[5] Gary Grimes and Jerry Houser reprise their roles from the emotionally charged Summer of ’42 in this lackluster, somewhat pointless follow-up. Whereas Summer of ’42 was very much about a young man’s sexual awakening with an older woman, Class of ’44 is more of a slice-of-life movie with no overarching narrative goal. It sees Grimes and Houser’s characters off to college while their friend …
[7] Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie star in Nicolas Roeg’s (Walkabout) film about a couple in Venice trying to get along after the accidental drowning of their young daughter. At lunch one afternoon, the couple meet a pair of old women who claim to possess psychic power. They say their daughter is happy and with them, but then they urge caution — that Sutherland’s life …
[6] While vacationing separately in Spain, a teenager (Timothy Bottoms) and a woman in her thirties (Maggie Smith) strike up an unlikely friendship that blossoms into romance. Both characters are introverts who help each other come out of their shells, but their relationship is put to the test when they encounter a wealthy duke and the woman reveals she has a terminal illness. Outside of their …
[5] The last film in the original Apes franchise is also the most disappointing. Roddy McDowall returns as Caesar, trying to lead apes and humans in peaceful coexistence. It’s interesting to see how the movie ties into all the previous installments, but it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. It also looks and feels cheap. Budget cuts make the final battle look like a …
[6] Al Pacino stars in the true story of Frank Serpico, a New York City cop who discovers a city-wide bribe scheme police are profiting from and rejects becoming part of it. But in doing so, he loses the trust of all the other cops and becomes a laughing stock… and then a target. I love Sidney Lumet movies and I love Al Pacino, but …
[6] Roger Moore makes his debut as James Bond in Live and Let Die, a weird blend of voodoo magic and blaxploitation that stands apart from any other entry in the Bond ouvre. Moore does an admirable job taking over the role from Sean Connery. I actually prefer Moore, but I grew up with him in the role, so I’m understandably biased. Live and Let …
[6] This Disney flick may be a minor effort in comparison to the company’s more perrenial classics, but there’s a dated, folksy charm about this all-animal take on the classic Robin Hood legend. The simple story is populated with fairly memorable, endearing characters and a couple of catchy tunes. It’s one of the only Disney movies where even the bit parts shine, from the narrating …
[7] A social worker investigates a mother and her two adult daughters who take care of a 21-year-old man who wears diapers, sucks baby bottles, and sleeps in a baby crib. The family insist the man has the mental and emotional capacity of an infant, but the social worker’s not so sure. The Baby isn’t the dirty, fetishistic film I thought it would be. Director Ted Post …
[4] Paul Newman stars as a British agent posing as a jewel thief who gets embroiled with Russian spies, goes to prison, gets broken out of prison, and lands in the hands of a secretive organization that drugs and kidnaps him until he can pay for the breakout. A lot more happens after that, but for all the plot twists and turns, John Huston’s film …
[5] The second feature film from Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Basic Instinct) plays a lot like a Dutch version of Love Story. Rutger Hauer and Monique van de Ven star as the young lovers, whose relationship is founded completely on carnal desire. We learn in the wrap-around story that Hauer’s character is having difficulty moving on with his life after the end of the affair — …
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