One of the greatest of all American films I've seen. It doesn't aim to be epic and to capture decades of history, but instead uses a relatively minor event and pretty ordinary characters to hint at larger things (this is usually my favorite sort of movie). 75 minutes long, but says more than Martin Scorcese usually does in 3 hours. Also has one of the finest lines--"if people touch God anywhere, where is it except through their conscience?"--I've heard in film or elsewhere.

9/10

7/10

5/10

Guillermo del Toro's new movie "Pan's Labyrinth" came out a few day's ago to ridiculously rave reviews, so I figured I would watch one of his old films (courtesy of Buffalo public library) to see what all the fuss is about. The Devil's Backbone is what I would describe as a thinking man's ghost movie, which tries to attain the creepiness of "The Others" while simultaneously mimicking the political allegory of "Spirit of the Beehive." Though not very scary, it at least succeeds in the latter regard.

6/10

Ultra-conventional but lovable, the story of three veterans returning home to Boone City, Iowa after WWII. Al (Fredric March) is the best-off of the bunch, but has problems readjusting to family life and a dull job at a bank; Fred (Dana Andrews), a heavily decorated pilot, finds himself jobless and stuck with a spoiled wife; and Homer (Harrold Russell) has hooks for hands. Though parts of the movie play out too much like a public service announcement, its focus on the ordinary details of the men's lives ultimately pays off. It has a few classic scenes as well, especially Al's drunken speech to the banker's union while his nervous wife (Myrna Loy) looks on.

8/10