A
computer at a nuclear power plant malfunctions and receives erroneous
information of a radiation leak. It seals off the compound, trapping the
crew inside.
From memory: Above-average TV disaster film works within the
confinements of the genre and is fairly suspenseful, but it's remarkable
for its warning of a nuclear meltdown nearly a decade before the
Chernobyl disaster.
A simple minded, sheltered country boy suddenly decides to leave his
family home to experience life in the big city, where his naivety is
both his best friend, and worst enemy.
From memory: Steve Martin's first feature is occasionally funny and some jokes are not quite in good taste.
Halliwell (no star): "Hit-or-miss vehicle with flashes of satire and fallen aspirations to be a modern Candide."
Maltin**1/2: "...a hit-or-miss comedy...Some very funny moments, but after a while they're spread pretty thin."
The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who
arrived mysteriously in a U.S. spacecraft; they become the toast of
society; but one man believes them to be a threat to the human race.
A blade runner must pursue and try to terminate four replicants who
stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Groundbreaking sci-fi thriller in noir style with a coherent bleak
vision of the future, perfectly designed, still achieves to amaze even
today.
On renewed viewing: still finding wonderful new details, a very rich movie.
Halliwell**: "Gloomy futuristic thriller, looking like a firework
display seen through thick fog, and for all the tiring tricks and
expense adding up to little more than an updated Philip Marlowe case."
Maltin*1/2: "A triumph of production design, defeated by a muddled
script and main characters with no appeal whatsoever. However, the film
has a fervent following. Loosely based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their
wishes for an infant, and soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is
not all that he appears.
Sappy fairy-tale-like story is nicely done, but without focus, and the nannying parents are a bit unnerving.
Maltin**: "Well-intentioned fable from the Disney studio is played with conviction by the leading actors, but every time the film shifts focus to a supporting character or subplot it sputters. Too bad."
An elite Special Forces operative is chosen to assassinate an
anti-Communist rebel leader, but defects after witnessing the brutality
of his comrades, leading the resistance against their oppressors.
Mediocre actioner with an erratic plot and some kind of diffuse anti-colonial political message.
Halliwell (no star): "Incompetent action movie that staggers from one dull moment to another with a complete lack of conviction."
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."
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