Dan Burgess Reviews

The Major and the Minor (1942)

Delightful, charming romantic comedy.

[9/10 · 30 June 2002]

Billy Wilder scores an early winner with this wonderful film. The story, characters, and dialogue combine to make this a classic romantic comedy from the early 1940s, and the legendary writing combination of Wilder and Charles Bracket is as witty as ever. At a Chicago screening in June 2002, the audience was delighted by the comedy and laughed constantly -- the timelessness of this film is just one of its great qualities.

Billy Wilder was a genius, and this film is but one chapter of his saga...

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

These are the dumbest kids ever.

[2/10 · 27 September 1999]

People have said that this film is scary. Excuse me? I don't see how a pile of rocks and some harmless twigs constitute a threat to anyone, and it sure didn't give me any butterflies in my tummy. And I was revolted by the seemingly endless arguing by mindless twits over where the map was.

Instead of developing any sense of concern for the characters, I began hoping they would die soon so I could get on with my afternoon.

The filmmakers purported this to be a true story. If three grown people can't find their way out of the woods for a week in Maryland, they deserve whatever fate comes to them. If you haven't seen this film, save your time and money.