Evil Under the Sun (1982)

 

Hercule Poirot solves a murder case at an idyllic vacation island in the Adriatic Sea.

As so often another pedestrian Agatha Christie adaptation with all participants playing below their abilities; only Peter Ustinov seems to be having some fun. For lazy rainy afternoons.

Halliwell (no star): "Very competent but somehow too bland package in the Agatha Christie series, not quite so lively as Death on the Nile." 

Maltin**: "An all-star cast and top production values, but still blah."

Excalibur (1981)

Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.

From memory: Highly stylish, very well produced and violent presentation of the saga is fascinating to watch, although it's an uneven mixture of mythology and realistic staging.

Halliwell*: "Curiously pointless retelling of a legend with unexplained flashes of realism and bouts of gore alternating with romance and modern wisecracks. Of mainly visual interest."

Maltin***1/2: "Eccentric but spellbinding, sexually rendition of the King Arthur by a stylish filmmaker working at the peak of his powers...Magnificent production values."