Shotgun Wedding, by Albert W. Vogt III
This past weekend had nothing remarkable released, so I did not go to the cinema. It was just as well. It was my birthday weekend and I felt like I had much better things to do than to sit through Infinity Pool. Then again, the same could be said for today’s film, Shotgun Wedding (2022). Why the different premier year, you may…
Rocky II, by Albert W. Vogt III
Honestly, I had never seen any of the films in the Rocky franchise. As I indicated in my review of the original, Rocky (1976), there are many aspects of them that are familiar. What has been a treat so far in watching the first two is the connection to the South Philadelphia Italian neighborhood that raised and nurtured Robert “Rocky”…
Rocky, by Albert W. Vogt III
With the imminent release of Creed III, I thought it would be nice to go back to where it all began with Rocky (1976). It is one of those movies that many people are familiar with, even if they have not seen it. The name has become synonymous with the underdog triumphing over all odds. There is the music, often used…
A Fish Called Wanda, by Albert W. Vogt III
There is much about A Fish Called Wanda (1988) that does not necessarily feed the soul. That is, of course, what a Catholic reviewer such as myself prizes the most from a film. There is dishonesty, infidelity, robbery, unfaithfulness, and violence. It is also a comedy. Sometimes these things can be funny, although I confess that I did not laugh as…
The Legend of Zorro, by Albert W. Vogt III
After watching The Legend of Zorro (2005), a current house guest of mine and I went down to the beach. We did so because an expensive looking yacht had beached itself, a rare occasion. At this particular moment, they were beginning the process of towing it off the sand in which it had become lodged. While we did not stick…
The Mask of Zorro, by Albert W. Vogt III
When cable began, one of the first companies to take advantage of this new broadcast opportunity was Disney. My family, I feel, got in pretty early with this up-and-coming way of watching television. My sister and I were never huge Disney people, but we loved watching the Disney channel. I suspect it was for vastly different reasons. In those…
Missing, by Albert W. Vogt III
Have you ever sat or stood over someone’s shoulder and watched them use their computer? Well, if you see Missing, get ready for almost two hours of this kind of nonsense. Perhaps I am not being charitable. At the same time, neither am I lying. The movie is shot entirely from the perspective of somebody looking at a computer screen. I…
Sneakers, by Albert W. Vogt III
Sometimes we look at the things in the world and feel there is nothing to do but something drastic. Such are the problems we face that we feel powerless to do anything about them, which leads to the kind of desperation that coincides with drastic. What such thoughts often engender is a desire for control. If only I…
Plane, by Albert W. Vogt III
What I saw this weekend was a Plane old, okay new, movie. Actually, I thought of that pun before I got to the theater. It is also nice when your predictions in pun form come true. This is also not to say it is a bad movie. It is not a great one, either. Hence, pun becomes reality. I do not know much…
Emily the Criminal, by Albert W. Vogt III
Aubrey Plaza, the star of today’s film Emily the Criminal (2022), and I probably have little in common. As I understand it from watching interviews with her, she had a Catholic upbringing. So, there is one trait we share. Given other things I have learned about her, being baptized in the Church is perhaps where our similarities begin and end. I…
True Grit (2010), by Albert W. Vogt III
There will be some of you who might rail against me doing the 2010 remake of True Grit instead of the 1969 original, starring John Wayne. You may be even more scandalized when I tell you that I have never seen the earlier film. My job here, or with any other review, is not to catalog the differences between…
Sleeping Beauty, by Albert W. Vogt III
Perhaps The Legionnaire is bigger than even I realize? It could be that in quantity of reviews, anyway. When somebody recently suggested on social media that I review Disenchanted (2022), it came with the caveat that I should first watch Enchanted (2007). Fine, says I, who am I to deny all my fan. . . ? I liked neither of them, but dutiful wrote an…
Zoolander, by Albert W. Vogt III
Here is another entry from the golden age of Ben Stiller films: Zoolander (2001). I have to confess to not being excited for this one when it came out. I recall seeing previews for it in the theaters and thinking, what in the world. . . ? It was not until well after it came out that finally got around…
Jackie Brown, by Albert W. Vogt III
Not all Quentin Tarantino movies are created alike. I believe in other reviews of his films I have basically said as much. Jackie Brown (1997) is one that, for whatever reason, does not get talked about much amongst his total body of work. Everyone likes Pulp Fiction (1994), except this Catholic reviewer. Go ahead. I will give you a moment to rage against…
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, by Albert W. Vogt III
By now, if you have been reading The Legionnaire for some time, I would think you would know what a release of an animated movie means for me. If you are new, I will spell it out anyway: I gather my nieces and head to the cinema. One day, they will get too old for these things, or so…
John Wick, by Albert W. Vogt III
There are many reasons why John Wick (2014) is a completely asinine movie. It has nothing to do with what sets off Jonathan “John” Wick (Keanu Reeves) on a murderous rampage through a Russian mafia family. Having a former hitman turned family man turned revenge man say lines like “They killed my dog” may sound dumb, but if you…
Avatar: The Way of Water, by Albert W. Vogt III
Lately, while grading late into the wee hours of the morning, I have been putting on Dances with Wolves (1990). If you look at my review of that film, you will see a humorous anecdote about how it is one of the longest movies in the entire world. Hyperbole aside, my goal in putting it on is to race…
Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Through the Ages, by Albert W. Vogt III
One of these days I will run out of reasons to refer to my dissertation, “The Costumed Catholic: Catholics, Whiteness, and the Movies, 1928-1973.” For now, here is more context. When looking at the release year for today’s film, Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Through the Ages (1916, and henceforth just Intolerance because I do not feel like typing out the subtitle every…
Prometheus, by Albert W. Vogt III
Ever since the release of the first Alien film in 1979, they have been trying to replicate its ground breaking blend of science fiction and horror. Space can be a scary place, in conception anyway. Who knows what it is really like out there in the stars. We have not even come to fully understand our own solar system. It is…
Oblivion, by Albert W. Vogt III
Actual oblivion might be preferable to watching the movie called Oblivion (2013). At the same time, the word, which is a state of being unaware of what is happening, is a fitting title. It is one of those films with a big reveal at the end that you can kind of guess while watching it only to be disappointed. Like…
Elysium, by Albert W. Vogt III
Do you not just hate rich people? Man, rich people. It would just figure that they would come up with the secret to immortality, wait until the Earth is completely screwed with disease and pollution, and then bounce to outer space. This clichéd hypothetical is the premise of today’s film, Elysium (2013). It is so strange to me that Hollywood would…
Star Trek: First Contact, by Albert W. Vogt III
As has been documented, I do not care much for anything Star Trek related. For the record, a Star Destroyer from the Star Wars universe would annihilate any ship in Star Trek. Nerd side rant over. The only reason I deal with anything from the other science fiction giant, for lack of another term, is because I have friends that like it. My best…
Logan, by Albert W. Vogt III
With the recent announcement of Hugh Jackman reprising his iconic role as Logan, also known as Wolverine from the Marvel Comics famous mutant team of heroes known as the X-Men, I thought, why not do Logan (2017)? Actually, I am surprised I have not covered it sooner. It is also interesting to think about it in regards to the…
Violent Night, by Albert W. Vogt III
When I first say the trailer for Violent Night, I thought it was a joke. With my mouth slightly agape for a few seconds afterwards, I seriously believed that what I witnessed, like Santa Clause himself, was not real. We Catholics have the genuine article of St. Nicholas, but for all intents and purposes, none of the traditions…
Interstellar, by Albert W. Vogt III
There are movies that I frankly do not understand. There was also a time in my life when that would have aggravated me. One of the benefits of growing in Faith is becoming more in tune with how God sees you. I can, in no way, shape, or form tell you that I have completed this process. The…
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, by Albert W. Vogt III
If The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is not a movie, then I am not sure what else to call it. Granted, at only forty minutes in run time, it is not what you would call feature length. I have to confess to having a not an insignificant amount of trepidation going into watching it. There may be some…
Devotion, by Albert W. Vogt III
Whenever there is a new animated movie out, the first people I turn to are my nieces. Call me crazy, but I do not want to be that guy who sits in the corner of a theater by himself seeing a kid’s movie about which I care little. Hence, earlier in the day I took my niece…
Strange World, by Albert W. Vogt III
The de facto chorus in “America” (1968) by Simon and Garfunkel talks of going to look for the title country. It is about two people, boyfriend and girlfriend presumably, who board a bus in their quest. They spend most of their trip observing either the people around them or the scenery they pass. At one point, the man…
Murder Mystery, by Albert W. Vogt III
There is never any reason to watch an Adam Sandler movie, and I am including any of his so-called “classics.” Perhaps I am being uncharitable. Yet, outside of 50 First Dates (2004), you can keep the lot of them. At the same time, I have The Legionnaire to consider. If there is one thing for which you can credit Sandler, it is that…
Wing Commander, by Albert W. Vogt III
Recently, some old and dear married friends of mine asked me to come north to watch their dog as they go on what they call a “baby moon.” If you are like me and had never heard this term before, it is when you are expecting your first child but decide to take one last trip…
Commando, by Albert W. Vogt III
In the moderately long teaching career I have had, the class I enjoyed teaching most was, unsurprisingly, a film course. It is a class I mostly inherited from my mentor at Loyola University Chicago, though I made some changes to it. The biggest one was a group project. When I first started as a professor, I was only…
Rush Hour 3, by Albert W. Vogt III
Well, let us get this over with, finally. If you have read the reviews of Rush Hour (1998) and Rush Hour 2 (2001), you might have noticed my lack of enthusiasm. The next logical question then is: why do it? There is nobody anywhere telling me to continue writing The Legionnaire. The only explanation I can give you is that it is Faith. There is…
Rush Hour 2, by Albert W. Vogt III
Well, here we go with Rush Hour 2 (2001). Pardon me if that is not the most enthusiastic of starts. In reflecting just this moment, I ask myself: why did we ever like these movies? To be fair, there are worse films. I have reviewed some of the most unwatchable pieces of cinema known to man. Yet, this trilogy bears a little…
Rush Hour, by Albert W. Vogt III
I have a theory that every show on television is cop show. Even the shows that are not cop shows are cop shows. Shows. This commentary is equal parts in reference to the formulaic nature of pretty much everything you see, and my annoyance with the rest. With streaming services these days, it is even harder to find something…
See How They Run, by Albert W. Vogt III
When See How They Run debuted in theaters this year, I intended to see it. Unfortunately, it came out the same weekend as The Woman King. I am one person, and I tend not to force Cameron to reviewing anything. He has his own life to live, though I appreciate any contribution he gives. Throw in the rest of the usual excuses…
Enola Holmes, by Albert W. Vogt III
It is not often that I start to fall asleep while watching a movie. Oh, and by the way, if you have read my review of Enola Holmes 2, as it turns out I had not seen the first Enola Holmes (2020). This became clear after a few minutes a watching it. And as the minutes ticked away into the hours,…
Enola Holmes 2, by Albert W. Vogt III
Apparently, I have not reviewed Enola Holmes (2020). I probably should have checked here on The Legionnaire, but I decided my memory was good enough and forged ahead anyway with Enola Holmes 2. I could have sworn I had at least seen the predecessor, though something else tells me I turned it off in annoyance. Given how this latest addition to revisionist…
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, by Albert W. Vogt III
In the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series on Disney+, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), the titular Hulk, has a fourth wall breaking moment. Not liking how the finale of her show is going, she busts through the menu on the streaming service and hops into a behind-the-scenes documentary about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Eventually, she comes face-to-um . .…
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), by Albert W. Vogt III
I have never thought of my educational experience as being special in any manner, aside from attaining a terminal degree. I say this because I am guessing that like many of you, I had to read Erich Maria Remarque’s classic anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front, first published in 1929. I am also surmising that I…
Police Academy, by Albert W. Vogt III
It is Halloween. People dress as cops on that day, right? We will call this the excuse for watching Police Academy (1984). Actually, a bigger reason would be the fact that I had never seen it. It is simultaneously logical and strange that this would be the case. As a child of the 1980s, like everyone else then, I knew about…
Zulu, by Albert W. Vogt III
It is difficult to say which is the best war movie. As only Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) could put it in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), “Wars not make one great.” The whole of civilization, yesterday, today, but hopefully not in the future, have been shaped by armed conflict. There seems to be something…
Spider-Man, by Albert W. Vogt III
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) now a well-oiled machine, it is fun to go back to when it was basically just Spider-Man, and a version of the famous web-slinger not played by Tom Holland. It also belies a time when the folks at Marvel seemingly did not know what they were doing, outside of making…
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, by Albert W. Vogt III
If you are a child of the 1980s like I am, you probably have a greater appreciation for “Weird” Al Yankovic than most other generations. You could hardly be aware of a popular song from that decade for too long before Yankovic released a hilarious parody of it. There are some who say parodies are mean. I am…
Star Trek: Generations, by Albert W. Vogt III
As I have undoubtedly made clear in other reviews, I am a Star Wars fan. For whatever reason that our youthful selves conjure, I never got into Star Trek, an attitude that has stuck with me into adulthood. Still, I have good friends that enjoy the latter, and I would sometimes enter into discussions with them on the subject whenever…
Walking Tall, by Albert W. Vogt III
With Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s passion project Black Adam recently premiering, why not go back to much earlier in his acting career? It seems like a tale of two Rocks. Today, he is known as Dwayne Johnson. Back when today’s example came out, Walking Tall (2004), he was more well known as “The Rock.” He also had hair. It is interesting because the film…
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Albert W. Vogt III
Enjoy this one because it might be as close as I get to reviewing a Halloween-esque movie. Or perhaps I should call it in the ballpark of Halloween? Halloween-ish? Anyway, the undead always seem to be more popular around this time, and they are about the only part of the horror genre I will watch, if any, most…
From Dusk Till Dawn, by Albert W. Vogt III
There is not much good to say about From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). I suppose you can believe that I am writing this review because it is the Halloween season, and it is essentially a monster film. Otherwise, there is little in it to recommend it, and as such I will not be doing so by the time that…
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, by Albert W. Vogt III
Now to once more dig into my favorite Disney films, and those are of the more obscure variety. I have probably already explained this before, but back when the Disney Channel started, with cable television in its infancy (yes, I am that old), they had to find programming. Lots and lots of programming. During the day, when I…
Hero, by Albert W. Vogt III
There was a time in the early part of this century when we here in the United States began getting a number of bona fide Chinese martial arts films. Among the first was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Not only was it well received by the American viewing public, but it also garnered a great deal of attention at…
Black Adam, by Cameron J. Czaja
When it comes to superhero films in Hollywood, Marvel has built an empire of films known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The only major competition that they have is DC Comic’s cinematic universe, which is The DC Extended Universe, or DCEU for short. Their debut feature was the reboot Superman film Man of Steel (2013), which…
Shaolin Soccer, by Albert W. Vogt III
My nostalgia strikes me in different ways at different times. Gosh, that makes nostalgia sound like a medical condition. Actually, in some way it can be something that you eventually need to treat, especially if you let it consume your life to the point that you are stuck living in the past. It is a fine line between…
Mr. & Mrs. Smith, by Albert W. Vogt III
Do you remember when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt got together? I do not mean being in the same film with each other, though I am talking about Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) today. Instead, I am referring to the time shortly before what the world came to know as “Brangelina,” when they had separate lives, indeed relationships. Memory tells…
Dances with Wolves, by Albert W. Vogt III
There was a time when I swear I put Dances with Wolves (1990) on the television in the middle of the day, fell asleep shortly after it began, awoke four hours later, and it was only half finished. Officially speaking, the film clocks in at one minute over three hours. It was being shown on a cable network with…
A Knight’s Tale, by Albert W. Vogt III
Recently, I reviewed Hocus Pocus 2. Typically, this would have been something I avoided had it not been for a slow weekend at the cinema. In either case, it was new and it was out, and I always try to give my reviews of new releases on Mondays, or Tuesdays if Cameron has something. If you read my review…
Amsterdam, by Albert W. Vogt III
Trailer expectation is a thing. A phrase like that could indicate something bad or good. At the end of the day, taste will determine which side of that divide on which you fall. Either way, trailers are meant to build expectations. That is their reason for existence. The hope is that they will get you wanting to see the movie…
The Spy Next Door, by Albert W. Vogt III
Perhaps I am getting to that age when I am not understanding youth culture anymore. Recently, one of my adult friends asked me to review The Spy Next Door (2010). I always agree to these requests, and had every intention of doing so. But, life, etc., etc., etc. . . . Then I spent a week with my sister’s family awaiting…
Prey, by Albert W. Vogt III
When I first saw the trailer for Prey, my first thought was, “Huh?” “What?!” Part of the reason for my bewilderment is that I had recently seen The Predator (2018). It is franchise-crushingly bad, which I explained in my review of it. It also took me a moment to realize what I was seeing, and once I did the disapprobation set in…
The Predator, by Albert W. Vogt III
Of all the silly ways of milking a franchise, sticking the word “The” on the front of a classic film title has got to be the silliest. As I have progressed through my reviews of all the Predator movies, I have mentioned a few times that the original Predator (1987) is a piece of classic cinema of the highest order. Again,…
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, by Albert W. Vogt III
If memory serves correctly, when I saw the first AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004), I do not recall hating it. To be sure, it is not good. Yet, the most you can say sometimes about a film that does not stand out in any particular way is that it is serviceable. As such, I do not think I had any…
AVP: Alien vs. Predator, by Albert W. Vogt III
Ever since Predator 2 (1990), the devoted fan base to the Predator and Alien franchises have wanted a crossover film where these two races of space monsters battle it out with each other. Why? Because if you look in the background of the Predator spacecraft towards the end of Predator 2, you will see a trophy case. Among the skulls collected there is one that…
Predators, by Albert W. Vogt III
The Predator franchise is the one set of movies where I feel it is okay to do them out of order. After the first two, anyway, there really is not an order to them. They are, along with the Alien series, two of the most recognizable science fiction/horror films around. Because of this name recognition, the studio that holds the rights to…
Predator 2, by Albert W. Vogt III
Get ready for another slog through a motion picture franchise! Since I have already reviewed the original Predator (1987), a cinematic masterpiece of the highest order (and I mean no sarcasm with that sentiment), I have been thinking that I should do the rest of the films in this series. I have seen them all, and they range…
The Perfect Score, by Albert W. Vogt III
When I was in high school, I prepared for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) by reading a book called Up Your Score: The Underground Guide to the SAT. I was an idiot back in those days, though such is the foolishness of youth. I was aware of the myriad of other preparation materials, but my perusal of them…
Don’t Worry Darling, by Albert W. Vogt III
Don’t Worry Darling should be my prayer right now. This has only to do with the words of the title, not the actual content. Briefly, we should all be worried about this psychological thriller, but that is for a conversation later in this review. As I write, I have a lot on my plate. Over the past almost two months,…
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, by Albert W. Vogt III
Here we go with another Sandra Bullock film with Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005). That sounds more uncharitable than is intended. As I have said in other reviews of her films, I enjoy her work. Still, they are kind of redundant. Her sense of humor shines through, but the plots are usually similar. That is why I appreciate a film…
The Woman King, by Albert W. Vogt III
Honestly, I completely forgot about See How They Run. I know I saw the trailer for it a couple times, and my interest was piqued. You will have to forgive a trained historian, though, for getting excited about a film dealing with the past. That is the case for The Woman King. I have no idea as to the quality of See…
The Italian Job (2003), by Albert W. Vogt III
I am aware that there are two versions of The Italian Job, one made in 1969 and the other in 2003. I have seen bits and pieces of the original, mainly the end, and I can also tell you that cars are involved. This is important because I have no idea as to how they compare, though I…
Mr. Right, by Albert W. Vogt III
Rumor has it that Netflix is on its way out. If so, that will save me $20 a month, which I gladly pay for the people who also use my account. Until then, it is a useful thing to have to peruse when inspiration is not striking me as readily as it does at other times. While scrolling…
Medieval, by Albert W. Vogt III
History will always trump horror, even if it is largely a load of crap like Medieval. I will explain more about that later. For now, know that I went to my movie app this weekend to see what was playing, and the choices were Medieval and Barbarian. I could not remember what the latter was about, so I refreshed my memory with…
1944, by Albert W. Vogt III
War sucks. That is a revealing statement for a historian who came to be interested in the subject because of military history. I am not sure what other fathers talked to their sons about, but mine regaled me with tales of the campaigns of Napoleon. There was a romance to this past, which my young mind absorbed in…
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, by Albert W. Vogt III
If there is one movie that I feel best encapsulates my distaste for certain films as a practicing Catholic, it is Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). Though tales of vampires predate the Irish author Bram Stoker’s most well-known work, simply titled Dracula (1897), it is the one most often credited for kick starting the Western craze for these monsters. And I do…
Wild Wild West, by Albert W. Vogt III
Believe it or not, I can remember a time before streaming services, and before cable television even, when the choices for your evening entertainment were limited to the few channels your antenna could receive. I have most of the modern conveniences today, and yet I live in a house that still relies on an antenna. But that…
28 Days Later, by Albert W. Vogt III
My distaste for the majority of horror films is well documented. In short, they are among the most formulaic of movie genres. In other words, predictable. On the other hand, I do not totally mind predictability. One thing I cannot do while watching any piece of cinema is turn off my brain. Rightly or wrongly, I will find a logic…
Beast, by Albert W. Vogt III
My Catholic sensibilities had a bit of trepidation reviewing a movie titled Beast. After all, that is one of the names given to the devil. If you knew nothing else about the film and stopped thinking about it at the name, then you would be misled. It is about a man-killing lion, albeit one with a devilish disposition. It also…
Rambo: Last Blood, by Albert W. Vogt III
Draw your own conclusions as to whether or not Rambo: Last Blood’s (2019) title makes sense. Given the things that happen over the course of these five films, I gave up trying to figure them out after the first. That does not mean that I will avoid noting the inanities contained therein. Separately, I am not sure why this…
Rambo, by Albert W. Vogt III
Logic would say that the first film in a franchise focused on one character would just have that character’s name as the title. If you knew nothing of the series of movies about Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), you might assume that Rambo (2008) is the first. Here is where logic gets tossed out…
Rambo III, by Albert W. Vogt III
This might seem strange now, particularly if you are thirty years old or younger, but there was a time when the United States looked upon Afghanistan as a close friend. I give you the heady days of the 1980s, when the Soviet Union was in its last years, yet still trying to expand its influence. Sound familiar? Anyway,…
Rambo: First Blood, Part II, by Albert W. Vogt III
When I was in elementary school, I had a copy of Rambo: First Blood, Part II (1985) on tape. If memory serves, it had been recorded from broadcast television, which tells you something about the kinds of movies they used to put out over the airwaves in the 1980s. I used to watch it almost every day when I…
First Blood, by Albert W. Vogt III
You might be confused by the title, First Blood (1982). It is a movie about America’s favorite Vietnam veteran, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone), and it is the first in a franchise of films that feature the character. Strangely enough, the second one is titled Rambo: First Blood, Part II (1985), even though the subtitle was the main title in the first…
Warm Bodies, by Albert W. Vogt III
With Shaun of the Dead (2004), you have a great movie that spoofs the zombie sub-genre of horror. It is that good because not only does it send up many of the classic tropes you expect from such movies, but there is also British wit and a plot. Zombieland (2009) is on the same level. In fact, outside of the original Night…
Training Day, by Albert W. Vogt III
Is it too soon to say nice things about Will Smith? When it came time for the 2002 Academy Awards to be chosen, I was all set for the recently fallen from grace and former Fresh Prince to be handed the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001). Instead, it went to Denzel…
Bullet Train, by Albert W. Vogt III
Previews are a double-edged sword. I never skip them when I go to the movies, and I get annoyed with myself when I get to the theater after they have completed. Luckily, this has happened only a few times as I routinely arrive at least a half hour before start time. As somebody who goes every weekend, I…
The Dirty Dozen, by Albert W. Vogt III
My favorite toys growing up were Legos. I do not know how other kids played with them, but for me it was all about building the sets and keeping them built. I had a bin full of loose parts, but mainly I liked to make things and keep them that way. I am sure there are some of…
Where Eagles Dare, by Albert W. Vogt III
When we think of Clint Eastwood’s early career, we usually associate it with the subgenre of films known as “Spaghetti Westerns,” so named for the productions that went overseas to Italy to produce films about the Old West. Today’s film, Where Eagles Dare (1968), is not one of them, and for me it was the one that I…
Rosewood, by Albert W. Vogt III
Somewhere in the dim reaches of the collected movies in existence are some extremely low budget films that contain yours truly. During my days as a Civil War reenactor, which was high school up through to my entrance into graduate school, a small-time moviemaker came around our events to shoot his productions. When you are at this…
The Outlaw Josey Wales, by Albert W. Vogt III
Before the dawn of the end of civilization (my hyperbolic way of referring to the advent of streaming services), people like me used to consume films at home on cable television. Commercials were moments to get up and get something to eat, or use the facilities, rather than something that, if present, can be skipped. If you…
Demolition Man, by Albert W. Vogt III
My recent review of the original Blade trilogy got me thinking about Wesley Snipes, or at least slightly more than what I would normally, which is to say never. Why is this the case? During the 1990s, he was as big of an actor as there was going. He did a number of successful movies other than the sometimes ridiculous…
DC League of Super-Pets, by Albert W. Vogt III
The summer is coming to a close. Who am I kidding? I live in Florida. Summer will be with us well into October, meteorologically speaking. There is a sobering thought as I sit here on a sweltering Friday evening doing my best to ignore the need for air conditioning. At least it is quiet, relatively speaking. The old man I live…
Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, by Albert W. Vogt III
Believe it or not, there was a time when Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson was not known for allegedly killing Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. I say “allegedly” because while he was acquitted of those charges, public opinion begs to differ. He later went to jail for other reasons. Yet, before his legal troubles began, he turned a hall…
This Means War, by Albert W. Vogt III
Offhand, I cannot think of too many films in which Reese Witherspoon appears that I do not enjoy. There has always been something genuine about her that I appreciate. I have seen Sweet Home Alabama (2002) dozens of times, and I love Legally Blonde (2001) as much as the next person. I have also already reviewed both of those movies. One of…
Zero Dark Thirty, by Albert W. Vogt III
When you have seen every World War II film worth watching and it is Memorial Day, you start trying to find different titles. More importantly to my financial bottom line, I was sticking to whatever I could find on my various streaming services. In skimming through them before, I had glanced at, and skipped over, Zero Dark Thirty (2012)…
Memphis Belle, by Albert W. Vogt III
Once more unto the breach of history and film with Memphis Belle (1990). It is one of the first modern movies I can remember that I saw as a young ‘un and enjoyed. I was naïve. Outside of the name of the B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft and the fact that it flew twenty-five successful missions, the first to do so,…
Bonnie and Clyde, by Albert W. Vogt III
My favorite class to teach is a course on Film and Twentieth Century America. I patterned it after the one I had taken with one of my mentors at Loyola University Chicago, Lewis Erenberg. In his version, we watched Bonnie and Clyde (1967). When it came time for me to offer it, I decided not to include it. I understood…
The Love Bug, by Albert W. Vogt III
On Disney+, at least on my version of the home screen, there is often a section titled “Nostalgic movies.” Sometimes it is there, sometimes it is not, and I have no idea when it will display. The artificial intelligence controlling these things is a fickle creature. When it does come up, it speaks to an old fuddy-duddy like…
From Hell, by Albert W. Vogt III
Sometimes you remember a movie one way, watch it again, and find that it does not quite fit the image in your brain. I have probably said this in other reviews, but it bears repeating for a movie such as From Hell (2001). Given my current devotion, something I did not have back then, it might come as a…
Grosse Pointe Blank, by Albert W. Vogt III
They say there is no going home. I am not on board with this philosophy. For me, home is a suburb of Chicago, though I include the entire metropolitan area in this construction. I try to go home as often as possible. A visit up there means a return to our favorite hot dog stand (in reality, it is…
Thor: Love and Thunder, by Albert W. Vogt III
Like many people, Thor: Ragnarok (2017) was my first exposure to Taika Waititi, who directed it and provided the voice for the rock creature known as Korg. I guess there were some who knew him from What We Do in the Shadows (2014), but it was only after the former came out that I saw the latter. Whenever someone comes along…
Hook, by Albert W. Vogt III
If you want a telling of J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan without the offhand racism Disney (unwittingly, I suppose) injected into the story in 1953, watch Hook (1991). Granted, it is more of a modern telling of the tale. The original is about the thrill of getting to be young forever, and to carry on in a commiserate manner. Peter is “the…
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, by Albert W. Vogt III
Finally. Did you know that every film in the current five movie series that is Pirates of the Caribbean is at least two hours in length, on average close to two and a half hours, with the third being nearly three? That is almost fifteen hours of your entire life that you would have to devote to watching them…
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, by Albert W. Vogt III
Going into watching Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), I kept telling myself, “Just one more after this one.” That will be a true statement until they release the sixth installment of this idiotic franchise. Who knows when that will be, and that ambiguity offers small comfort. Based on the limited rumors that I have gleaned from the…
The Legionnaire 