rate the last movie you saw

[Eric Paddon]

Yor (1983) 4 of 10

Well, having seen "Conan" for the first time (and I have now upped the rating of that to a full 7 of 10), I now took a look at one of the knockoffs that film made possible. This one has an utterly lame lead (whose only notable credit was a lousy late 70s TV movie of "Captain America"), not very good production values and a mishmash storyline that tries to be one part Conan, one part "One Million Years BC" and one part "Star Wars". At 90 minutes it seemed tedious that discovering this was originally a 200 minute Italian TV miniseries makes me wonder how anyone could have gotten through something that long!

John Scott is credited as the composer but it sounds like a lot of his work wasn't used since there is an "additional music" credit and we get a hideous title song and a bunch of synths that I don't believe Scott could have been responsible for given his reputation for coming up with a good score for a bad film ("King Kong Lives"). If someone knows the story let me know.

The one saving grace is Corinne Clery as the cavegirl romance lead (hilariously, the copy on the back of the Blu-Ray totally gets her character and the plot wrong!). Looking much better than she did in "Moonraker" she actually looks like an early 80s Jane Fonda with her big hair which is a plus!

Lead Reb Brown has a commentary on this Blu-Ray. I may sample it to see if he at least has the honesty and integrity to be self-deprecating about this whole thing.

[Paul MacLean]

John Scott is credited as the composer but it sounds like a lot of his work wasn't used since there is an "additional music" credit and we get a hideous title song and a bunch of synths that I don't believe Scott could have been responsible for given his reputation for coming up with a good score for a bad film ("King Kong Lives"). If someone knows the story let me know.

John Scott wrote a complete score for the film, but only portions of it were used. Guido and Maurizio de Angelis were hired to replace much of Scott's original score, and supplied the title song.

I think the Italian version may not contain any of Scott's score. The title sequence credits the de Angelises as score composers...



Whereas the English language version credits John Scott...

[AndyDursin]

I'm just trying to piece together Eric's grading system if CONAN is a 6.8 and YOR is a 4. Myself, I think there is a wider gap between them!

EDIT - OK, a 7. Well it's still only 3 points away. What's the curve??

[Eric Paddon]

Yor is what got Conan up another .2! If it weren't for the violence, I would have given Conan an 8.

If it's above 6.5 minimum it's good. I don't give out many 9's and 10 is reserved only for masterpieces. Below 6 and we're talking major trouble. If I didn't find Clery sexy in her cavegirl attire with the Fonda look, I would have given it a 3.

[BobaMike]

I always enjoy the Conan sequel, Conan the Destroyer, more than the original. Yes, I know it's worse in pretty much every measurable way, but I just *like* it more. I think it was because I first saw it as a teenager and Olivia d'Abo was a cutie. I think I even play the score more- I love the cues from the ice palace sequence.

[AndyDursin]

Aaah, Olivia.....

When I was a kid I certainly appreciated DESTROYER more, mainly because it was PG and meant my mom took me to see it! There were also some critics who liked it more too, and I can understand it -- if you didn't like the first movie's R-rated sex/violence and its overall "heaviness," DESTROYER was an 80s fantasy film in the Saturday Matinee tradition that was unpretentious and aimed at a broader (younger) audience.

If separated from the original, I still think it's OK for what it is, but I never did like Basil's score though. Clearly he wasn't motivated and between that and the poor orchestra, it's very hard to believe it was written by the same composer!

BTW the Fox/MGM international Blu-Ray of DESTROYER has a lot of nifty extras on it (Fleischer commentary, Basil interview, interview with the writers) that aren't on Universal's domestic release.

[Eric Paddon]

I'll be watching Destroyer soon. The young Olivia should definitely be a plus!'

However I'm going to pass on "Red Sonja".

[mkaroly]

I want to echo the sentiments expressed in these recent threads...

Olivia d'Abo...gorgeous!

[Paul MacLean]

I'll be watching Destroyer soon. The young Olivia should definitely be a plus!'

However I'm going to pass on "Red Sonja".

Personally, I never really liked Conan The Destroyer. For me it was a huge comedown from the more serious, epic nature of the first film. Destroyer tried to be more of a comedy, but its attempts at humor are hopelessly unfunny (in fact the only funny moments are the ones that were meant to be serious!). Olivia D'Abo was good, but much of the supporting cast (including Grace Jones -- and Wilt Chamberlain!) couldn't act to save their lives.

I echo Andy's opinion on the score as well -- also a huge comedown. Basil Poledouris himself was unhappy with the music too -- he wasn't nearly as proud of his work for the sequel as for the original, and hated the orchestra's performance (he didn't even include the main title on the album, because it was so badly performed).

Red Sonja is at least good for some unintentional laughs. Morricone's score isn't bad, either.

[AndyDursin]

DESTROYER also may have worked better if the Laverne & Shirley guy had played the comic relief instead of Tracey Walter, a journeyman character actor out of his depth in that kind of role, who had to replace David Lander at the last minute.

The decision to make a less violent PG movie I can understand because they felt kids were shut out of the first one, and they lost revenue as a result. The execution though is lacking though I still think it's fairly entertaining for what it is.

Also agree with Paul, if you're doing DESTROYER you might as well enjoy RED SONJA. So weird watching Sandahl Bergman as the villainess plus Arnold in what was supposedly a cameo get extended so much that the movie was called KALIDOR in some overseas markets! Why he didn't just play Conan is a mystery that exists to this day...lol. Its bad but good for some laughs and the Italian scenery plus the score make it worth a look.

Script by George MacDonald Fraser, incredibly, as well...he was working on a version of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA for DeLaurentiis which was written up in this article a few years back:

https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-20-000-leag ... 1529689184

[AndyDursin]

SPECIAL DELIVERY
7/10



One of the great pleasures when indulging in Kino Lorber’s monthly Studio Classics releases is discovering catalog titles that are occasionally so obscure that they haven’t been seen since the era of VHS. SPECIAL DELIVERY qualifies on that front, and it’s a movie that seemingly offers something for every ‘70s movie buff.

Bo Svenson plays a bank robber leading a heist with several of his Vietnam vet buddies when things, predictably, go wrong. With one man falling to his death and two others arrested, Svenson goes on the lam and stashes his loot in a mailbox…on a busy street corner…in front of several interested parties. These folks are interested, specifically, not in turning him in, but rather getting their hands on the cash for themselves.

Over the course of one fateful day, Svenson meets a divorcee (Cybill Shepherd) looking to assert her independence, a cop on the beat (Tom Atkins), a foul-mouthed kid (Kim Richards), a low-level junkie (Michael Gwynne) working for a mob enforcer (Vic Tayback) and his boss (Robert Ito), and a no-good gang that counts Gerrit Graham and Jeff Goldblum among its members! There are also appearances by future soap opera queen Deidre Hall and Sorrel Booke, plus a score by Lalo Schifrin.

“Special Delivery”’s tone is a little bit all over the place – the opening heist sequence is lengthy and suspenseful, while what follows more closely resembles a laid-back rom-com between Svenson and Shepherd, before ending in a mundane car chase climax typical of its time. I’m not sure director Paul Wendkos had a really good handle on the picture’s various elements – its tone veers from light comedy one moment to Shepherd nearly being raped in an alleyway by Goldblum’s motorcycle-riding thug the next – but it’s certainly an appealing film overall, and Don Gazzaniga’s script is nicely constructed, ending with an amusing twist.

A movie I hadn’t heard of, much less seen, the Bing Crosby produced “Special Delivery” has been treated to a new 4K scan of the original 35mm negative thanks to Kino Lorber. The 1080p (1.85) Blu-Ray image is naturally presented with fine detail as a result, with DTS MA mono sound, a trailer and a commentary from Lee Gambin also included.

[AndyDursin]

THE AVENGERS INFINITY WAR
6.5/10

Much in the same way that the last “Captain America” movie was more of an “Avengers” film, “The Avengers: Infinity War” is less about the super-hero team than it is an “All-Star Marvel” rally – something like a “Giant Sized Annual” issue – featuring most of the characters from the Disney company’s first decade operating as its own movie studio.

It’s undoubtedly an impressive achievement that Marvel has been able to dominate the box-office, even with lower-profile heroes, across a pair of films each year – yet this sprawling and repetitive new movie again illustrates that the best of these assembly-line products lies in the respective characters’ solo outings, and not in an ensemble setting.

“Infinity War”’s story by the “Captain America” team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely is so basic that it could’ve been concocted by a grade school Marvel fan: Thanos, the CGI villain portrayed by Josh Brolin, nearly has his hand literally on all the Infinity Stones (seen in a myriad of Marvel films) that will enable him to take control of the universe. It’s up to all sorts of heroes to stop him – with directors Anthony and Joe Russo (again vets of the last two Cap pictures) splitting the characters up into different units, including the Guardians of the Galaxy (where Zoe Saldana’s Gamora proves vital to the story), a fractured Avengers team itself still divided in two camps (Captain America and Black Widow on one side, Iron Man and Hulk on the other), plus Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and the Black Panther squad for good measure.

There’s some entertaining interplay between the Guardians and Thor early in the film, yet if there’s any surprise to be found in “Infinity War,” it’s how little the movie does with its vast cast of characters (in fact, I found it more interesting looking at the credits and trying to piece together how an assortment of agents figured out the actors’ contractual billing). The story cuts from one group of heroes fulfilling some kind of mundane task while fighting enemies, to another group of heroes doing the same thing, just in a different setting. There’s scant effort to develop characterizations beyond the expected snarky line of dialogue here or there -- but there’s plenty of pounding bad guys into submission, over and over again. The end result is sure to please most comic book fans, but from an objective dramatic standpoint, the movie gives you next to nothing to care about – and with “Infinity War 2” coming next year, it clumsily ends on a bleak cliffhanger, one that relies solely on the good guys figuring it all out…which of course, they’ll be able to do, but only after another 2½ hours of dull CGI battles likely as interchangeable as the next.

[Johnmgm]

I went to see Infinity War (2.5/4) with very low expectations (my daughter wanted to see it), and enjoyed it for the most part. I thought it was much better than Age of Ultron and Civil War, but I share Andy’s fatigue with CGI punch outs and multi-hero stories. My favorite Marvel being Doctor Strange (and DC’s Superman: The Movie).

The acting is amazingly good under the circumstances, particularly Josh Brolin. Actors should be able to give a good performance with brilliant writing, but this cast kept my interest despite a routine script in a very familiar genre. Also, kudos to Alan Silvestre’s score. It is nothing earth shattering, but it was nice to hear a traditional orchestral score for a change.

I can’t imagine a superhero film fan not enjoying Infinity War, but I’m in no hurry to see another comic book movie for a year or two.

[tjguitar85]

I dug Infinity War. Thought it was better than Age of Ultron as well. I still haven't seen Doctor Strange.

The cliffhanger was pretty depressing, but obviously all those character's aren't going to stay dead.

[Paul MacLean]

The Man Who Fell To Earth (6/10)

An embarrassingly dated sc-fi relic, based on a story line which I'd almost describe as The Twilight Zone meets Howard Hughes with a bit of Pretty Maids All In A Row thrown in.

David Bowie plays the title character -- an alien who travels to Earth (stock footage of NASA's Apollo missions actually serves as the "effects sequence" depicting his arrival!) and soon becomes a multi-millionaire by exploiting his advanced intelligence to create new inventions. His ultimate aim however is to expand into aerospace technology, and construct a ship in which to return to his home planet, whose denizens are perishing due to a planet-wide drought (the film doesn't explain exactly how he intends to replenish his home world's water supply however).

Along the way he enlists the help of a lawyer (Buck Henry), a college professor who is constantly bedding-down his students (Rip Torn), and falls in love with a low-class, alcoholic chambermaid (Candy Clark).

This being a Nick Roeg movie, it is beautifully shot, and filled with bizarre, abstract imagery. This also being the 1970s, there is no shortage of sex scenes, which are shockingly explicit by today's standards (it's amazing how blasé actors were about doing nudity in the 1970s -- Bowie's, Torn's and Clark's private parts are all on display).

Although, relatively interest-holding, the film is often very slow, and pretentious. Ostensibly "science fiction", it neither poses nor seeks to answer any kind of "larger questions". It is also rather short-sighted -- especially in retrospect. A hyper-intelligent alien introducing revolutionary technology to the Earth in 1976 would have tried to exploit and develop the computer industry, not create novelty items (like self-developing film or a new home audio format -- which is what Bowie does). Moreover the film is vague and ambiguous (particularly in the third act) and of course delivers the requisite 70s "downer ending".

In fairness, there are some fine performances. Bowie is superb, and totally believable in the role of an alien disguised as a human (so-much-so you can almost excuse the totally phony-looking make-up and prosthetics in the scenes where we see his character's true appearance). Torn is likewise excellent, as is (for the most part) Clark.

But it is shocking to consider this film was released only one year prior to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Whereas Spielberg's film has a "timelessness" and doesn't seem at all locked into the era when it was made, everything about The Man Who Fell To Earth -- the costumes, hairstyles, art direction, effects work (and more especially the hedonistic sexual mores) -- is completely frozen in the mid-70s. I admire Nick Roeg as a filmmaker (I love Walkabout, and have always enjoyed The Witches), and I appreciate that this film film was an attempt to be something "different", but ultimately it is little more than a dated, awkward curiosity.