Cass Gilbert’s Rodin Studios on West 57th Street, New York City
Saturday, August 25, 2018
First Lines: Gary Paulsen - Hatchet
Brian Robeson stared out the window of the small plane at the endless green northern wilderness below.
Halloween (1978)
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield to kill again.
Low-budget film is in its simplicity and straightforward direction a near-perfect slasher film, heavy on a dooming atmosphere and, in comparison with similar films, actually low on graphic violence and body count.
Halliwell*: "Single-minded shocker with virtually no plot, just a succession of bloody attacks in semi-darkness. Very well done if you like that kind of thing, though the final suggestion of the supernatural is rather baffling."
Maltin***: "Well-made, with lots of scares, plus in-joke references for film buffs."
Friday, August 24, 2018
Stranger Things, Season 2 (2017)
It's 1984 and the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana are still reeling from the horrors of the demagorgon and the secrets of Hawkins Lab. Will Byers has been rescued from the Upside Down but a bigger, sinister entity still threatens those who survived.
This season holds our interest mainly with its strong cast of characters with the addition of new ones, especially Max and Kali, but the plot and "New" mystery is mainly a rehash from season 1.
Un Flic (1972)
After a shaky first heist, a group of thieves plan an even more elaborate- and more risky- second heist.
A crime drama with style, good performances and some good direction, but slow in pace and not quite suspenseful.
Halliwell (no star): "Glum investigation of betrayal in which atmosphere is all, but not enough to sustain interest."
Maltin**1/2: "Pedestrian melodrama...Delon and Crenna are muscular, Deneuve and the scenery gorgeous."
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
La Grande séduction (2003)
A much-needed boost, in the form of a new factory, is promised to the residents of the tiny fishing village St. Marie-La-Mauderne, provided they can lure a doctor to take up full-time residency on the island, so the villagers devise a scheme to make Dr. Christopher Lewis a local.
Mildly entertaining feelgood comedy is nicely made with a colorful cast of characters, but emanates the impression one has seen this all once before.
Maltin**1/2: "Start with LOCAL HERO, throw in a little THE FULLY MONTY, mix with WAKING NED DEVINE and you have the recipe for this harmless comic tale...Filled with the usual assortment of oddballs in this type of film; the setting...is gorgeous."
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
James Dean (2001)
A biopic about the actor James Dean, whose stardom of the ultimate teenage rebel as well as the premature death made him a legend.
James Franco is excellent in the title role, but otherwise a stifled and cursory account of the actor's life.
Monday, August 20, 2018
The Sweeney (2012)
A hardened detective in the Flying Squad of London's Metropolitan police.
Like the TV series it is based on, a tough and politically shady crime thriller; all around professionally made, but targeted to fans of the genre.
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