Saturday, July 25, 2020
Friday, July 24, 2020
Escape Plan (2013)
When a structural-security authority finds himself set up and incarcerated in the world's most secret and secure prison, he has to use his skills to escape with help from the inside.
Mainly efficient, but unambitious sci-fi actioner is watchable for its nice pairing of Stallone and Schwarzenegger.
Maltin**1/2: "Better-than-expected prison drama...Blessedly old-fashioned vehicle for Stallone allows him to be tough as nails...Totally ludicrous but entertaining on its own terms. It's fun to watch Sly and Arnold together."
First Lines: Mick Herron - Slow Horses
Let us be clear about this much at lest: Slough House is not in Slough; nor is it a house.
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Hitchcock (2012)
Filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and wife Alma have a little marriage crisis during the filming of Psycho in 1959.
Although
it has a more serious topic at its core this movie manages it be a
lighthearted and loving homage to the master and presents some
enjoyably stellar performances from its cast.
On rewatching: Light-weighted, but quite entertaining depiction of the making of Psycho.
On rewatching: Light-weighted, but quite entertaining depiction of the making of Psycho.
Maltin***: "As an account of the making of PSYCHO this is evocative and
fun to watch. As an exploration of what made Hitchcock tick it must be
taken as pure entertainment and not literal truth."
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Burnt (2015)
A chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.
Bradley Cooper does his best to portray a disagreeable narcissistic man-child, but the makers' celebration of unnecessary competitiveness and their misunderstanding of the culinary art doesn't help much; the impressive cast serves as mere extras to the one-man show.
Monday, July 20, 2020
I Bury the Living (1958)
A cemetery director discovers that by arbitrarily changing the status of plots from empty to occupied on the planogram causes the death of the plots' owners.
Good, above-average horror tale with an imaginative plot and a simple, but surprising twist ending.
Halliwell (no star): "Unusual enough to be encouraging, sloppy enough to disappoint even mystery lovers."
Maltin***: "Crisp little chiller..."
Sunday, July 19, 2020
The Bad Sister (1931)
Marianne falls in love with a con artist who has a hidden agenda.
Contrived and wooden melodrama with a remarkable cast, and no, Bette Davis doesn't play the title role.
Halliwell (no star): "A teenager potboiler of its day, remarkable only for its cast."
Maltin**: "...stilted early-talkie melodrama. Davis, in her film debut, is wasted..."
New York
Irving Browning. Eye-level view of Times Square on a rainy night, looking north on Broadway, New York. 1930s
