Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 7th, 2005
Synopsis
When Glynis Johns’ car breaks down, she seeks help at the mansion run by Dr. Caligari (Dan O’Herlihy), who promptly makes her prisoner. He won’t let her leave, he says, until she tells him everything about her most intimate life. All of the other guests at the house won’t help her, and everyone has a tendency to speak in riddles. Our heroine descends deeper and deeper into a nightmarish psychological trap.
Not a remakes, as such, of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, this does owe...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 5th, 2005
Synopsis
Art Carney is a spirited senior (the Harry of the title) who is evicted from his home (the building is going to be torn down to make way for a parking lot). He sets out with his cat Tonto on a cross-country journey that sees him bouncing off family members and strangers on their own journeys.
Some of these encounters are less believable than others (the Hooker With The Heart of Gold, for example), but the tone of the film is a gentle, wry, observational humour. Carney is excellent,...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 5th, 2005
Synopsis
In 19th-Century Edinburgh, medical doctor Timothy Dalton needs bodies in order to further medical science. He avails himself of the services of two scoundrels (Johnathan Pryce and Stephen Rea), who provide him with extremely fresh specimens. Disturbingly fresh, as assistant Julian Sands is quick to realize. Dalton contends that the ends justify the means, even if those means are murder.
The story of murderous grave robbers Burke and Hare has been committed to screen in one form or ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 4th, 2005
Synopsis
Based on Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw, this is the tale of a repressed governess (Deborah Kerr), who arrives at a country estate to care for two young children. She soon becomes convinced that the ghosts of the valet and the previous governess are haunting the place, and have evil designs on the children.
The Turn of the Screw is not only one of the masterpieces of the ghost story in English literature, it is also the very model of ambiguity. Are the gho...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 3rd, 2005
Synopsis
Professor Gangreen (John Astin) and his evil killer tomatoes are back with yet another attempt to take over the world. This time, the mad scientist and his hapless assistant Igor are spreading their message by running a trashy TV daytime talk show out of their base on Crystal Mountain (kinda like Crystal Lake, geddit? Cue Friday the 13th parody). Investigating are a clueless hardboiled cop and the oh-so-hot tomatologist.
It is astonishing that a one-joke title spawned an ent...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 3rd, 2005
Synopsis
Narrowly escaping the guillotine thanks to the intervention of the evil tomatoes, Professor Gangreen (John Astin) sets up shop with Igor in a medieval castle/tourist attraction. A young American tourist, embarrassed at starring in a killer tomatoes movie, pretends to be Michael J. Fox (thus landing a comely French girlfriend), and winds up fighting against the evil doctor and his vegetables. (Or are tomatoes a fruit?)
There are some chuckles to be had in the opening credits, but th...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 3rd, 2005
I can sum up this entire film in a single word; lame. There is nothing sadder than a comedy that is not funny, and this is certainly that. Bad acting, bad jokes and the feel of an 80's comedy makes this film the very definition of lame. Imagine Blind Date without the humor. Now add blatant rip-offs from Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction. Throw in some bad jokes and you're ready to go.
The plot has something to do with a hotel bellhop who impersonates people for entertainment, and tells ...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 3rd, 2005
With Six You Get Eggroll is special for one reason. Other than the politically incorrect title, the movie features the last film appearance by Doris Day. Too bad she couldn’t go out with a bang. I will admit: I like Doris Day. The Man Who Knew Too Much is a great film. And all that “Pillow Talk” stuff. C’mon, it’s fun. But let’s get to the Eggroll, shall we?
With Six… starts off as a fairly realistic romance/comedy. Day plays Abby McClure, the owner of a construction company (...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 27th, 2005
Synopsis
While some sketch shows like The Ben Stiller Show and Mr. Show have managed to touch on the Cops parody with their material, the only one that does it regularly now is a show that uses it for inspiration.
In Reno 911!, produced and aired on Comedy Central, the show focuses on a group of police in the sleepy Nevada town doing what they can to keep law and order. You’ve got Lieutenant Dangle (Thomas Lennon, The State), a bicycle cop who perpetually wears h...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on August 26th, 2005
Synopsis
Peter Finch plays Umberto Nobile, an Italian general and explorer who is haunted by his disastrous attempt to fly over the pole in a dirigible in 1928. In the present day, sleepless, he summons the ghosts of his crew and the people affected by the disaster to sit as judge and jury, and the film then proceeds to tell the tale in flashback. When the dirigible crashes, Nobile and his men are marooned on pack ice, while rescue attempts are met with one tragic setback after another. Among those s...
