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 Posted:   Sep 16, 2023 - 2:11 AM   
 By:   Michaelware   (Member)

This thread is still going?!? Jeebus.

 
 Posted:   Sep 16, 2023 - 4:49 AM   
 By:   Solium   (Member)

This thread is still going?!? Jeebus.

Why wouldn’t it? Have we run out of movies to review?

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 16, 2023 - 2:20 PM   
 By:   Prince Damian   (Member)

Marshall of Heldorado(1950)4/10
With James Ellison and Russell Hayden
The two leads become Lawmen and start to clean up the town.
Light 53m B movie ( or even a C) effort. It skips along and isn't too stooopid. Some gun play n punch ups and a few horses. No Mexicans, or indeed any ethnicities.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 16, 2023 - 3:00 PM   
 By:   joan hue   (Member)

BARBIE 7.5 out of 10

See Bob's review. He wrote most of what I would write. My only disappointments were with the ending and with the lack of more humor. I expected it to be funnier.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 17, 2023 - 11:49 PM   
 By:   Bob DiMucci   (Member)

THE NAKED APE (1973) – 5/10

Desmond Morris’ best-selling 1967 book The Naked Ape: A Zoologist’s Study of the Human Animal was a world-wide success that was translated into twenty-three languages. In 1968, independent producer Harold Hecht acquired the rights to Morris’ book for $85,000 and in conjunction with Universal intended to make a humorous film with animated sequences. However, by 1972, after two drafts of a screenplay, Universal shelved the project as “impossible of screen translation.” Inquiries at Columbia concurred that the property could not be made into a movie. Ultimately, Hugh Hefner agreed to co-produce the project without having read the script. Hefner’s Playboy Productions split the $1.7 million budget with Universal.

Hecht’s instincts turned out to be the correct ones. The film, which purports to illustrate the evolution of humanity, no less, is a mess. It’s told as a flashback by “Lee” (Johnny Crawford), a soldier in Vietnam. It alternates lame sequences of Lee, on a college campus before his Army induction, pursuing coed “Cathy” (Victoria Principal), with even lamer sequences of Lee reading passages from Morris’ book relating to male genitalia, human sexual behavior, courtship, and how privacy is sought during copulation.

The animated sequences included: A montage of Indian drawings of sexual positions; the origins of clothing; man’s attempt to adjust to the rapid advance of civilization; and a montage of still photographs depicting Christian missionaries “civilizing” an Aborigine couple. All of these things follow one upon the other in no apparent order and making no apparent point.

Producer Zev Bufman hoped to persuade Leonard Bernstein to conduct the New York Philharmonic from the bottom of the Grand Canyon for the film; however, no such sequence was included. Short fragments of well-known musical pieces are used throughout the film. Some of these pieces, some original score and songs by Jimmy Webb, and some dialog was released on a Playboy Records LP. It has not been re-issued on CD. Although the film runs only 85 minutes, you’ll be checking your watch long before it’s over.

 
 Posted:   Sep 18, 2023 - 5:20 AM   
 By:   Solium   (Member)

The Road to El Dorado- 3-5

This film either works for you or it doesn't. It doesn't for me. The whole movie hinges on your entertainment of the two leads banter. Sadly, I didn't find it very funny and rather forced. There's some awfully chosen voice actors for secondary characters that takes me out of the film too.

The story feels choppy, like a bunch of gags just strung together. there's hardly any setup or suspense. The story suffers in various ways most notably with the villains. Cortés is supposed to be on their trail but he's hardly in the film and makes a very unsatisfying approach near the climax. The other villain a Sorcerer of some kind who really seems to have God like powers could easily take over the Kingdom and take down the protagonists but for some reason is rendered powerless in the final act as well.


Regarding the art design and animation I'm not a fan of Dreamworks character designs most notably the faces. They're just awkward if not downright unattractive looking. This includes the three main leads, Tulio, Miguel, and Chel who looks particularly ugly. The backgrounds denote interesting locations and are gorgeously rendered and are very colorful. The animated effects are good but so many of them are computer animated effects they kind of call attention to themselves.

Jeffrey Katzenberg tried to catch lightning in the bottle by bringing on Elton John to sing most of the songs like The Lion King. Hey, I like the guys singing but hearing one Elton John song after another gets irritating. Hans Zimmer and John Powell provide a wonderfully charming and energetic score that desperately needs an expansion.

The film has a few firsts I believe. First time two animated adult male characters are seen butt @ss naked and first time an adult male and female character have sex in a family animated movie! (off screen for the latter of course!)

There's things to enjoy and its mindless fun at times. But no classic by any means.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 18, 2023 - 2:02 PM   
 By:   Rameau   (Member)

Conan The Barbarian 2011

Sooo much better than the Schwarzenegger film (but of course the score isn't as good), Jason Momoa is excellent as Conan & Ron Perlman is great as his dad. You'd think we'd get a lot more sword & sorcery films with the great CGI available these days, but with the strike still on (& no end in sight) who knows when they'll start making films again.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 18, 2023 - 2:42 PM   
 By:   henry   (Member)

MYSTERY OF THE BLUES 8-10

I really enjoyed this Young Indiana Jones movie! It was bookended with Harrison Ford as Indy. It had a pretty good mystery and surprises. I have 21 more Young Indy films to watch which I'm looking forward to.

 
 Posted:   Sep 18, 2023 - 7:28 PM   
 By:   Mr. Jack   (Member)

Conan The Barbarian 2011

Sooo much better than the Schwarzenegger film


 
 Posted:   Sep 18, 2023 - 7:31 PM   
 By:   Mr. Jack   (Member)

The Road to El Dorado- 3-5

Regarding he art design and animation I'm not a fan of Dreamworks character designs most notably the faces. They're just awkward if not downright unattractive looking. This includes the three main leads, Tulio, Miguel, and Chel who looks particularly ugly.


Da fuck...?!







 
 Posted:   Sep 18, 2023 - 10:16 PM   
 By:   Bill Carson, Earl of Poncey   (Member)

This thread is still going?!? Jeebus.

I hope youve read every post and replied michaelWare?

 
 Posted:   Sep 19, 2023 - 4:47 AM   
 By:   Solium   (Member)

The Road to El Dorado- 3-5

Regarding he art design and animation I'm not a fan of Dreamworks character designs most notably the faces. They're just awkward if not downright unattractive looking. This includes the three main leads, Tulio, Miguel, and Chel who looks particularly ugly.


Da fuck...?!


Yeah, I know all the nerds think she's "sexy", but her face is still UAF!

Here, now we're having a conversation!



 
 Posted:   Sep 19, 2023 - 4:50 AM   
 By:   Solium   (Member)

Wait, what trickery is this?!


 
 Posted:   Sep 19, 2023 - 9:17 AM   
 By:   Mr. Jack   (Member)

Wait, what trickery is this?!


Someone made a gag GIF combining both movies, which made me laugh.

 
 Posted:   Sep 19, 2023 - 10:12 AM   
 By:   Solium   (Member)

Wait, what trickery is this?!


Someone made a gag GIF combining both movies, which made me laugh.


Great job on the edit. I didn't even catch that the first time around!

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 19, 2023 - 6:37 PM   
 By:   Bob DiMucci   (Member)

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTED (1980) – 7/10

Driving on a lonely French road one night, “Robert” (Vincent Gardère) picks up “Elysabeth” (Brigitte Lahaie), a scantily-clad woman who appears to be fleeing someone or something. He takes the woman back to his apartment in the city and they make love. Afterwards, he discovers that she has already forgotten where they met, and remembers little about where she has been. When Robert goes off to work the next morning, two men abduct the amnesiac woman and take her to a scientific fortress known to its inhabitants as “The Black Tower.” Here, people suffering memory and identity loss due to accidental nuclear contamination are being held and treated.

Writer-director Jean Rollin had some time between films, and his original plan was to quickly make an X-rated film with actors who were experienced in porn films. He wrote the script in a day and shot the film in two weeks. The plot devices of memory loss, and the slow and deliberate speech patterns of the denizens of The Black Tower are used to make the most of the acting limitations of the cast. As you would expect, the film includes a number of sexual encounters among the Tower inmates.

But despite the low budget and time limitations, Rollin is able to create a plausible world populated by the lost and haunted shells of formerly normal citizens. Things come to a head when Elysabeth and her friend “Véronique” (Dominique Journet) make another attempt at escape, just as Robert arrives at the facility.

Gary Sandeur (aka Philippe Bréjean) provides a mourning electronic musical score. The film did not get a U.S. theatrical release.

 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2023 - 1:54 PM   
 By:   MusicMad   (Member)

The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972) ... 4/10

I recall the title from my my cinema-going youth (I saw one or two films a week in those days) but this one ... I don't think I saw, despite liking both George Peppard and Michael Sarrazin.

Both leads, together with Christine Belford, are watchable and for addicts of spy films where you're not sure who is who or what they're doing is what you understand they're doing, etc., then this ticks the boxes. But it's let down by being cheaply made (I thought it was an episode of Man from U.N.C.L.E. on more than one occasion) and by the end I'm unclear just what the McGuffin factor is.

Some striking architecture, a few outdoor scenes ... a weak (poor!) score by Paul Hoffert (who?)

Perhaps a second viewing would help ...

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 20, 2023 - 2:26 PM   
 By:   Prince Damian   (Member)

Women of Devil's Island(1962)3/10
With Guy Madison, Michele Mercier and Paul Muller.
The trials and tribulations of a.load of women on the island of the title. All over seen by proper swine Muller( hiss, boo). The women spend their time panning for gold and being eaten by rubber alligators, getting whipped by what seems like cotton* ouch, ouch, no more, I'll talk). So.e clumsy editing and plot stupidity didn't help.
Pretty ropey and limp, just about watchable. The scenery was good( when it was real) sets and costumes were fine as was the photography. Not enough to liven it up. Even when Madison arrived it didn't have.much effect, he was wasted.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 21, 2023 - 1:54 PM   
 By:   Prince Damian   (Member)

Duck Barton Special Agent(1948)2/10
With who cares.

Barton stumbles across a Nazi plot to plot to poison English water. But only after stumbling around for nearly an hour.
This was a light( i.e. stupid) effort, mildly entertaining. The plot was thin. Of the two main villains one sounded like a bad Lugosi impression, the other a bad Alasrltair Simm impression, with a German accent. The also had two of the softest looking faces I'd seen in a while. There were one, or two amusing moments but not many. The fights were crap. They looked like two people dtlrying their back with a towel, only the towel wasn't there. Softer thank turd in a heatwave.

 
 
 Posted:   Sep 21, 2023 - 6:19 PM   
 By:   Bob DiMucci   (Member)

THE EQUALIZER 3 (2023) – 7/10

Denzel Washington completes his “Equalizer” trilogy with this third outing, moved from the Boston locale of the first two films to Sicily and southern Italy. On an unspecified mission in Sicily, “Robert McCall” (Washington) stumbles upon a drug smuggling operation in which Middle Eastern terrorists supply drugs to the Mafia for distribution, and use the profits to finance terrorist acts. McCall is injured extricating himself, and is rescued by “Gio Bonucci” (Eugenio Mastrandrea), a local police official. Bonucci brings him to Altamonte, a remote coastal Italian town, where he is treated by small-town doctor “Enzo Arisio” (Remo Girone).

After he recovers, McCall makes an anonymous call to the CIA, tipping them off to the smuggling scheme. While the CIA, in the person of agent “Emma Collins” (Dakota Fanning), handles the terrorists, McCall deals with the Mafia, who are threatening the townspeople through a protection racket. Between dust-ups with the mob, McCall finds time to romance local waitress “Aminah” (Gaia Scodellaro).

Compared to THE EQUALIZER 2, which involved CIA in-fighting and turncoats, this film is a relatively straight-forward, low-key affair, with the good guys and bad guys clearly defined. Washington’s man-of-action is still somewhat superhuman, much more so than was the Robert McCall played by Edward Woodward in the 1980s television series. Even so, the Equalizer films were not designed to be over-the-top action films like the John Wick films (the first Equalizer had its U.S. premiere just a month before the first John Wick). Seeing Washington go through his paces one last time is like putting on a pair of comfortable shoes.

The $70 million production has grossed $133 million worldwide to date, a comedown from the $190 million of the first two installments. Marcelo Zarvos’s score is not distinctive.

 
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