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Reviews
Pressure Point (1962)
Scarily Relevant Even Today
This film is chilling not only in it's excellent portrayals by Bobby Darin and Sidney Portier as a Nazi seditionist (Darin) and prison psychiatrist (Portier), but in Darin's relevations during his sessions with the psychiatrist. Darin describes how easy it was for people like him to spread their beliefs, recruit members who felt as they did, to infiltrate the hearts, minds, and spirits of those who felt vulnerable and disenfranchised and turn them towards their cause. It's chilling because it shows how even today, those same methods that worked then, still remain effective. One needs only to look so far as those under the spell of Trump and Trumpism. I look at reasonable people I know, family, friends, co-workers, people of faith, educated colleagues and wonder how they could fall under the influence of a man, a cult and be willing to do whatever necessary to fulfill their goals for their vision of the world, then this extraordinary film will give you some insight, perhaps some answers into how this could happen. If you ever wonder how Nazi's or modern day insurrectionists could happen, as nd wonder if it could happen again, then watch this film. Much like the main character that Bobby Darin portrays, you too will also will have difficulty sleeping at night.
The Millionaire: The Steve Carey Story (1955)
Like My Fair Lady with a twist.
Steve and Jane are apartment neighbors. Jane, who is truly a "plain Jane" works for her wealthy boss and has a crush on him. She helps out her neighbor Steve by doing favors like sewing on missing buttons on his shirts. Steve is a regular guy, ex-military with a heavy New York accent and poor grammar. He is not attracted to Jane, yet tries to warn her that her high class, wealthy boss is underneath it all is not what she thinks he is, and the reason he doesn't know she is alive is because she is not good looking enough to attract someonelike her boss. Jane takes a 4 week vacation just at the time Steve becomes a millionaire thanks to Mr. Tipton. Steve decides to play Professor Higgins and use his money to make over Jane with new teeth, plastic surgery, new hairdo and wardrobe turning her into a beauty. From here the story takes a twist, a very good and interesting one. The ending is as expected yet quite satisfying. Good performances make this episode well above average.