The first 20 minutes of this are iconic. The vast majority of the rest of the film involve Charles Durning running, which he really isn’t in the shape for, after a psychopath. The end does tie everything up at the end, so it’s not an entire loss. Carol Kane is engaging as the babysitter; it generally surprises me when I see her in a non-comedic role. 
If I did drugs, this seems like it’d be high on the list of films to watch while stoned. Set on a planet where giant blue humanoid creatures treat human beings as animals, it’s got some fantastic (pun not really intended) world building and even though I watched with the English dub, it bled French film all over. Overall, it has a nice message to it and if you’re into that sort of thing, quite a bit of naked breasts for an animated film.
I admit that the lurid one line description of the story both made me not interested in watching this while also sincerely wondering what has made it successful. I don’t know about the play itself, but the film is also a bit slow in getting started. As the psychiatrist unravels the mystery of why this boy maimed six horses, it becomes quite compelling. I’ve spent a lot of time in recent years pondering how much we should push people to be more ‘normal’ and fit into the mainstream. Any adult who interacts regularly with children particularly should be asking that question and how much to push them into abiding by what you think they should believe and be. I have mixed feelings about the roles I’ve seen Richard Burton in, but this may be one of the best so far. I am now curious to see it on stage.
Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
I do enjoy a good creepy horror film, versus the outright scary ones, especially if they include Bette Davis (see my childhood love for Watcher in the Woods). Even though I don’t quite understand the popularity of Karen Black in the 70s, I still gave this one a try. A mysterious house is a predictable setting for such a story, as are the eccentric owners, but sadly in this case, it was too predictable and the results weren’t quite creepy enough for me. It does have some nice touches reminiscent of The Shining and the aforementioned Watcher, but they aren’t enough..
Stylistically I just can’t get into later career Kubrick. I had tried watching this years ago, at that time ending during the home invasion scene, but my current commitment to watching Oscar films is relentless. I’m not turned off by the excessive violence, though I find no interest in Alex as a character, since it feels very cartoon-ish. Instead, it’s the mod-y but futuristic British vibe that runs through the film. I think I need to keep a list of films that give off that vibe; Tommy is another. 
Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; Best Film Editing
Parts of this really feel like a sequel to The Defiant Ones except the action is set in Apartheid-era South Africa and we trade Tony Curtis for Michael Caine. With the specter of Apartheid hanging over every scene and a diamond caper added to the mix, it does become its own unique thing. It’s a […]
The storyline for this film is essentially a fictionalized version of JFK’s murder where Ted Kennedy has to follow clues and interview wacky characters to wade through the conspiracy to find out who the true murderer was. The charisma of Jeff Bridges holds it all together and helped along the way by the likes of […]
That title is a clunker; I forget what movie it’s referring to every time I read it. It’s odd to say, but maybe I’m too young to really feel shock and surprise over discussions of people’s sex lives. Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkel play college roommates who spend 25 years treating women awfully and talking to each other about it. Not surprisingly, their characters are incredibly dislikable. The women on the other hand are interesting characters and played well by the likes of Candace Bergen, Ann-Margaret, Carol Kane, and Rita Moreno.
Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Mel Brooks’s movies tend to be either major hits or misses for me. Somehow Silent Movie fits somewhere in between for me. You have to give credit at least for the sheer audacity of putting out a silent movie in the 70s that lambasts the movie industry at the same time. It’s filled with cameos of many big 1970s stars and some of the skits are real fun. Despite a dislike for mimes, Marcel Marceau is one of the funnier bits. I think even casual Brooks fans will find plenty to chuckle at.
In the future, Bruce Dern is a gardener aboard a spacecraft and he’s incredibly dedicated to his job. I’d been wanting to watch this for awhile and I wasn’t disappointed. The spacecraft has a fabulous set design reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, unsurprising considering the time period. Dern was perfectly cast for his role. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional reaction I’d have for the film’s conclusion; I’m still feeling sad for poor Dewey.