Saturday, March 18, 2017
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
A young woman who has raised a giant gorilla from an infant brings him
to Hollywood years later seeking her fortune in order to save her
family's ranch.
Charming rip-off of King Kong
clearly aimed at a younger audience (despite a lot of violent mayhem
there seem to be no fatalities) with the same great special effects and a
fast-paced, lively plot with a happy ending.
Halliwell*: "Rather tired comic-sentimental follow-up to King Kong, with a tedious plot and variable animation but a few endearing highlights."
Satan in Art and Images
The first Madam Satan was a woman named Tyra, who was engaged to a man whose parents did not approve of the impending marriage. When she found out about their disapproval she murdered them. However, as they were dying they were able to tell their son that his fiancee was the murderer.
The son executed his revenge killing Tyra who ended up in hell working under Satan. Her job was to seduce men into giving their souls to Satan. This worked pretty well since her powers included hypnotic control over all men as well as the ability to kill men with a single kiss. (Wikipedia)
Friday, March 17, 2017
First Lines: Graham Greene - Journey Without Maps
The tall black door in the narrow city street remained closed.
Robots (2005)
In a robot world, a young idealistic inventor travels to the big city to join his inspiration's company, only to find himself opposing its sinister new management.
Set in a quite imaginative future this is fun to watch, if sometimes a bit too fast-paced.
On renewed viewing: I still agree with my first assessment.
Maltin**1/2: "Inventive CG-animated film has dazzling production design...; the script is less magical, with an alarming number of derriere jokes, but still entertaining, with a lively voice cast, including various celebrity cameos."
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
The Factory (2012)
An obsessed cop is on the trail of a serial killer prowling the streets of Buffalo, N.Y. but when his teenage daughter disappears, he drops any professional restraint to get the killer.
Cliche-ridden crime thriller with an unsatisfying twist ending; John Cusack's over-the-top performance as the obsessed cop doesn't help, either.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter with two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack.
Although the plot is not quiteinventive, the movie does make the best to turn this closed room drama into a psychological thriller; the cast helps, and John Goodman is a treat.
Trumbo (2015)
In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs.
Good depiction of the effects of McCarthy's Hollywood blacklistimg concentrates on Dalton Trumbo's life, but gives enough details of the times; period detail and cast are excellent.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
