Eating Raoul (1982)

 

A relatively boring Los Angeles couple discovers a bizarre, if not murderous, way to get funding for opening a restaurant.

Hilarious exercise in bad taste has an Underground Comics feel to it; it's obvious the makers had some fun creating this movie.

Halliwell*: "Black comedy with insufficient humour to offset tastelessness." 

Maltin***1/2: "Delicious black comedy...Sags a littler here and there, but overall a bright, original, hilarious satire; Paragon has a super bit as a sex shop owner." 

Force of Evil (1948)

 

An unethical lawyer, with an older brother he wants to help, becomes a partner with a client in the numbers racket.

Tough and downbeat Noir crime drama astonishes with its stark anti-capitalist stance and some quite memorable scenes.

Halliwell**: "Bleak and powerful melodrama, an attack on capitalism that is here personified by racketeers."

Maltin***: "Rock-solid film noir...Beautifully photographed (by George Barnes) and lit; this has become something of a cult item." 

They Live by Night (1948)

 

An escaped convict, injured during a robbery, falls in love with the woman who nurses him back to health, but their relationship seems doomed from the beginning.

Excellent tough and romantic crime drama relentlessly drives its narratives and its heroes into their own doom.

Halliwell*: "Well-made if basically uninteresting melodrama with a draggy romantic interest; its 'realistic' yet impressionist style drew attention on its first release, and it was remade in the seventies as Thieves Like Us." 

Maltin***1/2: "Director Ray's first film is sensitive, well-made story...Set in 1930s, it avoids cliches and builds considerable impact instead."

 

 

Hangover Square (1945)

 

A promising classical musician finds his life poisoned by a music hall dancer -- and by the strange gaps in his memory.

Unusual Noir melodrama nicely staged in period London has a quite unconvincing plot, but Laird Gregar is fascinating as the madman musician, and Bernard Herrmann's score is excellent as always.

Halliwell*: "This rather empty melodrama has almost nothing to do with the book from which it is allegedly taken, but the Hollywoodian evocation of gaslit London is richly entertaining and good to look at."

Maltin***: "Cregar (in his final film) is delicious...result is still entertaining, with superb Victorian London sets and evocative Bernard Herrmann score." 

The People Across the Lake (1988)

 

A city-slicker family, tired of the urban grime and crime, moves to a quaint little lakeside village. All seems like paradise - until corpses start showing up in the water.

OK TV horror flick never leaves the boundaries of the genre.  

Nightmare Alley (1947)

 

The rise and fall of Stanton Carlisle, a mentalist whose lies and deceit prove to be his downfall.

Remarkable drama with heavy noir and goth overtones, a dislikable hero (an unusual role for Tyrone Power), good circus settings and a devastating ending.

Halliwell**: "Unusual road to ruin melodrama, a striking oddity from Hollywood at the time,, and still quite interesting and well done."

Maltin***1/2: "Morbid but fascinating story...highly original melodrama. Compelling look at carny life..." 

Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)

 

The story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.

Fascinating documentary about a gigantic and obviously impossible film project, the sheer amount of talents involved is baffling; furthermore, Alejandro Jodorowsky is obviously a very entertaining and humorous personality.

Maltin***: "Amusing, jaw-dropping documentary...Great fun for film buffs." 

 

 

Dune (1984)

 

In the distant future, a man appears who may be the prophet that a long-suffering galaxy has been waiting for.

Visually compelling and with imaginative styling as you'd expect from the director, the plot has been overloaded so that the sci-fi epic seems more summarized than actually adapted.

On re-watching: Still good to look at, but the narrative is simply not convincing nor much coherent either.

Halliwell (no star): "A basically simple space fiction plot is immensely complicated by a welter of characters who are not properly introduced and who indeed are mostly irrelevant. The result, which cost nearly 50 million dollars, is inaudible, invisible (because of dim lighting) and unentertaining: a disaster of the very first order."

Maltin*1/2: "Elephantine adaptation...You know you're in trouble when film's opening narration...is completely incomprehensible! Visually imaginative, well cast, but joyless and oppressive - not to mention long. For devotees of Herbert's novel only." 

 

Le vieux fusil (1975)

 

 

During World War II, a peaceful French surgeon is forced to ruthlessly exterminate the Nazis because of their atrocities.

Compelling  (and violent) WWII revenge drama based on a true event mostly avoids any psychological depth in the characterization of its protagonists, but is more interested displaying their despair and distress caused by the Nazi crimes.

 

Dune (2021)

 

The son of a noble family is entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy.

Despite stunning visuals and excellent production this version still doesn't come up with a convincing interpretation of the epic novel. 

 

Invasion, U.S.A. (1952)

 

A group of people at a bar witness the unfolding events of a Soviet invasion of the USA.

Cold war doomsday fantasy does the best with its low budget, but summed up it's mostly mediocre in all departments.

Halliwell (no star): "Ludicrous, dangerous, hilarious low-budget exploitationer composed mainly of rubber rocks and old newsreels."

Maltin*1/2: "Hopelessly cheap and ineffectual..." 

 

The Day Mars Invaded Earth (1962)

 

Martians replace a scientist and his family to pave way for their invasion.

Very cheaply made sci-fi thriller is not particularly exciting, but does its best with its low budget - which is not much.

Maltin*1/2: "A how-low-can-you-go budget results in a "space invasion" movie shot on one piece of property and with Earthlings and Martians played by the same few actors!" 

 

 

 

Als Hitler das rosa Kaninchen stahl (2019)

 

A Jewish family had to flee from the Nazis from Berlin. First, they flee to Zurich. From there it goes to Paris and finally to London.

Well-made, but a bit frumpy adaptation of the well-loved book by Judith Kerr is endearing with a good cast and excellent period detail.

Prime Time (2021)

 

On New Year's Eve 1999, an armed man enters a TV studio during a broadcast, takes the host hostage and makes one demand: to give a message live on air.

Above-average TV closed-room drama is suspenseful and profits from good performances. 

 

My Favorite Brunette (1947)

 

Shortly before his execution on the death row in San Quentin, amateur sleuth and baby photographer Ronnie Jackson, tells reporters how he got there.

Light-weighted, silly, but basically entertaining spoof of a Noir plot keeps the jokes coming, but is hardly a convincing parody of the genre.  

Halliwell*: "Pretty fair star vehicle which half-heartedly spoofs Farewell My Lovely."

Maltin***: "Better-than-usual Hope nonsense...Two very funny surprise cameos at beginning and end of film." 

The Color of Money (1986)

 

Fast Eddie Felson teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback.

Skillfully made continuation of the classic The Hustler is not among the director's best works, but is interesting and exciting enough to hold one's attention, due also to the excellent performances by Newman and Cruise.

Halliwell**: "Slackly told but consistently enjoyable adventures of Fast Eddie Felson in his older age." 

Maltin***: "Sharply made, nicely textured sequel...Hardboiled script by Richard Price, flamboyant camerwaork by Michael Ballhaus,, and top-notch performances by Cruise and especially Newman make this a must-see...though film's second half is protracted and disappointing, with a hoped-for climax that never occurs."

Hedda Gabler (1962)

 

A scheming woman marries a nice but dimwitted intellectual out of convenience. She hears that her old lover is back in town. She decides to destroy his life, jealous of his love affair with another.

A TV production with a stellar cast, in which Ingrid Bergman shines the best, is unfortunately a brutally condensed, stubbed up adaptation of the classic play.  

 

 

The Return of Dracula (1958)

 

After a vampire leaves his native Balkans, he murders a Czech artist, assumes his identity, and moves in with the dead man's American cousins.

Interesting and unusual low budget horror film is skillfully set in suburban America with a slight touch of Noir.

Halliwell*: "Quite nicely made low-budget horror film with a good balance of the supernatural and the ordinary."

Maltin**: "Lederer thwarted by a mediocre script." 

The Born Losers (1967)

 

Billy Jack battles outlaw motorcycle gang in a small California beach town.

Quite violent exploitation flick doesn't have much more to offer than its rough action scenes.

Halliwell (no star): "Teenage shocker, only notable for its credits, being the first Billy Jack film."

Maltin**1/2: "Good action scenes, but Laughlin's use of violence as an indictment of violence is already present." 

Tenet (2020)

 

Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.

Aside great production and dazzling visuals the over-construed plot with moving backwards moments is hard to take, especially you're trying to find any logic in it.