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marcolm
Reviews
Man Hunt (1941)
Not In the Same League
I regret that I'm compelled to swim against the current stream of love being shown by most IMDb reviewers for this movie. I love this genre of movie. But this film, in my opinion, just doesn't make the grade. For the most part the cast is good...love Carradine, McDowell and even the one dimensional Sanders but, Walter Pidgeon and Joan Bennett just don't have any chemistry and don't compare with the likes of the Robert Donat/Madeleine Carol (39 Steps), Rex Harrison/Margaret Lockwood (Night Train to Munich)or Michael Redgrave/Margaret Lockwood (Lady Vanishes). And Joan's effort at a Cockney accent was lame. I watched this movie for the first time last night on TCM and, after reading all the scintillating reviews at IMDb, was expecting a minor classic. However, I'm sorry to say that for me the Fritz Lang mystique does not overcome what I consider to be a rather plodding- dull effort. That's why I say it's not in the same league as 39 Steps, Lady Vanishes nor Night Train to Munich.
Children of Men (2006)
Children of the Mendacious
I hate to rain on the parade of folks singing the praises of this movie but, here I go. I wasted two hours of my life watching it on home pay-for-view. And I'm compounding that error by taking a few more minutes of my time to write up this review. But I feel I owe it to film watchers everywhere to voice this opinion. I'm just glad I only paid $3.99 and not the price of a movie ticket or a DVD. After reading all the glorious reviews about this film I was utterly amazed at what I was seeing. I wanted to like this movie but, both my wife and I came to the same independent conclusion that this is the worst film we've ever seen. Let me recount some of the reasons for this conclusion. First,the acting was pedestrian. Second, the film had no character development. Third, the music was so out of step with anything that it defies description. Fourth, the attempt to use guttural English made much of the dialogue difficult to understand. Fifth, there was no plot development beyond a rambling incoherent odyssey from one improbable scene to the next. For Michael Cain's sake I hope his bad imitation of a John Lennon hippie type isn't the inglorious end to an otherwise decent acting career. Folks, please save your money and your time, don't waste either on this "schlock".
Ice Cold in Alex (1958)
Where's the Rheingold?
To echo prior comments, "this is a fine movie". It's my favorite war film and I'm fortunate to have a pristine DVD of it transferred from a 16mm master. I thoroughly enjoy watching it several times a year. But, at the risk of being identified as a "nit-picking-movie-geek" I do have a question. If you've ever read the book, I'm sure you would agree that the movie is a very good rendition of the story. So, when a movie follows the essence of a book so faithfully one has to wonder why the Ice Cold awaiting Captain Anson in Alex is identified as a "Carlsberg". The book clearly refers to the beer in question as a Yankee beer named "Rheingold". Well, who knows, maybe the studio had a deal with "Carlsberg". For those who love this movie, like I do, indulge your mania and get a copy of the book by the same name. You can get it at Amazon. Thanks "Katy" and crew for a wonderful adventure.
Uchû daisensô (1959)
Saturday Afternoon Fun 1959
Battle in Outer Space brings back some happy memories. I recall seeing this movie at the local Strand Theatre. I was (10) years old at the time and it was such a revelation to see an outer space film in "Color". In those days most Saturday afternoon Sci-Fi was in B/W. True, there were a few high dollar efforts like War of the Worlds and Forbidden Planet but for the money, or lack there of, this "B" films brilliant colors & special effects (loved those jitter-bugging saucers)held its own with the big boys. I recently bought a Japanese DVD version at eBay, with English subtitles, and believe me it's just not the same as the dubbed English version. Forget the bad lip-sink, that "Voice of Doom" from the Natal Moon base is not nearly as ominous in Japanese. Glad to see others remember this little "B" gem too. Hope to see it properly released in DVD soon.
Battlestar Galactica (2004)
No Problems with a Female Lead...but
At the risk of being identified as a spoiler I must make the following comments about this film. Technically I think the film is great. And I've watched it several times but, not because I'm an avid Sci-Fi fan. Rather, this avid Sci-Fi fan is trying, with each viewing, to "get over" the pathetic effort, by the female lead, to "de-feminize" her role. For heavens sake, it's possible for a female actress to portray the role of a strong person, even a fighter pilot, without literally turning into an on-screen cigar chewing, foul mouthed two- fisted bully. If you don't believe me, watch the original ALIEN and see "Ripley" pull it off nicely. Furthermore, if you've ever been in the company of military pilots you soon note that they're the most "unflappable" level headed folks you'll ever meet. They don't throw temper tantrums at the drop of a wrench to show their virility. If the Starbuck character is to be taken seriously as a pilot, regardless the gender, "cool it" and act like one. Now, I'm not blaming the actress for a script that likely originated somewhere upstairs. But, to those bosses upstairs I make this comment. It's an absolute bore to watch such a contrived and unrealistic performance. In this case it taints an otherwise fine movie effort. Let's hope that the follow on series lets up somewhat on Starbuck's "Amazon attack" mode.