JOHNBATES-1 Reviews

X, Y & Zee (1972)

Virginia Woolf visits the Thames River

[12 November 2003]

... but without Edward Ablee's Pulitzer Prize winning touch. Taylor is firing on all eight cylinders again, as she did against Burton's George. This time 'George' is a remote, self-centered, enterprising individual and often on mute control around his tiger wife.

You quickly get a belly full of Taylor's ranting and antics - but there are real performance gems strewn around. And you wonder why in the world York's character with her quiet temperament and lifestyle would risk getting consumed alive by two battling idiots. If it was for the excitement, a crash landing was her sad reward.

Nevertheless, this forgotten film is worth watching just to see the three talented principals on the same set together go through their paces.

Hammersmith Is Out (1972)

Unfortunately Mr.'Hammersmith' is out to lunch

[6/10 · 3 November 2003]

Certainly with a cast of this caliber, you expect much, much more. Maybe the problem is with the uninspired directing, awkward screenplay, thin story line and some very choppy editing. Maybe all the money was spent on the stars' salaries giving it a low, low production budget feel. Maybe Burton and Taylor should have quit acting together after 'Virginia Woolf.' But something sure went wrong with this project.

The cassette version I watched recently was just under 102 minutes of running time, but the cassette itself was labeled 108 minutes. Makes you wonder what was left out. I saw this film when it originally played in 1972 and could see no differences between that version and the cassette. So who knows what went on here. Maybe it was just meant to be a quickie, 'What the hell. Let's make it anyway.' turkey.

Alphaville (1965)

Set design was not a factor here

[16 September 2003]

While a galactic super agent named Lemmy Caution is moving about like a mouse in a puzzling maze, we are treated to dialogue based on yet another dreary, circuitous stab at intellectualizing existence.

Part of this is delivered from a master computer brain issuing various malign pronouncements and conducting interrogations in a voice that sounds like having a conversation with the drain in your kitchen sink. Actually, it's a wonderful touch.

As low buck as this movie is, it's beatnik crafting stays with you.

The April Fools (1969)

Lemmon plays a square peg in a round hole

[10 September 2003]

You have to watch this one a few times to get its rhythm. If you don't, you'll miss some gems. Jack Lemmon plays a man who finds himself disconnected from the world. No one wants to listen to him – his wife, son, boss, lawyer friend, even the family dog.

The movie lacks punch. And one reason is the real absence of romantic chemistry between Lemmon and Deneuve. Jack Lemmon, as an actor, needs a lively romantic love interest to better match his manic style. Deneuve comes off as beautiful, wooden and lethargic. But Lemmon's acting power is undeniable. So again we're treated to the brilliant, sad clown.

Harvey Korman and Jack Weston serve up a hilarious train ride and domestic scene. Charles Boyer's energy and wonderful voice entertain. Sally Kellerman does well epitomizing the Lemmon character's plight.

It's a late Sixties period piece and manages to capture some of that.

Salem's Lot (1979)

This kind of stuff is fun

[8/10 · 26 August 2003]

Engrossing, effective, lightweight adaptation of King's excellent novel. To avoid some disappointment, read the book after the movie, not before.

Besides the wonderful job done by the cast, much of the movie's success can also be attributed to the believable and intelligent dialogue between the characters.

One puzzling plot hole: Knowing full well that they had to get to their prey before dusk, why did the hero and the doctor wait until so late into the day? Wide-awake vampire slayers go into action at the crack of dawn, don't they, unless they are in the land of the midnight sun? Or it's convenient for plot development.

And how about that door on the Jeep. Was that an intentional running gag?

For a television movie this will stand up well over time and already has.

Meet the Parents (2000)

Worth the Price of Admission

[4 August 2003]

Not a big De Niro or Stiller fan. But you have to laugh at this one. Here's this guy with this pure, burning love for this girl. Then he gets to spend a weekend with her parents - and walks into a minefield. Fun stuff.

Nice to see that Robert De Niro isn't just about murder and mayhem.

Groom Lake (2002)

Gasp!!

[15 July 2003]

You know you have to wonder what's going on with Bill Shatner. He's a talented actor with a beautiful speaking voice, capable of superior performances.

But some of the stuff he is involved in makes you want to shake your head. And this stuff isn't off-the-wall good. It's off-the-wall poor. Poorly made, poorly paced, poorly edited, poorly written, etc. It's as if he is someone who is not quite in touch with himself; and it shows in the projects and people with which he gets associated.

And now we have 'Groom Lake'. It wouldn't make you winch so hard, if it hadn't also been written and directed by Shatner. The logicalness and continuity is uncomfortably close to what you'd expect from an Ed Wood-level production.

Here's this bonehead boyfriend risking life and limb roaring up a treacherous hillside with his dying girlfriend, all the time assuring her that it'll be all right. Well, it's not all right, Mr. Genius. Their vehicle overturns and rolls completely down the hill. And this is only one part of a heavily fragmented, unsupported story line. The negative comments could go on.

For the record this viewer would like to be a full-time fan of Shatner. But, Bill, somehow you just aren't getting the job done. You are capable of a much more brilliant body of work.

Homegrown (1998)

Smart, sharp little film

[9 July 2003]

Kinda like an independent flick but with some money and production behind it.

Really puts the viewer in the deep woods (literally) with three ner'do'well pot growers, as their aimless world is suddenly blown apart. Thornton's cool-headed character manages to contain the panic and steer their efforts into capitalizing on the situation. But boneheads being boneheads, the ball manages to get fumbled.

Jon Bon Jovi's small role was smoothly done. Billy Bob Thornton – ever since ‘Trouble Bound' this commenter felt that here was a solid, off-beat talent waiting to happen.

Overall, well cast with good location filming. Captures the spirit of the thing.

In Cold Blood (1967)

Side note about the killer, Perry

[2 July 2003]

In 1949 my father built a roadhouse (combination restaurant, bar and sleeping cabins) next to the Mendeltna River at mile 153 on the Glenn Highway east of Anchorage, Alaska. Perry Smith and his father's place (mentioned in the movie) was some miles further east. They called it ‘At-Last-A-House', a play on the word Alaska. It wasn't much more than a large shack.

Alaska was still a territory then. And a person could homestead a chunk of property for free just by building a simple dwelling on it.

In the early Fifties Perry and his dad on occasion would visit my parent's lodge for something to eat or for gas. There are really no specific memories of them other than that Perry was a skinny, quiet, non-descript boy and that their hunting lodge never did much business

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

A talky, morality tale with a twist of mystery

[30 June 2003]

Morality-theme driven films are dependent on writing and dialog delivery, as the plot isn't there for support. In this case a good part of the writing and cast measure up. The best work is done by Tracy and Ryan. Their lines are tight and concise and fun to follow, with the really interesting scenes being between them. Brennan's usually first rate work comes off a bit loopy and soapboxish. Borgnine's lines are over the top.

These are minor criticisms. The viewer is easily pulled in as we slowly learn what is going on and how things are going to be resolved. For 1955 this film impressed its audience and garnered three Academy Award nominations. A Tracy performance, with its solid power, is timeless and memorable - and so blesses 'Bad Day at Black Rock' with a kind of immortality.

The Satan Bug (1965)

Filming Location?

[23 June 2003]

A reference is made in the movie to Palmdale (north of Los Angeles) and this might be where the exterior views of the 'lab' were filmed. But many of the other scenes remind this commenter of the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area (east of the LA basin) in the Sixties before the influx of heavy population and housing. The beautiful purple mountains, the wide open peaceful vistas, the empty roads stretching off into the distance.

It's just a guess. Parts of Arizona could also have been involved. But that trailer park where the bad guy lives looks very much like one that's located near the base of the mountain on the back road out of Palm Desert (Hwy 111?).

Fun movie to watch for the scenery alone.

Too bad Ann Francis is once again only window dressing. She's capable, as many beautiful actresses are, of more. At least she gets to give one of the villains some grief.

Alphaville (1965)

HAL 9000's Uncle

[9 June 2003]

This commenter stumbled across 'Alphaville' while blindly channel surfing. Being new to Jean-Luc Godard, Eddy Constantine and knowing little French, it took some time playing catch-up to figure out the drift of this low budget, 'sci-fi' effort. But it was an interesting initiation.

It's fun and a bit difficult to try and peg the year these older, non-US films were made. Judging by the early Dodge Dart that Caution's driving, Anna Karina's hair style and the computer hardware shown, it looked roughly mid Sixties. Turns out to be 1965.

The master brain's slow, syrupy, croaking voice gave a nice, baleful, individual touch. (Perhaps the progenitor of future vocal, cinema cpu's?) Not to mention making it easier to follow the spoken French for the unpracticed.

A Perfect Murder (1998)

The kitchen telephone??!!

[15 May 2003]

Undoubtedly in the previous 110 comments posted here the matter of the telephone has been mentioned. Why in the world would the writers expect us to believe that the wife would get out of her comfortable, relaxing bath and trek all the way into the kitchen to answer the telephone? In a home like that there would be scads of phones everywhere - especially in the bathrooms and especially as we've already seen the main characters grabbing their cordless/cell phones right and left. I've only seen the edited tv version. So maybe something explanatory was removed.

Otherwise this is a very decent suspense film. Admittedly a different level and caliber of acting and directing than the original. But the chemistry between the three principles seemed appropriate for this version. Douglas with his look, voice and mannerisms is always fun to watch.

Marnie (1964)

The story line

[9 May 2003]

The story line, in terms of believability and execution, is reminiscent of movies made during the 30's and 40's. One gets the feeling that Hitchcock never really got a handle on this particular project - never was quite able to bring it all into line. However, 'Marnie' still has his tightly scrutinized feel - which is always vastly enjoyable to watch - as well as his tendency to de-emphasize the characters to bring out the story.

Though Connery is a bit of a fish out of water here, his presence lends credibility, energy and substance without stealing the show. By the way, it takes a tall man (Alan Napier) to make Sean Connery look short.

This is a movie that despite some flaws intrigues you. And in that sense it's a success.

Absence of Malice (1981)

Interesting, entertaining

[6 May 2003]

This movie needed the punch of an actor of Sally Field's capabilities to keep it from being another newspaper drama story. Paul Newman, legendary and glamorous, just isn't able to let an audience into his characters. As hard as he works at it, there's a cynical quality that makes the result almost always lack power. And this happens here.

There is good support from the rest of the cast. The plot leaves it up to Brimley to do his by now patented 'Listen up! Here's how it's going to be!' routine to finally get the entire mess squared away.

If they gave Oscars for singular scene performances in films, the scene between Field and Newman in the warehouse would definitely have been a contender. The feelings conveyed cut right through you. Again, mainly due to the talent of Sally Field.

Where Does It Hurt? (1972)

Where Do Some Movies Go?

[18 April 2003]

A number of interesting off-the-wall 1970's movies just disappeared - and not because they were poorly made or acted. 'Where Does It Hurt?' is one of them. It's almost as impossible to find as 'Hammersmith Is Out' with Burton and Taylor, another early '70's flick.

These are not great movies. But they have reputable actors/directors and are certainly watchable. And they're nowhere near as gross and crude or violent as many present day efforts. Big mystery.

Blood Simple (1984)

A+

[9/10 · 28 March 2003]

A diamond in the rough. A steadily paced human nature story - basic, accessible, unpolished. Captured succinctly, effectively. Realistically off-beat. A wilderness setting, up-close shots tightly focusing the doomed characters. Little of the kookiness that would characterize later Coen films.

Move Over, Darling (1963)

Real laughs

[3 March 2003]

If only some comedies were tightened up and shortened a bit, they would be laugh riots from start to finish. 'Move Over, Darling' has that potential. Day and Garner are first rate comedic talents and come off very well together. The movie's pace is usually snappy; there's some great comedic support from the supporting cast. And the storyline is hilarious.

But the film tends too often to slow down and linger. And suffers from being ten to fifteen minutes overly long. Regardless, though, there are many wonderfully funny scenes to enjoy.

The Sandpiper (1965)

Oddly one-dimensional, lackluster

[28 February 2003]

Odd because of the caliber of the leading actors and their director. Perhaps it's the caliber of some of the other actors or their one-dimensional roles that flatten this film. Perhaps it's that Burton and Taylor once again come off as tired and unenthusiastic with their roles.

But also once again a rich seaside setting, particularly the inspiring and forbidding Big Sur area, helps save part of the day. Unfortunately the film is no match.

The Hand (1981)

Stone tries his 'hand' at horror

[30 January 2003]

An early Oliver Stone directed film. The Hand does well with atmospheric settings, an essential part of any horror story. There's the beautiful country lakeside home, a New York loft and a rain drenched Northern California town.

The horror level won't blow you out of the room however. It's more of a story of dark, suspicious moods and egos presented with intelligent scripted dialogue by a first rate cast. Mara Hobel, playing the young daughter, even does well with little furtive glances, dead pan stares and pert smiles.

A master touch is the final scene between a thoroughly exhausted and shattered Caine and the Viveca Lindfors 'there are no such things as ghosts' psychiatrist. The final freeze frame of Caine rising up with a look of gloating madness is brilliant.

Jimi Plays Berkeley (1971)

Last Chance to see Jimi

[24 January 2003]

I had a chance to see this concert. I was serving out my hitch as a US Army draftee at Fort Ord (a few hours south of Berkeley). A fellow Army friend with tickets, knowing I was a Hendrix fan and had never seen him perform, invited me to the Berkeley concert. Since I was scheduled for duty that night, I had to decline. But figured no problem, I'll catch Jimi another time.

The Berkeley concert was in May, I believe. Four months later I walked into the office and someone said, "Hey, did you hear? Jimi Hendrix died."

Taken (2002)

Birth of Supergirl

[12 December 2002]

This viewer was hoping that 'Taken' wouldn't add up to another messianic-human-with-incredible-gifts story. But it did.

It was however nice to see new faces in the cast, some doing very effective work. And there were a number of intriguing and wonderfully made sequences, special effects and plot devices.

There's a Girl in My Soup (1970)

The gems....

[25 September 2002]

The gems in this weak comedy are the performances of John Comer and Diana Dors as a disillusioned, resigned married couple. Some real chemistry and laughs there. The movie would have benefited enormously with more of their scenes.

Rock Baby - Rock It (1957)

Hoo Boy!

[19 September 2002]

This should have been titled "Rockin' in Dallas in '57" because the attempt at a story line and acting was pointless and a waste of film footage. Local rock and roll acts are showcased for the majority of the movie. And that's what it should have been - a low budget documentary of the music and dancing of the time and place.

By the standards of those days the groups featured were probably fairly good. So it's interesting to watch in that regard.

One character in the 'plot' had a nose that looked so broken he probably couldn't breathe through it. In fact part of the cast appears to have been drawn from the local boxing or wrestling gym. There are some moments of genuine laughter, though, as when one of the 'bad' guys is made to dance rock and roll style.

China Moon (1994)

Body Heat Knock-off with a Twist

[16 September 2002]

Doesn't have the flow, suspense and 'takes you there' quality of Body Heat. Harris works too hard. Stowe isn't given much to do except look nervous and beautiful. Del Toro, showing some evidence of his coming star power camera presence, is largely unused.