Apollo 18 (2011)

 

Decades-old found footage from NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 mission, where three American astronauts were sent on a secret expedition, reveals the reason the U.S. has never returned to the moon. 

OK sci-fi horror with a rather standard plot, but made more interesting with its "found-footage" approach; unfortunately, the existence of the "aliens" is not much explained.

Maltin**: "Plodding sci-fi thriller attempts to inject fresh life into familiar scenario...by mimicking the "found footage" semidocumentary approach...Viewers old enough to have watched original Apollo space flights on black-and-white TV may be mildly amused by moments of visual verisimilitude. Overall, though, entire production comes off  as little more than a modestly clever stunt." 

Marlina si pembunuh dalam empat babak (2017)

 

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

 

A young boy, Conan, becomes a slave after his parents are killed and tribe destroyed by a savage warlord and sorcerer, Thulsa Doom. When he grows up he becomes a fearless, invincible fighter. Set free, he plots revenge against Thulsa Doom.

Primitive, violent fantasy tale clearly celebrates its hero's barbarism - his unnerving and risible stupidity included; needless to say, Schwarzenegger perfectly fulfills the script's requirements for the character.

Halliwell (no star): "Intolerably doomladen, slow-moving and mainly unintelligible rubbish which failed to put a lift into the long-announced sword-and-sorcery cycle."

Maltin**1/2: "Ron Cobb's spectacular production design and Basil Poledouris' vibrant score help make this superior to the many low-grade imitations it spawned." 

Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

 

Buddy Buddy (1981)

 

During a high profile Mafia testimony case in California's Riverside County, a hired killer checks into a hotel room near the courthouse, while his depressed next-door neighbor wants to commit suicide due to marital problems.

From memory: Although this remake of L'emmerdeur is directed by Billy Wilder and presents the otherwise always irrepressible Matthau/Lemmon team, it's a tired and disappointingly unfunny comedy; even Klaus Kinski in a supporting role as an unsympathetic doctor can't help enliven the story.

Halliwell (no star): "Painful remake of the French L'Emmerdeur...Lugubriously funny at times, but generally much less attractive than the original." 

Maltin***: "Modest black comedy...A simple farce, played to perfection by Lemmon and Matthau..."

Mena Suvari

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mena_Suvari

Kanal (1957)

 

In 1944, during the Warsaw uprising against the Nazis, Polish Lieutenant Zadra and his resistance fighters use Warsaw's sewer system to escape the German encirclement. 

Brilliantly staged and photographed, this tough and intense war drama compels with its director's sure hand in delivering his message, which is quite dark, nearly nihilistic.

Halliwell*: "A suffocatingly unpleasant film to watch; its message and technical excellence are undoubted."

Maltin***: "Intense, almost unrelentingly graphic account..." 

Furankenshutain no kaijû: Sanda tai Gaira (1966)

 

Evil Under the Sun (1982)

 

Hercule Poirot solves a murder case at an idyllic vacation island in the Adriatic Sea.

As so often another pedestrian Agatha Christie adaptation with all participants playing below their abilities; only Peter Ustinov seems to be having some fun. For lazy rainy afternoons.

Halliwell (no star): "Very competent but somehow too bland package in the Agatha Christie series, not quite so lively as Death on the Nile." 

Maltin**: "An all-star cast and top production values, but still blah."

Charlotte et Véronique, ou Tous les garçons s'appellent Patrick (1959)