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Prisoners of the Sun (2013)
You are a prisoner
When I found this film, and I read Egyptian pyramid and lost city and gods of ancient Egypt and John Rhys-Davies, I felt compelled to watch. But when the opening credits started rolling and John Rhys-Davies was the lead actor, alarm bells started ringing.
I recommend you watch the firs ten minutes for exposition so you know the players, i.e. Good guys and bad guys and the basic plotline.
Then fast forward 53 minutes to 01:04 leaving our actors trapped in the tomb with the exclamation, "Oh, something's wrong," and about 24 minutes left to go. You will suffer some cheesy dialogue or maybe monologue as it's not clear if any of the "actors" are actually listening to one another. Then you reach the unspectacular climax, and you are grateful if you listened to me and did fast forward as I suggested.
As you shake your head in disbelieve that you wasted about 35 minutes of your life, just be thankful you didn't watch Doctor Mordrid.
The Flash (2023)
And it has the Real Batman
Usually, I am not a fan of films that use time travel or multiple dimensions due to timeline changes, but this time it works and does so stupendously. Ezra Miller gave a great performance as Barry Allen and Barry Allen. I believe this is one of the best superhero films. Sasha Calle was excellent as Kara Zor-El. But for me seeing Michael Keaton as Batman took me back to 1989 and seeing the first Batman movie. I was 43 then and vacationing in Puerto Rico with my family. Batman mania was everywhere Kids were on the streets selling lanyards with the Batman logo. We saw the movie at the Carolina Movie Theater Complex.
Then there was the brief scene watching the changing timeline with glimpses of George Reeves' Superman, Christopher Reeves' Superman, and Adam West's Batman plus a few others. I am sure for today's audience the nostalgia had no meaning.
I just enjoyed this film from start to finish. And I would encourage those watching this on a streaming channel to watch the credits with the falling dog and then fast forward to the end of the credits for a great cameo from Jason Momoa.
I've read some of the reviews and I believe they just don't get it. This is not Citizen Kane or The Godfather; this is just entertainment to be enjoyed with popcorn. Kick back and enjoy the ride. The CGI is fine, the story works out well for a timestream flic, there are good action scenes, and some great tongue-in-cheek humor, especially revolving around Batman. This is what a super hero movie should look like. Anyone remember the first Iron Man film before everything got lost in the Marvel Universe?
The Judge (2014)
Too Good To Miss
It's tough to find a film with no bad actors, with an adult plot, and with scenes that make your laugh, and scenes so realistic they break your heart. Anyone out there who has had to be a carer for an adult parent suffering from disease will need a Kleenex for a scene in a bathroom with Downey and Duvall.
I am not sure if I ever say Robert Duvall turn in a poor performance. And after I saw Robert Downey Jr. In Chaplin, I knew he was a great actor who was robbed of an Oscar. After that there were some hits and misses until he did Iron Man in 2008 and carried the Marvel Universe forward to becoming a huge franchise.
In this film you will see two actors in two great performances. That alone should be reason enough to watch this film. But the story will draw you in to figure out why a respected judge seems to have gathered so many enemies, and why a cut-throat defense attorney would have even one friend.
As to the finish of this film, I don't know, that is for you to decide on how it went.
The Out-Laws (2023)
It doesn't get much worse than this
There are some bits that are laugh out loud funny but the movie as a whole sort of bombs. No doubt you read the plot summary so you know the players. Pierce Brosnan has some good moments having fun with his role (Billy McDermott), but to be honest, I have been a Brosnan fan since Remington Steele. And I wish there was more for Ellen Barkin (Lily McDermott) to do.
One great scene is when Julie Hagerty (Marge Browning, mother of the groom) is sitting in a restaurant with her husband Neil (Richard Kind) waiting to meet the parents of Parker McDermott, their son's fiancée. Hagerty sits there with her look of innocence as Pierce Bronson says he believes that in her youth she likely a wild girl. Hagerty looks surprised and shocked and she blurts out that she did a lot of orgies where everyone did everyone. Her son looks shocked but her husband knew, he even drove her to some.
After that unexpected bit, the film goes downhill fast. Really fast. Casting Adam Devine as the groom was the biggest mistake. I gather he is one of the groups of what now passes for comedic actors: over-the-top with yelling and screaming and making faces.
My wife looked at me and wanted to know why we, basically me, were watching this unfunny mess. I said I watched it because Pierce Brosnan was in it. She countered with this film is so bad that Pierce Brosnan wouldn't watch it. She is probably right and it's likely Pierce Brosnan did it for the paycheck which affords him the opportunity to do other projects like Fast Charlie or The Great Lillian Hall.
Just skip this one or if you must then watch it up to the end of the early on restaurant scene.
Father Brown, Detective (1934)
A Much Too Good Persuasive Priest
Unfortunate that this is the sole outing of Father Brown with Walter Connolly as the lead. His Father Brown captures the essence of G. K. Chesterton's eponymous detective.
Paul Lukas basically plays Paul Lukas as Flambeau, the master thief who has an ongoing competition with Father Brown. Although Lukas had an expansive and impressive film career, he played the same character whether he was Flambeau or Prof. Pierre Aronnax (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) or Stein (Lord Jim).
In this film Flambeau announces his intention to steal ten diamonds including those on the cross belonging to Father Brown. It's fun to watch Father Brown leave a trail of clues for the police to follow as he leads Flambeau on to a possible repentance. But can Flambeau change into an honest man? I can only hope not as Flambeau is a most interesting thief.
Fingers at the Window (1942)
Excellent Entertainment
Except for the improbable event that Edwina Brown (Laraine Day) so quickly trusts Oliver Duffy (Lew Ayres), this is quite an interesting movie. There is an axe-murderer is terrorizing Chicago and the police are baffled. The psychiatrist helping the police believes this is the work of a lunatic. The plot has been used by multiple mystery writers; the villain murders several people to cover up who his real target is. Regardless, this is a surprising good film.
Lew Ayres turns in a good performance as the actor turned detective when the woman he meets seems to be targeted. And Laraine Day is quite good as the scatterbrain who trusts too quickly.
We know the man behind the axe murders but the motive isn't known until the very end. Somehow the improbabilities hold together, and we have an entertaining movie to watch.
I caught this on Hastings Mystery Theater on YouTube and was glad I did or I wouldn't have found this little gem
While I watched this on a summer morning in heat and humidity of Savannah, I felt it would be better to watch on a cold rainy day in December.
War of the Worlds: Extinction (2024)
You can only hope for Extinction
I did not watch the first "film" in this series and barely made it through this film. All I can compare it too is a Tom Baker Dr. Who adventure except that the Tom Baker episodes were more fun.
William Baldwin barely phones in his performance on a landline. And he's the best actor in the bunch. The plot is typical: there is a device that can destroy the Earth but who will get to it first, Baldwin the alien general with a gigantic battlecruiser and army of three, or Earth general, Michael Pare, with his small battle pod and army of four which consists of his wife, two daughters, and one daughter's boyfriend. Money was not spent on cast for sure.
Or will common sense prevail and all saved? No way am I giving away the ending. If I sat through this mess then so will you.
I can only hope this wasn't conceived as a trilogy and we will be spared a third film. But who knows.
This is featured as a TUBI original and as such the only cost is sitting through a bunch of commercials and most of us already know how to do that.
I suppose if you must, you can view the earlier film War of the Worlds: Annihilation to get the bigger picture, and the prologue to the current film will make sense. Both films are on TUBI. And TUBI is better than PLEX as while they run fewer commercials until you approach the end of a film where commercials get bundled into packs of twelve running one right after the other.
After the Flood (2024)
Too long and really too long
First, this series is way too long. With some cutting this story could have been told in four episodes or better, three episodes. Joanna Marshall, a police woman, wants to be a detective to emulate her Dad, pokes into an accidental drowning which she believes to be a murder. She suspects everyone but misses seeing obvious clues, and constantly misreads people who are involved in a coverup, and as a result places people in danger.
And there are numerous subplots including one concerning her mom, and an affair she had in the past. Then there is one concerning her partner and the baby they are having. And there is a concern about the town she lives in being flooded out. Basically, this is a soap opera with all the required twists and revelations.
By the end of episode three, you just won't care. It's a shame to see the wasted talents of a decent cast. I really hope there won't be a chance for a second season.
I believe the worst parts of this series are the big reveal that you knew was coming by the end of episode one. And if you were expecting to see a flood that would wash away the bad players and cleanse the town of its filth, literal and figurative, then be prepared to be disappointed. Brit Box let me down with this series.
Four Fast Guns (1960)
Guns are fast but not the film
Grade C story, grade B+ direction, grade B- actors, grade C- acting, and grade B+ ending, so a grade C+ film.
I really stumbled across this "Western" film. I had clicked on a Charlie Chan film while searching through YouTube and Four Fast Guns popped up instead.
Edgar Buchanan had star billing. Yes, Uncle Joe from Petticoat Junction and from over 150+ films and TV shows where he earned fame from being listed as uncredited or with characters named: Bartender Dan, Applejack, Uncle Willie, Old Willy, Dr. Samuels, Uncle Harry, and Will "Bill" Dowdy to name a few. So, when the credits began for Four Fast Guns and Buchanan was the star, I had to watch. Especially as Buchanan intoned the opening lines with "This man came along the trail one Sunday morning in '73, taking it slow and easy, keeping his eyes open and his gun hand ready. He came from nowhere, I guess. Anyhow, he never said from where and we never asked. He was going to stop off in Purgatory, to make his stand like he lived - alone. This is Number One. He called himself Sabin."
And then there was the action from the get go as Sabin is about to be gunned down by what is termed "a town tamer." After killing the man who would have murdered him, Sabin rides into the town of Purgatory where he is taken for the sent for town tamer.
The plot is typical in that there is a villain (monster) holding a town (castle) captive, and the townsfolk gather enough money to hire a fast gun (knight errant) to save them and free the villain's wife (damsel-in-distress).
For the most part it works. The director, William J. Hole Jr., makes the most of shooting in black and white, and he know how to "show" the audience by not showing them. But he doesn't know how to keep the story tight and focused. Most of the "starring" actors are recognizable-James Craig, Brett Halsey, Richard Martin, Paul Richards-but aren't names you know. Usually, they turn in a good performance, but here there is a feeling they could have all done better.
The ending is true to the film and could have been powerful and memorable but instead it comes off as mediocre. The final shot was worthy of a Clint Eastwood Western, but here it comes close to laughable.
With someone else at the helm, this might have had a chance to be a High Noon. Instead Four Fast Guns has ended up a forgotten film.
I still recommend giving this film a viewing because the majority of what's there on the screen is pretty darn good.
Atlas (2024)
The six is for effects
The writers latch onto a current concern: what happens if AI develops to a point where it decides it's time for us to go and it's bye-bye humanity. The special effects are good and I like imaginings of what the future will look like and what I will miss out on, unless maganuts destroy everything first.
I assume most who decided to watch Atlas did so because they like a good sci-fi space opera and wanted to see how Jenny from the block is holding up.
There isn't a lot new here as plot goes: madman (mad robot, same thing) is determined to kill everyone except for a few chosen; heroine is off to stop him. And plot twist (not really), heroine finds soul mate.
The film is pretty much a one woman show as Ms. Lopez is on camera 100 per cent of the time. As she has to work in a confined space for much of the film, acting as such is how well Ms. Lopez can use her voice to create mood and sense of urgency. Basically a decent pop corn flic.
Hellboy (2019)
I loe you Lobster, no, I love you Hellboy. I love yoooo
What happened to having a sense of humor? I caught this on Netflix and figured what the Hellboy, I'll give it a watch. What a hysterical mashup of just about every fun flic: Time Bandits, John Wick, Solomon Kane, Big Fish, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Gremlins.
Hellboy mocks serious enough to have a few serious moments, but the bulk of the film is just one big wisecrack. You will watch this film at least twice. After a first viewing, you will sit there with pen and paper (or more likely with your iPhone and its record app) to note dialogue because there are just too many lines to remember.
Another plus for Hellboy is its cast. Ian McShane alone can utter the most ridiculous lines with a straight face. Daniel Dae Kim is perfect as Major Ben Daimio; and David Harbour has great fun as Hellboy. Plus, Stephen Graham lends his voice to Gruagach making the CGI character become, well, become whatever a pig-monster is. Brian Gleeson turns Merlin into an Irish leprechaun, and Thomas Haden Church has a great cameo.
The plot is not new. The world is being menaced by an evil power set on destroying mankind and we need a hero to save same.
Hellboy is entertainment from start to finish. The film actually has good actors who can act. Special effects are good and the film is a great popcorn flic. It would be a shame not to give it a chance.
Shardlake (2024)
The first of more to come, I hope
Many years ago on Masterpiece Mystery, the series Cadfael written by Ellis Peters and
staring Derek Jacobi was very popular, it ran for 15 episodes. Cadfael was set in the 12th century; Shardlake takes place in the 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII, and this is series I which consists of four episodes. The author of the Shardlake series, C. J. Sansom, completed seven novels and was planning for more, but his death on 27 April 2024 has ended hope for additional novels.
Matthew Shardlake is somewhat crippled due to a birth that left him with scoliosis and a brachioplasty affecting his right hand. The opening sequence with Matthew dressing clearly presents the viewer a understanding of Matthew's condition. Unable to join the church, Matthew becomes a lawyer, and becomes involved with the court of Henry the VIII, initially by serving the princess Elizabeth, but in this series, he serves Lord Thomas Cromwell.
One of Cromwell's men was murdered while looking into the finances of a monastery in the old port city of Scarnsea. Shardlake is sent to solve the murder, but Shardlake's true purpose is to find a reason to close the monastery and forfeit its wealth and lands to King Henry.
This is a well-done series. The cast is excellent and is led by Arthur Hughes as Matthew Shardlake, and Anthony Boyle as John Barak. While the producers make sure to attract viewers by advertising it stars Sean Bean as Thomas Cromwell. Bean is there, but his appearance is brief. Hopefully the audience will stay as the location shooting is amazing and the cast is replete with excellent actors.
If you are a fan of mystery, and historical mystery, you will enjoy this production. I hope it stays around to finish up the six remaining novels.
Currently this is running on Hulu. For some reason, I had some difficulty in watching as there were issues with the story jumping around a bit. I had to downgrade my Hulu subscription to with commercials, and that seems to have affected the quality. The commercials may be to blame. Regardless, I recommend Shardlake.
Murdoch Mysteries: Station House of Horror (2023)
Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet! Ha Ha
I have been a fan of Murdock Mysteries since episode one, so I was stuck trying to figure out this episode until I saw the date it premiered: 30 October 2023. This was likely a homage to the Simpson's Treehouse or Horror with its current run of XXXIV episodes as of 2023. Unfortunately, the Murdoch attempt falls flat as none of the episode stories has the humor of a good Simpsons jab. And even the horror tales on the Simpsons have laid more than one bad egg. But the writers, of Murdoch Mysteries and the Simpsons, have over the years succeeded in poking fun at popular figures, real and fictional, and popular movies etc. At least pretend you get the joke and the episode might be more trick than treat. And if you can view this through the eyes of Nelson Muntz then you can end with a mocking Ha Ha.
Road House (2024)
More the Quiet Man bumps into a Road House
If you claim you are doing a homage then read the original script and try to follow it as a guide. Swayze brought some charm and personality to Dalton. I can't blame Gyllenhaal who looks great, and his body no doubt shames a lot of 40 year-olds who are more belly fat then Abs. And he seems to be enjoying himself, but he can only do what he is told to do.
There is a bit of The Quiet Man (a much better movie) here as Gyllenhaal like Wayne's character doesn't want to fight because of what happened in his last professional fight.
Watch this "remake" for a few good action scenes, and there is a tad of sarcastic dialogue for a quick chuckle, but there is little else to recommend it.
Murder in the Music Hall (1946)
Supporting actors carry the film
Murder in the Music Hall is actually an incorrect title for this movie because that's not where the murder occurs. Nevertheless this is actually a good mystery story that is marred by the "acting" of the two lead protagonists: Vera Ralston and William Marshall. I gather Vera Ralston's career can be attributed to her affair and then marriage to the head of Republic Pictures, Herbert Yates.
The film does do okay thanks to the supporting actors like William Gargan, Jerome Cowan, Helen Walker, and Ann Rutherford. And this film is worth watching if only to catch the three minute performance of Mary Field who has the best lines in the picture and the acting chops to make them memorable.
The plot will keep you guessing and their are some excellent suspects, and the viewer will feel they have not been cheated when the murderer is revealed.
Elsbeth (2024)
Just one more thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elsbeth was amusing on The Good Wife and The Good Fight but even then if her colleagues found her arriving they took off. Even I would cringe although my wife liked the character. And it takes acting to get visceral responses from an audience whether it be on film or life theater; however, no matter how good a performance is, it's best in small doses.
This show reminds me of Columbo and not in a good way. Meaning no disrespect but watching Elsbeth is like watching a hyper-active on the spectrum child suffering from a sugar high. It's really not amusing. If this show survives then it has reached its audience, but for a large audience Elsbeth is going to have to be toned down or surrounded by a regular supporting cast that can move the plot along without Elsbeth being on camera for the entire show.
We seem to be inundated with shows with damaged of flawed protagonists: The Good Doctor, Will Trent, Resident Alien, etc. It will be interesting to see how Elsbeth does.
Der Greif (2023)
Bad dubbing or bad dumbing
Some nice effects but acting is terrible and English dubbing is terrible. I would have rather heard the actual voices in German and read subtitles. Reminds me of old Saturday kids show Land of the Lost, with a nod to the 1953 movie Invaders from Mars. Actually those were better. This is a good movie for Sony Cassette Tape Players and cassette tapes. There is enough roaring and screaming and cackle laughter to choke a horse. Basically the plot is to stop the Gryphon from getting getting the power to travel from his realm into ours. This is meant to keep you coming back to finish all six episodes. I was glad there were only six and that I could use the remote to skip ahead which I did a lot. One thing you can do is watch with friends and make a list of all the movies this series stole from. Better yet, take a pass.
Rapiniamo il Duce (2022)
Comic Book dubbed in English
As soon as you hear one of the female protagonists singing Paint it Black, you know or should know your leg is being pulled. Gag piles on gag as the story moves from silly to ridiculous. The acting is almost as bad as the dubbing. There have been countless films, maybe not countless, that poke fun at the tropes of war from courage to heroic. I think of Kelly's Heroes for example. Not so much as witty as it is laughable. Need to toss away ninety minutes with little to recall or clog up your grey matter, you have found it here. I didn't recognize any of the actors, and should I see them again, I doubt I would be able to recall any of them.
Monsieur Spade (2024)
Good Sam Spade feature
After three episodes, I hope for a season 2 and 3 and . . . . The cast is superb and the dialogue crisp and sharp. Spade, Clive Owen, and the dialogue feel and sound as if they came from a novel by Dashiell Hammett.
The plot keeps you guessing as to who and what is going on. The many characters who inhabit the film all seem to have secrets. I almost wish the series had been shot in black and white to give it more of a Noir atmosphere, but that would probably cost in in total audience.
There even seems to be a nod to conspiracy theorists with the inclusion of members of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church wanting to run and prosecute their own inquiry into circumstances. Then you can add in some dissident Algerians to the equation. And of course, the local French police don't want anyone on their patch.
If you watch, you won't be bored, just a bit confused. It makes me wonder if the Maltese Falcon does a guest appearance.
A Shot in the Dark (1935)
Clever mystery with multiple suspects
Caught this film on Hastings Mystery Theater (YouTube) and was surprised at how good the mystery was. The only actor I recognized was Robert Warwick who plays Joseph Harris the father of the young male lead Ken Harris (Charles Starrett).
The film has a truly gruesome opening. After an evening out, Ken Harris returns to his dormitory suite on the Dartmouth campus. Ken is unable to open the door to his room, and his roommate doesn't respond to the knocking on the door. Ken goes down a flight and enters the dorm room below his. There Ken sleeps in an unoccupied bed, but he is awakened by the sound of a low banging on the window. Ken goes to the window, and opens it to see the dead body of his roommate with a noose about his neck. He wakes the student whose room he is in. Let's say the scene gets more gruesome as Ken goes to get a doctor while the other student hauls the dead body up. The relative calmness of both boys makes one wonder what is considered normal on the campus.
The university decides to ask Ken's father, Joe Harris, a well-known lawyer with an interest in criminology, to take on what turns out not to be a suicide but a murder.
As the story plays out there are numerous clues and two additional murders. It even seems possible that Ken's dad could be a suspect.
Some bad acting aside, the film provides a good mystery that will likely have any viewer, including me, making several bad guesses as to who the murderer is. Definitely worth a watch.
Blind Spot (1947)
A clever story that keeps you intrigued
While there is an obvious borrowing from The Kennel Murder Case, Chester Morris does an excellent performance as the author-on-a-bender who might have murdered his publisher. Morris' character, who is identified as a novelist who writes intellectual psychological stories, speaks more like noir style detective.
The story is a locked room murder supposedly carried out by Morris who devised the idea, but he can't remember how the murderer did it. And no matter what Morris does to try and remember his solution the more it looks like he did it.
Blind Spot is an entertaining whodunit with a supporting cast of well-known character actors. This is a film to enjoy on a rainy night or while being stuck at home during a winter storm. I came across this film on Hastings Mystery Theater on YouTube, and I was surprised at how good it was as a B+ B movie.
Archie (2023)
We all wanted to be Cary Grant
Sad and gets sadder. I don't know of any biopic that's truthful or honest, so I can't pass then on the accuracy of Archie. But Jason Isaacs interpretation inhabits his character. Dainton Both Anderson and Oaklee Pendergast both turn in good turns as young Archie and teen/twenties Archie, but their impressions are their own as most fans of Cary Grant have no real frame of reference for comparisons.
What we see is a man both looking back and participating in crafting the image of Cary Grant that we see on screen. Dyan Cannon, who has writing and producer credits, is portrayed as somewhat an innocent swept up in circumstances beyond her control; her depiction is sympathetic and fanciful while Grant's image suffers from cruel jabs.
It's well documented that Grant couldn't sustain a relationship, and clearly he was hurt by a father who lied to him about his mother's death and abandoned him without remorse. Thus, Archie Leech felt compelled to create a role for himself to play both in life and on film. Isaacs portrayed gives us as good a sense of the man who wanted to be the Cary Grant he fashioned from images of real people and their alter egos
Is it sad to live the life of a person who never really existed, or was it a triumph to be able to pull it off? Watch Isaacs and see if you can decide.
Blue, White and Perfect (1942)
Mike Shayne foils the Nazis
If it hadn't been for Hastings Mystery Theater, I would have missed this entry. This picture brings Michael Shayne into the beginnings of WWII chasing a theft of industrial diamonds being smuggled into the Vaterland. On Mike's trail is Juan Arturo O'Hara (a younger George Reeves, 10 years before becoming a TV sensation as Superman), but is O'Hara a spy or something else.
A good story that is well-paced and has a series of twists and turns, but the viewer can follow without getting lost. For the most part, the villains are bad and deserve their various ends. However, there was one whose death was undeserved.
Bosch: Legacy: I Miss Vin Scully (2023)
The tension is brutal
Harry is losing some of his smarts. He gets a sense something is wrong, especially after the Nguyen brothers are murdered, but he misses that his house has been searched and that his car is bugged. Worse, he looks under the front of the car but fails to look under the rear of the car where the bug is. But he is looking into Ellis and Wilson. Unknown to Harry these dirty cops are now working with Maddie and are trying to pump her for info on Harry's case, and also are setting her up to take a fall. Moe meanwhile is thinking with another part of his anatomy trying to impress a woman he knows nothing about, but he does find the tracker Ellis and Wilson put under his car. Let's just say the tension levels are rising and there are still episodes to come.
Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls (2008)
Africa looks good
When IMDB was young, I rated a film a zero, and I was actually contacted because the editors did not believe any film deserved a zero. The ony reason this film didn't get a zero was for a budget of $50,000, You got some great views of Africa. I watched this on FreeVee, and I kept thinking it couldn't get worse, Not only were the guns shooting blanks, so were the actors. You have been warned. The only things that could save this film are a budget, actors, and talent. If anyone is old enough to remember the original kids TV show Land of the Lost, then that series makes this film look cheesy. You don't want to die and try to justify why you spent time watching this.