My Favorite Movies

Beautiful but graphic portrayal of the last days of Christ. Wonderful acting by Jim Caviezel as Jesus and Maia Morgenstern as his mother Mary. Mel Gibson excells as the director of this epic.

Kevin Costner excelllenty directs and stars in this western epic about the experiences of one Lt. John Dunbar among a band of Lakota Native Americans after the end of the Civil War. Graham Greene gives a memorble and moving performance as one of the tribal leaders whose people are on the verge of losing their way of life. The cinematography and John Barry soundtrack are brilliant.

Clint Eastwood's first-rate directing and fine performances by the cast make this a must-see WWII epic. The film tells the events that led up to the US invasion of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima that is highlighted by the US flag-raising captured in a photo that became famous. The story focuses on the aftermath on the homefront that was experienced by these young flagraisers .
Adam Beach is outstanding as flagraiser Ira Hayes, a Pima Native American whose post-war trauma leads him down a dubious path. The battle scenes are graphic.

It's a funny, sad, and profound story about rich,young, confused Harold Chasen, (Bud Cort) whose life changes when he meets equally eccentric, 79 year old Maude. Excellent acting and a fantastic soundtrack by Cat Stevens. Collin Higgins wrote and directed this 1971 cult classic.

Timothy Hutton gives a superior portrayal of a guilt-ridden, suicidal survivor of a boating accident that cost the life of his older brother. Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore are excellent as the parents who struggle in different ways to deal with the situation. Oscars went to the film, Hutton, and director Robert Redford (in his directorial debut)

This film is a modern romantic fantasy about time travel. Christopher Reeve play a writer who falls in love with a young actress, played by Jane Seymour, captured in a 1912 photograph. His obsession and it's eventual closure are compellingly portrayed.

The redemption of a medieval Crusader who would become St. Francis of Assisi is beautifully brought to the screen in this excellent Franco Zefferelli production. The outstanding acting,cinematography, and soundtrack render not only the time of Francesco DiBernadone, but also the ambiance of the early 70's counter-culture .

A compelling, yet implausible, story of young cadets staging an uprising against the powers that be who want to close their military academy. Fine performances by Tim Hutton, George C. Scott, and Sean Penn and Tom Cruise (in one of their first films).

This was a fantastic movie. It was heartwarming, dreamlike, and compelling. I love Lee Pace from ABC's "Pushing Daisies" and he was wonderful as a silent film era stuntman hopitalized due to an accidental fall. With his future questionable he finds escape by telling fatastical stories to entertain a little girl patient he befriends. In this role, Romanian child actress Catinca Untaru steals the film. This was a very satisfying movie.