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Duel (1971)
All Over The Map
This one came highly recommended to me although I took that with a sizable grain of salt. I'm not the world's biggest Spielberg fan, and I had little faith that this would be material that he could handle, given what he went on to make and become famous for, so my eventual disappointment didn't come from having high expectations that the film failed to meet.
The story played out rather slowly in the beginning, but after the first act it thankfully kicked into 2nd gear and started to become more interesting. There were a few really nice cinematic touches, and tension finally started to build instead of annoyance at the repetition up to that point. Some have also expressed that emotion when it comes to Weaver's performance and the character he played, but that appears intentional on Spielberg's part, in line with the theme of a confrontation between an alpha male and an everyday coward who is largely failing to be a man.
However, for all that it did have going for it, the film never quite managed to come together, because it never quite figured out what it wanted to be.
Was it a thriller? Well, yes, parts of it were thrilling, as thrilling as a story of two vehicles 'dueling' on the highway could be, that is, when it wasn't succumbing to the realization that there were only so many camera angles that could be utilized before having to reuse them.
Was it an early 70s road movie? Well, yes, in a way (there were certainly some nice old automobiles on display for those of us who care about that sort of thing).
Was it social commentary? Well yes, it was shooting for that as well. Unfortunately, anything pertaining to that (the radio call in shows moving from an ashamed dominated male on to a fella who "plays meat", Weaver's character being named "David Mann", his car being a Valiant which he definitely was not, his whining about wanting the police to handle the situation for him instead of "manning up") was all so on the nose and lacking the necessary clever subtlety to be appreciated at all.
Overall, the film seemed to either go all out to the point of overdoing it, or fall short of its aspirations of trying to be everything all at once and sacrificing focus in the process. Even the ending, when we all should have been cheering for Mann, I found myself thinking, "so what?" Of course, by that point, it really was time for the thing to end, and I was somewhat grateful that it did.
I would have rated this a 5, but I love those early 70s Valiants and a lot of the other sweet old rides to be found through the main part of the film. By the way, if you are a fan of old autos, check out this film's page on.the Internet Movie Cars Database (IMCDb) for an extensive listing of the cars and trucks in it, along with screenshots for identification.
Hawaii Five-O: Cocoon (1968)
Steve McGarrett -- Superspy!
Okay so maybe he doesn't have all those gadgets that all the other 60s secret agents had, but guess what? He doesn't need 'em! When Steve McGarrett is on the case, all he needs is that iron jaw and a direction to point it!
This is McGarrett at his roughest and toughest. The scene where he throws an intelligence agent across the room with one hand is pretty righteous, and he even earns the title of "the proverbial character you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley" from his diabolical nemesis Wo Fat, so you know if you mess with him you're in for it. And while the episode may be the most Steveo-centric they made, there is nothing like this series opener to set McGarrett's character in stone for the remainder of the show's run.
Not that the rest of the Five-O gang aren't keeping busy. See fake Danno play with an overhead projector and make a run to the airport! See Kono absolutely destroy Steve's lunch! See Chin Ho beg the guys to let him do a little surveillance or else he's gonna blow his stack! At least they finally see some action before it's all over.
Cocoon sits apart from the rest of the series in most every way, and even though 8 hours in sensory deprivation is not as mind-bending as they make it out to be (as "float enthusiasts" can attest - I've floated for as long as 12 hours in the tank and the only thing they got right is that you're like wet spaghetti when you come out), the execution of the idea is so 60s super-villain EVIL that it ramps the coolness factor over the top.
Add in some interesting direction from Paul Wendkos, the lovely Nancy Kwan as a love interest, and the always great James Gregory and Leslie Nielsen - not to mention the hula dancing scene from the opening credits - and I can't help but give this blast from the past a 10 out of 10.
Hawaii Five-O: Pray Love Remember, Pray Love Remember (1969)
"Peace and joy, strong brother..."
I found this episode to be quite enjoyable, despite the riffing on John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". The plot developed at a nice pace and the direction by Richard Benedict was solid, with some interesting camera angles and movements employed to accentuate what is happening on screen. Plenty of different locations and scene changes, with a variety of characters popping in and out. The acting overall was well done, and the character actors and actresses involved really mixed things up a bit compared to the last handful of episodes. Even former Waikiki beach boy and local DJ Zulu seemed to be getting the hang of the acting biz in his scenes, which was great to see. Worth a watch.
Magnum, P.I.: Almost Home (1982)
Kathleen Lloyd's first episode
A well done and touching episode wherein guest star Kathleen Lloyd really shines, and the dramatic and comedic chemistry between her and Tom Selleck is on full display. It is not difficult to see why she returned to the show in the recurring role of Carol Baldwin. The two of them together were a great fit.
It's a crime that she didn't have a more high profile career, as she is an excellent actress and deserved better. She got her big break opposite Jack Nicholson in The Missouri Breaks but failed to capitalize on it, so I assume that the casting couch wasn't her style. That in itself is highly commendable, and regardless, she managed to have a solid career and worked with a lot of great talent over the years.
If you enjoyed her feisty and funny performance in this episode, I would recommend also checking out her appearances in Ironside, Airwolf, Stingray, Midnight Caller, and the horror classic from 1977, The Car, among others.
Hawaii Five-O: Samurai (1968)
"Beautiful snooker... remind me never to bet against you!"
Wow, some people really do not like this episode! They can't stop themselves from pointing out every little thing that they think is wrong with it - from the (glorious!) miscasting of the great Ricardo Montalban, to the fact that "The Bushido" as a group is something that doesn't exist, to McGarrett not bothering to tell anyone that the 'faceless' man wasn't Tokura, to the high body count (in a cop show...!), and on and on.
Here's the deal: McGarrett is the toughest damn cop you'll ever find. He is clever, relentless, and if someone has done something wrong, he's the last person they will want on their tail, because he is going to bust them and bust them hard.
He instantly knew the dead body was a dupe, so he set out to prove it and bring Tokura (Montalban) down in spectacular and decisive fashion, and he accomplished that in spades. To see what I mean, watch the last five minutes, wherein Steveo shows how if you f around with him, you find out. A more "beautiful game of snooker" you will not find.
I couldn't be happier to have this fictional show about a fictional state police unit headed up by the legendary Jack Lord going up against a fictional villain who is so evil that he kills the star witness in his trial (not only before she could testify against him, but right there on the stand in the courtroom in front of everyone) and who is simultaneously dealing with assassins from a fictional cult/order named "The Bushido" that could kill him at any moment.
I'm not here to watch a samurai documentary, or to complain about TV violence or a Japanese character not being portrayed by a Japanese actor in a show made in 1968. I'm here to watch "Stoney Burke" Jack Lord kick ass and take names. And that's exactly what this episode delivers. If you're looking for something else, you've come to the wrong show, 10 out of 10.
Oh, and a random observation: given how much coffee McGarrett drinks on this show, I'm surprised he didn't already have a 22-cup coffee urn in his office. I'm guessing the show was sponsored by a coffee company at the time?
The List (2007)
For Religious People ONLY!!!!!
I have nothing against religious movies. Religious people need something to watch on a Saturday night, I guess. But what really ticks me off is when the write-up on the DVD box does not indicate this fact to the potential viewer. Passing off religious propaganda as entertainment is NOT cool, bro.
And even if I was a religious person, I would have to agree with most of the other posters here, this movie was a mess. Poorly directed, poorly acted, poorly edited, and the attempt at a soundtrack was hilarious. The fake accents were terrible, the characters were mainly stereotypes, and continuity was out the window. The only reason we sat through this lame waste of time was that it was too late to watch another movie instead. Should have just gone to bed.
Absolutely no redeeming qualities to this movie, unless you are the religious type who will immediately endorse anything that will preach your beliefs to the unbelievers, even if it's a pile of garbage. If you aren't, avoid this at all costs. Do not be deceived by the box write-up.
Tales of the Rat Fink (2006)
Sorry to be a spoilsport, but...
This won't make me the most popular poster here, but things have got to be said.
Right off the top, I want to make it clear that I am a fan of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth as much as I am a fan of any of the other pioneers and artisans involved in the evolution of the art form. But I gotta say I was disappointed in this film. I really expected more from the guy who gave us Comic Book Confidential, which is a well done documentary, but this film is weak in comparison.
While Big Daddy was a pioneer, he wasn't the be-all and end-all of the kulture movement, as this film would have us believe. Other than Ed, there is a brief mention of Robert Williams, one quick shot of Baron Crozier, a short clip of Von Dutch and that's about it. The history of the movement seems to exist as an afterthought.
I know this is supposed to be a film about Big Daddy, but the fact is, he had help from others in doing what he did (Ed Newton was one glaring omission), yet the screenwriter and director make it sound like Roth was the only guy behind it all, and the average viewer would have no idea otherwise.
Unfortunately, this film is self-serving in that it perpetuates the myth of Roth as the Father of the Gods. His greatest claim to fame (besides inventing the message t-shirt) is that he had an uncanny knack for marketing. That he achieved his fame with the help of others and yet never fully publicly recognized them, was testament to his understanding that the public needed a figurehead to idolize. Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with that, but it would be nice to give a little credit where credit is due.
Typifying this irreverence, there is a "dig" at George Barris near the end of the film. Barris was customizing vehicles when Roth was in knee-pants, and yet Mann & Co. give the impression that Roth invented kustoms. How are Barris' later TV/Hollywood-mobiles a less valid contribution to the kulture movement than Roth's studio-designed model kits? What makes Roth's Rotar any less ridiculous than Barris' Drag-u-la? (At least Drag-u-la was a car). The film seems to suggest here that the Golden Age of Kustoms ended when Roth said it ended. Maybe that was the screenwriter's and director's way of tying things up, but as with most of this film, they are essentially giving an inaccurate view of history.
Something more like an actual documentary would have been nice. For instance, you never hear about Ed's conversion to Mormonism. I can understand them not wanting to trumpet that fact, but it happened, and it affected Roth's career, so it should have at least been mentioned. Some interviews with contemporaries would have helped, might even have got this thing up to the 90 minute mark.
I guess I should have known better when I bought the DVD, that instead of an introspective, objective look at Ed Roth's career it would be nothing more than a love letter to Big Daddy (at which it wildly succeeds), but I was hoping that Mann would at least try to expand upon how his overall contributions fit into the big picture.
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth was a cultural icon, and this film leaves little doubt of that fact. But if you are looking for a comprehensive history of the kulture movement, you will have to look elsewhere.
The Phantom (1996)
Heroism Is Now Fantasy (and that's just unrealistic!)
It's hard to believe that a movie that so hits the mark set by its original intentions can receive some of the stupid, silly and brainless reviews seen in these pages. This is a movie based on the original comic book hero, so yes, we have a character in a costume. If that's a problem for you because it's "unrealistic", well what would be realistic for you? Lots of blood, sex with movie-star-hot men or women, big explosions, exit wounds? Lots of that in your everyday life, I assume? And yes, a lot of fantastic, unrealistic things happen in this film, which may also pose a problem for you if your sense of wonder is limited to things like who is going to win the next Survivor. Yet all of these fantastic unrealistic things are all directly related to the concepts of heroism and villainy.
This entire movie is about heroes and villains, right down to the cab driver. It is not about how Billy Zane looks in purple spandex, or how hot the female leads are, or how much you hate Treat Williams' over-the-top performance, or how you think it "rips off" Indiana Jones (funny, I'm pretty sure Jones was a nod, in part, to the Phantom!). If these are your only reactions after watching this movie then you have indeed wasted your time. Fortunately, time like yours isn't very valuable when you would probably rather waste it spending days playing the next version of Grand Theft Auto.
The Phantom revisits the concept of heroes. I'm not talking about people like Vin Diesel, Pamela Anderson, 50 Cent, or this year's American Idol. Heroes are people who have character, integrity, morality, and courage; people who stand for, and stand up for, what is right. With so little of this in the world around us today, I guess it's not surprising that so many people have a problem with the concept. These days the hero is the person who can kill the most opponents (I can't call them "bad guys" here), screw over the most people, get the most toys, or have sex with the hottest hotties. Basically, we now equate heroism with personal gain and success.
The Phantom, like all true heroes, does what he does because it is the right thing to do, not because he stands to gain from it. He is capable of performing selfless acts that can make a difference for the better, and on top of that, he does so anonymously! How often do you see that in today's society? Drax is a villain because he is the villain, not because we see him slaughtering innocents or committing some other purely evil crime. We don't need to see Singh's band blow up a ship full of people with body parts flying in slow motion to understand they are also villains. It might require a bit of imagination, which also seems to be in short supply these days, but the idea is that they are as bad as you can imagine them to be. Once again that sense of wonder has to come into play. The only thing I'm left wondering is how anyone who sat down to watch this movie couldn't have known this.
In a nutshell: The Phantom is a comic book character movie wherein the hero wears a cool purple costume and performs fantastic acts of heroism, gets the girl of his dreams, and defeats evil by being a paragon of virtue and valor. It is fun for all ages; the six kids that sat in front of me at the theatre had a blast, and my mother likes it too. The character's creator apparently approved of this film despite its slight deviations from the printed version. And I give this movie with heart and soul a 10 out of 10.
Race with the Devil (1975)
Classic 70's Drive-In Genre Flick
The chase film really seemed to belong to the 70's, and what could be more outrageous than being chased in a motor home? On top of that, the villains in pursuit are Satanists, yet another genre that was prevalent in the 1970's. I'm sure this movie did well on its initial release because all the elements were there, and the trailer would have made anyone pack up the car and head down to the local drive-in.
Peter Fonda had "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry", Warren Oates had "Two-Lane Blacktop", and now here they are on the run from murderous Satanists. This is an excellent example of 70's genre-melding (the only thing missing is some Kung-Fu action!). Nothing deep, just a straight-ahead story that is so definitive you can guess the year it was made just by watching it.
The opening shot and credits are classic, and the soundtrack is perfect, it really lends itself to the material. I would have given this movie 10 out of 10, but there were a couple of scenes where the directing was a bit disjointed. Also the ending was almost expected, and although it was very well filmed, I wish it had been shot to greater effect. It just didn't quite have the punch of other occult films of the era. All in all a great late-night flick.