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Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Once upon a disappointment
I'm not a movie critic but I know a good film when I see one, and this wasn't one. Tarantino narrates through a half hour of the movie. Pitt is likely the most overrated actor in film history, or at least in recent history. The picture is, dare I say, poorly put together, coming off almost like a series of skits that just don't flow together smoothly. And for a guy who's been known to write great dialogue, well that was missing here. Is what I say real? "Real as a donut."
Now, let's speak on why I didn't give this mess one star. Margot Robbie, DiCaprio, Margaret Qualley, and a couple others were really good, especially Robbie and Qualley. But all in all this movie is an absolute bust. Sorry.
The Deer Hunter (1978)
A worthy ten
I have given three movies a ten in my life, and this one. The film does just fine with the long run. The scenery, the dialogue, acting, story...10, 10, 10 and 10...
Truly one of the greatest films ever. You can call it a coming of age story, a war movie, a love story, drama, whatever you want. Because it is all of the above and more. Wow, what a treat it was to go to the movies back then.
The Incredible Hulk: A Child in Need (1978)
You won't like Mark's father when he gets mad
As far as 1970's TV goes, this is one of the better Hulk episodes. I can't help but look these people up and see how things turned out. Mark's dad sure looks like Vic Morrow.
Best line of the episode came over the police radio, "This Is An All Points Bulletin.....Suspect Is A Large Muscular Man With Green Skin"....That is also a discription that could well have identified Mark's dad when Louie F came through the dining room wall.
The Alamo (1960)
Old Hollywood at its best & ........
As a child and a young man I nearly worshiped this movie. I am a direct descendent of Davy Crocket on my mother's side, but in 2018 it's almost hard to watch a film's only African American roll tiptoe around, scratching his head in Dumb wonderment at the courage of the great white freedom fighters that are also kind enough to feed him a meal or so a day and hand him down the occasional set of britches. Yeah, I admit that The Alamo is far from the only film of this period to have more Clichés than actors, but man they are nearly laughable at times. The Mexican army riding in to town and roughing up the townsfolk who are.....well, Mexicans. I won't go into them all because for the most part I actually STILL love the film. Really, all things considered, the movie does stay close enough to the actual history that it is also educational. John Wayne is great, as is Widmark, and a teen idol named Frankie Avalon.
The action is very well done with the battle scenes being quite authentic and believable. Some things are over the top, as you would expect, and every other line of dialogue carry's patriotic message, but really what's wrong with that? And quite frankly, all the research I've done on some of the Alamo's defenders tells me that they were more likely to go down fighting and yelling out a love of country than they were to surrender or run.
Be all of that as it may, I still love the picture, and I still highly recommend it to anyone that's in the mood to feel patriotic.
The Devil's Rejects (2005)
A Six For Trying So Darn Hard
Zombie just don't care, and it'd that which seems to give him the gall to just go all out, devil may care. I liked it because it almost feels real. If there were indeed a cast of monsters, including one monstrously smoking hot blond, they may likely look and act just like this. There truly is a sense of realism.
No Questions Asked (1951)
A mostly unpredictable classic case of film noir
And God spoke: I need two people, of all my creations, who will be perfect for the leads in what I will call Film Noir. That's how Barry Sullivan and Jean Hagen were created.
This film is indeed classic, even typical film noir, with the one big difference: It's quite original plot, which twists and turns like a mountain road. Director Harold Kress lays the story out in a crisp and uninsulting manner, expecting us to pick up subtleties and clues without obvious explanations.
I suppose if I have to find issue, I'd say the picture seems to be slightly over edited, coming across at times like a long montage.
All in all, really good movie, and, if you are a film noir nut, maybe even great. Dahl always gives the added obvious bonus of being stunning.
Gerald's Game (2017)
True to the book (not necessarily a good thing)
When I read Gerald's Game I was still suffering from the extremely contagious syndrome known as Kingitis. This was "93" I believe, and Stephen King still ruled the shelves at Barnes and Noble. So when Gerald's Game came out I, like millions of others, rushed off for my copy. I don't remember if it was the first of his books that left me wanting, but it's second half certainly did. Sort of like the Chicago Cubs in 1969. Things just petered out (there's actually a pun there, for which I apologise) on the back end.
And so the film goes. If a great novelist cannot figure out how to keep things exciting with just a single character, then a director is in trouble. This would have made a great 30 minute YouTube short horror film.
The Window (1949)
Rear Window meets The Dead End Kids
I just happened to run across this Gem when I saw my neighbor watching it as I peeked out my tenement rear window. We certainly have a, to say the least, nod to Rear Window, and our young protagonist is no Jimmy Stewart. But this is a real good nail biter. I ran out of fingernails and had to get into downward facing dog to gnaw on my toenails. There's just something about a helpless kid, maybe he's cried wolf in the past, being in adult danger that raises the goose flesh. And even the black and white adds to making this work well. It just feels like post war New York. All in all The Window is another example of why I love Turner Classic Films.