Change Your Image
darkstrangers
Reviews
Harry in Your Pocket (1973)
James Coburn teaches you to pick pockets, doesn't get any better than that.
I saw this film when I was a teen. I went back several times to see it in the theater because this film facinated me. It is a real "how-to" on pocket picking. I learned so much from this film and was entertained in the process. Later, when I was traveling alone, I managed to thwart at least four attempts to pick my pocket or just scam me because I was aware of the way these guys operate. James Coburn is great as usual. This character was perfect for him. This film is a lot of fun to watch. Grab some popcorn, the story is engaging, interesting, and exciting. And maybe even heart-tugging.
Project Almanac (2015)
Smart enough to build time machine, too dumb to use effectively.
Smart kid builds time machine, suddenly becomes stupid and can't think of any effective way to use it to make the world better.
Winning the lottery for only 1.8 million? Going to a concert that you missed? Really? Are you sure YOU built this time machine? Really tired of these teen "coming of age" stories using science fiction as an excuse to get laid by high school girls.
Honesty, Randall and the gang used their time traveling map more effectively than these kids.
The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of none is because Jonny Weston and Allen Evangelista seem to be reasonably good actors. Everyone else was adequate.
The Banana Splits Adventure Hour: Danger Island (1968)
Pirates! Professors!..and Uh Oh, Chongo! It's Danger Island Next!
A marvelous little show with a cliffhanger-like episodic style. When I was young, the old time cliffhangers were long gone, but Danger Island brought back an exciting way to keep kids glued to the tube, anxiously awaiting the conclusion as to weather Link was going to fall off that cliff, or get eaten by a shark, or be killed by the pirates. (But, what the filmmakers didn't know was that we kids didn't care a lick about Link, we only cared about Chongo.)
Stranded on an island, hunted by nasty modern-day pirates, Prof. Irwin Hayden (played by Frank Aletter), his daughter Leslie (Ronnie Troup), and her boyfriend Link (Jan-Michael Vincent, yes, really) run into two mysterious men, Morgan (Rockne Tarkington), and Chongo (Kim Kahana) who also seem to be hiding from the pirates. They band together for survival.
Chongo spoke gibberish most of the time, leading one to believe that he was a bit addle brained. But when danger was near, the call would go out, like a magic spell "UH OH, CHONGO!" and Chongo became an unstoppable, lean, mean, fighting machine. It was just fun to watch.
The bad guy was a classic nasty with idiot henchmen to deal with and god-knows-what he wanted with the prof & his daughter. The "episdoes" were about 8-10 minutes long and after about 26 episodes the good guys turn the tables on the pirates, leaving them stranded while Chongo and company finally escape the island. Ha ha!
Having closure was a new and satisfying feeling in itself, as no other TV show ever really finished their story before being canceled. But this particular show was filmed like a movie and was fed to us in little bite-size pieces, so that explains the difference, I guess.
What made this a great show, and one that I remember with great fondness, is that the acting, stunts, cinematography, and story line were all done with extreme professionalism. It was a pleasure to watch and I think any kid today would love to see it.
Gargoyles (1972)
Ripe for Re-make Heaven
This TV movie scared the crap out of us kids back in the 70's. It started out real slow, but when you see that gargoyle skeleton at the roadside exhibit in the desert, you get spooked. "Hey, you did a good job putting them bones together to look like that", says the tourist. "Didn't put'em together, mister. Found'em that way." Eyes bug out all around, including yours! Ooohhhh, spooky fun!
The gargoyles were really scary and the story could be done so much better today. See it before the remake. The costumes were great, and back in the 70's this was a really heavily laden F/X film. I recently moved out of a desert area similar to the one this film was produced in. Throughout the two years I lived in that desert, I kept looking around for the gargoyles. That kind of childhood fright sticks with you. I doubt this would even phase any kids today, but give it a peek.
13th Child (2002)
Piece of Jersey Devil Doo-Doo!
The absolute WORST waste of my life I've ever had the misfortune to endure. The WORST thing about this film was the lead "actress", if you can call her that, Michelle Maryk. Whom she had to suck for a leading part in this piece of crap should die a slow death. She seems to be a graduate from the Barbara Bain school for wooden acting. It was completely PAINFUL to watch her. You will cheer for the monster to take her quickly and spare you the pain. DO NOT RENT THIS TRASH.
Cliff Robertson credited with co-writing this filth. No wonder he's out of work. And Robert Guillaume, what's the deal with him taking a crappy role in a maggot movie like this? He must be desperate, please, people, send the man some money so he doesn't have to embarrass himself again like this.
The Clonus Horror (1979)
If you're going to see "The Island" (2005) see this first.
I saw this ages and ages ago, but found the concept very interesting. Yes, it is a low budget, and no, there are no big name stars, unless you count Peter Graves, Keenan Wynn, and Dick Sargent. I was reminded of this movie later when the former governor from Pennsylvania was able to secure a heart and liver donor very quickly. Conspiracy? Maybe.
Anyway, the action is rather slow, but the tension was there and concept had merit back then as well as now.
The hero, a young man living on an island, is being readied for his chance to go to America. As far as he knows, everyone lives like this. They are trained in keeping healthy, exercised all day, educated up to a certain point, etc. Then, one day, he finds an empty beer can in a stream. It has a word written on it that he does not recognize. "Milwaukee". He asks what it means and is told that it is just a nonsense word and told to forget about it. This is when he starts to get into trouble.
He starts noticing that things he is told by the supervisors and trainers don't add up and realizes that no one, not one of his friends or anyone else, has ever heard from anyone who was "lucky" enough to be transferred to America. They've always been told it is a wonderful place, everyone wants to go there. They suppose no one ever comes back to visit, or writes, because they're having too good a time in America.
He, of course, learns the awful truth, that he, and all of his companions on the island, are merely clones of wealthy and powerful people who run the world governments. They are being maintained on the island until the day they are needed to provide body parts to their originals.
Lots of running around and chasing ensues. And eventually the young man meets with his pre-ordained unhappy fate. ;-( sniff. So sad. And so insidiously scary. I believe this movie has now been remade into "The Island" with Ewan McGregor. I have not seen that one yet to compare. If you have, you might want to rent this one just to check it out.
Outside Ozona (1998)
A little bit spooky, a lot weird, and well crafted character development.
You just can't judge a book by its cover, ya'know? That nice, harmless looking geek stranded on the side of the road with a broken-down car could very well be a raving, ax murderer.
This is a nicely done film dealing with several different people that are on a collision course outside of the little western town of Ozona. One is a homicidal lunatic and the rest are relatively innocent folks who may or may not have the misfortune of running into him.
Meatloaf gives a nice performance as the manager of a radio station that realizes the nut calling in on the phone is the killer. Robert Forster is excellent as a sweet, but lonely truck driver.
Casting David Paymer as the murderer was a stroke of genius, reminding one that people are not always as they seem. Making someone so harmless looking into a cold-blooded killer is exactly what makes him so frightening. Nice work all-around. A very good choice for a stay-at-home-night date.
La vita di Leonardo da Vinci (1971)
A MUST SEE FOR ANY LEONARDO FAN! Incredibly well done & moving documentary.
Outstanding! Stunning! Superb! Memorable!
I first saw this film when it was telecast by PBS back in the early 70s. I was only 13 years old then, but it captivated me nonetheless. I had always liked Leonardo, but after seeing this documentary, I fell in love with him. Since then, because of this film, I have traveled throughout the USA and Europe, seeking any and all of this work that I might view.
I recently visited his final home and resting place in France, and came within a hair's breath of an original drawing in London (Nothing between me and it but one inch of air space!). Regretfully I passed-up buying a copy of the book that was based on this film when I viewed the Last Supper in Milan 15 years ago. Been kicking myself over that ever since. :-(
Leonardo is an inspiration and this film will fuel any lust that his fans have to know more about the man and his unique visions, thoughts and personality. This account of his life is vividly illustrated, highly detailed, as historically accurate as one can get, and only occasionally sentimental.
Leonardo was an incredible human being, and this program provides a great deal of information about all the amazing facets of his life, along with the personal, political, and artistic challenges that confronted him.
Particularly interesting is the speculation into the background of his mother, Caterina, of whom very little is known. Also well handled was the balanced coverage of his family and professional relationships, including his two disciples, Salai and Francisco Melzi.
The film also provides a ton of information about the historical events that forced him to leave and then later return to Florence and Milan, the political intrigue of the leaders he had to collaborate with, and his bitter rivalry with Michaelangelo. This is a film I can satisfyingly watch over and over again.
DON'T MISS THIS ONE!