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A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 179

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Time

The Secret War Of Harry Frigg - 1968 - 5/10

Spotty comedy of lowly private assigned to impersonate a general, and get himself captured by Italian forces.
Objective? Free several real generals held prisoner in a posh villa.
Once there, he relishes the luxury, as well as the lovely countess.
Why Paul Newman chose this turkey is beyond me.
He seems stiff and ill at ease throughout.
One would find better comedy watching Hogan’s Heroes reruns.

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 (Edited)

You Never Know Women - 1926 - 6/10

Vera is rescued at a construction site by a rich swell.
Each is smitten. She with his gallantry. He? Well, Vera is a peach.
She is also the star of a Russian circus, from where he attempts to lure her away.
Money, furs and easy comforts. Who cares about friends, family, colleagues, work?
A triangle develops, although Vera is unaware of partner Norodin’s feelings toward her,
Norodin’s act resembles Houdini’s water torture, by the way.
Nice little drama with impressive illusions.

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She Beast - 1966 - 5/10
AKA - Revenge Of The Blood Beast

“It looks like that bed could collapse at any moment.”
“Let’s risk it,” she laughs.
What could be more romantic? On your honeymoon, when your car breaks down in Transylvania.
Where your bride is body switched with a 300 year old, hideous witch.
The premise is sure enough, but the comedy dominates.
Moreover, it is silly bordering on stupid.
Looking for Barbara Steele? Hurry. Her scenes are few.

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Cliffhanger - 1993 - 7/10

Retired mountain ranger is asked to rescue a clutch of lost hikers.
Turns out, they are murderous thieves who have hijacked a cool $100 M.
Innocent survivors? None. Which our rescue team soon realize, foretelling their own fate.
One of the great action films of the 90’s before CGI replaced stunts, before heroes wore pajamas.
A crew of formidable villains, breathtaking scenery.
Probably my favorite movie by Stallone, and yes I know about the others.

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Black Bag - 2025 - 7/10

A colleague confirms George’s suspicion.
There is a traitor in the house, someone who’s gotten hold of something dangerous.
The list is a narrow five, one being George’s wife. Kathryn.
Exceptional espionage thriller, more of a chess match than stunts and explosives.
Think [U]Ipcress File[/U] rather than modern [U]Mission Impossibles[/U].
One watches master game players at work, not omni-talented heroes.
Fassbender and Blanchett work well as the secretive couple, but the entire cast is outstanding.
One of the best Soderbergh films I’ve viewed in a decade.

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Institute Benjamenta, Or This Dream People Call Human Life - 1995 - 6/10

Jakob arrives at the school that trains servants (household or civil, unstated).
There, aspirations and self-respect are stripped. One will become nothing.
Although the female head, Lisa, and Jakob seem to be attracted, little is done.
Rather, there is rising tension that never truly resolves.
Stark black and white is highly Expressionistic, and experimental.
In other hands, this might become a Gothic nightmare.
Here, events are like a hazy dream, watered-down Kafka.
I fell asleep twice and had to rewind.
The film has countless admirers, so I was justly curious … and disappointed.

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Bon Voyage - 2003 - 6/10

Grab bag of murder, comedy, mystery and wartime occupation.
Viviane has accidentally (?) kills an admirer / threat.
Old boyfriend Frédéric foolishly gets tagged for the death.
While Viviane woos an important minister (Depardieu) for aid.
More? The Germans are overrunning France, while a professor tries to flee with gallons of heavy water.
Movie jumps heedlessly from serious to silly and back.
The film is well shot, with a impressive roster of A-listers, and the narrative actually sustains.

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The Invisible Man - 1933 - 7/10

The upside of the experiment renders one invisible.
Slight downside, insanity.
Dr. Griffin, working on “bleaching” fails to realize the compound he uses has been banned.
His deterioration runs from jokes to foul deeds to megalomania.
Pre-Code shocker owes a lot of Claude Rains’ voice.
Witty, devil-may-care, homicidal.
The effects are still impressive. Another early Universal gem.
Note: Surprising how well this worked out, considering its troubled history.

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Into The Mud - 2016 - 6/10

She lies sprawled nude across a plastic sheet. Cut, bruised, but no bones seem broken.
What happened? How? Why? No idea. Then the man with the rifle arrives.
Effective hunter / hunted drama saves its jolt and surprise for the end.
Spanish short makes a good opener for your Horror marathon.

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Madame Sousatzka - 1988 - 6/10

Russian pianist, who never quite made the professional ranks, trains gifted pupils.
Her latest is from India, and his mother works slavishly to move his career.
Sousatzka is a fire-breather … with a heart of gold.
Sounds like a cliché? Well, not quite.
She finds the talent, grooms them, hones them, only to watch them vanish up the ladder.
To the wealthy agent, the famous instructor. Sousatzka is forever a minor league manager.
MacLaine excels in this, and I am not normally a fan of her work.

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Forbidden - 1932 - 6/10

Small town librarian, Lulu, realizes life is passing her by.
She empties her savings account and boards a cruise to Havana.
Lulu enjoys a shipboard romance with a distinguished lawyer.
Which continues all the way back to New York.
Even though he is slightly married, the affair escalates.
Birth control? In the 1930’s? Oops.
Stanwyck and Menjou are great together, with Bellamy a conniving heel.
First third really moves, making for an enjoyable Pre-Code.
Sadly, for me, the plot slowly settles into Capra schmaltz.

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Dead Calm - 1989 - 6/10

Rae and John sail the Great Barrier Reef, still grieving over the death of son.
They rescue the lone survivor of a sinking boat.
When John decides to investigate the damaged craft the survivor seizes control and leaves with his ship.
What follows is tense thriller between wife Rae and the rescuee, Hughie, immature and treacherous.
Sam Neill has a thankless role as John, chasing in an ever-sinking tub.
Nicole Kidman runs a gamut from desperate, calculating, formidable.
Third role, Billy Zane, unforgettable as the polite, apologetic, lying, lethal Hughie.

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Swede Caroline - 2024 - 6/10

“Those two are the main rivals in the Big Veg world. Like Cassius Clay versus Muhammad Ali, yeah.”
Welcome to the world of large vegetable competitions.
Where competitors will do any and everything to secure that plastic trophy.
Like threatening, stealing, kidnapping, even – gasp! – murder.
This mockumentary follows Caroline, or Caro, grower of the largest marrow.
Or is it? Surely the judges are not corrupt, as well?
Hit and miss spoof. Enjoyment depends on how well you take to characters.

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 (Edited)

Breaking The Waves - 1996 - 7/10

Bess misses oil rigger husband Jan, emotionally and sexually, and prays to God to return him.
And lo, God responds. Jan is injured, badly, and flown back. Paralyzed.
To save him, the devoutly religious Bess, begins offering herself to increasingly brutish men.
Widely acclaimed film, notable for Emily Watson’s fearless performance.
This is really an uncomfortable watch, however. Score above is for Watson, period.
The director, I felt, took delight in his mistreatment of Bess … and other women in subsequent films.
I am not a fan of Dogma 95, nor of this director.

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A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy - 1982 - 6/10

Aged professor and young wife celebrate solstice in the country.
Also there is the professor‘s cousin and her nutty husband (Allen).
Add a lecherous physician and his free-spirit girlfriend.
Blame the summer heat, blame the moon. Everyone is soon in and out of each other’s pants.
Another Bergman inspired Woody Allen effort, mixing drama and comedy.
The comedy seems a throwback to his earlier, juvenile period, and doesn’t quite work.

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Defence Of The Realm - 1986 - 7/10

British reporters get wind of a scandal involving a member of Parliament.
Is the MP having an affair? Is he a KGB operative?
Not that it matters, it’s too good a story and run it.
Only later, do they realize the man may have been framed – and they were manipulated.
Clandestine agencies, stonewalling, and mounting threats to cease investigating.
Tight thriller encompasses all, along with a message that is still relevant.

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Bubba Ho-Tep - 2002 - 6/10

Retirement home denizens, Elvis and JFK, grow wary of a new arrival.
Despite boots and the felt Stetson, it might could be an abandoned mummy.
And it is killin’ folks in the home dead.
They’re old, they’re weak, and nurses would just reckon they done died natural like.
Our two heroes, one is a wheelchair, the other with a walker, devise a plan and stand tall.
Ridiculous, absurd, hairbrained. Yeah, so what?
Cheap Horror comedy has a lot of heart and is boosted immensely by Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis.