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

Cellmates Fletch and Godber find themselves on the wrong side of the bars when they're inadvertently bungled out of Slade Prison during someone else's escape. Somehow they've got to break back in before warder Mackay notices their absence. This is probably the best movie adaptation of any of the 1970's BBC/ITV sitcoms and stays true to the TV series. Porridge was simply one of the greatest comedy shows Britain ever produced. The majority of the cast are in the movie apart from Christopher Biggins. The set-up of the story is wonderful and makes for some very funny comedy, executed with aplomb by Ronnie Barker, Fulton Mackay and company. It's true that taking the characters out of the confines of the prison strips away much of what made the TV series so special, but the characters are so strong, the actors' chemistry is so evident so the movie stands tall enough to not sully the reputation of the show. It's a delightful way to spend an hour and half with your feet up and as a stand alone movie it entertains those not familiar with the TV show. Although the movie is no masterpiece in itself, it should be treasured keenly by all who value British comedy at its best.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Boys in Brown

 Boys in Brown 6/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

Teenager Jackie Knowles drives a getaway car in a robbery. He is captured and sentenced to serve three years in a borstal institution run by a sympathetic governor. Back in the day, this movie of borstal life for young criminals was hard hitting but it's very dated now compared to Scum from the 1970's which was much more violent and gritty. It's still is an engaging little tale of borstal life with a brilliant cast and a great script allowing each character to develop and stand out from the crowd. The story weaves together various little subplots in order to stay interesting but particularly excels during a latter stage jailbreak sequence from the boys. Richard Attenborough is the leading man as Mickey with Michael Medwin, Dirk Bogarde and Jimmy Hanley all giving good performances as well. Barbara Murray is simply stunning as Mickey's girlfriend on the outside. Overall, this is a reasonably well made and entertaining movie which emphasises humane treatment and reform.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Operation Amsterdam

 Operation Amsterdam 7/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

A British army officer leads a dangerous mission to Amsterdam in 1940 to prevent valuable industrial diamonds falling into the hands of the invading Germans. This is one of those movies that deserves to be better known because it's really quite good. The location photography of an eerily near-deserted Amsterdam is effective, and the tension is ramped up quite nicely until the whole thing seems to run out of steam in the final reel as our heroes make their getaway. The problem is that nobody is really aware that they are in fact getting away because their exploits haven't yet been uncovered. Anyway, when the movie isn't testing our heroes, it's commenting on the unenvious position in which the city's diamond merchants – many of whom are Jewish and only too aware of the treatment meted out to their creed by the Nazis. The cast are all very good with Peter Finch, Eva Bartok and Tony Britton excelling in their roles. There's a small appearance for future It Ain't Half Hot Mum star Melvyn Hayes as well. While not a movie with lots of action, there is considerable suspense and intrigue in this movie to keep viewers on the edge of our seats. Well worth seeking out.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated The Driver

 The Driver 8/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

An enigmatic man of fast cars and few words, the Driver excels at maneuvering getaway vehicles through the tightest of spots, making him quite in demand in criminal circles. His skill and notoriety, however, infuriate the Detective, who becomes obsessed with taking the Driver down. Luckily for the speed-loving anti-hero, the Player, a gorgeous and resourceful woman, is around to help him elude the Detective. Before Walter Hill hit the big time with The Warriors and Southern Comfort, he made what still stands today as one of the great 'car chase' movies. Not only is it an excuse to show off some skillful stunt driving, but it is an enticing blend of crime, noir, and action with a bleak tone and some excellent dialogue. It's definitely a forgotten cult classic and has great performances from Ryan O'Neal and Bruce Dern. This has some of the best shot, most exciting and raw car-chases ever filmed. O'Neal is perfect in the role, speaking only when necessary and everything he says sounds cool. Dern is also strong as the Detective who grows increasingly frantic and abuses his power. Isabelle Adjani as The Player is effectively distant adding to the tone of detachment and coldness. If you love your car chases, don't miss out on this cracking movie.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Arabian Adventure

 Arabian Adventure 4/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

An evil caliph offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to a prince if he can complete a perilous quest for a magical rose. Helped by a young boy and a magic carpet, Prince Hasan, has to overcome genies, fire breathing monsters and treacherous swamps to reach his prize and claim the hand of the Princess Zuleira. A fair reworking of some of the elements from The Thief of Baghdad that's largely aimed at kids. Sometimes to moderately enjoy a movie of this type, you just got to take yourself back to a time when simple children's adventure movies were made with simple film making techniques. This obviously doesn't hold up well these days as the special effects are poor. It's not a great or very good movie, it's heavy on talk, the effects are indeed a little crude, acting and accents are borderline dire, and it seems to take an age to get going. The only good thing about it is Christopher Lee as the Caliph who is at his menacing best. Emma Samms is also gorgeous as the Princess. This is a movie you'll quickly forget about once it's over.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Those People Next Door

 Those People Next Door 5/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

During WWII, working-class Sam Twigg and his wife Mary are raising their family in the shadow of the Blitz. Their next door neighbours Joe and Emma practically live in the Twigg's house, borrowing cups of sugar or using their Anderson shelter. Controversy arises when Sam's pretty daughter Anne becomes romantically involved with RAF officer Victor Stevens. There is disapproval from Victor's wealthy parents, Sir Andrew and Lady Stevens, who object to the match on grounds of class. Another vehicle for Jack Warner as the head of a household. It is similar to The Huggetts movie series he did except this is far less funnier. Basically this is a movie about a clash of class but with a message that upper and working classes can each still respect the other's dignity and common human feelings. The so-called comedy was supposed to centre around the Twiggs' neighbours with the husband being a big socialist who complains loudly about capitalism and his wife in and out of the Twigg's house borrowing everything under the sun but unfortunately the couple appear more annoying than anything else. The cast all perform admirably but there should have been more laughs. I would only recommend this if you're interested in the cast.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Stations of the Cross

 Stations of the Cross 8/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

Maria, a devout 14-year-old German Roman Catholic, goes through all 14 stations of the cross to become a saint and go to heaven. The concept of the movie centres on Maria's attempts to make sacrifices to appease God. She forgoes basic necessities like food and warmth from her jacket much to her also strictly religious mother's chagrin. Maria is in pursuit of sainthood, and intends to save her baby brother who is 4 years old and still cannot talk. The movie moves at a satisfying quaint pace and scale for the first hour, but then it takes the perfect fateful trail to its bitter end and it's equally devastating and thought-provoking. Lea van Acken is extraordinary, giving a vulnerable and mature performance far beyond her years as the 14 year old Maria. It's easy to marvel at her endurance for those long takes. In the end, this is a wonderful movie about the dangers of religious extremism, especially when exposed to at the sensitive teenager age.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Henry VIII and His Six Wives

 Henry VIII and His Six Wives 7/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

On his deathbed, King Henry VIII recalls how he wooed and wed his six wives - and disposed of five of them - in a bid to secure the succession to the throne with a male heir. This is the movie version of the acclaimed BBC 6-part drama series The Six Wives of Henry VIII that aired in 1970. The only person present in both the drama and the movie is that of Keith Mitchell as Henry VIII. It's difficult to compress a 6 hour drama into that of a 2 hour movie as some events are rushed by. For example Henry's relationship with Thomas More is barely established (it comes down to one 30 second conversation) before Thomas is executed. Apart from Mitchell's fantastic performance as King Henry, there's Charlotte Rampling's witchy Anne Boleyn and Lynne Frederick's captivating innocent Catherine Howard. Filling the supporting cast with familiar, entertaining figures like Michael Gough, Donald Pleasence and Brian Blessed is another plus. In conclusion, a very good movie though rather compressed of King Henry VIII's colourful life.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Folly to Be Wise

 Folly to Be Wise 4/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

Army chaplain Captain William Paris, who is head of entertainment at a base, is trying to figure out how to entertain the troops. Unsure of what will rouse the crowd, Paris creates a "brain trust" featuring local experts including a professor, a painter, and the painter's wife to go on stage and answer questions posed by the soldiers. But when the topic turns to matrimony, problems in the artist's marriage become apparent to all. Alistair Sim was one of Britain's finest comedy character actors, however even his talent could not raise this poor piece of cinema above the level of boring and tedious. There were some great British movies made in the post war years, unfortunately this was not one of them, the story line is flimsy and predictable, the acting is wooden and the characters are stereotypes of middle class 1950's middle England. Only worth watching for Alistair Sim fans.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Eyes of Laura Mars

 Eyes of Laura Mars 6/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

Laura Mars is a celebrated fashion photographer. She is haunted by visions from a killer's eyesight. At her gala, she encounters police detective John Neville who hates the photos of violence against semi-nude women without knowing it's her. Those around her are killed and Neville investigates. Her pictures seem to mimic real crime scenes. This is like a homage to Italian giallo movies. Touches here and there remind you of Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino and Mario Bava, such as the model settings and murder scenarios. While this movie scores heavy on style, it just lacks the magic that the best giallo's seem to have. The plot, while intriguing enough, is not nearly played out to it's full potential. There are gripping scenes here to be sure, but the movie drags quite a bit and nothing virtually happens for a long period of time. Faye Dunaway is the pale, fragile-looking lead, and being a leading actress of her time, as you would expect she is good and a character to root for. Tommy Lee Jones is rather stony-faced (like in most of his movies actually) to start off with but his character loosens up later on. Stealing the show is a manic-eyed Brad Dourif - looking extremely shifty in his brown leather jacket, curly hair and stubble - as the chauffeur. The twist ending can be seen a mile off, and it's pretty obvious to spot the identity of the real killer. Although not a brilliant movie by any means, if you're a fan of giallo movies you might get a lot out of it.

4 years, 8 months ago

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

Lester Benson is the manager of the top rock band The Small Faces, but he has a secret that he wants to keep hidden at all costs. He once did time in a military prison for impersonating an army officer and stealing army equipment. His former commanding officer returns and blackmails Benson to help him into stealing some diamonds from a safe and keep them on board a radio ship by hiding them inside a copy of vocal group The Chantelles' master tape. This is a movie that oddly mixes diamond robbery and smuggling with mid-sixties pop music. The filmmakers must have wanted to attract a younger audience to seeing the movie so they recruited The Small Faces, Kiki Dee and The Chantelles as bit part players in order to belt out a song or two. The plot is, actually, not bad and viewers who remember the time of pirate radio ship stations anchored off the British coast will enjoy the nostalgia of seeing Radio London again. In fact it's great to see a young Kenny Everett as one of the radio ship DJ's. There is the customary fun to be had spotting various British actors and actresses with Kenneth Cope as the manager of The Small Faces and Patsy Rowlands looking out of place in a small comedy role. This is a pleasant time filler.

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Dateline Diamonds

 Dateline Diamonds 6/10

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan posted a image

4 years, 8 months ago

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

Rich girl Sadie Patch is marooned on a desert island after an emergency on her cruise-ship. With her are Irish stoker Pat, prickly young Jimmy Carrol, and bald and bookish Professor Gibble. They hope to be rescued quickly but days turn into weeks and they have to adapt to their new surroundings. An amusing comedy set on a desert island (actually Malaga) in which 3 men lust after a young Joan Collins who does look very nice in a bikini. Good humourous situations and good dialog are abound in this comedy. Kenneth More dons a rather poor Irish accent while George Cole is at his most obnoxious with veteran Robertson Hare at his scatterbrained finest. Joan Collins in one of her early movie roles plays the part of the spoilt rich girl to perfection although for a character that's supposed to be from Wigan in the north she doesn't have a Northern accent. This movie makes for a nice 80 mins if you've nothing better to watch.

4 years, 8 months ago

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

Carl Stock returns to the UK after being deported for a crime he did with a gang 2 years previously. He's returned for his share of the money for the job but the gang's leader refuses so with the aid of a former safe cracker he breaks into the Jackpot club and steals £6k from the gang leader's safe. Now the police and the gang are both after Karl. This is a pacey low budget British crime thriller which was once deemed as lost until it was found again. Unfortunately the print is still damaged and it ends rather abruptly before cutting into what are clearly recreated closing captions. The movie has a familiar plot to fans of the genre and in truth it doesn't offer up anything we haven't seen before, but at least it has a few familiar faces in William Hartnell who only turns up half way through as a police inspector and Michael Ripper as a cafe owner. The climax takes place in Arsenal's old Highbury stadium with footage of a match mixed into the action. In the end this is a simple crime drama but it's done well and worth seeking out.

4 years, 8 months ago

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4 years, 8 months ago

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4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated Yona of the Dawn

 Yona of the Dawn 8/10

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan added 1 item to Anime Watched In 2019 list

4 years, 8 months ago

AKB48Fan rated The Wicked Lady

 The Wicked Lady 3/10

4 years, 8 months ago

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

In 17th-century England, Barbara Worth lives a privileged yet humdrum life as the wife of well-heeled landowner Sir Ralph Skelton. To stave off boredom, Barbara begins impersonating famed highway robber Capt. Jerry Jackson, stealing precious jewels and valuables from coach passengers. A chance encounter with the actual Jackson propels Barbara into a dangerous double life with potentially lethal consequences. Panned upon it's release in the U.S, this movie was very popular in Britain and is now seen as a minor classic. This romantic adventure must have seemed shockingly subversive in its day showing a wealthy upper class English woman scheming, plotting and manipulating everyone around her for her own satisfaction. I found the whole movie extremely dull and although Margaret Lockwood and James Mason perform well, it just wasn't good enough to warrant my attention and interest.

4 years, 8 months ago