The Day After (1983)

 

The effects of a devastating nuclear holocaust on small-town residents of eastern Kansas.

From memory: Intended to shock and warn of nuclear devastation, this TV production does succeed with lots of harrowing moments, although it is also very melodramatic and sentimental.

 

Bombshell (2019)

 

A group of women take on Fox News head Roger Alies and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network. 

A top cast drama based on the actual events and depicting an important topic gives its stars lots of room to display their talent, but the events are unnecessarily toned down, probably to avoid legal liability, so that its message doesn't have the full impact it deserves.

 

Pet Sematary (2019)

Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children, and soon they discover a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home.

The script takes gracious liberties with Stephen King's original story; the result is definitely no improvement and rather a tired, cliche-ridden horror flick.

The Homesman (2014)

Three women who have been driven mad by pioneer life are to be transported across the country by covered wagon by a pious, independent-minded young woman, who in turn employs a low-life drifter to assist her.

Excellently directed Western with a dark, bleak vision of the period  is an intense experience, thanks to exhilarating performances by Jones and Swank  and a a good throughout and some magnificent cinematography.

Miss Sloane (2016)

In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. But when taking on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds winning may come at too high a price.

It's mainly Jessia Chastain's outstanding performance that carries this well-made, tense political thriller with a much too implausible twist ending.

The Accountant (2016)

As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.

Obvious attempt to establish an autistic superhero works as a standard action thriller, but less so with its premise and the plotholes it creates, althoughBen Affleck is convincing in the title role.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

During experiments to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, a genetically-enhanced chimpanzee uses its greater intelligence to lead other apes to freedom.

Fresh and new entry to the series, standard entertainment worth a view.

On renewed viewing: More enjoyable than I remember, has wonderful effects and makes you root for the apes.

Maltin**1/2: "Reinvention of the PLANET OF THE APES starts out so well it seems a shame it winds up like a cheesy monster movie of the 50s, with 21st-century visual effects. Everything we see seems absolutely real, including Caesar, played in performance-capture by Serkis. Screenplay is rife with references to the 1968 movie and its sequels."

2010 (1984)

A joint U.S.-Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to learn what happened to the Discovery.

A downscaled, superfluous and thoroughly disappointing sequel of a classic of cinema history with a ridiculous Messianic ending; as it is technically well made and offers some good effects it can be appreciated as a standard sci-fi movie.

Halliwell (no star): "Tame, almost flatfooted sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, with none of the supposed significance and not much else to offer."

Maltin***: "Ambitious sequel...More concrete and therefore less mystical than 2001, with an ending that's much too literal, but still an entertaining journey, with state-of-the-art visual effects..."

Blow Out (1981)

A movie sound recordist accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually murder and consequently finds himself in danger.

Classic Brian De Palma thriller with an abundance of cinematic allusions, top-notch in all departments, but, this time around, not quite as suspenseful.

Halliwell (no star): "Showily unpleasant thriller concocted of equal parts of The Conversation, Blow Up, and Kennedy at Chappaquiddik; the work of a copycat talent operating below par."

Maltin**1/2: "Intriguing variation on Antonioni's BLOWUP...Absorbing most of the way, but weakened by show-off camerawork and logic loop-holes."

Cliffhanger (1993)

A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.

Over-the-top actioner with some spectacular, but very unlikely mountaineering stunts; quite entertaining, if you don't take it too seriously.

Halliwell*: "Enjoyably silly action adventure, with some spectacular, edgy stunts, although it never touches reality at any point and has one of the more ludicrous lip-smacking villains this side of melodrama."

Maltin***: "Eye-popping photography.., white-knuckle stunts, a swift pace, and entertaining characters add up to what a well-made action film should be: tons of fun. Story is thin, though."

Obsession (1976)

A wealthy New Orleans businessman becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles his deceased wife.

Masterful exercise in Hitchcock style clearly referencing Vertigo; atmosphere and tension are well are finely recreated, and the plot has some slight twists without being too complex.

Halliwell*: "Hitchcockian adventure with a few unwise attempts at seriousness, a la Don't Look Now. Generally entertaining, skilled and quite rewarding."

Maltin**1/2: "Viwers who don't remember VERTIGO might enjoy this rehash...Holds up until denouement."