Saturday, January 5, 2013
Blood Alley (1955)
A merchant marine captain, rescued from the Chinese Communists by local visitors, is "shanghaied" into transporting the whole village to Hong Kong on an ancient paddle steamer.
Fairly entertaining adventure, if you are able to ignore the blatant anti-Communist propaganda.
Halliwell (no stars): "Rudimentary anti-Red heroics with expensive spectacle punctuating a tacky script."
Maltin **1/2: "Enjoyable escapism..."
On the Beach (1959)
The residents of Australia after a global nuclear war must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months.
Overlong and talkative waste of accumulated talent; you wouldn't notive it's the end of the world, if they weren't constantly talking about it.
Halliwell **: "Gloomy prophecy which works well in spasms but is generally too content to chat rather than imagine. A solid prestige job nevertheless."
Maltin ****: "Good performances by all, including Astaire in his first dramatic role."
Friday, January 4, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Brooklyn's Finest (2009)
Three unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location after enduring vastly different career paths.
Ambitious and downbeat, but confusingly plotted cop thriller with 3 great central performances.
Maltin ***: "Impressively gritty, sometimes shockingly violent urban drama...Covers familiar ground, but strong performances (especially from Gere and Cheadle) and punchy direction breathe fresh life into cliches and conventions."
The Movies I Watched in December
10,000 BC 2008 5
A Lovely Way to Die 1968 5
American Splendor 2003 8
Black Christmas 2006 5
Don Camillo e l'on. Peppone 1955 6
Don Camillo monsignore ma non troppo 1961 6
Eat Pray Love 2010 4
Futuresport 1998 TV 5
Havana 1990 5
Laurel Canyon 2002 5
Life of Pi 2012 7
Machete 2010 6
Mon père, ce héros. 1991 6
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium 2007 6
Mutiny on the Bounty 1935 8
New in Town 2009 5
Silent Warnings 2003 4
Thick as Thieves 2009 5
The Dark Corner 1946 6
The Last Legion 2007 5
The Lion King 1994 7
The Little World of Don Camillo 1952 7
The Matador 2005 5
The Return of Don Camillo 1953 6
Timber Falls 2007 5
Wall Street 1987 6
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps 2010 5
Whiteout 2009 5
A Lovely Way to Die 1968 5
American Splendor 2003 8
Black Christmas 2006 5
Don Camillo e l'on. Peppone 1955 6
Don Camillo monsignore ma non troppo 1961 6
Eat Pray Love 2010 4
Futuresport 1998 TV 5
Havana 1990 5
Laurel Canyon 2002 5
Life of Pi 2012 7
Machete 2010 6
Mon père, ce héros. 1991 6
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium 2007 6
Mutiny on the Bounty 1935 8
New in Town 2009 5
Silent Warnings 2003 4
Thick as Thieves 2009 5
The Dark Corner 1946 6
The Last Legion 2007 5
The Lion King 1994 7
The Little World of Don Camillo 1952 7
The Matador 2005 5
The Return of Don Camillo 1953 6
Timber Falls 2007 5
Wall Street 1987 6
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps 2010 5
Whiteout 2009 5
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Whiteout (2009)
A U.S. Marshal tracks a killer in Antarctica, as the sun is about to set for six months.
Mediocre crime mystery in an unusual setting, but with an uninteresting plot and a disappointing ending.
Maltin **: "Good-looking but paper-thin thriller...Even though her character is constantly in danger, Beckinsale is always perfectly coiffed; early on, she even peels off her clothes and takes a steamy shower. Only in the movies..."
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