Written by Joseph McGrath, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Peter Sellers, and Terry Southern. Hilarious spoof of just about everything, with Sellers as wealthy guru to Starr's naive waif, showing the him the nature of the world and preparing him to inherit his fabulous wealth. The bottom line: everyone can be bought, which Sellers proves through a series of devious pranks. Never takes itself too seriously, loaded with juicy cameos by the likes of Raquel Welch and John Lennon. [884]
PETER SELLERS, RINGO STARR, WILFRID HYDE-WHITE, RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH, LAURENCE HARVEY, ISABEL JEANS, CHRISTOPHER LEE, SPIKE MILLIGAN, ROMAN POLANSKI, RAQUEL WELCH, JEREMY LLOYD, JOHN CLEESE, JOHN LENNON, YOKO ONO
John Wayne's last important role, as a grizzled old marshall who is hired by a young girl to track down her father's killer. Filmed at the end of the era of Westerns as a viable genre, Wayne indulges in self-parody here-- one of the reasons the genre died. He is swaggering, macho, bullying, and completely independent. Is he a heroic figure-- the rugged individualist, living by his own moral code? Or is he an absurd caricature of himself, a flatulent, phoney old coot? Glen Campbell is leaden as a Texas lawman who tags along. Kim Darby is interesting as the girl. She is boyish and independent, but, oddly enough considering Wayne's broad characterization, she never devolves into stereotype or condescension. You almost expect her to find her "correct" feminine role at the end, but she never does. And aside from some awkwardly filmed scenes of rough-housing, her sexuality is strangely muted. Here she is living among these wild frontier men, but Wayne is clearly a father figure, and Campbell is too whiney to be a love interest. That leaves the bad guys, but Duvall's villain isn't really evil, and her father's murderer is grizzled and spineless. This gives the movie it's strength, and leaves you a little mystified at the end: what's going to happen to this girl? [882]
JOHN WAYNE, KIM DARBY, GLEN CAMPBELL, ROBERT DUVALL, STROTHER MARTIN, DENNIS HOPPER
I don't remember much about this except for Sutherland as a non-conformist. [575]
TELLY SAVALAS
Strange movie if I remember correctly, which I don't, actually, very well. I just remember being intrigued by the central premise, about a family-- and I believe a young woman-- "cursed" with a passionate desire to mate. [566]
Rock as sub commander ordered to North Pole for mysterious reasons involving covert cold war incident. Some good visuals because of real subs (I believe) used in production. [563]
I vividly remember this, for Don Knotts hysterical, but not necessarily funny, portrait of a bird watcher thrust into the role of international playboy. I liked Knotts, however, for the projection of self-assured mediocrity. [503]
I don't remember much about it, except for Hope Lange running around, chased by something evil. [491]
Amusing tale of movie director being used to cover a bank robbery, I think. Stars Victor Mature as well!! Written by Neil Simon?? [478]
Stark, powerful drama about prision corruption, with Alda in uncharacteristic role. Sometimes brutal; unforgettable. Notable for perceptible commitment to showing realistic details of prison life. Film at a prison, using real prisoners as extras. Unusual pessimistic ending, for a TV movie. The only copy I could find later was a poor quality (VHS) copy of it. Not surprising. [463]
Somewhat dated now, but good filming of a great storey. The shots with Ahab on the whale are still technically astounding. [423]
Likeable but unexeptional film about loner Bing losing his fiance to Fred Astaire and opening a hotel in the country, getting a new fiance, treating her in a patronizing manner, gaslighting her, losing her, then getting her back. Blah blah blah. There is some incidental existential flavour to this, but, after all, it is Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. "White Christmas" was partially a rehash of this film with Danny Kaye instead of Fred Astaire. Famously, there is a black- face tribute to Abraham Lincoln in it, originally. Turner Classics, apparently, still broadcasts this version but other networks edit it out. [418]
Inspite of the occult trappings, a really brilliant, powerful film. Blair plays a 12-year-old girl who, after playing with a Ouija board, begins to show signs of severe personality disorder. After investigation from the very best doctors, the idea of an "exorcism" is discussed. The movie, of course, buys the idea that the girl really is possessed (Blatty's upbringing was Catholic) and doesn't really let the viewer conclude otherwise, though one suspects that the reality behind the real case upon which the novel was based is quite different from the movie's reality. (In fact, the original case had nothing like the explicit manifestations in the movie.) But, it is a good story, well-told, superbly acted and filmed. The so-called "director's cut" released in 2000 is not really a director's cut and is not as good as the original. The sequel rates as one of the all time worst. I saw this at Pen Centre in St. Catharines, I believe, by myself. [212]
MAX VON SYDOW
Written by Woody Allen. [205]
And entire town pledges to quit smoking. [181]
Remarkable, violent film, about a group of hoods, led by Alex (Malcolm McDowell) who terrorize a London neighborhood until Alex is apprehended. An attempt is made to rehabilitate him using the latest psychological techniques and drugs. This procedure is not a success. And here's the message: could it be that violent tendencies are not only associated with genius, but essential to genuis? Could it be that our society would not be likely to survive if we really were able to eradicate all violence? And could it be that the aimless, random violence of gangs is merely a different expression of the violence every society harbours, whether it be through the police, the army, the economic system, or whathaveyou? Viewers should be warned: this is one of the most violent films of it's era. [177]
MALCOLM MCDOWELL, PATRICK MACNEE
Reasonably sound adaptation of the famous Heller novel. You can't help but respect it, but it doesn't leave you with one vivid perception of what the book is really about, other than the general pointlessness of it all. [169]
ART GARFUNKEL, RICHARD BENJAMINS
Sometimes exciting drama about the founding of Israel, first Arab-Israeli wars. [164]
Madcap James Bond parody. [162]
Don't remember much about it, except exploitive side of it. [159]
Slightly disturbing bad Bonnie and Clyde rip-off. [126]
Incredibly self-righteous film about half-breed, Jack, defending freedom school from hostile, bigotted residents of nearby town. Gratuitous and facile. [121]
Somewhat interesting television pilot, about an armoured car disappearing in the middle of the desert. [109]
All I remember is that I saw it and that it didn't leave a great impression. [85]
Very powerful film about the 1967 Greek coup. Jean-Louis Trintiganaut was especially brilliant as the magistrate who investigates an "accident" in which an opposition politician is killed. Yves Montand is the assassinated Deputy. The Magistrate, unwilling to be used by either side, is at first skeptical of claims of conspiracy. But as he slowly accumulates evidence and testimony from different witnesses, including an angry, arrogant General, he begins to realize that there has been a highly coordinated plan, and prepares to indict those involved. This is a political-action film: the dynamic is generated by developments in the investigation and the reaction of the government and the military to these developments. Superbly edited and filmed to create the sense of a bow being drawn further and further back. The release of tension is shocking, and ironic. [66]
JEAN LOUIS TRINTIGNANT, YVES MONTAND, IRENE PAPPAS, FRANCOIS PERIER, JACQUES PERRIN, JULIEN GUIOMAR, PIERRE DUX, BERNARD FRESSON
Claude Jutra's breakthrough film set in a small Quebec mining town during the 1950's. The theme is familiar: a young boy's coming of age, but it is given a fresh French-Canadian twist, with interesting asides about the town glamour doll, the hated factory boss, and a struggling family with a gravely ill boy. Uncle Antoine is the town undertaker-- and a lush-- and the boy becomes conscience of adult failings and hypocrisies. The closing sequence is unforgettable-- a long sleigh ride through a blizzard to recover a lost coffin, and the eerie epiphany when it is not found where expected. [43]
CLAUDE JUTRA, JEAN DUCEPPE, JACQUES GAGNON
Scary, genuinely frightening horror flick-- which pulled it's punches by leaving out the most disturbing scene of all: the monster, imitating a child throwing flowers into a river because they are beautiful, picks up the child and tosses her into the river. The scene was filmed, and I have seen it somewhere, but was removed from the final cut, which is a shame. It's a powerful, revelatory moment. The monster is innocent, but has been placed into a circumstance that would inevitably lead to tragedy. It's a moment that reveals the limitation of Dr. Frankenstein's idealism, and flaws in his reasoning. [26]
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