Night Crossing (1982)

 

Two men plan to escape from communist East Germany in a hot air balloon, but only if they can take their families with them.

From memory: Despite a good cast, this run-of-the-mill adventure film annoys as a typical Cold War propaganda piece full of cliches about the then communist East Germany.

Halliwell (no star): "Well-meaning melodrama which sadly lacks plot development and suspense, anns is also rather miserable to look at."

Maltin**1/2: "Unexceptional though well-cast and not unexciting tale..." 

 

Mr. Morgan's Last Love (2013)

 

 

He's a widower in Paris who speaks no French. She's a dance instructor less than half his age. Can they become a family, or will his estranged adult children halt the friendship?

A quite unoriginal story is heavy-going, but watchable due to a good cast lead by a convincing performance by Michael Caine.

Maltin**: "Flat filming of a Françoise Dorner novel...It fizzles in particular during the final stretch of a story that's consistently obvious. Caine provides what minor blood flow the movie has." 

 

 

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Ted Kramer's wife leaves him, allowing for a lost bond to be rediscovered between Ted and his son, Billy, but a heated custody battle ensues over the divorced couple's son, deepening the wounds left by the separation.

From memory: Top-notch courtroom melodrama, excellently directed and extraordinary performances by both leads leaves a bitter aftertaste concerning its dubious message concerning gender roles.

Halliwell***: "New-fashioned tearjerker, as slick as a colour supplement and catnip to the emotion-starved masses."

Maltin****: "...intelligent, beautifully crafted, intensely moving film."

The Unborn (2009)

A young woman fights the spirit that is slowly taking possession of her.

Another exorcism horror 'shocker' below par, at times risible and quite forgettable, the ending is quite abrupt without any thrills.

Maltin*1/2: "Steeped in Jewish mysticism, and featuring one of the very few on-screen exorcisms performed by a rabbi (Oldman), writer-director's low-voltage shocker is often inadvertently comical enough to qualify as camp. Even so, some viewers may be seriously offended by this supernatural drama's exploitation of the Holocaust as a plot device."