Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)

 

A faulty computer causes a passenger space shuttle to head straight for the Sun. Can Ted Striker save the day and get the shuttle back on track - again? 

Lacklustre attempt to rehash the success of the original comedy,  full of warmed-up jokes and hit-and-miss humor.

Halliwell (no star): "Palsied sequel to a funny film, with some of the same cast and some of the same jokes." 

Maltin**1/2: "Mildly funny rehash of AIRPLANE..., but can't match the quantity, or quality, of laughs in the original."

 

 

Heartland (1979)

A widow with a young daughter travels to a ranch in Wyoming to manage the household of a rancher.

From memory: Excellent, laconic revisionist Western with a feminist message; beautifully photographed with a good cast.

Halliwell*: "Impressive if not very likeable semidocumentary which certainly rubs one's nose in the unfairness of life."

Maltin***1/2: "Simple, well-told story...Well acted, well filmed, and beautifully understated..."

The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977)

The story of the late J. Edgar Hoover, who was head of the FBI from 1924-1972 following him from his racket-busting days through his reign under eight U.S. presidents.

Well-played, but quite cursory run through J. Edgar Hoover's career that doesn't miss out on any of the many scandals, but oddly from an alomust unpolitical point of view.

Halliwell*: "Unreliable expose' with some interesting bits."

Maltin**1/2: "Sleazy bio...makes for great camp with its all-star lineup of real-life politicians - not to mention that cast!"

 

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

A humanoid alien comes to Earth to get water for his dying planet, and he starts a high technology company to get the billions of dollars he needs to build a return spacecraft.

Highly idiosyncratic science fiction tale with lots of pretension; wonderfully produced and photographed, with quite a few memorable scenes, but rather difficult to follow.

Halliwell*: "A weird piece of intellectual science fiction made weirder by longueurs of all varieties: obscure narrative, voyeuristic sex, pop music and metaphysics. Not an easy film or a likeable one, despite its great technical skill."

Maltin***1/2: "Highly original, fabulously photographed adaptation of Walter Tevis' classic fantasy novel is riveting for the first two-thirds, goes downhill toward the end. Still tops of its kind."