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sam1784
Reviews
Rad (1986)
Flawed but fun
Watching Rad was a lot of fun. It gives you a chance to make fun of the 80s, the hair styles, clothes, and movies. And the music and stunts are awesome.
Unfortunately, taken by itself as a movie, Rad pretty much sucks. The editing is bad, basic frame composition is not thought out at all, the script is pathetic, and the acting (in my opinion) is non-existent. Talia Shire is very weak, did they forget to tell her when they were filming, or did they just pick her worst takes? Somehow Rad rises above these disappointments. It is definitely worth the watch, just be sure to do it late at night and with a lot of friends.
Great Expectations (1974)
Mediocre retelling of the classic Dickens' tale.
Having not read the book "Great Expectations," I don't feel comfortable discussing its faithfulness to Dickens' novel. However, I think that I can critique its worth as a movie. There are some good performances in it; Anthony Quayle is an effective Jaggers, he has that lawyer's edge, and he does bite his index finger at people (sometimes). Joss Ackland is a likable Joe. But the emotion of the movie is too far below the soaring Jarre score to be compelling. Maurice Jarre's wonderful music is a major reason behind the success of scenes in "Doctor Zhivago" and "Lawrence of Arabia," but of course he is helped by excellent acting and direction(or maybe vice-versa). Unfortunately, neither the acting or the directing is up to that level. With its romantic crescendo, the final scene did make my eyes misty, but I was listening more to the music more than watching the character's interaction. 'Made for television' about sums up the quality of this production.