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DrCaliente
Reviews
No Place to Run (1972)
Tear-jerker
As schmaltzy as it might seem today, this "Movie of the Week" was a real tear-jerker, about a young boy (very well played by Scott Jacoby) and his renegade grandfather (the incomparable Herschel Bernardi), running away to Canada (close parallels there to the extant Vietnam War), in order to escape parental authority.
The theme song (by the talented, now veteran songwriter, Paul Williams) still rings in my head: "Leave us alone, we live in the country...etc." Get out the hankies, maybe old, recycled ones, nevertheless, prepare to cry.
Available now in VHS, I hope they play this one on TV sometime in the near future, too!
Pearl Harbor (2001)
ONE PROBLEM
One
Problem:
Too
Many
Slow
Motion
Shots
!
!
!
!
Anna Karenina (1977)
A stirring and authentic adaptation
I have to admit that I saw this series only once (in 1978), and my memory of it has faded somewhat. Nevertheless, I still vividly recall its vibrant reproduction of Tolstoy's masterpiece, its authentic characterizations, and its remarkable set pieces, especially given the fact that this was a television production.
Standouts include Nicola Pagett's complicated portrayal of Anna, and Robert Swann as the ambivalent Levin. The intoxicating scene of Levin and his peasants bringing in the harvest, and Anna's tragic demise are worth viewing again.
Hope the powers that be resurrect this one in the near future!
Ghost Ship (2002)
Underrated
Definitely underrated by critics. This was a good old-fashioned ghost tale! Well produced, earnestly acted. I'd highly recommend it.
Signs (2002)
Ingmar Bergman, Jr.
The movie was well done and entertaining, indeed, and it's nice to see that it's a truly popular movie, too. Many others have offered their opinions of the plot, the characterizations, and the director's point of view. I simply wanted to add that the movie's theme--an exploration, if you will, of man's faith--has already been produced into a cinematic masterpiece, namely, "The Seventh Seal." Instead of Death playing chess, however, we now have aliens as the driver of the plot. I'm afraid that Mr. Shyamalan, with his most recent movie, does not even come close to the mark set by Mr. Bergman, in a movie directed more than four decades ago.