New Acquisition: West Side Story (2021)

 

West Side Story (2021)

 

Poltergeist (1982)

 

A family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.

From memory: Big-budget paranormal horror movie is exactly what one would expect by a Spielberg production of a movie directed by a genre expert like Tobe Hooper: a visually brilliantly staged and performed ghost drama with lots of thrills and excitement, but not much more than a suburban family's visit to Disney World.

Halliwell**: "Skilful but dramatically thin and sometimes rather nasty horror movie in which the producer's hand seems often to have controlled the director's. Misjudgement must be the reason that it was not the huge success intended."

Maltin***1/2: "Sensationally scary ghost story...Paced like a roller-coaster ride, with dazzling special effects - and a refreshing sense of humor." 

Jaws (1975)

 

How to watch Jaws

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

 

A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape Earth and return to his home world.

From memory: This film is a perfect children's pic that will appeal to the whole family, it's heart-warming, uplifting as well as thrilling, presents top-notch special effects and a remarkable cast of kids, and of course: the most lovable alien in cinema history.

Halliwell****: "Stupefyingly successful box-office fairy tale by the current wonder kid Soielberg, taken to the world's heart because he dares to make films without sex, violence or bad language: This one could hardly be simpler, but it works; and the ailing cinema would love to know how to repeat the trick several times a year."

Maltin****: "A warm, insightful story of childhood innocence, frustration, courage, and love...with a remarkable  "performance" by E.T. An exhilarating experience for young and old alike."

 

Chambre 666 (1982)

 

 

During the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, German director Wim Wenders asks fifteen other famous directors to give their views on the future of cinema.

 

Curious short documentary with an interesting idea is fascinating for its array of important directors and their views, but is generally, due to the temporal nature of the query, outdated. 

Ready Player One (2018)

When the creator of a virtual reality called the OASIS dies, he makes a posthumous challenge to all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune and control of his world.

Solid, lively sci-fi action drama is exciting, but is so overladen with pop cultural references, trivia and original ideas that it mars a lot of the entertainment it wants to offer.

 

The BFG (2016)

An orphan little girl befriends a benevolent giant who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading the human world.

As to be expected from this director, all's well done in the production department, but this children's film lacks charm and fun for most of the time.

The Color Purple (1985)

A black Southern woman struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and others over four decades.

Grand-scale saga with an excellent ensemble and wonderful cinematography tells a meandering tale, at times at risk of drifting apart, but contains many memorable scenes.

Halliwell**: "Well-intentioned and gracious but not always dramatically cohesive generation saga from a director trying to prove he has depth."

Maltin***1/2: "...a sprawling saga...Spielberg's controversial interpretation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-wnning book will either grab you emotionally (in which case you'll overlook its flaws) or leave you cold. Masterfully filmed...with striking cinematography...moving music score...Rich performances include screen debut for Winfrey."

1941 (1979)

Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.

From memory: Monstrously overblown spoof does have lots of brilliant bits and pieces and is occasionally funny, but, in every aspect, there is simply too much going on so that you really can take it all in

Halliwell*: "Absurdly over-budgeted manic farce which substitutes noise for wit and slapstick for comedy; it fails on every level."

Maltin**1/2: "Gargantuan comedy from the bigger-is-funnier school of filmmaking. Some excellent vignettes and dazzling special effects..., but on the whole suffers from overkill."

New acquisition: The BFG (2016)

The Post (2017)

A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.

Professionally staged, although a bit old-fashioned,  historical drama with an excellent cast succeeds in its appeal for the necessity of a free press.

New acquisition: Amistad (1997)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.

Great special effects and some humour make this sequel entertaining, but basically this is an old-fashioned monster movie.

Halliwell*: "The special effects are to be wondered at, as is the fact that the script is cloned from the oldest and most familiar elements of monster movies; this is a dinosaur about dinosaurs."

Maltin**1/2: "Completely contrived sequel to JURASSIC PARK benefits from Goldblum's deprecating dialogue and superior special effects. Enough cliffhanger-style action scenes to make up for the lulls."

Bridge of Spies (2015)

During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then to help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot.

Appropriately subdued reconstruction of true historic events has gentle suspense, fine period detail and two great lead performances.

New acquisition: Bridge of Spies (2015)

Lincoln (2012)

As the War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.

Despite depicting a short historic episode, the is movie convincingly creates a complex study of Abraham Lincoln, the political and social situation of the time and some good portrayals of other protagonists concerning the fight for the 13th Amendment; Daniel Day-Lewis' performance is spectacular, but the rest of the cast is great, too.

Maltin***1/2: "Day-Lewis miraculously disappears into the role of Lincoln, while the filmmakers persuasively create the look and feel of Washington in 1865.Thoughtful screenplay...and great casting from top to bottom make this a piece of American history come to vivid life."

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!"

Something Evil (1972)

A young couple moves into a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania, but they don't know that there is an unseen presence in the house, and that it wants to take possession of the wife.

Above-average TV horror thriller, effectively staged with a good central performance by Sandy Dennis.

Duel (1971)

A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.

Steven Spielberg's feature debut is a highly cinematic and effective thriller with a truck substituting as the monster.

Halliwell**: "Tense, suspenseful drama that made Spielberg's name as a bright young director."