movie review

Nolte: Defending ‘American Beauty’ (1999)

“American Beauty” isn’t saying the suburbs are bad or that chasing high school cheerleaders is okay—quite the opposite. The movie is looking to remind us of how blessed we are, what a miracle the American Dream is, that fathers matter, that family is everything, that men are created by God to protect women, and to appreciate what we have.

Kevin Spacey looks at Mena Suvari as she bathes in rose pedals in a scene from the film &#

Nolte: Two Almost-Classic Musicals to Take You Away from Presidential Politics

Here are two of what I call deep cuts — movies that are not quite classics, not quite famous, but still pretty wonderful in that way that takes you away. Sometimes that’s what we need. Especially during stressful times: an escape, a movie or two that transports us to a fantasyland where we can forget about real life for a few hours. Here are two that should hit the spot…

nolte-musicals

Nolte: The Great Jim Brown on the Big Screen

James Nathaniel Brown was born in 1936 and passed Thursday at age 87. For reasons no one need explain, he will primarily be remembered for his extraordinary athletic achievements in college and professional football. To give you an idea of just how great of an athlete Jim Brown was, think about this.

<> at Shoreline Amphitheatre on September 9, 2012 in Mountain View, California.