Roger's Watchlist - Movies by the day
A chronological agenda of my movie experiences.
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- DirectorAndrew DavisStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerJohn LeguizamoFrancesca NeriAfter his family is killed by a terrorist act, a firefighter goes in search of the one responsible.June 4 2024
Some interesting facts about this Schwarzenegger movie which was one of the last releases with Arnold before he took on the Governor of California job. It was a commercial flop which was not really a surprise because only a few months after 9/11 not many people wanted to see a movie with terror attacks at the forefront. The ill-timed release should however not deter action movie fans. Collateral Damage is a well told story about a vigilante grieving father and husband who goes on the solitary chase for a Colombian terrorist responsible for the bomb attack that killed wife and son. What is remarkable though is that Schwarzenegger’s character does not use a gun throughout the whole movie. He is a fireman with a past within a bomb squad, so he uses other methods to terminate the baddies. Another curiosity is the cast: Next to Arnold (Austria), Cliff Curtis (New Zealand) plays the villain, Francesca Neri (Italy) has the female lead with Elias Koteas (Canada) and John Leguizamo (Colombia) taking on supporting parts. The only American here is John Turturro, playing a Canadian. Collateral Damage is most assuredly not Schwarzenegger’s best movie but director Andrew Davis, who also directed The Fugitive, has put together a skillful movie showing big Arnold in relentless action mode that just has makes you cheer for him when he decimates the bad guys singlehandedly.
Story : 7,24
Cast : 7,03
Entertainment : 6,62
Note: 6,96 - DirectorBrian KlugmanLee SternthalStarsBradley CooperDennis QuaidOlivia WildeA writer at the peak of his literary success discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man's work.June 3 2024
Seeing Bradley Cooper for what he is today, one of the leading Hollywood actors and directors who managed to work his way up the echelons, from graduating the Actors Studio Drama School, through diverse TV appearances, minor roles in movies until a career breakthrough in a movie called The Hangover and international recognition as a director in A Star is Born, then you’d certainly understand that he would certainly not forget friends and fellow students embarking on a similar path. That is what happened in 1999, when two friends Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal gave him their screenplay to read. Cooper was so impressed that he came back to them when he was established as a movie star, offering to executive produce and star in their movie called The Words. Effectively, Cooper is what drew me to this feature. Made in 2012 when he had already starred in two Hangovers, I was intrigued why he would choose to go to such a different subject. Then it was my turn to be surprised. Contrary to the box office results and critical reviews I found The Words to be really captivating. Now the story of a guy who finds an old manuscript and sells it as a book of his own might be appalling to start with. But this story is multilayered, telling the different aspects that form this highly interesting movie using a carefully selected cast which manages to make this a very eventful watch. Jeremy Irons is perfect as the old man, the same goes for Dennis Quaid as (Spoiler Alert: most probably the older version of Cooper’s character), Zoe Saldana stars as Cooper’s Wife and Olivia Wilde appears as a curious student who manages to see through Quaid’s motives. I was quite enthralled with this movie and as it happens I am most happy to be enthralled by movies which I expected to be on the more conventional side.
Story : 8,01
Cast : 8,24
Entertainment : 7,77
Note : 8,01 - DirectorGarry MarshallStarsJulia RobertsJamie FoxxAnne HathawayIntertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles break-up and make-up based on the pressures and expectations of Valentine's Day.June 2 2024
With Valentine’s Day, director Gerry Marshall started what would become his final trilogy of movies which celebrated particular days in the year by telling different stories and involving an ensemble cast made up by a whole range of movie celebrities. New Years’ Eve and Mother’s Day would follow, and as it was custom for Marshall, he worked with actors he had been working with before like Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway and of course Hector Elizondo. Valentine’s Day is of course a romantic comedy build up around one of the most hyped-up days of the year, telling a series of cute episodes that somehow intertwine towards the end of the movie. When released, the multi-star movie was compared to the British movie Love Actually and this is basically correct. Some of the vignettes here are indeed quite funny and romantic (Anne Hathaway and Topher Grace), while others are quite the opposite, especially the episode with Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine is just plain awkward. I caught myself laughing hardest with one outtake featuring Julia Roberts which appeared during the end titles and this just translates my general feeling of the movie : Brilliant cast, very average story.
Story : 5,66
Cast : 7,26
Entertainment : 6,09
Note : 6,34 - DirectorDamián SzifronStarsShailene WoodleyBen MendelsohnJovan AdepoBaltimore. New Year's Eve. A talented but troubled police officer (Shailene Woodley) is recruited by the FBI's chief investigator (Ben Mendelsohn) to help profile and track down a disturbed individual terrorizing the city.June 1 1024
The international title for Misanthrope is ‘To Catch a Killer’, a more appealing name for audiences to get attracted to this thriller. Lead Actress Shailene Woodley also took over the function of producer, but unfortunately the movie got only limited releases and couldn’t recuperate its budget through theater intakes. Woodley appears as Eleonor Falco, a Baltimore street cop getting involved in a series of sniper assassinations on New Year’s Eve. Her fierceness and astuteness catch the attention of leading FBI investigator Lammark played by Ben Mendelsohn who takes her under his wing. Alongside the main plot which of course is the frenetic search for the sniper, the relationship between Woodley and Mendelsohn is at the forefront of the story, especially when it is revealed that Woodley’s character had a quite troubled past which barred her from joining the FBI. Furthermore it is insinuated through the story that the agenda of the politicians apparently in charge is clearly misguided, has discriminatory connotations and is mostly used to pressure the people tasked to find the culprit. One could understand this as a clear criticism to give power to those who either do not earn it or who use it only to their own advantage. Misanthrope is a well told story, it is not only a straight crime thriller but it touches clearly on different social hot themes that engulf today’s society.
Story : 8,31
Cast : 7,42
Entertainment : 8,09
Note : 7,94 - DirectorGary WinickStarsJennifer GarnerMark RuffaloJudy GreerUnpopular schoolgirl Jenna Rink makes an unusual wish on her birthday. Miraculously, her wish comes true and the 13-year-old Jenna wakes up the next day as a 30-year-old woman.May 31 2024
I was looking for a similar movie to 13 going on 30, and of course Big with Tom Hanks was the first movie I thought about. Then I realized that despite the main premise, a teenager transforming into his older self, the stories didn’t really match up as it seems that the writers of 13 Going on 30 integrated a jump forward in time from 1987 to 2004 into their plot while the young boy in Big morphed into Tom Hanks within the same time zone. I do wish however that the whole ideas surrounding Jennifer Garner’s adult life should have been a little more spirited than what we got served here. Granted, Garner does go back into the mindset of a 13 year old with ease using her talent as an actress to provide us with really great scenes. Her reaction to Eminem’s phone call is just priceless. Then again, setting the adult Jenna Rink up as the numb, mindless, unsympathetic b…itch is a real faux pas since the viewer is more interested to see how she will get together with Mark Ruffalo than her redemption into a good hearted person or her professional war with Judy Greer. What I can take with me after seeing 13 Going on 30 is that it is a quite funny comedy that would have been so much better if they had cared more about the romance instead of highlighting a corporate war. By the way, Andy Serkis appears here as the clueless boss of Garner and Greer. He should have stayed with motion capture acting as this was his first part after playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Story : 6,59
Cast : 6,93
Entertainment : 6,59
Note : 6,70 - StarsSteve MartinJerry SeinfeldLorne MichaelsFollows the life and career of actor Steve Martin.May 30 2024
I was clearly not intending to include documentaries into my inventory that has been started about 12 years ago. Today, I made an exception. Apple TV has published a two-part documentary about Steve Martin. Of course the actor Steve Martin is certainly known through his hit movies starting in the early 1980’s up to his hit TV show Only Murders in the Building. Therefore the second part of the documentary highlighting the life of the older citizen Steve Martin from his movies, to his passion for art, his late fatherhood and his successful stage shows with Martin Short, is maybe not as revealing to the public as the stunning and mesmerizing first part. Basically Steve Martin’s first part of his life ended in 1980 when he was 35. He had decided to quit touring. For the previous 5 years he had been the foremost stand-up comedian in the US, able to fill sports arenas with his one man show. The guy was a megastar and part one of this documentary illustrates the very thorny path he had to take in order to achieve such superstardom. If you are a Steve Martin movie fan this is required viewing for you, if you are not a fan, rest assured after watching Steve! you will have become one.
Subject : 9,24
Historical value : 8,43
Entertainment : 8,22
Note : 8,63 - DirectorDon ChaffeyStarsDon MurrayCaritaDonald HoustonSaline inherits the kingdom of England on the eve of the signing of the treaty sharing power with the Roman Empire. However, revolt was brewing, threatening the fragile peace.May 29 2024
You think about Hammer, gothic horror movies come to mind, Dracula is the symbol, Frankenstein was revived, in short Hammer was synonym for a period in cinema history in which the horror genre had enormous success in Europe fueled by this rather small production company who was enormously successful from the mid 50’s to the beginning of the 70’s. Here we have a true exception to Hammer’s rule. The Viking Queen actually is an adventure movie set in Roman Britain around the times of emperor Nero. Confusion arose because of the title, because there is no Viking around, the time frame is completely off and the geographical zone does not correspond either. Here the word ‘Viking’ seems to point to another meaning as being the term for a plunderer, thief or raider and there are many of those in the plot. In this single foray into ancient world history, Hammer tells the story how a British tribe queen will ultimately go to war with the Roman occupant. The path to this tragic finale is a rather uninteresting sequence of dramatic events that will bore the viewer to death. Among the cast led by a Finnish actress called Carita who basically just acted in this single movie, I recognized Patrick Throughton. This actor would get news while shooting his scenes for Viking Queen that he had been hired by the BBC to play the Second Doctor in Doctor Who. Viking Queen remains a real oddity in the Hammer canon. It might be interesting to watch once but then it will be soon forgotten.
Story : 4,47
Cast : 5,08
Entertainment : 4,69
Note : 4,75 - DirectorElio PetriStarsGian Maria VolontèIrene PapasGabriele FerzettiA leftist professor wants the truth about two men killed during a hunting party; but the mafia, the Church and corrupt politicians don't want him to learn it.May 28 2024
I had hoped for another Italian ‘giallo’ but unfortunately A ciascuno il suo came out in 1967, when the film industry around Cinecitta was still concentrating on Westerns or peplums. So I was a little bit confused when the movie did not deliver what I was expecting. This was a crime story set in Sicily starring Gian Maria Volonté, whom I also know mostly from Italo-Westerns, as a professor making his own investigation into the double murder of a pharmacist and a doctor. In their Sicilian village, the pharmacist was a known philanderer and as the recipient of anonymous death threats it was soon established that jealous husband or enraged families of the women he seduced were the most likely suspects. However the professor does not believe this simple solution and his own investigation tells him that the prime target was indeed the doctor and that a political conspiracy was the reason for the crime. So far so good. However, the whole proceedings undertaken by Volontés character are very tiresome, there is no real motive for this guy to take matters in his own hands and even the involvement of Irene Papas as the doctor’s widow leads basically to nothing but a very muddled conclusion of this story that has been disappointing from beginning to end. A supporting part here is played by Gabriele Ferzetti, a character actor who would just a year later get a far more important gig. He appeared as Diana Rigg’s father in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Story : 4,47
Cast : 6,02
Entertainment : 4,28
Note : 4,92 - DirectorEric LartigauÉric LartigauStarsAlain ChabatBae DoonaBlanche GardinStéphane lives a quiet life as an eminent French Chef but when he decides to visit Soo, a mysterious Korean lady he fell in love with on Instagram, he'll embark on an adventurous journey full of discoveries.May 27 2024
Whoever might expect a romantic comedy here, just don’t get up your hopes. Even though the trailer, the poster and the synopsis published online or in magazines are clearly misleading, it might however be worth your while to sit down and watch this. It starts as a prelude to romance. Alain Chabat plays a recently divorced restaurant chef who has a friendly online relation with a Korean woman and he feels that the attraction is mutual. On a whim he flies to Seoul, South Korea, and here all the romance and the misdirections the first part of this story seem to give just disappear. What follows next is an unexpected turn of events which just blew me away. This movie morphs into a wonderful character study of this guy, who spends days at the Korean airport in the false hope that his online friend might pick him up. When he finally ventures out, he is a changed man, and his further days in the Korean capital provide him with a new regard on live, having reconnected with his two adult sons and having finally accepted that online encounters might not be what they seem to be. Chabat is perfect as this chef, who in the beginning seems to live his life not with his family but only next to it, being oblivious to what happens around him. It is a movie that makes you think that also as a mid-aged human being it is possible to give your life a new direction and that is why i did indeed like this little gem.
Story : 7,71
Cast : 6,63
Entertainment : 6,97
Note : 7,10 - DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsWarren BeattyAnnette BeningHarvey KeitelThe story of how Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel started Las Vegas.May 26 2024
Is a biopic with many inaccuracies about the subject’s life still a biopic? Bugsy is a 1991 movie directed by Barry Levinson, Academy Award winner for Rain Man, starring Warren Beatty in the titular role and Annette Bening in the female lead as Siegel’s partner. Sir Ben Kingsley, Harvey Keitel, Bebe Neuwirth, Joe Montegna and Elliott Gould complete a great cast for a movie which was certainly a grand endeavor, which was nominated for 10 Oscars, winning only 2 minor ones. The final years of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, the gangster who apparently ‘invented’ the Las Vegas Strip, leading up from his arrival in Los Angeles to his murder by his own Mafia mob in 1947 was thought to be a monumental biopic crime drama about Siegel, the man, his tumultuous relationship with Virginia Hill and his dream to build a legitimate business, a casino/hotel in the Nevada desert. However, in order to accommodate the backstory of this man into a 2 hour movie, the writers accepted inadequacies galore mixing up events, changing the timeline and suggesting wrongly that Siegel invented the Strip with the construction of Flamingo. The biggest error was the setting of Siegel’s murder on the same day the Flamingo was opened, Christmas 1946, as Siegel was assassinated only months later. Still, Bugsy gives insight into the 1940’s, a great look into history and unites two actors with great chemistry, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. They both thought so as well and have been married for over 30 years.
Story : 6,52
Cast : 8,24
Entertainment : 7,00
Note : 7,25 - DirectorMark WatersStarsBrooke ShieldsMiranda CosgroveBenjamin BrattLana's daughter Emma returns from London and announces that she's getting married next month. Things become more complicated when Lana learns that the man who stole Emma's heart is the son of the man who broke hers years ago.May 25 2024
It has been a tradition recently that all the movies produced and released by Netflix have been critically lambasted. Many reviews mentioned the fact that most scripts and projects green lighted by the internet giant would never even be approved by major studios. From my point of view not every movie deserves such harsh treatment, but Mother of the Bride is definitely one of those that shouldn’t have made the way from script to film. I am a fan of romcom, but here I was almost slayed with an absolutely insane numbers of clichés which could have been used in just about every other romantic comedy. Add to this a quite inadequate cast. Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt might fit the bill in a way but the whole supporting cast led by singer Miranda Cosgrove is badly chosen. The story might have a fun aspect when the mother of the bride realizes that the father of the groom is actually her ex. But the setting in Thailand basically translates the fact that Netflix has too much money to spend, this story would be better if it was told in a more urban environment. I have seen so many romcoms, but this one just couldn’t tickle my senses.
Story : 6,29
Cast : 5,77
Entertainment : 4,01
Note : 5,36 - DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsKurt RussellJason Scott LeeJason IsaacsA soldier trained from birth is deemed obsolete and dumped on a waste planet where he is reluctantly taken in by a community of defenseless, stranded wayfarers.May 25 2024
Before Paul W.S Anderson came onto action movie aficionados radar with the Resident Evil franchise, he had already directed three movies that did not really perform at the box office but that have reached a certain cult status today: Event Horizon, Mortal Kombat and Soldier. Soldier is a sci-fi action movie that stars Kurt Russell as an aging war combatant who is declared obsolete, apparently killed and dumped on a barren wasteland planet. The genetically created soldiers that are supposed to replace him do however choose just this planet for their war games, not knowing that Kurt has survived and is now protecting the small colony of inhabitants. It must assuredly be Kurt Russell’s favorite role because he speaks barely more than 10 sentences throughout the story which just gathers steam in the last 45 minutes. Then of course the action is first rate and nonstop. Unfortunately these 45 minutes do not compensate for a first half that seems moving too slow and nourishes too many clichés. Co-starring Russell, Gary Busey and Connie Nielsen are joined by a deliciously evil main villain, played by Jason Isaacs. Soldier seems to have had a very good premise but it was maybe not a good idea to show off Russell’s character as just another bloodthirsty killer showing no real feelings until the very end. It maybe fit the history of the persona but it did not differentiate him from the other soldiers.
Story : 6,61
Cast : 7,03
Entertainment : 6,02
Note : 6,55 - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsWilliam PowellMary AstorEugene PallettePhilo Vance, accompanied by his prize-losing Scottish terrier, investigates the locked-room murder of a prominent and much-hated collector whose broken Chinese vase provides an important clue.May 24 2024
Sometimes the most obscure, unknown little movies which were made during the 1930’s and 1940’s can be real treasure troves. Take this Philo Vance adventure made in 1933. The murder mystery here must have been in my opinion one of the very best constructed crime story ever written, rivaling without a doubt with the greatest stories invented by Agatha Christie. Then, this little gem was indeed directed by Michael Curtiz, legendary director of Casablanca and Philo Vance was played by none other than William Powell, who would just a year later star in another detective movie called The Thin Man. This was Powell’s fourth appearance as Philo Vance, unfortunately I have not yet seen the prior movies, but will endeavor to find them as soon as possible. Another movie star I recognized here was Mary Astor, best remembered from Bogart’s The Maltese Falcon. The Kennel Murder Case is a great little gem, holding its own with every detective movie of that time and is worth rewatching for sure.
Story : 9,43
Cast : 8,21
Entertainment : 8,89
Note : 8,84 - DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyVirginia GreyAn explosives manufacturer suspects a young man is out to kill him. He calls in new parents Nick and Nora to sort things out.May 23 2024
This is the third out of 6 movies of the beloved series starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Actually this was the 8th movie the two stars appeared in together, but who’s counting. This entry picks up some 18 months after the second movie ended with Nora Charles announcing her pregnancy to hubby Nick. The tipsy couple reappears in New York only to be dragged to Long Island where murder and mayhem await the intrepid duo. Even though it is already the third movie, the Thin Man adventures are still lively and full of wit, double entendres and spirited dialogues. Here, there is a slight problem with a rather complicated crime story that affords the viewer’s attention more than he’d like , instead of laughing at the situational comedy Powell and Loy excel in. The presence of a child amidst their life is not yet an issue, of course a small baby was not ideal to be integrated in a crime story. So they came up with a baby anniversary party to which many of Nick’s former convicts have brought their (?) own babies. In the end it is yet another highly entertaining entry in the series, on to the fourth.
Story : 7,11
Cast : 8,44
Entertainment : 7,74
Note : 7,76 - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAlfred AbelOlga TschechowaPaul GraetzA juror in a murder trial, after voting to convict, has second thoughts and begins to investigate on his own before the execution.May 22 2024
In the early days of sound, dubbing movies into other languages was not yet on the horizon of film studios, it was actually cheaper to shoot the same movie with foreign actors in their language at the same time the original film was shot. This happened for example with Laurel & Hardy features in which the two icons performed the foreign dialogue phonetically, with Universal’s Dracula, Charlie Chan features and various other releases including Mary. Alfred Hitchcock had spent time in Germany during the 1920’s and thought he would be able to take on the German version of his movie Murder!. Mary tells almost the same story as its English counterpart though the version which has survived until today is considerably shorter. The biggest difference however is the fluency. The german version cannot emulate the spirited dialogue of the British movie, the actors seem very wooden and Alfred Abel, though he was in Metropolis and other big productions, was simply not up to the task, unable to own a character which was so marvelously played by Herbert Marshall. What was celebrated as Hitchcock touch when he overlapped dialogues multiple times just becomes a nuisance here because the actors did not understand what Hitchcock wanted. Nevertheless, this was an interesting experience seeing a second version of an Alfred Hitchcock movie made by the master himself.
Story : 6.96
Cast : 4,35
Entertainment : 5,54
Note : 5,62 - DirectorBilly WilderStarsGinger RogersRay MillandRita JohnsonA frustrated city girl disguises herself as a youngster in order to get a cheaper train ticket home. But little "Sue Sue" finds herself in a whole heap of grown-up trouble when she hides out in a compartment with a handsome Major.May 21 2024
So much to say about this movie. After a career as screenwriter and having received acclaim for Ninotchka, the Ernst Lubitsch classic with Greta Garbo, Billy Wilder got his first directorial assignment. Paramount Pictures apparently gave him the job to film his screenplay The Major and the Minor because he fought every little change other directors wanted to apply to his script, voicing his deepest unhappiness to everyone around. Of course, since this was Billy Wilder, the movie became a phenomenal success starting a unique career culminating in all time great movies like Some Like It Hot, The Apartment or The Lost Weekend just to name a few. Now, The Major and the Minor is a quite peculiar movie. A woman, after trying to succeed professionally in New York, decides to go back to her native Iowa to marry her high school sweetheart. When she finds out that she has not enough money to pay for the train ticket, she disguises herself as a 12 year old girl to get a half price ticket. When hiding from train controllers onboard she meets a handsome Army major and complications begin in earnest. I do not know how cinema audiences accepted 30 year old Ginger Rogers as a 12 year old child, there is no way she would have passed any scrutiny. Then again, it was maybe Wilder’s clear intention to not even try to make any other attempt to disguise Rogers, the situational comedy to have the other actors accept her as what she claims to be is funny enough. Of course having Milland’s character fall for the charade until the very end doesn’t speak for the way his persona is meant to be presented. Then the question arises, how would this movie be made today? Is it still acceptable? Do we need to put warnings before the main titles? In the end I found The Major and the Minor an ideal introduction to Billy Wilder’s career, a funny comedy carrying great dialogue and spirited situations .
Story : 8,04
Cast : 7,57
Entertainment : 7,45
Note : 7,69 - DirectorJohn WooStarsJohn TravoltaNicolas CageJoan AllenTo foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.May 20 2024
It is quite amazing to know that Nicolas Cage shot Con Air and Face/Off almost back to back and it is quite befuddling that both movies premiered within a month in cinemas. I won’t certainly start to compare because both movies are action icons of the 1990’s, but I have to say again that Cage’s performances during that period were all just top notch. If you accept the premise of face swapping that is at the base of John Woo’s Face/Off then you are clearly on the winning side. The result here is an action avalanche, an almost perfect juxtaposition of ridiculous sequences culminating in a never ending staccato of high octane explosions. In between all of this mayhem we find Cage and John Travolta, having the difficult task to play each other with their mannerisms and character traits. Truth be told, about every supporting player is just a decorative accessory and without having to sentence Joan Allen, Gina Gershon, Nick Cassavetes or Alessandro Nivola as decoration, their parts are for the most part rather unimportant in the all consuming duel between Cage and Travolta. In Cage’s trilogy of action masterpieces, I would range Face/Off just a little bit behind Con Air, because of character development and the quite cheesy face swap plot. The Rock of course remains untouchable.
Story : 8,44
Cast : 8,99
Entertainment : 9,19
Note : 8,87 - DirectorTerence YoungStarsChristopher PlummerRomy SchneiderTrevor HowardDuring WW2, convicted bank robber Eddie Chapman becomes a triple agent working for both the British and the Germans.May 19 2024
Among the long list of World War II movies that came out in the 1960’s were some true icons like The Great Escape or Guns of Navarone. Triple Cross though is never listed together with these classics. The true story of British spy Eddie Chapman as presented by veteran director Terence Young would never reach excitement levels or action peaks as would other war movies, as Young basically preferred to put his many well known actors into sequences with lots of dialogue instead of adequate action. Even Christopher Plummer as Chapman is incredibly passive and moves around as if he is not too concerned. True enough the World War II spy business was maybe not that action prone but a little bit more excitement would have been a welcome added element. Just think about the cast Young assembled. The director of 3 James Bond movies actually managed to convince three Bond stars, Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger), Claudine Auger (Thunderball) and Anthony Dawson (Dr.No), to join the cast to which he also added Yul Brynner, Romy Schneider and Trevor Howard. So it was obvious that everyone of these actors required screen time, but somehow Young still managed to neglect the female characters giving Schneider and especially Auger not very much to do. On the brighter side, Chapman’s story is a quite remarkable adventure and even the fact that as usual enough creative license was used, the whole odyssey of this double agent was thoroughly remarkable. The movie though needed a bit of the excitement that Chapman assuredly had in real life.
Story : 7,61
Cast : 7,46
Entertainment : 6,61
Note : 7,23 - DirectorTom McCarthyStarsMatt DamonCamille CottinAbigail BreslinA father travels from Oklahoma to France to help his estranged daughter, who is in prison for a murder she claims she didn't commit.May 18 2024
Matt Damon’s versatility has been proven several times over his career and considering his breathtaking range that made him master roles like Liberace’s gay lover or his unforgettable cameo in Euro Trip, you should not be too surprised encountering the actor playing an Oklahoma redneck in Stillwater. Bulked up Damon sporting a military haircut and a goatee beard plays Bill, the father of an American student, incarcerated in France for the murder of her lesbian lover. During one of his visits, Bill learns of a possibility that may uncover the truth behind the crime and prove his daughter’s innocence. When his daughter’s lawyer does not want to pick up the investigation, he takes matters in his own hands. Together with Virginie, an actress and single mum, taking over as his translator, Bill tries to find the proof that would free his daughter. Damon is joined by Abigail Breslin as the daughter while French actress Camille Cottin plays Virginie. Many people have alluded that this movie is loosely based on the case of Amanda Knox, an American student who was convicted of murder in Italy and later freed, but this movie does not really concentrate on the crime that convicted Breslin’s character, it is a very well built character study of this guy, finding himself in Marseille trying to get around without speaking French. The whole plot is quite interesting up until the last 30 minutes when the plot takes a rather unpleasant turn, basically destroying the storyline around Bill’s relation with Virginie. It is still a very worthy movie and quite interesting but the finale ruined my whole experience quite a bit.
Story : 6,41
Cast : 7,46
Entertainment : 6,28
Note : 6,72 - DirectorRobert AldrichStarsRalph MeekerAlbert DekkerPaul StewartA doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".May 17 2024
Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer has been played by a number of actors, most notably by Stacy Keach in a 1980’s TV series and a few TV movies. Another TV series based on the author’s most well known character was produced in 1958, a few years prior 2 movies were made with diverging success. I, the Jury from 1953 was made in 3D and became a critical and financial doozy. Kiss Me Deadly however stands out. The movie was directed by Robert Aldrich, big name director from the 1950’s and 1960’s whom I remember foremost as the guy at the helm of The Dirty Dozen. Made in 1955, Kiss Me Deadly was notorious in the sense that it was condemned by the Kefauver commission as being ‘designed to ruin young viewers’. In an era when McCarthyism was still quite present in people’s minds, this nihilistic film noir alludes very much to the paranoia lived through the early 1950’s when everybody was suspected to be a communist, and to the fear of nuclear attacks and global destruction as highlighted by the frantic chase for the object of desire in the movie which will culminate in an apocalyptic science-fiction ending. Aldrich also directed Ralph Meeker to play Hammer as brutal, women consuming, sadistic, cynical guy, reinforcing the gloomy tone of the movie. Kiss Me Deadly is today seen as one of the most influential film noir productions even though the end seems very much out of touch with the general direction of the movie. Interesting footnote: Christina, the young woman murdered right at the beginning of the movie is actually Cloris Leachman in her very first movie. I will forever hold her in my heart as Frau Blücher in Mel Brooks Young Frankenstein.
Story : 7,27
Cast : 6,26
Entertainment : 7,39
Note : 6,97 - DirectorJean GiraultStarsLouis de FunèsYvonne ClechJean-Pierre MarielleA grouchy shopkeeper made an unsuccessful financial investment, and now he is on the verge of bankruptcy. In order to avenge oneself he engages his own family into a plan to rob a next door bank.May 16 2024
Louis de Funès, France’s most cherished comedian actor, actually made more than 130 movies, appeared in shorts and TV movies and had further uncredited appearances in another 30+ productions during the 1940’s up to 1964. Amazingly, he shot to real fame only with Le Gendarme de St.Tropez, at age 50. Only about 30 more movies would follow, making the actor a very late bloomer, but almost every one of these films was a box office smash. Faites sauter la banque! came out in early 1964, and even though it is not among the de Funès ‘cult’ movies, it is clearly demonstrating why he achieved his incredible career push. During the whole 85 minutes we see an unstoppable tornado owning about every second. He plays Garnier, a shop owner who plans to take revenge on a bank manager, who made him lose his whole fortune, by tunneling his way to the vault of the bank across the street. His accomplices are his own wife, daughters and son. Of course the endeavor hits a lot of problems, the bigger one being one of the bank’s employees who falls for his daughter. If you are game to follow Louis de Funès’ frantic exploits throughout the length of the movie, you are in for fireworks. Then again, all the other actors are automatically pushed into the background which does not help the content as everything focuses on de Funès. This would just get more intense with his later, bigger movies.
Syory : 6,12
Cast : 6,88
Entertainment : 6,40
Note : 6,47 - DirectorHarry L. FraserStarsJohn WayneSheila TerryShirley Jean RickertA cowboy escorts a little girl, whose mother made her the heir of a cash-able oil company, and must protect her from an outlaw as they search for the girl's father.May 15 2024
So many people actually do not know that John Wayne struggled for almost a decade after his big debut in The Big Trail for which he got universally trashed by audiences and critics alike. It would take 9 years until Stagecoach, during which Duke appeared in almost 60 productions of lesser quality, B-movies mostly, a few serials, but most assuredly no bigger feature that would have helped him building up a career for the bigger studios. ‘Neath the Arizona Skies made in 1934 is exactly such a movie. Barely 52 minutes long, the movie stars Duke as the protector of a young girl set to inherit a fortune from oil. Of course sinister figures try to kidnap the girl involving many heroics by Wayne. This production was made by Monogram, specialized in those ‘poverty row’ movies costing no money but with a short playing time being ideal fodder for double features in the theaters across the US. Without John Wayne, this movie would have disappeared into oblivion a long time ago.
Story : 5,51
Cast : 5,77
Entertainment : 5,52
Note : 5,60 - DirectorJoseph H. LewisStarsBela LugosiPolly Ann YoungJohn McGuireThe town's leading citizen becomes a homicidal maniac after his wife deserts him.May 14 2024
First things first: There is no ghost in this movie, neither a visible one nor an invisible one. No idea how they found this title but this is basically the quite nonsensical chase for a murderer, strangling his victims, whom the public quite early knows to be Bela Lugosi. Apparently, rattled by the disappearance of his wife, Lugosi’s character falls into a murderous trance every time he thinks seeing her (which he actually does as she lives in a garden shed… don’t ask). Not only is the premise nonsensical, the search for the culprit is farcical as well, as all the murders actually happen in Lugosi’s house. Invisible Ghost was the first movie that Lugosi did for Monogram Pictures in a 9 movie deal. His time as Dracula was over and even a very impressive appearance in Son of Frankenstein or playing a supporting part in Lubitsch’s Ninotchka didn’t help. So he signed for second tier Monogram with disastrous results. One could say that this was apparently the best of the Monogram Pictures. Thankfully he still had a few opportunities to return to Universal’s monster series, even playing the monster in a later Frankenstein. Invisible Ghost though is just worth to watch because of Bela Lugosi’s presence.
Story : 5,32
Cast : 6,02
Entertainment : 5,42
Note : 5,59 - DirectorRobert RodriguezStarsBen AffleckAlice BragaJD PardoA detective investigates a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program.May 13 2024
Well if it weren’t for the title of the movie, you’d think it would start like a normal crime thriller when we learn that Ben Affleck’s detective character is a grieving parent whose daughter was abducted a few years ago. Once you are introduced into the deeper ideas of writer/director Robert Rodriguez, it will morph into a kind of mashup between Inception and Paycheck when the story delves into hypnosis as the means to control people, it deals with erasing memories and it all reeks of déjà-vu. We should be used to better things coming from Rodriguez but it seems that there won’t be any more Machete movies, so besides another Spy Kids we will have to content with productions like Hypnotic. I don’t mind Ben Affleck deviating from his past endeavors to star in this, I loved Alice Braga’s part and I was quite happy to see William Fichtner again. He is so often typecast as the villain, but it is really the type of role he is best in. It is just a shame that all the actors here just did not get the best material to work with.
Story : 5,99
Cast : 6,44
Entertainment : 6,22
Note : 6,22 - DirectorLarry YangStarsJackie ChanHaocun LiuKevin GuoA washed-up stuntman and his stunt horse become an overnight social media sensation when their real-life fight with debt collectors goes viral.May 12 2024
Pushing 70, Jackie Chan has actually not really slowed down, though he has appeared more often in Chinese productions lately, making himself scarce in Hollywood. I saw Hidden Strike some time ago which I did quite like, but Long ma jing shen must be a quintessential movie for Chan, as he basically plays himself when giving life to Lao Luo, an aging stuntman who basically forgot private life and family through his devotion to his job. Now pennyless, all what he has left is his deformed at birth horse Red Hare, whom he saved from euthanasia and formed into a stunt horse. When greedy businessmen threaten to take away the horse he has to reconnect with his estranged daughter. During the whole movie Chan’s career is shown in excerpts attributed to his fictional character but it is obvious that the whole movie is a tribute foremost to Chan and then to the job of stuntman in the Chinese movie industry. It is not really an action feast but most importantly a very touching story about the man and his connection to the horse and later on his daughter. Touching, funny and engaging.
Story : 7,41
Cast : 7,02
Entertainment : 7,41
Note : 7,28