robcrawford Reviews

Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976)

rather aimless, but interesting with new actors

[6/10 · 15 May 2017]

This film is a fun evocation of the times, with young bohemian types in lower middle class New York city. The main protagonist is a very sympathetic character, by far the best of the film, an aspiring your actor who is leaving home and dealing with his Jewish mother. You also get the young Christopher Walken, Jeff GOldblum, Ellen Greene, and several others in their earliest roles, so film buffs will love to see them.

Unfortunately, very little happens in the film, in the middle it kind of dragged, for me at least. Some of them get ready for the next stage, most of them don't. Pfft.

I do like this film, indeed I watched it when I was contemplating moving to New York. But it didn't bear a critical re-watching at a more mature age, one of the crucial tests for film classics. I watched it and felt, so what?

The 5th Wave (2016)

completely banal and predictable

[3/10 · 6 February 2017]

This is a boring film, strictly following a formula of the alien takeover.

The acting isn't horrendous, but there is not a jot of originality to it.

I even predicted what the plot twists would be.

My advice: waste your time if you want to, it's just background noise. Otherwise, it's just another one of those monster flicks.

Not recommended. There are far better films.

Wow, the requirement for a least 10 lines of text is hard to meet when there is nothing much to say.

Passion (2012)

off kilter, terribly acted and produced

[2/10 · 17 October 2016]

From the minute this starts, something is just wrong, it simply isn't believable, just really really lousy.

I watched it because I wanted to see what happened, but had guessed the outcome by the end. The characters are supposed to change, switching from seeming good to evil, but it just comes off confusing and ridiculous. There are many unexplained things in it, such as the finding of the phone, sudden appearances of characters, changes in behavior. It's really a terrible mishmash, leaving one of the cheapest, worn out explanations right until the end.

It also looks somehow low budget, like it was made quickly for TV. This is the worst production I have ever seen Rapace in. McAdams is very beautiful and you can almost believe her as a manipulative boss, but she essentially falls short as well. The two of them completely lack chemistry.

Not recommended.

The Missionary Position (2014)

curve balls that life just kinda sends ya

[8/10 · 12 November 2015]

OK, this is an indie production, minimal budget, unknown actors. That being said, I found it intelligent, sexy, and funny.

A mysterious and strikingly beautiful girl appears on the streets of Toronto, passing out Evangelical leaflets. After a series of circumstances, she lands a job in a cinema and gets involved with the people there. It gets out of control, but she finds her center in a way, and you learn her story. In the process, she helps a sympathetic youth and still gets in trouble.

What I enjoyed so much was that the film took me out of myself for a moment, I remembered my youth and felt free while watching it.

Recommended warmly. The director writer may really have some talent.

The Beans of Egypt, Maine (1994)

quirky but touching

[8/10 · 8 November 2015]

This is a really good indie film, about a chaotic family that lives across the street from a rigid fundamentalist and his innocent daughter. The daughter watches them, wonders whether she should become part of them.

The plot in many ways is extremely banal, but the acting and the unusual dialogue make this a good film, an interesting character study. Martha Plimpton is beautiful yet plain, kind of blundering along in life. Kelly Lynch is beautiful yet not together, looking for something better. Rutger Hauer is a strong character, the absent head of the sprawling family.

What happen at turns funny and sad. I loved it.

Recommended warmly.

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: The Magic Shop (1964) Season 2, Episode 13

nightmarishly terrifying

[10/10 · 21 March 2015]

I have thought about this episode for the last 50 years, wondering what it meant and what would have happened to the boy. This is perhaps the most frightening TV drama I saw as a child. I remember it vividly, something to recall whilst feverish or at that paralyzed state just before waking. It is terrifying on a level that basic for me.

***Mild spoiler warning.*** I think what scared me so much was that the child escaped the control of his family, became a malevolent force in his own right as his parents watched on. The acting is very good. Also, much of it goes unexplained, which is a treat for the imagination.

Warmly recommended. I think it deserves it reputation as a classic, the best of Hitchcock presents. I bought the season (2) just for this episode and while the rest is OK, this is great.