[7] Richard Beymer (West Side Story) stars as Ernest Hemingway’s alter-ego, a young man who comes of age by traveling the country and serving in the military during the early 1900s. With beautiful scenery of rural Michigan and Franz Waxman’s wistful score, the film is unabashedly romantic and nostalgic — it transports you to a time and place you’re reluctant to leave. But as Beymer …
[6] Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan take a third swing at playing Tarzan and Jane in another solid entry in the long-running Tarzan series. This time around, swindlers convince Jane to leave the jungle to settle an inheritance dispute back in England. Meanwhile, Tarzan is captured by a circus exhibitionist who plans to exploit our hero as a side-show attraction. One of the highlights of …
[7] A well-structured, lovingly-crafted sword and sorcery flick. Arnold Schwarzenegger, limited as he may be, was born for this role and Basil Poledouris’ score is among the best ever recorded for film. Writer/director John Milius seems rushed at times, but some scenes are extraordinarily polished. I love the first half-hour most of all. The death of Conan’s mother could not be done better. It’s all …
[7] After his bomber crew crash behind enemy lines, Errol Flynn leads an ever-shrinking number of men out of Nazi Germany, carrying information that will help turn the tide of war. Desperate Journey often plays like a comic-book rendition of WWII, and yes, it’s Hollywood propaganda (the last line is, “Now, let’s go get those Japs!”) But it’s got Gunga Din‘s spirit of camaraderie and …
[6] Supergirl is good cheese, one of those ‘so bad it’s good’ kind of movies. You’ve got Faye Dunaway vamping out as a frustrated witch living in an abandoned amusement park, smokey voiced Brenda Vaccaro as her wise-cracking sidekick, a total waste of Peter O’Toole, and a whole bunch of monstrous threats hindered by budget constraints. Take for example Supergirl’s exciting battle with… a tractor. …
[6] This Rudyard Kipling adventure stars young Dean Stockwell in the title role, playing a sneaky street-wise kid who spies for British Intelligence in colonial India. The adventure is a little more episodic than I prefer, bringing Kim into contact with several supporting players, including an older spy named Red Beard (an underutilized Errol Flynn), a curt hypnotist (Arnold Moss), and a holy man (Paul …
[6] Poachers are looking to rob a legendary elephant graveyard of its ivory in the first Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan sequel. I think the sequel is just as entertaining as the original. The sexual innuendo is more pronounced (we even get a nude swimming scene), and it definitely delivers plenty matinee action, culminating in a nice finale where we have Tarzan and Jane fighting their way …
[6] Jupiter Ascending is probably the last big-budget studio picture from Andy & Lana Wachowski, the creators of The Matrix trilogy and some other movies that failed to live up to expectation. I admire the Wachowski’s ambition and I appreciate how they always try to push the envelope with content and execution. It’s not always a success, unfortunately. Jupiter Ascending is a huge, epic story …
[8] Hot off his Best Director Oscar for Birdman, Alejandro González Iñárritu delivers another astonishing directorial effort. The Revenant is shot entirely outdoors with available lighting, capturing the story of an 1820s fur trader (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is viciously mauled by a bear and left for dead by a traitorous fellow trader (Tom Hardy). DiCaprio and Hardy are both equally up to the task here, …
[7] Fred MacMurray and Joan Crawford star as newlyweds who get roped into spying for British intelligence in Nazi Germany. The tone here is light-hearted. Despite the prospect of serious danger, Crawford and MacMurray’s characters actually enjoy trying their hand at espionage. It’s fun to watch them follow the bread crumbs and put clues together. A Franz Liszt concerto is incorporated into the mystery, as …
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