A day in the life, Aug 16, 2021, mannequin
Saturday, November 13, 2021
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.
Friday, November 12, 2021
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Batoru rowaiaru (2000)
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Intense, violent and thrilling sci-fi satire
never lets go of its fast-moving narrative full of twists, but also
manages to transport a political, pacifist message.
Halliwell**: "Bracing, violent, blackly humorous satire on the bleaker aspects of modern society that manages to be more than merely an excuse for a killing spree."
Maltin***: "Unexpectedly convincing and involving, this tense, energetic, and very serious movie...Though violent, it is clearly opposed to violence and to war."
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
S.O.S. Iceberg (1933)
An Arctic expedition searches for a party of adventurers that went missing a year ago.
Semi-documentary
adventure drama has a fairly conventional narrative, but is spectacular
in its dramatic scenes of Arctic dangers, all photographed on location.
Halliwell*: "At the time this was a spectacular semi-documentary, but it did no business."
Maltin***: "Vivid drama with many hair-raising scenes, shot on locations...filled with striking images...American version...is substantially different. It opens with entirely different exposition and features much more dialogue, until the climax."
The Rocket Man (1954)
An orphan zaps his town with a spaceman's ray gun that makes people tell the truth.
Mildly amusing, well-intentioned sci-fi comedy is aimed for a young audience, but also has a political message for adults.
Halliwell (no star): "Elementary fantasy with amusing moments."
Maltin**: "Campy fantasy..."
