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Reviews
The Challenger Disaster (2019)
Hauntingly sad account of a terrible disaster that lacks some production values
This film has both good and bad components. The good: in many ways it is haunts and eats after you, and after the film one feels very dejected. This bad feeling hangs around with you for a long time after you watch it. Sadness for the lives lost, sadness for the engineers who tried to stop the launch but couldn't and anger at Morton-Thikol and NASA management.
Also good was befitting musical score that fit the film perfectly. Even the very well done opening titles/credits set the tone of the tone of the film and puts the viewer in a somber state.
On the bad side: poorly written dialogue, at times, sophomoric acting, with the exception of the lead, Eric Hanson. He does a very good job even with some dialogue that sounds as if it were written by a novice student in a creative writing class. Although the material is engrossing, your mind never truly forgets you are watching a film, and a rather amateur attempt, at a film. The director has little clue about pacing or how to get uniformity in acting from the casts. Even Dean Cain comes across no better than a a high school kid in a class production.
The characters come across as caricatures instead of real life characters. Yet amazingly, because you know it's a true and sad story, you accept all the amateur production values and get emotionally involved. If nothing else it is educational, and I think everyone should see it.
Now days this is literally nothing. In a major motion picture this would be the salary of just one minor player. The low production costs explain the problems with the film. Had it been given a large budget, a reputable director and a class writer, it would have been an A+ film. I don't want to denigrate this film, as considering the budge, it was as well done as could possibly have been.. As mentioned the opening credits are very professional and set the stage, and most of the visual elements are quite well done.
The film never mentions the name of the actual rocket booster contractor, presumably because of a potential lawsuit against the filmakers. The contractor who made the rocket boosters was Morton-Thiokol of Utah. Yes, the same Morton Ccompany that puts salt on your dinner table was the company that also murdered seven astronauts The top management of Morton-Thikol overrode the the recommendations of its engineers that the launch should be postponed until the outdoor temperatures at Cape Canaveral had risen.
By all means, watch this movie. Just try to not concentrate on its amateur dialogue, acting and direction, but concentrate on the message it is presenting. There is something we should all learn from this film..... never be pressure by others to not do what we know is right.
The Outer Limits: It Crawled Out of the Woodwork (1963)
Clueless Maid's Vacuum Cleaner Transforms Dust Bunny to Electrical Monster
This is actually one of my favorite outer Limits. It's monster is more cerebral in nature, and scarier, than the molded rubber monsters of some of the other episodes. It scared the bejeebers out of me when I was a small child.
Well acted with a lot of character development. A young Ed Asner does a great portrayal of a detective who almost loses his life to the energy absorbing menace.
The mood of this episode is somber and dark from beginning to end. Very well done. Some holes in the plot. For example, a scientist at the Government Lab is able to surgically bring the dead back to life. This is treated as if's no big deal. Instead of working at the lab he should have patented his life restoring prodedure and become a multi-millionaire.
Valley of the Dolls (1967)
So Bad that It's Good
Let's look at the Good, and the Bad: 1.) The Good: Beautiful Music. The theme song is beautifully written and very meaningful. The background music, at times is quite beautiful. There are actually some catchy tunes in there as well.
The photography is wonderful, with the tone set at the beginning of the movie with the unforgettable shot of the train travelling through snow covered countryside accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful musical score.
2.) The Bad: ACTING. If you can call it that. It gives the appearance of being acted by a bunch of high schoolers doing a play. Actually, I have seen high school students do a much better acting job come to think of it. Patty Duke overacts all over the place, and quite laughably (by her own admission). Sharon Tate, bless her soul, acts like she is reading her lines off of a teleprompter and someone behind the camera is telling her each move to make. ("take a step, look to your right, sigh, etc.) Maybe most hysterical of all is a fine actress like Susan Hayward, (bless her as well), when she is lip-sinking her song, "I'll Plant My Own Tree." First of all the voice doesn't match at all. Secondly, she overacts it so badly and goes into such body contortions that you don't even notice the lyrics due to your laughing.
Her performance goes downhill even further (if its possible) when she says to Patty Duke (Neely) "Now get out of my way I got a man waiting for me!" Even an amateur high school actor trying out for a role looks like a professional by comparison to her performance here.
Even Martin Milner overacts and continues the tradition of cardboard cutout characters with cardboard acting.
Also Bad: The director. Mark Robson couldn't direct an actor out of a paper bag. He must have been on drugs when he attempted to convert his vision of the book to the screen. As Patty Duke said, this could have been made into a meaningful film.
It's wasn't. The bottom line is the bad acting, the lude references and actions, done for effect, over character development and the superficiality of it all falls in the lap of the director. He alienated, and ultimately fired Judy Garland, who was to originally play Susand Hayward's role.
And from what Patty Duke said, in an interview he treated all the women actors (especially Sharon Tate) like unintelligent bimbos, which they weren't. Robson was the bimbo. How in the world could he watch the dailies in the screening room and think he had done a good job??? How could the producers have released this? Did they not do a test screening and check for audience reaction? Patty Duke says she and her friends occasionally order a pizza and have a "Valley of the Dolls night" and watch the movie and make fun of it. She has also attended at least one of the camp showings where the audience shows up dressed as Valley of the Dolls characters and leers and jeers at the film.
Jacqueline Susann certainly was not a literary genius. In fact, she was just a trashy novelist and was a bad actress herself. But her work was not nearly as bad as the film by a long shot. But in all fairness there are a few touching moments in her book, and unbelievably even in the film itself.
Despite it all, Valley of the Dolls is an entertaining movie. I, and many others I hear, enjoy watching it. It provides some good laughs as professional actors behave like untalented high schoolers acting in a badly written play. Yet, there are some scenes that are emotionally satisfying and moving. Where Sharon Tate, as Jennifer, passes away and also the ending where Barbara Parkins goes back to her home and becomes her own person. The last scene of her walking away from her lover and goes off by herself in the woods, leaves the viewer with a good feeling and maybe even a bit of a catharsis. She rose above it all and got away.
So Valley of the Dolls is not without merit. And it is certainly worth watching. Whether you watch it as a comedy with the bad acting and the world's worst directing, or you manage to overlook that and enjoy the beautiful music, scenery and photography. You leave with the message the film was trying to make (although badly) that beauty is not everything, money does not bring happiness and we can overcome and be our own person.
(BTW. Carol Curnett did a great parody of Valley of the Dolls in her TV show in 1967 when the movie came out. It's hilarious. Be sure to find a copy.)
Challenger (1990)
A look at the lives of those who died in the Space Shuttle, Challenger, disaster and why it occurred.
As others have mentioned, this movie would have more meaning had it depicted events after the Challenger explosion, as well as before. In respect to the families of those who were killed in the accident, I believe the producers chose not to depict the explosion itself.
The film is very engrossing and holds one's attention from beginning to end. The primary point is that bureaucracy and politics are often at odds with the value of human life.
The film is surprisingly well acted for a made-for-TV movie. Performances are believable and help us to understand and appreciate the lives and persona of those aboard the Challenger, and the sacrifice they made.
Families of those lost in the Challenger disaster I am sure appreciate the fact that this film did not exploit the sensationalism of the event, but instead concentrated on honoring the lives of those aboard and trying to understand the bureaucracy responsible for this tragedy.
I highly recommend you watch this film, as you will gain insight into the lives of the people who bravely accepted the risks of human exploration.
Bachelor in Paradise (1961)
A delightful trip to early 1960's suburbia
For those of us who were around in the late fifties and early sixities, this walk down memory lane movie evokes a longing to be living back in those times again.
The plot deals with Hope and Turner meeting in a new tract housing development in California. Who can forget these housing developments that sprang up, not only in California but near every major city in the United States.
The new fashion was sprawling ranch style houses replete with built-in appliances, wall phones, pecky Cypress paneling and walls of sliding glass doors--to "bring the outdoors in".
This "California" style housing became popular around the country in the early sixties and I lived in one. Few today can imagine the excitement that came, back then, moving into one of these wonder homes with double front doors and all the modern conveniences. In the early sixties such time saving high-brow devices, as the garbage disposal and the dishwasher, were years away from becoming the norm for middle class America. Having them raised you up one notch on the social ladder.
For those not fortunate to have lived in the early sixties, this movie is a delightful and uncanningly accurate reflection of the times.
It's not a great movie, but then again, it's not trying to cure cancer. It is what it is meant to be, a pleasant and enjoyable battle of the sexes comedy. Doris Day could easily have been interchanged with Lana Turner in this middle class farce.
Bob hopes delightful quipping is ever present. No one else can deliver snappy asides like Hope. The meaning behind his subtle wise-crack remarks are largely lost on todays younger viewers.
As other reviewers have stated, watching this film leaves us who lived in the sixties greatly longing for these days past.
Color television was new and exciting, as were modern built in appliances, and spacious rambling ranch homes with California architecture were the dream homes of the middle class.
You can just see the family gathering in the living room of one of these homes, around the new color TV, to watch the most recent space launching from Cape Canaveral.
And that is exactly what we did.
If you lived in the sixties, definitely get a copy of this film. Be prepared for waves of long forgotten memories to come flooding back. Waves of nostalgia will make you wish for those simpler, happy days again.
If you never lived in the sixties, then by all means, you need to watch Bachelor in Paradise for a time travel trip to the past to watch and experience a unique time in our history.
The Trouble with Angels (1966)
A humorous, yet moving, story of a strong willed young girl at a Catholic Boarding School.
A highly entertaining film. At times, some of the comedy is a little contrived, but overall a very well done, pleasant picture. Watch carefully for the little, well placed clues, in the movie that lead up to the surprise ending.
Some very real and touching moments that will make your eyes get moist. This movie has gotten to be a Holiday Tradition with my family.
Much, much better than the sequel, "Where Angels Go Trouble Follows." The sequel does not have the heart nor soul nor the realism of the original.
Hailey Mills' acting is impeccable and realistic in even the most slight details. Rosalind Russell? What can one say of this legendary actress. Few actresses could pull off the combination of wit, sarcasm and compassion found in her characterization of Mother Superior.
Definitely watch "The Trouble With Angels" it will become a favorite with you too.
King of Kings (1961)
An ageless masterpiece that can never be duplicated.
It is certainly no coincidence that after 48 years, King of Kings, has never been remade. This film is as fresh and emotionally involving today as it was in 1961.
Jeffrey Hunter gives a remarkable portrayal of Jesus. It is made even more special knowing that he took this role very seriously and it had great meaning to him, as stated by the late actor's wife.
Top notch and convincing performances are given by all of the actors. They are backed by an emotionally moving and uplifting score. I can think of few films where the score and the visual elements are so perfectly meshed that they become one. You just can't imagine one without the other.
Painstaking research was done to insure accurate historical elements. As a result, the movie is a learning experience as well spiritual experience. It makes one wonder if there was not some Divine oversight during the films production. Who knows, maybe there was....
Caprice (1967)
entertaining and attention holding
Due to the convoluted nature of the plot, this film really holds one's attention as they try to figure out what in the world is going on.
Miss Day makes the film with her bright screen presence. Richard Harris, although a fine actor, was not the best choice for playing opposite Miss Day in this particular role.
Ray Walston overacts a bit and uses an acting style that would be better suited for a television show.
But the film is not trying to cure cancer, is just an entertaining diversion and works well as such.
To notch are the music and cinematography. The overall feeling of the film, however, is that is it is trying too hard to be "mod". You get this feeling from the onset, when Doris first appears on the screen dressed in an outfit designed for a nineteen year old, not a grown adult.
The plot suffers from too many rewrites and becomes muddled. However once you start watching it, you can't break away.
Several scenes provide real "belly laughs" and it is worth viewing the entire film just for these.
It does have flaws, but it's still worth watching. It could have been better and Doris Miss Day should have been more assertive to her husband, Marty Melcher, in demanding some changes in the plot, costume design and casting.
We can only wish that Doris had continued to make films. Few actresses can match her range, ability, screen presence and charm. Miss Day, we miss you greatly.