The original intention was to go with a Mel Gibson comedy theme but then I realized that Richard Donner also directed all the movies I picked. If you are a movie aficionado like I am, you may have already guessed the films on this list this month. As I’ve said before, comedies are my favorite genre of film so picking just a handful is always difficult to do. However, I’m very satisfied with this month’s selections.
I’m only going to offer a skip to the bonus and special theme section this month. While there are five movies this month, four of them can be grouped together. So let’s get started.
Lethal Weapon Movies
Directed by: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover
My Rating:
If you hadn’t guessed I was talking about the Lethal Weapon movies then maybe you didn’t grow up in the 80s and 90s. These are the classic kick-ass-and-take-names, buddy cop movies of my generation. I kept these movies grouped because I enjoy them all equally. In fact, I don’t even find Chris Rock annoying in Lethal Weapon 4.
If I had to pick a favorite, I’d probably pick Lethal Weapon 3. The part where Riggs can’t shoot a dog and gets down on the floor to defuse the angry rottweiler is my favorite scene.
I hear they are making a 5th and pre-production began prior to Richard Donner’s death in 2021. Mel Gibson was bequeathed the role of director as a result of Donner’s passing. Let’s hope he does a good job.
Maverick (1994) 
Directed by: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner
My Rating:
I love the Lethal Weapon movies but Maverick might be my favorite Mel Gibson movie, it’s an excellent comedy. Actually, it’s a recreation of a series from the 1950s in which James Garner starred as Bret Maverick.
Grouping these movies turned out to be perfect not only because Donner directed all the films but also because of the cameos in Maverick. Danny Glover makes a cameo as a bank robber and Steve Kahan as one of the card dealers. In fact, during Danny Glover’s cameo, if you listen carefully, you can hear the Lethal Weapon theme. I really think these movies were the height of Richard Donner’s career. He directed many great movies during this time and I’m a fan of quite a few of them.
Bonus/Special Event Movies
The March special event movies are The Day of the Dude (3/6) and Mario Day (3/10). The first event is the day to watch The Big Lebowski, a quotable cult classic. For Mario Day this year, instead of watching the Super Mario Bros from 1993, I watched the newest, from 2023, instead. While I do enjoy the earlier film, the one from 2023 is a significant upgrade. I think a lot of that is the easter eggs and the nostalgia of growing up playing all of the games.
Speaking of Easter, and therefore Holy Week typically falls in April which is when I would watch The Passion of the Christ. Easter fell on March 31st this year, however, Holy Week was very busy as we were preparing for a trip so I did not have an opportunity to watch it this year.
Next month is Fantasy Month so come back for more.
“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
– Stanley Kubrick