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Reviews
Four Sided Triangle (1953)
What the heart wants....
This film is beautifully shot and thought out by Terrence Fisher. A wonderful tight script and lastly we'll acted by our small troupe. The story is a more civilized, thought provoking "Frankenstein". Anyone who has been betwixt and between as poor Bill is will appreciate the desperate attempts to get what he wants and needs. The desire for another is all consuming, haunting Bill's every minute. For many, many others the solution has been a much darker, more violent path but thanks to Bill's scientific knowledge and genius he simply becomes God the creator of all living things. A cautionary tale indeed.
Our Town (1940)
A hell of an ending!
The last 15-20 minutes will hit everyone who's ever lived and loved like a guy punch. The acting is superb and the director and the studio should be applauded for filming small town Americana in ordinary times which, looking back, is extraordinarily heartbreaking.
The last 15-20 minutes will hit everyone who's ever lived and loved like a guy punch. The acting is superb and the director and the studio should be applauded for filming small town Americana in ordinary times which, looking back, is extraordinarily heartbreaking. William Holden doesn't even look like himself, you can stare right at him and can't see the man he'd become.
Thanksgiving (2023)
Ridiculous bloodfest
Disgusting gorefest . Ridiculous bloodfest. The challenge was to spill the most blood and have zero plot. Anyone watching this and enjoying it is sick and stupid. The most clever gimmick was the pop up stick in the "turkey, although I saw that coming from a mile away. I just wish they put some thought into this plot. And I love the killer murdering several people but carefully putting on gloves to try and kill he last victim. The killer says"you took my family away from me " . How ? What is he talking about ?? Sorry Jessica, this year there will be NO LEFTOVERS!! And after digesting this garbage you wouldn't want any.
The Sound of Music (1965)
Perfection on film
Director Robert Wise crafted a masterpiece that rivals a Michelangelo or Raphael. The story, writing, acting, singing, photography, music & lyrics mesh into an incredibly beautiful, funny, charming, sentimental, terrifying and rewarding piece of perfection.
Moonfall (2022)
Confusion reigns
I love apocalyptic type movies; War of the World's, Independence Day, 2012 etc. This movie has an interesting premise however Roland Emmerich has lost his touch, to be polite. He made a good argument about the Moon being an artificial sphere placed in orbit to assure Earth's inhabitants survival. After that, it's completely ridiculous. The Space Shuttle is trotted out from museum piece to viable ship in mere days! Then it is launched with only 2 of 3 engines and while the Moon's higher gravity is raining down a lethal combination of meteors, gigantic tidal waves and the most ridiculous launch as the shuttle is buffeted with waves and struck by several very large pieces of the moon. Then the dumbest part comes as the Moon is found to have an entire system of gyroscope type circles keeping the Moon in place. And as the nano tech creatures (Klingons, Storm Troopers) try to stop our heroes in a new ship that was somehow just waiting for them they barely escape and destroy the evil creatures with an EMP device that magically never went off despite all the tossing around in said ship & the shuttle too ! It's sad to see director like Emmerich trying to repeat past successes, as a ballplayer who decides to try one last season.
Cosmos (2019)
No bad guys !
Cosmos is a film about an interest and if you're not that interested in the universe, the possibility of life elsewhere or first contact this movie is not for you. It is specifically geared towards those of us that had/have our own telescopes and wondered what is out there. Obviously these two brothers who directed and wrote this excellent flick deserve better then a 1 or 2 star rating. They dedicated their film "to Dad" so that's touching. All three of the actors (only four total are on screen) played their roles perfectly. I kept waiting for the "bad guy:" to reveal himself only to find out there were none to be found.
THAT was the best feature of this tale. I was frankly riveted by the discovery and the tension the discovery brings. An excellent score keeps the passion and "action" focused and then enhanced.
I was deeply touched by Cosmos and I want a sequel for these likeable characters and the chance to meet the alien visitors. My rating is a well deserved 8 of 10 starts ! Thank you Weaver Brothers and Dad for making an excellent movie.
No Blade of Grass (1970)
A futuristic tale... and the future is now.
This flick is somewhat amateurish but it pulls no punches and it packs a punch. Most everything in this now 51 year old movie is seemingly coming to pass, especially in the spotlight of te Covid-1
9 pandemic! A polluted Earth is exaggerated thanks to the many safeguards over these many decades but in 2021 the environment is still a major problem. This time the pandemic affects the grasses which affects just about everything in the world. There are shocking murders committed by the unlikeliest of characters and other human atrocities. There is no happy ending, nocure to the world problem and no end in sight to the constant readiness to defend and kill those who would take from "you". Cornell Wilde is to be complimented, as is MGM, the studio that released "No Blade". It is gritty, hard hitting and realistic in that, it's not the unlikely comet hitting the Earth, but a microscopic virus that turns the world upside down, much like it has the last 18 months in 2020, '21 and probably '22.
Wicked Stepmother (1989)
What a ridiculous piece of trash
Who wants to see Bette Davis' looking so old and terrible !
Frankenstein 1970 (1958)
Boris does his job, Howard Koch does not.
Bars call off was terrific in this role but it was embarrassing how terrible the monster was how terrible the directing was how terrible the surprise ending was it was a totally ridiculous movie, however I really enjoyed seeing Boris Karloff as he really knows how to get the job done.
Shin Gojira (2016)
Took guts to make it the way they did.
Excellent, inventive and INTENSE!
A tunnel breaks in the bay area of Tokyo. We know who is responsible but for these actors in 2016 a gigantic destructive lizard is a completely unknown concept. The greatness of this movie, a definite homage to the original in 1954, is the director knows how to get the audience goose bumps tingling: with a redux of most of the music & score of that classic, along with the Americanized Raymond Burr version from 1957. Just as much of the action
took place in meetings trying to figure out what the Japanese people are up against in 1954 this movie shows more intense meetings than those from the Cuban Missile Crisisin 1962. The main character is disappointing looking initially but morphs into what we fans wanted to see. The fantastic score from the original is lovingly revived to thrill and engage the audience as we wonder how our hero (?) will be stopped. This movie deserves a sequel to see how Godzilla gets out of this one. I have NEVER seen a film shot like this before and much like the original two flicks you won't see any baby Godzillas, no smiles on Godzilla and definitely no soccer and handball action from the King of Monsters. He's all business.
After Earth (2013)
A different Father/Son story
I thought Will Smith's character was too ridged and his son's acting left a bit to be desired but overall it was an entertaining movie. Many new story lines prevent it from being a "same old Sci-fi". Enjoy it.
The Mandalorian (2019)
4 episodes in
Episode 4 is plagerized right from my all-time favorite movie, "The Magnificent Seven", 1960. Not criticizing because The Magnificent Seven was a Western take on the Japanese classic, "The Seven Samurai". The only thing missing, and it's a lot, is the "Magnificent" score of the Mag Seven.
Let Him Go (2020)
Slow like the Titanic, until it hits the berg!
Take a dash of "Deliverence", a splash of "Chainsaw" and a big helping of Kevin Costner's many fine Westerns and mix in a sweet and tough as nails, Oscar worthy Annette Benning and you have "Let Him Go". An honest, bare knuckle look at something way too many families must have to deal with in real life, violence put upon their loved ones who are no longer under their roof.
Away (2020)
Obviously left wing liberals are responsible for this terrible show.
So you want to go to Mars? Bring along your baggage, emotional baggage that is. What a goddamn joke !
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
One of the great films of all time!
One of the great films of all time! Certainly the greatest, most iconic character, the Frankenstein monster, in movie history!
Alien Warfare (2019)
Navigates sci-fi, action & comedy well enough
Interesting concept the acting isn't great but they're all trying.
Jusqu'au déclin (2020)
Not a formula, it has surprises!
Excellent survival thriller! It keeps us on the edge of our seats and it is mostly plausible. The main flaw is the survivalists being in a tremendously cold climate and someone falling through the ice, as happened in the great "Omen II". I didn't expect that ending either.
Marooned (1969)
An all too real, too true suspense drama in capsule form
Top notch performances by Gregory Peck Richard Crenna, Gene Hackman and James Franciscus in this all too uncomfortably real suspense drama. Peck's enormously centered personna gives this space thriller it's much deserved gravitas. Most movies of this genre may suffer from believability, however Marooned delivers you right in to the doomed astronauts shoes, er boots. The Russian assistance was a bit nebulous, as it had already been ruled out. Other than this nit pick, a film you ride the waves of emotion with like the churning ocean from the oncoming hurricane.
Joker (2019)
Horrifyingly riveting
The last study of an excruciating descent into madness may have been Taxi Driver. Ironically Robert DeNiro starred in that and costars here. That is where the similarities end. This movie will make you cringe, squirm and uncomfortably remind us all of times in our life when we looked away from troubled individuals. Joachim Phoenix will win the best actor at the Golden Globes, the Oscars and any other award show on the planet. I did not want to give this film a 10 out of 10 stars only because it was TOO REAL! Phoenix was in pretty much every frame and it will go down as his masterpiece. If no one ever saw Joker the world may actually be a better, safer place.
It Chapter Two (2019)
It: Chapter 2, 3, 4, 5
This movie had genuinely scary scenes but the before and after is some of the most ridiculously, contrived and drawn out movie making I've seen. It was imaginative, (and confusing) moving back and forth between the young kids & their older selves however, and I usually love the 2+ hour movies, this film approached THREE HOURS ! Can the writers provide a reason Mike knows EVERYTHING about where "It" is, what It's" doing what artifacts each character needs and the ceremony needed to destroy "It" (doesn't work) "It" is destroyed (?) by our intrepid heroes simply thinking they can ! That's when I had finally had "It" unfortunately 2 and a half hours of my life passed by and I'll never get "It" back.