Author Archives: Max West

Avanti! (1972)

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Max West

SCORE: 4.5/5 This vastly underrated comedy directed by Billy Wilder stars Jack Lemmon, Juliet Mills, and the criminally underrated British actor Clive Revill, who is a comic revelation (his comic timing is absolutely perfect) as Italian hotel manager Carlo Carlucci. … Continue reading →

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Rifkin’s Festival (2020)

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Max West

SCORE: 3/5 Woody Allen has had an incredibly prolific output of films – an average of one per year over the past 45 years – and I, as a big fan of his work, have seen them all. With that … Continue reading →

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Cleopatra (1963)

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Max West

SCORE: 4/5 At 4+ hours in length, I’d been putting this one off for years, but I’m glad I finally got around to it, as this sometimes maligned, big budget film — skillfully directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz — is … Continue reading →

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Devs (2020)

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Max West

SCORE: 4/5 Devs is an outstanding 8-part mini-series with a conservative slant on FX, that I highly recommend to Dissident Rightists. The series, which plays like an extended episode of Black Mirror, is written and directed by Alex Garland, one … Continue reading →

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Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)

Posted on November 15, 2020 by Max West

SCORE: 4/5 On many ‘best film noir’ lists, I thought I was going to hate this film due to the “racist white guy and good black guy” aspect of the film. Boy, was I wrong. Robert Wise’s late-era noir features … Continue reading →

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The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965)

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Max West

Score: 4/5 The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) is director Martin Ritt’s beautifully shot, b/w adaptation of John Le Carre’s Cold War spy thriller. It features a terrific Richard Burton as Alec Leamas, a jaded, alcoholic MI6 … Continue reading →

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Crashout (1955)

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Max West

Score: 4/5 Terrific hidden gem, B-movie thriller made by Standard Productions and directed by Lewis R. Foster. A cross-genre film, with some parallels to Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Prison breakout film, w film starting at the point of breakout. … Continue reading →

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Mad Debating Skilz

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Max West

A great blast from the past. You couldn’t make this shit up if you tried. “The 2014 Cross Examination Debate Association’s national championship was held at Indiana University.  The all African American female team from Towson University defeated the all … Continue reading →

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3:10 to Yuma (1957)

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Max West

SCORE: 4/5 Loosely based on Elmore Leonard’s far leaner 1953 short story, 3:10 to Yuma (1957) is a superb adaptation directed by Delmer Daves. Shot gorgeously in crisp black and white, Director of Photography Charles Lawton Jr. effectively deploys Tolland/Wellesian-styled … Continue reading →

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Lenny (1974)

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Max West

SCORE: 4/5 Lenny (1974) is Bob Fosse’s well made, black and white biopic of Lenny Bruce (born Leonard Alfred Schneider), which is itself based on a play by Julian Barry. Dustin Hoffman does a terrific job channeling the manic energy … Continue reading →

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