff.co.nz…
Plot
The story of a group of young Australian men who leave their various backgrounds behind and sign up to join the ANZACs in World War I. They are sent to Gallipoli, where they encounter the resolute Turkish army.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Gallipoli.
Peter-Weir.jpg
Blow Out
Blow Out (1981)
83%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: 2 nominations
With a story inspired by Antonioni’s Blow Up and a style informed by the high-gloss suspense of Hitchcock, DePalma’s Blow Out is raw, politically informed, and littered with film references
Blow Out is like a Frankenstein’s monster of a movie, stitched together from different genres and influences. But hey, sometimes the weirdest mashups make for the best entertainment. It’s got horror, politics, and serial killers all in one, and somehow it all works. Sure, it’s not the most original thing out there, but it’s still a forgotten gem that deserves more love. Plus, John Travolta’s hair is a work of art in itself.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Plan B Entertainment, Initial Entertainment Group,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1981
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 24, 1981 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 28, 2001
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
Blow Out, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Brian De Palma, George Litto, R, Mystery, Thriller, Antonioni, Hitchcock, Film References, Conspiracy, Sound Effects, Governor, Presidential Candidate, Gunshot, Tapes, Romance, Slasher Flick, Political Drama, Serial Killer, Suspense, Critic Reviews, Tomatometer, Audience Score, Box Office, Budget, Reviewed by Kevin Maher, Bruce McCabe, William Goss, Chris Nashawaty, Mark Dinning, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Scott Sublett, Brian Eggert, Taylor Baker, Rob Aldam, Mike Massie, Horror, Paranoid, Espionage, Police Corruption, Editing, Sound Editing, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, Carrie, Carlito’s Way, Foreshadowing, Hero, Lynch, Blue Velvet
Worldwide gross: $12,000,754
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $40,434,001
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,430
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,409,379
US/Canada gross: $12,000,000
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $60,647,191
Production budget ranking: 670
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $32,658,512
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$52,871,702
ROI to date (est.): -57%
ROI ranking: 1,727
Nancy Allen – Sally
John Lithgow – Burke
Dennis Franz – Manny Karp
Peter Boyden – Sam
Curt May – Donahue
Director(s)
Brian De Palma
Writer(s)
Brian De Palma
Producer(s)
George Litto
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (53) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (8)
A horror movie, a paranoid political drama and a serial killer flick all at once.
May 21, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It’s a Xerox of a movie that’s nowhere near as indelible as the originals it purports to emulate.
April 27, 2018
Bruce McCabe
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Perfectly contrasts movies that reveal the truth against those which avoid it – a blood-drenched yet stake-free slasher vs. the far more insidious horrors of all-American living.
April 30, 2011
William Goss
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
April 14, 2011 | Rating: A
Chris Nashawaty
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
A forgotten gem.
March 27, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Dinning
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This 1981 release is one of Brian De Palma’s more interesting and better-made thrillers, though it’s even more abjectly derivative than his Hitchcock imitations.
March 27, 2009
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Brian DePalma keeps getting better.
May 23, 2022
Scott Sublett
Washington Blade
Blow Out is pure cinema, an exercise in elegant direction and refined style in which technique and plot merge into a singular body. And yet, the picture goes beyond pure cinema to question the mechanics of filmmaking.
March 18, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
…masterwork that constructs, deconstructs, and reconstructs Hitchcock’s genus.
August 28, 2021 | Rating: 96/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
A captivating mystery which plays with political espionage and police corruption to create a tense and entertaining experience.
August 2, 2021
Rob Aldam
Backseat Mafia
One of the essential thrillers of the 1980s.
March 1, 2021
Matt Patches
Polygon
De Palma’s approach is more derivative than in the vein of an homage, and his pacing is way off the mark.
August 31, 2020 | Rating: 3/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
This stylish Brian De Palma thriller plays off the theme of the unsuspecting witness who discovers a crime and is thereby put in grave danger, but with a novel twist. Jack Terry is a master audio technician who makes his living by recording unique sounds for grade-B horror movies. Late one evening, he is recording sounds for use in his movies when he hears something unexpected through his sound equipment and records it. Curiosity gets the better of him when the media become involved, and he begins to unravel the pieces of a nefarious conspiracy. As he struggles to survive against his shadowy enemies and expose the truth, he does not know whom he can trust.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Blow Out on Fresh Kernels.
Brian-De-Palma.jpg
Graduation
Graduation (Bacalaureat) (2017)
90%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Graduation marks yet another well-written and powerfully acted look at morality and societal decay from writer-director Cristian Mungiu.
Graduation” is a movie that will make you feel like you’re watching paint dry, but in a good way. The slow burn of the story and the naturalistic performances will have you invested in the characters before you even realize it. And just when you think nothing is happening, everything is happening. It’s a morally ambiguous tale of corruption and complex decisions that will leave you with more questions than answers, but isn’t that what life is all about? Plus, the cinematography is pretty darn good.
Production Company(ies)
Mandeville Films, Walt Disney Pictures,
Distributor
IFC Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
La Cañada High School – 4463 Oak Grove Dr, La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1981
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 8m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 7, 2017 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 4, 2017
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Graduation, Romanian, drama, Cristian Mungiu, Adrian Titieni, Maria-Victoria Dragus, Rares Andrici, Lia Bugnar, Malina Manovici, Vlad Ivanov, produced by Cristian Mungiu, written by Cristian Mungiu, morality, societal decay, corruption, dictatorship, scholarship, British university, R rating, box office gross, IFC Films, stereo sound, surround sound, critic reviews, David Stratton, Kate Taylor, Peter Howell, Ty Burr, Sara Michelle Fetters, Michael Sragow, Dustin Chang, Richard Propes, Cate Marquis, Nick Evan-Cook, Michael McNeely, Joel Mayward, audience reviews, naturalistic style, long takes, no score, Romanian society, exasperating incidents, honest man, methodical man
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Maria-Victoria Dragus – Eliza
Rares Andrici – Marius
Lia Bugnar – Magda
Malina Manovici – Sandra
Vlad Ivanov – Chief Inspector
Director(s)
Cristian Mungiu
Writer(s)
Cristian Mungiu
Producer(s)
Cristian Mungiu
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (139) | Top Critics (48) | Fresh (132) | Rotten (7)
By shining a spotlight on the everyday corruption and dirty dealing, Mungiu enables us to understand just why his homeland is struggling to escape from the weight of the dictatorship that ruined it and betrayed its people for so many years.
June 9, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
The cinematography, the dialogue and the performances, especially Adrian Titieni’s as an earnest and anxious Mr. Fix-It, are impressively naturalistic.
June 2, 2017 | Rating: 3/4
Kate Taylor
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
It’s … insistent that life is a series of complex decisions, with fate intruding, and the path’s never clear.
June 1, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/4
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
It feels like nothing’s happening until you realize everything is, right before your eyes.
June 1, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
[Graduation] is a masterfully composed effort that is instantly fascinating, moving towards its emotionally hushed conclusion with breathless, if still unhurried, intensity.
May 12, 2017 | Rating: 4/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
Mastering a movie equivalent of a detached first-person point of view, Mungiu unearths hidden depths in the supporting characters while creating a three-dimensional portrait of Romeo as a man who no longer lives in quiet desperation.
May 5, 2017
Michael Sragow
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Bacalaureat draws Romeo’s dilemma as a father, as a man, as a Romanian really well. It’s an amazingly scripted film that contains all the nuances of the sticky human existence.
February 14, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World
A remarkable film.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
For those with the patience, GRADUATION does have something to say.
May 1, 2019
Cate Marquis
We Are Movie Geeks
An intelligent, elegant, morally ambiguous, and quite frankly brilliant tale of corruption and questioning whether it can ever be justified.
March 5, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Nick Evan-Cook
One Room With A View
The times in which emotion breaks through (as it certainly did in 4 months) are the times you should be sure you are paying attention.
February 21, 2019
Michael McNeely
The Hindu Business Line
Graduation resists easy resolutions or satisfying conclusions. It’s a cinematic moral conundrum, raising numerous questions and answering very few of them.
November 13, 2018 | Rating: 4.5/5
Joel Mayward
Cinemayward…
Plot
After a high school track runner, named Laura, suddenly dies from a heart attack after finishing a 30-second 200-meter race, a killer wearing a sweat suit and a fencing mask begins killing off her friends on the school track team one by one. The suspects include the track coach Michaels, Laura’s sister Anne who arrives in town for the funeral, the creepy school principal Mr. Guglione, and Laura’s strange boyfriend Kevin.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
Cristian-Mungiu.jpg
Raging Bull
Raging Bull (1980)
95%RT Audience Score: 93%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
24 wins & 28 nominations total
Arguably Martin Scorsese’s and Robert De Niro’s finest film, Raging Bull is often painful to watch, but it’s a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero.
Raging Bull is a knockout of a movie! Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro team up to bring us the story of Jake La Motta, a boxer with a complex personality and a lot of issues. De Niro’s performance is nothing short of amazing, and it’s no wonder he won an Oscar for it. The film is visually stunning, and the violence is not gratuitous but serves to comment on the nature of violence itself. Sure, some critics may find fault with the film’s structure or Scorsese’s obsession with masculinity, but who cares? This movie packs a punch and will leave you reeling long after the credits roll.
Production Company(ies)
Chartoff-Winkler Productions,
Distributor
United Artists
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 8m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 8, 2005
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana, directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Jake LaMotta, Joseph Carter, Peter Savage, Paul Schrader, Mardik Martin, biography, drama, box office, budget, reviewed by Ron Pennington, Bruce McCabe, Gary Arnold, Kathleen Carroll, Leonard Maltin, Keith Uhlich, George Anderson, Brian Eggert, Q.V Hough, Eve Tushnet, Sarah Brinks, Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler, MPAA rating R, middleweight boxer, Bronx, downward spiral, unsympathetic hero, violent undertones, masculinity, character study, psychological destruction, jealousy, violence against women, emotional immaturity, toxic masculinity, champion boxer, eroticism, black and white, slow motion, self-destruction, defeat, haunting, powerful, stellar performances, brutal honesty
Worldwide gross: $23,402,427
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $87,954,257
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,079
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 9,591,522
US/Canada gross: $23,383,987
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $87,884,953
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 814
US/Canada opening weekend: $128,590
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $483,285
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,418
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $67,650,104
Production budget ranking: 621
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $36,429,581
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$16,125,428
ROI to date (est.): -15%
ROI ranking: 1,480
Cathy Moriarty – Vickie La Motta
Joe Pesci – Joey La Motta
Frank Vincent – Salvy
Nicholas Colasanto – Tommy Como
Theresa Saldana – Lenore
Director(s)
Martin Scorsese
Writer(s)
Jake LaMotta, Joseph Carter, Peter Savage, Paul Schrader, Mardik Martin
Producer(s)
Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
24 wins & 28 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Editing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (80) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (75) | Rotten (5)
Scorsese goes overboard in an attempt at low-keyed naturalism, however, and there is little dramatic structure to the biographical overview… But there’s no denying the power and artistry of De Niro’s performance.
December 26, 2018
Ron Pennington
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
This is a masterpiece. It proves that a film can have violent undertones and overtones, but still illuminate and comment upon violence in a moving, poetic and profound way.
April 26, 2018
Bruce McCabe
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Martin Scorsese’s obsession with a dubious mystique of masculinity turns “Raging Bull” into a ponderous work of metaphysical cinematic bull.
May 5, 2017
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
“Raging Bull” ultimately has a numbing effect on the brain as if one’s head had been pummeled by La Motta’s so-called “girlish” fists.
November 13, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
The other night, my wife and I sat down to watch the new 30th Anniversary Blu-ray edition of Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull. I could scarcely believe it’s been three decades since…
April 21, 2011
Leonard Maltin
leonardmaltin.com
TOP CRITIC
When has a performer as fully and uniquely sacrificed himself to the moving-picture cause as De Niro?
November 3, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
Keith Uhlich
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
There is unquestionable ugliness in Raging Bull, but there is astonishing power, too. It may shock you; it will definitely drain you. You won’t soon forget it.
June 16, 2022
George Anderson
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Jake La Motta, driven by jealousy, self-hatred, and complexes enough to enthrall any Freudian theorist, comes to life through Robert De Niro’s greatest performance.
March 20, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Raging Bull a complex character study about methods and codes of conduct all too often gets reductively tagged as Martin Scorsese’s toxic masculinity sports movie that allowed Robert De Niro to lose (and gain) weight in pursuit of an Oscar.
February 18, 2022
Q.V. Hough
Vague Visages
I like this; I like movies where remorse changes people, but I like also the occasional one that reminds you that it doesn’t have to, remorse isn’t magic, nothing’s inevitable inside of you…
September 13, 2021
Eve Tushnet
Patheos
Robert De Niro’s performance as Jake La Motta is certainly worthy of the Academy Award he won for it. He captures the type of character someone would have to be in order to be a champion boxer.
April 1, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
For a film about violence, it’s incredible that boxing remains at second sight. The life of Jake La Motta was a turbulent one, and De Niro literally becomes him. Visually stunning. [Full review in Spanish]
March 1, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Victor Pineyro
Seventh Art Studio…
Plot
Raging Bull is a biographical drama about a middleweight boxer who rises through the ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown, but falls in love with a girl from the Bronx and struggles to express his feelings, leading to a downward spiral that costs him everything.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Robert De Niro’s performance in Raging Bull is considered by many to be one of the greatest in the history of cinema.
Martin-Scorsese.jpg
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon (1980)
79%RT Audience Score: 69%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 12 nominations total
Campy charm and a knowing sense of humor help to overcome a silly plot involving a spacefaring ex-football player, his adoring bevy of groupies, and a supervillain named Ming the Merciless
Flash Gordon is the perfect movie to watch when you want to escape reality and enter a world of pure campy fun. It’s a movie that’s so bad it’s good, with over-the-top acting, cheesy special effects, and a plot that’s all over the place. But that’s what makes it so enjoyable! You’ll find yourself rooting for Flash and his team as they battle Ming the Merciless, and laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. It’s a classic that deserves to be watched again and again.
Production Company(ies)
Alcon Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Sony
Distributor
Cinema Classics, Universal Pictures, Video Classics, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Airstrip, Breakish, Skye, Highland, Scotland, UK
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 50m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 5, 1980 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2004
Genre(s)
Sci-fi
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $27,177,647
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $102,142,814
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,005
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 11,138,802
US/Canada gross: $27,107,960
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $101,880,906
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 738
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,934,030
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,785,419
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 796
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $75,166,782
Production budget ranking: 559
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $40,477,312
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$13,501,281
ROI to date (est.): -12%
ROI ranking: 1,458
Tom Wilkinson – President Lyndon Baines Johnson
Carmen Ejogo – Coretta Scott King
Giovanni Ribisi – Lee White
Alessandro Nivola – John Doar
Cuba Gooding Jr. – Fred Gray
Director(s)
Mike Hodges
Writer(s)
Alex Raymond, Michael Allin, Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Producer(s)
Dino De Laurentiis
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 12 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (8)
Basically, whether laughing with this film, or at it, you’ll have a blast.
August 10, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Charlotte O’Sullivan
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Perhaps, like many a superhero film, this one flags just a little in the final battle sequences, but Von Sydow is always there to keep things bizarre, playing it absolutely straight.
July 31, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
a mid-air skirmish of corny old-fashioned retrofuturism and knowing postmodernism, even as its veneer of homespun innocence keeps being subverted by the corrupting powers of kink.
July 31, 2020
Anton Bitel
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
The expensive new version of Flash Gordon is a lot more gaudy, and just as dumb, as the original series starring Buster Crabbe.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
A respectable time-waster.
April 16, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Laughably bad and fantastically good all at once, this is a guilty pleasure that everyone can enjoy.
November 3, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
While it is undoubtedly messy, silly and incoherent, Flash Gordon still works 40 years on from its original release.
May 5, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Laurence Boyce
VODzilla.co
Once upon a time, comic book movies weren’t always such serious affairs.
May 10, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Kathy Fennessy
Seattle Film Blog
The combination of so many forms of bad filmmaking results in a campy bit of surreally over-the-top fun.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Director Mike Hodges’ Flash Gordon is a wonderfully executed piece of science fiction cinema. It’s a film which has become a much deserved cult classic since its original release way back in 1980.
August 7, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Niall Browne
Movies in Focus
You’ll never see anything else quite like it.
August 6, 2020
Rob Aldam
Backseat Mafia
A kaleidoscopic trip, Flash Gordon remains a cheerful tale of rich textural spaces.
August 4, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Alasdair Bayman
CineVue…
Plot
American footballer Flash Gordon is thrust into the journey of a lifetime: joined with Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov, the three earthbound space travellers will soon become the first humans to encounter alien life, and try to stop the tyrannical alien warlord Emperor Ming the Merciless from destroying the Earth.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
Mike-Hodges.jpg
Ordinary People
Ordinary People (1980)
89%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: Won 4 Oscars
19 wins & 14 nominations total
Though shot through with bitterness and sorrow, Robert Redford’s directorial debut is absorbing and well-acted
Ordinary People is a movie that will make you feel like you’re watching a family therapy session, but in a good way. The performances are top-notch, and the story is heart-wrenching. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion, but you can’t look away. Robert Redford’s direction is subtle, but effective, and the film never feels manipulative or melodramatic. It’s a classic for a reason, and definitely worth a watch. Just make sure you have some tissues handy.
Production Company(ies)
Gullane Africa Filmes, Globo Filmes,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Lake Forest High School – 1285 N. McKinley Road, Lake Forest, Illinois, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 3m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 1980 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 14, 2001
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Donald Sutherland, Timothy Hutton, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, M Emmet Walsh, Elizabeth McGovern, directed by Robert Redford, written by Judith Guest, Alvin Sargent, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Richard Combs, David Robinson, Bruce McCabe, Gary Arnold, Kathleen Carroll, MPAA rating R, tragedy, family, guilt, suicide, psychiatric hospital, psychiatrist, therapy, emotional, mental anguish, alienation, reconnection, W.A.S.P., dysfunction, materialistic comfort, suburban life, middle-class, tragedy, grief, loss, death, therapy, psychiatrist, mental health, family dynamics, relationships, communication, forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, acceptance
Worldwide gross: $54,766,923
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $205,832,668
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 679
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 22,446,311
US/Canada gross: $54,766,923
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $205,832,668
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 333
US/Canada opening weekend: $170,335
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $640,177
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,347
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $22,550,035
Production budget ranking: 1,307
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,143,194
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $171,139,440
ROI to date (est.): 493%
ROI ranking: 261
Timothy Hutton – Conrad Jarrett
Mary Tyler Moore – Beth Jarrett
Judd Hirsch – Dr. Tyrone C. Berger
M. Emmet Walsh – Coach Salan
Elizabeth McGovern – Jeannine Pratt
Director(s)
Robert Redford
Writer(s)
Judith Guest, Alvin Sargent
Producer(s)
Ronald L. Schwary
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 4 Oscars
19 wins & 14 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Directing Winners, Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (60) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (54) | Rotten (6)
Ordinary People, consequently, has a closeness but not much expressiveness of texture.
February 4, 2020
Richard Combs
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
The director’s contribution is reticent and unobtrusive; his aim, not surprising perhaps in an actor, had been to give she stage wholly to the text and the performances; and both are, certainly, exemplary.
February 4, 2020
David Robinson
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The movie stands as a luminous portrait of the tragic tone and style of a middle-class life that aspires to nothing beyond materialistic comfort. It seems like a small tragedy. But it’s not.
April 26, 2018
Bruce McCabe
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Despite the sponginess of the content, Hutton’s extraordinary film acting debut ought to assure his famous novice director a long, successful career behind the camera.
August 4, 2015
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
With the skill of a practiced surgeon, Redford gradually peels away the protective layers of his characters, exposing their flaws, their darkest fears and ultimately, their innermost feelings.
February 17, 2015
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Story of emotional honesty is best for older kids.
December 26, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
The 1980 Best Picture winner is an impressive study of how families CAN fall apart after a tragic death of son/sibling.
May 6, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
James Wegg
JWR
Reminiscent of the next generation movie theater version of the classic domestic Broadway melodrama, this is the original cinematic deep dive on grief and the usefulness of psychiatric therapy; an iconic, glib-free portrait of a frosty W.A.S.P. facade.
April 10, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Peter Canavese
Celluloid Dreams
Ordinary People could easily have been a facile movie that lapses into manipulative melodrama, but Redford never betrays the integrity of the material.
April 9, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Having been nominated for six Oscars and winning four of them, there is no arguing that Ordinary People is a fantastic film, and the cast is phenomenal.
April 7, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
Allison Rose
FlickDirect
The outward simplicity of Redford’s direction is staggering, yet his choices remain elegant and informed.
February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Episode 15: The West Was Red
September 1, 2021 | Rating: 70/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies…
Plot
Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast includes Donald Sutherland, Timothy Hutton, Mary Tyler Moore, and Judd Hirsch.
Robert-Redford.jpg
Caddyshack
Caddyshack (1980)
82%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: 1 nomination
Though unabashedly crude and juvenile, Caddyshack nevertheless scores with its classic slapstick, unforgettable characters, and endlessly quotable dialogue
Caddyshack” is a classic ’80s comedy that’s not for kids, but perfect for adults who want to laugh their butts off. With a great cast of comedy legends, including Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, this movie celebrates the triumph of the underdogs, the eccentrics, and even the downright dangerous. Sure, it may be messy at times, but the zany moments are enough to overcome the faults. And let’s not forget about that gopher – he’s the real star of the show! So grab some popcorn, sit back, and get ready to laugh until you cry.
Production Company(ies)
Charles Chaplin Productions,
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Boca Raton Resort & Club – 501 East Camino Real, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 38m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 25, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 4, 2000
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Michael O’Keefe, Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, Sarah Holcomb, directed by Harold Ramis, written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Joseph Gelmis, Judy Stone, Jeff Millar, Joe Pollack, Anupama Chopra, Michael Blowen, Mike Massie, Danielle Solzman, Sean Axmaker, Kevin Carr, Emanuel Levy, Common Sense Media Editors, R rating, produced by Douglas Kenney, Warner Bros Pictures, caddy, golf, country club, college scholarship, New Age advice, slapstick, unforgettable characters, endlessly quotable dialogue
Worldwide gross: $39,918,650
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $150,027,823
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 832
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 16,360,722
US/Canada gross: $39,918,650
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $150,027,823
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 514
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,142,689
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $11,811,291
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 903
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $22,550,035
Production budget ranking: 1,307
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,143,194
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $115,334,595
ROI to date (est.): 332%
ROI ranking: 418
Rodney Dangerfield – Al Czervik
Bill Murray – Carl Spackler
Ted Knight – Judge Smails
Michael O’Keefe – Danny Noonan
Sarah Holcomb – Maggie O’Hooligan
Brian Doyle-Murray – Writer
Harold Ramis – Director
Douglas Kenney – Producer
Director(s)
Harold Ramis
Writer(s)
Brian Doyle-Murray, Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney
Producer(s)
Douglas Kenney
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (59) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (16)
“Caddyshack” is an above average example of the over-inflated B-movie gag film genre because of its expert performances.
July 29, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4
Joseph Gelmis
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
Should have put the gopher to work on the script.
July 28, 2020 | Rating: 0/4
Judy Stone
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The humor in this film is very high-yield. I laughed and laughed, even when I probably shouldn’t have.
July 28, 2020
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill’s brother) teamed with Harold Ramls and Douglas Kenney as the authors, and Ramis directed. By now, all certainly should have outgrown their sophomoric tendencies but viewing the film makes one wonder.
July 28, 2020
Joe Pollack
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
I love the madness in this film. It celebrates the triumph of the underdogs, the eccentrics and even the downright dangerous.
August 24, 2018
Anupama Chopra
Hindustan Times
TOP CRITIC
Caddyshack represents everything that is wrong with contemporary film comedy.
April 28, 2018
Michael Blowen
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Still demonstrates an eye for superb comedic timing.
August 31, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Harold Ramis’ directorial debut may be messy at times but Caddyshack’s zany moments are enough to overcome the faults.
June 18, 2018
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
Essentially Animal House on the links, it’s neither as raucous nor as outrageous as that definitive college comedy but it has the same rebellious spirit and a great cast of comedy legends showing the young co-stars how it’s done.
January 26, 2017
Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com
There’s still a lot of fun in this movie, and most of that comes from the heartfelt performances from the cast.
July 30, 2012 | Rating: 3/5
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
A funny slapstick comedy, starring Billy Murray in top form
August 16, 2011 | Rating: B-
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Classic ’80s comedy; not for kids.
January 1, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Common Sense Media Editors
Common Sense Media…
Plot
There’s something fishy going on at the elitist Bushwood Country Club, and the scheming president of the clubhouse, Judge Elihu Smails, has something to do with it. But, the suave golf guru, Ty Webb, and the distasteful, filthy rich construction magnate, Al Czervik, are onto him. In the meantime, the young caddie, Danny Noonan, struggles to get his life back on track, and the only way to do it is by winning the demanding Caddie Day golf tournament; a prestigious competition that can earn him a scholarship from the judge himself. Now, war breaks out, and all bets are off. Will Danny ever make his dream come true? Does he know that a subterranean menace is threatening to put in jeopardy everyone’s plans?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Bill Murray’s character, Carl Spackler, was originally only supposed to have one scene, but his improvised performance was so funny that he was given a larger role in the film.
Harold-Ramis.jpg
Star Wars Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
100%RT Audience Score: 97%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
25 wins & 20 nominations total
Dark, sinister, but ultimately even more involving than A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back defies viewer expectations and takes the series to heightened emotional levels
If you thought A New Hope was lit, wait till you get a load of The Empire Strikes Back. This flick is darker than a black hole and will have you on the edge of your seat. It’s like the Star Wars crew said, “Let’s take everything that worked in the first movie and crank it up to 11.” And boy, did they deliver.
The Empire Strikes Back is like a rollercoaster ride of emotions. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream “NOOOOOO!” at the screen. It’s like they took all the feels and put them in a blender, then poured it out onto the big screen.
But don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are still plenty of epic battles and lightsaber duels to keep you entertained. And let’s not forget about the iconic reveal that will leave you shooketh.
Overall, The Empire Strikes Back is a must-see for any Star Wars fan. It’s like the Force is strong with this one. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride. May the Force be with you.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Hardangerjøkulen Glacier, Finse, Norway
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for sci-fi action violence
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 4m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 21, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 21, 2004
Genre(s)
Adventure/Action
Keyword(s)
Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, PG, Adventure/Action, 2h 4m, directed by Irvin Kershner, written by George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, Leigh Brackett, produced by Gary Kurtz, starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, reviewed by Richard Combs, Bob Thomas, Bruce McCabe, Geraldine Pascall, Rena Andrews, Joe Pollack, Brian Eggert, Cory Woodroof, Eddie Harrison, PG rating, box office gross $291.9M, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi action violence, 20th Century Fox, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby Stereo, Scope (2.35:1), Star Wars Saga, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, C-3PO, Darth Vader, AT-AT walkers, ice planet Hoth, Dagobah, Yoda, ultimate duel
Worldwide gross: $920,818,947
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,674,968,448
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 5
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 400,759,918
US/Canada gross: $292,753,960
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,168,374,705
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 10
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,910,483
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $19,597,631
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 664
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $71,837,610
Production budget ranking: 588
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $38,684,553
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $3,564,446,285
ROI to date (est.): 3,225%
ROI ranking: 33
Harrison Ford – Han Solo
Carrie Fisher – Princess Leia
Billy Dee Williams – Lando Calrissian
Anthony Daniels – C-3PO
David Prowse – Darth Vader
Director – Irvin Kershner
Producer – Gary Kurtz
Writers – George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, Leigh Brackett
Director(s)
Irvin Kershner
Writer(s)
George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, Leigh Brackett
Producer(s)
Gary Kurtz
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
25 wins & 20 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (106) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (100) | Rotten (6)
That story counts for less than gimmicks, and characters less than both, might be judged from the lack of resonance in the one narrative revelation, concerning Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
December 16, 2019
Richard Combs
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
The Empire Strikes Back Displays the same soaring imagination that made Star Wars a filmmaking classic; most other space movies seem clunky and earthbound in comparison.
July 17, 2019
Bob Thomas
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
This is a respectable sequel to Star Wars but not as good.
April 27, 2018
Bruce McCabe
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
The Empire Strikes Back is no bland derivative. It has all the freshness and exuberance of an original. A marvellous space fantasy full of dazzling spectacle, exciting adventure, strange creatures and the mythic clash between good and evil.
December 15, 2015
Geraldine Pascall
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
The Empire Strikes Back is the ultimate in fantasies, a visual wonder and a movie that should be recommended highly if only because it makes you feel good.
December 15, 2015
Rena Andrews
Denver Post
TOP CRITIC
Despite a couple of drawbacks, the Empire Strikes Back is an immense amount of fun — big and splashy and breathtaking in its display of cinematic genius by a huge group of marvelously talented people.
December 14, 2015
Joe Pollack
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
Though it deviates from Star Wars and the subsequent films don’t quite live up to what it anticipates, The Empire Strikes Back remains the franchise’s most character-centric and emotionally involving entry.
April 23, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars film because it took a cultural moment and redefined what it could mean.
February 11, 2022
Cory Woodroof
615 Film
…unsatisfying by design…
August 8, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
The look of The Empire Strikes Back is so strong. The way certain scenes are framed are not only good for story telling but are incredibly beautiful.
March 24, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
A rare example, maybe the finest example, of a sequel greater than its predecessor. The Force is the strongest here.
February 16, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Tony Black
Cultural Conversation
Promotions in the Galactic Empire are instigated by execution; torture is more vivid; villains are more numerous; loss is more agonizing; and happy endings are more elusive.
September 8, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins…
Plot
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca face attack by the Imperial forces and its AT-AT walkers on the ice planet Hoth. While Han and Leia escape in the Millennium Falcon, Luke travels to Dagobah in search of Yoda. Only with the Jedi Master’s help will Luke survive when the Dark Side of the Force beckons him into the ultimate duel with Darth Vader.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Billy Dee Williams plays Lando Calrissian, the only black character in the Star Wars universe at the time.
Irvin-Kershner.jpg
Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
90%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 20 nominations total
Packed with action and populated by both familiar faces and fresh blood, The Force Awakens successfully recalls the series’ former glory while injecting it with renewed energy.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is like a warm hug from an old friend, but with a fresh new outfit. It’s got all the classic elements we love, but with some exciting new twists and turns. And let’s not forget about BB-8, the cutest droid in the galaxy. J.J. Abrams did the impossible and brought Star Wars back to life, and I couldn’t help but cry, laugh, and smile all at once. May the force be with you, always.
Production Company(ies)
Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique Films,
Distributor
Walt Disney
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Hardangerjøkulen Glacier, Finse, Norway
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for sci-fi action violence
Year of Release
1980
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 16m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 18, 2015 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 5, 2016
Genre(s)
Adventure/Action
Keyword(s)
starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, directed by J.J Abrams, written by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J Abrams, Michael Arndt, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, PG-13, Kathleen Kennedy, J.J Abrams, Bryan Burk, box office gross $123 million, reviewed by Melissa R
Worldwide gross: $538,375,067
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,023,396,068
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 18
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 220,653,879
US/Canada gross: $292,753,960
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,100,268,656
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 11
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,910,483
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $18,455,260
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 698
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $67,650,104
Production budget ranking: 621
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $36,429,581
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,919,316,383
ROI to date (est.): 1,844%
ROI ranking: 53
Mark Hamill – Luke Skywalker
Carrie Fisher – Leia
Adam Driver – Kylo Ren
Daisy Ridley – Rey
John Boyega – Finn
Director(s)
J.J. Abrams
Writer(s)
Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt
Producer(s)
Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 20 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (448) | Top Critics (87) | Fresh (415) | Rotten (33)
It’s both nostalgic and fresh, a tender homage to, especially, the initial Star Wars (“Episode IV: A New Hope”), as well as a bridge to help those of us stuck in the splendor of Hoth edge into the future.
August 7, 2018
Melissa Ruggieri
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
Star Wars: The Force Awakens gives new life to a franchise of hope, resilience, courage and family that’s been missing from theatres for far too long.
August 16, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
Star Wars: The Force Awakens honors the series and takes it in exciting new directions. Both The Millennium Falcon and millennials, it would seem, are in good hands.
June 10, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
Max Weiss
Baltimore Magazine
TOP CRITIC
‘The Force Awakens’ does what the original films did well – and is also its own, thrilling thing.
April 27, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
Despite the copious servings of tragic threats and good feelings, the production sinks under the weight of its emotional calculation.
January 4, 2016
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
It all comes together nicely as the actors breathe vulnerability, fallibility and personality into their roles, with Daisy Ridley being quite the commanding presence. My favourite, hands down, is the cute and rotund droid BB-8.
January 1, 2016
Udita Jhunjhunwala
Scroll.in
TOP CRITIC
Everything feels familiar but new to a most satisfying degree.
April 23, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
I cried, I laughed, and as the film concluded I couldnt help but smile knowing that J.J. had done what many were terrified he couldnt do, he brought Star Wars back to life.
February 18, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
David Gonzalez
Reel Talk Inc.
The Force Awakens loves the original trilogy so much its sometimes a little afraid to leave its side, but for what it needed, and continues, to accomplish, it’s a hard movie to really poke holes in, even if they’re evidently there.
February 11, 2022
Cory Woodroof
615 Film
Episode VII will serve as an excellent letter of introduction so that the new generations who have not watched Star Wars are interested in the saga and approach the previous episodes with a new vision [Full review in Spanish]
January 2, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Luis Bond
Globovision
With all the heart and soul of the series we love, it’s undoubtedly set to be a favorite for the years to come.
October 9, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Therese Lacson
Nerdophiles
Whatever the story, rest assured Abrams will ensure that the force is as strong as ever before.
September 29, 2021
Nikki Baughan
AWFJ Women on Film…
Plot
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca face attack by the Imperial forces and its AT-AT walkers on the ice planet Hoth. While Han and Leia escape in the Millennium Falcon, Luke travels to Dagobah in search of Yoda. Only with the Jedi Master’s help will Luke survive when the Dark Side of the Force beckons him into the ultimate duel with Darth Vader.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Fresh Kernels critic consensus for Star Wars: The Force Awakens says that it successfully recalls the series’ former glory while injecting it with renewed energy, and is packed with action and populated by both familiar faces and fresh blood.
J.J.-Abrams.jpg
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers (1980)
92%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 1 nomination
Too over the top for its own good, but ultimately rescued by the cast’s charm, director John Landis’ grace, and several soul-stirring musical numbers.
The Blues Brothers is a classic film that will have you tapping your feet and laughing out loud. Sure, some critics may say it’s static or convoluted, but who cares when you’ve got Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi belting out soulful tunes and causing chaos on the streets of Chicago? Plus, with appearances from legends like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, the music alone is worth the watch. So, grab some popcorn and get ready to join the band on their wild ride.
Production Company(ies)
Final Cut for Real Sun Creature Studio Vivement Lundi
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Dixie Square Mall – 151st Street & Dixie Highway, Harvey, Illinois, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1980
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:2h 13m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 1980 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 30, 2005
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Carrie Fisher, directed by John Landis, written by Dan Aykroyd and John Landis, action, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Gene Siskel, Steven Reddicliffe, Charles Champlin, Jack Mathews, Dave Sargent, Jason Bailey, Robin Holabird, John Stark, Joe Baltake, Patrick Taggart, Marylynn Uricchio, R rating, produced by Robert K Weiss, Universal Pictures, Dolby, Mono, The Blues Brothers, comedy, musical, Chicago, car chases, soul music, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, reviewed by audiences, Mark Walker, Alex r, Stephen E, Dann M
Worldwide gross: $115,229,890
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $433,073,002
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 352
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 47,227,154
US/Canada gross: $57,229,890
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $215,089,334
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 314
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,858,152
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $18,258,583
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 701
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $27,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $101,475,156
Production budget ranking: 403
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $54,644,371
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $276,953,474
ROI to date (est.): 177%
ROI ranking: 692
– Dan Aykroyd as Elwood Blues
– James Brown as Reverend Cleophus James
– Cab Calloway as Curtis
– Ray Charles as Ray
– Carrie Fisher as Mystery Woman
Director(s)
John Landis
Writer(s)
Dan Aykroyd, John Landis
Producer(s)
Robert K. Weiss
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (89) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (65) | Rotten (24)
The Blues Brothers is the year’s best film to date; one of the, all-time great comedies; the best movie ever made in Chicago. All are true, and, boy, is that ever a surprise.
December 21, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Too many times, The Blues Brothers is static when it should be ecstatic. When it tries to hit the heights, it’s not nearly dizzying enough And when it should soar, it simply hangs there.
December 21, 2020
Steven Reddicliffe
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
Despite the temporary lift that the old pros give the picture, it is difficult for the non-cultist to feel anything but dismay, again, that so much has been squandered to produce so little that is truly artful or genuinely entertaining.
December 21, 2020
Charles Champlin
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
As spectacular as the chases are, Blues Brothers works because of Aykroyd and Belushi, who play off each other with nearly flawless timing and sustain it throughout the movie’s two hours and 10 minutes.
December 21, 2020
Jack Mathews
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
With a simple narrative based around the- brothers trying to put together a band and raising money for the orphanage that moulded them with numerous complications along the way there are plenty of chances for viewers to be entertained.
December 21, 2020
Dave Sargent
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Landis’ staging and camera blocking aren’t always up to the task, but the performers are so electrifying, it doesn’t much matter.
December 21, 2020
Jason Bailey
The Playlist
TOP CRITIC
No matter that the big screen story gets convoluted and improbable-the characters make it work. They sing classic rhythm and blues songs well enough, but better yet, perform with the greats.
August 11, 2021
Robin Holabird
Robin Holabird
The Blues Brothers are a popular novelty, and have a definite tongue-in-cheek appeal. But this film does nothing with the characters, except to portray them as a couple of one-sided and unlikable hoods.
December 21, 2020
John Stark
San Francisco Examiner
The Blues Brothers is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, at once touching and far-far out — and most of all, best of all, it is hugely entertaining.
December 21, 2020
Joe Baltake
Philadelphia Daily News
The film is a monument to car wreckage, with a tip of the hat to rhythm and blues. If you’ve seen the preview, you’ve seen the movie.
December 21, 2020
Patrick Taggart
Austin American-Statesman
Only the music, a collection of rock and blues hits, is palatable but not enough to pull this film out of the gutter.
December 21, 2020
Marylynn Uricchio
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The film is a dreary waste of crude gags and misfiring stunts. But… small relief is afforded along the way by musical encounters (all too brief) with John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles.
December 21, 2020
Tom Milne
Observer (UK)…
Plot
After the release of Jake Blues from prison, he and brother Elwood go to visit “The Penguin”, the last of the nuns who raised them in an orphanage. They learn the Archdiocese will stop supporting the school and will sell the place to the Education Authority. The only way to keep the place open is if the $5000 tax on the property is paid within 11 days. The Blues Brothers want to help, and decide to put their blues band back together and raise the money by staging a big gig. As they set off on their “mission from God” they seem to make more enemies along the way. Will they manage to come up with the money in time?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Blues Brothers features cameos from musical legends such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles.
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