My feed

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

A tiny alien lands in the small town of Aurora in Texas in the times of the Wild West. He flies around in his spaceship and checks out everything. While the kids are fascinated, their parents are rather sceptic and afraid. Ms. Peabels, teacher and new owner of the local paper, smells a good story and brings the alien into the headlines. A poor lightweight sci-fi/western/family movie which was based on an allegedly real life story. It was one of a host of peaceful alien-comes-to-America movies that came out following the huge success of E.T. It stars a young kid who had a terrible degenerative-accelerative aging disease as the friendly alien. There is not much in the way of a plot – the movie rambles and plods its way from one encounter to the other until the end when the alien is surprise, surprise shot by a one of the gun toting townsfolk and dies. The special effects are laughable and it's obvious the alien craft is lifted off the ground by a hidden crane. Not worth bothering with really.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

A martial artist known as ‘Golden Dragon’ teams up with ‘Silver Snake’ to take revenge on the men responsible for his brother’s murder. A mostly clunky and confusing Brucesploitation kung-fu as befits a Godfrey Ho movie with a decent amount of amusing highlights, such as when the main villain throws his cat at a henchman's face as punishment! The first hour is rather painful to watch with some awful goofiness thrown in but it comes together in the end with a decent long fight sequence. The movie is known in some places as Dragoneer 5 even though there's been no Dragoneer 1-4! The English dubbing is hilarious at times. Apart from the final 25 mins, this would have been one of the worst kung fu movies I've ever seen. I still can't really recommend this unless you're a sucker for seeing the complete back catalogue of Godfrey Ho's work.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

Divorcee Susan Jeremy goes to a local hospital for a routine check up and finds herself stranded there while a maniac, dressed in a doctor’s surgical mask and clothing, goes around killing all the staff that are associated with her. Could it possibly be the psycho Harold, who killed a friend of Susan’s on Valentine’s Day 19 years earlier? This is a gory slasher movie with a ridiculous premise. The movie isn't all that bad but what really doesn't work is the hilarious implausibility of the "situation" that Susan finds herself in. As soon as the killer knows she is in the hospital, he plants some bogus test results in her file, and from this point onwards all the other hospital staff treat Susan like a dangerous and/or mentally deranged powder keg who must be detained at all costs. For a supposedly normal hospital, it seems like all the patients there are loonies! The deaths on show are pretty good which will delight gorehounds. Barbi Benton in the main role of Susan is fine. She screams well enough and is attractive to look at throughout. Shame that the script gives her so many stupid, dumb things to do. Overall, just forget logic whilst watching and you might enjoy it.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

A taxi driver is falsely accused of murdering a little girl when her body is discovered at a derelict bomb site. His wife and lawyer must convince the jury that he is innocent. Based apparently on a true story, this movie is a very solid courtroom drama with Richard Attenborough giving a very strong performance as a taxi driver and he brings to life the predicament which his character finds himself, unable to defend himself despite having done nothing wrong but everything else including witness evidence stacks up against him. The plot veers to the melodramatic in the closing minutes, but entertainingly so. However, the detailed portrayal of court procedure is fascinating to watch. Apart from Attenborough, the woman portraying his wife in Cathy O'Donnell is also brilliant in her role. All in all, a fantastic courtroom drama that's worth taking a look.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

A man who was a confidant of Adolf Hitler dies and leaves a fortune to make amends for his Nazi past but his son has to search the world to find it. This could have been a great thriller as all the ingredients were there: a very good director in John Frankenheimer, a story based on a novel by Robert Ludlum and a great leading man in Michael Caine yet somehow this movie misfires. There were plenty of the usual Ludlum plot twists and misdirections which was alright but the movie dragged on for way too long. Some of the story doesn't make any sense and is rather far-fetched. The setting in Germany is interesting as is Geneva, and London. The cast are OK with Caine being the best of the bunch. The movie is perfectly watchable if you've got nothing to see but I wouldn't say it's a movie you should seek out.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan rated A Most Violent Year

 A Most Violent Year 7/10

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

An immigrant Abel Morales and his family are trying to expand their business and capitalise on opportunities as the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built. A very well made mystery-drama-thriller and a fantastic period piece that creates an authentic, distinct look at 1980's New York. It has a bubbling tension that steadily grows as the movie wears on and each individual incident against his business pushes Morales closer to his breaking point. Oscar Isaac shines in the main role, playing one of the coolest characters around: broken yet proud, strong yet vulnerable, decent yet pressed, and shrewdly bad-to-the-bone with Jessica Chastain also performing well as his wife. This movie has you fully gripped from the start and the story itself has all the momentum of a run away goods train. Overall - a supremely acted and directed crime drama.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan rated Doctor in Clover

 Doctor in Clover 4/10

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

Gaston Grimsdyke, having served 6 months in prison, following a dalliance with the Governor's daughter is recruited by Sir Lancelot Spratt to brush up on his medical knowledge at his hospital. The 6th in the Doctor series sees standards slip way below the previous entries. Gone is Dirk Bogarde (rather wisely I say) and in his place comes Leslie Phillips who plays the usual charming lothario type. The movie plays like a sub-par Carry On with rampant sexism and dated jokes. At times it doesn't even feel like the other previous Doctor movies with a very good reason as the scriptwriter was changed this time round. There's a big list of comedy stars of the day appearing with Joan Sims, Arthur Haynes, Fenella Fielding and Terry Scott amongst others. I was rather disappointed with this movie and although one or two jokes did make me laugh, it wasn't a very good comedy.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan rated Dirty God

 Dirty God 6/10

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

Jade is a young mother in the prime of her life when an acid attack leaves her severely burned. While her face has been reconstructed, her beauty is lost beneath the scars. Descending a self-destructive path with relationships crumbling, Jade must take drastic action to reclaim her life. This is a deeply empathetic look at beauty and all of its complexities with a fantastic performance from debutant Vicky Knight who in real life suffered 3rd degree burns as a child. It is stylised, sexual and authentic in its depiction of internal pain. I would say it's a very depressing movie as well until the end of the movie that is. The main character of Jade is not to be pitied and is far more than a victim. She doesn't take any crap from those talking about her behind her back and is prone to bouts of rage if she feels she has been wronged. The message about how society looks at beauty isn’t a new one, but it is well wrapped in the story. The supporting cast which includes Katherine Kelly is very good. It's certainly worth your while seeking this movie out.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan rated Doctor in Distress (1963)

 Doctor in Distress (1963) 6/10

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

When the eternal bachelor Sir Lancelot Spratt injures his back and falls in love with his physiotherapist Iris Marchant, he becomes very distressed and turns to Simon Sparrow for help. The 5th Doctor movie finds Dirk Bogarde return for one last time as Dr Simon Sparrow. It's one of the best in the series with James Robertson Justice as the blustering Spratt getting more screen time as the focus of the plot. One minor distraction is that this entry ignores events from the previous movies as Spratt was married in Doctor in Love! There are loads of cameos from the likes of Richard Briers, Johnny Briggs, Fenella Fielding, Derek Fowlds and Peter Butterworth. There are many laughs to be had in watching this movie. A very enjoyable comedy.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan rated The Prince and the Pauper

 The Prince and the Pauper 6/10

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

aka The Prince And The Pauper. Tom Canty is a poor English boy who bears a remarkable resemblance to Edward, Prince of Wales and son of King Henry VIII. The two boys meet and decide to play a joke on the court by dressing in each other’s clothes, but the plan goes awry when they are separated and each must live the other’s life. A moderately entertaining adventure romp with the Salkind's trying to recapture their Musketeer movies but they don't really pull it off. The story is great but I'm afraid the main lead in Mark Lester isn't that good at all. Director Richard Fleischer was lucky enough to secure four Best Actor Oscar Winners for his cast in Ernest Borgnine, Charlton Heston as King Henry VIII, Rex Harrison as the Duke of Norfolk and George C. Scott as the Ruffler. Future Dr Who assistant Lalla Ward gets a small role as the young Princess Elizabeth and Oliver Reed gets to be his usual self i.e drinking and fighting. The movie does go on for a little bit too long though it never got boring or made me lose attention. On the whole it's enjoyable to watch the stars go through their paces and well worth a punt.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 5 items to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

A killer stalks a composer staying at a posh Tuscany villa while writing the score to a horror film which has an incriminating clue to the killer’s identity. A great 80's Italian giallo with good atmosphere, score, setting and overall intensity. It's by no means on par with some of Dario Argento's work but manages to succeed in its own way. Like most of these thrillers it is ridden with suspense, gore, red-herrings and the inescapable 'whodunit' element. The death scenes are fulfilling including a fair spill of blood. The ending however just seems weak as it doesn't take that long to piece together who has been committing the murders and the way in which killer dies is a big let-down. As a stand-alone thriller, this movie does work surprisingly well and is worth taking a look.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

In 1953, Ruth Ellis, a single mother and glamorous nightclub hostess, met and fell in love with David Blakely, a handsome racing car driver who was also immature, alcoholic, insanely jealous and deeply promiscuous. A tempestuous affair that awkwardly transcended class boundaries, it was a relationship marked by increasingly violent quarrels and tragic misfortune, culminating in Ruth waiting for David outside the Magdala public house on Easter Sunday 1955 - a confrontation that ended with her shooting him dead. A solid movie charting the run up to Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in Britain, murdering her lover outside a pub. The relationship they both had was pretty toxic and quickly got off the rails. The acting is top notch with Miranda Richardson doing a superb job as Ruth Ellis with Rupert Everett also brilliantly portraying David Blakely as a deeply immature man-child, who can't decide if he wants a mother or a lover. The story is that of an as obsession and unrequited love that can spawn something that can destroy one's life. The movie is atmospherically shot and methodically directed by Mike Newell. A very good movie overall despite knowing how the plot would eventually pan out.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

A retired businessman notices that there has been a rash of ships and planes disappearing off the Florida coast, and he starts to investigate. A pretty half hearted effort by CBS to make a late night TV movie about the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. Truth be told, not a whole lot happens and it relies far too much on the unexplained. You don't see any UFO's or bright lights and it doesn't have any tension to heighten the fact that something odd might be happening. The only thing the viewer gets to see is empty boats with a person that's gone missing. It needed something to make it more exciting be it aliens or a sea monster. The cast do their best with a drab script. Overall, a flat TV movie which had the potential to be something good but ran out of steam fairly quickly.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old. An absolutely awful comedy by Roger Corman which is barely watchable. It's about a bunch of hippies driving across the Southwest in search of a new existence, encountering football players who want to run things like a football game and rival gangs at a country club who have turned the golf course into a mutinous dictatorship. From what I have read, this tried to be like a comedy version of Easy Rider but failed miserably. I didn't laugh even once watching this excuse of a movie. Unless you're on high on drugs, you're unlikely to find anything amusing about it. A waste of time.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

Three young martial arts students and their teacher are beaten up badly by a wandering man who proclaims himself “a corrector of bad kung-fu.” Determined to avenge their teacher and regain their honour, the three students all go their seperate ways to find kung-fu masters who will take them as students. A wonderful kung fu movie from Shaw Brothers and a fight-filled extravaganza, full of extraordinary kung fu fights on show and moves executed with flair, precision, speed and technical skill. It's non-stop with the fight sequences and of which barely pause for one second. The plot is the usual revenge seeking, but the fights and the performances of the cast maintain your interest. This is in many respects a great old-school style martial arts movie that as basic as both its formula and structure are, as a movie, it is also highly entertaining and watchable.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to A New Decade! A New Year! Movies Watched In 2020 list

Two sons who have swapped due to a promise at birth must team up to defeat the evil Shaolin monks that has killed their fathers. A rather good movie from director Godfrey Ho for a change which doesn't contain his usual messy chopping up of two movies and combining them up. The plot actually makes sense as well. It contains plenty of splendidly choreographed martial arts fight sequences that keep the movie rapidly moving along as there is never a slow moving minute amid the well developed characters that keep the viewer compelled enough to continue watching it although a drunken eagle claw versus drunken mantis fist fight is rather laughable. The great Gordon Liu who is one of the main leads in the movie helps make it a fun filled and entertaining feature.

4 years ago

AKB48Fan rated The Angry Silence

 The Angry Silence 7/10

4 years ago