(ph: Laurie Bartley)
Thursday, 24 October 2019
The Sadist (1963)
Three people driving into Los Angeles for a Dodgers game have car trouble and pull off into an old wrecking yard where they are held at bay by a bloodthirsty psycho and his crazy girlfriend.
Tough, mean-spirited and quite effective low-budget thriller with good editing and cinematography (Vilmos Zsigmond!); Arch Hall Jr. is remarkable as the terrifying psychopath.
Maltin**1/2: "Taut little B picture...Hall is distressingly believable as the psycho.Imaginatively shot by Vilmos (billed as William) Zsigmond."
The First Great Train Robbery (1978)
In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.
From memory: This period heist drama has good production value and cinematography, but lacks originality, and the star cast is not quite challenged in their roles.
Halliwell*: "Patchy but generally very likeable period crime story, with just a few lapses of pace and taste."
Maltin***: "Stylish fun..."
Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Das Ende des Regenbogens (1979)
A 17 year old Berlin boy turns prostitute and petty thief. Despite the attempts of a social worker to help, the boy runs into real trouble when a burglary goes awry.
From memory: A subtle, subdued and unsentimental analysis of a young man failing to adjust to the unrelenting demands of society.
Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Elvis (1979)
Biographical movie about the famous rock singer Elvis Presley.
From memory: A simple, straightforward TV biopic is actually pretty good, and Kurt Russell does convince impersonating "The King".
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