In 1973, John Wayne only had three more years left in his film career when he brought his last truly traditional western to the screen with CAHILL: UNITED STATES MARSHALL. The Duke stars as JD Cahill, a by the book lawman who spends nearly everyday on the road tracking down bad guys. He's like George Clooney in "Up in the Air", never home and devoted to his job (but with less suits and airplanes and a lot more horses). Unfortunately, his young boys are starved for attention, never seeing their dad except for a quick stop between jobs. 17 year old Danny falls in with the wrong group, led by George Kennedy (Airport, Cool Hand Luke) as Fraser. Manipulating Danny, Fraser gets them all locked up for a night and plans a daring bank robbery. Danny is very well played by Gary Grimes, who broke out on screen several years before in "Summer of '42". He's a very good actor in what could have been a cliche role. Kennedy is terrific and menacing, chewing the hell out of a cigar and threatening Cahill's boys with false loyalty and explosive violence. Soon Danny's little brother Billy is pulled into the bank plot and Cahill comes home to find Danny in jail and Billy in trouble. When Fraser and his men escape, Cahill must track he and his gang down, racing against time to make sure the right men serve justice. It's surprisingly well constructed, written by the same screenwriters that wrote the first three "Dirty Harry" films. It's also badly dated at times, with Neville Brand (Birdman of Alcatraz) forced to play a half-Indian tracker in the worst ethnic makeup since Mickey Rooney played Mr. Yunioshi in "Breakfast at Tiffanys". Elmer Bernstein (The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven) delivers a rousing Western music score that suits the Duke. Wayne is at ease throughout, playing an old fashioned lawman as comfortable sermonizing on right and wrong as he is blazing across the trail with both six guns blazing. Wayne followed this film up with two modern detective films, "McQ" and "Brannigan" before filming one more western, "The Shootist" in 1976. If you love the Western genre, CAHILL's a great example of what Wayne always did best, providing family friendly, old-fashioned entertainment with a message layered just beneath the action. Cahill rounds up a B-.

Woody Allen seems to have found freedom in his new partnership with Amazon Films, turning out one of his best looking and sweetest films in recent memory, CAFE SOCIETY. Jesse Eisenberg is our proto-Woody this time around as Bobby Stern, the young and impressionable nephew of Hollywood studio boss Phil Stern (Steve Carell). Bobby arrives in Hollywood anxious to learn and soon finds himself a capable assistant for all things Phil. He meets many tinsel town players, along with Phil's stunning young assistant Vonnie, capably played by Kristen Stewart. Vonnie and Bobby are great together, but their relationship grows complicated when the married man Vonnie's been seeing turns out to be all too familar to Bobby. The structure of the film is clever, almost giving us two complete Bobby stories in one. I won't say a word about the second, as its directly fed by the events of the first. Carell is great in a funny and dramatic turn as Phil, Blake Lively is beautiful and terrific as a second Veronica in Bobby's life, Corey Stoll (The Strain) is rowdy fun as Bobby's much more worldly and violent brother and Woody Allen tops it all off with some heartfelt and funny narration. It's the first time in 30 years he's narrated a film without appearing in it. For me the weakest part of the film is Eisenberg, and I think its just me. I liked him in "Adventureland" and "Zombieland' but between his performance here and recently as Lex Luthor, I just find him grating. I may never get over how bad that Batman V Superman debacle was....anyway, I digress. This is mild, witty, perfectly photographed to bring old Hollywood alive in high def and really enjoyable. Kristin Stewart has really grown on me. She's getting close to making me forget about those horrible sparkling vampire movies that I've never seen. Sit back and enjoy nostalgic good writing and plenty of romance in one technicolor package. CAFE delivers a tasty B.

It had been a few years since I'd seen Caddyshack and I forgot just how damn funny this 1980 comedy classic is from beginning to end! Rodney Dangerfield is at his all time film best (although Back to School is a close second) with the greatest golf bag of all time and some of comedy's best lines. "I imagine if you buy that hat you get a free bowl of soup, looks good on you though!" "Maybe I should have yelled TWO!" "Mr Wang, I thing this club is restricted, don't tell 'em your Jewish". Then there's Chevy Chase at the top of his physical and verbal comedy game, Ted Knight in his blustery best "Spaulding!" and of course, Bill Murray as Carl, the worlds greatest groundskeeper/gopher hunter. Murray was the biggest surprise for me watching it again, every moment with him is just flat out hilarious. The scene with Chevy Chase visiting Carl in his "house" is one of the best in the film. Mix in some Kenny Loggins 80's tunes, Lacey Underall, a dancing gopher, the Bishop and a Baby Ruth and you've got 18 holes of comedy gold. "So I got that going for me, and that's pretty good....: A hilarious hole-in-one that gets an A+ on our scorecard and a spot in my all-time Top 100.

1969's CACTUS FLOWER introduced the world to Goldie Hawn and won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her debut! This is a pretty funny film and while some of the music and settings haven't aged well, the comedy is timeless and still generates some nice laughs. Walter Matthau plays NYC dentist Julian Winston, a confirmed bachelor who has told his girlfriend Toni Simmons (Hawn) that he is married, but getting a divorce. To not get caught in his lie, he asks his long devoted office assistant Stephanie (Ingrid Bergman in ALL her glory) to pose as his wife. As things tend to do, this one time meeting escalates completely out of control and the deception builds on itself, very hilariously. Matthau, Hawn and Bergman are all sharp comics here and get some great support from Jack Weston and Vito Scotti. By the time they all meet in the bar with their assorted partners, it reminded me of some classic moments in Tootsie, with Dustin Hoffman. This is a real time capsule of the late sixties (just dig those references to "flower power" on the poster!) and a great debut of the adorable Goldie, who went on to become one of the most intelligent, groundbreaking women in Hollywood. Here, she is just damn cute, damn funny and damn smart. Cactus Flower blooms with a B.

First of all, no SPOILER ALERTS are necessary for my review of THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, the brilliant new horror movie from Joss Whedon (Buffy, Firefly, writer of The Avengers). There is no way I would share one secret of this incredibly smart, gory, fun, amazing, CLEVER flick! Take all the cliches you have come to expect in a horror movie, including a weekend in a dark, secluded cabin, the five stock slasher film characters (nerd, jock, cheerleader, virgin and stoner), the scary town person they meet before the get to the cabin, etc etc....Now blow ALL those cliches up and blend them back into themselves in ways that you will never see coming. To say anymore is to spoil the surprise. Just fasten your seatbelt, accept that you only THINK you know where this thrill ride is going and get ready. Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford are hilarious in roles I can't even describe without giving something away. This is a lot of fun, splashed with a LOT of blood, horror, laughs and clever twists. It's not often I would use the world brilliant for a horror film, but The Cabin in the Woods earns it. When you find yourself in the main room and all the elevator doors get ready to open at once, prepare yourself. One of my fave films of 2012 and a gore splashed A.

Set during the rise of Nazi Germany, in a dimly lit, adult club oozing decadence and sex, CABARET is one of the darkest musicals to ever find success with audiences. Joel Grey is the Master of Ceremonies, painted like an evil clown and luring us and the audience into the temptations inside the Kit Kat Klub. Director Bob Fosse brings his own unique style to the film and the dance, shattering every concept of a traditional "feel good" musical as the dark cloud of Nazi oppression swallows up Germany. Liza Minelli is American singer Sally Bowles, falling in love with her new roommate Brian (Michael York) and a rich Baron Maximillian (Helmut Griem). Marisa Berenson (Barry Lyndon) is a wealthy socialite discovering her Jewish heritage is becoming a terrifying liability. For a musical, there are less songs than you'd expect, with most of the story taking place outside the club. This isn't a "people breaking into song for no reason" musical, all the songs take place in the club, expanding on the story. York (Logan's Run) is terrific as a very sheltered and shy Cambridge student struggling with his sexuality and Minnelli is over-the-top as Sally until you see her world start to fall apart and you realize that its all a facade. "Money" was added for the film by Kander & Ebb and its just as strong as the rest of the songs. CABARET won Best Actress (Minnelli), Best Supporting Actor (Grey), Best Director (Fosse), Best Cinematography (Geoffrey Unsworth) and four other Oscars in 1972, thirty year before Kander & Ebb would strike movie gold again with the film adaption of "Chicago". Part drama, part WW2 film, part musical, CABARET welcomes you to very slimy nightclub and a very twisted stage show focused on the darkest sides of human nature. If you're looking for happy, you better go next door. If you like twisted, bievenue, Welcome.... CABARET gets a B.

Funny and touching, 1995's BYE BYE LOVE chronicles one long weekend in the lives of three divorced dads, their ex-spouses kids and dates. The three buddies are Dave (Matthew Modine) with two young children, a beautiful young girlfriend and a wandering eye; Randy Quaid as Vic, whose three kids are encouraging him to date again and Danny (Paul Reiser) currently suffering through the teen years with his daughter. For anyone that's been through a divorce, there are a lot of details the film gets right, including the drop off and pick up and trying to find the right blend for all the players to get along. But writers Gary David Goldberg & Brad Hall (Family Ties, Lou Grant) (Frasier, Watching Ellie) know how to craft a feature length version of a sitcom. Quaid's dinner with blind-date-from-Hell Janine Garofalo is a hilarious standout. Garofalo's never been better than she is here, battling with a waiter as Quaid deadpans his responses. Dave's Saturday night with every woman he's dated or dating showing up at once is well structured, with laughs and awkwardness piling up in equal measure. Rob Reiner lands a funny running bit as a marital advice radio show host whose commentary weaves through the weekend. Most of the drama side of the film is saved for Reiser and he handles it well, keeping the schtick to a minimum. The soundtrack is loaded with great music, including songs from Jackson Browne, The Everly Brothers, Mary Chapin Carpenter, CSNY and Linda Ronstadt. The mid 90's yacht rock floats you enjoyable through this mild but enjoyable movie that's a pretty decent blend of laughs and heart. BYE BYE LOVE gets a B. Garofalo and Quaid deserved their own movie!

A funny blast from the past, with enough nostalgia and laughs to make you smile for most of its running time, BYE BYE BIRDIE captures 1963 in a bottle. When the biggest rock and roll star in the world, Conrad Birdie is drafted, his management team sets up a television contest in which he'll visit a small town and kiss one girl before he leaves. Luckily for us, that girl is Kim McAfee, played by a very young and very talented Ann Margaret. Paul Lynde is hilarious as her father, who is trying to figure out how to plug his local store during the TV broadcast. Dick Van Dyke is excellent as chemist and part time songwriter Albert, who pens a song for Birdie to sing, while trying to balance his domineering mother (hilarious Maureen Stapleton) and girlfriend Rosie (Janet Leigh). The film is filled with music sung throughout by its stars and Van Dyke has some of his best film moments here with classics like "Put On a Happy Face". The only problem with the movie is our "rock and roll star Conrad Birdie, played here by Jesse Pearson, who has the stage presence of a pet rock. Ed Sullivan shows up as himself, hosting the big TV show and promoting the big Kiss. He's funnier than you might expect, obviously having fun playing off his real life persona. Paul Lynde steals nearly every scene he's in, the man was damn funny and puts in a different performance than his usual shtick. Definitely a lightweight movie that captures a different time and national sensibility, this was definitely a more innocent era! Fun, fast and well done, BYE BYE BIRDIE gets a nostalgic B.

Bradley Cooper cooks up a hell of a performance as a celebrity chef trying to make a comeback after a serious and infamous flame out in BURNT. Adam Jones (Cooper) was a young, famous and daring chef with two Michelin stars when his diva behavior, insecurities and raging drug habit drove him to massive and very public failure. Jones didn't burn his bridges, he destroyed them along with everyone close to him on his fall from grace. As the film opens, Jones is wrapping up a self-imposed penance in New Orleans and heading back to London to stage a comeback. Meeting his former friends and co-workers, Jones begins a very tortured climb back up the ladder. Restaurant owner Tony (the excellent Daniel Bruhl from "Rush") finds himself with a mediocre dining spot in an upscale hotel, but too many memories of Jones exit to jump at the chance to work with him again. Omar Sy is Michel, badly burned by Jones but anxious to rebuild their magic.Matthew Rhys is Reece, current celebrity chef & rival and Sienna Miller is terrific as Helene, whose talent serves up the perfect pairing to Jones' menu. The road to the top is twisted, interesting and filled with more than a few dangerous hurdles. Cooper is very good as Jones, channeling the verbose profanity and anger of Gordon Ramsey and the most unbalanced aspects of celebrity versus personal challenges. Emma Thompson and Uma Thurman provide nice support in key roles and Director John Wells (August Osage County, ER) serves everything up with a polished shine that equals all the perfect plates. Less than predictable, entertaining and perfectly cooked, BURNT is an entertaining feast of acting talent, presented in style. It gets a B.

A suspenseful English thriller with a terrific performance by Laurence Olivier, BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING kept me guessing right up to its finale. Shot in crisp black & white with terrific location photography, Olivier stars as Detective Newhouse. He's called in when young Ann (Carol Lynley) drops her 4 year old daughter off at preschool, where she promptly disappears. It's not just that she's gone by the end of the day, the mystery seems to be that no one has ever seen the child. Ann's protective brother Steven is played by Kier Dullea, who would go on to huge stardom three years later in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The mystery deepens as it goes, with Ann and Bunny spiraling down a rabbit hole of doubts over the existence of the child. Noel Coward offers a very strange performance as Ann's Landlord, a lurking predator who leaps to the top of the suspect list. But for what? Clive Revill (The Empire Strikes Back) is strong as Sgt. Andrews, confused by a trail that seems to feed back on itself. Dullea's performance is very odd. I spent the first 2/3 trying to decipher how he could be this bad in the role, when he was so effective as Dave Bowman in 2001. Perhaps the resolution offers some answers, but Noel Coward famously taunted him on the set for a lack of talent, saying "Here Dullea, Gone Tomorrow" every chance he got. Lynley is very good. Only having seen her as the lounge singer in 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure" I was pretty shocked at the depth and talent of her performance here. She beat Jane Fonda out for the role. And then there is Olivier, blowing everyone else off the screen as a very clever detective determined to find out who is lying. Never less than interesting, occasionally derailed by some 60's songs by The Zombies, it kept me fascinated on just what in the hell was really going on here. Who's crazy? Famously temperamental Director Otto Preminger (Anatomy of a Murder, Laura)keeps his camera moving in long, lingering shots. Pretty twisted for its day, BUNNY LAKE will keep you guessing from its clever main credits to the jet black, completely mental finale, earning a B.

A harrowing character study, immersed deep in mental illness and paranoia, William Friedkin's 2006 film adaption of the play BUG is completely unhinged. Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) wields a heavy, in your face approach to his source material, a Tracy Letts (August Osage County) play. I've rattled on to anyone that would listen on how brilliant Letts' "Osage" was on Broadway. No one writes torment, confrontation and searing dialogue like Letts. Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water, Nocturnal Animals) reprises his Broadway role as Peter, a damaged war vet who sees conspiracies in every corner. Quiet, isolated and meek, he meets a very lonely Agnes (Ashley Judd) in a trashy western town and an even trashier hotel. Agnes is damaged, fragile and immediately drawn to what she sees as Peter's innocence. Harry Connick Jr is jacked up and dangerous as Agnes's ex-husband Jerry, fresh out of prison and anxious to pick up his spousal abuse just where he left it in this dingy, desperate hotel room. As Peter and Agnes grow closer, talking for hours and slowly spiraling into Peter's dark world view, his mysteries boil to the surface, including his conviction that hundreds of little electronic cockroaches are just beneath his skin. Agnes is at first doubtful. but is soon feeling the itch herself. As the film goes on, we are sucked into the room, with the walls closing in and the paranoia on full tilt. Watching these two people force out everyone else in the world, believing only what serves their sick narrative, Friedkin carves out a sick, twisted high dive into mental anguish. Letts gives him the words to play with, Friedkin escalates it into terror. Razor blades open up skin to pull out the bugs, flesh and emotions are ripped raw. When Peter thinks there are bugs under his teeth, he grabs a pair of pliers and pulls them out real time, on camera, as Agnes screams. It's horrifying. Shannon is incredible. He's always been a fearless actor in portraying unlikable souls. He's full tilt here, squirming backward into something less than human. Judd is also very good, her Agnes making you sad as you watch this dim, sad woman caught in the black hole of Jerry's madness. We're not talking tin foil hats here, we're talking entire hotel rooms wrapped in foil and riddled with no-pest strips. Nothing's going to keep the madness out. I don't know if I'd call this entertaining, but it's undeniably powerful. It's also bloody, violent and crushingly sad. There's not a person here in front of or behind the camera that's not giving it 100%. I'll give it a B, but get ready to squirm. As I said at the beginning, completely UNHINGED.

Imagine the most foul, graphic, envelope-pushing, adults only, profane action comedy ever made, DOUBLE it and now you are in the uncomfortable but hilarious world occupied by THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY. Sacha Baron Cohen has always displayed genius for pushing the boundaries of comedy. "Borat" certainly had scenes with nudity and physical comedy that made you flinch while laughing, but that's nothing compared to what he's whipped up here. Cohen stars as Nobby, a dim-witted soccer hooligan with 9 kids, a passion for the pub and a limited amount of brain cells. When he was a young boy, he was separated from his brother Sebastian and he's been on a life long quest to find him. Sebastian has grown up to be one of the world's best spies. During the opening credits, we follow him through a mission that combines the best of Indiana Jones, Bond and Bourne in one sequence. Sebastian is played winningly by Mark Strong, who is up for anything and shares our horror at all things Nobby. When Nobby discovers that his brother will be at a mega-wealthy event to kickoff a philanthropic movement, he crashes the party, interrupts Sebastian's efforts to stop an assassination and sends the brothers on the run from the bad guys and MI6. Their adventures on the road are damn funny, often exciting, incredibly well staged on the level of any high budget action film and occasionally SO gross and foul that you will either walk out, or laugh until your sides hurt. I was in the latter group, but I'm definitely the minority here as audiences avoided this big budget film by the millions. To be fair, the punchlines include very graphic elephant sex, Nobby's love for big women that culminates in a mistaken bedroom romp with Gabourey Sidibe, Nobby being forced to suck venom out of various parts of his brother's anatomy and a hilariously inappropriate gag involving Daniel Radcliffe and Donald Trump. This is a great action flick, put through Cohen's very twisted grinder and spit out the other side as a hugely inappropriate send up of spy flicks, buddy movies and all things proper. Cohen and Strong are both great, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher, Penelope Cruz are all having a blast and the Screenplay by Cohen and Phil Johnston (Wreck It Ralph, Zootopia, Cedar Rapids) is a lonnnnnnnng way from Johnston's Disney hits here, but on target for very inappropriate fun. The dialogue, even in the throwaway moments, is damn funny. If you are easily offended, DO NOT SEE this movie. If you consider having your limits tested on just what you'll find funny, sign up. If this was edited to be appropriate for viewing by the sensitive it would be 8 minutes long. For those that can take it, its about 90 minutes of disgusting, laugh-out-loud (often uncomfortably), jaw dropping madness. Favorite line: "Nobby! You just managed to do in three seconds what Voldemort couldn't in 8 movies!" Very adult, dripping with revolting scenes (and a few other things) these Brothers get a B.