Wink23 Reviews

The Eiger Sanction (1975)

What they did to Trevanian's book...

[27 July 2003]

is a tragedy.

Trevanian later called this "a vapid film." I agree.

See this movie before reading the book. Perhaps then you can enjoy both. But do read the book!

Earthquake (1974)

So bad it's not even "so bad it's good"

[3/10 · 25 July 2003]

And now AMC has gone and taken out the pseudo-subliminal "blood" thing in the elevator... What do they think, we're gonna be traumatized by a cartoon of a red Rorschach test?

It's still a giggle, though. I can't believe I went to the trouble to ESCAPE from boarding school (with all the consequences associated therewith) as a teenager to go see this in Sensurround.

At least we know what happened to Jan Brady's wig! (but it didn't look much better on Victoria Principal).

The Perfect Storm (2000)

Not a nice thing to do, advertising people (*spoiler*)

[30 July 2001]

Every freakin' commercial I saw for this movie had that scene in it, where the boat is climbing this monstrous HUGE wave. Eventually it got me curious enough to see the movie. And find out that...

----------- *SPOILER* ------------- ...it's the end of the boat, the end of Our Heroes, and the end of the movie, except for the tearjerkey funeral.

--------- *END SPOILER* -----------

Of course, I'm probably one of the three people in the world who didn't know the ending before seeing the movie.

The Opposite Sex (1956)

Who owed June Allyson a favor??

[24 August 2000]

This movie's got Ann Miller, Charlotte Greenwood and Joan Blondell, and we get not a single tap, contortionist leg-kick, or warble out of any of 'em. We do, however, get two(2) song'n'dance numbers and one vocal solo by... June Allyson. June Allyson??? I'm sorry, she's probably a very nice person, and a fine actress given the appropriate role, but in this movie she's completely out of place. One can only wonder.. what's the story behind this? I mean, one doesn't put Ann Miller in a movie and give June Allyson the dancing parts without a good reason, does one?

Aside from the above, it's a visually gorgeous piece of brainless chick-flick fluff. Worth watching (with the gals only) to hiss at Joan Collins, ooh and ahh and snicker at the costumes, and wonder if people ever actually lived like this.

And put to rest forever the question: Was Leslie Nielsen BORN with white hair?

The Legend of Hell House (1973)

STILL scares me

[10/10 · 2 January 2000]

By far the scariest movie I have EVER seen, bar none; the synthesized "score" just creeps me to the bone every time, VERY effective, much more than a "music" score would have been; totally ahead of its time in 1973.

I first saw it around age 15, now at 41 I STILL have to look away from the screen during the "ectoplasm" scene ("leave a sah-mple in the jah, please") -- but over the last quarter century I've worked up to where I can watch the rest of the flick without flinching (too much).

Roddy McDowall is brilliant, as is Pamela Franklin.

Yeah, the ending is a bit hokey, but everything else more than makes up for it. My opinion, of course.

Speaking of sah-mpling, Orbital fans will appreciate Florence's first Sitting ("I don't know you people..."). Skinny Puppy fans, you'll find a few familiar bits as well :-)

Airport (1970)

A classic

[8/10 · 17 December 1999]

It's cheesy, it's hokey, it's cliched to the max, but I never get tired of it. When it first came out I was just a kid, and I'll never forget the edge-of-my-seat suspense. Now it's just plain fun, and I'm old enough to appreciate it for its quality.

Van Heflin and Maureen Stapleton, both wonderful acting. Brilliant musical score, too.

My only problem is with Dean Martin and Jacqueline Bisset. NO chemistry there. When he's mauling her in her apartment, and his comment on her nightie "Ooh I like THAT, you can see right through it!" it's like UGH, totally creepy, go away you dirty old man. *shudder* If there was supposed to be Love and Romance implied, it sure didn't come across to me.

Oh yeah -- I love it when "Vern" is trying to reason with the Mad Bomber "you'll kill yourself for nothing if you EXPLODE THAT BOMB" Tee hee. After all their work to keep the passengers calm, is that tact or what??

Great flick. If you haven't seen it, rent it just for historical value, if nothing else. You'll end up finding a lot more than that to appreciate.

The Towering Inferno (1974)

What a hoot

[9 October 1999]

It's just a laugh riot!

First, marvel at that decor, I couldn't hang in that building long w/o having a seizure -- and gotta love those red plaid curtains in Evil Son-in-Law's bar.

And the dancing.. while Maureen's bellowing out the slow ballad and everybody's slow-dancing.. wait till the camera backs up & check out those two rock'n'rolling.. heehee!! They even let Fred Astaire do it, but only for a couple seconds, alas.

And get ready to wipe a tear from your eye for the poor deaf single mother who "doesn't go to parties since Daddy died" *sniff* (what happened? he died at a party or something??)

I keep waiting for that Johnny character from Airplane to descend on Faye Dunaway during the party.. "Where did you get that DRESS it's AWFUL!"

And with Friends Like That... what do you do when a guy on fire stumbles out of the elevator? try & put him out? of course not! You scream a little and then avert your eyes until he's nice and safely dead.. THEN you extinguish him & toss a coat over his face. Nice people.

And the Jennifer Jones character, what a shining example for women everywhere... Fred: "I hope you like your men prompt?" Jennifer: "At my age, I glad if they show up at all.."

and then later.. Oh yeah, I knew all along you were just trying to con me, but I don't care, even though I just met you I can tell you're really a good person because you never did get around to conning me (oh yeah, it couldn't be because the BUILDING CAUGHT FIRE could it??)

Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives was written for women like that.

And O.J. Simpson's acting genius.. words don't do it justice.

The fate of the Evil Son-In-Law is my favorite part.

WELL worth renting. Get the whole gang over & make a lot of popcorn. Turn the volume off and supply your own dialogue :-)

Tombstone (1993)

I'm no fan of cowboy movies OR Kurt Russell -- but...

[1 August 1998]

I'm no fan of cowboy movies OR Kurt Russell -- but for this movie I make an exception in both cases. My thanks to the person who forced it on me. Now I rent it regularly.

Sure, it's full of historical inaccuracies, but captures atmosphere wonderfully. And I agree, Val Kilmer deserved an Oscar for his performace as Doc Holliday. The movie is worth seeing for that alone. (You want to see what Val Kilmer can do? Forget "The Saint" and rent this!) He's not the only one at his best in this flick, either. Bravo to all concerned! Good work!