subhash Reviews

From Hell to Texas (1958)

Intelligent entertainment - worth seeing more than once!

[8/10 · 23 September 2009]

I switched on the TV today and accidentally caught this movie (having missed the first 8 mins) on (Freeview) FilmFour (UK) digital TV channel.

The "info" panel said it was first released in 1958 and directed by Henry Hathaway - a name I recognised from all those movie history books.

All the other reviewers have told all you need to know about the plot. There are no cardboard villains here. One feels empathy for the "bad" guys too!

If you enjoy watching intelligent movies that your parents (or your grandparents) may have enjoyed watching on the big screen in their youth then this is a movie you should try to catch!

Most of Hollywood movies of 90s and '00s seem such forgettable dreck compared with this movie!

The Spanish Prisoner (1997)

Not for Scooby-Doo fans!

[18 August 2002]

I found this movie on tv last night by chance about 15 minutes into the story.

Unlike many other reviewers I was captivated by Rebecca Pidgeon and decided to watch the movie.

This movie is not a typical "Hollywood" star vehicle. You will not find overblown performances here. This is not a movie that one watches while crunching popcorn. One needs to play complete attention to the screen for the duration of the movie.

I enjoyed this movie very much and recommend it to literate people who enjoy mysteries.

Unfortunately most young adults today find video games more alluring a pastime and may not enjoy this "talkie."

I discovered today that this movie is the work of David Mamet - I can recall enjoying his earlier movie, The House of Games.

***SPOILERS*** There are no gratuitous shootouts, no car chases, no visits to strip clubs, no explosions, no lovemaking scenes, no gadgets ... -- most 13-year-olds would find this movie boring.

Other reviewers complain about plotholes.

For example, how did the bad guys know what the book looked like so that they could replace it with a replica -- the fact that they know what the book looks like is the clue that the originator of the con knows this detail. Duh!

The encounter that Ross has with Dell in the car showroom is the only "mcguffin" I spotted.

***end_of_SPOILERS***

Deep Impact (1998)

Hysterically stupid movie!

[30 May 2002]

I was told that this movie was better than "Armageddon" so I took the opportunity to watch it on our public service TV channel BBC1 - no commercial breaks!

I endured an hour of the movie before deciding that laughing at moronic script was getting too tiring and switched to watching BBC Parliament channel which was showing a session of the Environment, Food And Rural Affairs Committee meeting on the subject of "BSE" -- my only regret is that I missed the first hour of this programme because I had not checked the schedules with diligence.

Most of my criticisms are already listed in the "Goofs" page for this movie.

"Armageddon" had the virtue of being a juvenile movie and was very enjoyable as such.

This movie seems to be designed to appeal to people who watch daytime soaps -- intelligent people should avoid it!

If you are literate then you may consider reading "Lucifer's Hammer" by Niven and Pournelle (1983) - some of the plot elements in the movie are similar to those in the novel.