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A STRANGER IS WATCHING-1982. Tried to get into this, but just couldn't. Reminded me a lot of a LAW AND ORDER:SVU. **
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DEATHLINE (1972) also known as RAW MEAT. Pretty good little film by the same director who did 1981's DEAD AND BURIED. Some nasty scenes, a quite funny turn by Donald Pleasence and the scene with he and Christopher Lee is just great. ***
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DARKROOM 1989
Someone has been photographing people and killing them. Meh. |
Damien: Omen II Not on par with the original, but a pretty good flick with some scary moments (like the lady with the eyes picked out) and a good twist. A bit silly at times (Damien revealing himself to Mark), but all in all pretty good.
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SOYLENT GREEN (1973). Time and Pop culture references have somewhat diluted this, but still not a bad watch. The "Going Home" scene with Heston and Edward G Robinson is very well acted and quite moving. Read MAKE ROOM! MAKE ROOM! by Harry Harrison. ***
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Murder on the Orient Express (1974) 7/10 Not really a horror film, but has a murder. ::big grin:: Various folks are traveling on the Orient Express, traveling through Eastern Europe when there is a murder on the train! The train is delayed on the tracks by a snow slide, and a famous detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) is tasked to solve the murder before the unpleasantness of foreign police arrive. I was expecting a lot of over-the-top goofy performances by the all-star cast of Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Perkins and Wendy Hiller, but that was not the case. There is a slight tongue-in-cheek nature to the film, but the characters play it straight, though they might be slightly caricature. First there's a visual montage of a famous kidnapping murder, modeled after the famous Lindbergh Kidnapping. Then there's a slow introduction of the travelers, the murder, and then most of the film involves the interviewing of everyone on the train. Hints of how it relates to the murder slowing evolves. This processes isn't entirely enjoyable nor riveting, though Lauren Bacall (Harriet Belinda Hubbard) provides some snarky lines. One notable scene is a one-take one-shot interview of 59-year-old Ingrid Bergman, playing the missionary Greta Ohlsson, the character she insisted on playing. It is a captivating scene, within the context of the film, where we do notice it's length, a scene that won Bergman a Best Supporting Actress Oscar award. All-in-all, I don't know that it's satisfying as a mystery, as the exposition is a bit rigid, and almost impossible to anticipate (the exposition, that is). There are no character interactions that precipitates the murder. And so the unfolding of the cards are rather matter of fact and historical, leaving the emotion more a matter of record. |
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DRIVE IN CLASSICS VOL 1. A bunch of flicks from Crown Studios that make AIP look like 20th century Fox. While there are some good points in them (Decent photography, Music-including production from Michael Lloyd who had a lot of chart success and lots of pretty naked females; in particular, the two Female leads in SISTER-IN-LAW are staggeringly lovely), most are sunk by horrid scripts that go for the lowest common denominator with the vast majority of the guys are total jerks, particularly in DONNA AND CINDY which almost reaches XXX standards-was almost expecting Jaime Gillis to show up! Is neat seeing actors early in their careers who went on to better things.
PICK UP (1975) ** BEST FRIENDS (1975) Richard Hatch (STREETS OF San Francisco, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) and Suzanne Breton (A BOY AND HIS DOG). **1/2 THE TEACHER (1974). Angel Tompkins and Jay North (DENNIS THE MEANACE). **1/2 MALIBU HIGH (1979) **1/2 TRIP WITH THE TEACHER (1975) Zalman King ** THE STEPMOTHER (1972). Alejandro Rey, Claudia Jennings (1969 PLAYBOY PLAYMATE OF THE YEAR and many B movies) and Larry Linville (MASH) ** THE SISTER-IN-LAW (1975) John Savage (THE DEER HUNTER and DO THE RIGHT THING) who also sings! **1/2 DONNA AND CINDY (1970). * |
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I like murder mysteries in general, but I prefer when we're given clues throughout the film, and not given a dumptruck of exposition at the end that couldn't have been gleamed during the film. I think Deathtrap(1982) was one of the better ones I've seen. |
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