This Summer (May 5-Aug. 27) , I saw 51 new movies and caught-up with 12 older films. I’ve decided to rank the “vintage” group from Best to Worst:
1. “Pretty Woman” (1990)
Director Garry Marshall’s rom-com is simply irresistible. Smart, sophisticated, genuine – and Julia Roberts and Richard Gere are dynamite together.
2. “The Color of Money” (1986)
This sequel to 1961’s “The Hustler” earned Paul Newman his only Oscar. His pool playing Fast Eddie Felson is such a cool character to watch. Newman’s dynamic with Tom Cruise (who shows-up on this list again in a bit) is full of vigor.
3. “Good Will Hunting” (1997)
Matt Damon and Robin Williams have profound chemistry in this sincere drama co-starring Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgard and Ben & Casey Affleck.
4. “Raging Bull” (1980)
Robert De Niro is a knockout in Martin Scorsese’s (mostly) black-and-white boxing biopic on Jake LaMotta.
5. “Risky Business” (1983)
Cruise’s breakthrough performance is nothing short of a powerhouse.
6. “Beyond the Sea” (2004)
Kevin Spacey’s unconventional Bobby Darin musical features electric performances. (I watched it to get ready for Spacey’s emcee evening at the Tony Awards, where he performed Darin’s “The Curtain Falls” to close the show).
7. “Blade Runner” (1982)
As homework for the upcoming “2049”, I watched the Director’s Cut of Ridley Scott’s innovative and intriguing sci-fi classic.
8. “Definitely, Maybe” (2008)
An unpredictable all-star rom-com (and probably the best work from Ryan Reynolds to date).
9. “Sixteen Candles” (1984)
The first of two Hughes movies I watched this summer. A little over-the-top, but Ringwald keeps you engaged.
10. “Ping Pong Summer” (2014)
A simple indie set in the 80s, with Susan Sarandon in a memorable supporting role.
11. “The DUFF” (2015)
Decent high school “coming-of-age” story. Mae Whitman & Robbie Amell’s scenes together save it.
12. “The Breakfast Club” (1985)
I got blasted on social media for not liking this other Hughes film, but I found it surprisingly dull.
——————–
Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic/entertainment reporter in 2006 at the age of 7. Jackson has written nearly 1,000 reviews of new releases. All together he has seen more than 1,500 films. In 2010, Jackson became the youngest person to win a NY Emmy Award, for his on-air movie reviews on Time Warner TV station, Capital News 9.
Jackson is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. The BFCA’s annual Critics Choice Awards is one of the industry’s most respected awards shows. Jackson is also a member of SAG-AFTRA. He votes annually for the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
LCJ appears every Friday morning on WGNA-FM . His movie reviews are also posted on his website, his YouTube channel and the popular website Cultjer.com. He is also a contributing writer for Jerry Beck’s AnimationScoop.com. Jackson hosts the weekly internet pop culture news show “LCJ LIVE” (every Sunday at Noon ET). And “The LCJ Q&A Podcast” features interviews with celebrities and filmmakers.