Watched June, 2025.
There were a couple of plot issues, like, when the young husband goes downstairs to Orlok's crypt, why does he push the cover off the casket? Really? I am not a big fan of movie vampires because they are always invulnerable, but if so, they would quickly wipe out every human in the world. However, for the pieces of this movie with some actual drama, they're well done.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Watched June, 2025.
The special effects and stunts are certainly stunning, and in some cases groundbreaking. But the technical aspects of the plot are repeatedly, ridiculously mindless. The whole idea of the entity is illogical - an artificial intelligence has infiltrated the whole of global cyberspace, but people can hope to remove it, instantaneously. Never mind Cruise getting stuck 500 feet below the arctic ocean surface with no protective gear. It's fun to watch, but the plot is a series of illogical battles against illogical people, performing impossible stunts, with tech that has no basis in reality.
Watched a bunch of times, possibly as early as the '60s.
This is a well done precursor to the Avalon & Funicello formula. Characters are developed, dramatic stuff happens. Gorshin, Hutton, Prentiss, Francis all do fine jobs, and no one is bad. Go see the Elbo Room, it's a real place!
Watched a bunch of times, possibly as early as the '60s.
This movie invented the ultra-B beach/music movie formula.
("Where the Boys Are is different and better.)
Gary's review of 'Where the Boys Are'
Avalon figures out that he must totally ham it up, but Funicello was apparently held back by Disney, being barely past her Mouseketeer days (these movies immortalized her for a mediocre job). FA & AF's songs are forgettable, but the awesome Dick Dale plays a significant musical role. The comedy is hit or miss, although the characters don't give Deadhead credit for his great cough drop joke. Forgive me, but I love Lembeck's Von Zipper gang leader role. And there is a pie fight. The wait for Big Daddy's "word" was a nice touch in a lackluster script.
SPOILER QUOTES: Deadhead, referring to the square professor: "If he had a twin, he'd make a good cough drop." (Think Smith Brothers.)
Big Daddy (Vincent Price): "The pit. Bring me my pendulum, kiddies, I feel like swinging."
Watched May, 2025.
This is a great 1950s (French) heist flick, with fantastic details on how the safe is cracked and the heist is accomplished, and then the aftermath when the thieves fence the jewels and attempt to hang on to the cash. The thieves had to circumvent the security and police tech, which were primitive (but not negligible) in 1955, but when you throw in a couple molls everything becomes beaucoup complicated.
It bugs me when a new movie is made in the 21st century but takes place in the past before modern tech. Cell phones and tech kill the plausibility of many 21st-century plots; an encrypted email cannot be hacked (no matter what you see on NCIS) and all catastrophes are solved by an easy phone call. Stick with Rififi: the characters are inherently just tough guys with no tech knowledge and it all just makes sense.
Watched May 10, 2025.
This is based on a true story, so I can't fault the movie for putting 80 year old women to work in a NYC restaurant kitchen, but the movie does not explain how many hours they worked or who else worked with them. The romantic subplot must be fictional, because no first-year law student skips studying to spend hours each night at a restaurant (but who doesn't love Linda Cardellini?). The subplot that explains the initial number of customers is nothing short of nasty and pointless. And "gravy", what's with that? If gravy is poured over spaghetti, what do Staten Island paisans pour over mashed potatoes? Ultimately this is a feel-good thing, but the world never needs a movie this mediocre. Only the big-name actors could rescue this.
Nosferatu Watched June, 2025. There were a couple of plot issues, like, when the young husband goes downstairs to Orlok's crypt, why doe...
