Reviews

Very easy role for Joe Morton, mute role, he didn't have to learn any lines, just nod his head from time to time and point with his thumb as if he's coming from somewhere above in the sky, when he's asked where he's from. The movie is not bad, it's pleasant to watch, although not much happens. I wanted to laugh, I tried but I couldn't. The first film made by John Sayles that I saw. He is also an actor, playing one of the two tall men dressed in black who are looking for Joe Morton's character all over New York. Although I didn't manage to laugh, I admit, there are several funny scenes, someone else could laugh copiously.

Joseph Cotten and George Sanders are not bad actors, but they both belong to the category of actors, so many, who are always, in every movie, the same ones, practically playing themselves. And, in this film, they are no exception, the same Joseph Cotten and George Sanders, but with different character names, Victor Barbicane and Stuyvesant Nicholl. The film, an adaptation of Jules Verne, is not bad, but not extraordinary either. Lots of talk, little action. The first half of the film is a bit hard to swallow. Only after the main characters leave the Earth in the rocket to the Moon, the film becomes more interesting.

I simply love Walter Matthau, he is one of the best actors of all time and together with Gian Maria Volontè, Marlon Brando and a few others, a great favorite of mine. But, this movie is not his best movie. His best movie is "Charley Varrick". This "Hopscotch" is a bit boring, nothing much happens until the 53rd minute. Too many repeated scenes in which Matthau types the manuscript for the bomb book on his typewriter, listening to Mozart. Don't get me wrong, I also love Mozart, very much. And I was once very active with a typewriter myself. But after the 53rd minute, things change, the exciting action begins, the suspense and the unexpected begin, the film becomes truly captivating. I will not say more in this regard. Glenda Jackson is delicious in a not very big role, Herbert Lom, likewise, delicious and not a very big role. Despite the lengths of the first hour of the film, it is absolutely worth seeing.

The most practical way to write a review is to write it right when you see the movie. At least for someone like me, who used to watch 5-6 movies a day. When you have something to write, you stop the movie and write. Let's see if I can find something good to write before I finish watching this movie. For the time being, after the first quarter of an hour, nothing happened, Riz Ortolani's music is totally inappropriate to what is seen on the screen, and the much adored Rossana Podestà is not at all an extraordinary beauty, with a bowl cut hair, as in other films in which I saw her, she's really ridiculous, ok, it was a fashion in the 60s. But she doesn't excel as an actress either. At the end of the first part, not much happened, except that the character played by Rossana already cheated on her husband played by Philippe Leroy, with the character played by Keir Dullea, an annoying character. Good things: it's interesting to alternate the scenes with Leroy with those with Dullea and the town where Dullea takes Rossana is beautiful, picturesque. The last half hour and the desire for the film to end as soon as possible is getting stronger. Those who are not obsessed with the movie like me, will not resist to see it in whole. The title is very appropriate because almost nothing happens.

The story is very predictable but everything is well done so 74 minutes pass very quickly. Especially since there are some very good actors, all of them, Märta Torén, Howard Duff, Philip Friend, Robert Douglas, Philip Dorn, Walter Slezak, Otto Waldis, etc. Plus, no joke, there are also two dogs that play the role of followers very well. And, even better, two black panthers (if they really exist...), who actually perfectly play their roles to be hunted by everyone, people, all the characters, and the two dogs. I don't know how they managed to film those scenes with the panthers. And, all in the picturesque setting of the mountains of Switzerland.

Gregory Peck, at 54 years old, the man, the actor, not the character, falls head over heels in love with Tuesday Weld, who is 27 years old, she, the actress, not the character. So, the difference is 27 years, which is also seen in the film, the age of the characters, he can very well be her father. I, for one, I know the feeling perfectly, I experienced it personally, even with a bigger age difference. In the end, everything ends badly, it can't last. The story is very simple in the film, the actors all play well, Estelle Parsons, Charles Durning, Ralph Meeker, and the beautiful music of Johnny Cash enriches the image. It's not John Frankenheimer's best film, but it's absolutely worth seeing.

Another Japanese film from the 50s with the famous tandem of Toshiro Mifune and Akira Kurosawa, Akira Kurosawa here being only one of the screenwriters. Toshiro Mifune, as in many other famous films of his, is, what else could he be, than a samurai, a very good samurai. Two women fall in love with him and, it is not very clear, if he is also equally in love with both, with the same intensity, he being more of a dreamer, who dreams of "flying from the top of the highest mountains like a bird". The two female beauties are Shirley Yamaguchi in the role of Oryo (as Yoshiko Yamaguchi) and Shinobu Asaji in the role of Kano. Hiroshi Inagaki, the director, made a film similar to the samurai productions of Akira Korosawa or Masaki Kobayashi.

To see the most famous Japanese actor, Toshiro Mifune, without a mustache, with short hair and not as usual in the role of a samurai, is a rarer and more special thing. International star in fact, thanks to films such as "Grand Prix" (1966), "Hell in the Pacific" (1968), "The Red Sun" (1971), "Paper Tiger" (1975), "Battle of Midway" ( 1976), "Winter Kills" (1979), "1941" (1979), "Shogun", "Inchon", here in "The Idiot", made in 1951, he is very young and not very convincing in the character of Denkichi Akama. In fact, all the actors have an exaggerated, unconvincing performance, especially Masayuki Mori, the interpreter of the titular character, Kinji Kameda, the one with whom two women fall in love, because he has a pure soul, like an angel. The two main female characters are much more convincing, played by two beautiful Japanese actresses, Setsuko Hara and Yoshiko Kuga. Yoshiko Kuga, in the role of Ayako, is the most natural and believable and the only one still alive now in March 2024 when I write this review. The film, which I cannot say is a masterpiece, is very long, but worth watching. What I like most about Kurosawa is the fact that he uses music almost all the time throughout the film and that he is an absolute master in creating the atmosphere. As I wrote in the title of the review, it is obvious to me that Kurosawa worked hard to create another masterpiece, the producers sabotaged him, they massively cut him from the film, what remained is just an experiment.

The film is full of flaws: 1)Henry digs a hole in his front yard to plant his Chinaberry tree, but he leaves the sapling inside the carrying can when placing it in the ground. This will prevent it from growing any larger, and quite possibly die. 2) When Henry is on stage he sings almost everywhere but into the microphone, yet the volume of his voice never drops. 3) At 1:36:29 as Slim is putting Georgette and the child in his car, a crew member's reflection is visible in the right rear window. 4) At 5.34 when the man is seen waiting for the bus at the beginning of the movie, he is shown wearing light colored clothes and holding a dark jacket. When he gets on the bus and walks past the women, he is wearing dark clothes and carrying a light colored jacket. 5) At 36.37 when Henry and Georgette are seen in bed together, in the first shot, George is on the left side of the bed, and Georgette on the right. When he's shown having his nightmare, Henry is now on the right side. And there are more. But these are smaller errors or mistakes. I consider it a bigger error that it's not said why Henry was in prison, for what crime. Then, if Miss Kate Dawson is the judgmental woman who raised Henry, why don't they live together in her house? It's not at all clear why Henry is trying to dig her up, is he hoping to find some valuable jewels buried with her, some treasure? And, is this a crime so terrible as to send him back to prison? Absurd!

I never liked Steve McQueen, I didn't consider him "ultra-cool", nor "the world's most popular actor", nor "an icon of the popular culture", nor even a great actor. He is pathetic in almost all his movies, especially in the catastrophe called "The Blob". In all the films he has long moments where he just stares blankly, unconvincingly. Like in this movie. Seeing him pretending to sing (he's dubbed) is downright embarrassing. Everything about him was just the fame he got from the commercial. The real sacred monsters in "The Magnificent Seven", his most famous film, are Yul Brynner and Eli Wallach. And in "Bullitt", the one who "steals the movie" is Bill Hickman, in the role of Phil - Hitman's Driver. Seeing Lee Remick in the cast, I thought I would see a strong drama, something like "Days of Wine and Roses", especially as the director is Robert Mulligan, who made "To Kill a Mockingbird": big disappointment, the film is just a long boredom. You have to have the patience of steel to see the whole movie. One star for Kimberly Block playing Margaret Rose, her only film (probably because this one was so dumb?)

Two of my very dear actors, Sean Connery and Adolfo Celi, after the extraordinary "Thunderball", reunited in "The Next Man". But, unfortunately, Adolfo Celi only has one line, after which he is killed at the beginning of the film and we don't see him again. After she takes off her panties, a sign that she will make love to him, Cornelia Sharpe does something completely different, as you will see in the movie. Someone wrote on YouTube where I saw the film that it is "an explosive action film". It is not explosive at all, not in the action sense. There are 4 explosions at the end, some bombs placed in diplomatic briefcases explode, but the rest of the movie is just boring chatter. Except for the assassination attempt on the island and the coup de grace given at the very end in the car. What I don't understand is how a woman (Cornelia Sharpe's character) can make love to a man (Sean Connery's character) and then kill him. I think she came to love him in turn, but for a lot of money, you do anything. Sharpe, in Romanian, means snake.

So the Russians jammed the communication of the pilots of the plane carrying the hydrogen bombs without taking into account that they are thus putting themselves in a self-destructive situation? This is the only flaw I find in the film, otherwise, everything is extraordinary, especially the tension that Sidney Lumet knows how to create. Then the work with the actors is super special and we have some really spectacular performances: Henry Fonda, Larry Hagman, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Frank Overton, Dan O'Herlihy, even Dom DeLuise, very young and in a small role . This "Fail-Safe", together with Kubrick's film in which Peter Sellers has a triple role (true cinephiles know which film I am referring to) are the masterpieces of the genre.

Luckily it's short, only one hour and 6 minutes! Because if you have the patience to see it, you will face some stupid characters, engaged in an equally stupid scenario. OK, let's say it's an adventure somewhere near an island somewhere in the Philippines. A few men who think with their feet, because they don't show that they have normal brains, are also manipulated by an idiot, who is also a criminal. Two of the men die very quickly and easily in this hour and 6 minutes, being victims firstly of their own stupidity and secondly due to the intrigues woven by the criminal Edward Stuart Godfrey, played unconvincingly by John Farrow. And the other characters are also played by second-hand actors, totally unrealistic and non-credible. There is also a blonde beauty, not who knows what beauty, Joanne Godfrey, played by Nan Adams. OK, to conclude, if you read the own statement of the actor Jon Hall, the interpreter of the Dave Courtney character, you get a clear impression of his professional level, valid for the entire cast: "I never liked acting. I don't like to be told what to do and what to say and how to say it. I'm grateful to it as it provided me with the money to do other things such as I'm into now, but as a profession, it's a bore." It's the first film directed by Charles B. Griffith. It would have been better not to have made this film! Zero stars!

The movie is great! And those who make it superb are, first of all, Michael Hordern, an extraordinary actor, whom I have admired in many other films, and Elizabeth Taylor, who, at 35, looks splendid. I confess that I was in love with her when I first saw the film, when I was about 9 years old, in 1967. Since then, I have seen the film several times. The most beautiful scene is when Baptista (Michael Hordern) knocks on the door of Katharina (Liz Taylor) to go to the wedding and she comes out changed, only smiles and goodwill. Then, the scene in the church is super cool, with the priests scared by the presence of Katharina, whom Petruchio closes her mouth with a kiss. Then the road to Petruchio's house, when Katharina falls into a puddle of mud. Then the scene when Petruchio at the table says an endless prayer and then throws all the food on the floor, leaving the tearful Katharina starving. I conclude by saying that Richard Burton is also amazing, and the music of the film, signed by Nino Rota, is wonderful. Together with "Jesus of Nazareth" and "Romeo and Juliet", "The Taming of the Shrew" are Franco Zeffirelli's best films, his golden trilogy.

Mike Nichols was an exceptional director, he made several masterpieces such as "The Graduate", "Carnal Knowledge", "Catch-22", "The Day of the Dolphin", "Silkwood", etc., creating great roles for exceptional actors such as Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Jack Nicholson, Ann-Margret, Candice Bergen, Alan Arkin, Martin Balsam, George C. Scott, Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, etc. This "What Planet Are You From?" is a light comedy in which we see other acting performances, first of all Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley, then John Goodman, Greg Kinnear, Linda Fiorentino and Richard Jenkins. Garry Shandling, who is also the co-author of the script, the protagonist of the film, seems to me not only unsuitable for the role and for the film, but even for the profession of an actor. There is also a Harmony Smith in distribution, which has a more than harmonious ass. Not to mention Linda Fiorentino's ass: top quality! If the film has some boring lengths, it is worth seeing only because of these two beauties, who would have deserved more consistent roles... But as Shandling was also the co-author of the script and one of the film's producers, he allocated his the most screen time.

I saw "Morgiana" on February 24, 2024 on YouTube, I didn't have money to see it at the cinema in 1972 in communist Romania, when I was only 13 years old. The director Juraj Herz was also an actor and in a picture from another of his films, looks exactly like Peter Sellers, as if they were twin brothers. Back to "Morgiana" (which is the name of a cat), what I saw on YouTube was mostly a completely black image, from which you could not understand anything, you could only hear the dialogue. Was it like this, a complete black screen, on Juraj Herz's intention? I kind of doubt it. I won't narrate the film, I'll just say this much: a few shots are filmed from the cat's point of view, which I consider original. Then, the double interpretation of the actress Iva Janzurová, is a remarkable performance. A much better film made by Juraj Herz, in fact, his absolute masterpiece, is "The Cremator" Original title: Spalovac mrtvol from 1969. As an actor, Juraj Herz had a small role in a comedy that enchanted my childhood "Lemonade Joe" Original title: Limonádový Joe aneb Konská opera 1964.

Ken Russell, "the English Federico Fellini", was and remains a genius. What a movie, what a mixture of the great music of the super band The Who and a super cast made of Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Eric Clapton, Robert "Jesus Christ" Powell, Jack Nicholson, Elton John, Tina Turner, everything directed by the true wizard which was Ken Russell.

There are many cool scenes in the movie, but the coolest is the one in the church where everyone worships Marilyn Monroe. And Ann-Margret's ass is the most valuable thing in the whole movie, she was 34 years old then, I wonder how she would be now at 83...

I like Polish films, I've seen a lot, all of Andrzej Wajda's films, all of Polanski's, some of Jerzy Skolimowski's, some of Andrzej Zulawski's, some of Krzysztof Kieslowski's, some of Krzysztof Zanussi's, etc. They are not easy to digest, just as this "O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization" is not (the meaning of "O-Bi, O-Ba" is not clear at all). It is the first film made by director Piotr Szulkin that I have seen. I saw Jerzy Stuhr in the very special "Sexmission" (1984) and in "A Year of the Quiet Sun" (1984). I saw the beautiful Krystyna Janda in "Man of Iron" (1981), "Mephisto" (1981), "The Conductor" (1980), "Man of Marble" (1977). Another well-known name is Leon Niemczyk, probably the most prolific Polish actor of all time (325 films) seen by me in many, the most famous being "Knife in the Water" (1962). OK, about the movie now: I'm not going to narrate it like many do. I'll just say that it's worth seeing, even though it's just talk in a closed space, an underground bunker (where, strange situation, after the nuclear war, there is electricity, there are neon lights everywhere). The fact that it is filmed a lot in motion by the talented Witold Sobocinski, mitigates the phenomenon of claustrophobia.

Until the 53rd minute, nothing happens, just talk after talk after talk. It's true, in the very first minute we see how the hand of an explorer who disturbed the peace of the Egyptian mummies is cut off. But, after the 53rd minute, the mummy transported in a sarcophagus from Egypt to England, comes back to life and starts killing. Everything is total idiocy and all you want is for the movie to end as quickly as possible. We cannot speak of acting performances, all the actors are victims of a lazy script. The only thing that is quite successful is the way the mummy looks, out of all the movies with mummies I've seen, it looks the most convincing, the person responsible for the costume did a very good job.

I knew about the existence of this movie since I was a child, but I only saw it now in 2024. It seems that Luis Aguilar, the protagonist, was a very popular Mexican actor. Anyway, he played in a lot of movies. This Mexican Clark Gable plays deserter-turned-bandit Juan Robreño (Pies de gato). Next to him, the Mexican actress Rita Macedo. The film is a mixture of comedy and melodrama, sprinkled with some songs performed by Luis Aguilar himself, who was also a singer. The film is the story of a band of merry bandits, whose deeds are more entertaining than despicable, and it seems to have been a big hit in Mexico, thanks to the popularity of Aguilar and his lead actress, Rita Macedo, who plays his girlfriend in the film, Mariana del Sauz. The events take place in the different social strata of the time, sketching portraits of counts, marquises, potentates, soldiers, artisans, merchants, Indians, clerics, thieves.

All the actors, some big names, from this film are dead: Arletty, Gilbert Bécaud, Francis Blanche, Bernard Blier, Pierre Brasseur, Jean-Claude Brialy, Daniel Gélin, Fernand Gravey, Robert Hossein, Pierre Mondy, Noël-Noël, Andréa Parisy , François Périer, Claude Rich, Lino Ventura. Only the protagonist, Agathe Aëms, is still alive now in 2024, when I saw the film and am writing this review. She was only 16 years old in 1960 when the film was made, but she looks much more physically developed. She was not extremely talented, the proof, she only made one more film after this one, but she looked sexy, had an attractive face and an even more appetizing ass. I am convinced that this aspect was also the main reason why it was distributed. The film has no value, the only reason to see it would be the impressive name of stars present in the cast. And, despite the very short appearance on the screen, a few manage some interesting performances, especially Robert Hossein, Francis Blanche and Arletty.

The character John, played very naturally and believably by Sebastian Lupu, says something very true about the weather in United Kingdom and he's perfectly right. I say that from a political, social, intellectual, etc. Point of view, the country from where Dora left is even worse and I'm not talking about the weather... There are other convincing acting performances in the film, that of Sophie Brabenec in the role of Masha, that of Ian Knauer in the role of Julian, that of Julian Byrd in the role of The Duke, and, especially, that of Delia Antal in the titular role of Dora. For Delia Antal it's a multiple and spectacular achievement, as she is also the director, author of the script based on her own book and co-producer. Being the first feature film of the actress Delia Antal, who became a full author, the film had a beautiful presentation at the biggest and most famous festival on the planet, the one in Cannes. The film has a record of 2,466,220 views on YouTube! Despite many denigrations and hateful words there on the same YouTube, under the film, I congratulate Delia Antal for her courage, determination, strength, to make this film.

I have already seen it twice, several years apart. After seeing it for the first time, many scenes were imprinted in my mind and I wanted to see it again at the first opportunity. It's the kind of movie you want to watch again and again, as if it had something magical about it. And really, the magic is the story directed by the one and only Don Siegel, a great director, I've seen many of his films, those with Clint Eastwood, "Dirty Harry" and others. But the best, according to my taste, is this "Charley Varrick". Walter Matthau was an exceptional actor. And I saw him in many films, "Charade", "Buddy Buddy", "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three", "The Laughing Policeman", "Candy", "Hello Dolly", "Cactus Flower", to remember the best ones. I have seen him in others, but this "Charley Varrick" seems to me the best of all. It also benefits from the extraordinary performances of Joe Don Baker, John Vernon, Jacqueline Scott, Sheree North, Felicia Farr, Andrew Robinson. "Charley Varrick" is a thrilling film, of great value, and Lalo Schifrin's music makes it even more exciting.

A documentary-true story-travel diary made by Delia Antal, an actress who overcame all possible obstacles to see her dream come true of her first feature film as director, screenwriter, co-producer and lead actress, "D'ora". The film is extremely interesting, both for those who know absolutely nothing about the backstage of the Cannes festival, and for those who do. The highly professional images shot by Andrea David Farnocchia, Massimiliano Guelfi and Christopher Jenner Cole are accompanied by the voice of Delia Antal, who ensures a very to-the-point, effective commentary, choosing her words with great charm and artistic inspiration. There are also two sad and emotional moments, first when Delia announces the death of her friend Rick Rosen, who was supposed to help her with the distribution of the film "D'ora". The second dramatic moment is the sight of a burning car on the highway, which reminded me of the tragic end of a great French actress, Françoise Dorléac, who died in a car accident while driving alone in 1967, to catch a plane from Nice, to be present in London at the premiere of her latest film, "The Young Girls of Rochefort" (Original title: Les demoiselles de Rochefort). In just one hour and 13 minutes you will see the splendor of the city of Cannes and you will meet or re-meet, even for a few seconds and even if some do not appear on the credits of the film, with many celebrities such as, in alphabetical order: Armand Assante, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Andie MacDowell, Marilyn Monroe (only on the huge posters and archive images), Robert Redford, Audrey Tautou. In the film, in an interview with Delia, Maia Morgenstern also appears, with whom I worked together in an office of the academy of agricultural sciences, coloring maps, around 1975, when Maia was only 13 years old and already knew, just like Delia Antal, that she will become an actress someday.

Real great actors are good even in lousy films like this one. And I mean Jack Palance, he's the best from all the cast. There are a few other great names here, very good actors in other films, like Charlton Heston (excellent in "Soylent Green" and "Planet of the Apes"), Peter Boyle (excellent in "Young Frankenstein" ), Tim Matheson (excellent in "Buried Alive"), Paul Koslo (excellent as the most annoying coward character in many other films), but they are just winning a bread in this "Solar Crisis". The film had great potential but the final product is just pure boredom. There is also a beauty named Annabel Schofield who shows her brests, however, does nothing to save the boring development of things. The most annoying actor and character, Dorian Harewood. One star for Jack Palance!

I like Rutger Hauer, he was a very good actor. But, in this film, I would have preferred him not to use that characteristic smile, used by him in many other films. That smile makes him pleasant and likable, you can't hate him as much as you should, for everything he does in the movie, for killing people for no reason. OK, I accept that it is the smile of a psychopath, but it would have been much stronger, more believable, more convincing, without any smile. In this way, he would have perfectly painted the portrait of a madman to be truly afraid of. The film has something in common with Spielberg's "Duel", in which we don't even see the face of the psychopath in the tractor-trailer. C. Thomas Howell is just OK. All the other actors are just OK. The only one who is special is Jennifer Jason Leigh, who has a much too small role for her acting ability. I don't consider "The Hitcher" a cult film, as I read.