Valley of the Dolls (1967)

 

Three women, all of whom make a career in the world of glamour, experience a string of failed relationships. As they get older, they resort to pills to numb the pain they are going through.

A sordid pulp melodrama gets high-gloss Hollywood treatment; the result is what one would expect, and its not so good.

Halliwell*: "Cliche-ridden but good-looking road-to-ruin melodrama from a bitchy bestseller; production values high, but the whole thing goes over the top at the end."

Maltin BOMB: "Scattered unintentional laughs do not compensate for terribly written, acted, and directed adaptation of Jacqueline Susann novel..." 

Asylum (1972)

In order to secure a job at a mental institution, a young psychiatrist must interview four patients inside the asylum.

From memory: Well made horror anthology with some nasty bits has the usual issue that the quality of the episodes differs quite a bit.

 Halliwell*: "Lively horror compilation with echoes of Caligari and Dead of Night. Gruesomeness sometimes overdone."

Maltin***: "Four fun chillers..."

Bear Island (1979)

On the remote Norwegian Bear Island, used as a submarine base by the Germans during WW2, an U.N. scientist sends a distress signal using an emergency NATO frequency and is received by scientific vessel Morning Rose.

Good example how a production with top credentials results into a mediocre product.

Halliwell (no star): "Highly implausible adventure yarn, indifferently presented."

Maltin*1/2: "One of Alistair MacLean's best novels became one of his worst movies...Strong cast, capable director and scenic locations come to naught."