Eden (2024)

Based on actual events, a group of settlers (including a doctor writing his manifesto, a couple trying to start a family, and a Baroness with her harem) arrive at a remote locale in the Galápagos Islands circa 1929, where they are at once at each other's throats as they're forced to contend with harsh living conditions, scarcity of resources and lack of medical care. This is a harrowing survival drama at times, though it's filled with enough black humor to ensure your safe harbor. It's a movie that plumbs the depths of "love thy neighbor," but I hated it on principle. It's kind of a mess, though I guess that's the point.

3 wild boars out of 5

Splash (1984)

It's your typical man meets fish story. In a twist on the mermaid myth, Daryl Hannah plays a mute and mysterious woman who develops a fascination for a lonely, lovelorn man in this literal fish out of water tale. What I love about this film is how romantic and out of step with reality it feels. It makes you believe anything is possible and transcends all logic. It's pure fantasy and an escape from an irrational, insufferable world. This is what the movies are all about.

4½ counts of indecent exposure out of 5

American Graffiti (1973)

Before George Lucas redefined modern cinema with the Star Wars universe, he brought us the quintessential coming-of-age comedy set in 1962, featuring fast cars, cute girls and the greatest rock 'n' roll soundtrack of all time. What this film captures so brilliantly is what it was like to live in that era during that last age of innocence, as Lucas pulls deeply from his own personal teenage memories. Featuring early performances from the likes of Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford and Suzanne Somers, it was a great launching pad for many careers and solidified Lucas as a competent and capable filmmaker (which would later become overshadowed by all those Star Wars films).

5 Wolfman Jack monologues out of 5

Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024)

A retrospective on the life of Jim Henson, chronicling his rise as a filmmaker and puppeteer to the creation of his Muppets and Sesame Street all the way to The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. A lot of focus is spent on his wife, Jane, who helped to support him throughout. I found it enjoyable, but as an overview, it merely scratches the surface and doesn't quite capture the full spectrum of Henson's life and career. It focuses a lot on the early years and glosses over the latter period. I would have liked to see it go even deeper, but it functions well as a primer to the man and his legendary career. In particular, all of the behind-the-scenes footage of Jim and Frank Oz ad-libbing is gold. (That was always one of my favorite special features on The Muppet Movie DVD.)

3 ping pong balls out of 5

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

I think I've always liked this film more than other people. That's because Jim Carrey is a walking cartoon, so he embodies the animated character so effortlessly. Ron Howard's adaptation of the misanthropic children's classic is a bit long in the tooth, but it's cemented itself in the minds of a lot of kids due to being aired annually on TV. It's not perfect by any means (they add a lot of backstory which I find a touch unnecessary), but it's a perfect accompaniment to the original, despite the fact that some of the Whovian make-up effects might trigger nightmares in smaller kids. But then again, isn't that what Christmas is all about?

Those prosthetic effects (by Rick Baker) are excellent, although Carrey had such a hard time during the production that they hired a CIA agent to give him torture endurance training. That's what I call suffering for your art.

When you think about it, this is the original Wicked.

3½ thirty-nine-and-a-half foot poles out of 5

Grand Theft Auto (1977)

Nothing to do with a popular sandbox video game series, the film GTA follows the journey of poor-boy Sam Freeman (Ron Howard) and rich-girl Paula Powers (Nancy Morgan) as they drive to Las Vegas to get wed. Along the way the duo are pursued by a number of different characters, for various reasons. Pushing the joke further, some of the pursuers are themselves being tailed.
There was an audience in the late 70s for the kind of road movie caper that GTA is, as evidenced by the success of Smokey and the Bandit (incidentally, GTA was released a couple of weeks after SatB), but the light-hearted comedy rarely excites and the characters aren't memorable enough to make it stand out. To be blunt, if not for the name it might not be remembered at all, except perhaps by fans of Dir. Howard, seeing as how it was his début feature.

2 reward hunters out of 5

RUSH [2013]

Every 6 or 7 years director Ron Howard comes out with a pretty decent flick, whereas most of the other stuff he pumps out is audience friendly drivel.
Based on the subject matter and Howard's name, I wasn't expecting to enjoy Rush as much as I did.
Propelled by some equally strong performances by Chris Hemsworth & Daniel Brühl as Formula 1 rivals James Hunt & Niki Lauda, the film is more a character piece rather than a sporty bio-drama.  With it's slick-pacing and exciting race sequences all of which are beautifully edited & shot, Rush is superbly crafted story that is riveting from beginning to end.

4 lung vacuums out of 5

The Shootist (1976)

John Wayne plays an ageing shootist whose life is winding down. It was his final film and served as a fitting tribute to the big man while simultaneously marking the end of an era in style.
Wayne gives an understated performance filled with empathy because the same disease that plagues his on-screen character was killing him slowly in real life. When he looks tired, it's probably because he was.
It was The Shootist that convinced me The Duke was the 'Giant' that folks said he was when I first saw it over twenty years ago, and of all the classic John Wayne films that I've watched since it's still my favourite.

4 streaks of kindness out of 5