“Broken Arrow” to “Bullitt”
Broken Arrow (1996) John Woo goes Hollywood! In this action film, several thermonuclear devices go missing and its up to Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis to save the day. This is the second film to feature Slater and Mathis (the first was Pump up the Volume) and their screen chemistry is still a delight. A guilty pleasure movie to be sure, but it features some of my favorite actors Delroy Lindo, Frank Whaley, and Kirkwood Smith. Its a fun rollercoaster ride akin to Speed and well worth a look. Grab and bag of popcorn and enjoy. (GS)
Broken Blossoms (1919) Forget every stereotypical thing youve heard about silent films. In this riveting drama directed by D.W. Griffith, Richard Barthlemess plays a Chinese immigrant who has vowed to protect Lillian Gish from her brutal father. The scene with Gish trapped in a closet with her father trying to break in hasnt lost any of its power. In fact, youll probably be thankful that youre watching a silent film because its difficult enough the way it is. Bravura. (GS)
Bubba Ho-Tep (2003) In a nutshell we have Bruce Campbell as an aging Elvis Presley and Ozzie Davis as a man who believes hes JFK. They team up to fight an evil Egyptian entity thats killing off residents in their nursing home. And if thats not enough to get you to watch this movie, I dont know what is. (GS)
Bull Durham (1988) Wonderful movie about baseball life in a minor league town. Kevin Costner’s best performances have been a variation of his character in this, the jock on the downside of his career. Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon have great chemistry together and it’s no surprise that they’ve been together ever since. People who think Costner stunk in things like Waterworld (and I’m not one of them) should watch him here. (SB)
Bullitt (1968) Landmark Steve McQueen film with San Francisco as its gorgeous back drop that includes the now famous car chase one of the best ever committed to film. No matter what SB says. (GS)
Originally published in Raspberry World – Volume 2, Issue 1 (June/July 2007)