Cinema - Reviews by George Slv

Cinema - Reviews by George Slv

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Member	Item		Review/Comment
George Slv 24th Jul 2020		Cinema Diane (1956) (1956)	Review One of Roger Moore's early Hollywood films, and Lana Turner's last under MGM contract. Costing $2.6 million, it did not seem to have enough substance to warrant this. It was a huge financial loss for MGM, and led them to cancel Moore's contract after two years. Moore then returned to England and became a successful TV actor starting with Ivanhoe. The film is beautifully produced and Lana and Roger are both eyefuls, it was no fault of theirs. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 2nd Jan 2020		Cinema The Phantom Of The Opera (1962)	Review Reissuers have played havoc with the shape of this movie (aspect ratio). The screenshots here are from current videos that make it 2.0. There has never been such a thing as a 2.0 ratio. Some people have been overthinking themselves into a ditch. Hammer and UK filmmakers typically used the 1.66 shape, and America went a bit farther and used 1.85. Blurays are made for 16:9 screens (1.77) so they could just as well have made it 1.77 without black bars. If you don't know what in the world this means, you are losing image at the top and bottom. As for the film content, I can't figure out what I think of it. I can't recall if I saw it in 1962. When I saw a video in the 1990s, it made no impression on me. I can't understand this. But compared to other filmings I give it credit for keeping the phantom a mystery until the end. Hard to believe how others tell the whole story of his origins right at the start of the movies. The film length was 1:24. Then in the US to fit a two hour TV slot, Universal filmed 14 minutes of extra footage involving two detectives investigating the situation. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 18th Jan 2018		Cinema The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956) (1956)	Rated 2/10 When I was young at the time I decided to see this based on the comedy designation and the intriguing idea of the title. The result was no comedy and no interest. I suppose you need to be interested in business to begin with. It's based on a stage play so that's how it runs. It's more a drama about business with supposedly humorous situations created. Reviews elsewhere are so glowing I can't believe it. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 8th Apr 2017		Cinema The Haunting (1963) (1963)	Rated 5/10 This is one of the classic ghost movies. Four people decide to stay in this haunted house to study it. Seeing this in the video era aged over 40, this movie did not affect me. It did not create an atmosphere that drew one in. The male leader was played by an actor with no personality or soul, just mechanically reciting his lines. Scenes that should have been effective did not involve me. Obviously it takes a special touch to create such films. "The Others" (2001) had that. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 26th Oct 2016		Cinema The Happening (1967)	Rated 8/10 I think the film is a chuckle, a parody of organized crime and hippies. Well made, everyone did a good job. Faye Dunaway's early breakthru role. What I find interesting is the personality type as related to the time era. At this time she was similar to other newcomers like Cybill Shepherd and singer Connie Smith. The title song existed at Motown before the film, and the producer bought the rights to it. Frank DeVol contributed to the composition. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 9th Oct 2016		Cinema Dracula: Pages From A Virgin's Diary (2002) (2002)	Review This originated as a ballet by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. There's classical orchestral accompaniment, but I would not call that a "musical". I don't recall comedy that the description here states, and anything incidental would not make this a "comedy". The players are ballet dancers throughout the film, with the camera among them. A well-executed idea relating Stoker's novel. Mainly black and white, with subtitles, harking back to silent films. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 13th Sep 2016		Cinema Quatermass And The Pit (Five Million Years To Earth) (1967) (1967)	Rated 2/10 What an unsuccessful movie this was in my opinion. Held no interest, let alone suspense. Did not involve me whatsoever. The story is that when excavating the London subway, they reach a spot where an ancient extraterrestrial people had been living. By excavating, they free the spirits, which then create destructive effects on London. Oh .... I don't know. Dig that female reporter in the underground as she questions the scientist. What kind of facetious acting is that when you are creating a sca-a-ary movie? By the way we need a screen of the British title. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 7th Sep 2016		Cinema The Beast Must Die (1974) (1974)	Rated 1/10 Milton Subotsky, one of the heads of Amicus Films, is in Noo Yawk and gets this idea he'd like to make a werewolf movie. He scours his investor friends around the world and mooches enough money. He gets a screenplay put together as much as he can. Peter Cushing is offered it. Pete asks his wife to look it over, and she says there's only about 40 minutes of footage in the miserable thing. Well the producers have to get to work making it a 90 minute movie. So half this movie is like filler, people sitting around chatting and sipping tea. Okay one of the people at this weekend party is a werewolf and we will know who by the end. Just get ready for 90 minutes of lousy movie-making. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 4th Aug 2016		Cinema L'orribile Segreto Del Dr. Hichcock (The Horrible Dr. Hichcock) (1962) (1962)	Review One of the Italian horror films of the early 1960s that were released in English, some quite good. This one seems to have a favorable reputation, but I reject that. A doctor is a necrophiliac (relating to dead females), and then plays games drugging his wife so she will be corpse-like for a while. Things go wrong, the living die, the dead walk, fires burn, hero tries to rescue heroine, all dat stuff. Trouble is that the producers were totally inept at making this story clear to the viewer. You don't understand what you are watching. Ya gotta go ta IMDB 50 yars later to find out. This is in the category of "Italian dream logic". Quality junk production in my opinion. England and USA would have been too ashamed to produce this. Canada still would. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 25th Jul 2016		Cinema The Draughtsman's Contract (1982) (1982)	Rated 6/10 A review at IMDB calls this "A bizarre, quite unique period film". It's an interesting experience, but certainly an adult film. In 1700s England a draughtsman (an "artist", for Pete's sake) is hired by a wealthy landowner [feelthie riche aristocrat] to make a few paintings of his estate. Now the draftsman for payment demands sexual favors from the ladies of the family. That's fine they says. But these rats have a devious plot in mind and this draftsman is in danger. Now you can spend your time at IMDB learning to understand what you just saw. There are horror style elements by the time it's over. They got this cute little guy who plays a "nymph" on the estate. Fully naked and painted green, he keeps showing up in humorous places. Hey when do we get a female like that, we aren't all homo. I can think of one actress ... The sex scenes are not your standard type, and are not sensuous. It's a quality production, you might be morbidly curious. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 6th Jul 2016		Cinema Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) (1974)	Rated 9/10 One of the movie projects of Brian Clemens, who had been producing The Avengers TV series. His other for Hammer Films was Dr Jekyll And Sister Hyde. He wrote the stories himself. This is a variation on the standard vampire theme, where the vampires don't drain the blood but the youth. See the young maidens after they have been drained. The film has some weaker spots in the screenplay but it turns out satisfying and has a "cult following" (the more discerning fans, ahem). The climactic sword fight in the sumptuous mansion (see the trailer credits picture) is especially colorful and dramatic. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 22nd Jun 2016		Cinema The Emerald Forest (1985) (1985)	Review After John Boorman conquered the world with his legendary Excalibur, he went on to this pet project of his, using the setting of the Amazon forest. In the true story, Bill Markham's son is kidnapped by a jungle tribe, and ten years later Markham hunts for him. The potential is there being in the exotic forest, but I found that the screenplay was not strong and gripping enough, so it is on the mild side. There is topless nudity of tribal women, but the most significant is Tommy's girlfriend Kachiri working as a "topless waitress" in a bar, from where they rescue her. When scenes like that were cut the story was not so clear. There is a message here about saving the rainforest. Note that in 1990 environmentalists were crying that by 2000 the entire Amazon forest would be cut down. I know how totally incompetent their (non)thinking is. I was involved with some. Besides his greatness, John Boorman has some serious faults. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 22nd May 2016		Cinema Sheena (Sheena: Queen Of The Jungle) (1984) (1984)	Rated 8/10 Actually a well-made film, with great location photography. You need to give credit where it's due, not show off your obnoxious scorn at every turn. But it has faults, especially the hammy lousy non-acting of the male stars. Tanya Roberts is great, and John Guillerman knew when to create sexy scenes (nudity, yes). Sexiness that's not blocked by American dorks, or spoiled by incessant European lesbianism, and done in a natural way. This movie comes off better than 1959's Tarzan's Greatest Adventure, also filmed on location but being low on story. One thing however, is that with the nudity it would have to be restricted, and you lose the logical target audience of young people. Kind of a quandary. You need two editions for both purposes, and I believe in providing cut editions as alternatives. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 21st May 2016		Cinema Against All Odds (1984) (1984)	Rated 9/10 Taylor Hackford did a good job on this one. Well staged and photographed, including Caribbean island locations. Rachel Ward is a pleasure to watch. A refilming of the 1940s film Out Of The Past, this one adds extra plot elements when Brogan gets back to US, involving a crime caper. The love story with Rachel and Jeff Bridges in the Caribbean is what makes the movie. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 5th Apr 2016		Cinema The Shadow Of The Cat (1961) (1961)	Review In this "old dark house" in England an old woman is murdered and her cat witnesses it. The "cat knows" who did it. Then commences a cat and mouse game where the killers are afraid of the cat and the cat seeks revenge on them. Written by George Baxt, Hammer at first was not interested in filming it. Then when they needed an extra film to pair with Curse Of the Werewolf they asked BHP to make it for them. BHP was a short-term partnership including Baxt and Jon Penington. BHP used Hammer's personnel and Bray location, but they owned the rights to it. It was not unusual for other production companies to make films for Hammer, Hammer usually getting the rights for them. Two years later when BHP closed the rights were passed to Hammer. I find the film very satisfying. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 24th Feb 2016		Cinema Sunburn (1979)	Rated 2/10 Does someone actually need to know things like "Richard Sarafian credited as Richard C. Sarafian"? This independent production would never have passed thru a major studio. An amateurish attempt at passing some time, for who knows what. A collection of actors who couldn't find work elsewhere. Farrah Fawcett-Majors had been black-listed for quitting her Charlie's Angels contract. Who would have wanted Charles Grodin for anything? A story that is nonsense after nonsense. If you want glimpses of some of the stars, take a look out of curiousity. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 1st Feb 2016		Cinema When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth (1970) (1970)	Rated 8/10 Hammer Films' followup to One Million Years BC. More clay animation dinosaurs, very well done by American Jim Danforth. This one really comes thru as a good movie as well as a dinosaur pic. Worth noting that Danforth's animation was superior to Ray Harryhausen's because the motion was perfectly smooth. But Hammer found the process expensive and did not do more with him. In the uncut edition Victoria Vetri appears fully nude in the swimming pond scene. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 23rd Jan 2016		Cinema Cash On Demand (1961) (1961)	Review A stagey drama set inside a bank. Produced by Michael Carreras, who tried to counterbalance Hammer's other horror movies. Peter Cushing is the bank manager who is held hostage by bank robber Andre Morrell in an elaborate plot. The story adds an element of Scrooge learning a lesson at the Christmas season. You see, Cushing always demanded that the pens be filled with ink and other fussy nonsense, and was not considered charitable by his staff. It's okay, but not special. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 6th Jan 2016		Cinema King Of Kings (1961) (1961)	Rated 10/10 This film was done as well as can be, I think. Similar followups later in the 1960s like The Greatest Story Ever Told and The Bible were incapable of measuring up. No flaws in this one. A fine story flow, effective and moving scenes. The baptism of Jesus by John The Baptist, who looks into the gorgeous eyes of Jeffrey Hunter and feels something, while the camera shows doves flying in the air. Another fine crucifixion scene, tho not as heartrending as in The Robe. The sermon on the mount. Ben Hur is another movie that deals well with this subject. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 6th Jan 2016		Cinema The Robe (1953) (1953)	Rated 10/10 I'd like to give it more than 10. This was the first widescreen Cinemascope movie. A drama about a Roman officer's (Richard Burton) interaction with Christ's crucifixion. The story is very poignant and compelling. Victor Mature is awesome as Burton's slave, who becomes converted after watching Christ die. What a scene. One of the greats of that era, and maybe the best movie of all time. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 6th Jan 2016		Cinema Demetrius And The Gladiators (1954) (1954)	Rated 8/10 Good entertainment. I saw it in a double bill ~1960 with The Robe, which was the first part of the story. The Robe was really great drama, while this went more into gladiator adventure. Must have been one of the main inspirations for the 2000 Gladiator, which turned out more of a downer than adventure. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 5th Jan 2016		Cinema Dracula: Prince Of Darkness (1966) (1966)	Rated 7/10 I've never considered this an excellent movie. 1965 was a different time from 1958. The mood in this film lacks the concentrated intensity. Andrew Keir is much too broad a personality to create a sinister atmosphere. I didn't think the storyline holds together as well. But there are strong scenes which will create new fans though. That would involve the castle encounters with Klove and Dracula. Barbara Shelley has some chilling sequences. There have been several video releases, of varying quality. The Eastmancolor positives went reddish as usual within ten years of distribution. Recent releases had to be remade from the negatives. Some processing was done. The Optimum DVD turned out a little overly bright, overcompensated. The TCM (Turner Classic Movies) release is well regarded. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 5th Jan 2016		Cinema Promises..... Promises! (1963) (1963)	Review After the 1950s the day of the Blond Bombshell was over, and Jayne wasn't being used. So she got her husband to produce this showcase for her, with several nude scenes of her. Fat chance that would be shown in US theaters, it was all cut up and didn't amount to much. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 27th Dec 2015		Cinema The Cassandra Crossing (1976) (1976)	Rated 3/10 A passenger train running across Europe is carrying a deadly plague, and the passengers will not be let off. A plan is developed that may sacrifice their lives, while another group works to save the situation. A European production like The Andromeda Strain. I can only conclude that continental Europeans aren't very good at making movies. These do not turn out exciting or involving or interesting. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 27th Dec 2015		Cinema Arthur The King (Merlin And The Sword) (1985) (1985)	Review The film is controversial because there are fairy tale type story elements, which some people become ashamed of. The TV network hesitated 3 years before giving it a national showing. I say never fear, that's what fantasy movies are for. It was shown on random stations including Canadian before that. For example there's a story of a girl with a curse on her in the form of a pig's nose. One of our knights agrees to marry her in return for release from captivity. This theme was developed in Penelope (2006). This was to be Candice Bergen's US TV premiere in 1982, but by 1985 not a premiere. As the witch Morgan Le Fay she was given a 1970s afro wig. She has been mocked for this and her non-Oscar acting. I say it's not often you can get a quality filming of the Arthur legend, so I enjoyed this find. It's a colorful and intriguing tale. From a local Winnipeg TV showing at night, I seem to recall an ending after Arthur's funeral where Lancelot continues the quest, and finds Morgana still alive living in a cave. This was cut from the US and VHS editions. Take a look at a sample TV showing in this TV magazine. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 22nd Dec 2015		Cinema Drop Zone (1994) (1994)	Rated 10/10 I'm sorry, I tried hard, but I can't think of anything wrong with this movie. It revolves around skydiving and parachuting. A gang led by Gary Busey, who is super in the role, will parachute onto a building roof and from there rob it. Another group of skydivers try to stop them by parachuting after them. Colorful photography, good stunts, great pacing and action. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 22nd Dec 2015		Cinema The Abyss (1989) (1989)	Rated 9/10 The final reward for watching flop underwater pix in previous years, this Cameron film delivers. Cameron developed a reputation for stuffing two movies into one. Studios gave him enuf money, and I guess he didn't know when to stop writing. The first story here is the peril of a submerged submarine crew, a hurricane above water, and rescue attempts. The second is the discovery of underwater aliens in the area. Maybe the Bermuda Triangle? I was a little dissatisfied that the first story took up so much attention, when you got this potential with the aliens, which seems secondary. Photography and special effects are superb. James Cameron writes his own screenplays. He seems to have establishment liberal tendencies. For his characters' situations here he wrote in a bunch of scorn for "conspiracy theories" or "paranoia". When someone calls others "paranoid" I immediately write them off as a fool. He wrote Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as a bitchy feminist a***ole. Those were the times. Cameron was told by a female TV interviewer later that it annoyed everyone, male and female. (Are females annoyed by that? I thought they gloated.) He pointed out as we know now that most scripts are written by males, and it's hard for them to see the female approach. (which I guess would be to throw down their arms and offer themselves to the enemy. or, there are no enemies. Vote for Hillary to be sure.) So anywayzes, this was a milestone theatrical event. The theatrical release had to be cut in length to 2:25, and Cameron made the decisions on cutting. Then the full length of 2:51 was released on video as the Special Edition. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 22nd Dec 2015		Cinema The Deep (1977) (1977)	Rated 2/10 This was one of the flop underwater movies that led to the very successful The Abyss. I saw this on a VHS rental. Nudity was cut out, which they say raised the rating on it. As I recall it seemed like a movie about nothing. A non-purpose non-event. Boring, with nothing interesting happening underwater either. The supposed menace of a moray eel turned out as nothing too. Next I recall Leviathan of 1989, which did not satisfy. So when The Abyss came everyone was saying "finally" a good undersea movie. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 22nd Dec 2015		Cinema Saturn 3 (1980) (1980)	Rated 2/10 A valiant attempt at a large-scale outer-space film. For me it did not work. It just did not make an impression in the end. Points of note: 1) Farrah Fawcett is sexy for heterosexuals. One shot shows her right breast for a couple seconds. In another she is naked just out of bed and Douglas throws a sheet over to her. That was one skillful shot. We don't see her body, the sheet is covering her flying thru the air til she catches it. In another scene they wanted her to drop her top below her breasts. She decided not to and just showed her shoulders. Take what you can get. 2) Kirk Douglas naked is what the producers were obviously more interested in. Another tremendously skilful shot that must have taken several takes. No sheet, he is just naked and runs toward the camera to pick something up, and his right knee covers his crotch. So this movie is not bashful. 3) [spoiler] The robot. We are told that it cannot be destroyed once activated. Not by water and not by cold. So at the end they destroy it by ... having it fall into cold water. That about wraps it up folks. Thump. Flop. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
George Slv 21st Dec 2015		Cinema The Ice Pirates (1984) (1984)	Review In the future water is scarce in the solar system, ice is transported between planets, and this group of pirates steals from the transport spaceships. It is considered a turkey because it is. It is not exciting, it is not interesting, and the humour is not funny. It's a garbage production with what they call "toilet humor", crass attempts by low-class producers. There is a metal mechanical claw that castrates men so they can serve the princess. In one scene the princess is sleeping on her back with a sheet covering, and one of our boys goes to lift the top of the sheet to take a little peek. There is no nudity. They say it killed Mary Crosby's career, and almost the other stars. MGM studio never actually recovered from the loss of Louis Mayer in the 1950s, and this illustrates why. Bankruptcy ahead. You thought from the promotion that you will see something interesting in the Star Wars era. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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