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The Town That Dreaded Sundown(1976)6/10
With Ben Johnson and Andrew Prine
An apparent true story. In 1946 a sack wearing nut murders 5 people. All the townsfolk shit themselves, as you would. Johnson's Texas ranger is called in to catch the crim- he is never caught!!
Filmed in semi documentary style- i.e. every now and then some falla narrates the proceedings, in case you're having trouble keeping up. It was an uneven affair, with scenes of attempted suspense (one or two worked) sitting uneasily with some of comedy relief and as a result diluting the story. A shame as it had potential. Period detail was good and most of the cast were from IKEA or. Mfi. Johnson and Prine added some class. Music was on the chappy side, what I recall.
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WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE? (Lasse Halström, 1993) 8/10
It's about Gilbert Grape and what's eating him.
TAXI DRIVER (Martin Scorsese, 1976) 10/10
It's about a taxi driver.
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Posted: |
Aug 15, 2023 - 12:08 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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THE BOSTONIANS (1984) – 8/10
Director James Ivory has provided a good summary of his film (and the Henry James novel upon which it is based:
Verena Tarrant (Madeleine Potter), a charming, impressionable, and penniless young girl, gifted with the ability to move audiences in Boston by her oratory on the subject of women’s immemorial suffering at the hands of men, comes under the influence of Olive Chancellor (Vanessa Redgrave), a fastidious, intellectual, lonely (and perhaps lesbian), rich spinster. They vow un-dying friendship and total dedication to the Cause. No sooner have they done this than a fox, in the person of transplanted Mississippi lawyer Basil Ransome (Christopher Reeve), enters the hen-house. Basil sees Verena’s commitment as wrong-headed because it seems to him to come from outside her—to be inspired and abetted by Olive—rather than coming from Verena’s deepest convictions, from her own mind and heart. He is sure Verena’s true—if unsuspected—vocation is to please a man; in short, to please him. The struggle begins—on the man-hating Olive’s side to keep Verena for herself and the Cause, and on the part of Basil to get Verena away from what he regards as an unnatural and “morbid” entanglement.
I generally find most of the Merchant-Ivory films to be pretty dry stuff, but after seeing THE EUROPEANS (1979) a number of years ago, and now THE BOSTONIANS, I find these American-set films to be more to my liking than those set in England or India. This one in particular crackles with some good verbal exchanges between Reeve and Redgrave—the chauvinist vs. the suffragette. Sharp, but still within the gentile tones of the 1870s. The top-flight cast also includes Jessica Tandy as the elderly Miss Birdseye, a doyen to the suffragettes, and Wallace Shawn as Mr. Pardon, a magazine writer looking for a story. This is one of Christopher Reeve’s finest acting jobs, as he gives his best Rhett Butler interpretation—right down to an impressive Southern accent.
In his autobiography, Reeve wrote that “Ismail [Merchant] could only afford to pay me $100,000, less than a tenth of my established price at the time. I insisted that the money was not an issue, that this was the kind of work I ought to be doing, but my agents told me, 'If you do that picture with those wandering minstrels, it will be one foot in the grave of your career'. ... I cheerfully ignored their advice." Merchant at least knew what he could afford; the film grossed just $1 million in the U.S.
One thing that every Merchant-Ivory film has is fine production values, and the locations, Oscar-nominated costumes, and other accoutrements in THE BOSTONIANS are no exception. Richard Robbins’ score, which makes extensive use of a solo fiddle, was released on LP by Audiotrax Records in Great Britain, but has not been re-issued on CD.
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Uncut Gems - 6/10
If the Safdies' mission was to create the cinematic equivalent of an exposed nerve ending, they've succeeded, possibly to their detriment. It's as if they wished the magic macguffin of this movie to help them emulate JJ Abrams's style of action, minus the swerving cameras, but with all the constant yelling and running around indicating something "interesting" happening, indelible to Abrams's ethos. Adam Sandler plays to his strength of boisterous childishness, this time with a dramatic turn as a hapless, Charlie Brown (without friends) cursed, gamble-junkie in a New Yawk world gone full Keystone goomba. His escapades unravel even when he succeeds (in his own terms, at least) in overwhelming bathos until the last minute, which is treated like a cosmic joke of a zoom-in shot that I guess was meant to be profound (?), but comes across as dulled as the ticking timebomb plot that preceded it. There is some hint of introspection regarding his asshole kids doomed to be just like their deadbeat dad, the new girlfriend's unfinished tale, and the unknown trajectory of an NBA superstar's career blessed with a goofy artifact. This is a hidden comedy, worth laughing at instead of with, whose main character could have used a laugh track as a score to help avoid his own misfortune.
Gamora and the Adult Babies: Phase 5 - 6/10
Well, it's official. I must be dead inside. This is one confused jumble of a movie with plot armor that only a plot hole can cut through, characters who act anachronistically when it suits them, a galaxy that isn't really in need of guarding, and an invincibly nerfed villain without purely evil intent whose machinations play more like a inevitable manual of corporate science rather than a diatribe it pretends to be. The songs this go-around serve only for the sometimes-diegetic purpose of its denizens commencement to headbopping and toetapping. The much-vaunted animal cruelty, used to justify a hard PG-13, is nothing that hasn't been executed with more effective malice in certain PG rated tragedies of old. Jokes landing and misfiring in equal measure made me wonder if this was written by a Family Guy devotee. Overall, a nice, above-bland time was had, but not one worth repeating in fan-ish fashion anytime soon.
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Dick Barton Strikes Back**(1949)5/10
**He didn't really strike back. More like a limp wristed slap.
Barton is on the trail of a gang using sonic manipulation to wipe out whole towns. It climaxes( using the word loosely) in Blackpool, using the tower as an amplifier.
At 1h15m it was drawn out a bit. Some of the fights were off camera( ow, ow, take that, slap). Plenty of I say, what ho on display. Barton lived upto his name and came.across as a bit of a dick. Music was too loud most of the time. Peter Wyngarde had an early role without sideburns and flares.
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Posted: |
Aug 16, 2023 - 4:04 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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MEG 2: THE TRENCH (2023) – 6/10
This sequel to 2018’s THE MEG is a step down from the original, even as it ups the ante of incredible situations that the hero must face. That hero is diver, oceanographer, and environmentalist “Jonas Taylor” (Jason Statham). Last time out, he had proved that what destroyed the ship and crew he once captained was indeed a giant prehistoric shark—a megalodon, stirred up from the deep by some explorers probing the Marianas Trench. The shark is now a captive of some ocean research outfit run by “Jiuming Zhang” (Jing Wu), with whom Taylor works.
While exploring some other ocean trench, the two come across an ocean-floor outpost manned by men illegally mining rare earth minerals. The pair and their crew are attacked by the miners and left stranded in the undersea outpost after their diving craft are destroyed. That’s just the start of an adventure that also includes:
a plot to use a nonprofit charity to disguise the billions to be made from the illegal mining
a “mole” at the ocean research outfit who furthers the above scheme
the small daughter, “Meiying” (Sophia Cai), of Zhang constantly being put in jeopardy
the escape of the meg from captivity and the appearance of three other megs
an attack on a seaside resort by the megs and a mammoth octopus
All this is accompanied by a lot of only-sometimes-convincing CGI, married with somewhat-more-convincing physical effects. There won’t be any acting awards coming from this film, with Jing Wu providing the only emotional moment in the film after one of his co-workers dies. The good news is that the film doesn’t suffer from sequel-bloat, coming in at just 3 minutes longer than its predecessor. Harry Gregson-Williams returns from the original to score the sequel. The score is OK by action-movie standards.
This U.S.-Chinese co-production cost about the same as the original--$129 million. While the original grossed $530 million worldwide, this sequel’s two-week total is $264 million, so it still should be profitable for Warner Bros.
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A Night in Casablanca(1946)6/10
With The Marx Brothers.
A gang of Germans are looking for treasure in Casablanca. The trio get involved to good and bad ends.
I hadn't seen this one for years and while it might not be up there with their best, it still has plenty of gags and lines.Several made laugh out loud . Some were sign posted but still raised a smile.
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A Prize of Gold(1955) 6/10
With Richard Widmark, George Cole, Nigel Patrick, Mai Zetterling, Donald Wolfitt,
In Berlin Richard and George hatch a plan to rob some Nazi gold.Naturally it all goes tits up.
Despite having a cracking cast it was a little lacking. Not a lot of excitement, really. The details and planning of a large robbery were skimmed over rather lightly. Widmark was his usual dependable self- though he managed to get a good hiding off a Brit ( Nigel)- huzzah! Cole played it straight for a change. Malcolm Arnold's music was less in your face and didn't sound like everything else he did.
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The Disaster Artist (James Franco, 2017)
Great movie... for those who have seen The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003).
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Die, Monster, Die(1965) 5/10
With Boris Karloff
Boris is experimenting with radiation- making plants and fruit grow to greater size- but with disastrous results.
On the rubbish side. The story was limp. The film had trundled along a fair bit before you were aware that there was supposed to be a main story thread running along. And yet it was still watchable?! Nicely shot, good colour and sets. Nice use of mist and swirling moorland fog. It just didn't add up to much.
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Posted: |
Aug 20, 2023 - 12:48 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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DEADLY ILLUSION (1987) – 6/10
Because he has a reputation for excessive violence, private detective “Hamberger” is asked by Wall Street investment broker “Alex Burton” (John Beck) to kill his wife, Sharon, explaining that she knows too much about his illegal business dealings and could ruin him. Burton offers $25,000 upfront and another $75,000 when the job is done. Hamberger doubts he has the conscience to deliberately murder someone, but nonetheless, while Burton is out of town, Hamberger goes to his Long Island home and finds the Burtons' house virtually empty. A brunette “Sharon Burton” (Morgan Fairchild) discovers Hamberger and holds a gun on him, but he is unfazed. He tells her that he was hired to kill her, explaining that if he did not take the job, someone else would. Sharon puts her gun down, starts flirting with him and asks Hamberger to kill her husband instead, but he refuses. She kisses him and the two have sex.
Hamberger takes Mrs. Burton to the airport to leave town and returns to Manhattan to see his girlfriend, “Rina” (Vanity). Soon, police “Lieutenant Paul Lefferts” (Joe Cortese) comes to Rina’s apartment to report that Mrs. Alex Burton was found dead at her home in the Hamptons, and Hamberger’s fingerprints were all over the house, including in the bedroom. At the morgue, however, they discover that the murdered woman is not the woman that Hamberger saw on Long Island, nor is her husband the man that hired Hamberger to kill his wife. Hamberger convinces old friend Lefferts to allow him 48 hours to find out what’s going on.
This CineTel release could easily have gone directly to video, but found its way into theaters first. Nevertheless, Billy Dee Williams makes a pretty good P.I., helped by some laconic dialogue and his Philip Marlowe-like voiceover narration. The low budget precluded any car chases, but they have plenty of shootouts, foot chases, and they even managed to hire a helicopter for one sequence. Although not among the best theatrical procedurals, this would rank as a quality, fast-moving made-for-video crime drama. Patrick Gleeson composed and performed the synth-based score.
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Diary if a Madman(1963)7/10
With Vincent Price
Vincent's magistrate condemns Girot to the guillotine. This is despite his protestations that he is innocent and was possessed by an evil spirit( a horla, apparently). Price doesnt believe him, well you wouldnt, would you? At the moment Girot dies the Horla takes possession of Price. It forces him to kill, though Price tries to resist. H ealso figures out how to kill the spirit- with fire- but in doing so kill himself.
Quite decent. For Price it wasn't over the top as some of his turns. Also there was less ham on display ( there must have been a pork shortage). The photography was nice. The music was typical of the period.
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Posted: |
Aug 23, 2023 - 1:38 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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THE ADULTS (2023) – 6/10
“Eric” (Michael Cera) has returned to his upper Hudson River Valley hometown for the first time in three years, ostensibly to see his two sisters. It’s unclear as to whether he has a job. Although he spends a lot of time on his laptop, we only actually see him playing chess on it. And he divides his time between visits with his sisters and playing poker for money with friends and strangers.
Older sister “Rachel” (Hannah Gross) has been living in the run-down family home after the death of the siblings’ mother. Eric says that he wanted her to have and remain in the house, but Rachel seems to feel that paying for the home’s taxes and upkeep is a burden she would have preferred to avoid. Rachel works as a producer at a local radio station doing “fluff pieces” for the news broadcast.
Younger sister “Maggie” (Sophia Lillis) is in her late teens, and tells Eric that she dropped out of college after her first year. She has no clear idea of what’s next for her—she mentions taking a job as a white-water river rafting guide with a friend of a friend in Arizona, although she’s never done anything like that in her life.
There is obviously a strained relationship between Eric and Rachel, but during the course of the film, the causes are barely raised, let alone addressed or resolved. At various points, Maggie breaks the tension between the three by talking in a funny voice or taking on a character, which generally prompts the others to do the same. (Cera does reasonable imitations of “Marge Simpson” and an English fop.) At times, the three break into awkward song and dance routines that they did as children. Eric constantly announces that he has a plane to catch, but never actually leaves, until the end, when the film essentially just stops.
After 90 minutes, we end up not knowing much more about these characters than when we started—and they are equally unenlightened about themselves. The title of writer-director Dustin Guy Defa’s film is obviously meant to be ironic, since all three characters are in some stage of suspended adolescence. The acting is good; the film is well-shot on location; Alex Weston’s score is plaintive; but the script is thin and the film is otherwise hard to recommend.
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Spys (1974)
(usually written as S*P*Y*S, but the M*A*S*H-like asterisks do not appear in the title card. And there is nothing in the film that indicates that "SPYS" is an acronym for anything. So, Spys it is.)
I've been watching director Irvin Kershner films during the last few months and have discovered some gems (especially The Luck of Ginger Coffey and Loving) and have long wanted to hear Jerry Goldsmith's notorious score for this comedy. I was prepared to contradict the negative criticisms for both this movie and the score, but the nay-sayers are dead right. This is a crass, unfunny, appears-to-have-been-made-up-as-it-goes-along farce about CIA spies in Europe with an uninspired Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland (reunited from M*A*S*H) romping around in a script that seems aimed at undiscriminating 10-year-olds. All of the humor is unfunny/obvious/loud. (I did guffaw at a bit where Shane Rimmer's little missile gun pops out a projectile that immediately falls to the ground instead of zooming to its target. Obvious, but funny in its execution.)
I'm the world's #1 Goldsmith worshipper, but, boy, does the music stink. Whimsical in the most annoying way with fart-like synths and "Chinee" music for when anyone Asian appears, along with the "Volga Boatman" for the Soviets. How clever! Not.
As bad a misfire as Rimmer's gun, this is a project not to be remembered among the other works of the talented people involved. We will not need an Intrada Special Collections edition of this score!
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