Evasive Action (1998)

A group of violent criminals attempts an escape while being transported on a train to a high-security prison.

Fair to middling action thriller with an overloaded plot with possibilities it doesn't make much use of.

All That Jazz (1979)

Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid life of Joe Gideon, a womanizing, drug-using dancer.

From memory: Egocentric smorgasbord offers its share of brilliant moments, but also some pretensions, bad humor and a disagreeable focus on death.

Halliwell***: "Self-indulgent, semi-autobiographical tragi-comic extravaganza complete with heart operations and a recurring angel of death. Flashes of brilliant talent make it a must for Fosse fans."

Maltin**1/2: "Director-choreographerFosse's own 8½ casts a self-indulgent and largely negative look at his life; great show biz moments and wonderful dancing are eventually buried in pretensions, and an interminable finale which leaves a bad taste for the whole film.But that opening number...is a wow!"

Jaws 2 (1978)

Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.

A sequel in full B movie quality in all departments; a far cry from the original.

Halliwell (no star): "Repetitive and feeble sequel aimed directly at the popcorn market."

Maltin**1/2: "...here comes another gratuitous sequel."

Jaws (1975)

When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.

A brilliantly executed monster movie that launched the director's even more brilliant career.

On renewed viewing: it is remarkable how an old-hat exploitation story is surehandedly turned into an exciting and highly entertaining movie, perfectly balancing humor and shocks.

Halliwell**: "In the exploitation-hungry seventies this film took more money than any other. In itself, despite genuinely suspenseful and frightening sequences, it is a slackly narrated and sometimes flatly handled thriller with an over-abundance of dialogue and, when it finally appears, a pretty unconvincing monster."

Maltin****: "A rare case of a bubble-gum story...scoring as a terrific movie...Hold on to your seats!"

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..."