(Art: Benoît van Innis)
Saturday, March 6, 2021
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
Orphaned at 9, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But, child stardom comes at a price.
Top-notch TV production convinces with great period detail and managing to create a compelling story on an unusual topic (chess), but it's mainly Anya Taylor-Joy's compelling performance that made this TV mini-series so successful.
Stridulum (1979)
The soul of a young girl with telekinetic powers becomes the prize in a fight between forces of God and the Devil.
After an interesting Jodorowsky-like opening sequence this star-studded horror flick descends into a wildly incohesive Omen wannabee; some weird sequences do make it watchable, though.
Halliwell (no star): "Fussy direction, minimal acting and a plot that makes little sense combine to create an incoherent movie."
Maltin**: "...this passable time-killer wastes a good cast in yet another OMEN rip-off; too bad Huston or Peckinpah couldn't have directed as well."
Friday, March 5, 2021
Opera (1987)
A young opperata is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.
A typical Dario Argento gem that presents all the usual ingredients: wonderfully and imaginatively stylish, gory, a rather illogical plot and an off-kilter soundtrack.
Thursday, March 4, 2021
New York
Coming into NY harbour in 1927 on the French Ocean liner SS Ile de France, a woman passenger stands on the ship's deck which is covered with ice after a severe cold spell.
First Lines: William Gibson - The Peripheral
They didn't think Flynne's brother had PTSD, but that sometimes the haptics glitched him.
House of Seven Belles (1979)
The seven sisters of the outcast LeFleur family try to survive in a post-Civil War Deep South.
Loud, brassy and amateurish period melodrama with some drastic horror elements; imagine Ed Wood doing a variation on The Beguiled.
Trailer:
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving, and with Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock, he attempts to throw together a Thanksgiving dinner.
Nicely assembled Peanuts holiday special short movie celebrates Thanksgiving in a mildly amusing manner.
Monday, March 1, 2021
The Movies I Watched in February
491 1964 6
Le Cas du Docteur Laurent 1957 6
The Creation of the Humanoids 1962 6
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel 2021 7
Cropsey 2009 6
Hector and the Search For Happiness 2014 6
Images 1972 6
In the Middle of the River 2018 6
Jennifer's Body 2009 6
Judy 2019 6
Killers From Space 1954 3
Made in Dagenham 2010 6
News of the World 2020 6
Oasis: Supersonic 2016 6
Phantom From Space 1953 2
Possessor 2020 7
Pretend It's a City 2021 8
Public Speaking 2010 8
The Sea of Trees 2015 6
Welcome to Marwen 2018 6
Wiener-Dog 2016 7
Wind River 2017 6
Wisconsin Death Trip 1999 6
Sunday, February 28, 2021
Operation Petticoat (1959)
During World War II, a commander finds himself stuck with a decrepit (and pink) submarine, a con man executive officer, and a group of army nurses.
Mildly amusing military comedy somehow easily smooths its
way around having a coherent story, but prefers on presenting some
singularly entertaining moments.
Halliwell*: "Flabby comedy with good moments, but not many."
Maltin***1/2: "Hilarious comedy...Some truly memorable gags; Grant and Curtis are a dynamite team in this happy film."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
