A young 16 year old boy named Robbie is discovering he's into guys not girls. Also 12 year old Tina has a huge crush on him. They both live in the same small town who would probably not accept him being gay. Then Tina finds out. What will happen? The answer may surprise you. Sweet, warm and lovable film. There's no swearing, nudity or sex--just a long lingering gay kiss. The acting is as good as you can expect from a gay short. It's a relief to see a gay short that's not depressing or throwing explicit sex in your face. There was talk of turning this into a feature length film but luckily nothing came of it. It's perfect as a short.
Reviews
3,685 Reviews
Dracula
(1974 TV Movie)
Strange miscasting of Palance weakens an otherwise good movie
24 March 2024
Taking place in the 1800s Dracula (Jack Palance) travels from Transylvania to England. There he meets Lucy (Fiona Lewis) who just happens to be the reincarnation of his long-dead wife.
Pretty good version of "Dracula". It looks great and was shot on beautiful locations. Also almost all the acting was good...except for one serious mistake. That's Jack Palance as Dracula. Now Palance was a great actor but all wrong for this role. He seems uneasy and looks silly with the fangs in his mouth. When he flew into rages over some things I didn't believe him at all. Also this version moves in fits and starts but I heard it was cut down from a 3 hour version. Also there were two pretty bloody scenes which was unusual for a 1974 TV movie. So, all in all, a fairly good TV version of "Dracula".
Pretty good version of "Dracula". It looks great and was shot on beautiful locations. Also almost all the acting was good...except for one serious mistake. That's Jack Palance as Dracula. Now Palance was a great actor but all wrong for this role. He seems uneasy and looks silly with the fangs in his mouth. When he flew into rages over some things I didn't believe him at all. Also this version moves in fits and starts but I heard it was cut down from a 3 hour version. Also there were two pretty bloody scenes which was unusual for a 1974 TV movie. So, all in all, a fairly good TV version of "Dracula".
Jungle Book
(1942)
Exceptional Technicolor photography
17 January 2024
This takes place in 1800s India. Story about a young boy named Mowgli (Sabu) who was raised by wolves. One day he stumbles upon a village and is "adopted" by a kind woman whose husband was killed by a tiger. Mowgli adapts to the village and its way of life...but some people hate him.
OK this is aimed strictly at kids but adults might enjoy it too. It has absolutely jaw-dropping color photography. The colors are bright and dazzling. There's always something to look at. The story is pretty silly but you can just ignore it. They (wisely) don't have the animals talking but Mowgli can communicate with them since he was raised in the jungle. The acting is OK but this should be seen just for the color photgraphy alone. Try to see the Criterion print.
OK this is aimed strictly at kids but adults might enjoy it too. It has absolutely jaw-dropping color photography. The colors are bright and dazzling. There's always something to look at. The story is pretty silly but you can just ignore it. They (wisely) don't have the animals talking but Mowgli can communicate with them since he was raised in the jungle. The acting is OK but this should be seen just for the color photgraphy alone. Try to see the Criterion print.
Vertigo
(1958)
THIS is considered a classic?
26 December 2023
Detective "Scottie" (James Stewart) is hired to trail a woman named Madeleine (KIm Novak) by her husband. He slowly becomes obsessed with her and then things get really strange.
Lousy Hitchcock film. It's VERY slow-moving and makes little sense. The twist at the end is ridiculous. Also Stewart and Novak (both good actors) give lousy performances. Also it's pushing credibility that Novak (who was in her 20s) would fall for Stewart (who was in his 50s). It LOOKS good in bright vivid color but the stupid plot, slow pace and bad acting make this a chore to watch. This was a flop in 1958 but has inexplicably acquired a cult following over the years. Avoid at all costs.
Lousy Hitchcock film. It's VERY slow-moving and makes little sense. The twist at the end is ridiculous. Also Stewart and Novak (both good actors) give lousy performances. Also it's pushing credibility that Novak (who was in her 20s) would fall for Stewart (who was in his 50s). It LOOKS good in bright vivid color but the stupid plot, slow pace and bad acting make this a chore to watch. This was a flop in 1958 but has inexplicably acquired a cult following over the years. Avoid at all costs.
The Wedding Banquet
(1993)
Well-done but I wasn't impressed
15 December 2023
A gay couple Wei-Tung(Winston Chao) and Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein) live together in NYC. Wei-Tung has parents who live in China and don't know he's gay and want him to get married. Simon and Wei-Tung persuade an unmarried artist Wei-Wei (May Chin) to have a marriage of convenience so she can get her green card and shut up his parents. Naturally his parents travel to NY to attend the wedding. Things go barreling out of control.
It's well-done, moves quickly and Ang Lee directed it well. However some of the acting is terrible and I HATE the ending which just seems to go out of its way to please the straight and gay audiences. A lot of people like this film so I'm in a minority but I didn't like it in 1993 and I still don't like it in 2023.
It's well-done, moves quickly and Ang Lee directed it well. However some of the acting is terrible and I HATE the ending which just seems to go out of its way to please the straight and gay audiences. A lot of people like this film so I'm in a minority but I didn't like it in 1993 and I still don't like it in 2023.
Monkey Business
(1952)
What a horrible movie!
2 December 2023
Scientist Cary Grant's chimpanzee accidentally mixes some chemicals and finds it actually makes people act a lot younger than they are. Grant and his wife (Ginger Rogers) accidentally drink the potion and revert to acting like kids.
What a waste! You think that with Grant, Rogers and director Howard Hawks this would be great...but it's not! It's just simply not funny and seeing Grant and Rogers act like children is just embarrassing. Director Hawks made some of the best screwball comedies of the 1940s but, by the 1950s, screwball comedies were not what the public wanted. I don 't know if this film was a hit or not but it's terrible. Gets a 2 for Grant and Rogers.
What a waste! You think that with Grant, Rogers and director Howard Hawks this would be great...but it's not! It's just simply not funny and seeing Grant and Rogers act like children is just embarrassing. Director Hawks made some of the best screwball comedies of the 1940s but, by the 1950s, screwball comedies were not what the public wanted. I don 't know if this film was a hit or not but it's terrible. Gets a 2 for Grant and Rogers.
Saltburn
(2023)
I give it a marginal recommendation
23 November 2023
A strange one. Oliver (Barry Keoghan who looks like a young John Hurt) is attending Oxford University in the UK. He's shy and withdrawn. Then he meets outgoing, charasmatic Felix (Jacob Eldordi) and they become friends. Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his huge estate with him and his family. However his family is heavily dysfunctional and things get out of control. It all leads to an incredible twist ending that I didn't see coming. It's well-made and the acting is good. However it's slow-moving and the thick accents render some of the dialogue unintelligible. Still I give it a marginal recommendation.
Empire of the Ants
(1977)
Not bad little B film
22 November 2023
Yes it's a real low-budget horror film full of B actors (save for Joan Collins) but it's not bad. Collins plays an evil woman who is trying to sell worthless beach property to innocent people. It's located on an island. What they don't know is that barrels of radioactive waste has been illegally dumped near the breach and has broken open. Ants start eating it and become large and (somehow) more intelligent than humans. Collins and her "investors" visit the island and soon find themselves fighting for their lives. The special effects are primitive (and laughable) and the story is REAL stupid but this works. It moves quickly, has good acting and I was never bored. There's also a neat little twist at the end. No great shakes but a fun little B movie.
Trilogy of Terror
(1975 TV Movie)
Karen Black is GREAT!
1 October 2023
Karen Black plays four roles in three horror tales. First up she plays a college teacher who is drugged and raped by one of her students. It has a surprise ending. Next up she plays identical twins. One is sexy and evil--the other is repressed and tightly contained. One plans to kill the other...but will it work? I saw the surprise ending coming a mile away but still liked it. The last--and best--has her being attacked by an evil doll with a knife while in her apartment. It's violent and downright gruesome (for TV). The special effects used to make the doll move and attack may seem laughable today but they still work. The ending is truly horrific. A great TV movie worth catching.
Female
(1933)
Well-done and VERY interesting!
20 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A pre-Code film that is both sexist AND feminist. Alison Drake (Ruth Chatterton) is a tough as nails woman who runs a huge auto company all by herself. Periodically she invites a handsome young man to her house at night to have sex (never shown but heavily implied). The next day if they try to get amorous with her at work she fires them. Then one day she meets her match in Jim Thorne (George Brent) who does NOT sleep with her. Naturally she falls in love with him.
As you can see this movie is pretty out there. The sexual politics are jaw dropping. Still I like it! The settings are beautiful, the acting is great and it moves quickly. Originally saw it in a revival theatre in the 1990s and the audience was laughing out loud! Lots of fun! Just don't take it seriously.
As you can see this movie is pretty out there. The sexual politics are jaw dropping. Still I like it! The settings are beautiful, the acting is great and it moves quickly. Originally saw it in a revival theatre in the 1990s and the audience was laughing out loud! Lots of fun! Just don't take it seriously.
Flash Gordon
(1936)
Silly but fun!
4 August 2023
Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe), girlfriend Dale Ar5den (Jean Rogers) and Dr. Alex Zarkov (Frank Shannon) travel to the planet Mongo to battle the evil Ming the Merciless (Charles B. Middleton). Ming's daughter the Princess Aura (Priscilla Lawson) falls in love with Flash and tries to help them. Big-budget serial with some impressive sets and costumes. It also runs 13 chapters and is a little over 4 hours long. It's never boring (each chapter ends with a cliffhanger) and moves quickly. Also Crabbe was great as Flash! He's tall, handsome and in great shape. The special effects are dreadful with truly laughable monsters but that just adds to the charm! Try watching it in sections like chapters 1-5 then the next day chapters 6-13. It's a lot to take in one sitting.
A Star Is Born
(1976)
The weakest version of the story
22 July 2023
A self-destructive rock star (Kris Kristofferson) falls in love with an up and coming singer (Barbra Streisand). She becomes a big star while his career falls apart. It all leads to a predictable tragic ending.
I've seen all the versions of this movie and this is by far the weakest. It's not a bad movie but it pales in comparison to the others. It's too long and slow-moving. The acting is good but Kristofferson and Streisand have zero chemistry between them. Even worse is that all the songs (except for the Oscar-winning "Evergreen") are mediocre. Still this was a huge hit. Personally I'd stick with the Judy Garland version.
I've seen all the versions of this movie and this is by far the weakest. It's not a bad movie but it pales in comparison to the others. It's too long and slow-moving. The acting is good but Kristofferson and Streisand have zero chemistry between them. Even worse is that all the songs (except for the Oscar-winning "Evergreen") are mediocre. Still this was a huge hit. Personally I'd stick with the Judy Garland version.
The Groove Tube
(1974)
I wish I could rate this lower than a 1!
8 July 2023
A purportedly funny collection of skits spoofing television shows, commercials and anything involved on TV. This was the frontrunner of "Kentucky Fried Movie" and the Saturday Night Live TV show with one crucial difference--those two are funny. This isn't. I didn't laugh or even smile once during the entire movie. The jokes simply weren't funny--not even a little. I got what they were parodying but it didn't help. They also said you have to be a baby boomer or such to "get" it. Well I was born in 1962 so I definitely fall in that group...but I still hate it. The only good thing about it is it's short--only 73 minutes. A real must-miss here.
Search for Beauty
(1934)
Fun pre-Code film
5 July 2023
Fast-moving and fun! Two Olympic athletes (Buster Crabbe, an unrecognizable Ida Lupino) are bought in to run a health and beauty magazine. They fall in love quickly. They also find out the owners of the magazine are going to turn it into a "skin" rag. They have to battle them and keep their love alive.
Made just before the Production Code came into effect this movie is full of sexual innuendo and even some male nudity in a locker room sequence! Also there are plenty of handsome muscular guys walking around in tight bathing trunks and girls wearing very form-fitting suits. There's also a huge production number with them. Crabbe and Lupino are both very attractive and good in their roles. This doesn't pop up often on TV (for obvious reasons) but it's worth catching if you can.
Made just before the Production Code came into effect this movie is full of sexual innuendo and even some male nudity in a locker room sequence! Also there are plenty of handsome muscular guys walking around in tight bathing trunks and girls wearing very form-fitting suits. There's also a huge production number with them. Crabbe and Lupino are both very attractive and good in their roles. This doesn't pop up often on TV (for obvious reasons) but it's worth catching if you can.
Evil Dead Rise
(2023)
It just isn't that good
2 June 2023
The Book of the Dead is found under an old apartment building. Unwittingly a teenage boy opens it and starts looking through it and playing along the records that come with it. This causes the evil dead to rise up and start killing and/or possessing them.
It has a good cast and the acting is OK. Also there are tons of blood and gore in this. TONS!!! I'm surprised (and pleased) that this got an R rating. The main problem here is that it's not that scary. Sick and disturbing sure but not scary. Also the beginning and end sequences have no ending and leave two big plotholes.
Easily the weakest of the series.
It has a good cast and the acting is OK. Also there are tons of blood and gore in this. TONS!!! I'm surprised (and pleased) that this got an R rating. The main problem here is that it's not that scary. Sick and disturbing sure but not scary. Also the beginning and end sequences have no ending and leave two big plotholes.
Easily the weakest of the series.
Parachute Jumper
(1933)
Nothing great but not bad
12 April 2023
Bill (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and Toodles (Frank McHugh) have trouble finding work during the Great Depression. They hook up with 'Alabama' (Bette Davis) and get involved with gangsters and drugs.
Bette said this was her worst movie but honestly it's not that bad. Fairbanks is charming, McHugh is amusing and Bette is as good as she could be. It's not a great movie at all but it's a fun pre-Code film. Also there are some amazing aerial stunts and (for a B movie) impressive special effects. Also I was surprised to see McHugh give the finger to a motorist who drives by him when he needs a lift! So it's worth watching at least once. For the record Fairbanks hated it too.
Bette said this was her worst movie but honestly it's not that bad. Fairbanks is charming, McHugh is amusing and Bette is as good as she could be. It's not a great movie at all but it's a fun pre-Code film. Also there are some amazing aerial stunts and (for a B movie) impressive special effects. Also I was surprised to see McHugh give the finger to a motorist who drives by him when he needs a lift! So it's worth watching at least once. For the record Fairbanks hated it too.
In from the Side
(2022)
Overlong but effective
25 March 2023
British gay romance drama. Two members of a gay rugby team--Mark (Alexander Lincoln) and Warren (Alexander King)--become attracted to each other and begin to fall in love. The problem is they both already have partners. However they have trouble fighting their attraction to each other.
At 134 minutes it's way too long and there's nothing new or ground-breaking here but it still worked for me. The acting is excellent by the two leads and there's LOTS of gay kissing scenes. The one sex scene we see is erotic but not explicit. Also (for once) this is a gay love story that does not have a tragic ending. It's bittersweet and a little sad (I admit I was crying) but hopeful. I applaud any gay film that doesn't end tragically. So no great shakes but I liked it.
At 134 minutes it's way too long and there's nothing new or ground-breaking here but it still worked for me. The acting is excellent by the two leads and there's LOTS of gay kissing scenes. The one sex scene we see is erotic but not explicit. Also (for once) this is a gay love story that does not have a tragic ending. It's bittersweet and a little sad (I admit I was crying) but hopeful. I applaud any gay film that doesn't end tragically. So no great shakes but I liked it.
Scream VI
(2023)
GREAT sequel!
11 March 2023
This is a direct sequel to "Scream 5". The survivors of the last movie go from Woodsboro to NYC. However Ghostface follows them and starts slashing away again.
GREAT sequel! The acting is pretty good and the plot has many twists and turns you won't see coming. Also there's plenty of action and tons of violence. This film is very VERY bloody. I'm a died in the wool horror geek but the violence in this one really startled me. I was cringing in my seat more than once! Also Neve Campbell is not in this one but Courteney Cox is and she's great. Her battle with Ghostface is pretty strong stuff. So I loved it but be warned again--it's very VERY bloody.
GREAT sequel! The acting is pretty good and the plot has many twists and turns you won't see coming. Also there's plenty of action and tons of violence. This film is very VERY bloody. I'm a died in the wool horror geek but the violence in this one really startled me. I was cringing in my seat more than once! Also Neve Campbell is not in this one but Courteney Cox is and she's great. Her battle with Ghostface is pretty strong stuff. So I loved it but be warned again--it's very VERY bloody.
One lousy one, another OK one and one excellent one
28 February 2023
'Pamela's Voice" has John Astin celebrating his wife's (Phyllis Diller) death because he couldn't stand her voice. Diller was known for her loud voice and grating laugh but the director told her to tone it down (for some reason). It drains the segment of any point.
"Lone Survivor" is an OK story about a ship finding a lifeboat with one survivor. They bring him aboard...and things get weird. Well-acted but the set is cheaply done and looks it.
"The Doll" is easily one of my favorite NG episodes. A British colonel (John Williams) comes home from India to find his young girl has a new doll. Unfortunately the doll is evil and things go horribly wrong. VERY scary and frightening episode.
"Lone Survivor" is an OK story about a ship finding a lifeboat with one survivor. They bring him aboard...and things get weird. Well-acted but the set is cheaply done and looks it.
"The Doll" is easily one of my favorite NG episodes. A British colonel (John Williams) comes home from India to find his young girl has a new doll. Unfortunately the doll is evil and things go horribly wrong. VERY scary and frightening episode.
Two just OK stories
28 February 2023
"Make Me Laugh" has Godfrey Cambridge playing a stand up comedian who can't make people laugh. Then a mystic (Jackie Vernon) casts a spell that will make anyone laugh at him. It leads to an utterly predictable conclusion. The second (and last) NG segment directed by Steven Spielberg. It has an OK script but Cambridge and Vernon are all wrong for their roles.
Next up is "Clean Kills and Other Trophies". It has Raymond Massey as a big game hunter. His pacifist son has no interest in it. It all ends with Massey getting what he deserves. Well-directed and acted but it's just lacking that special something to make it really work.
Next up is "Clean Kills and Other Trophies". It has Raymond Massey as a big game hunter. His pacifist son has no interest in it. It all ends with Massey getting what he deserves. Well-directed and acted but it's just lacking that special something to make it really work.
Two haunted house stories
25 February 2023
First up is "The House". It has the lovely Joanna Pettet as a woman who has a dream again and again of driving to a beautiful house but never going in. Then one day she discovers the house and its up for sale. However it's haunted. She buys it anyway and it all leads up to a somewhat confusing ending. Well-directed but too confusing.
Next was "Certain Shadows on the Wall". It's about a dying woman (Agnes Moorehead) watched over by her siblings (Louis Hayward, Rachel Roberts, Grayson Hall). Hayward seems to want her dead. It all builds up to a haunting ending with a neat twist. The acting is great and its very spooky.
Next was "Certain Shadows on the Wall". It's about a dying woman (Agnes Moorehead) watched over by her siblings (Louis Hayward, Rachel Roberts, Grayson Hall). Hayward seems to want her dead. It all builds up to a haunting ending with a neat twist. The acting is great and its very spooky.
Night Gallery: Room with a View/The Little Black Bag/The Nature of the Enemy
(1970)
Two good ones and one terrible one
Season 1, Episode 2
25 February 2023
"Room With a View" is an interesting short about how a bed-ridden old man (Joseph Wiseman) manipulates the lives of others. It's short and has the wonderful Diane Keaton in a small role as a nurse. Next is "The Little Black Bag". It's about two hobos (Burgess Meredith, Chill Wills) who find a medical black bag from the future. Meredith wants it to cure people--Wills wants it to make money. It has a very satisfying conclusion. "The Nature of the Enemy" starts off well about two teams sent to the moon to set up camp. They both end up disappearing and (in an unintentionally funny scene) we find out what the enemy is. Hard to believe that Rod Serling wrote it. The only good thing about it is that it's short.
One great story--another not so great story
25 February 2023
The first episode of the "Night Gallery" TV series. First is "The Dead Man" where a scientist can make a man either live or die by hypnosis. He also has a lovely young wife who falls for the young man he's experimenting on. Then he wills the young man to die...but can't bring him back to life. It all leads to a downright terrifying ending. Scary and well-done with great acting.
"The Housekeeper" isn't half as good. Larry Hagman stars as a man who experiments in black magic. He also has a wife who is beautiful but cold and cruel. He wants to transfer the soul of a kind and gentle old woman (Jeanette Nolan) into his wife's body. He does but the results are not what he hoped for. Boring and silly.
Watch it for the first story--skip the second.
"The Housekeeper" isn't half as good. Larry Hagman stars as a man who experiments in black magic. He also has a wife who is beautiful but cold and cruel. He wants to transfer the soul of a kind and gentle old woman (Jeanette Nolan) into his wife's body. He does but the results are not what he hoped for. Boring and silly.
Watch it for the first story--skip the second.
Sunrise
(1927)
THIS is considered a classic?
23 February 2023
The plot (what there is of it) is pretty simple. A man (George O'Brien) is happily married to his wife (Janet Gaynor). However he is seduced by a Woman from the City (Margaret Livingston). She tries to convince him to kill his wife so he join her in the City. That's about it.
This is considered a masterpiece by some but I honestly don't know why. It did break new ground in how films were directed and has gorgeous cinematography and a good performance by Gaynor. However it's also slow-moving and obvious. The ridiculously melodramatic ending had me actually rolling my eyes! Basically it's a boring drama that has not aged well. This was (understandably) a bomb in its day but has gotten a lot of critical acclaim over the years. Good direction and cinematography can't save it.
This is considered a masterpiece by some but I honestly don't know why. It did break new ground in how films were directed and has gorgeous cinematography and a good performance by Gaynor. However it's also slow-moving and obvious. The ridiculously melodramatic ending had me actually rolling my eyes! Basically it's a boring drama that has not aged well. This was (understandably) a bomb in its day but has gotten a lot of critical acclaim over the years. Good direction and cinematography can't save it.
The Woods
(2006)
Has its moments but not enough of them
19 February 2023
In 1965 Heather (Agnes Bruckner) is sent to an exclusive all girls school by her parents who really don't care about her. All the teachers act strange and Heather is tormented by one of the more vicious students. She slowly (VERY slowly) finds out she's there for a reason. Things get darker and students start disappearing and Heather realizes she might be next.
We have a lot of good actors (Bruckner, Patricia Clarkson and Bruce Campbell) who are great but this just doesn't work. The story is confusing and it moves very slowly. When things barrel out of control at the end it isn't scary at all--just puzzling. Also add in bad special effects and you have a pretty poor movie. It's too bad because they have a good cast but a bad script.
We have a lot of good actors (Bruckner, Patricia Clarkson and Bruce Campbell) who are great but this just doesn't work. The story is confusing and it moves very slowly. When things barrel out of control at the end it isn't scary at all--just puzzling. Also add in bad special effects and you have a pretty poor movie. It's too bad because they have a good cast but a bad script.
Tell Your Friends