rate the last movie you saw

[Eric Paddon]

I'm curious, Eric, have you caught any of that crowd-funded series The Chosen? The evangelical / pentacostal community are all over it -- but what little I've seen of it looks amateurish to me.

I'm not familiar with that, given my total divorce from current popular culture. I may try to give that a look but the longer recent stuff I've never had time to sit through like the 2013 "Bible" and 2015 "A.D." series. Another thing in my files I haven't looked at in years is my original 1985 recording of the miniseries "A.D." that was produced as the follow-up to "Jesus of Nazareth" and which has never been broadcast since (and was only released on VHS in a truncated "family friendly" form that cut out the sleazy doings of Roman emperors and only wrote about the Christian side of things). That was one of the very first things I recorded on the first VCR I ever got.

My viewing yesterday:

The Prodigal (1955) 1 of 10
-Barely edges out "Salome" for worst Biblical oriented spectacle of the 50s. It takes a reed of a premise, the parable told by Jesus and turns it into a fictional tale of a Hebrew's mad lust for a pagan high priestess (Lana Turner, an actress who has never impressed me much) and of course his eventual repentance. The problem is the film treats the whole matter of the parable as an afterthought just to give us an excuse to show the kind of sex that only Biblical films could get away with and as Dore Schary, who later admitted after calling it the worst film produced under his watch at MGM, they didn't have DeMille's flair for pulling that off. I read that when MGM realized how bad this was going to be, they considered stopping production early on and scrapping it but then realized that it would be cheaper to press ahead to the finish and cut their losses. But if you're going to do a fictional story based on the Parable, then structurally it has to be about the two brothers equally or at least give the faithful older brother a lot more prominence in the story than he gets in the form of John Dehner. Just dreadful all around and only worth it for those who are completists.

Give Us Barabbas! (TV) (1961) 7.5 of 10
-1961 Hallmark Hall of Fame production starring James Daly, Kim Hunter and a young Keir Dullea that still exists in original color videotape quality. This has been improving for me with multiple viewings as it takes a speculative look at the man freed in place of Jesus afterwards. It is limited by the "live TV" type of production (even if pretaped by this point) more common in the 50s but works for what it is.

Barabbas (1962) 9 of 10
-May this be the last time I see this on DVD though I have little hope for a knockout Blu-Ray from Image.

[Paul MacLean]

Jeremiah Johnson (7.5/10)

I feel bad giving this film a 7.5 out of 10, since the script is terrific, and the movie features fantastic sequences and gorgeous location work. The supporting cast are wonderful as well.

But the main problem with this movie is its star. Robert Redford's acting style has always been one that could charitably be called "understated". Lets face it, Redford's never been a "great actor" -- he's really more of a good-looking star -- but he's been fine in certain roles (as in The Sting, Three Days of the Condor and The Natural) but here he is just too bland for the role.

The title character is a man who "made his way into the mountains" (as the somewhat contrived title song informs us), and experienced many hardships -- starvation, the constant danger from wild animals and hostile Native Americans, as well as devastating personal losses. Throughout it, Redford is likable enough in the role, but he is just too blaisé. Moments of fear, horror and tragedy have little emotional resonance, owing to Redford's un-emotive reaction to them. This is a part that should have gone to someone like Clint Eastwood, or even John Voight or Dustin Hoffmann -- any one of whom would have brought more passion and nuance to the role.

Redford's performance could have been helped if the film had been scored by someone like John Williams, or John Barry, but the score -- by Tim McIntire and John Rubinstein (son of piano virtuoso Arthur Rubinstein) -- while very good overall, but doesn't pack much punch in moments of tragedy and pathos, and only compounds the emotionally sedate tone set by the star.

That said, I was impressed to see a film such as this filmed in a wilds of Utah. Kudos to director Sydney Pollack and crew for accepting the challenge to shoot in difficult, inclement conditions (when they could have shot in the San Gabriel Mountains 20 minutes north of Los Angeles). It's certainly a visually-attractive movie, but it is just severely compromised, sadly, by a weak and dispassionate lead.

To add insult to injury, the panoramic vistas (which are among this film's saving graces) were sadly compromised by VUDU -- where I watched the film -- as they cropped this 2.35:1 film to 16:9.

[Monterey Jack]

To add insult to injury, the panoramic vistas (which are among this film's saving graces) were sadly compromised by VUDU -- where I watched the film -- as they cropped this 2.35:1 film to 16:9.

This is why I'm #PhysicalMedia4Life.

[Monterey Jack]

Fantastic Beasts: Secrets Of Mumblecore: 4/10

[AndyDursin]

You paid to sit through that? I can't think of another movie I want to watch less than another installment of a series basically nobody cares about. Good news is the numbers aren't good so the chances of them making more is falling by the hour.

[AndyDursin]

Redford's performance could have been helped if the film had been scored by someone like John Williams, or John Barry, but the score -- by Tim McIntire and John Rubinstein (son of piano virtuoso Arthur Rubinstein) -- while very good overall, but doesn't pack much punch in moments of tragedy and pathos, and only compounds the emotionally sedate tone set by the star.

It's such an odd score. I like some of the orchestral passages, and the movie even has an Overture! Yet I agree, it just doesn't support the movie thematically or enrich it -- it's too obtuse and "folksy", like it's intentionally steering itself away from being melodically supportive. And I totally agree, Redford is too "sedate" to give the movie an emotional edge. His mannerisms whether he's facing tragedy or triumph are all pretty much the same.

But I agree, too, it's still a good movie -- Pollack's movies are all watchable and well-crafted, regardless of how good or mediocre they are (they were seldom bad -- BOBBY DEERFIELD excepted!). But he worked with so many good composers, it's too bad this movie has one of the weaker scores of his career. At that point in time especially, it's unfortunate he hadn't collaborated yet with Dave Grusin, with whom he worked on most of his subsequent films. That would've yielded a superior effort.

To add insult to injury, the panoramic vistas (which are among this film's saving graces) were sadly compromised by VUDU -- where I watched the film -- as they cropped this 2.35:1 film to 16:9.

I assume you rented it?

Next time, see if the movie is part of the "Disc to Digital" program Vudu offers in their phone app -- if you scan the UPC from the Blu-Ray (just punch up the back cover on Blu-ray.com), it allows you to buy the movie for $2...then watch it at another retailer where the aspect ratio is correct (like Itunes or Amazon Prime). Plus you obviously own it instead of renting.

Vudu doesn't have too many of these wrong aspect ratios but there are a few (like this, or DEAD CALM) where they never upgraded the initial transfers they housed years ago. Luckily if you own them you can watch them somewhere else in proper 2.35 like Itunes, once you connect them with the Movies Anywhere function (I thought I set that up for you a while ago!!).

[Eric Paddon]

Well we close out Holy Week with these (I may go back and listen to some commentaries later).

Quo Vadis (1951) 8 of 10
-As I said, *much* better than "Sign of The Cross" (and maybe because it has a better source story). Robert Taylor for me is the weak link. Gregory Peck was the original choice when the film was in development and after seeing him in "David And Bathsheba", I think he would have been more at home and more likable in the early scenes than Taylor is. OTOH, Deborah Kerr turned out be a perfect choice for Lygia. Elizabeth Taylor might have been okay in the part at the time, but the film's reputation I think would have suffered over the long haul if she'd been in the part given her later controversial image (which was more of a plus for "Cleopatra"). I checked out the bonus documentary and found it amusing that Mervn LeRoy likely did Nero's death scene as a deliberate inside joke homage to Edward G. Robinson's death scene in "Little Caesar".

Passion Of The Christ (2004) 10 of 10
-The greatest movie ever snubbed by the Motion Picture Academy. The Herod Antipas casting is for me the film's one glaring weakness.

Ben Hur (1959) 10 of 10
-A case where all the elements of a film came together perfectly on all levels. The film's story is lacking in authentic background details in so many ways and yet because it is such a flawless piece of acting, storytelling, music, photography, setting etc. I've never cared about that the way I do with other Biblical fiction films that don't get certain things right.

The King Of Kings (1927) 8 of 10
-Went back to the original long version. I got a reminder that the organ score is why I gravitate toward the short cut so instinctively because the score for the long cut at times just doesn't hit the right notes for me, especially during the Crucifixion scene. Reading further I guess what's holding Criterion back from doing this film on Blu-Ray is the fact that the copyright on the film will lapse next year and it will go into the public domain. Maybe that means we'll see it then.

Risen (2016) 8 of 10
-The first 60% of the film with it's CSI like tone is what makes me keep coming back to it. To me, it is fascinating and believable to see how the story of Christ arising from the dead would have started out small and imprecisely. The scene of Mary Magdalene's interrogation and the scene where the Roman soldier who was on duty at the tomb when the Resurrection took place flipping out as he struggles to recall the moment are spellbinding. But when the film makes its dramatic turn in the plot at the 60% mark, it really seems to lose something IMO. I would have preferred they kept the thrust of the first part up to the last 15 or 20 minutes. That said, this is the best of the big-screen Biblical films to have emerged in the last decade for me.

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) 8 of 10
-Probably wasn't a good idea for me to do this last, because after you've seen POTC and "Risen" with their realistic depictions of violence in the Crucifixion, it ends up highlighting the sanitized weakness of that scene in this film and makes Von Sydow's performance seem weaker. Stevens was the first filmmaker who tried to do a life of Christ that leaned heavily on the actual texts to build the narrative in contrast to both silent and sound versions of "King Of Kings". I would agree he came up short compared to "Jesus of Nazareth" in that department but it was and still is a commendable effort on may levels. Now that I've found the original shooting script for the six hour "Cleopatra" I wish I could find the original shooting script for GSET to get a sense of what else he filmed that we have never seen.

[Paul MacLean]

You paid to sit through that? I can't think of another movie I want to watch less than another installment of a series basically nobody cares about. Good news is the numbers aren't good so the chances of them making more is falling by the hour.

I saw the first one in theaters -- and literally fell asleep in the middle. I watched the second on Amazon, and was unimpressed (in fact I can't recall anything about the story). No plans to see the third. That said, I still wish John Williams had scored these movies -- because we'd at least have gotten Potter-esque scores instead of The BFG and The Post.

[jkholm]

David Yates' bland direction really dragged down the Harry Potter films and it's only gotten worse with this new series of films.

[AndyDursin]

Yes exactly. As we know I'm not the biggest Harry Potter admirer, but the Yates movies -- and the series as a whole -- started to feel like glorified cable films by the end. Bloated, bland, boring, and really only for devout fans. Cinematic components like scoring and cinematography, and the overall look of the franchise, became more generic, less distinctive, by the last few entries.

As for FANTASTIC BEASTS I almost wonder if this "controversy" wasn't generated to try and generate any publicity for a moribund franchise on its last legs.

[AndyDursin]

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT
7/10

Agreeable action-comedy is a little bit of a bait and switch on the part of Lionsgate -- director/co-writer Tom Gormican's movie is not a riotous laughfest wherein Nicolas Cage parodies himself as he plays "Nic Cage" and flies to Mallorca for his latest assignment: spending a birthday weekend with a super-fan (MANDALORIAN's Pedro Pascal). In the process Cage -- haunted by visions of "Nicky" Cage, his '80s self -- gets wrapped up with the CIA and the fact his booker might be an arms dealer who kidnapped a local politician's daughter, forcing him to play action hero...for real.

This Cage bears some superficial resemblance to the star we've come to know and love -- working at a rapid clip to support his family -- but he's also pushed his teen daughter and ex-wife away in pursuit of the next job. This emotional line runs under Gormican's movie and thereby creates a dramatic structure that's much more formulaic than its "high concept" meta premise suggests. Cage is fully committed and one comes to root for "him" -- with the movie even providing a nicely poignant ending -- but the fact this movie isn't the free-wheeling comedy it was sold as might take some viewers by surprise.

Instead, we receive some wryly amusing moments wherein Cage's prolific career is commented upon and the actor -- portrayed as a much more even-keeled man than his "flashback persona" -- is forced to get involved with a genre structure he's only been fictionally engaged with.

It's a breezy movie that's not hysterical but still mostly satisfying -- and probably better suited to the small-screen so long as the viewer is prepared for the fact what the movie's promotion suggests is far different than what the picture actually gives them.

[Paul MacLean]

Licorice Pizza (3/10)

Based on the trailer I was expecting something along the lines of Dazed and Confused meets Almost Famous. Despite the apparent influence those films, Paul Thomas Anderson's latest efforts has none of former's mirth, nor the latter's romantic appeal (nor the nostalgic charm of either).

Set in the San Fernando Valley of the 1970s, the story concerns a jobbing teenage actor (Cooper Hoffmann) who meets a young woman in her 20s (Alana Haim) and is convinced they are meant to be together. Although she initially dismisses his attentions, they form a close (if often stormy) bond, and spend most of film on the cusp of a romantic relationship (which they never quite enter into).

The film however is overlong and often boring, and the script a rudderless series of vignettes, rather than a focused, linear story. Despite its comedic aspirations it is rarely funny. Anderson also seems to be attempting to make his own Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, as the two leads experience run-ins with Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper), "Jack Holden" (Sean Penn -- who is obviously based on William Holden) and "Lucille Doolittle" (Christina Ebersole -- who is obviously modeled on Lucille Ball).

I give Licorice Pizza a few points for the way it does evoke a palpable feeling of the time and place, but otherwise it is a self-indulgent bore. It is the work of someone who has only ever lived in and among the entertainment community, who assumes the audience will be enthralled by his name-dropping and the "clever" caricatures of Hollywood personalities they've never met.

[Monterey Jack]

-The Bad Guys (2022): 8/10



Breezy, funny and charming animated riff on various heist flicks will be greatly appreciated by family audiences left wanting for theatrical viewing in recent months (this is the first CGI 'toon to hit theaters since DECEMBER ). The voice cast is adroit, the pacing is brisk and fat-free without becoming obnoxiously raucous, there's plenty of laughs and Daniel Pemberton's slick Mission: Impossible-style score is a tonic for Zimmer-withered ears. Yeah, there are a few obligatory fart jokes, but it's easy to forgive considering how enjoyable the rest of the film is. It's not especially deep, but when it's this much fun, who cares? I'm very pleased to see this do so well this weekend, especially for family audiences who have been drastically underserved since the Pandemic began. If you have small fry, take 'em, and even if not, it's got plenty of good gags for adults who still enjoy sitting through a good animated flick.

[AndyDursin]

MOONFALL
3/10



After getting his act together for the surprisingly passable "Midway," Roland Emmerich retreats back to grade-Z level disaster shenanigans -- minus any of the big-screen sizzle that marked the likes of "Independence Day." "Moonfall" is a virtual blockbuster on a budget, with NASA director Halle Berry and disgraced astronaut Patrick Wilson having to fly a last-second mission to the moon knowing it's tilting off its axis and some kind of technological entity is there, wiping out anything coming in its direction. If they don't succeed, it's curtains for the rest of us as the tide is washing in at every coast.

The expected ensemble of disparate characters from Emmerich's fare is on-hand but the B-level cast -- get ready for the big Donald Sutherland cameo! -- is indicative of how threadbare this movie is. Meanwhile, mediocre green-screen FX stand in for nearly every location, from outer-space to the streets of L.A., while every real world set looks like a conference room at the Holiday Inn where everyone was staying. If this film truly cost its reported $150 million or so, you wonder where it went, because it's not on-screen.

Thus, "Moonfall" has none of the scope or excitement from Emmerich's usual fare, and the mundane nature of the production extends down to the visual effects work, which seem like re-skinned variations on some of the groundbreaking ILM creations seen in "The Abyss" and "T2" -- effects now over 30 years old. This is an entirely disposable misfire that makes even Emmerich's unnecessary "Independence Day 2" look more watchable by comparison.

[Eric Paddon]

The Abyss (1989 3 of 10

-I watched this once on video about 30 years ago. I took a look at it again in its theatrical version. After suffering through it, I have no desire to subject myself to the long version with its superior alien race threatens the world crap.

-Let me cut to the chase regarding the biggest problem of this film for me. I simply do not like the lead characters Cameron sets up as the "good guys". And I don't mean the simple fact that the oil workers are the scruffy foul-mouthed misfits. The big problem is I dislike the two lead characters in Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio because Cameron commits a cardinal sin in introducing them to us. A nuclear sub with over 150 men is down and these people don't seem to give a damn about the lives they could potentially save. Instead we have Mastrantonio in full bitch mode fuming about her platform being taken over by the Navy for this purpose and Harris trying to beg off on the grounds that they're not qualified and only when promises of bonuses are made does his misfit crew then say okay. Gee, the fact that maybe there's a chance to do something simple and humanitarian means nothing? I recognize of course that no one on the sub was still alive, but my goodness we don't know this when the film begins, and when you're going to force me to care about these characters and the stupid on the rocks relationships of Harris and Mastrantonio, you'd better give me characters who have a little more basic humanity in them! If the setup had been, "Sure, we're happy to help if we can to try and save some lives" then things would be very different in terms of how you can relate to the characters.