Back in 1969, my brother Mark and I saw a great double feature at the old Mesa theatre downtown, "Ice Station Zebra" and this long lost relic, CAPTAIN NEMO AND THE UNDERWATER CITY. For nostalgia's sake, I ordered it from the Warner Archive collection of old MGM films, many of them the old sixties action films made in their London studios. Aimed at kids (and a lot more enjoyable when I was our story finds five survivors of a sinking ship rescued by the reclusive Captain Nemo (Robert Ryan) and taken to his huge underwater city, Templemere, located 10,000 fathoms below the sea. I don't know is 10,000 fathoms is anything near 20,000 leagues under the sea, but I KNOW that this film pales in comparison to that Disney classic. Instead of Kirk Douglas, we get TV's Rifleman, Chuck Connors as a Senator and the gorgeous Lucianna Paluzzi (Thunderball) as a love interest living in our underwater dome. The special effects are lame, the costumes are horrific and the models are pretty low budget too. We're left with Ryan doing the best he can as Nemo, a pair of bumbling "comedic" brothers who want to steal Nemo's gold and a lot of lame dialogue. I don't know how you'd swim from 10,000 fathoms to the surface without so much as a nosebleed, or why a giant manta ray goes from docile to angry when its bumped by a ship, but apparently the filmmakers do. The Warner Archives is filled with films you haven't seen in years. But if anyone else is trying to Find this NEMO, let me save you the trouble. This waterlogged cheapie should have stayed down tangled in the seaweed where it belonged. Gurgles and fumbles its way to a D for all ages.

About 90 minutes into CAPTAIN MARVEL, I was thinking "this isn't even going to be in my top half of Marvel movies...maybe the bottom three" but damned if the last half hour pull together into a terrific finale. But you do have to wander through the first 90 minutes. The opening is terrific, with a Stan Lee devoted Marvel title sequence that's a heartfelt tribute to the man and his legacy. Then we roll into an unfocused/incoherent set up of the warring alien hero race of which Vers (Brie Larson) is a rising member. She and her team, led by Yon-Rogg (the always capable Jude Law) are battling the shape-shifting invaders who are about to threaten Earth. It's all rather dull and tired until Veers lands on Earth, crashing into a 1995 Blockbuster Video Store and blowing up a "True Lies" standup. I got excited thinking that the film was going to be filled with fun references to the 90's, but other than one or two songs and a good gag about what we used to consider acceptable loading times on a computer, the movie doesn't really bother to capitalize on the setting. It's a miss. Almost immediately upon her arrival, we meet a very young Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). Both have been digitally rendered to be twenty years younger and the effects are perfect. Jackson has a blast and it's nice to see Gregg get some screen time for Shield. When it's clear that the shape-shifters have arrived in 1995 along with Vers, several good chase set pieces arrive, including a "French Connection" style car and train chase that's the best sequence of the first 90 minutes. Larson is very good, creating a new Marvel character with promise, but it's a shame she's given so little to do for most of the movie. Her rapport with Jackson is effortless, but it often feels more like a Nick Fury origin story than a Captain Marvel film. Thankfully, we finally creep along to the terrific final half hour. Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One, Ready Player One) is excellent as Talos, infusing menace, drama and humor into his role. But damned if the movie isn't absolutely stolen by Goose the cat. That creature drops more laugh out loud fun into the proceedings than I thought possible. Hilarious. Brie really comes into her own in the finale. It seems like the writers finally take off the shackles and give her the reins, which she takes gladly, owning the conclusion. Too bad there are so few surprises along with way. The big twists should be obvious to anyone over 10 years old long before they happen. There are two post credits scenes, the first one is goose-bump inducing and the direct tie into Avengers: Endgame that you've been waiting for. It's perfection. The second one is pure laughs. Thankfully this one recovered, or it would be sitting alongside "Thor: The Dark World" at the bottom of the Avengers heap. Still, rather meh... Wonder Woman still stands as THE way to launch a female superhero, its a far better film. CAPTAIN MARVEL gets a C+.

Sitting in a theatre a couple months ago watching the ponderous, boring "Batman v Superman" or "Clark v Bruce" or whatever it was called (honestly I don't care enough to even try to remember) I remember looking at my watch and remembering how much fun the superhero movies used to be. If you are looking for all the storytelling, characters with relationships, laughs and most of all, the FUN that was sucked out of that film, look no further than the terrific CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. Civil War finds the Marvel universe pondering the same global issues that BVS did for DC and "Spectre" did for James Bond, wondering where the balance is between oversight and invasion of privacy and attempting to discover the point at which the collateral damage of saving the world from the bad guys outweighs the goal. After the massive amount of deaths in the final act of last year's "Avengers:Age of Ultron" and the civilian casualties in the opening scenes of Civil War, over 100 countries around the globe pull together to enforce new rules for how and when the Avengers can engage their powerful might. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr, terrific as always) supports the rules, suddenly faced to weigh the personal tragedies behind the kick ass superhero v alien invaders. Captain America (Chris Evans in fine form) sees it differently, not wanting the rest of the world and all their individual agendas to get in the way of what their team sees as right and wrong. As our two leads entrench on their sides of the argument, the rest of the Avengers line up for battle. Falcon (Anthony Mackie), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Vision (Paul Bettany), Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) all pick a side, while Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson...uh, wow) finds herself torn between her friends. Three great new adds bring plenty of drama and laughs to the screen by joining our team. Chadwick Boseman (42, Get On Up) brings excellent screen presence and acting to his role of Prince T'Challa/Black Panther. From his first appearance as a superhero in a superb car/foot chase in pursuit of the Winter Soldier and Captain America, Black Panther rocks. Finally, and I mean FINALLY, we have a Spiderman worth rooting for as well. Young Tom Holland brings Peter Parker/Spidey back to his high school roots. The writers brilliantly get through the Spiderman backstory in about 90 seconds and launch him full speed into the film, with a pretty awesome costume upgrade courtesy of Stark Industries. The first two Spiderman films with Tobey Maguire were terrific, with Spiderman 2 my fave superhero film for many years, but that was back in 2004. Everything Spidey since (with the exception of Marc Webb's first Amazing Spiderman film) has been a full on trainwreck or a simple disappointment, so it's a genuine movie going thrill to see the Marvel team get Spidey SO right here. Lastly, Antman (Paul Rudd) joins Captain's team for this adventure and Rudd brings all the laughs and charm he had in his stand alone film last year, to this ensemble. The film's major action set piece is a major battle between our heroes set at a huge German airport. It might be the best Marvel action scene of all time, fusing toss away humor, full on laughs, immense action and real drama into one perfectly executed sequence. Daniel Bruhl (Munich, Rush) is a bit underserved in the villain role manipulating our heroes into conflict, but he gets the job done. Just as with the last Captain America film, Cap's friend Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier serves as the catalyst for much of the action as loyalty is tested at every level. Also just like that terrific last Captain America film, our writers our Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, crafting an excellent story. I didn't see the emotional impact for Tony Stark coming in the final act. For everyone wondering why these folks are fighting, it provides plenty of emotional heft, versus the bland story mechanics you could hear cranking loudly just off screen all throughout Batman V Superman. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are back as well, answering the very difficult challenge of equaling 'The Winter Soldier". Challenge met. This is a terrific summer film and one of the best MARVEL films of all time. I found real depth in the way the story is structured, with the very young Tony Stark seen early and cleverly at MIT echoed nicely in our first glimpses of the young Peter Parker when Tony visits his home. Spidey's line in the airport scene referencing "The Empire Strkies Back" is both funny and perfect in its context. With CIVIL WAR standing as the perfectly executed middle chapter between Ultron and Parts 1 & 2 of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR coming in 2018 & 2019, it earns the right to be compared to "Empire". FUN (are you listening DC Films??) taut, exciting and suspenseful, CIVIL WAR should unite all film fans at the box office as a massive hit to kickoff Summer 2016. Just like "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", it gets an A+.

As a big fan of the first Captain America movie in 2011, I was really blown away by how much better this year's CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is over the first film. Chris Evans returns as our hero, making notes in 2014 of all the things he needs to catch up on since arriving from the 50's. He isn't given much time to compile that list as he and the Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson's lethal, funny and sarcastic agent) discover a far reaching conspiracy that threatens the world. The film takes the comic book premise and transplants it into a 1970's style global political/conspiracy thriller like "Black Sunday" or "Three Days of the Condor". Condor is an especially appropriate reference point as both films share Robert Redford, appearing here as Shield leader Alexander Pierce. Redford brings a lot of power and credibility to the film throughout. Evans is surrounded by a great supporting cast of true characters, including Sebastian Stan as Steve Rogers lifelong friend Bucky Barnes, Anthony Mackie as the Falcon and of course Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. First and foremost, this is a spectacular action film, filled with enough jaw dropping special effects and fast paced scenes of mayhem to fill two films. Unlike some other films that attempt the mix (most of the Transformers films) The Winter Soldier is more than just noise and explosions. It's got plenty to say about post 9-11 privacy, a government given too much power and the war machine in politics. If this sounds way too heavy, don't worry, it's a hell of a lot of fun too. I may be the rare viewer that actually likes this movie more than The Avengers, but I do. It takes the comic book action and layers it perfectly with something much more credible and powerful. You will be rooting for the heroes because the stakes seem higher than usual and somehow the entire movie seems more credible. I'm excited to hear that Directors Anthony & Joe Russo have already signed up for the next Captain America installment. Based on this film, they have captured the perfect mix of comic book movie and adult thriller and I can't wait to see the next one. The Winter Soldier soars to an A+, ranks as one of my favorite superhero genre films and in my all time top 100.

Now THIS is the way to do a superhero movie! Action filled, tons of fun, GREAT cast, especially Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving. Reminds me a lot of Raiders of the Lost Ark with spectacular action set pieces one after another and a perfect music score by Alan Silvestri. The CGI effects transforming Chris Evans from a scrawny wannabe to Captain America are really amazing. SO much fun. A solid A for Captain America!

A perfect popcorn movie with a great cast, 1977's CAPRICORN ONE spins a fast and enjoyable tale that never stops moving. The film opens as Capricorn One, the first manned mission to Mars sits on the launch pad. The three man crew Brubaker (James Brolin), Willis (Sam Waterston) and Walker (OJ Simpson) are surprised when five minutes before the launch, they are secreted away from the capsule via lear jet to a secret location in the desert. NASA lead Dr. Kellaway (Hal Holbrook at his intimidating best) shares with the crew that the life support system on the flight would not have kept them alive and rather than scrap the mission and jeopardize NASA's future, they are faking the mission. What follows is a terrifically enjoyable summer flick for anytime of the year. As the crew plays along under threats, a NASA scientist with questions (Robert Walden) and his intrepid reporter friend Robert Caulfield (Elliot Gould) begin to sniff around something that isn't quite right with the mission. The year long ruse around the mission is further complicated when the spacecraft experiences problems upon re-entry, making our three crewmen realize that their lives are now truly expendable. Brolin, Waterston, Holbrook and Brenda Vaccaro are all terrific. James Karen as the Vice President, David Huddleston as a NASA leader and Telly Savalas as a desert crop duster pilot bear special mention for some great humor to even out the tension. Director Peter Hyams spent the seventies and eighties cranking out relaiable, lightweight, great nights at the movies, including "2010", "Running Scared" and "Outland". Capricorn One is one of his best. I don't know how The Juice kept getting movie parts, but this is one of his biggest and his acting talent is minuscule. Poor Waterston and Brolin, it's like playing off a cardboard cutout! Jerry Goldsmith provides one of his best music scores from the opening frames to the final shot. Like many great popcorn movies, you can't apply TOO much logic or the seams start showing, but when you are having this much fun, who cares! Capricorn One blasts off with an A.

One of the stranger entries in the 1960's "how do we possibly complete with the UK cinema's OO7?" sweepstakes, 1967's CAPRICE plays almost like a spoof of the genre 50 years after its release. Doris Day was nearing the end of her film career when she took on the role of corporate spy Patricia Forster. Playing cloak & dagger with secrets between two huge fragrance companies, this female OO7 seems to switch alliances every five minutes when she isn't dodging bullets, hanging off rooftops or jet setting from Paris to Manhattan. Richard Harris followed up his role as King Arthur in "Camelot" the same year, playing fellow spy Christopher White, who has ten times more chemistry with the endless parade of models on 60's style display throughout than he does with Day. Many of the scenes could be dropped into an Austin Powers movie uncut and provide untold laughs. The filmmakers are trying so hard to be current (or should I say Mod Swinging Sixties baby!) that it's just awkwardly hilarious. Day is better than you might expect. It's easy to dismiss her for the TV personality she became in the 70's than remember she was a huge box office star with respectable dramatic turns in Hitchcock thrillers like "The Man Who Knew Too Much". But she and Harris are stranded on an island of absurdity in Caprice. I laughed more than a few times, but I'm not sure I was supposed to..... By the time Ray Walston (South Pacific) was in drag and shooting at Doris and the same very bad Europe street on Fox's backlot was trotted out as an exotic location for the tenth time, interest dwindled. At one point, the film is trying so hard to be 60's cool that Doris follows a suspect into a theatre playing "Caprice" starring Doris Day and Richard Harris.....in 1967, that might have been groovy, now its just painful. Richard Harris hated the film so much that he refused to ever see it. Doris hated it too, often saying it was one of her three least favorite films and telling how her ex-husband signed her to do the film before she ever saw the script. I think we can consider this celluloid evidence of justified cause for that divorce. For all its travels through the big money world of fragrance titans, CAPRICE sure does stink. I'll give it a D in honor of Doris.

Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of the early sixties drama CAPE FEAR is a crazy, over-the-top thrill ride from start to finish. Scorsese fills the screen with wall to wall style, sweeping his camera into every shot, tilting angles and drawing you into the paranoia and psychosis of its characters. Nick Nolte is Sam Bowden, a criminal defense attorney who defended Max Cady (brilliant Robert DeNiro) 14 years before. Freshly out of prison, with over a decade of law books and brewing anger behind him, Cady is determined to make Sam and his family pay for his mistakes in his case. Jessica Lange is Leigh, Sam's wife and Juliette Lewis is Danielle, his daughter. Both are terrific. Lewis' descent from petulant teen to horrified young girl at the hands of Cady is terrific and scary. Cady manages to harass Sam and his family constantly, but always JUST within the law, creating the same frustration in Sam that Max has experienced everyday in his cell awaiting revenge. In Scorsese's hands, the film moves at an incredible pace. The great Joe Don Baker, Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck all make appearances in powerful roles that are key to the story. As you begin to realize that Sam made errors in the trial that he hid from his (at the time) illiterate client and that those errors kept Cady from getting off, you'll begin to doubt Sam. But Cady is no choir boy. He is riddled with tattoos of bible versus and less savory images, he's loud, brash and in your face as only De Niro can be. This is way over the top in every fashion, from camera work to editing, to performances, and I loved every minute of it. Scorsese uses Bernard Herrmann's music score from the original 1962 film (which starred Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum in the Sam and Cady roles) to great effect. Its outstanding, and like everything else here, the music is in your face from beginning to end. CAPE FEAR is brutal, violent entertainment. But with Scorsese at the helm, it is indeed entertaining. Buckle up, Cape Fear isn't for the weak! It gets an A.

Beneath most great comedians lies a great actor. Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, hell even Don Rickles showed his chops in “Casino”. Melissa McCarthy continues that legacy with her Oscar nominated performance in CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? Based on a true story, McCarthy plays writer Lee Israel. Frequently drunk, living in the past and running on empty, Israel has seen better days. Her pet projects are on topics no one under 65 could possibly care about and opportunities are running dry. Jane Curtin is Lee’s agent, unleashing the truth that Lee needs to explore another line of work or make a serious course correction. Lee finds that new path by easing into and then thriving on fraudulent pieces of history. She creates notes by the likes of Cole Porter or Dorothy Parker, doing her best writing in years by impersonating their unique humor. When the fake letters and inscriptions start paying the rent and more, Israel begins a long rush headlong into criminal deception and fraud. Lee’s partner in crime is the man at the next bar stool in their favorite NYC dive. Jack Hock (the Oscar nominated Richard E. Grant) is flamboyant, hilarious, sad and ready for any adventure. Lee and Jack’s verbal sparring is the heart of the film. The more you love dark sarcasm and sadistic wit, the more you’ll enjoy the movie. It’s definitely my sense of humor! Writers Nicole Holofcener (the terrific “Enough Said”) and Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q) thread the line between biography, crime drama and character study with deft words and nice tension as Lee’s fraud attracts the attention of the FBI. McCarthy is terrific, sans any polish or social skills and barreling her way through Manhattan streets and her own morals at a desperate pace. Her chemistry with Grant as two lonely barflies yields a ton of laughs and profane interactions. The fact that her most emotional moments on screen involve her cats says a lot about Lee. I loved the final scenes that offer a glimpse of the real life Lee Israel’s story after the events depicted in the film. As a sucker for well acted/written dramas with redemption at their heart, but not necessarily in their final act, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME is a quiet, small film with a big, emotional center, perfectly filled by McCarthy. She’s incredibly talented. Can’t wait to see what she does next. It gets an A.

Beautiful to look at and full of adventure for the whole family, 2020's THE CALL OF THE WILD is a great outdoor adventure. Adapted from Jack London's classic novel, it's the story of huge but lovable Buck. Dog-napped from his pampered existence living with a wealthy judge (Bradley Whitford) and his family, he's taken to Alaska to become a sled dog. The scenes of his capture and the violent man that dominates him were a bit too intense for our 6 year old grandson, even though the violence takes place in the form of a shadow. Buck escapes and his adventures in the Yukon territory are off and running. He first works as a sled dog for the Canadian postal service, under the kind eye of Perrault, well played by Omar Sy (Jurassic World) and his beautiful partner Francoise (Cara Gee). When she is pulled under an ice flow, Buck's rescue attempt becomes the first of many large scale action sequences, all leveraging $130 million+ in CGI effects. I can't tell how much of this film was shot in real settings or how many of the animals ever actually existed, but everything looks incredible and the outdoor settings are jaw dropping. Buck eventually finds his way to John Thornton, a lonely man reeling from the death of his son and the end of his marriage. Seeking solitude, he and Buck cross paths again and again, until they finally connect far into the Northern territories. Harrison Ford is at his big-white-beard, grizzled old man best, bringing real heart to the story. Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Beauty and the Beast) is a clueless. wealthy guide who crosses paths with Buck and John once too often. His outrageous costume is made with an actual swath of cloth from the time period. I guess there was no "blending in" for the English on a quest for gold back in the day. At a brisk 100 minutes, the film is loaded with jaw dropping scenery, animal encounters of every variety and enough frigid weather to make you reach for your coat. Composer John Powell (Jason Bourne, United 93) wraps everything in a big adventure score and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List) makes the most of every landscape, putting you on the rapids in a canoe, hurtling across ice covered lakes and capturing solitude in the middle of nowhere with equal skill. Buck is a fully digital rendering, which makes Ford's acting even more impressive when you realize he's playing off a stick. Between this and "The Lion King" the days of animal actors are over. Visually impressive, fun for all ages, but maybe a bit too intense for the youngest in the audience, THE CALL OF THE WILD gets a solid B.

1978's CALIFORNIA SUITE features four different stories of folks checking into a west coast luxury hotel for the weekend, all created by the witty pen of Neil Simon. Alan Alda and Jane Fonda are a separated couple bickering over where their teenage daughter is going to live, in NYC with career mom Fonda or in LA with easy going dad Alda. Both actors are good, and their segment is witty and serious, but as with most Simon flicks, real people don't talk like this. Our second couple, Maggie Smith and Michael Caine, are terrific as an Oscar nominated actress and her husband in Los Angeles for the Academy Awards. Caine is always slightly in her shadow and has at least one big secret he is hiding (not too successfully) in the darkness. Walter Matthau scores the film's biggest laughs, trying to hide a drunken hooker in his bed that his brother sent to the room the night before. When wife Elaine May arrives a half day early, the physical comedy and the laughs are frequent. These two classic comedians play off each other to perfection. Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor round out the cast as brothers-in-law who are both doctors and constantly competing at everything. Their sports, room and verbal one-upsmanship is fun to watch. Overall, California Suite a very enjoyable, relaxing two hours, as long as you buy into Simon's witty but showy wordplay and excuse some of the more dated moments. It's a great cast that checks in for the weekend and earns a B-. (but Matthau gets an A+!)

Four years after Robert Altman packed theatres with his biggest hit M*A*S*H, he brought Elliott Gould and George Segal together as a couple of gamblers in 1974's CALIFORNIA SPLIT. Segal plays Bill Denney, a guy with a respectable job and home who has more than a bit of a gambling habit. One evening at a bar, he meets Charlie Waters (Gould) who seems to kind of have a house with two hookers, no job at all and a hilarious, if reckless life. Soon Segal and Gould are betting on anything and everything, from every card game they can find to how many of the 7 Dwarfs they can name! The first hour I really had a hard time getting drawn in, becuase basically there aren't too many things to like about these two, but the film draws pulls you in slowly & quietly. By the final half hour with Segal playing for both of them in a very high stakes game in Reno, the suspense was really well done! Damned if Altman didn't make me care about what happened. The film is populated with real gamblers and many real people that make it seem almost like a documentary at times. Funny, a bit maddening, but pretty damn good. We'll deal it a full house and a B.