Lock Up (1989)

 

 

With only six months left of his sentence, an inmate is transferred from a minimum security prison to a maximum security prison by a vindictive warden.

Tough prison camp thriller is watchable for its cast, but adds nothing new to the genre.
 

Halliwell (no star): "Nasty and sadistic, with no redeeming qualities."

Maltin*1/2: "Missing are Linda Blair, John Vernon, a lesbian guard, and 15 gratuitous showers; you do get a body-shop montage backed by Ides of March's "Vehicle." Bottom of the world, ma." 

 

 

Apprentice to Murder (1988)

Fire-and-brimstone preacher sees Satan everywhere, trains gullible young boy to "detect" evil, and the two of them commit several murders in the name of Jesus.

Strange, quite uneven, but interesting horror drama, based on a true story, never quite knows what it wants to tell not unlike its apprentice's inability to perceive reality;  Donald Sutherland is always worth the watch.

Halliwell (no star): "Odd little thriller that relies too heavily on special effects to hold an audience's attention."

Maltin**: "Odd, affected, fact-based account...Sutherland, in a disappointing performance..."

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

When seeds drift to earth from space, mysterious pods begin to grow and invade a small town, replicating the residents one body at a time. 

Strangely, I keep reading that this quite efficient horror thriller is a remake of the old classic, but it actually is a straight continuation which even includes the ending of that movie re-staged with the same actor.

On rewatching: excellent sci-fi horror, one of the best of the 1970s.

Halliwell: "Flashy updating of the 1956 classic, mistakenly set in a big city and confusingly unravelled, with nobody for the audience to empathize with. Its nicest effect is to have Kevin McCarthy appear in a cameo."

Maltin***: "Chilling remake of 1956 classic with many new twists and turns; unfortunately, it runs out of steam and offers one climax too many."

Ad Astra (2019)

An astronaut undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.

Brad Pitt is magnificent as the calm, withdrawn astronaut in this visually striking sci-fi adventure, but the Daddy angle and its finale sure drags the whole experience down.

Murder by Decree (1979)

Sherlock Holmes investigates the murders committed by Jack the Ripper and discovers a conspiracy to protect the killer.

From memory:  Stolid and pedestrian Sherlock Holmes mystery has good production value and Plummer and Mason are well cast as Holmes/Watson, but the large ensemble of stars could have been put to better use.

Halliwell (no star): "Interminably long and unpardonably muddled variation on this over-familiar theme, with halts for the performances of guest star and no clear grip on narrative or character."

Maltin***: "Involved, often lurid story doesn't sustain through conclusion, but flaws overshadowed by warm interpretations of Holmes and Watson by Plummer and Mason."

The First Great Train Robbery (1978)

In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.

From memory: This period heist drama has good production value and cinematography, but lacks originality, and the star cast is not quite challenged in their roles.

Halliwell*: "Patchy but generally very likeable period crime story, with just a few lapses of pace and taste."

Maltin***: "Stylish fun..."

Les liens de sang (1978)

A homicide detective is trying to solve the brutal murder of  a 17-year-old girl.

From memory:  Top-notch crime thriller with psychological depth, good cast and cinematography, but made in a more mainstream style unusual for its director.

Halliwell (no star): "Dull psychological thriller, with stock characters and showing none of the flair that Chabrol has exhibited when examining the French middle classes under pressure."

Maltin***: "Interesting cast and Chabrol's cold, scientifically masterful direction make this less unpleasant and gory than it might have been."

The Calling (2014)

A detective hasn't had much to worry about in the sleepy town of Fort Dundas until a string of gruesome murders in the surrounding countryside brings her face to face with a serial killer driven by a higher calling.

Solid, but not too spectacular serial killer mystery with quite a construed plot; the performances are Ok, but rather perfunctory as well.

The Art of War (2000)

When a shipping container full of dead Vietnamese refugees turns up on the docks and China's ambassador is gunned down at a dinner celebrating a new trade agreement with China and the US, an operative for the United Nations' covert dirty-tricks squad is framed for the murder and must evade the FBI and Triad gangsters to find out what is really going on.

Cliché-ridden action thriller with lots of action, but with a sloppy plot trying to make sense to a convoluted conspiracy; the stars are wasted in the mess.

Halliwell (no star): "Luridly ridiculous thriller that juggles all the usual stereotypes and situations to little effect."

Maltin**1/2: "Unexceptional action thriller...Hong Kong-style fights and good cinematography...help, but you've seen it all before."

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."

The Eagle (2011)

In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.

Basically well-made historic action-adventure, but not particularly original; not suitable for educational purposes about history.

Maltin***: "Old-fashioned sword-and-sandal adventure...Characters are well developed, and the battles are nicely staged, against gorgeous Scottish scenery. Bell shines and Tatum at least looks the part. Director McDonald certainly understands the genre but injects a classic western bravado that gives the enterprise an air of freshness."

Virus (1999)

 

 

When the crew of an American tugboat boards an abandoned Russian research vessel, the alien life form aboard regards them as a virus which must be destroyed.

 

Trashy (and gory) sci-fi monster movie with a good cast which is actually quite entertaining.

 

On renewed viewing: I must admit this movie movie i s a little guilty pleasure of mine.

 

Halliwell (no star): "Frenetic, simple-minded science fiction that follows an obvious course with few surprises along the way."

 

Maltin BOMB: "Drearily routine,with borrowed ideas and stereotyped characters, though Curtis and Pacula try."

 

 

Cerro Torre: Schrei aus Stein (1991)

Two famous competitive climbers make a bet on who can climb Cerro Torre, one of the most dangerous mountains in Argentina and the world, first.

Lacklustre performances and clunky dialogue mar a good story with great landscape photography; the "Herzog touch" can be found only in occasional moments.

Halliwell*: "Spectacular photography compensates for a muddled narrative about obsessive people."

Ordinary People (1980)

The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father, and the guilt-ridden younger son.

Fine analysis of a family on the verge of catastrophe, subtly and grippingly told with a great ensemble.

Halliwell***: "An actor's piece which on that level succeeds very well, and accurately pins down a certain species of modern American family."

Maltin****: "Superb adaptation...Intelligent, meticulously crafted film, an impressive directorial debut Redford..."

Horrible Bosses (2011)

Three friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness.

A nice premise for an offbeat comedy, but this one is disappointedly haphazard, at times vulgar and quite unfunny.

Maltin**1/2: "Sporadicaaly funny comedy has some solid laughs as well as the kind of raunchiness we've come to expect in the post-HANGOVER era."

Fallen (1998)

A homicide detective witnesses the execution of serial killer, but soon after the execution the killings start again in the style of the executed murderer.

A great cast of stars and good production value can't help to make the story less silly.

Halliwell (no star): "A supernatural thriller that offers little in the way of frisson: the Devil may have the best tunes, but he still has the worst films."

Maltin**: "Hybrid of supernatural and cop-thriller genre doesn't pay off, despite creepy atmosphere and solid performances. It takes much too long to get where it's going, and the finale subverts the film's own "ground rules.""