The Shining (1980)

 

On the set: Jack Nicholson and Stanley Kubrick

The Border (1982)

 

A corrupt border Agent decides to clean up his act when an impoverished woman's baby is put up for sale on the black market.

Adequate thriller is tough and suspenseful exposing police corruption and the downfalls of lower middle-class American life; once again, Jack Nicholson delivers a strong performance.

Halliwell (no star): "A rather solemn elaboration on a well-worn theme,with nothing very memorable except its excesses." 

Maltin**1/2: "Cast and story-line beg for Sam Peckinpah in his prime; mildly interesting, but never really takes off."

Goin' South (1978)

Due to the lack of men after the Civil War, a small western town allows a bachelorette with ulterior motives to save a horse thief from the gallows by marrying him.

From memory: Imagine Jack Nicholson indulging himself in directing a humorous Western with himself in the lead role and you pretty well know what you're getting; entertaining, but very messy and overlong.

Halliwell (no star): "Curious semi-comic Western which might have made a good two-reeler."

Maltin***: "Amusing Western comedy, not for all tastes...Steenburgen is refreshingly offbeat and Belushi's disappointingly small role is a real hoot."

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.

From memory: Steamy adaptation of Cain's novel is not really better than previous versions, but Lange and Nicholson's performances are excellent as well as Nykvist's cinematography.

Halliwell**: "Not otherwise any better, but an interesting measure of the times."

Maltin*1/2: "Exceedingly unpleasant adaptation...David Mamet's screenplay may be more faithful to Cain than the 1946 version, but who cares? Despite its much touted sex scenes (more violent than erotic), it's dreary and forgettable...Moodily photographed by Sven Nykvist."

The Raven (1963)

 

A magician, who has been turned into a raven, asks a former sorcerer for help. 

From memory: At times hilarious horror comedy with a great cast genre stars goes on a bit too long, but the climactic finale makes it worth the waiting.

Halliwell*: "The rather splendid duel is a long time coming; the preliminaries are largely confined to chat in a single set, and the random jokes do not quite atone for the boredom."

Maltin***: "Funny horror satire...Climactic sorcerer's duel is a highlight."

 

 

 

 

Jack Nicholson

Something's Gotta Give (2003)

A swinger on the cusp of being a senior citizen with a taste for young women falls in love with an accomplished woman closer to his age.

Highly entertaining romantic comedy with the two leads obviously enjoying their job, although a bit too long and losing momentum towards the ending.

Halliwell*: "Overlong romantic comedy that begins well, but soon goes sitcom soggy; Nicholson resorts to his most familiar mannerisms, while Keaton's over-emotional performance makes one wish she'd act her age."

Maltin**: "Entertaining comedy for (and about) grown-ups with delightful performances by the two leads."

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

A criminal pleads insanity after getting into trouble again and once in the mental institution rebels against the oppressive nurse and rallies up the scared patients.

A masterpiece of anti-establishment entertainment, excellently staged and with an unforgettable cast, still manages to captivate, although it does reveal a strong streak of misogyny.

Halliwell****: "Wildly and unexpectedly commercial film of a project which had lain dormant for fourteen years, this amusing and horrifying film conveniently sums up anti-government attitudes as well as make love not war and all that. It's certainly impossible to ignore."

Maltin****: "Ken Kesey's script is a triumph of human spirit..."

Shelley Duvall & Jack Nicholson

The Shining (1980)

On the set: Stanley Kunbrick and Jack Nicholson

Easy Rider (1969)

Mars Attacks! (1996)

Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable weapons and a cruel sense of humor.

Fairly enjoyable sci-fi spoof works only to a degree, since it's thoroughly tongue-in-cheek, so that, ironically, the more straight-faced Indepedence Day from the same year was actually more fun.

Halliwell*: "The film begins brilliantly, with a stampede of flaming cows, but then is content to recycle, at great expense, the style of 50s sci-fi films while its cast parody their more serious roles; despite its occasional antic charm, it is not as enjoyable as it ought to be."

Maltin**1/2: "Overly self-satisfied spoof of  '50s alien-invasion movies (and '50s attitudes)...Great effects and animation (of the Martian characters) but awfully broad and one-note in tone, spoofing something that's already funny in the straight-faced originals of the period. One can't completely dislike a film in which Slim Whitman figures so prominently, however."

Head (1968)

Hey, hey, it’s the Monkees . . . being catapulted through a surreal sixties odyssey.

Deliberately plotless, harmless psychedelic romp; mainly silly, but also funny and entertaining, and a genuine document of its time.

Halliwell*: "A psychedelic trip of a movie which does for the Monkess what A Hard Day's Night  and Yellow Submarine did for the Beatles, and what Monty Python did for us all. Sometimes funny, slick and clever; often just plain silly."

Maltin***: "Far-out film debut for TV rock group...this overlooked item is a delightful explosion of crazy ideas with no coherent plot, many old film clips, some good songs, and such unlikely guests as Sonny Liston and Victore Mature...Well worth seeing."

The Shining (1980)

As Good as It Gets (1997)

A single mother/waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is in an accident.

Well cast and highly entertaining comedy drama becomes quite sentimental in its final moments, but Jack Nicholson as the old misanthrope is well worth the show.

Halliwell***: "A sour-toned comedy about damaged people that, for all its occasional glibness and th ease with which its prblems are solved, somehow works; it convinces as long as the movie lasts."

Maltin***1/2: "Wonderful comedy-drama...takes the viewer on an emotional journey, with laughs and tears along the way."

The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

A clumsy young man nurtures a plant and discovers that it's carnivorous, forcing him to kill to feed it.

Hilarious black comedy; the low-budget shows, but it's lively and immensely entertaining.

Halliwell**: "A Corman quickie, allegedly shot in two days, that is a lively, if occasionally ramshackle, comic delight with a notable cameo from Nicholson as a masocist."

Maltin***1/2: "Classic black comedy...Initially infamous as The Film Shot In Two Days, but now considered one of Corman's best pictures. Nicholson has hilarious bit as masochist who thrives on dental pain..."

Easy Rider (1969)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

On the set: Jack Nicholson and Milos Forman

New acquisition: The Border (1982)

It's been a while back, but I remember this movie to be very good.

Professione: reporter (1975)

On the set: Michelangelo Antonioni and Jack Nicholson