abner2665 Reviews

A Summer Story (1988)

True Love Can Be Simple

[10/10 · 31 May 2012]

A Summer Story opens with the year of 1922, after the first world war, but quickly goes back to 1902, the year of "The Gilded Age."

Two young men, on a journey, are setting across Somerset, when one injures his foot while trying to jump a gate. The two find a young girl, who leads them to a place where they can stay. The tranquil setting is too boring for one of the two young men, so he leaves, while his friend, with the injured foot stays on.

A romance begins to start with the girl. The only problem is, the home owner's son also has feelings for her.

This movie has great photography, one of the finest soundtracks by well known film composer Georges Delurues, and a very enduring love story.

The landscape settings are unequaled. The only fault I would have for this film is that it has not been remastered for release on DVD. Don't Be Fooled!!!! The DVD that is available is a simple transfer from a VHS tape! This movie deserves a good transfer to DVD and Blue-Ray.

You might find it interesting to know that the soundtrack album is worth anywhere from $200 to $250, as it was released for a very short time in 1988 by Virgin Records, and because of the quality of the music, considered Delurues' finest, is in high demand.

The film has not been shown on the premium channels (HBO, Cinemax, Showtime or Starz) since 1991. It is long due for a repeat presentation.

If you get the opportunity to watch this movie, do it! I don't think you will be disappointed. The running time is 97 minutes. It was released in 1988.

I hope the distributors for this movie will see this review and get the hint and make a proper transfer to DVD and Blue-Ray. "A Summer Story" deserves nothing less.

Skyscraper (1959)

Documentary

[8/10 · 6 June 2005]

This short 20 minute film is an excellent and entertaining documentary of the building of a skyscraper in New York City. Of particular interest is the Roxy Theater which is visible in the background. This documentary was mostly filmed in black-and-white and has an interesting jazz soundtrack. During the last five minutes, it switches to color with very entertaining special effects and a nice jazz song "My Manhatten." Hopefully, this film will one day appear on DVD. It is worth watching, but right now the only way is with a 16mm sound projector. This film won an Academy Award in 1959 for best documentary on a short subject. I have seen it many times during the days the library loaned 16mm films.

A Fool and His Money (1989)

An advertising executive gets fired from his job and designs a clever way to "get rich quick."

[1/10 · 16 January 2005]

This movie is recommended for those who have insomnia's - otherwise don't waste your time. The plot outline on the cover is much better than the actual movie which is terrible. Listening to an oratory by a parakeet would be more exciting than this terrible movie!

The transfer quality of the DVD is also bad. There is a lot of distortion on the sound which makes it hard to understand what is being said. The color timing shifts with the advancing frames. Together with a poor plot, the acting is bad, which is surprising considering some of the actors used in the movie. Although it is sold as a "budget movie," even the low price to pay is not worth buying this movie...if some of you insist on seeing "A Fool and His Money," look for it in the television listings. And, have a "pocket" video game or something to help with the boredom!

Can't Be Heaven (1999)

Good film, poor transfer!

[23 July 2001]

"Forever Together" is a good coming-of-age film which does a good job of showing "first loves" at such young ages. However the film transfer has much to be desired. The sound is terrible, being much too brilliant because the theatrical equalization was not removed and viewers will probably find the high frequencies are way too bright. It appears the same master tape was used for both VHS and DVD. The picture quality is average and I suspect that grainy film stock was used in the making of the movie. None of the transfer defects take away the story contents, but the movie would be a lot more enjoyable with a good quality picture and sound transfer.

The Lotus Eaters (1993)

Excellent Film

[12 September 1999]

This nostalgic film, set in the mid-1960's has a good story line involving a teenage daughter, a pre-teen daughter hooked on witchcraft, and a father, a principal at the school, who becomes involved with the young teacher. Set in a small town in Canada, the setting is beautiful and the story will keep your attention. The only weak area of this movie is its distribution, which is virtually unavailable on VHS, laserdisc or DVD. Too bad........this is one "must have" movie!