Saturday, November 23, 2019
Evasive Action (1998)
A group of violent criminals attempts an escape while being transported on a train to a high-security prison.
Fair to middling action thriller with an overloaded plot with possibilities it doesn't make much use of.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Hombre (1967)
John Russell, disdained by his "respectable" fellow stagecoach passengers because he was raised by Native Americans, becomes their only hope for survival when they are set upon by outlaws.
Excellent Revisionist Western carries a strong anti-racist message and exposes moral hypocrisy; Paul Newman, although dubiously portraying a "half-breed", is as cool as ever.
Halliwell**: "Slow but suspenseful Western melodrama which works up to a couple of good climaxes but falls away in an unnecessary tragic ending."
Maltin***: "Interesting Western......well acted, entertaining."
Cake (2014)
Claire becomes fascinated by the suicide of a woman in her chronic pain support group while grappling with her own, very raw personal tragedy.
Quirky personal drama doesn't really show much depth, but Jennifer Aniston's excellent performance makes it watchable.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Monday, November 18, 2019
Ad Astra (2019)
An astronaut undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.
Brad Pitt is magnificent as the calm, withdrawn astronaut in this visually striking sci-fi adventure, but the Daddy angle and its finale sure drags the whole experience down.
The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950)
A young man is wrongly convicted and sentenced to be executed. Reporters covering the execution relate the story, each from his own perspective.
Ambitious noir B movie is interesting, but muddled by stiff performances and annoying religious overtones.
