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In the Heat of the Night (1967) 8/10 Classic. Hadn't watched this in ages, so it was almost like a new film.
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In the Heat of the Night (1967) 8/10 Classic. Hadn't watched this in ages, so it was almost like a new film.
I watched it myself again only about 6 months ago. Sidney Poitier was a proper pioneer. Inspired casting in that film, Steiger too, warren oates etc
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In the Heat of the Night (1967) 8/10 Classic. Hadn't watched this in ages, so it was almost like a new film.
I watched it myself again only about 6 months ago. Sidney Poitier was a proper pioneer. Inspired casting in that film, Steiger too, warren oates etc
I think nearly every aspect was spot-on. Lesser characters were good .Warren Oates,for example, was low key for a change. And it doesn't hurt the experience if my mum thinks Sydney is ' lovely'
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Posted: |
Jan 13, 2021 - 12:55 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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DEATH VALLEY RANGERS (1943) – 6/10
This film was part of the 8-film “Trail Blazers” series that Monogram Pictures made in 1943-44. This was the fourth film in the series, and the first in which Bob Steele joined with Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson. The cast would change again for the last two films, but Hoot Gibson was the constant, appearing in all eight films. And Gibson is, well, a hoot. He provides most of the humor in the film, with his droll delivery, as he constantly comes up with “ideas” to get the guys out of a jam or to trap the bad guys.
The plot here is routine, with The Trail Blazers being called in to assist the Rangers in finding out who is behind a string of gold robberies from stagecoaches. Much gold has been stolen, but none of it has resurfaced. The reason why that’s so, provides what little interest the film generates. Some consider this to be the best film in the series, but I thought the final film, SONORA STAGECOACH (reviewed June 15, 2020), was slightly better.
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Count Five and Die (1957) 7/10 with Jeffrey Hunter, Nigel Patrick and David Kossoff. Nice little spy film set during WW2. The leads play intelligence men passing off fake information about the European invasion.
Followed by-
Colorado Charlie (1965) 4/10 Below average Italian western where the only actor I knew was Livio Lorenzo as bandit Charlie. When anything happed it almost sneaked by and was nearly missed.music was ok by Gioacchino Angelo, with some nice trumpet by Lacerenza.
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Posted: |
Jan 15, 2021 - 12:45 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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BIG BULLY (1996) – 6/10
As a child, “David Leary” (Justin Jon Ross) was a bespectacled kid who was constantly picked on by a larger, older kid, “Rosco Bigger” (Michael Zwiener), known as “Fang” because of one errant tooth. Having left Minnesota before high school, the adult David (Rick Moranis) is now a divorced, semi-successful author who is returning to his hometown to teach a creative writing course at his old middle school. And who should be the current shop teacher at that school but Fang himself (Tom Arnold), who resumes right in on bullying David. And David’s own son (Blake Bashoff) turns out to be a bully himself, picking on Fang’s young son (Cody McMains).
This is one of those comedies where we have to suffer along with the indignities that are forced upon Moranis’ character, without getting any real catharsis at the end. We learn that Arnold’s character had somewhat of a comeuppance after Moranis left town, and he currently has a few family issues, but after he starts in on Moranis again, we’re are back to the beginning, and the eventual rapprochement between the two all seems rather hasty and unsatisfying. Plus, the pranks played by the adult Fang still seem to have stemmed from the mind of an 11-year-old. While there’s a few laughs in seeing two grown men revert to childlike behavior, it’s not as funny as the filmmakers think it is. And any serious points made about bullying are glossed over. The film took in a below-average $2 million at the box office. None of David Newman’s score made it on to the Scotti Bros. song-track CD.
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Rough Cut (1980) 4/10 with Burt Reynolds, David Niven and Lesley Anne Down. A.bit on the limp side. Not very exciting for a caper film, not much robbery, either. The cast were all fine ( Patrick MacGee playing a German- " what German accent").
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Rough Cut (1980) 4/10 with Burt Reynolds, David Niven and Lesley Anne Down. A.bit on the limp side. Not very exciting for a caper film, not much robbery, either. The cast were all fine ( Patrick MacGee playing a German- " what German accent").
I watched it a few months ago and agree that it was rather lightweight. I rated it 5+ based on the lovely interplay of the main cast (and Nelson Riddle's adaption of Duke Ellington's music). I know it was a very troubled production and believe it could have been so much better.
Nice to see Niven as. Bit of a rotter, what?
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Posted: |
Jan 16, 2021 - 12:15 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Akira Kurosawa’s DREAMS (1990) – 7/10
This film is comprised of eight short tales averaging 15 minutes each. Kurosawa covers a number of topics in these short films: Japanese legends, conventional war, nuclear war, art, environmentalism, and man’s relationship with nature. Some of the settings are fanciful, others realistic; some are overflowing with color and beauty, others are desolate and depressing. Some of the segments have non-stop dialogue; others are nearly wordless. Few allow for any kind of character development, which is something that can’t generally be provided in 15-minute segments. The segments introduce the characters or concept, make their point, and then move on. Even so, most of them are taken at a leisurely pace.
Bottom line: This is the filmic equivalent of a book of short stories as compared to a novel. But with Kurosawa both writing and directing, all of the stories have some interest. (It’s reported that Ishirô Honda directed two of the segments, some of his last film work.) The cast, of course, with one notable exception is all Japanese. That exception is Martin Scorsese, who appears in one of the segments as Vincent Van Gogh.
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Posted: |
Jan 16, 2021 - 1:43 AM
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By: |
MusicMad
(Member)
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Dad's Army (1971) ... 7-/10
Although I've watched the TV series off-and-on for most of my life (!) I'm still surprised when I see an episode (usually only part as I don't tune in to watch) which is new to me. Recently it was what I presume was the opening episode in which Bank Manager Mainwaring signs up the locals to be the LDV ...
I did see this film upon its cinematic release and I've watched it at least once since but was amused to find that the opening recreates that TV episode before venturing off into the crazy antics so common to the regular TV episodes. Mix in a few cinematic shots (I wonder where they borrowed the scenes of the German plane - Heinkel 111?) and a running time of just over 90 minutes and what do we have?
Well, on the plus side, a wonderful well-loved cast with most of the TV regulars reprising their roles, and excellent settings, location photography, etc. But in trying to do so much it comes over as being less than the sum of the individual sequences ... basically three typical TV episodes run back-to-back. It also means that the appreciation of most of the cast is down to prior knowledge of their characters - a newcomer to this film would miss a lot of the inherent humour.
I know that the recent remake was heavily criticised, one aspect being the German spy plot which took so much screen time; this earlier film has the same problem, albeit squeezed into the last act. and, in this case, we weren't fed that immortal line: Don't tell him your name, Pike
Muisc score by Wilfred Burns, supplemented by existing muisc, was fine albeit not memorable ... except for that 1939 classic: A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (Manning Sherwin) ... a long-standing favourite of mine!
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Doc, Hands of Steel (aka. The Man with the Golden Gun) (1965) 8/10 with Carl Mohner, Luis Davila and Fernando Sancho. One of the best, most enjoyable Italian westerns , that I'd never heard of. Nothing over the top. Decent cast , well made. The story was simple but kept the attention. Sancho was his usual self playing the ' generalissimo' . Mohner plays an ex doctor/ card sharp accused of murder. Davila is a bounty hunter on the trail. They become sheriff and deputy and do some good. Music by AFL was fine
Followed by
Desert Battle(1969) 7/10 with George Hilton, Robert Hossein and Frank Wolff. English and German soldiers get stuck together and must help each other. That takes some doing. Not much in the action department,orena character study. Decently played and made. Music by Bruno did the job
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Had that score on LP. Was decent Nicolai war effort.
I think that other one was more known as Man with the Golden pistol.
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Had that score on LP. Was decent Nicolai war effort.
I think that other one was more known as Man with the Golden pistol.
Right .when the western came on it played a bit of intro then, while Mohner the theme song came on but no credits At all ! (or at the end) I thought I knew the song and thought it was a tracking job until I checked out on IMDb. Needless to say I have the cd under the golden title. Also have the Nicolai, love the main theme.
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The Limehouse Golem 8/10 with Bill Nighy and a host of familiar faces. An enjoyable serial killer on the loose in 1880s. Very good period detail and well acted. Bill is usually watchable.
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