Change Your Image
ddazzo
Reviews
High Risk (1981)
I'll never forget taking a chance on this sleeper featured on a double-bill with some chop-sockey movie!
I absolutely love this film! Whenever I have theatre nachos (which is not often) I think back to 20 years ago when I fell in love with this forgotten gem at the Meridian Quad theatre in San Jose. That's what I ate during the film. They went together perfectly. I had the original one-sheet poster hanging on my wall for awhile. Many people who saw the poster had no idea this film even existed. If it ever comes out on DVD, I'll purchase it. Anthony Quinn was priceless as the bandit Mariano; and Borgnine's one scene is a classic! I recommend it to anyone looking for a genuine diamond-in-the-rough eighties film! Just terrific!
Harold and Maude (1971)
"Give back the head, woman! We'll have no trouble!"
One of the greatest films ever made! Charles Tyner's performance as Uncle Victor is the epitome of how absurd right-wing conservatives truly are. Vivian Pickles should've been nominated for an Oscar for her priceless portrayal of Harold's mother. Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort are perfect as Harold and Maude. You can't help but feel a little sorry for Tom Skerritt's police officer. He just can't win! Possession of a stolen shovel, indeed! Anyone who can't appreciate this film has a boiled turnip for a brain.
Independence Day (1996)
N'Sync, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Benny Hinn....Independence Day!
This country must have the collective intellect of a boiled turnip to praise this piece of filth so highly! Just a bunch of right-wing, jingoistic bull! Rips off every classic movie under the sun! Anybody who likes this film should be ashamed of themselves. Try getting a life and watch films by Akira Kurosawa.
Pastime (1990)
The best film about baseball ever made!
I saw this little gem back in 1991. What a terrific picture! It's a crime that William Russ was not oscar-nominated for his priceless performance. This film says more about the game of baseball than any other that I've seen. Just terrific!
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
a masterpiece despite what most of these idiots are saying
Will go down in history as one of the seminal works of Steven Spielberg. There is much, much more to this film than meets the eye. Probably has the most devastating ending of any of his films. It may look like sap to lobotomized Bladerunner fanatics, but beneath its pretty veneer is a chilling and haunting final note. I won't go into the plot, everyone else has. I can't believe how many putzes misread the ending. It was more Kubrick than any other part of the film. In fact, this was exactly the ending that Kubrick fought for (for 15 years!) I love Kubrick, but the purists are being jerks to Spielberg. Jan Harlan and the rest of Kubrick's family are ecstatic with the way the film turned out. If Stanley were alive he would approve, and he would probably break his usual silence to defend Steven. I'm very picky about movies. I love Kubrick, Kurosawa, Fellini, Bergman, Ozu, Cronenberg, Scorsese, Cocteau, etc., you get the picture. The purists complain about Steven being manipulative. Bull! Compare him the hacks like Roland Emmerich, Boaz Yakin, BRUCKHEIMER-BAY, Dean Devlin, etc. For all you so-called science fiction fans out there, excuse me, but there hasn't been any real good science fiction in the last 20-25 years. That ended on June 29th. You know how you can tell a great film: when no one wants to see it. Case closed!
Mitchell (1975)
Lee Majors: The Declining Years
Could quite possibly be the greatest work of art in the history of the universe. A gem! Classic cinema at its finest! Hitchcock, Kurosawa, Fellini...I could keep going, but what would be the point? The lead performance by Joe Don Baker (of the Alviso Bakers!) rivals the best of Olivier, Brando, Van Damme! Do yourself a favor and watch this film!
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
darwin joston will not be forgotten
I remember seeing ASSAULT uncut on television back in 1982. I was a Carpenter fan before then, but he won my respect for this low-budget classic. How many exploitation films from the seventies are this memorable. It obviously got lost in the double-feature shuffle of gang and biker pictures. I won't go on about the plot. The atmosphere and ingenuity this film shows is the key. I've been a fan of this film for almost twenty years and consider it John Carpenter in his absolute purist form. Everything you need to know about this man's style is in this compact little 90-minute gem. Darwin Joston was very, very memorable to me. Back in 1984, I ventured to look in an L.A. phonebook and found Darwin's phone number. After all, how many people have that name. It had to be him. We had a wonderful discussion about Carpenter and the film. Darwin was shocked that I even knew who he was, let alone that I was a fan. He was witty and warm. I'm saddened to hear of his passing in June, 1998. He deserved better than Hollywood gave him. I'm sure that he had more fans than he realized. I hope his family realizes that. ASSAULT isn't the greatest film ever made, but it is definitely the best use of $100,000 I've ever seen.