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Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda (2011)
Kenda: The Storyteller
One thing I don't see in other reviews that I'd like to remark up. Joe Kenda not only has a good memory, has "coply" & entertaining expressions, cares about his fellow human being, no matter what their circumstances, he's also a pretty good storyteller.
He recounts these investigations in such a way that they are engaging. You want to know what he did, the blind-alleys he went down, how he reached his conclusions, and most of all, how he managed to get the actual criminal to admit to their crimes. Or at least to come up with enough irrefutable evidence that, in the majority of cases, a conviction was handed down.
Pork Chop Hill (1959)
Actually has more battle scenes that Saving Private Ryan
The only breaks in the film are pertinent to Companys' situation. Little time is spent on character development except for Lt. Joe Clemens, yet the writers and director still manage to get the audience invested in these men's lives.
When the film begins, there are two companies, consisting of at least 125 soldiers each. That count is reduced to 25 from both companies with repeated charges and counter-attacks. The film ends with resupply and reinforcements finally showing up.
The effect is to ratchet up the tension as the number of men attempting to retake the hill is drastically reduced with each attack.
Throughout, sniper fire, grenade attacks, suicide charges, and artillery barrages are depicted with lots of blood and implied dismemberment.
Depictions of the conference at Panmunjom, where U. S. Military attempt to negotiate with their North Korean counterparts adds to the suspense.
It's a very gritty film for its time.
Along Came Jones (1945)
A Strange Film in a Number of Ways. Enjoyable Though.
There are a number of "process shots," typically where the actors are riding horses against a projected background. These are easy to spot since the background is moving way faster than it should be. This may have been due to Young's pregnancy, but there are other shots she's in, where she is clearly astride a horse. She looks good on one and is clearly comfortable in the saddle.
There's also more blood and bullet holes than one might expect for a film of 1945. The most gruesome being the one that kills Monte.
William Demarest is the perfect foil to Cooper's "Jones." In a way it's a real shame he wasn't in more westerns in this sort of role. His "George" is a true character and the director made good use of his stone-faced reactions.
The movie is genuinely funny, with about half the humor in "sight gags." Some of the best of these are by Demarest's "George." Cooper too seems to enjoy spoofing his standard cowboy image by managing to mishandle a pistol every single time he holds one. Melody is also slow-witted in some ways, and smarter than expected in others. I chalk this up to an attempt to paint Melody Jones a naive innocent.
There's plenty of action here too with a stage coach wreck, multiple gun-fights, a number of fist-fights (which Jones is decent at). This is also perhaps one of Dan Duryea best villain roles. We don't know why Monte Jarrad has become such a mean no-good, but it's clear that he wasn't always that way since Cherry can't quite figure it out. The most disturbing scenes being his wounding torture of Melody by shooting the later in the hand, shoulder, and knee.
The ending is quite good. The "gun-juggling" goof-ball gets the woman, and Monte is dealt with by the woman who has been trying to protect him from the start.
You can see Cherry coming around to Melody in a steady progression from start to finish. Cherry (Young) is her most stunning shortly after being kissed by Melody; being completely undone by those kisses.
She Devil (1957)
If not for the stilted dialogue in early scenes, I'd have given this a 9.
Though this is clearly a "B" movie, the story the script was taken from was written by Stanley Weinbaum. Mr Weinbaum ranked right up there with Isaac Asimov as a science fiction writer in his time. The story was published in 1934 under the title "The Adaptive Ultimate." The story is quite good, especially considering it was written almost ninety years ago.
Casting is excellent. With Albert Dekker as Dr Boch, Jack Kelly as Dr Scott, & Mari Blanchard as Kyra. Ms. Blanchard adds an interesting touch to the film due to her unusual beauty. She has wideset eyes and a triangular face that comes to a near point at the chin. It reminds me of the head of a preying mantis.
Except for the aforementioned stiff line delivery, the movie is quite good with an interesting story and excellent effects. (Kyra changes her hair color from brunette to blonde, on camera, while moving). Some of the best lap-dissolve work I've ever seen.
Plot: Dr Scott has developed a serum that seems to be able to effect a cure on any mammal it is given to. He has experimented on a chimpanzee, a cat, a dog, and a panther. All had life ending injuries and all completely recovered. Only the panther displayed an interesting side-effect; it changed color from tawny brown to solid black. Dr. Scott wants to experiment on a human and he consults his mentor, Dr. Boch, about doing just that. Boch is clear that it is unethical to experiment on a human being, and agrees to supply one to Dr. Scott only if that human is certain to die without treatment. That human must also give consent, which Dr. Scott feels is likely impossible.
Nevertheless, days later Dr. Boch has just such a patient, one Kyra Zelas who is suffering from terminal tuberculosis. Dr. Scott injects Kyra with 10cc of the serum, and six hours later she seems to be making a recover. Within a week, she is well enough to be discharged. Drs. Scott and Boch don't want to release her back into the public because they want to continue to study her, so they offer Kyra the opportunity to live with them, and make it clear that the reason is so they can study her. It's also clear the Dr. Scott is more than slightly interested in her. Kyra may also have an attraction for Dr. Scott, but her repeated lying makes this questionable. After all, Kyra has changed from an ill, greasy haired, near skeleton, to a vivacious tantalizing beauty. Ms. Zelas readily accepts the offer and Dr. Boch gives her his home address and cab fare.
On the way to the taxi stand, Zelas stops in a dress store, sees a dress she wants (marked at $245), and then witnesses an older man pull out a wallet stuffed with bills to pay for a much younger woman's wardrobe. Zelas approaches the man as he stands at the counter to pay, and demands the money. When he refuses Zelas grabs the money. When the older man attempts to get the money back, Zelas grabs a large glass ashtray from the counter and hits the man in the head, nearly killing him. She then rushes into a changing room to hide. When the police arrive the begin going to each dressing room, searching for a woman in a black dress with black hair. As Kyra stands there, waiting for a sure arrest, her hair color changes from black to platinum blond. She sees this in a mirror in the room, ditches the black dress, and grabs a robe in the room. When she opens the door, the police see a blond, apologize, and Kyra makes her escape, after buying the expensive dress with the $700 of stolen loot.
This is the first of many murders she commits before Boch and Scott figure out how to sedate her and attempt to return her to normal.
After Dr. Boch removes the pineal gland, Kyra falls ill again with tuberculosis and dies. Her death is the end of the movie.
Story and Movie Differences: In the book, Kyra kills one older man in a park in order to rob him. There are numerous witnesses and she's put on trial. Before being called to the witness stand, her hair changes color, under a hat she's wearing, and the case is dismissed because she is clearly a platinum blond with silver eyes, and the witnesses say a brunet with pale blue eyes.
Kyra's hair, skin, and eye color change with the time of day.
Kyra leaves the doctors to seek her fortune, and begins an affair with the Secretary of the Treasury. As time passes, she is mentioned in the press more and more often.
She returns for a two day visit with the doctors, and muses aloud how she might become empress (of the planet or the USA is not clear). The doctors decide to act before she leaves. They remove the pineal gland, which Dr. Boch has determined is the root of the problem. It was grown overlarge and it is influencing both Kyra's attitudes and adaptability. As Dr. Scott watches her return to her old self, he remarks upon her beauty (which Dr Boch determines only Scott can see) and the story ends. Kyra does not die in the story.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
This movie will get a much better rating over time.
The biggest complaint that I see in other reviews is the "time paradox." Does no one else realize that time travel is a paradox in and of itself? Since that's the case, taking liberties with that paradox is not only allowed, it's almost required.
The cinematography, effects, action, acting, and story line are all extremely good. My chief complaint a third of the way through was, "where did these creatures come from since they clearly lack technology," but that complaint was adequately addressed in the last 5th of the film.
Plot: It's an "end of the world" movie with the inhabitants of earth reaching thirty years back into the past for recruits to fight their war. This is where the "time travel paradox" comes in. With 500,000 humans left out eight or nine billion, this makes sense if you have the ability. On earth's last outpost, a former offshore oil rig, scientists are attempting to discover what will kill the queen since she is immune to the poison that kills the males. Once the poison is discovered, it is sent back into the past, to be put to use before the "white spikes" become a problem.
The trick is finding them before they spread, and since there was no ship, no radar signature, no wreckage of a spacecraft, the trick is a neat one.
Turns out there was a spacecraft from thousands of years ago (a la The Thing) and that the alien horde thawed out from somewhere in Siberian Russia.
Points: There are complaints that present day draftees are "canon fodder" in the future, and that this is somehow ridiculous. But there are analogs in history for this. See the battles of Kursk and Stalingrad in the mid 1940s for reference.
There are complaints that the team that discovered the ship (finally) didn't just blow it up in the first place. But it's possible that the insertion team would have wanted to preserve it if possible and that destroying it was a last option.
There's also the complaint that the time travel paradox is broken by sending the toxin back from the future to be used on the queen in the present, thereby destroying her. However, time-travel is in itself a paradox and there's no reason why it can't be stretched even further. After all, you can't come up with a toxin against the queen unless you have the queen to extract that data from in the future.
Finally, I like that a young student stuck on volcanology is introduced at the beginning of the film, and is utilized at the end of the film as a solution to finding the source of the "white spikes." A nice little wrap-around.
Again, I think this movie will grow in popularity over the years because the writer, director, producers, and crew believed in it & did a good job of creating this particular tale.
Tinker' (2017)
Tinker' is not a Stinker
This film does, what Sci-Fi does best.
It provides a hook to tell an emotional story using discovery and adventure as a means of focusing on the "human condition."
The story unfolds without giving the viewer a lot of information up front. We are introduced to each character via what they are experiencing. And though we may want to dislike "Grady" (Clayne Crawford), his past is revealed in the course of the story, and we can have a bit of sympathy for him. It's also important to note that Grady & "Kai" (Colt Crawford) share the same basic experience of loss, and how to handle that loss.
In fact, the movie is about loss and the emotional toll that loss exacts.
Though using a suppressed discovery by Nicolas Tesla is a common trope, it worked well in this film, mainly because in the real world, rumors continue to swirl around the Tesla name.
The cinematography is very good, the story solid, and the acting realistic.
It is well worth the watch.
The Face Behind the Mask (1941)
A short, inexpensively made "B" movie that is pure gold.
When you don't have a blockbuster budget, you rely on your cast. And what a cast it is.
Peter Lorre (as. Janos 'Johnny' Szabo), a hopeful, joyous immigrant from Slovakia. Don Beddow, a good hearted cop named Lt. James 'Jim' O'Hara. Evelyn Keyes as an equally good hearted blind girl who wins Johnny's love
(as Helen Williams). And perhaps the most neglected mention of all. George E. Stone (as Dinky), the only person the wounded Johnny is treated well by just as Johnny contemplates suicide.
Janos is injured in a hotel fire the very day he arrives from Slovakia to America. His optimism and hope slowly evaporate when, upon release from the hospital, he cannot land a job due to his injuries. Lt. O'Hara tries to keep track of him, since he sent him to that hotel, and feels responsible.
Days later he is contemplating suicide at the river's edge, Dinky (George E. Stone) engages him in conversation and completely ignores his injuries. Since Dinky is a small time crook, he convinced Johnny to join him. And, because Johnny is very intelligent (a skilled crafts-person and aircraft pilot), Johnny does very well.
With the money they make Johnny buys himself a face, but any hope of the promised repair Dinky mentions is gone, when the doctor informs him that it will take years to perform.
Eventually Johnny literally bumps into Helen, a blind girl, and a romance develops. Johnny decides to "go straight," but the former gang thinks he's turned to the authorities on them.
They take revenge on Helen, thinking they'll get Johnny, and Johnny gets revenge.
Quite a bit of a story, but told in just over an hour and very effectively I might add.
And the cast?
Perfect in every way.
Stowaway (2021)
Better than "Ad Astra," way better
Those complaining about the flawed science don't actually know the science.
There are very few mistakes here. Indeed, the biggest, a lack of a backup system, means there would have been no story to tell. Since the whole point of a movie is to tell a story, I'd have to say this glaring error is not only permissible, but allowable, since there would not have been a survival story without it.
The biggest so called flaws are " Max-Q, " which only happens in Earth's atmosphere, and the other is the (extremely high) LOX pressures on The Kingfisher. There is a "Max Q" on every space flight leaving the Earth's atmosphere and there is pressure in a LOX tank, just not 250psi. (or even 500PSI).
When Zoe returns to Kingfisher, during a solar flare seems wrong, especially when Commander Barnett has given them days to come to a final decision. This, to me, was the truly BIG flaw.
That we see aurora effects on Zoe's EVA suit, was the filmmaker's attempt to show that she is being irradiated.
We don't know what someone being irradiated in a solar storm would actually look like, since it hasn't happened yet. I'd say this is permissible.
What they got right.
The effect of various stages shutting off, and follow on stages pushing the astronauts into their seats. Every actual astronaut relates that it's a very jarring ride.
The fact that a fuel shortage would be reported due to the excess weight of an extra passenger.
The way the sky changes color as they leave the atmosphere.
The fact that the Mars ship is crowded with supplies stowed along the walls.
The various locks they have to go through, with different hatch diameters.
The effects of centrifugal force between Kingfisher, the solar array, and the ship.
The fact that there might actually be some extra fuel and oxygen in the Kingfisher's tanks. Ask Elon Musk about this one.
In fact, most of the conditions aboard the ship are what one would expect on an actual flight to Mars.
Before complaining about the "flawed science," I strongly suggest actually KNOWING the science.
Ad Astra (2019)
Disappointing despite the spectacular effects.
Weak, very weak, on the actual science and a coherent story.
The Science, or lack thereof:
Astronauts aren't supermen. They can't fly, and change direction in a vacuum. There were many instances of this. So many, in fact, that I almost stopped watching. For example, spinning away from a rotating RADAR it is highly unlikely that you'll return to your spacecraft thousands of kilometers away. If Neptune's rings were that dense, we could see them from earth. Going through that much gravel would slow anyone down, but not Brad.
And that's just a tiny fraction of impossibilities that this movie is laced with.
McBride, tracking down his father Clifford, in the orbit of Neptune makes no sense. All his superiors assume Cliff is dead. Then they decide they can't trust him to make the trip. With all that going on, Roy should not have made it.
Then there's climbing aboard a rocket as it's taking off. Implausible? No, impossible.
The only reason I ranked it a five was the effects and eye-candy scenery.
The story was pretty stupid and the science non-existent.
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
Harryhausen Shines!
The title of the film really doesn't give much away. 20 Million Miles to Earth doesn't even hint at a monster film, but that is what this really is. The plot is pretty standard, even for 1957. A spacecraft crashes near Sicily killing all but one of the seventeen humans aboard. They also brought along a specimen, to help humans figure out how to survive on Venus. Naturally, the creature escapes. This is such a common trope the movie should really stink.
It doesn't because the pacing is crisp, and mostly due to the creature effects of Ray Harryhausen. Mr. Harryhausen's creature gets a lot of screen time, and that's not a bad thing. A seeming cross between human, lizard, and gorilla, this is one of the most interesting looking monsters ever conceived.
The Ghost Ship (1943)
"I'll see that you don't turn into another Captain Stone"
First, a number of reviewers insist that this is not a horror film. I disagree. I can think of few more horrible situations as being a passenger on a ship, the captain of which wants you dead. Worse, he has already killed at least three other men.
Well cast, with Richard Dix as Captain Stone, an actor with decades of experience in the "silent era," as well as the early talkies. As a villain, he is a sympathetic character who is charming, fatherly, and seemingly quite logical. But our good captain seems to be suffering from some mental disturbance, perhaps the same problem that killed his own father, himself a sea captain.
Russell Wade, as third officer Tom Merriam, at first admires and respects the captain and the lessons the "good captain" wants to teach him, but a series of deaths convinces him that Captain Stone is insane.
First a crewmember is crushed by the anchor chain when he is locked into the sea locker. The Merriam's presence on the ship is lied about when a telegram is sent asking if he is aboard. Then the radio operator,"Sparks" is reported as lost in a storm. There has been no storm, and the Captain wants Merriam to send the message of loss of life.
Things continue to spiral down a deep dark hole for Tom Merriam when the crew refuses to believe Tom's concerns about the captain.
Things come to a head when the captain overhears the crew wondering aloud if Merriam is right after all.
A few interesting things about this film.
* Richard Dix trained as a doctor before taking up acting. In the film as captain, he refuses to perform an appendectomy.
* Despite the "Hayes Code," there is quite a bit of blood clearly shown during a knife fight near the end of the film. You can also see quite a few slash marks on both men's clothing after the fight.
Star Trek: Voyager: Meld (1996)
Why do people kill?
Though many here go on and on about what happens to Tuvok, I think this episode is about the "unexplainable killer."
Of course, if we are going to entertain the idea of "Vulcan mind reading," we must also entertain to idea that such mind reading can cause one person's thoughts to infect another persons.
Overall, the episode explores the concept of a killer who murders, for reasons most of us would find unacceptable. For that reason, it is a bold and interesting episode.
Brad Dourif's interpretation of "Suder" is what makes this episode work.
Star Trek: Voyager: The 37's (1995)
Rust in a Vacuum!
How the 1936 Ford pickup happens to be in space, is never explained, but that is not what this story is about anyway.
To respond to other reviews, rust would not form in space. That bacteria needs oxygen and water to proliferate; two molecules that would not remain in the necessary quantities in a vacuum to form rust. Never mind the air in tires, a charged battery, along with oil and gasoline in viable states. So, clearly, the pickup truck was "placed" where it was found shortly before "Voyager" discovers it.
"Why" is never explained.
So what?
The episode is more about the people (and personalities) discovered on the planet nearest where the pickup is found. It also gives the writers an excuse to explain what happened to missing Earthlings from history's past, as well as to "test" crew loyalty to both The Federation and to Janeway.
Good Science Fiction, not only does not explain everything, it allows the reader/viewer to 'fill in the blanks' with their own imaginations.
Not a bad episode overall.
Star Trek: Voyager: Caretaker (1995)
Best First Episode of all the Star Treks to Date
This, without a doubt, is the best first episode of all of the Star Trek series.
Not only do we get an introduction to all the major characters, we get a "template" for captain to crew relations that carries through the entire series. Janeway is unique in that she is not only a tough captain, she can also be emotionally available to crew concerns. This even extends to the doctor, who she initially views as "just a machine."
Though the alien entity that drags them into the Delta Quadrant is largely benign, it"s looming end limits what it is willing to do for the other lifeforms it has highjacked. There is also a hint of just how many species it has stranded in that quadrant, when Voyager discovers Neelix.
Though there are some weak episodes in the seven season series, the writing, production values, and direction are solid.
Enterprise (2001)
All Good Things, Well Most
Except for a few weak episodes, this series is all the things TOS might have been had it been renewed by DesiLu Productions.
At first, Scott Backula seems like an odd choice for Captain, but in truth, since this is Earth's first major exploration attempt, Archer is a perfect choice. His generosity of spirit and innocencce is about what one might expect of a novice interstellar explorer.
The rest of the cast is well suited too.
John Billingsley (as Dr. Phlox) provides some of the most interesting and touching episodes. Then there is Jeffrey Combs interpretation of Thy'lek Shran, the Andorian starship captain. Every Shran episode is well worth watching.
Perhaps the best thing about the series is how much the writers embraced "Golden Age" science fiction. It resonates in every episode.
Seasons one and two were a bit slow compared to seasons three and four. Still, watching the entire series is recommended.
Knowing that the final season was the last, the entire production crew "went out on a limb" with the last season. This is obvious with "In a Mirror Darkly parts one and two." Here we see a more brutal and militant Enterprise; one from a parallel universe.
Highly recommended for die hard Trekkies.
Enterprise: Marauders (2002)
A Hero Story
These should never get old, but according to some contributors, all plots should be new.
"Seven Samurai" has been done over and over again. There's a good reason for this. It is an intriguing story. To date, there have been two movies credited to Kurosawa. "Seven Samurai," and "The Magnificent Seven."
There are some key differences here. First, no one dies. Second, there are seven bad guys; not good guys. But the premise is largely the same. Bullies are taught a lesson. That's basically it.
It is still entertaining, hero stories generally are. I think it's better than the 6.9, aggregate score, which is why I gave it an eight.
Someone commented that the Klingons aren't very good at tactics. This is ultimately why the Federation eventually prevails.
These are not the first species in the sci-fi world who "scream and then leap," The episode should not be slighted because of it.
It is still an exciting episode. And I doubt anyone wants to see the Klingons represented differently.
Subarashiki nichiyôbi (1947)
A "one day" Character Study
Isao Numasaki (as Yuzo) and Chieko Nakakita (as Masako) do a wonderful job of representing two young people pondering their lives and prospects immediately after World War II. Tough the war is lightly referenced by the actors, the scenes are filled with the devastation wrought by the Allied Powers in the fire bombings of Tokyo.
Yuzo, as is often the case with returning veterans, has limited prospects. Masako's shop-girl position limits her possibilities as well. Yet, they devote their only apparent day off, a Sunday, to each other.
The movie is one such Sunday, where the try to enjoy the entire day on a mere 35 yen. They have their ups and downs, get ripped off more than once, but end up just as devoted to each other as they were at the beginning of the day.
It's not so much a story of their hardships, as a story of a couple that is good for and to each other. As each character descends into depression over their shared financial state, the other is there to buoy the spirits. And that's what this movie is really about.
Though the film ends on somewhat ambiguous terms, you cannot help but hope that their lives improve in the immediate future.
Yoidore tenshi (1948)
"You could die and be cremated. That would cure you."
This and "Ikuru" rank as my favorite Kurasawa films. Yes, yes, I know...his samurai films are fantastic and excellent entertainment, but this one has heart. Rough heart, yes, but heart just the same.
And why not? With Mifune and Shimura in the title roles, it has to be good.
Mifune is quite young here, and it shows in his lean and handsome face. Interestingly, Shimura, as a hard drinking doctor, has a much more meaty role.
Did this film inspire "House" and other 'tough doctor' tropes? I can clearly see it.
Our hero might have been a high-society doctor, but he has zero "bed side" manner. He loves the children of the slum he both practices medicine and lives in , but he's rough on them, just as he's rough on any patient that does not take his advice.
Mifune's character is a tough guy, and he's not going to follow a doctor's advice to slow down and stop drinking, that will affect his image in the neighborhood, and he cannot have that.
And the stage is set for conflict.
Red Sparrow (2018)
A misguided consistency in bad reviews.
I'm just going to say this from the outset. People who don't like this film wanted it to be a certain way. Most often they complain that the two principals didn't have any chemistry. Clearly, these people wanted a romance to happen. When it didn't, they panned the film.
Had they been even slightly open-minded about this, they'd have figured out that this spy film was not going to find the "girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy" formula so often used in this genre.
In short, they didn't really watch the film. At some point, when that hackneyed formula failed to materialize, they stopped paying attention and decided it was a "bad film."
So let us address this now. The writer of the book that was used as model for the script is a former CIA operative. That means Jason Matthews might actually know something about current Russian foreign service people and their operating methods. This professional knowledge carries over into the movie.
The film is worth the watch precisely because it does not follow the "girl meets boy" formula. It is a film about coercion, survival, and revenge. Our former ballerina, now "sparrow," follows her own path and still convinces her superiors that she is not only a patriot, she's a very clever one. An agent worth of promotion and praise.
In her rise to the top, she "takes out" some of the people who put her in such an untenable position and, simultaneously, rises to a position of power in the Russian government. The "hook" is that we don't know quite how she pulls this off until the very end of the movie.
This is what makes the movie interesting to watch. Not that she's some very physically appealing woman who is easily taken, but that she's a very intelligent young woman who is dangerous when betrayed. Maybe this is what the negative reviewers really have a problem with.
A Life at Stake (1955)
Intereseing 50s Noir Film with Little Known Keith Andes
I'm not sure what happened to Keith Andes, he was a competent actor, had the looks (and chops for serious roles), had the perfect deep voice, and was just different enough to be noticeable.
IMDB shows he had seventy roles, but they all seemed to be "B" pictures. He did have a leading role in "This man Dawson," as Dawson of course. At least this role ran for 39 episodes.
He also played Dr. Peter Wayne in an Outer Limits episode called "Expanding Human" and as "Akuta" in a Star Trek (the original) episode called "The Apple."
Basically, Andes plays Edward Shaw, an architect, whose business failed, leaving him responsible for tens of thousands of dollars in investments. His lawyer recommends a partnership and he goes to meet this potential partner; a very sexy Doris Hillman played by Angela Lansbury. Shaw decides to take the deal and is then told his life needs to be insured, just in case, for the business.
There are quite a few double-entendres at the beginning, but the heat quickly cools when Shaw suspects the life insurance policy on his life might just be all the excuse Doris needs to bump him off. He finds out that her first husband died after he fell asleep while driving and drove off of a cliff.
At the beginning we are sure Doris is behind this, but there's a twist, someone wants him dead, but it's not Doris. The end comes when our criminal couple end up falling off of the balcony of their Big Bear cabin which just happens to overlook a cliff.
Heights play a prominent role in this picture.
Another highlight was the Kaiser Darrin featured at the thirty-eight minute mark. This was a fiberglass production car, produced before the Chevrolet Corvette.
Pickup on South Street (1953)
Perfection in the blending of "Red Scare" and "Film Noir"
Everything about this film is first rate. Everything!
The story is solid, the acting excellent, the direction spot-on, and the cinematography excellent.
What a perfect paring; noir and spy-craft. Richard Widmark gives a convincing if not schizophrenic performance as a petty criminal in love with this mark.
But the movie is stolen by Thelma Ritter in her final scene.
Everything about this film says "dark film" without screaming it. Add to that, they "communist connection," and you have and update version of the original American film art-form.
WARNING: There is a REMARKABLE amount of male on female violence for a Hayes Code film. Yes, even today, it's hard to watch.
Den of Thieves (2018)
Gives the Sheriff's Department a Break
Most movies in and around Los Angeles, that involve crime, usually center on L.A.P.D. and the criminals they deal with. This film uses the L.A. Sheriff's Department instead. That's one thing that sets this apart. The other is that the thieves portrayed are highly organized ex-Marines.
We don't really get into why they they resort to crime, but they are determined, professional, and, up to this point, highly successful. By "Big Nick's" estimate, they are responsible for at least four other heists.
"Big Nick's" Major Crime unit is highly successful too. Even if they don't always follow well established rules when engaging their criminal counter-parts.
This is the foundation of this movie. Two highly motivated, intelligent, and successful crews destined to encounter one another at some point in the near future. When they do, it's quite thrilling.
This is the best kind of actioneer. It has a very definite plot. The characters are highly motivated to succeed and they are very well paired off. Merimann and "Nick" are equals as leaders to their crews. The crews are both willing to put their butts (and lives) on the line to complete a successful outcome.
Then we have the actual heist. It is daring, almost impossible to pull off, but that makes for a great story.
I was very impressed with the acting chops of Gerard Butler (Big Nick), Pablo Schreiber (Merimann), and O'Shea Jackson Jr (Donnie). The rest of the cast was well chosen and played their parts well. There's even a twist at the end, which sets this film up for a sequel.
The shootout along Alameda corridor was espcially butt clenching. Very well done!!!
Christian Gudegast is a director to watch. He was writer on two other films, but this is his debut...and what a debut. Awesome!
Wheelman (2017)
What a Rush...literally
First, I think we are going to see great things from director Jeremy Rush. Awesome things. This is, after all, only his fourth film.
This is a true actioneer. It is meant to keep you on the edge of your seat pretty much the entire time. It does that too. Granted, there had to be a reason for the Wheelman to do what he does, and the story works quite well in explaining why we are on this wild, but well controlled ride.
The cinematography is OUTSTANDING!!! Just stellar. Hell I felt like was in the car, hanging off of the fenders, or gripping the hood white-knuckled. And let's be honest, this is what this sort of film is supposed to do to you.
Frank Grillo IS the character. He is very convincing. I also like that they brought in Caitlin Carmichael (as Katie) toward the end and we got to watch how well dad's training worked on his daughter...in a Porsche 911.
A very engaging film. I predict that twenty, thirty, forty years from now it will be hailed as a classic.
Star Trek: Voyager: Sacred Ground (1996)
Neither Science nor Religion - Something Else
Most reviewers are putting this into a science vs. religion context. I know this is a popular battleground. That doesn't make it right or even pertinent.
The basic plot is this. Voyager is visiting a planet populated by largely friendly people. Clearly, some inhabitants are deeply spiritual and others are influenced by science. They've struck a balance though. The factual and spiritual have agreed not to interfere with each other's views. Spiritual matters are left to those inclined to faith and scientific matters to those who trust observation.
Clearly there is a parallel here between the "Voyager Universe" and attitudes about science and religion in the United States.
While on shore leave Kes and Neelix visit a shrine. Kes steps into the entrance of the shrine and is hit with a high-energy "biogenic" field that puts her into a coma. She is beamed back on board Voyager and The Doctor attempts to find the cause and a cure. He can see that her neural pathways are damaged, but he cannot determine how to reverse the process. Worse, Kes will likely die unless a means to reverse the damage is found.
Neelix is frantic to do something to save Kes' life. In his research he happens upon a very ancient story about a similar situation. A king's son is exposed to the field and the King petitions the spirits to save his son. As with most apocryphal stories, what the King actually did is not in the story; only that the spirits took favor on the king and restored the son to life.
Based on this information, Janeway petitions the monks of the shrine to go through the "purification ritual." Off camera, she does research on religious rituals, from her statements we are left to conjecture that most of what she's researched are ancient Earth rituals practiced involving deprivation, hardship, and physical tests of strength; much like Native American rituals practiced before the Europeans stepped foot on these shores.
The order gladly accepts Janeway's petition and she is met by a friendly, non-assuming woman, who at first appearance is minor maintenance personal. We soon learn that she is Janeway's "guide."
Armed with her assumptions, Janeway submits herself to tests of endurance, most of which she herself assumes are required. Janeway is first asked to change her clothes and is then ushered into a room with three older people who are apparently waiting...for what she does not know. Because these three people seem not to know what is going on, and are engaged in what seems to be gossip, Janeway gives them little credence. Any questions she asks the three are answered vaguely or with other questions.
Her guide patiently helps her, but also admonishes Janeway that that the tests are meaningless. After many trying ordeals, including being bitten by an unseen creature, Janeway returns to the ship only to find that the data The Doctor has gathered from Janeway's ordeal is useless. What little he has been able to gather is no help in effecting a cure.
Janeway returns to the shrine and her guide reminds her that the tests of endurance were meaningless. She tells Janeway that she, the captain, devised the tests herself. Once again, Janeway changes into ceremonial robes and is ushered into the "waiting room" inhabited by the same three old people.
This time Janeway's questions are no longer based on her presumptions. She actually sits down with the intention of talking to the three to find out what they know. They are open questions and it becomes obvious that the three people she discarded as lost and ineffectual, are actually the spirits themselves. The spirits seem to represent kindness, reason, and action. "Action" advises the captain to kill Kes by taking her through the field again. He tells her "she's dead anyway. Kill her." Janeway leaves the room determined to take the advice of the spirits.
Janeway asks that Kes be beamed down, and with Neelix and The Doctor in attendance, picks Kes up and together they step through the field. Whatever energy has damaged Kes is now reversed and Kes makes a speedy recovery.
Back on board Voyager the doctor comes up with a rationale for the cure, but Janeway is only half listening. She's no convert, but she is no longer so sure science has all the answers.
This, in my opinion, is what makes this episode interesting. It's not about religion, not really. It's more about not allowing preconceived notions to so influence our thinking that we are closed to new ideas and concepts.
In my opinion, this episode borrowed concepts from aboriginal animism and Buddhism. The purpose seemed to be to encourage open mindedness.
Star Trek: Voyager: Latent Image (1999)
Excellent Story Development and Arc
This is one of the best.
At first, the story has us believe that the doctor has detected a possible intruder, but the doctor decides to do a little detective work on his own, and discovers that the entire crew is conspiring against him.
This is all revealed when the doctor attempts to come up with a "per-diagnostic" tool, allowing him to establish a baseline health standard for every crew member. He's not shocked to learn that Harry Kim has had major surgery, or that he was the only one who could have performed it. What bothers him is his inability to remember it. In trying to run down why his memory is malfunctioning, he goes to "Seven" for help reconstructing what had to have been there.
Janeway is a bit less than likeable in this episode. She instructs the doctor to shut down "for his own safety," and then erases his memories again. As mentioned in the first paragraph, the doctor is ready to detect the intruder, and discovers that it's Janeway herself. Her motives aren't the best, but they are practical, and based on her core belief that the doctor is basically just a machine.
After a number of philosophical discussions with Seven, a confession to the doctor, and the repeat of the doctor's breakdown that caused the memory erasure to begin with, Janeway and the crew decide to stay with the doctor in hopes that he can reason his way through the ethical conundrum of letting one patient die and another to live.
A very well crafted piece of writing that tests ethical and emotional boundaries.