Cinema - Reviews by Twistin

Cinema - Reviews by Twistin

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Member	Item		Review/Comment
Twistin 3rd Dec 2015		Cinema The North Star (Armored Attack) (1943) (1943)	Rated 6/10 Before the Germans invaded the USSR and surrounding territories in 1941, everyone and everything about life in Kiev was paradise, heaven on Earth. Singing, dancing, romance, opportunity, national pride, family values, and a strong passion for work! Never a (Uk)rainy day. So says Samuel Goldwyn in RKO's obligatory entry in the pro-Soviet propaganda series created to appease the war effort. Broadly overdone in many areas, it often resembles a cartoon. But for all the collectivist, Marxist glory in the opening reel, the genocidal starvation of at least five million Ukrainians would have been a more realistic first act. Don't forget to clench tightly to the heavy-handed final speech by Anne Baxter, followed by majestic closing credits score. Mind you, I like fantasy films, but just a few years prior, The Wizard of Oz created high expectations for the genre that "The North Star" just couldn't compete with. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 2nd Dec 2015		Cinema Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972) (1972)	Rated 3/10 Cult favorite, but damned if I know why. I wanted to see this film badly when I was a kid and had to wait years before it turned up on the late show. Boy, what a letdown. Terrible acting, ridiculous lighting, amateurish production...but worst of all was that it was not scary. It wasn't even funny. All that anxiety to see a horror flick that sucks. It looks nicer in (matted) 1.85:1 than it did on the worn 16mm TV print, but it's the same lame movie, only in widescreen. Some folks love it; me, I don't get it, so I put in in the same category as Basket Case: Stupid Horror Films With Great Title and Great Poster, But Don't Live Up to Their Cult Status. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 30th Nov 2015		Cinema Heaven With A Gun (1969) (1969)	Rated 8/10 I could swear this film played a heavy influence on Tom Laughlin's Billy Jack, which was released two years later. The latter film featured a character named Barbara (as in Hershey) whose droopy hippie-style appearance is similar, a violent rape scene, racial injustice towards Indians, and a main character who acts out his pacifism with brutal violence who is lectured by a strong woman for that very dichotomy. Hmmm. Another interesting twist is that the MPAA awarded the film a G rating upon its release in 1969, despite heavy violence and a gratuitous shot of saloon girl Angelique Pettyjohn in the bedroom, something I was not expecting. And all of this was for a family audience?!? IMDb lists the rating as M, which was an early incantation of PG. Still... Heaven with a Gun didn't seem like a likely contender for a digital release, but.is now available in the Warner Archive Collection. Despite some heavy-handed turns in the script, it's a highly enjoyable exploitation western. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 30th Nov 2015		Cinema Lilies Of The Field (1963) (1963)	Rated 7/10 The best part about Lilies of the Field is that while you watch and expect certain contrivances to occur in the story, the select times those scenes unfold, they're portrayed respectfully as far as the film-making process is concerned. The cinematography and lighting are better than competent, and the frame is used to maximum effect. Sidney Poitier is, of course, solid as the surprise guest to a group of East German refugee nuns in a largely Hispanic community somewhere in Arizona. There are occasional nods to race and religion, but in both cases the subjects are never used as a weapon for the film to drill down an emotional response from the viewer, yet they effectively anchor the heart of the film, faith. Even if the subject matter sounds predictable and manipulative, it's still worth your hour and a half investment. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 30th Nov 2015		Cinema The Prisoner Of Second Avenue (1975) (1975)	Rated 4/10 One of Neil Simon's un-funniest. Mel and Edna are a pathetic couple with a pathetic life. Their situations are depressing and claustrophobic. Sometimes mischaracterized as a black comedy, probably to excuse finding humor in the desperation on screen. Simon's work often walks the tightrope between comedy and cruelty; this film could have used a net to make that fall less painful. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 30th Nov 2015		Cinema The Big Street (1942) (1942)	Rated 6/10 The Big Street is a bit of a tug-of-war; on one side you have the talent in front of (and behind) the cameras, while on the other end of the rope is Damon Runyon's characters. The film-making and the acting are both top-notch here, so that's not the problem. The first time I watched this several years ago, I was far more impressed, mainly due to Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. Ironically, when giving the film another go around, even those performances weren't enough to make the characters they are playing tolerable. "Princess" Gloria Lyons is about as unpleasant a bitch as the big screen has ever witnessed, which is countered by Fonda's "Little Pinks" (an awful nickname) who immerses himself in her verbal abuse, ego and dissatisfaction with everything in life except her dog and rich boy toys. There's a bit more going on in the story, plus there's nice support from Agnes Moorehead, as well as uncredited appearances from Hans Conreid and Louise Beavers. I would recommend watching if only to see a side of Lucy rarely revealed. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 18th Nov 2015		Cinema The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973) (1973)	Rated 6/10 Low-budget horror film with no name stars, some cheesy performances and a mess of bad lighting. Mind you, it's not as bad as some of the sleazy, grindhouse thrillers from the 70's, this one is almost family-friendly, before the trend demanded that all horror films must have an R-rating. It's not up to par with what you'd expect from Universal Pictures -- and they obviously thought so too since it's theatrical release was limited to being tacked on the bottom of a double feature with the superior Sssssss. It's not a waste of time and there's potential here even though it fails to convince. It's a shame it came out looking like a TV-movie, but you could do much worse (see Wolfman...or rather, don't.) 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 18th Nov 2015		Cinema The Strawberry Statement (1970) (1970)	Rated 7/10 Your classic hippie / college student / protest film with a bit of romance to lighten the load. I expected the worst because I hate when political ideals appear like propaganda to manipulate the viewer, to gain sympathies, etc. To summarize, you follow along with our San Francisco student protagonist, Simon (Bruce Davison), who takes a bouncy interest in some protesting students, which escalates because he wants to get into the sack with cute & perky Linda (Kim Darby). She is a part of the micro-revolution, staging a sit-in at an administrative office to protest a military building planned for the campus. I generally liked the casual pace of the film and didn't even much mind when the fuzz arrive for the climactic showdown, but it gets goofier as it goes until you just have to roll your eyes. It's like getting to sit through a nightmare in the brain of Neil Young. If you have the objectivity to see this for what it is, you'll know that incidents like Kent State were the fault of the National Guard AND the students. Sit-ins, love-ins, and singing "Give Peace a Chance" are every bit as futile as soldiers shooting hippie kids. I'd like to think that was what this film was attempting to enunciate, but either way, it should be crystal clear today. Even if you can't read between the celluloid lines, look at Washington D.C. where all those hippies ended up, very much a part of the corrupt system while pretending to have their roots in their old ideals. That's the real unhappy ending. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 14th Oct 2015		Cinema Three Days Of The Condor (3 Days Of The Condor) (1975) (1975)	Rated 8/10 I saw this many years ago and couldn't stay interested in the jumbled plot. Watching it again, however (as an adult), it wasn't very difficult to follow. I've seen it referred to as a spy film. Not quite, not really...the Condor reads books for the CIA and is targeted for extermination, so the film is actually his quest to find out why. Faye Dunaway invents a profane term with the word spy in it -- the only thing I remembered about that first viewing. The pace is good, the cast solid, a tidy overall package, although the ending is a bit flat. And while Redford and Dunaway provide some form of sex appeal, Max Von Sydow maintains the most compelling screen presence. But a spy movie? No. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 14th Oct 2015		Cinema Shock Corridor (1963) (1963)	Rated 6/10 Without Sam Fuller's name attached, most modern viewers would dismiss the film for what it is, a clumsy and often ham-fisted attempt at a thriller with a social conscience. That last part is the problem because a number of social issues are awkwardly shoved into the thin storyline, like abandoned Twilight Zone script fragments were dug from the trash bin, then over-emphasized in case the audience is too stupid to get it. From time to time, we even return to the plot. Ultimately, the plot -- which is a journalistic investigation - scarcely even matters and we gaze like voyeurs at the freaks or listen to strategically molded bits of communism sympathizing, racism stereotypes and oddly, an attack on ambition. It's not a complete loss and is technically solid, often quite impressive in style and technique. Fairly bold presentation for its time, but severely flawed as a film. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 15th Sep 2015		Cinema Mission To Moscow (1943) (1943)	Rated 2/10 One of the all-time great American-made propaganda films, apparently the result of a direct order by President Roosevelt, who is verbally stroked throughout the script. Neither side of the political divide were much impressed with the end result, which is not surprising. Allegedly, even Russians at the time found their representation in this film to be absurd. That script, incidentally, played a large part in the blacklisting of writer Howard Koch following the HUAC hearings in 1947, and based on the accountings of attorney Joseph E. Davies, who was appointed as ambassador to the USSR by FDR. The film begins with four and a half minutes devoted to Mr. Davies, who attempts to justify what we are about to witness, since it most certainly demands explanation. Davies, who previously cut his teeth under Woodrow Wilson, was the perfect choice to replace Ambassador Bullitt, who wanted no part in Roosevelt's big push to ally with the USSR. After we step across the painted line that divides Poland and Russia, we are instantly whisked into the wonderland of the Soviet Union, as soldiers serve delightful appetizers to our delegates, while the accommodating military men offer detailed descriptions of the tasty treats. Then we're on to Moscow, first represented as a gorgeous matte painting elevated by Max Steiner's majestic score. A warm and congenial introductory meeting between Davies and President Kalinin ensues: Davies: I assure you that my purpose in coming here is to see all things with an open mind and report them faithfully to Washington. Kalinin: All we want is that you see as much as you can of what we're trying to do before you arrive at your conclusion. Davies: That's what my president wants, that's why he sent me. Kalinin: A very great man, your president...with a deep sympathy for mankind. It's impossible to ignore Koch's radiant enthusiasm for the subject matter. We are treated to women shown happily working in mines, laughing at the notion of Americans' haste in sending her own into such tasks, followed by a speech from one of the factory workers detailing his joy of work for "profit": "What is a theory except a means to the end, the greatest good for the greatest number of people!" Michael Curtiz was a remarkable director and makes everything look fantastic, but the reason for that glossy overcoat is because the film whitewashes so many horrific historical events into complete lies. It's a valentine to Stalin created to paint him in a positive, noble glow of humanity and honor. He was a bloodthirsty butcher and to not only deny that, but to re-frame his totalitarian, evil deeds, is an atrocity. The Stalin sympathies are most explicitly depicted in the marginalization of the 1936-1937 purge show trials, the centerpiece of the film's controversial being. This depiction caused quite a stir upon the film's release, understandably. Later, as Davies is preparing to return to the USA, he has a surprise meeting with a mild-mannered, soft-spoken and gentle man, Joseph Stalin, whom he tells: "I believe, sir, that history will record you as a great builder for the benefit of mankind." One has to wonder if such truths were also recorded on the walls of the gulags. Back home, Roosevelt and Davies have their own fireside chat: Roosevelt: If only more of our people realized that, there's been so much prejudice stirred up about the Soviet Union that the public hasn't been given the chance to know the truth. Davies: [...] I'd like to lay those ghosts that our fascist propagandists are brewing up about Russia and tell the people of this country a few facts. May I have your permission to use my report to the State Department? Roosevelt: You've more than my permission, Joe, you have my blessing. The poster shouts out, "One man's journey into the truth!" There's inconceivable audacity in that claim. Many atrocities under Stalin's rule simply do not exist in the fantasy that is Mission to Moscow. The climax is a dizzying montage that engulfs the viewer in a crescendo of sweeping music, imagery and narration promising a utopia for future generations. It's one thing to prop up the Soviet Union for the "war effort", but it's quite another to idolize Stalin as one of our brethren. This is merely an excuse to praise the virtues of Communism. You may find lots to laugh at during the course of the film, but by the time you reach the end of the 2+ hour ride, you should rightly find yourself grimacing. A disgraceful, irresponsible and amoral piece of garbage. Even Stalin himself was unimpressed. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 15th Sep 2015		Cinema Lonelyhearts (1958) (1958)	Rated 6/10 Overblown melodrama on and off the job at a metropolitan newspaper. Adam (Montgomery Clift) is a young writer who is hired by publisher Shrike (Robert Ryan) to write a lonely hearts column, much to Adam's chagrin. After all, he's having his own problems with his lovely girlfriend (Dolores Hart) who thinks he's an orphan because he's ashamed to admit his old man is a jailbird. Shrike plays hardball with Adam, seemingly devoting his life to following him around, pontificating, delivering cryptic words of wisdom, and verbally torturing a man already on the edge. Lonelyhearts marks the screen debut of Maureen Stapleton, the only saving grace in this monochrome soap opera. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 15th Sep 2015		Cinema Dial 1119 (1950) (1950)	Rated 6/10 Unusual entry in the film noir galaxy featuring a young Marshall Thompson (Fiend Without a Face, Daktari) as a cold psychopath with a gun and a bad attitude. After escaping from a mental institution, spared the death penalty by the efforts of an idealistic police shrink, he holes up in a bar with a motley crew of hostages, including a slutty barfly, a newspaper man, a nice girl having a tryst with an older married creep, and a man awaiting a call from the hospital where his wife is having a baby. Other oddities include a bartender named Chuckles, a deployed news team from TV station WKYL (kill?), and possibly the first appearance of a flat-panel big screen TV -- all taking place in Terminal City! Also look for bit-parts from Barbara (Leave It to Beaver) Billingsly and Charles Lane. Oddly enough, André Previn's score is rarely used for dramatic effect, with most scenes left to carry the suspense weight on their own. Also notable is the subplot in which the aforementioned police doctor and the police captain on the scene argue over handling our villain by either brute force or by social means. It's a unique, violent thriller that takes its time getting started, but eventually hooks you in. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Twistin 25th Jul 2015		Cinema Mixed Company (1974) (1974)	Rated 4/10 Marketed as a cute, wacky, wholesome comedy about a Brady Bunch-style family with new mixed racial kids added to the household, Mixed Company should have been called Bad Company. On paper, it's a decent formula for reasonable success, and yet it completely failed to find an audience. Why? Mixed Company is missing a heart. Completely driven by chaos, mean spirits, foul-mouthed kids (who utter goddamn more times than I could keep count), and an array of characters that are impossible to love. Joseph Bologna is the head of the household and coach of the always losing Phoenix Suns basketball team, Barbara Harris is his wife and mother of three who also works for an adoption agency. After the decision to have another child is thwarted by their inability to conceive, they end up adopting a black boy. Ultimately they also take in a Vietnamese girl and Native American Indian boy. Rather than the usual racial gags and slapstick one might expect from this melting pot, the story turns to drama. And even though the script is careful to not fall prey to conventional feel-good platitudes, it replaces heavy-handed with mere heavy. A feel-bad comedy? Terrible idea, particularly with so little comedy. There's a side story about our coach locking horns with his star basketball player, and another bit featuring a somewhat racist neighbor (Happy Days' Tom Bosley); the latter situation is introduced and just abandoned. Neither the writing nor the direction is focused and the end result is a fumbled mess. That would explain why audiences stayed away during its theatrical run as well as on home video. Writer/director Melville Shavelson enjoyed modest success two years prior with the less angry The War Between Men and Women (also featuring Barbara Harris as the wife/mother), as well as the TV series that inspired it, My World and Welcome to It; both titles also feature Lisa Gerritsen, so he likes to stay in familiar company -- including storylines. He's best remembered for the runaway 1968 comedy, Yours, Mine and Ours, which really was the inspiration for The Brady Bunch. Small world. It's a hard-to-find movie and hardly worth the effort. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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