Damn Good Movie Memories

A raw and gritty fantasy tale about New York City gang-life in the late 1970s. Directed by Walter Hill.

A terrific film noir thriller with Hitchcock-style elements.  Starring Ray Milland, who gets caught up in a mystery involving Nazi spies.  Directed by Fritz Lang.

Another brilliant comedy by Albert Brooks about a twice divorced man who decides to move back in with his mother (Debbie Reynolds) to figure out why he fails in relationships.

The second Marx Brothers film showcasing the madcap antics of Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo. Crazy card games, shooting rifles indoors, and missing paintings are all part of the fun in this film.  Co-starring Lillian Roth and Margaret Dumont.

A terrific thriller with an equally stellar cast, starring Matthew McConaughey as a street-smart defense attorney who takes on a high profile case that is full of twists and turns.  Co-starring Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, Michael Pena, and Bryan Cranston.  

Penelope Spheeris' feature-length film debut coming two years after her groundbreaking documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization" covering the Los Angeles punk rock scene.  This low budget indie film is the natural evolution of Spheeris' raw and gritty early filmmaking, about a group of teen runaways who randomly find each other to escape their terrible home lives.

One of the most unique films made at the time, as the entire movie was shot in first-person through the eyes of the main character, private detective Philip Marlowe played by Robert Montgomery.  Co-starring Audrey Totter and Lloyd Nolan.

The second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  How does the film rank against the other stand-alone MCU characters and did the 2003 Ang Lee version hurt the 2008 film at the box office?  Starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt.

One of the greatest Westerns ever made starring a cast of Hollywood legends: John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin.  Directed by John Ford.

Vampires, mullets, "modern" cover versions of classic songs, and a very enthusiastic saxophone player all filmed in Santa Cruz, CA!  What's not to like? Starring a young cast on the cusp of becoming stars: The Corey's, Kiefer Sutherland , Jami Gertz, and Jason Patric. Co-starring Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, and Barnard Hughes.  Directed by Joel Schumacher.

A truly groundbreaking motion picture which influenced countless special-effects artists for decades to come.  Discover all the details about how the vision of Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack melded with the brilliance of Willis O'Brien's stop motion special effects to create the "8th Wonder of the World".  Starring Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong.

One of Brian's favorite movies of all-time.  Discover how the brilliant and hilarious short stories from Jean Shepherd turned into an iconic film classic.  Starring Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon.  Directed by Bob Clark.

Released a year prior to first Thin Man movie, we get a precursor of William Powell playing a suave crime solver named Philo Vance.  Also starring Mary Astor and directed by Michael Curtiz.

An absolutely beautiful and timeless film that gets better with every viewing. Discover all the history behind the making of the film and what turned a moderately successful initial release into a beloved cinematic classic.  Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore.  Directed by Frank Capra.

The soundtrack was a huge hit for Neil Diamond and spawned three smash singles, but what about the film?  And why does Brian have this notoriously bad film in his collection?  We get into all that and more!  Co-starring Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz.

A little known, but well done romantic comedy about a drifter who falls for a recently widowed mother of a little boy.  Starring Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, and Wendell Corey.

One of Alfred Hitchcock's last British films before jumping to Hollywood, about the mysterious disappearance of an elderly woman on a train.  Starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, and Dame May Whitty.

One of the funniest and most original comedies about the wildest trip to Las Vegas ever imagined.  Starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, and Justin Bartha.  Directed by Todd Phillips.

One of the two major werewolf movies to be released in 1981 and both had comedic elements.  However, The Howling has twists on the traditional werewolf tale which make the film unique and memorable .  Starring Dee Wallace and directed by Joe Dante.

While Dracula was the first Universal monster movie, Frankenstein had the biggest impact on audiences when it was released nine months later.  Starring Boris Karloff as the terrifying iconic monster and Colin Clive as the mad scientist Henry Frankenstein. Co-starring Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan. Directed by James Whale.