As the Milvains sat down to breakfast the clock of Wattleborough parish church struck eight; it was two miles away, but the strokes were borne very distinctly on the west wind this autumn morning.
Saturday, July 31, 2021
First Lines: George Gissing - New Grub Street
Friday, July 30, 2021
Galaxina (1980)
When an interstellar police cruiser is sent to recover a precious blue crystal in the 31st century, crew member and android Galaxina is left alone as the others are put into suspended animation as part of the mission.
Although
this sci-fi film tries to be a genre parody, it is thoroughly
ridiculous and pretty bad in all departments; and it's not funny at all.
Maltin*1/2: "Cheap STAR WARS/STAR TREK spoof reeks of low production values, boring scenario, and non-acting. Definitely not a vehicle for the late Ms. Stratten, though the film is of interest for her appearance as a robot."
Thursday, July 29, 2021
The Wedding Party (1969)
Buddies try to talk a bridegroom out of it, after meeting the bride's stuffy parents.
Chatty, wildly meandering satire has its moments, but only occasionally shows much wit, and generally outstays its welcome.
Maltin*1/2: "Talky, corny, boring comic oddity...Self-consciously directed..."
The Dead Don't Die (2019)
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The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.
Zombie (and doomsday) comedy is meant as a satire to present-day U.S.A., which works only intermittently, but it entertains with a lot of wit, Murray's and Driver's deadpan and a lot of amusing cameos.
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Years following the events of The Shining (1980), a now-adult Dan Torrance must protect a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.
Homage and expansion of the story told in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is very well-made staged and entertaining, but - in contrast to the original - it goes more with Stephen King's concept and is a no-holds-barred supernatural outing.
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
First Lines: E.M. Forster - A Passage To India
Except for the Caves - and they are twenty miles off - the city of Chandrapore presents nothing extraordinary.
Monday, July 26, 2021
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Crimson Peak (2015)
In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between
love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious
outsider.
Sumptuously staged ghost story with a plot and atmosphere reminiscent of
Rebecca with an accurate cast; watchable as a homage to the genre which
offers nothing new.
On re-watching: A treat mainly for its great Goth visuals - plus its cast.
Supergirl (1984)
After losing a powerful orb, Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, comes to Earth to retrieve it and instead finds herself up against a wicked witch.
Of course, it's a silly comic strip adaptation, but made
with lots of wit and irony, exciting sequences, and Dunaway has a field
day as the bad bad witch.
Halliwell*: "Playful comic strip spectacular which entertains in Wizard of Oz style for most of its way but was savaged by the critics."
Maltin*1/2: "This comic-book movie is a super-drag: long, dull, heavy-handed. Slater is cute but bland in title role; Dunaway is a predictably campy villainess."
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