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Reviews
Runaway Jury (2003)
Runaway Liberal Hollywood Pap
This seemed like a pretty good film, at least at the beginning. A good story by John Grisham. Plenty of suspense and plot twists. Excellent performances by a first-rate cast. All was well until the final ten minutes of the movie and when it became apparent to me what the film was trying to accomplish, I very nearly turned it off. So, why do I feel so let down? Because this is just another in a increasingly long line of films that are being made by people who have gotten out of the entertainment business and are forcing their social and political agendas down the throats of the movie-going public. This is the type of film that actors make because they "like the message it sends" not because they are intrigued by the story or a specific character. One suspects that a good many actors wanted to be in this film and it's very surprising that Cher, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Martin Sheen weren't in this one. Thanks to the Hollywood Socialist elites, I long ago became extremely particular about the films that I pay good money to see and this movie has served only to reinforce that position.
Lost in Translation (2003)
I think it was the translator who got lost
I was primed for this one! All those great reviews; waiting for days before a copy was available at the video store; all those Golden Globe Awards and Oscar nominations....and for what? After watching this film, I'm reminded of "Amazon Women on the Moon" and Harvey Pitnik's classic line: "arty crap." The basic premise is engaging, but Bob and Charlotte are two very unhappy people who find each other in a foreign culture and at the end they're still two very unhappy people. No hope, no redemption, nothing. As for Bill Murray, as fine a comedic actor as there ever was, what's with the Oscar nomination? He did a much better job with a much more interesting character when he portrayed Carl Spackler in "Caddyshack." This is the type of film that critics and all of Hollywood go ga-ga over. Which proves once again that films like this are simply not intended for the average viewer.
Pillow Talk (1959)
Gets Better With Age
It's easy to be critical of this film when you apply modern-day "sensibilities" to it, but it seems to get funnier- and better- as the years pass. The on-screen chemistry between Doris Day and Rock Hudson is among the best in film history. Add the scene-stealing capabilties of Tony Randall and Thelma Ritter and "Pillow Talk" ranks as one of Hollywood's all-time romantic comedies.
Hud (1963)
Newman's best performance. The film's pretty good, also!
This is far and away Paul Newman's best performance and given the roles he's played over the past fifty years, that's saying something. His acting in "Hud" parallels the film itself- raw, gritty, unapologetic. And, it is indeed a shame that the Academy failed to reward both Newman and "Hud" with deserving Oscars.
Even though I reside only 30 miles from where "Hud" was made, I am still awestruck by the surrealistic quality of the landscape in the film, a testament to the skill of James Wong Howe.
"Hud"- and Paul Newman- are truly American classics.
Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)
An interesting sci-fi flick of the Fifties
This is one of the more interesting sci-fi films from the 1950s. It seems remarkable that the story wasn't plundered for all that could be had by AIP and other studios during the later years of the decade. The Sci-Fi Channel aired this one some years ago and although I had never even heard of the film, I taped it for my collection. Strangely, I don't think this film has ever been aired since, by Sci-Fi Channel or anyone else for that matter. That's a shame because it is a unique film. After all, any horror/sci-fi movie with an actor named "Coffin" in the cast can't be all bad!
Intimate Agony (1983)
Before AIDS became a household word
I remember seeing this movie when it originally aired on television in 1983. The film is a morality play that deals with what was then a growing epidemic, herpes as a sexually transmitted disease. Ironically, not long after this film aired, the spread of AIDS was making worldwide headlines. How tragic that these circumstances render "Intimate Agony" nearly moot.
The Junction Boys (2002)
A decent film that didn't go far enough
This film is based on the book of the same name by author Jim Dent. The film does pretty well regarding the events and characters that were portrayed, but what's puzzling is the material that was omitted. The Texas A&M football team that Paul Bryant took over was indeed pathetic. But two years after he was named coach, the Aggies were unbeaten Southwest Conference champions and finished the season ranked #3 in the country. Also, two of Bryant's players- Gene Stallings and Jack Pardee- later became successful coaches in both the pro and college ranks, but they were not even mentioned in the film. The fact that Stallings became head coach at Texas A&M and beat Bryant's Alabama team in the 1967 Cotton Bowl should have warranted some type of mention.
The Tingler (1959)
Typically Castle
A doctor seeks to learn how and why a person might die of fright. His discovery is "spine-tingling", to say the least! Unfortunately, this movie is remembered more for the promotional efforts of producer/director William Castle than for anything that happens on-screen. Castle and his "tinglers" planted beneath theater seats were aped in the 1992 John Goodman bomb "Matinee."
Behemoth the Sea Monster (1959)
Redundancy re-hashed
First came "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms." Then, we had "It Came From Beneath The Sea." Now, this! Good God, man, when will it all end?! An alternate title is "The Giant Behemoth." Isn't a behemoth, by definition, a giant? Rating for this film: DON'T BOTHER!
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Surprise, surprise!
This is a story of a meteorite that hits the Earth and its fragments that absorb water and grow..and grow...and grow. Anyone who comes into contact with the rocks turns to stone. A local geologist and his former college professor must find a way to stop the monoliths before an entire town gets stoned. The angle of a non-living threat from "out there" is unique and refreshing. You'll never hear this film mentioned among the classics, but it is a surprisingly entertaining and engrossing flick from U-I.
Strategic Air Command (1955)
Historically accurate, weakly portrayed.
Some want to label this film a "propaganda flick." Hardly. During this period in world history, there was a genuine and real threat to the peace and stability of democracy. It was imperative that the defenders of freedom be ready at a moment's notice.
As to the film itself, it is poorly written, directed and acted. As great an actor as James Stewart was, he just isn't believable as a major league ballplayer, particularly at the age he was when this film was made. He does do a commendable job as an aircraft commander, no doubt drawing on his World War II experiences. Beyond that, there is little else of a positive nature that can be said about this stinker.
However, the film does hold a sentimental place for me. My parents were married in 1954 and honeymooned in Florida. They went to see the St. Louis Cardinals during spring training and were on hand at Al Lang Field when the B-36 flyover scene was filmed.
The Deadly Mantis (1957)
Where's a can of "Raid" when you need one?
Without question, this is one of the worst of Universal's many sci-fi flicks of the 1950's. Considering that Universal gave us "It Came From Outer Space", "The Creature From The Black Lagoon" and "The Incredible Shrinking Man", this one not only fails to meet the standards set by the aforementioned classics, it looks almost as if it were made by AIP or some other cheapie outfit. In fact, the Eskimo scenes were taken from a 1933 film called "SOS Iceberg." The most memorable thing about this stinker is Alix Talton's haircut--really awful, even for the 1950's!
Winter A-Go-Go (1965)
A Bad Movie That's Also Fun!
This is one of those rare films that's so bad, it's almost good! A "beach party" flick that gets moved to the ski slopes, it's full of cliches of that genre: cool guys trying to score with scantily-clad ladies; scantily-clad ladies who seem to be around only to satisfy the needs of the cool guys; bad guys trying to muscle in on the action, only to get roughed-up by the cool guys; bad dancing to bad rock-and-roll (although a couple of the songs were written by Tommy Boyce and Bob Hart who had a hit in the '60's with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight"). Actually, it all adds up to some campy fun!
I saw this film on the "Late Late Show" 20+ years ago and it stuck with me all these years. I could never remember the name of it and just knew it as "the movie where two guys ran a ski lodge with a bar that served only Cokes." Then one Saturday night about a year ago, this movie was shown on American Movie Classics' "American Pop". I was so surprised and excited that I recorded it when it was shown again about 3 AM!
Sure, this movie is hokey, cheesy, pretentious and even downright bad. It's also entertaining and a lot of fun- give it a try!
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The Best Of The Genre
This film disposes of the naivete and pretense that hinder other sci-fi films of the 1950's. It's dripping with suspense, fear and paranoia and I am especially impressed with the musical score that's as subdued as a root canal without anesthesia. It's also loaded with sexual innuendo, a rarity for that time. The original ending had the doctor wandering aimlessly on the highway, frantically trying to summon help from anyone who would listen. Unfortunately, the studio bosses forced Don Siegel to add some new scenes. These are at the beginning and end of the movie that show Kevin McCarthy in the hospital ER with Richard Deacon and Whit Bissell. I have over 40 sci-fi films of the 1950's in my collection and this one is the best of the bunch, BAR NONE.
The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)
Bad Story, Bad Acting
This film is one of the worst sci-fi movies of the 1950's. The only thing worse than the story is the acting. The special effects are balanced-- the good ones are countered by awful ones. My favorite scene is when the Army doctor gets shish-ka-bobbed by the giant syringe.
The Mole People (1956)
The absolute bottom of the barrel
Promising story of archaeologists who fall (literally) upon a lost civilization under the Himalayas is destroyed by horrible acting and a complete lack of direction. The worst sci-fi film of the decade from Universal-International, a studio recognized as a heavyweight of the genre (It Came From Outer Space, Creature From The Black Lagoon, The Incredible Shrinking Man). At least the people who made the real sci-fi cheapies knew that what they were making was awful! Anyone even remotely associated with this piece of garbage ought to be ashamed of themselves. This one leaves the viewer asking one question: "How did John Agar ever get a job as a professional actor?"
Day the World Ended (1955)
All that's wrong with '50's sci-fi
This film has all of the elements that give science fiction films of the 1950's a BAD rap: BAD story, BAD acting, BAD monster costume. The character of Tony is referred to at least once as a "cheap hood"- he's not the only thing cheap in this one!
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
One of the decade's best, but also revealing...
This film was a ground-breaker in many ways. It features the best underwater footage ever filmed up until that time and its plot elements, fresh for the day, are so shopworn that they are now cliche. The attraction of the Creature for Kay is handled especially well. The Creature must assume its rightful place alongside The Mummy, The Wolf Man and Frankenstein as a monster-movie classic. I don't want to ruin the film's importance for sci-fi fans, but what may be most interesting about this movie is that it can be used as a portrait of the social attitudes of the day: Kay is a college-educated employee of the scientific institute that mounts the expedition, yet she has no input whatsoever in the proceedings. There's also one scene where Kay carelessly throws her cigarette into the water, displaying a great sense of environmental awareness. Finally, several local ethnic inhabitants are killed by the Creature, but nobody seems concerned until he starts icing the white European males.
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
A Goldmine For Warner Brothers
The real star of this film is the stop-motion genius of Ray Harryhausen. Consider that the live-action sequences were filmed in two weeks, while Harryhausen's work took seven months! Warner Brothers was forced to give Ray Bradbury a writing credit when they asked him to spruce up the original screenplay and he discovered it to be awfully similar to his short story, "The Fog Horn". This film was originally produced as an "indie", but Warner Brothers purchased it for $250,000.00, polished the production, and proceeded to gross $5 million on its original release, a 2000% return on investment!
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Film defines the genre
This is one of the better '50's sci-fi films to be seen, despite the efforts of Universal-International to butcher it. The 3-D effects are unnecessary and the studio insisted (against Ray Bradbury's protests) on showing the aliens in their true form, a farce even by the crude standards of the day. Still, Bradbury and director Jack Arnold team up to make a film that helps define the genre of '50's sci-fi and inspired other film makers. After all, Steven Spielberg credits this film with giving him the impetus for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
When Worlds Collide (1951)
Great book should have been better movie
Obviously, movies never capture the essence of the book they came from. That's the case here. The novel, and its sequel "After Worlds Collide", are excellent. I just wish the filmmakers had been more faithful to the book. The FX are crude by today's standards, but who had ILM, etc, 50 years ago? They are excellent for that time- they did win an Academy Award.