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Reviews
The Wilby Conspiracy (1975)
How Hateful the Bad Guys can be
Michael Caine's character doesn't necessarily like being teamed with Sidney Poitier's character, but tolerance eventually becomes something closer and it probably does because of indirect means. That is, "I may not be too thrilled about being with you but I am really learning to despise those guys!".
Hence, the movie does it quite well by not only showing how miserable the enemy is but also generating allies to those shown in the movie, right and left. Those on the side of the "strong" in Apartheid South Africa show that is not only that they must win, but that everyone else who isn't on their side must lose.
The politics can't be put aside when watching this flick but they don't overwhelm the movie either, leaving lots of room for excitement and suspense to who will win and what tricks will be used to snatch victory or defeat from the powerful jaws in play.
Fishtales (2007)
A decent get away flick that doesn't require much thought
Leave most technology behind and go spend the summer at the beach. That's what this G rated (or it should be) family movie is about. Families finding themselves, a stupid but charming crook, and a gift from the sea.
Settings for why one watches this flick or that is important for as this flick is simple, perhaps even childlike, it may not work for someone expecting more out of the sexy world of mermaids. Or to put it another way, if one is watching a movie from a certain sphere or frame of mind, then any faults a flick might have are acceptable in that frame of mind. For me, this was watched on SUPERCHICK night, flicks with women as the front credits.
Having done working vacations by the sea, it was very easy for me to get into, to enjoy, to remember things that were familiar. Leave the modern world behind and enjoy nature.
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: A Traitor to Memory (2004)
When the Brit Cops are as BAD as the crooks!
This one certainly has a bad batch to go after, of arrogant suspects, criminals with no remorse, and superiors who trash the public for their own desires. The one good thing of all of this that since it is an Inspector Lynley, he gets a slap in the face to how the upper class really think about the commoners.
The only good for in the end, both he and Havers give in, for whatever reasons, by letting those who repress get away with their crimes of trashing the lives of others.
Morality wise, it's a BAD story but it is decent production wise. Still, when the heroes of a show start falling into corruption, one can hope, hold their breath that it is only one time, that it was a bad dream, and hope that it does not happen again....for if it does, then the series is over.
The Sea Hawk (1940)
When you have no choice in the matter
That is can be said about any flaws in this flick. "Yes, you are walking into an obvious trap, but you really have no choice, do you?". So while parts of the story may be obvious, it is best to enjoy the tension going into them.
Perhaps a fictionized version of Sir Francis Drake but that's no surprise of an Errol Flynn flick. In this one, there is probably nothing he does that is despicable. He may be a harsh Captain here and there but always with honor.
The battles, both between ships and individual, are impressive and if unbelievable at parts, is one fighting a man or a demon, then it must be remembered, it is that kind of movie. The hero fights to save England.
Certainly enough bare male chests, from Errol Flynn to Alan Hale!
While a little long for a 1940 movie, there is plenty of action to keep the story going and the audience entranced. A 10 flick.
The King's Thief (1955)
Oh, who ever thought David Niven could be so evil?
Why does one watch such a movie? Why, for swash buckling fun! This movie has it with flashing swords, acrobatic horse chases. And suave villainy.
Roger Moore can be difficult to find for, being early in his career, there no close ups but only wide shots. Further, with the limits of what those shots can do, young Sean McClory might be taken for him, instead.
Early special effects photography, such as being on a high tower, is pretty decently done for the technology of the time. George Sanders plays the King well for someone who is so vain.
Not too much delectable for the leading lady Ann Blyth but she decently communicates what it could be like, accurate or not, to live in such a time as a woman of means. This, however, is primarily a movie for the males.
David Niven is rather excellent as an uppity noble who wants it all and who has little care for others. The only down side to the movie is that after all the hate built up about him, his demise is done off screen.
A decent, wholesome flick.
The Heroes of Telemark (1965)
A story that can't be put down
Good, solid behind the lines movie. Realistic to an extent such as one saying that if the carpet bomb the town to stop the research, thousands will die.......making it quite clear that they have absolutely no idea what an atomic bomb will do....as history shows was the lack of so many.
Which.....probably explains one of the heroes to put the mission at risk to save a friend for again, even he did not fully appreciate what was at stake since that knowledge did not exist then.
The Germans are particularly brutal without the movie dwelling on the subject and there is even a flaw, as flaws exist, in the perfect fighting machine despite what the propaganda states. For whatever reason, a false muster was made and as such, the good guys win.
At two hours plus, it is a little bit long but it moves along decently enough so one is not bored.
Demon Rage (1982)
Nudity and not Britt Ekland is probably the biggest attraction
Lots and lots of toplessness! At first, only that of Lana but eventually, there is some beefcake as well.
Movies of a time of how things once were have to be seen in the proper setting to get a proper feel for them. Watching this flick in a movie theater, now, wold probably flop it. In one's own place, isolated like the beach house in the movie, though, one can get something out of the movie.
The organ like background music may have been a little much to suggest that something bad is about to happen. A line or two about the medieval relics in the basement, of why they happened to be there, would have helped as well.
STILL, though, when it is a horror flick, perhaps it is better to just accept the props as is and not question why they are there at all.....though it is something of a dead give away that when a tool of execution is present, someone is going to pay a cost with it.
More for the feelings of remembering the last century than the chests of the leading lady and man, this flick can be worth a look.......once.
Monstrosity (1963)
Once upon a time in a past far far away.....but not far enough
A LOT of narration which serves a purpose when the movie is SHORT for it gets the story moving where it needs to be. It doesn't does a thing for the audience, however, for did they pay to watch a movie or for someone to read to them?
Past that, I suppose one had to live in that time to truly appreciated what the movie was. That is, with not the entertainment technology that we have today, perhaps it might have actually been something.
Appearance wise, it was well cast. The villainess is perfect, her henchman is a milksop, the victims are delectable, and the mad scientist is classic.
Perhaps the flick could have been better if it was silent, if no one talked at all.
Bordello (2023)
It never really gets anywhere
It is a lot of terrific photography at and around a house of prostitution, but it never really comes together and tells a story till the last third, if not the very end of the movie.
It does have two terrific villains but they are more of a fixture than a driving force. Things to be introduced, used when necessary, but for what they contribute to most of the movie, it could have been written into the story as an off camera affair.
Character development is minimal. Even a flick about prostitution doesn't necessarily need nudity but it would be nice to see something about the women, the underdogs of the story, to have some interest in them, to be able to tell them apart, to feel something when the powerful throw them away. There is none of that here.
I got through the movie because I was doing my pioneer ways (cooking, cleaning) from my home on the frontier. For what it was showing in the small details, such as going to the country store for coffee and sugar, I could slightly relate......but just sitting on the sofa, I was left wondering "When is something going to happen?" Hence, in one or two viewing settings, it might be worth the ~$19 I bought it for.....but that's pushing it.
For the.history that some of the cast have, this movie is not to their credit.
Flareup (1969)
Takes a special eye to appreciate the Love in the movie
There is a lot of Love in this flick as Raquel (Michelle) leaves the city where she was almost murdered for another city. At first, it is to escape the immediate threat, but as time goes on, it may be just to escape her life before and bury it in the arms of a new one.
Like that, the movie is believable, but 97 minutes may be too short to communicate that message and still maintain the tension that homicidal maniac is after her. It is just not quite the right balance of things. A flick of all chase would get tedious after a while and would probably be a waste of an actress such as Raquel.....but the embraces of love leave one wondering when the next violent scene is going to be.
Luke Askew is perfect as the killer. He has the looks for the personalty for someone who sees people as just things to use for his own purposes. For better or worse, the killer has a cool calculating mind for even though people mean nothing to him, he knows their values to others.
The tension is decently done with nice surprises along the way for a movie made in a time when all the answers weren't so quickly obtained. It's a flick worth a look and not for the brief scene or two of topless dancers.
The Bionic Woman: Which One Is Jaime? (1978)
The Fun outweighs the camp
I've always loved this one, primarily for the life of the single young woman who is often undercover. That is in reality, the Control has got to appreciate that those undercover have to do things like shop as well and this episode hits it right on the nose, both with the good guys and the bad ones. Further, the bad guys have done their homework a little bit to recognize a woman with a very big dog, so don't attack anywhere where she knows the ground.
Callahan, good or bad, was always something of the comedy relief, so she can be a little wearing on the nerves here. Fortunately, she does not occupy too much of the screen.
Finally, one must keep in mind....that it is a spy show, so any errors that might be seen may not be errors after all. What comes out of a spy's mouth might not be the truth but meant, trained or intentional, to mislead. A spy who says "tapes" when there was only one might have meant to lay down a false path. Hence, when taken in that light, continuity errors or bad acting may not be that at all.
The episode is not perfect.....but it is fun.
Divergent (2014)
Then or Now, this movie has relevance for many
Been there, done that. That is, having been in regiments where fighting is part of the game, where one steps up to bat without hesitation, where one engages anyone without thought for there are no weaklings in the group, this movie gives me something I can identify with even if that kind of life was decades ago for me. I could feel with the heroine when she decided that they would have to physically throw her out, not just tell her, for I had been there as well.
But movies can't just be about seeing one's personal history on the screen and sooner or later, a story must be told. While the story is the same, that power corrupts, this version is well told.
The perhaps unfortunate part is that being so near perfect, a sequel (or two) must be made but what more can be said, in the right sense, for the near perfect story. Let the movie stand as it is now and go no further.
Pompeii (2014)
Well, it's a decent movie to get lost in...sort of
But, in all honesty, it is more like a fairy tale for children than an adult flick. It approaches the decadence of the soul but it never gets there. Neither in action nor in lines. Even the proper placement of lines to trigger the emotions would work, it certainly has the right setting, but the movie does not know how to trigger it.
What's missing? What I learned in acting that in order to play a role, you have to be able to feel their fear.......and that is not there in this movie. The words may be spoken but those that should feel it don't show it.
The movie realizes what is missing toward the end or maybe now that the mountain has blown, it can go for such action, the damsel in distress, people being turned into torches, but by then, it is too little, too late.
The movie does have one redeeming feature in that the villain is one never to turn one's back on, is totally evil, will alter the bargain, is quite sadistic with his words......and the crowd will cheer when his end comes.
Other than that, however, it is a mediocre movie to what it might have been.
Yin xiao yu jian cui yu shi (1977)
Is something lost in translation?
I suppose there is something to the lead femme fatale having all the sweet cuteness of "Gogo Yubari" but when one is on the bad side, one should occasionally show SOMETHING that they are the kind of person not to be trusted. The total sweetness may be something to look at but it does nothing for the story.... except in the very end when the sword falls.
It is the typical "kung fu" type flick where the hero or heroine defeats massive opposing armies only because they fight as individuals and not as a team. It further does not help the movie that in the end, everyone who was not truly evil is accepted as friend ...... and they all live happily ever after. Not a movie worth paying for in order to watch.
Joshua (1976)
End Product of a War
The 1hr 23 minute version. Not quite sure what they cut out as that there was certainly enough killing and rapes in this movie. Still, this movie is very powerful and a lot of it is not in what it says but how it communicates the message of this or that in what it does.
There are some down points in chases that are too much, that go on too long, but then, there is the tension one might feel in the grand chase which is the major theme of the flick, that he is not going to break off. There are cowboys on the side who look like they just came fresh from the laundry.
But overall, there are 4 major themes that communicate but are unsaid: being black, revenge, being tactically stupid against a warrior, and being a woman.
The hero runs into hostility toward his skin almost every step of the chase, one way or another. He may have been on the winning side of the Civil War but for so many he has met, nothing has changed. Revenge in that one can only be killed once but when there is enough anger, how one is sent off can be long and painful. On tactics, for a prize who is no Helen of Troy, the bad guys have no brains in their head of what their pursuer might have to do if they leave their captive in his path.
Perhaps it is just as well that such a ploy was not played in this movie for it is movie of revenge, not rescue. While the captured wife might seem deserving of her eventual fate, one must appreciate what it is to be a woman in a society where one is property, a point that was rather stated at the start as a mail order bride. Of what one must do, accept, in order to survive.
A fairly decent movie that shows, if it doesn't tell it, that the old West was not black and white.
Chill Factor (1999)
Avoid the trailers before seening the movie
My method of movie watching is simple; if the DVD looks interesting on the cover, if it is cheap enough, if it fits into the category I like, I buy it. Hence, this flick fell into my lap as a spy flick. It starts out pretty well, with credits of good players such as Peter Firth and Hudson Leick, has a terrifying threat, and sets the playing table for revenge. The comedy does not start till probably a good 20 minutes and it is not overwhelming. It can even be ignored though given the fame of those two players that might be difficult if one knows who they are.
The catch is that the trailer would lead one to believe this is a total comedy flick and as such, one might pass it by which would be a pity. It is decent as the evening movie, good for a pass if one does not have cable/streaming movie channel capability.
Evolution's Child (1999)
Intense movie, both directly and indirectly
At first, I rather raked this movie for having a short sighted view of things when, even back in 1999, we realized the different capabilities of the modern and hunter-gatherer (for lack of better terms) mind, those who were good with animals, and the like. Thinking about it a few days after watching the movie, maybe that was exactly what the underlying theme was, of science where we think we know all the answers versus understanding nature as an art. A downside to the movie making is the tagline, "My Father was a Caveman!" for that ridicules much of the intense feeling this movie communicates. The movie does require that one puts aside science as they have learned it at some points or, at least, be more understanding of the limbic nervous system. It is not Sci Fi with technology, much, but it is a Sci Fi movie for it asks the question "What if?".
Vado... l'ammazzo e torno (1967)
Make a movie with all things Western
It has the barren town, a train, a Gatling gun, bandits, attractive men of all kinds, lost gold, the US Cavalry, evil bankers, a femme firebrand or two, and private armies. A down side, though, is a tendency to have part of a circus in a flick as the comedy relief for over the years, comedy relief gets done too much. It is tough to go bad with a western and while this might not be a Good & Ugly movie, it still makes for an enjoyment for the evening. Another down point is that while all the characters are enjoyable, they never build to the level to be shocking when the aces in the hole are revealed. Equally, some aces are there to save the day but then are forgotten. Still, the flick can leave one with enjoyable feeling of fulfillment where the holders of the gold went off and lived somewhere, happy to the end of their days.
Flesh+Blood (1985)
A rewatch but still commanding as if it was the first time
Why a Ten? Because there is no fault in it. The powerful are without conscience because they are blue bloods in a world of rabble. The Crooks prove that when tings stop going well, there is no honor among thieves. The violence is perfect for it shows another aspect of violence where it is a tool to get things done. The debauchery is enticing without being overwhelming. And items which shouldn't be there like trimmed nails, perfect teeth, and being woundless soldiers until the final cut are forgiven for it is a story, not a documentary. It is perhaps hard to see Rutger when he was so young and beautiful as to what he was in the later decades but then again, one does not Rutger but "Martin". It is especially a great movie when one is of the Renaissance Festival world this flick enables that world to echo through the soul. Enjoying that world in mind and fantasy, of course, and not in body.
Thicker Than Water (2005)
A standard theme or two but still a relaxing movie
Hallmark movies tend to be a standard format of the successful city business woman comes to the country on some quest and finds love there. This movie is no different but it wraps into it a standard western theme where a trouble making robber baron wants the water and the land. As that it is a Hallmark movie, it has the tension but not the violence of the western. As I am a cowgirl, if adopted by the ranch, I found a lot of things I could identify with and items that made me comfortable as it was the kind of life I have now. One thing about the movie to me is that aside from Lindsay Wagner, I do not know the cast from their former performances so I had no expectation to "who they were before". "Meeting them for the first time", I had no doubt to who they were playing. A good movie to end the day with.