Insomnia is a well made thriller with a standout performance from Stellan Skarsgård who, to this point, was not very well known to American audiences. Writer/Director Erik Skjoldjærg does a good job with the psychological elements in combination with his take on film noir making this a film well worth watching.
There’s no real shock here, but Deadly Eyes, based on a novel entitled “The Rats”, is a cheesy little picture but it has its fan base and honestly, even though this kind of horror isn’t my thing (I have a preference for the slasher subgenre), it’s at least quasi-entertaining.
Noah might’ve received high praise from some critics but for myself, I didn’t find much of this all that entertaining from the asinine storyline, the bizarre rock creatures who seemed to belong in a Peter Jackson movie and most of all a lead character who by movie’s end was rooting against. The film is also terribly bloated and a lot of material could’ve been trimmed or removed.
Radio Days is a fun yet poignant trip down Allen’s nostalgia lane and features excellent performances from various cast members including a young Seth Green as well as Allen staple Mia Farrow.
Make Your Move is like any other dance film that has come down the pike over the years down to the star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of whatever spectrum (in fact this one makes no bones there is a Romeo & Juliet element to the romance). That said, the music isn’t bad and the acting above average considering the material.
Born Yesterday is a wonderful drama-comedy with a great performance from Judy Holliday who was well deserving of her Oscar win.
Brannigan might not be John Wayne in his prime, not even close as he would succumb to cancer four years later, but it’s still a fun little flick with some decent action scenes and even better performances from (nearly) everyone around.
Sabotage could’ve been better and Schwarzenegger, who wasn’t that bad, was kind of mis-cast with someone like a Russell Crowe probably being better suited for the role. However, the action scenes were well choreographed including the final chase sequence and despite having mostly despicable characters, I still managed to be slightly entertained and engaging, plot holes and all.
Violent Saturday has a minor following and is much beloved by some, though for me, while entertaining, I didn’t quite find it entirely enthralling, however, the performances are all well done.
Save Your Legs is a good movie and probably even more profound to the fan of cricket, which is not me (I can’t even get into soccer for crying out loud), but it’s still an oft funny flick with an amiable cast.
On the surface Transcendence had plenty going for it but thanks to an apparently butchered script and a novice director, it turned something that could’ve been memorable into a laborious and tepid bore of a film. The cast is mostly wasted from the Depp’s malaise and supporting characters who are one dimensional and unmemorable while a veteran like Morgan Freeman is wasted and had a character who could’ve been cut.
Stage Fright from first timer Jerome Sable is a valiant effort for sure with some decent kills, good acting especially from lead actress Allie MacDonald but its oddly paced and doesn’t quite hit the mark in the end, making for nothing more than a rental.
“Star Trek: The Next Generation”: Chain of Command is a solid two-part episode highlighted more by the performances and plot than the set-up which was at best forced. Still, Patrick Stewart’s acting is some of his best ever on the series and Ronny Cox’s appearance gives that storyline some weight and decent drama.
The sixth season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” is one heck of a ride and provides a wide variety from intense drama (‘Chain of Command’), nostalgia (‘Relics’), psychological thriller (‘Frame of Mind’), romance (‘Lessons’) and even comedy (‘Rascals’). It’s not a perfect season as there are a couple episodes I didn’t care for, but on the whole the writing is sharp and the acting top notch.
Winter’s Tale has a lot going for it from a decently high production design, a well rounded cast headlined by Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe, but with such an apparently difficult novel to adapt for feature film, what we get instead is disjointed and doesn’t have the right pacing.