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Reviews
Lifepod (1981)
A better film that aged well
I'm going to throw some love to this movie. I first saw this almost 25 years ago on a Sunday morning. The graphics even in the day were not top tier. However, I did like the plot.
It's 2020 and the patina of age has treated this kindly, IMHO. The storyline is a luxury liner, the Arcturus, is on it's maiden voyage to Saturn and a malfunction has occurred which has required to abandon ship, a hairy idea if you consider life pods in space going who knows what direction. What has caused the malfunction is the question that gets answered at the very end. A life pod that has escaped the Arcturus, containing a ship's lieutenant, various passengers, and the head of the Whitestar line is being pursued but the ship itself while the captain remains on board, not in control, wrestling with the central computer that controls it.
This is a movie that with the right exposure could be something of a cult classic. I think the acting is pretty good, especially Christopher Cary, the captain. Like every good Sci-Fi movie, they lend a believability that allows a willful suspension of disbelief. The design of the Arcturus is pretty good, the robots in the film are believable, the launch and movement of the Lifepod are well done, and the interaction of the cast are good. They set out to make a believable movie given the limitations of the money (obviously) and I think they did a good job.
This is a movie you can find on Amazon Prime. Give it a try. You'll either turn it off in the first 20 minutes or you'll enjoy the ending.
Dear Brigitte (1965)
A fun quirky comedy
I remember seeing this in the movie theater when I was a boy; I'm the same age as Bill Mumy and was always interested in his shows.
Like many movies it's important to understand the times in which the movie was produced. This was the age when the computer was moving from a science fiction tool to a daily part of life. Many of the themes in the movie were things that people were wrestling with every day. A decent father trying his best to raise his children right but trapped in his own perceptions of life. A daughter grown up in a completely different age. A young boy who is a mathematical savant in a family of liberal arts specialists. The mother doing her best to uphold the respect her family and children deserve. All held together in a very off beat setting.
All of this makes for a unique comedy that to me has grown with age. No, it's not a knee-slapper. But there are interesting themes being played out that grow as you watch. The ending of a child's innocence. The brutal march of technology. The desire to hold on to traditions deemed vital. And in the final scenes, the knowledge that with all our desire to control the future, luck and pure chance will have it's say.
And Brigitte Bardot's part is.....how do I say it......wonderful? She comes across as interesting and genuine. I think it's a great role.
Don't expect pie-in-the-face-fun. If you can't wrap yourself around the show and the times it's understandable. It's quirky and offbeat and wasn't pre-shown to theaters so they could write the script, the script was written and shot and there it is. But if you have it a chance (or two) you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Big Jake (1971)
My "Go To" Duke film
Great actors, great writers and great directors make great films. Add the Duke sparring with the immortal Richard Boone and you have movie magic. The movie starts in the year 1909, the ending of the West of legend. Cars and motorcycles have made their entrance in everyday life. Against this backdrop a band of crooks and cowboys, led by Richard Boone, plans a heist to set them up for life. They kidnap little Jake, Big Jake's grandson, kill cow hands and an innocent cook leave and another son lying in near death. They demand a million dollar ransom for the life of the boy. Mrs. McCandle (played by Maureen O'Hara), States the only one who can deliver the money and get her grandson home safely is her estranged husband, Big Jacob McCandles. Big Jake takes the job and is accompanied by his friend Sam Sharpnose (Bruce Cabot) and his two sons, James (Patrick Wayne) and Michael (Chris Mitchum), along with a dog named.....Dog. Big pluses to Patrick Wayne and Chris Mitchum. Patrick plays Big Jake's short-tempered, fast-draw son, and IMHO it's his best role. Chris Mitchum shines as his cerebral son, much more respectful of Big Jake and a dead long-shot with a rifle. The journey to deliver the money becomes a hero's arc as it helps the father and sons mend the years Jake was away. Finally, the interaction between Richard Boone (as the head of the band) and John Wayne is epic.
This is one of those movies when I'm flipping channels that I never fail to watch. Give it a look, just to see great acting, and you'll see.
How the West Was Won (1962)
Captures America in a very personal way.
I saw this movie when I was 7 in New Orleans at a Cinerama theater. I was completely blown away; it was breathtaking.
There is so much about this movie that is good. In such a broad sweeping movie, its success is in telling a very personal story, the family of the Prescotts, from the 1840s to 1889, when the West is won by the law.
What makes this so well made is that it is honest. There no hiding the bad, whether the Civil War or the denigration of the Native Americans. Still the story of the Prescotts, from Zebulon and Rebecca Prescott, to Eve and Lilith to their sons and grandsons and grandchildren. James Stewart comes along as the restless Linus Rawlings, who falls in love with Eve and they have two sons.
The movie follows from the Erie Canal to Arizona, ending when the law finally conquers the villains. Along the way the march across the country is painted in broad, powerful strokes. Aided along is the brilliant score written by Alfred Newman. It aides in the feeling of a wispy longing of a life that is dynamic and short.
It still holds, 55 years later.
The Outsiders (1983)
Forget the reviews. Watch the movie.
Forget the reviews. Watch the movie. This movie grows and grows and grows and now has a place as a classic. Not only is it a great cast that will never be assembled, but it is a great combination of male angst and 80s acting and directing. It is not a story of good versus evil but is the story of people in social stratification that are both desperately trying to break out. There are scenes in here that perfectly detail male bonding and brotherhood that deserve a good look. Do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon.