Reviews

14 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
5/10
Strange re-make of Gone in 60 Seconds
23 August 2001
This is not a sequel to "Gone in 60 seconds". It is actually the same old 1974 film with new scenes inserted (apparently filmed at the same time as "The Junkman"). This sometimes look a bit strange, since some of the 1974 footage is rather scratched. What I find most curious about this film is that I have never found it in any movie encyclopedia. Not even Leonard Maltin mentions this alternate version in his review of the original Gone in 60 Seconds.
10 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Someone's Watching Me! (1978 TV Movie)
6/10
Very exciting, but lame ending
12 February 2001
This film is a rare bird; a TV movie made by the horror master John Carpenter. He has borrowed a lot from Hitchcock, but that does not hurt in this case. The story is straightforward and very exciting, about a woman being watched by a mysterious man, but the ending is really a disappointment. A shame, since the rest of the film is so good. Still very well worth seeing, though.
2 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
North (1994)
6/10
Curiously underrated film
9 February 2001
This film is both clever and funny, but it bombed with critics and paying customers. This is really a shame, since there is much to enjoy in "North". Dan Aykroyd is funny as a filthy rich Texas millionaire, and Elijah Wood is, as usual, very charming as the title character, who goes out on a trip to find a new family. Young kids will not understand some of the jokes, but "North" is nevertheless fine family entertainment.
6 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Final Descent (1997 TV Movie)
6/10
Updated 1970´s disaster movie
17 January 2001
This movie is in a way a modern "Airport ´75", which in my opinion is no disadvantage at all. Credibility does not always take a first seat here, but "Final Descent" is nevertheless an exciting airborne drama, that feels refreshing in a time when all similar TV-movies are based on real events. The only thing missing here is George Kennedy as "Joe Patroni", but if he had been aboard, the film would have had to be retitled "Airport ´97"...
1 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Scary Movie (2000)
2/10
Mind-numbingly awful
18 December 2000
There are, perhaps, two or three jokes in this film that work, the rest is awful. All the sex jokes were embarrassing, since there was no finesse whatsoever. The most amazing thing about "Scary Movie" is that it became such a huge hit. Parodies are seldom as good as the movies they set out to make fun of, but this one makes "Spy Hard" and "The Silence of the Hams" look like "Gone With the Wind".
3 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Night of the Twisters (1996 TV Movie)
It will blow your pants off
18 December 2000
This film was much cheaper to make than "Twister", but what this one lacks in the special fx department, it makes up by telling a good story. "Twister" did not have a story, only effects and clichés. Worth watching on a windy evening. Devon Sawa is, as usual, a sympathetic hero.
1 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Assault on the Wayne (1971 TV Movie)
6/10
Short and suspenseful
5 December 2000
Many recent moviemakers should study some of the TV-movies that were made for American television back in the 1970´s. This one is, like many other of its kind, only about 72 minutes long, which means that the story has to pick up speed straight from the beginning.

There is no time for longeurs and too many subplots, which means that the film is very effective and straightforward in its storytelling.

"Assault..." is an exciting and well-made little suspensor, with plot twists and a couple of famous actors, which makes it satisfying entertainment.
19 out of 23 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Disaster on the Coastliner (1979 TV Movie)
7/10
Take the A train
29 November 2000
Effective TV-movie about two trains on collision course due to sabotage. Not as silly as many other disaster movies, but equally star-cluttered. William Shatner is funny as a con man, who might not be such a bad person after all. Exciting with good special effects.
6 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Airport 1975 (1974)
7/10
Big stars, big plane, big fun
29 November 2000
Dana Andrews is flying a small private airplane in bad weather (oops, he should have known better...), when he suddenly gets seriously ill and collides with a 747. The lives of the chic passengers are in danger, but luckily enough George Kennedy and Charlton Heston are ready to save the day. The film is very predictable, but you get what you expect. Not great, but entertaining and well made (with a real 747 instead of fake models or computer generated effects, as would have been the case if the film had been done 20 years later).
2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The Swarm (1978)
7/10
To Bee Or Not To Bee...
28 November 2000
Highly enjoyable (and very expensive) flop from Irwin Allen, the Master of Disaster. Michael Caine, with help from a bunch of other famous actors, fight against a huge swarm of African killer bees and almost destroy the entire city of Houston in the progress. Try to get hold of the longer version (about half an hour longer than the original), which contain more drama and longer action scenes. Considered a turkey among most critics, but this film is far better than many recent box-office hits. Note that the local cinema is showing "The Towering Inferno".
56 out of 73 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Flying high and low...
27 November 2000
It´s really hard to believe that this film was not intended as a comedy, considering how funny it is. It does, however, entertain in an awkward kind of way. It has a cast of big stars, a very good score by Lalo Schifrin (which somehow suggests a better film) and, of course, George Kennedy. No airplane disaster drama would be complete without him. This time around, the cigar-puffing Patroni even has an encounter with a prostitute. This feels right, if you have read the novel by Arthur Hailey (Patroni´s appetite for sex was toned down in the first "Airport" movie). You even get to see a suicide in this one. A complete turkey, of course, but a very entertaining one. Don´t miss it!
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
SST: Death Flight (1977 TV Movie)
Fun flight
27 November 2000
This is a very enjoyable disaster movie, about yet another one of those star-filled planes heading for trouble. This time, a Concorde is sabotaged, and if that wasn´t enough, there is also a virus spreading inside the plane. The film has everything an airplane-disaster movie buff could ask for: tacky effects, lots of stars and fun dialogue. Pretty good stuff.
9 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Fire (1977 TV Movie)
6/10
Action-filled disaster movie
22 November 2000
This film was one of the very last disaster movies not to be ridiculed by the critics. The main reason for this must have been the realistic and very good fire sequences. While later disaster movies had credibility problems, this one was actually pretty realistic. Well worth a look.
8 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Airport (1970)
10/10
Great, old-fashioned entertainment
15 November 2000
This is a marvellous drama, in Hollywood´s very best style. The film has everything you need for an evening of great entertainment. Famous actors, a marvellous score (by Alfred Newman) and a suspenseful plot. Yes, the story is indeed rather predictable, but you would not want it any other way in a film like this. The three sequels rank from good enough to ridiculous, but they are all worth checking out if you are a fan of 1970´s disaster movies. A must-see.
4 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed