Nathan's Movie Reviews

Jaws (1975)   Rated PG Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes Director: Steven Spielberg Starring: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw   Ba Dum… Ba Dum… Is there any movie that screams summer more than Jaws ? Jaws is one of the most entertaining and well-made movies of all time. But I’m getting ahead of myself. For the uninitiated let’s ta lk about the plot. A shark has set its sights on Amity Island for its feeding grounds, and every beachgoer and tourist are possible victims. So, it’s up to a new sheriff (Roy Scheider) who’s in over his head, an oceanographic expert (Richard Dreyfuss) and a crotchety old shark hunter (played by the always wonderful Robert Shaw) to find it and put an end to its blood thirsty rampage. That’s it. That’s the plot, and I know what you’re saying “That sounds like a thousand movies I’ve seen before. What makes Jaws worth watching?” Well voice in my head I’ll tell you. As with all things it’s a bout the execution of the premise more tha...

2001:A Space Odyssey (1968) Runtime: 2 hours and 29 minutes      Rated: G Director: Stanley Kubrick Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester      To be honest, I may have bitten off more than I can chew in deciding to make this my second film to review. Jaws is a fairly straight forward film that isn’t really open to too many different interpretations, but 2001 demands them. So, I guess I’ll start with a general synopsis (if that’s even possible), but first I should mention that this movie is broken up into several sections that each have their own characters and settings. So, I’ll go section by section. We start with an overture of weird vocals and noises that lasts for about 3 minutes. Which I guess must have some sort of cue from Kubrick to tell all the people that walked into it expected a campy B grade alien invasion flick to leave before it was too late. Then the dawn of man sequence begins, with establishing shots of a dr...

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) Directors: Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski Starring: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delaney, and Mark Hamill Rated PG         Runtime 1hr 16 min     Well, it’s official. As of 2019 Batman is 80 years old, being created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in the late 1930s. So, the challenge this momentous occasion set before me was how to celebrate it. I could have created a clickbait top 10 list of the best Batman comics, films or even video games. But all of these have been done to death already, and Batman deserved something better. Eventually, I stumbled on to the idea of reviewing the Bat flick that first sparked what would become a burgeoning passion for this character and his world. No, it’s not Tim Burton’s first Batman movie, or even any of the Christopher Nolan movies (although I love them all and will talk about each of them in time.) It’s actually an underrated animated classic called Batman: Mask of the Phantasm,...

Ghostbusters (1984)   Directed by Ivan Reitman Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver      Well. In a year full of anniversaries of some of my favorite film franchises and characters, we finally now come to the one I might be the most excited about. Ghostbusters is 35, so you know I have to talk about it. The basic plot is that 3 scientists decide to create a ghost extermination business and end up saving the world. Obviously, that’s a very bare bones synopsis, but its simplicity allows for more complex elements on top of the story to really stand out. But I’m getting ahead of myself. When diving into what makes Ghostbusters work, one must start with the script. Written by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis, the script is the excellent blending of snappy scientific based jokes and the dry, cynical humor. Once you have that then you add in some of the funniest comedic actors at the top of their game. To me, Bill Murray h...

Singin’in the Rain (1952) Directed by Stanley Donnen Starring: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O Connor Rated G 1hr 43min      Whenever I list this movie as possibly my favorite movie of all time, (at least top 3) I always get a number of raised eyebrows and puzzled looks. Which makes sense. I don’t consider myself a big fan of musicals. I’ve sat through White Christmas, the Music Man, and Oklahoma, they’re all fine, but nothing to write home about. I’ve never seen West Side Story and, in all likelihood, will never see it without an offer I couldn’t refuse. Don’t get me wrong I love music and have spent a large amount (probably too much) time devoted to making/listening to it, but by and large I can’t stand the way people just randomly break into song. Simple as that, it just takes me right out of a movie. But for some baffling reason Singin’ in the Rain creates a chink in my anti musical armor, and I have really grown to like it more and more. Before exp...