Movie Reviews
Film and television reviewed the way I’d want to read them — with a rating that means something, an honest accounting of what works and what doesn’t, and craft notes for writers who want to understand how the machinery operates.
Each review includes a craft notes section for writers — specific observations about structure, character, world-building, and what the film does that you can actually use. Not theory. Technique you can steal.
Medieval (13)
May 15, 2026A Knight’s Tale (2001)
A Knight's Tale is what happens when a writer-director decides to make a medieval film while refusing to take medieval films seriously. Brian Helgeland...
May 19, 2026Becket (1964)
Peter Glenville's 1964 Anouilh play adaptation. Burton as Becket, O'Toole as Henry II. Their friendship-to-rivalry through theatrical dialogue.
May 15, 2026Black Death (2010)
Black Death is a small British medieval horror film that wants to be a serious meditation on faith and plague and mostly succeeds. Christopher Smith...
May 19, 2026Braveheart (1995)
Mel Gibson's 1995 William Wallace biopic. Won Best Picture. Historical accuracy abandoned for emotional impact. Freedom.
May 19, 2026El Cid (1961)
Anthony Mann's 1961 Spanish reconquista epic. Charlton Heston as Rodrigo Diaz, Sophia Loren. Dead Cid strapped to horse climax.
May 15, 2026Excalibur (1981)
Excalibur is the definitive screen adaptation of the Arthurian legend and one of the strangest mainstream studio films of the 1980s. John Boorman directed...
May 19, 2026Henry V (1989)
Kenneth Branagh's 1989 directorial debut. Mud and blood Agincourt rather than Olivier's pageantry. Once more unto the breach.
May 15, 2026Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Kingdom of Heaven is two different films. The theatrical cut is a confused 144-minute medieval action movie that critics dismissed and audiences ignored...
May 19, 2026Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Kevin Reynolds' 1991 Robin Hood. Kevin Costner, Alan Rickman scene-stealing as Sheriff. Bryan Adams song. Maximum 1990s.
May 19, 2026The Last Duel (2021)
Ridley Scott's 2021 fourteenth-century rape trial drama. Damon, Driver, Affleck, Comer. Three Rashomon perspectives.
May 15, 2026The Lion in Winter (1968)
The Lion in Winter is one of the great chamber pieces in cinema, written as a stage play by James Goldman and adapted by him for the screen with all the...
May 19, 2026The Name of the Rose (1986)
Jean-Jacques Annaud's 1986 Eco adaptation. Sean Connery as Franciscan monk investigating monastery murders. Christian Slater debut.
May 15, 2026The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Seventh Seal is the foundational arthouse film and one of the great works of the twentieth century. Ingmar Bergman directed it. Max von Sydow plays...