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AKB48Fan rated Hammer the Toff

 Hammer the Toff 7/10

4 years, 6 months ago

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4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan rated The Mind of Mr. Soames

 The Mind of Mr. Soames 6/10

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

John Soames has been since birth in a 30-year coma until a groundbreaking cure by Dr. Bergen who stimulates his brain to awaken. The problem is that the brain comes alive for the first time in a baby state of mind, and when Soames comes back to the waking world, he assumes the mental state of a young child. The journey, documented by a television crew, backfires when Dr. Bergen attempts to speed up his rate of maturation. Although slow-paced and deliberately bloodless, this movie remains a much underrated gem in the annals of Amicus Studios. Terence Stamp's performance alone is worth the price of admission. How easy it would have been for a lesser actor to look awfully foolish playing a baby in an adult's body (complete with man-sized pink baby grow). Yet Stamp brings remarkable conviction to the role, making us believe his every action and reaction throughout the movie. Robert Vaughan is also very good as Dr Bergen. It is never a truly exciting movie, aiming for an intentionally low-key and unsensational tone throughout. It is however thoroughly absorbing, thought-provoking and thanks to its earnest performances very believable. As unfairly overlooked gems go, they don't come more unfairly overlooked than this movie and as such it's well worth taking a look.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

A spirit called "Patrick" haunts a house on a lonely country road. The house is inherited by Jean Linton, whose husband, David, is an unreliable heavy-drinking would-be author. Believing the house to be valuable and wishing to inherit, David plans with local sexpot Mrs Stockley to dispose of Jean. But "Patrick" has other ideas...... This is a great low budget British potboiler with a supernatural edge. It's quite unusual to see a movie like this which plays up the thriller aspects of the storyline while downplaying the supernatural elements. Certainly there are no special effects or anything here, just a few spooky scenes of plates smashing and the like. Patricia Dainton gives a typically assured performance as the put-upon wife, and Sam Kydd is reliable in support as always. Director Montgomery Tully keeps things moving nicely along as well and it builds up to a fiery climax in the house. A really enjoyable movie with a solid story.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan posted a image

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

Young newlyweds Arthur and Jenny Fitton want nothing more than to get their marriage started on the right foot. But before they can depart for their honeymoon in Spain, they have to spend their first night together at the home of Arthur's parents, Ezra and Lucy. The couple are prevented from having any intimacy, but it only gets worse. They find out that their trip to Spain is canceled, which sets the tone for a rocky few weeks. Hugely ahead of its time in many ways, this movie by Roy Boulting is another British product of note from the swinging sixties, this time concerning a young couple who run into problems trying to consummate their marriage. Hywel Bennett and Hayley Mills play the newlyweds, who have to move in with her parents (and their thin walls!). As well as treating the subject with humour as well as sensitivity, the movie touches on a number of other subjects - the sexuality of more than one of the male characters, the possibility of unspoken infidelities in the past, and so on. The two main leads are fantastic and so is the rest of the cast which includes an arrogant Barry Foster, Liz Frazer, John Mills and Last of the Summer Wine's John Comer. A very good movie indeed!

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

The lives of various characters intersect at Harlem's renowned Cotton Club. Handsome horn player Dix Dwyer falls for Vera Cicero, the stunning girlfriend of famous gangster Dutch Schultz. Meanwhile Dix's brother, Vincent, falls in with Schultz's crew, while Owney Madden, the jazz venue's proprietor, has his own mob ties. Although Dix goes on to become a Hollywood actor, his life doesn't get any less complicated or dangerous. This is a shallow uninvolving story about the famous club in Harlem, New York and the broad caricatures that frequented it. It looked good but it didn't grip me at all. I was checking the clock constantly due to the slow pace and scattered story. Despite the movie's stylish period look and some nice jazz music, it doesn't feel authentic. The characters often seem like parodies of characters from 1930's movies rather than wholly formed characters of their own who actually lived in that time. The great cast which has Richard Gere and Bob Hoskins is totally wasted on such a dreary story. I wanted to like it but I couldn't.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

Dulcima is a carefree young woman who begins working as housekeeper on a run-down Gloucestershire farm owned by the miserly Mr. Parker. The farmer quickly becomes enamoured of the pretty and lively girl and invites her to live-in. They begin a sexual relationship, which becomes strained when he discovers her affections for a local gamekeeper. Interspersed with humour and comedic situation there is a darker aspect to how deceit and lust can end in tragedy, but for most part the light hearted aspect of this great movie will definitely elevate your mood. Carol White is fine as the titular character. She perfectly captures a mixture of idealistic virtues and down-to-earth practicality, and she'd be a stand-out if her role wasn't eclipsed by that of the excellent John Mills, who really has a ball with his part as a rogue-ish farmer. There are outstanding location shots of Gloucesteshire villages. The shocking ending really took me by surprise. Quite an underrated movie and well worth watching.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

A bitter and grieving woman Sophia rents an isolated house in rural Wales in order to convince short-tempered occultist Joseph Solomon to lead her in a grueling, months-long rite dictated from The Book of Abramelin to summon her guardian angel in order to extract revenge for the death of her son. This movie started out great. The story was engaging and interesting. I loved the subtlety with which the scary moments were shown. I enjoyed the relationship dynamic between the two leads as they traversed the increasingly complicated ritual. Then the ending happened! I have never seen an ending so completely at odds with the rest of the movie. That had to be the stupidest depiction of an angel I have ever seen. I wanted to laugh out loud as soon as I saw it which completely undid any of the fear that I had experienced throughout the rest of the movie. It's a hell of a shame that the last 15 mins destroys the good stuff that had been before it.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 2 items to their collection

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

John Saunders who is a supply teacher with progressive anti-corporal punishment views, arrives to take up a post at Worrell Street School in a socially deprived area of East London. He is assigned a class of pupils in their last year before leaving school and finds himself in charge of a group of rebellious, badly-behaved teenagers from poor home backgrounds, with no interest in education, who register their defiance of authority by fighting, throwing classroom furniture around, whistling and laughing during bible readings and smoking in class. He tries the friendly approach to get on their side but will his plan work? This is an interesting little school drama with a much grittier edge than expected. There's no sugar coating here, just a proper look at the issue of school discipline and one which shows both sides of the approach without preaching. Light entertainer Max Bygraves is an odd choice for the central role and while he's not a great actor he does well with his approach here and comes across as likable. Donald Pleasance and especially Geoffrey Keen are a right pair of bastards who enjoy punishing the kids with the cane. A young Richard O'Sullivan and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) round up the main cast. Things build to a suitably fraught climax which is well worth the wait. Although Max Bygraves didn't take part in many movies, this is probably his best role. It's worth seeking out if you have a chance.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Take a Girl Like You

 Take a Girl Like You 5/10

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

Jenny is a good girl who moves to a small British town to start a simple life. Soon, she becomes the centre of male attention around the town. Leading the pack is the honest but gruff Patrick, who shares the goal, along with other men, of having sex with the right girl. And they think Jenny is the right girl. Hayley Mills portrayes a twenty-ish girl from Northern England who relocates to London to teach school, taking a room in a boarding house and getting pawed at by various randy men. Of course, being a determined virgin until true love sets in, our heroine keeps all the beggars at bay. Adapted from a novel by Kingsley Amis, this a sex comedy with no sex in it. The Swinging Sixties having passed, what we get here is a rather staid and starchy London, and one quickly loses interest in the character's predicament since her rigid stance fails to propel the slim plot (even though Mills herself looks lovely). Best performance is given by Oliver Reed as a confirmed bachelor eager to deflower the pretty lass even if it be on her terms. A few funny moments, but lazily put together and nearly crippled by a terrible finish. You should really only watch this if you have absolutely nothing better to see.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan rated The Lion in Winter

 The Lion in Winter 5/10

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

It's Christmas 1183, and King Henry II is planning to announce his successor to the throne. The jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy Prince John to take over. Henry's wife, Queen Eleanor, has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard should be king. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option. Interesting but slow, overwrought and overshouted. This movie covers a reasonably interesting period of history: the reign of Henry II of England and the potential succession of one of his sons. However, what should be a relatively simple exercise is turned into an overly complex exercise in machiavellian manipulation, lies and deceit. Nothing is simple, and just when you think an issue is resolved, it unravels. Initially all this politics is intriguing, but it wears thin fairly quickly. It soon resembles intrigue and politics for the sake of it, and serves only to pad the movie. There are powerful performances from both Peter O'Toole as King Henry and Katharine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor of Acquitaine. Anthony Hopkins has a large part as one of the King's sons in one of his early roles with a fresh faced Timothy Dalton appearing as well. I'm sure many will love this shouty movie but after a while I just found it dull.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Before I Go to Sleep

 Before I Go to Sleep 6/10

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

Ever since a vicious attack nearly claimed her life, Christine Lucas has suffered from amnesia and is unable to form new memories. Every morning, she becomes reacquainted with her husband, Ben, and the other constants in her life. In accordance with her doctor's instructions, Christine keeps a video diary. As Christine starts to uncover terrifying truths about her past, she begins to question everything and everyone around her. A decent Hitchcock-esque movie that for the most part entertains, but fails to be anything other than a decent standard thriller. Once the slightly absurd premise is defined in pretty much the first 10 mins, the movie then starts to warm up quite nicely. And because Nicole Kidman's character only has a 24 hour memory the vulnerability she finds herself in is quite understandably terrifying, as well as more than a little saddening. Besides the very routine nature of the movie, my biggest complaint is that it just doesn't try hard enough in bending the mind, as this could have at least put in something strange, different or unsettling that would have set it apart from the rest, even if it was just one single scene. In the end though this is a good little watch, the acting from the strong cast is better than the movie probably deserves and the direction/writing is perfectly fine. I'm not sure if I could say that the experience was worth it though.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan rated The Lovers!

 The Lovers! 6/10

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

Geoffrey Scrimshaw and Beryl Battersby are a hesitant, inexperienced, young couple attempting to negotiate the sexual minefield of the ‘permissive’ society. This is the big screen version of the classic early 70's comedy starring Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox. It sees old-fashioned girl Beryl continuing to slap down the advances of her frustrated boyfriend, whose clumsy attempts to initiate ‘Percy Filth’ suggest he’s not quite up to speed himself! The performances from the two leads are great. As in the series Beckinsale' Geoffrey is shy, awkward, unsure of what he wants in life and looking for sex but also scared of the outcome. Wilcox's Beryl is a good girl looking for a good man and hardly admitting that awkward Geoffrey is her type. There are lots of shots of Manchester city centre and of Manchester United's Old Trafford ground before it was redeveloped in the 90's. This movie is a pleasant way to spend 90 mins especially if you enjoyed the sitcom series on which this is based.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Midsommar

 Midsommar 4/10

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

A couple travel to Sweden to visit one of their friend's rural hometown for its fabled midsummer festival, but what begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult. This movie starts out fairly well with an undeniably disturbing scene that acts as an interesting setup for both the characters and what would seem to be the underlying theme of the piece. Unfortunately, it steeply goes downhill once the characters arrive at the festival. Quite frankly, it soon becomes a bore; it's not scary, thrilling, tense, or even dramatic, and any semblance of theme or character is thrown out of the window. It doesn't even feel like it's trying to be scary or unnerving at all, aside from the few moments of overt gore that are shown in great detail. This was clearly only done in a desperate attempt to shock the audience, which is kind of a cheap move. The movie is just an extremely overlong collection of uninteresting scenes about uninteresting characters, that has zero atmosphere, dread, or tension. It's not scary, which wouldn't even be so much of a problem if it had an engaging story and good characters, and you leave feeling absolutely nothing, wondering what the whole point of it is. I must say that it is extremely well made, with some interesting shots, great production design and fantastic performances, but when the story is this bad that doesn't really account for anything. Overall, this is just a waste of 2 and a half hours to be honest.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Circus of Fear

 Circus of Fear 6/10

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

In the wake of a daring armoured car heist that ends with the murder of a security guard, police detective Jim Elliott follows a trail of clues to the traveling Barberini Circus, which has just passed through London. Though Elliot suspects a conspiracy under the big top, he discovers strained relations between lion tamer Gregor and his associates. Elliot struggles to find his man and recover the stolen cash in a maze of blackmail and deceit. This is a pretty good little movie though it is a lot like two movies in one. The first portion is a heist movie. However, after the money is hidden among the props at a circus, it abruptly becomes a 'psycho at the circus' movie. This was a very odd way of constructing the movie - not bad, mind you, just very different. One by one people are killed or nearly killed and the movie becomes like a mystery. Who is the person behind all this? Who will they kill next? There are numerous red herrings before the killer is unveiled. Although the movie gives top billing to Christopher Lee, you barely see him in it. Much of the time he's wearing a hood. Klaus Kinski has a small role as a tough unsmiling thug. An interesting mystery crime/thriller which deserves a watch.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan rated The Florida Project

 The Florida Project 6/10

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

Set in the shadow of Disney World, 6-year-old Moonee and her two best friends forge their own adventures, while Moonee's struggling mum and a kindhearted motel manager protect the kids from the harsh reality that surrounds them. This movie got rave reviews when it was shown at Cannes and even though it's beautifully filmed and has strong acting - it doesn't quite hit the mark. The performances on display in this movie are very satisfying for the most part. The child actors do a very good and convincing job, especially given their ages. Williem Dafoe is very good as the manager of a motel, although it would have been better if he had been given more of an emotional range to work with in his role throughout the movie. Unfortunately, the movie does have some notable flaws. The tone of the movie is all over the place, with joyous childhood wonder juxtaposed sometimes abruptly with more edgy and mature themes. Some will dislike this movie as it shows the lower rungs of society but that's just the reality of how things are. It's certainly not a bad movie, but I just wish it could have been better.

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow

 Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow 6/10

4 years, 6 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Hit Or Miss? Good Or Bad? 2019 Movies Watched list

It is 1700's Britain and the Romney Marsh population don’t want to pay their high taxes so they resort to hijacking various loads of goods and smuggling them here and there for a handsome profit. The whole operation is organised and run by a vicar dressed up like a scarecrow and no one knows who he is except for two of his closest friends. His voice is from the Devil himself, a guttural sound barking orders and laying out complex schemes to foil the king’s men, but it’s his trademark laugh that instills fear in all those within earshot! This movie was originally a 3 part episode on Disney's Wonderful World of Color TV. Basically, it takes a little bit from the first episode and combines it with all of the second and third episode. There is a certain Robin Hood-esque plot to the story, but it really is only superficial. There's a great cast with Patrick McGoohan as the outlaw Scarecrow with George Cole, Geoffrey Keen and a young Richard O'Sullivan appearing. It was filmed on location in Romney Marsh where the novels about Dr Syn by Russell Thorndike take place. It's a shame this movie isn't that well known as it deserves to be. This is a fun adventure story told with great acting and visuals. If you ever have a chance to check it out, give it a go.

4 years, 6 months ago