Change Your Image
JANMAYFEB1
Reviews
Murder on the Blackpool Express (2017)
A Big Zero
Too bad there aren't allowances for zero stars. Bad acting and tasteless script. The movie is riddled with off color racial stereotypes and stereotypes regarding the aged. Pokes fun at mental deficiencies and religious artifacts. So surprised that in this age there are any writers with such a low level of taste and social awareness. This might have been an okay film without the blatantly offensive language and imagery. But it is hard to stomach. I usually try to watch a movie until the end. Didn't make it with this one. If you are looking for a clever, British film with a stimulating plot, this isn't it.
The Wrong One (2023)
Demoralizing Smut
So sorry that people with money are using it to produce movies like this. The language is so offensive and the scenes so pornographic, it is hard to discern any sort of plot. The plot that finally emerges is so implausible, no one in the year 2023 would believe it. I regret that filmmaking has descended into this kind of gutter. For instance, the men and women portrayed in the movie would have to have never read a book, news article, or magazine in order to have been as naive as they were about what was going on. There is no way the villain in this movie could have deceived a friend he has known since the 4th grade. There is no way a successful professional woman would have responded the way the main female character acted. The plot is ridiculous. On a grade scale from A to F, this script deserves a G because F is not low enough.
Mission: Impossible: The Legend (1967)
Cheesy Technology But Clever Script
I know the reviews are mixed on this episode. But consider that the technology of the 1960's was very limited. There are a number of TV and movie projects coming out of this decade that used "wooden dummies " to represent monsters or sinister human beings. It was new and kinda cool back then. If you are willing to forgive the obvious creepiness and fakeness of that dummy, this episode has some phenomenal scenes. The scene where Rollin breaks into the meeting as "Martin Borman" has been recognized as a show stopping entrance. It steals the whole episode and makes Friedrich Rudd appear as the ultimate "dummy". There is no way Rudd can salvage his evil scheme after that. The plot is ingenious. If only the technology of the year 2022 were available for this episode....
La residencia (1969)
Regret Watching It Through
At first, I was glad to find this film because it is so hard to find Lilli Palmer movies online. The pace of the movie was slower than a snail would enjoy. It was hard to extract any believable or discernable dialogue. Because of the other reviews, I kept hoping it would get better. Halfway through the movie, I kept asking myself "What on earth is the plot?" There was just scene after scene of bizarre, absurd interactions between nondescript characters. They might as well have been battery operated robots reading the lines. I call it a waste of an hour and a half. Creepy, boring, weird, cheap. Sorry Lilli Palmer fans. Look elsewhere for worthwhile entertainment.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Wet Saturday (1956)
One of my favorite episodes
I was surprised at all the negative reviews that panned this episode. I think it is a showcase of the brilliance of the director, Alfred Hitchcock himself. I suspect everyone has encountered a real life person just like Millicent. There were so many subtle touches to highlight what a wealthy, awkward, eccentric, not-so-popular girl does. You may notice the soiled handkerchief tucked into the sleeve of her sweater. She cowerered and shuffled as she walked. She oscillated between shrinking back from her father and rising up at him. Surely the viewers can remember that one girl in high school who looked and talked like Millicent. It took a lot of guts for Tita Purdum to visually portray a homely, repugnant murderess. She was at the time married to Hollywood heartthrob Edmund Purdom. She exhibited the same type of guts Bette Davis showed in her realistic portrayal of an overly made-up neurotic in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. The episode captured a realistic type of person who is often shut away, shunned by society. A true type of histrionic misfit. This was a no holds
barred portrait of a personality type that really exists.
Home at Seven (1952)
Worthwhile Drama
Just having Ralph Richardson in the cast can elevate any movie. He is always so authentic. His performances are nuanced and excellent. He makes this tale more believable than many other actors might have. The viewer is drawn into the story and caused to really want to know: what on earth happened in those missing 24 hours?
The Inner Circle (1946)
How Bad Can It Get?
Sorry noir fans. This one is "for the birds" as they say. There is a seductive blond. There is a murder. There is a persistent detective and dark moody cinematography. But the progression of this plot is so implausible and so hum drum, you will kick yourself for watching it all the way through. That's what I did when the credits rolled. Waste of a good hour of viewing.
Shadows on the Stairs (1941)
Low Budget Entertainment
I was drawn to this movie because Frieda Inescort films are so rare. Parts of it are so implausible. But there are enough turns and interesting moments to make this film worthwhile. If you like mystery and plots that are hard to guess, you may enjoy this one.
Murder at the Windmill (1949)
Unbelievable Waste of Celluloid
I believe this is the single worst movie I have ever seen. I kept hoping something would improve. Cant believe I sat through the whole thing. The acting was astonishingly horrible. The script ridiculous. The conclusion was improbable and not worth having suffered through all the previous minutes.
Columbo: Lady in Waiting (1971)
Best Episode, Phenomenal Acting
All the previous reviews elicit such passionate opinions because of the superb acting skills of Susan Clark. She was so authentic as the wounded kitten heiress. Who could not sympathize with that character? As she morphed into the liberated Beth Chadwick, she again was so authentic. This time so authentically ruthless, that the affections of the audience changed from pity to loathing. I love the character, love the script, love the score, love the performances. I believe along with other viewers that if Beth hired a decent lawyer, she would beat this rap. The evidence was far too flimsy to hold up in court. This is by far my favorite episode. All around excellence, start to finish.
A Woman Possessed (1958)
There Is An Alternative Ending
Hope the previous reviewers get to see this review. Their main complaint was concerning the forshadowing of the balcony and the contrived ending. About 10 years ago I saw this movie and I could have sworn after the lovey dovey scene there was a scream. The evil housekeeper went into the room with the faulty balcony and fell to her death. If I am wrong about that I will eat my shoe.
Columbo: Forgotten Lady (1975)
Indefensible Ending
I was surprised by the reaction and defenses set forth by my fellow Columbo watchers. This is my least favorite Columbo episode. I found the aging actress to be calculating and superficial. On the last night of her husband's life, she fluctuated between manipulation and contempt as she cut him down with her eyes. It is shocking that Columbo, having solved the cruel murder, was so starstruck that he let justice fall by the wayside. This actress could live much longer than projected by her sympathetic, former lover. The courts should have been allowed to decide her fate.
Mission: Impossible: Wheels (1966)
Pleasingly "Bad"
Ditto to the implausible aspects of this episode, as recognized by the other reviewers. However, I feel this is an instance of something being so bad that it is actually good. Cinnamon is a consummate intellectual and a very savvy professional. It is actually humorous to watch her try to pull off the gullible, injured female. Her persona is "pitiful" and in a contradictory way "cautious and watchful". The cops in this episode can barely believe her story because she does not authentically appear to be wounded. I love Mission Impossible, but I always find myself laughing through this episode because it is almost like a comedy sketch. Perhaps if I were watching it in 1966, it would come across differently. But in 2018 the flaws, contradictions, and unbelievable components of the episode are unintentionally funny.