Saturday, May 16, 2015
Gambit (1966)
An English cat burglar needs a Eurasian dancer's help to pull off the perfect heist, but even the most foolproof schemes have a way of backfiring.
Likable, but not too exciting heist comedy; as so often, Shirley MacLaine makes it worth the while.
Halliwell**: "An enjoyable light pattern of cross and double cross is well sustained to the end."
Maltin***: "Gimmicky robbery yarn...great fun."
Thursday, May 14, 2015
First Lines: Josephine Tey - The Daughter of Time
Grant lay on his high white cot and stared at the ceiling
Schattenwelt (2008)
After two decades in prison Widmer, a former German RAF-terrorist, is released and meets a young woman who tries to get her life back on track after she lost child custody for her little son.
Although it has atmosphere and is well-played, the movies is too ambitious in trying to cover all aspects of the story.
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The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
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Fascinated by a beautiful woman, a seaman joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mired in a complex murder plot.
Brilliant Noir fantasy with excellent Expressionist photography and a tongue-in cheek twisted plot.
Halliwell**: "Absurd, unintelligible, plainly much cut and rearranged, this thriller was obviously left too much in Welles's hands and then just as unfairly taken out of them; but whole sequences of sheer brilliance remain, notably the final shoot-out in the hall of mirrors."
Maltin***: "The camera's the star of this offbeat thriller, with the cast incidental in murder mystery...The famous hall of mirrors climax is riveting."
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
First Lines: Greg Bear - The Forge of God
Arthur Gordon stood in the darkness by the bank of the Rogue River, having walked a dozen yards away from his house and family and guests, momentarily weary of company.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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Flying Tigers (1942)
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A captain's command of the famed American mercenary fighter group in China is complicated by the recruitment of an old friend who is a reckless hotshot.
War actioner that does entertain with less patriotic overtones than usual, but with the usual redemption through heroism message.
Halliwell (no star): "More mock heroics with noisy but unconvincing action sequences."
Maltin**1/2: "Good war film...Exciting dog-fight scenes."
Monday, May 11, 2015
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