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AKB48Fan rated Allegro non Troppo (1976)

 Allegro non Troppo (1976) 7/10

4 years, 2 months ago

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

An enthusiastic filmmaker thinks he's come up with a totally original idea: animation set to classical music! When he is informed that some American named "Prisney" has already done it, he decides to do his own version, using an orchestra comprising mostly old ladies and an animator he's kept locked in a dungeon. This is an Italian parody of the Disney movie Fantasia. It's a mix of live action slapstick sequences and animated shorts. It's certainly not for kids to watch but more for an adult audience as it has sexual content. Amongst the animated shorts you'll see is a horny faun lustily pursuing naked young maidens to the strains of Debussy and sludge at the bottom of what looks like a Coke bottle evolving into some pretty nasty lifeforms to the strains of Stravinsky. None of the animation shorts connect to each other. The live action comedy shot in black and white is also pretty funny with the conductor and the animator fight sequence the best of the lot. The animation is pretty crude but don't let that put you off this from watching this bizarre and surreal movie. I didn't expect to like this but it grew on me. I enjoyed it a lot.

4 years, 2 months ago

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

In the years after the Civil War, Jo March lives in New York and makes her living as a writer, while her sister Amy studies painting in Paris. Amy has a chance encounter with Theodore, a childhood crush who proposed to Jo but was ultimately rejected. Their oldest sibling, Meg, is married to a schoolteacher, while shy sister Beth develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together. The umpteenth movie version of Little Women deserves kudos for its authentic period feel, and there are brief moments in which it truly engages, but overall, the plot line is all over the place, and no amount of well-choreographed young woman group chaos can overcome this. None of the characters was ever sufficiently developed to make me feel connected to them. Perhaps that's the fault of Greta Gerwig as the director adding her feminist message to the story. The acting is good with Soarsie Ronan being the pick of the bunch. Emma Watson seemed to me to be under used in the movie. The movie seemed rushed, and with the constant flashback and flash-forwards it just comes off as confusing to anyone unfamiliar with the subject matter. If you want to see a very good version of the story, go and see the 1994 one with Winona Ryder instead.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years, 2 months ago

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

A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life. You may heard about how bad this movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical is and they'd be right. It is truly terrible and hands down the worst movie of 2019. Words can't explain what I just saw. The recipe for a hit was there: an all-star cast, a big budget and a director who adapted the fantastic Les Miserables to the big screen so what could go wrong? Literally everything! Beautiful sets, scenes, and some good dancing couldn't even begin to save the hideous story and plotless adventure. The singing by some of the cast is awful. It's a total yawn-fest of boredom. If you've ever had a nightmare that left you feeling nauseous, sick, and confused.. this movie is leaves you the same way! Do yourself a favour and steer well clear of this unwatchable movie.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Bunny Lake Is Missing

 Bunny Lake Is Missing 7/10

4 years, 2 months ago

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

Ann Lake drops off her 4 year old daughter Bunny at school but leaves her with the cook as she can't find any teachers at the time. Returning to collect her later, she discovers the child has gone missing and that nobody has any recollection of ever seeing her. The police are called to investigate her disappearance. A suspenseful movie that will have you on the edge of your seat with an amazing finale. This intriguing movie is packed with thrills, suspense, plot twists, and results which are quite entertaining though sometimes it gets a bit too over the top. From start to finish the intrigue and thrilling scenes are continuous with a fantastic script. The cast is superb with Laurence Oliver as a detective hoping to find the missing child, Carol Lynley as Bunny's tortured mother Ann, Noel Coward as a drunken landlord and Keir Dullea who is rather unsettling as Ann's brother. All in all, a great mystery thriller that never lets up.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan rated True as a Turtle

 True as a Turtle 6/10

4 years, 2 months ago

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

A young newly married couple on their honeymoon embark on a voyage to France on a sailing boat named Turtle. This is a fine example of a landlubbers-at-sea comedy directed by Wendy Toye, one of the few female directors at that time. The storyline is nearly irrelevant but everybody carries the story off well in fact you could easily believe that the whole movie was a dramatised documentary of a weekend sailing trip. There are plenty of good bits of humour and lots of 50's atmosphere to enjoy. St Malo in France during the late 50's looks great. Great acting from the whole cast. A pleasant way to spend 90 mins.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Shot Caller

 Shot Caller 8/10

4 years, 2 months ago

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

A California stockbroker Jacob is arrested and charged for a fatal DUI accident, and on his lawyer's advice, takes a plea deal which sees him sentenced to 16 months in prison. While incarcerated, he becomes involved with a violent white supremacist gang. This movie is a dark character piece. It's about Jacob's journey from clean-cut family man to a hard and violent gang member that shouldn't be crossed. This kind of movie has been done before but Shot Caller does an excellent job of getting you to feel for Jacob but at the same time being shocked by his actions. In this context, you understand why he did what he did but the depth of his transformation is shocking yet intriguing. The biggest reason you should check this out is the awesome acting by the cast. Nicolaj Coaster-Waldau does an amazing acting job. He is excellent as Jacob. It's easily his best work outside of Game of Thrones. Overall, this movie isn't boldly new but it absolutely achieves what it wants to and although it sidesteps some of the issues, it still hits hard. Definitely one to seek out.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Home at Seven

 Home at Seven 6/10

4 years, 2 months ago

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

Meek and mild-mannered bank clerk David Preston returns home after work one evening to find his wife, Janet, distraught, as he had been missing for more than 24 hours. David recalls nothing from the period, and when the news reports that a steward at his club had been murdered in that time, he hurries to visit his friend, Dr. Sparling. There he confesses his growing fear that he was responsible for the crime, as he hated the murdered man. Ralph Richardson who plays the main role in this movie also directed it. It was his sole directing effort and he made a fine job of it too. He is perfectly cast as the staid, banker living a life of ritualistic routine that has been turned upside down. Margaret Leighton who plays his wife also performs wonderfully. The resolution of Richardson's predicament is quite satisfying and also adds depth to the movie. It also shows how an innocent little white lie between husband and wife (and this one really is innocent), can have grave consequences. It's not the most exciting movie ever made as it is primarily dialogue-driven, but it's a good British stiff upper lip take on an amnesia noir thriller. Give it a shot and you're sure to enjoy it.

4 years, 2 months ago

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

A writer moves to his lakeside cabin to find solitude. However, a psychotic stalker blames him for plagiarising his work and refuses to leave him alone. Based on a Stephen King story, this is not exactly a memorable or path-breaking movie of its genre but it does manage to be fun to an extent. The story is easily predictable and there are plenty of unintentionally funny moments. It is pretty much just another thriller but the locations (especially the landscape and nature round the lake house) are very pleasing to look at and the cinematography is quite impressive. The way the 'revelation' is displayed towards the end is hilarious and overly dramatic. Johnny Depp is great at what he's given to do but the role itself suffers from poor writing. If he wasn't in the movie I'm sure it would have been a dud. Be sure to disengage the brain before viewing!

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years, 2 months ago

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

A failed climate experiment in order to stop global warming turns the Earth into a world of snow and ice which kills off most of the population. The survivors get on board The Snowpiercer, a train that circumnavigates the globe. Curtis Everett leads a ragtag group of people from the lower class in the tail end of the train in a revolution against the elite of the front of the train. Directed by the man behind Korean blockbusters The Host and Memories of Murder, Bong Joon-ho has done a wonderful job with this movie with all his trademarks intact throughout the story. Written as well as it is envisioned, the movie includes moments of hilarity infused in the tense moments and the action sequences are brilliantly filmed as well. The cinematography captures the dystopian world brilliantly. Chris Evans delivers a fine performance as Curtis who leads the tail passengers into a revolt. Other great performances come from Octavia Spenser, Jaime Bell and Ed Harris but the one who impresses the most turns out to be the famous Korean actor Song Kang-Ho as the guy who created the doors system on the train and whom the revolt needs in order to reach the front. All in all, an original and entertaining movie with interesting visuals that never gets boring. Recommended.

4 years, 2 months ago

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

3 men are called up to serve in the British Army during WWII. They are put into the Welsh Guards Tank Division where they begin training before heading to Normandy after D-Day. This is a near-forgotten British war movie directed by 007 director Terence Young. Maybe it didn't help that the script is quite dry, the narrative fairly stodgy, and there's a distinct lack of big-name actors to give audiences a reason to watch. There's a lot of talk and back-and-forth dialogue, but when it comes to the action, the big set-pieces that everybody remembers are hurried through. Stock footage is also used quite liberally. The only actor I recognised was a young Desmond Llewelyn (Q from the Bond movies) although Christopher Lee is supposed to be one of the cast members. I failed to recognise him though. This isn't a classic war movie but it's still worth taking a look.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years, 2 months ago

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

A knight finds his village destroyed and abandoned. He tries to track the attackers down and avenge his family, but almost drowns. A beautiful maiden, the prisoner of a Black Knight, saves him, so he vows to free her, even though she warns him not to. This short movie which was thought to be lost was found again in 2011. It was shown in UK cinemas before The Empire Strikes Back originally back in 1980. What an incredible feature it is with bags of atmosphere. Although a bit thin on plot the director puts more scenery into a 25 minute movie than most directors can put into their 2 hour long movie. The cinematography is breathtaking showing the beauty of the highlands of Scotland but the director makes it feel other worldly. The few actors involved are good and the action sequences are done very well. There was talk of doing a proper long version of the story in 2015 but nothing has come of it since which is a shame. An excellent short movie which comes highly recommended.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Tiger in the Smoke

 Tiger in the Smoke 6/10

4 years, 2 months ago

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

A young war widow has gone on with her life, falling in love with an attractive man. Strangely, she begins to receive disquieting messages that suggest her husband might be still alive. Who would want to perpetrate such a cruel hoax on a blameless citizen? And why? An interesting film noir about a gang of ex-commandos who are after some treasure. They think the wife of a deceased soldier might know where it is located in France. The movie is at its evocative best when describing a London shrouded in an oppressive smog. It's a world turned dark and grey, where vast blankets of polluted fog fill the streets, to the point where people can't find their houses and dogs can't recognise their masters. The movie gets better when a person named Johnny Havoc enters the scene as he's a nasty bit of work who even tries to murder a priest in a church. It ends in a nice climax on the side of a cliff. Donald Sinden is the main lead and spends a lot of time tied up with a tape across his mouth with Muriel Pavlow and Tony Wright also performing well. A much underrated movie which is largely forgotten - it certainly deserves some attention.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Car Trouble

 Car Trouble 6/10

4 years, 2 months ago

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

In the throes of a midlife crisis, a man buys a 1965 Jaguar E-Type sports car and it immediately becomes his new love. What he does not know is that his wife is as attracted to the young Jaguar salesman as he is to the car. During a sex session in the car, the wife and young lover have an accident that makes them headline news! A fairly good British farce which only those with a warped sense of humour will probably like. It's funny and provides laughs in fits and starts but it's hardly a classic in the genre. The two leads in Julie Walters and Ian Charleson are on good form as the feuding couple and funnily enough at the time of filming this movie both were performing on stage together. The ending fails to supply the climax most of the audience would want, but is nonetheless great fun. I always enjoy watching anything with Julie Walters and she's great in this movie which I thought was enjoyable.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Split Second

 Split Second 5/10

4 years, 2 months ago

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

The year is 2008 and something is terrorising the streets of a flooded London, leaving numerous heartless corpses behind. Fortunately detective Harley Stone is on the case and discovers that the murderous monster behind the killings is just that. This is one of those 90's movies that was forgotten 5 mins after it was released; and upon discovering the movie, I've got to say that I can understand why it was forgotten. The most important thing to know about this movie is that it's not as cool as it sounds. Big man with a gun in a dystopian English future, fighting a man-beast that can rip hearts from chests. Sounds good but it's actually rather lame. It's not Rutger Hauer's finest hour acting-wise. The monster makes little or no sense and it looks like H.R Giger's Alien creature. Kim Cattrall is in this movie just to be the damsel in distress. The action is sometimes well paced and exciting. This movie is obviously a mish-mash of Blade Runner, Alien and Predator. It might not be that good but it does however provide a good 90 mins of hokey entertainment in a fascinating environment.

4 years, 2 months ago

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

Giant rats which have mutated thanks to a store full of grain with steroids terrorise the city of Toronto. Author James Herbert was none too pleased with this not particularly faithful movie version of his novel which was directed by Robert Clouse. Clause was more closely associated with his martial arts movies featuring Bruce Lee (clips from Game of Death is featured here). It's a decent horror movie with a fairly high body count including an infant boy. There's a decent atmosphere in some of the shots and underground sequences, although there's never really very much tension throughout the thing. I found it hilarious that the rodent menaces were actually played by dachshunds wearing costumes and rather crude rat faces! Gore hounds hoping for a lot of blood will be disappointed. A shame the climax isn't that exciting with an unsatisfying ending. Overall, it's an average slice of 80's tosh.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years, 2 months ago

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

A father has to skip his teenager daughter's concert in order to undertake a long journey to help out a business associate. However, on the night before the trip, both he and his wife have a nightmare about a mountainous winding road, seat belts and 3 vicious Rottweiler dogs. This spooky and atmospheric drama has apparently a reputation among cult movie fans as it was never officially released in the cinema but went straight to video and the writer/director Lindsey Vickers never directed another movie. The opening 5 mins really sets up how mysterious the story is with a schoolgirl being sucked into some woods by an unseen force. Other strange happenings keep taking place at certain intervals in the movie but it's the climax with the father's car journey that ramps up the suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Edward Woodward is good but not fantastic in his role as the father who has a spoilt teenage girl that likes to have her own way and may have some mysterious power inside her. In the end, this is a long forgotten British movie that's gripping and menacing. I liked it a lot.

4 years, 2 months ago

AKB48Fan rated First Men in the Moon

 First Men in the Moon 6/10

4 years, 2 months ago

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

The United Nations sends a team of multinational astronauts to the moon. The men reach the moon only to find a Union Jack flag claiming the land for Queen Victoria. What's the secret behind the flag? A good sci-fi movie. I think proper fans of H.G. Wells may well frown on this British adaptation of his 1900 Strand Magazine serial. It still retains some of the Victorian values but updates the technology. The movie is stolen by Lionel Jeffries as the eccentric Professor Cavor who takes the caddish Arnold Bedford and Katherine Callender up in a rocket and off to the moon - a moon they soon discover is already populated. It does have some comedy sequences which look out of place in the story and there's some stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen as well. A perfect movie for the family on a wet Sunday afternoon.

4 years, 2 months ago