Warner Bros. – Stream On Demand

Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet in the film adapted from the Dashiell Hammett novel by John Huston.

‘The Maltese Falcon’ – the stuff dreams are made of on HBO Max

!Featured, Academy Award nominee, based on a novel, Blu-ray, Classic, DVD, Essential Viewing, film noir, HBO Max, Hollywood Classic, literary adaptation, Mystery, National Film Registry, remake, SVOD 01/19/2022 Sean Axmaker

Humphrey Bogart is Sam Spade in John Huston’s note-perfect adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s iconic novel in this pioneering film noir classic.

‘Inception’ – Christopher Nolan’s mind-heist on HBO Max

!Featured, Academy Award, Action, BAFTA winner, Blu-ray, caper, DVD, HBO Max, Science Fiction, Streaming Movies, SVOD, thriller 01/18/2022 Sean Axmaker

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this caper film that heists dreams instead of treasure. It is surely the most cerebral action thriller to become a blockbuster.

Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, and Jai Courtney star in the DC comics movie

‘Suicide Squad’ – Worst. Heroes. Ever. on HBO Max

!Featured, Academy Award, Action, based on a comic book, Blu-ray, DVD, HBO Max, Streaming Movies, superheroes, SVOD 01/16/2022 Sean Axmaker

Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Joel Kinneman star in the first live-action film featuring the squad of supervillains drafted to play hero in the DCU.

Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Paul Sorvino, and Joe Pesci in Martin Scorsese's gangster classic.

Martin Scorsese’s ‘GoodFellas’ on HBO Max and Peacock

!Featured, Academy Award, based on a true story, Blu-ray, Crime Cinema, drama, DVD, Essential Viewing, gangsters, HBO Max, Peacock, Streaming Movies, SVOD 11/02/2021 Sean Axmaker

Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci star in Scorsese’s violent, dynamic, exhilarating mob thriller, the greatest American gangster movie since Coppola’s ‘The Godfather.’

‘Watchmen’ – Superhero redux on HBO Max

!Featured, based on a comic book, Blu-ray, Cult Movies, DVD, HBO Max, satire, Science Fiction, Streaming Movies, superheroes, SVOD, thriller 08/18/2021 Sean Axmaker

Zach Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of the landmark graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons is as faithful as anyone could hope for.

Brad Bird directs the animated feature based on the Ted Hughes book

‘The Iron Giant’ – A boy and his robot buddy – free on Hoopla

!Featured, Animation, based on a novel, Blu-ray, DVD, Essential Viewing, family friendly, fantasy, Free, giant monsters, HBO Max, Hoopla, literary adaptation, Science Fiction, Streaming Movies, SVOD 07/25/2021 Sean Axmaker 1 Comment

BThe giddiest moments of The Iron Giant (1999), a delightful throwback to the classic era of hand-drawn animated movies, deliver the most amazing little boy wish fulfillment fantasies. But there’s much more to Brad Bird’s cartoon fable in science fiction clothing and fairy tale trappings is a delightful throwback to the classic era of hand-drawn animated movies.

Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank in 'Million Dollar Baby'

Clint Eastwood’s ‘Million Dollar Baby’ on Amazon Prime

!Featured, Academy Award, Amazon Prime Video, based on a short story, Blu-ray, drama, DVD, Essential Viewing, sports, Streaming Movies, SVOD 06/28/2021 Sean Axmaker

Always one of America’s most undervalued directors, Clint Eastwood proved himself American cinema’s national treasure in the third act of his impressive career. Million Dollar Baby (2004), an understated, unpretentious, powerfully told drama, adapted from F.X. Toole stories by Paul Haggis, earned Eastwood his second round of Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture (his […]

Last chance: ‘Enter the Dragon’ – Bruce Lee is supreme on Netflix

!Featured, Action, Blu-ray, Classic, Cult Movies, DVD, Last chance, martial arts, Netflix, SVOD 06/21/2021 Sean Axmaker

Enter the Dragon (1973) – After years of supporting roles in Hollywood, American citizen Bruce Lee became a star in Hong Kong with a handful of hard-edged martial arts thrillers. He returned to conquer his adopted homeland with this American/Hong Kong co-production, a glorified B-movie mix of kung-fu fighting (choreographed by Lee himself) and James […]

Last chance: Errol Flynn is ‘Captain Blood’ on HBO Max

!Featured, Academy Award nominee, Action, based on a novel, Blu-ray, Classic, DVD, Essential Viewing, HBO Max, historical, Hollywood Classic, Last chance, literary adaptation, SVOD 05/24/2021 Sean Axmaker

Errol Flynn was Warner Bros. contract player, barely a supporting actor on the Hollywood scene, when he shot to stardom in the starring role of Captain Blood (1935), Warner Bros.’ lavish adaptation of Rafael Sabatini’s novel. His bravado and charisma brings to life the rousing tale Peter Blood, a courageous British doctor who, unjustly sold […]

‘The Dirty Dozen’ – the original World War II caper on HBO Max

!Featured, Academy Award, adventure, based on a novel, Blu-ray, Classic, Cult Movies, DVD, HBO Max, Hollywood Classic, Streaming Movies, SVOD, war 05/01/2021 Sean Axmaker

The 1960s were full of big budget wartime caper-style films—The Great Escape, Where Eagles Dare, Kelley’s Heroes, just to name a few—but none of them have the brawny machismo and wily bad boy gusto of The Dirty Dozen (1967), Robert Aldrich’s testosterone-fueled tough guy classic. Lee Marvin is the hard-as-nails Major who is “volunteered” to […]