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553,718
989,035
78,723
5
Slapstick static . . .
Director Steven Spielberg's first theatrical misfire has bombastic humor and amped-up energy to spare - - all it needs is a sharp , merciless editor to eliminate its excesses . Made up of equal parts " I Wanna Hold Your Hold " and " Animal House " , the film opens with a spoof of " Jaws " that is funny and well done . ...
551,881
989,035
52,847
5
Girl + midget = Gidget
Squealing Sandra Dee is an underdeveloped sixteen-year-old in Southern California who is prodded by her friends into finding a man ; she ingratiates herself to a bunch of good-hearted surfing boys , but only because she's genuinely interested in learning to surf ( they soon realize she's different , but that doesn't st...
552,075
989,035
35,502
5
More peculiar than entertaining . . .
Curious head-scratcher of a western directed by George Marshall features James Craig as a drifter in 1868 Tucson who disrupts the wedding of feisty barmaid Lucille Ball , later stopping a war between the white man and an Apache Indian tribe ! Lucy-completists will want to take a look , but this may be one example of wh...
551,713
989,035
78,449
5
Glossy H-wood garbage . . . a gossip-column turned teleplay !
Jaclyn Smith is a decent actress ; with no real acting experience at the time Aaron Spelling put her in " Charlie's Angels " , she never embarrassed herself on that show ( especially the early episodes where she actually showed some spunk ) . Unfortunately , no one has been able to tap that sassy side of her since . Sh...
551,892
989,035
87,233
5
A puff pastry . . .
Brief Encounter redux has Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep , both involved in satisfying marriages , crossing paths several times before meeting each other and developing their attraction . This platonic affair isn't shown to be therapeutic for the two - - in fact , it's just the opposite ( Streep never looks like she...
552,736
989,035
880,578
5
Another would-be " Silence of the Lambs " : psychopath goes cyber-tech !
A night-worker for the internet-criminals branch of the F . B . I . is the first to discover a gruesome , impenetrable website in which a psychopath ( and apparent computer genius ! ) kidnaps selected victims and streams their slow , agonizing deaths live on-line ( the proviso being : the more people who log on to watc...
551,952
989,035
60,457
5
Goblins ! Ghouls ! Girls ! . . . Geronimo !
Representing the ( somewhat fatigued ) tail-end of the " Beach Party " saga , minus Frankie and Annette , this haunted house comedy has some style in the live-action cartoon vein , but is hurt overall by an unenthusiastic cast and too much chatter . Sleepy Tommy Kirk and distracted Deborah Walley are involved in the re...
551,565
989,035
69,736
5
Gossamer plastic surgery fantasy . . .
Ash Wednesday opens with a series of sepia-toned , fabricated photographs putting a young , glamorous Elizabeth Taylor together with a lean , dark-haired Henry Fonda ; it's a great credits-sequence , well pulled off , until we find out that all this fancy living has taken its toll on poor Liz , portraying a lawyer's ...
552,471
989,035
104,765
5
Too fluff-headed to be very memorable . . .
In 1963 Dallas , a Jackie Kennedy-obsessed beautician hopes to travel by bus to JFK's funeral , but gets involved instead with a troubled black man and his estranged little girl . Handsome production , nice details , but a curiously minor film that never quite kicks into gear . Occasionally , the way the racial prejudi...
552,425
989,035
43,090
5
Prolonged , textbook kidnap-plot with interesting milieu . . .
Director Rudolph Maté's " Union Station " , from Thomas Walsh's novel , pairs William Holden again with Nancy Olson just after their triumphs in " Sunset Blvd . " While both stars are solid here , the step-down to genre shtick ( particularly for Holden ) is disheartening . After seeing what Holden was truly capable of ...
551,075
989,035
25,862
5
Tarzan returns , Jane skinny-dips , Cheetah plays third banana . . .
Second " Tarzan " entry to star Johnny Weissmuller ( following 1932's " Tarzan the Ape Man " ) , based on the original creation by writer Edgar Rice Burroughs ( who may have blushed at seeing his wonder of the jungle shacking up happily with Jane Parker ! ) . The plot concerns two ivory poachers who attempt to woo Jane...
551,962
989,035
95,800
5
A few lovely sequences do not make it a classic . . .
Well-received French film from James Oliver Curwood's book harks back to the wildlife documentaries from 1950s Disney in both style and sentiment , as an orphaned bear cub trails a Kodiak bear around a mountain terrain for companionship . Soon , they're both being followed by an eager pack of hunters . " The Bear " fea...
552,503
989,035
43,116
5
Smart , funny dialogue and songs . . . but the casting works against the plot
Remake of 1943's " Coney Island " ( both starring Betty Grable ! ) has Victor Mature ( in suits and straw hats ) playing a hustler-showman conning old acquaintance Phil Harris into going in business together in 1890s Chicago . Seems nightclub owner Harris has scuffled with a rowdy drunk and believes he's killed him ; M...
553,532
989,035
155,975
5
Not good , not bad
A mama's boy motel owner may be a killer . Jazzed-up remake of Alfred Hitchcock's signature thriller " Psycho " arrives with early strikes against it . Face it , the original " Psycho " was not the greatest movie ever made , it had a very thin plot and a tame final reel . This version ( by Gus Van Sant ? ! ) accentuate...
550,546
989,035
52,933
5
What happened to Jane ? ( not much )
One of Doris Day's few disappointments . The perky freckle-face is effervescent as usual playing small-town widow with two kids and a lobster business who is wooed by both long-time friend and lawyer Jack Lemmon and handsome but stolid reporter Steve Forrest . A bald Ernie Kovacs has the film's most colorful role as sl...
552,042
989,035
95,776
5
Friendly enough , but a long way from Disney & Co . at their peak . . .
Animated take on " Oliver Twist " from the Disney Studios , marked by an impressive list of star-voices in the cast but hurt overall by fairly colorless songs and unmemorable characters . These adventures of an orphaned kitten and a streetwise dog are not particularly witty - - and the cuteness quickly becomes wearing ...
552,323
989,035
60,581
5
Flashy , unmemorable star-vehicle . . .
Warren Beatty struggled through a few duds in-between his star-making role in " Splendor In The Grass " and his re-emergence as a superstar in " Bonnie & Clyde " . This film , though Warren is good in it , is incredibly slim . The production looks great , there's livelier-than-usual pacing from director Jack Smight , b...
552,937
989,035
87,100
5
Has the crummy , dim-bulb ambiance of a porny picture . . .
Kathleen Turner is admirable playing a prim businesswoman by day and a kinky hooker named China Blue by night . This determinedly-weird sex-odyssey from outré filmmaker Ken Russell does indeed have the force behind its salacious convictions - - it is almost embarrassingly sordid and one genuinely feels for the performe...
551,278
989,035
69,883
5
You just can't keep those sailor-loving , pool-playing broads out of the bars !
Cinderella Liberty was obviously written and directed by men ( in this case , the screenplay by Darryl Ponicsan from his novel and the direction by Mark Rydell ) . It features the kind of movie-hooker culled straight from the 1950s , one with a big heart , a fun-loving laugh , and a dedication to her sailors - - she ...
552,300
989,035
43,030
5
Musical Warner Bros . sugarcake , sweet but not very satisfying . . .
In her fifth movie , Doris Day finally achieved top-billing , yet she shares the screen equally with a talented ensemble cast , with everyone working hard to inject some sparkle into a wafer-thin concoction . Inspired by the 1920s stage hit " No , No , Nanette " ( itself filmed in 1940 ) , this plays out as sort of the...
552,790
989,035
113,464
5
It has some insightful things to say , but it's too silly . . .
Almost a breakthrough for queer cinema : a homosexual cater-waiter in New York City swears off sex in the AIDS-era but soon finds himself falling for a hunk who is HIV positive . Paul Rudnick adapted his own play for the screen , allowing his gay characters to act upon their desires and not just whine about them ( whic...
551,909
989,035
60,661
5
The Flintstones hit the big-screen
I always thought the scripts for " The Flintstones " TV show were a cut above your usual cartoon . They were ripe with satirical humor and cutting jabs that made my parents laugh as often as us kids . Too bad then that Fred's big-screen spy-adventure is loud instead of funny , hectic instead of witty , and LONG . Like ...
552,675
989,035
113,451
5
Basic Instinct replay ; almost a guilty pleasure
Assistant District Attorney in San Francisco investigates when a shady art dealer is murdered . Director William Friedkin is on auto-pilot with this silly retread of " Basic Instinct " , however the dynamics of the plot tend to draw you in against your better judgment . The car stunts are fabulous , most of the actors ...
553,571
989,035
52,864
5
Beautiful production , incredibly weak story , miscast Audrey . . .
I'm one of the few Audrey Hepburn fans who didn't love " The Nun's Story " ( too slow , with a preconceived second-half ) or " Love In The Afternoon " ( a lead balloon ) , but " Green Mansions " is hokey and occasionally laughable , and Audrey looks positively lost as Rima the Bird Girl . Anthony Perkins plays a soldie...
553,261
989,035
265,349
5
Not a bad supernatural story , but the overheated writing and directing nearly sinks it
An ancient prophet of doom lures a writer for the Washington Post to a small town in West Virginia ( named Point Pleasant ! ) where a tragedy is soon to befall the community . Handsomely-produced spook-story runs rampant with nonsense , much of it laughable : red herrings , ringing phones , hallucinations that serve no...
551,940
989,035
60,232
5
Southern-fried " Peyton Place "
When a Texas prisoner escapes from his work farm and is reported to be heading home , the patrons of his rural community react in various , hot-blooded ways . Malarkey of the first order , nearly saved by Marlon Brando's tightly-controlled performance as the town's fair sheriff ; Angie Dickinson's work as his wife is a...
552,189
989,035
71,521
5
Fashionably ragged ( for its time ) but brought down by sordidness . . .
Richard Rush directed this purposefully uneven blending of comic-macho clumsiness and violent action in the " Dirty Harry " vein . Plot concerns two cops in San Francisco who bust chops and wreck lots of cars in an attempt to nab a numbers-racketeer . Rush is attracted to a messy visual style : cajoling comedy combined...
551,236
989,035
86,969
5
Insufferable . . .
Two young men ( Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage ) in pre-Vietnam , small town America become friends despite one boy who seemingly lives in a dream world : he's obsessed with birds , and fantasizes about flying . Alan Parker directed in a keen , outré manner , but also with a very heavy hand ; several sequences which m...
552,760
989,035
36,341
5
Urban creepiness courtesy Val Lewton . . .
Odd film from producer Val Lewton , here shaking off his usual island-voodoo gimmickry for a story about sinister doings in New York City . Kim Hunter is sufficient as a young woman searching the city for her missing sister , eventually discovering her sibling was involved with a devil-worshiping cult . Mark Robson dir...
552,816
989,035
71,442
5
Fascinatingly terrible . . .
It would be tempting to write " The Driver's Seat " off as one of the worst movies ever , but it's rather seductive on a slim budget . . . fascinating in its wrong-headedness . The film has such a loopy , surreal quality , and star Elizabeth Taylor is actually attempting something ( rather than just posing ) , that the...
550,988
989,035
60,165
5
Middle-of-the-road western with a light touch . . .
Annual high stakes poker tournament in 1880s Laredo , Texas attracts a hen-pecked husband whose wife has to take his place at the card-table after tragedy strikes . Set-bound western with the emphasis placed more on the personalities of its characters rather than the action . It certainly isn't bad , though the pacing ...
553,333
989,035
60,414
5
It's a little heavy on kookiness . . .
As a poet who is institutionalized , Sean Connery distances himself quite grandly from screen alter-ego James Bond . Connery is unexpectedly gregarious as the avant-garde writer , Joanne Woodard is suitably shrill as his spouse , the supporting cast ( including Jean Seberg and the wonderful Zohra Lampert ) is terrific ...
553,044
989,035
79,239
5
Story-wise , it's a mess . . .
Muddled adaptation of Pat Conroy's book ( briefly retitled " The Ace " at one point ) features Robert Duvall as strict Marine Bull Meechum , raising his kids with an iron fist in 1962 . Duvall is well cast but one-note in the lead ; didn't this guy have another side they could've explored ? Was he only about outbursts ...
552,476
989,035
113,691
5
Good cast and director , but straightforward script and presentation are dull . . .
Seth Margolis ' novel becomes middle-of-the-road drama about a white woman and her husband fighting a black woman in court over the custody of the black woman's baby son , whom she left in a dumpster two years prior to cleaning up her life as a homeless crack-addict . Uninventive presentation plays like a dulled-out TV...
553,375
989,035
71,553
5
Romantic comedy with a feminist slant . . .
Aaron Spelling-Leonard Goldberg TV-movie from ABC in 1974 follows a pretty predictable formula : swinging bachelor meets his match , learns a lesson in love , discovers growing up isn't a bad as he thought it would be . Richard Long is a magazine publisher celebrating the big 4-0 who doesn't think his " present " from ...
553,344
989,035
51,658
5
Ornate though overrated . . .
Yes , " Gigi " was the winner of nine Academy Awards , and is often referred to as the jewel in director Vincente Minnelli's crown , yet the picture is more pomp and circumstance than delicious musical entertainment . This was actually the second filming of the novel by Colette , one more in keeping with the Broadway s...
551,337
989,035
51,667
5
The great . . . ultimate ache . . . of desolation
Paddy Chayefsky's monologue-heavy lambasting of the Sex Symbol mythology , with Kim Stanley as a troubled young woman from Maryland who comes to Los Angeles in the 1940s to work as an actress and becomes a star . Queasy , peculiar melodrama seems to blame show-business for the girl's plight , but we can clearly see fro...
551,284
989,035
44,919
5
It's Belle S . vs . those dirty Daltons !
Here's an odd one : sexy Jane Russell as western sharp-shooter Belle Starr , here competing with rivals The Dalton Gang . Movie opens with fruity bravado , but don't expect a camp-fest . Things gets surprisingly serious in the film's second-half , leading to a curiously downbeat conclusion . Very strange , and not part...
552,514
989,035
51,213
5
Very minor vehicle for Sal Mineo . . .
At an orphanage for boys and young men down in rural Georgia , a tough-yet-sensitive teen befriends a convict at a nearby work farm ; when the prisoner eventually makes a break for it , causing all hell to break loose in the small community , the kid has to decide whether to talk his friend into giving up or aid in his...
553,608
989,035
106,466
5
Surprisingly . . . not terrible
Remake of the 1950 Judy Holliday / William Holden / Broderick Crawford hit farce , adapted from Garson Kanin's popular play , about millionaire businessman hiring a tutor for his dizzy girlfriend , which backfires when she becomes wise enough to know she's being played for a dupe . In the leads , Melanie Griffith , the...
553,366
989,035
335,563
5
Ripped from the headlines . . .
Porn actor John Holmes ( Val Kilmer , in a brave performance ) , down on his luck in Los Angeles 1981 , sets up his own drug-connection , powerful club owner Eddie Nash , for a raid on his drugs , gems and guns by his Hollywood ' friends ' , a violent group of crack-heads living on the edge , leading to a bloody massac...
553,207
989,035
44,762
5
Bud and Lou are Off to See the Giant . . .
The often-told fable gets amusingly tweaked with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the leads , singing , dancing , and messing with a really nasty ogre . Opening in sepia tone , Bud and Lou somehow walk into a job as babysitters for a problem child ; Lou wants a bedtime story read to him , quickly falling asleep and dream...
551,678
989,035
44,760
5
Costumed claptrap
Overrated adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's book hasn't held up well , and is now best remembered for Elizabeth Taylor's appearance as Rebecca , looking gorgeous in her period costumes yet giving another of her whispery , listless ' grown up ' performances . Story of 12th century England and the knights in battle was ri...
553,707
989,035
71,222
5
Disturbing , uncompromising thriller
I haven't seen this in about 10 years , but it really chilled me then and I've not forgotten it . A killer is hiding up in the attic of a sorority house . Who is it ? Who will be next to die ? Some of the violence is on the gruesome side , but the film's priority is a chilly , scary atmosphere , and this it accomplishe...
553,476
989,035
114,131
5
Unreleased theatrical feature is quirky but has no punch
Josh Charles is wonderful as a young man obsessed with . . . traffic ? He longs to be a traffic reporter in the sky , but first finds on-again / off-again love with a perplexing Anne Heche ( she's so flaky he can't get a grip on her , and neither can we ) . John Goodman has a funny supporting role , and the production ...
550,445
989,035
236,493
5
I can't imagine anything worse than the final 20 minutes of " The Mexican "
After an atrocious opening - - Julia Roberts squabbling with boyfriend Brad Pitt over a balcony in a parking lot - - " The Mexican " improves , even comes up with some clever and funny bits of throwaway comedy . Although her performance is uneven , Roberts really shines in her scenes with gay hit-man James Gandolfini -...
552,950
989,035
236,348
5
Bubblegum for brains . . .
Based on comic-book characters first introduced in the " Archies " series , Josie , Val and Melody are three rockin ' small town girls who want to taste big-time success on the pop charts ; enter nefarious - - and overly ridiculous - - talent scout Alan Cumming ( in a poor performance ) and soon the Pussycats are on th...
552,203
989,035
94,317
5
A spotty script , but with haunting moments
Michael Radford directed and co-wrote this adaptation of James Fox's book taking place in Kenya during World War II . High society Brits evade the swarming Nazis by hiding out in Africa while money-hungry Greta Scacchi gets caught up in heated love-triangle . Languid , slowly-paced British-made drama without enough inn...
553,064
989,035
86,576
5
A friendly , often frisky TV-movie with some smart ideas . . .
Not-bad comedy-drama from a book by Susan Trott ( and co-produced for television by Ron Howard and Henry Winkler ) has recently-dumped Valerie Perrine trying to get on with her life , becoming involved with both a policeman ( Ed O'Neill ) and a kinky young lothario ( Merritt Butrick , who gets himself warmed up by snea...
552,291
989,035
60,121
5
Charade rehash : droll , dull and inert . . .
This film has a most unpleasant opening sequence : a man walks into an optometrist's office expecting an eye exam , but the doctor is a fraud and - - after an excruciating build-up - - - puts poison in the man's eyes , all just to get a coded piece of paper hidden in the victim's glasses ! Gregory Peck tries loosening ...
551,346
989,035
71,399
5
Cheesy ABC TV-movie
Seems to me there have been more than enough movies ( or episodes on TV shows ) wherein a mystery killer picks off a group of people one by one , and then crosses their faces with a big ' X ' on a group-photo where everyone is smiling and happy . The theatrical film " The Last of Sheila " used a group-photo as a red he...
550,499
989,035
86,567
5
Frisky performances help disguise the fact it is already clunky and outmoded . . .
Movies made for the here-and-now ( instead of for all-time ) date far worse than the average film , and movies dealing with modern-day technology are apt to look junk heap-worthy in just a few short years . The Tracy & Hepburn comedy " Desk Set " is one such example ( where a know-it-all computer was brought in to an i...
552,909
989,035
71,402
5
Undeniably potent , but vicious , ugly , lacerating
Mild-mannered architect Charles Bronson becomes a street vigilante in New York City after his wife and daughter are attacked in their apartment . The fact that Bronson's Paul Kersey never catches up with the thugs who attacked his family can be construed as either clever or misbegotten by the filmmakers ( clever becaus...
551,281
989,035
44,557
5
You'll have nice things , Nell , you're a handsome woman !
Unintentionally funny B-movie from Fox was Marilyn Monroe's first starring role ( a year before " Niagra " ) ; she plays a delusional , pathetic young woman just out of a mental institution who ends up babysitting for a wealthy couple's child one night in a posh New York hotel . Richard Widmark takes a shine to her , u...
551,389
989,035
51,418
5
Dismissed by film connoisseurs . . . but acted with youthful conviction by McQueen
A meteor crashes to Earth in a small American town and its inner mass of a sticky , protozoa-like substance begins a slow but steady killing spree . Nothing really substantial here , but not a disgrace : " The Blob " is a fun , fast-paced B-flick made for teenagers circa 1958 . It features beautifully saturated colors ...
552,159
989,035
86,593
5
Slow-going human drama looks like a well-produced episode from a TV serial . . .
Kate Nelligan , always a forthright and gripping actress , gets to show many different sides as a single mother in New York City whose little boy disappears one day while walking a short distance to school ; she clashes with authorities and friends , but is convinced her child has been kidnapped and is still alive . Th...
553,204
989,035
35,885
5
Hollywood magic : both intriguing and overbaked
A trio of mystical stories told in that entertainingly glossy , old Hollywood type of way , boasting showmanship over any sort of logic . The plots involve a woman who learns about inner-beauty , a man's dramatic experience with a fortune teller , and a circus performer who is hounded by an admirer . Superficial nonsen...
552,283
989,035
105,706
5
Moonstruck wanna-be
Curiously cast , indifferently-made character-comedy never quite gets off the ground . There are some colorful and funny moments in " Used People " , but it doesn't sparkle , it doesn't have any magic , it's just ordinary - - and that's a shame . Shirley MacLaine is a widowed Jewish matriarch who falls in love again , ...
553,415
989,035
95,174
5
Hampered by uneven direction , but featuring two fine performances . . .
After his wife is kidnapped from their Paris hotel room , a confused and distraught American doctor is plunged into European espionage . Rather mild suspense-thriller from director / co-writer Roman Polanski , who sets up the pieces to this chess match quite awkwardly . The opening moments with Harrison Ford and spouse...
553,155
989,035
95,169
5
There's no conviction in the set-up , and nothing very amusing about the follow-through . . .
A high school ace with everything going for her goofs up and gets pregnant ; her mother is devastated , and her boyfriend's parents object , but the teens get married and hope for the best . Molly Ringwald's appealing personality manages to shine through the plastic coating and convictionless screenplay by Denise DeClu...
550,676
989,035
52,027
5
Remarkable work from Tracy , but hardly grand entertainment . . .
John Sturges directed this reportedly-troubled production , a handsome adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's story about an old salt who wants one last chance to catch a prized fish before he dies . This scenario puts extraordinary demands on lead actor Spencer Tracy , who is forced to hold the screen nearly alone for ninet...
550,573
989,035
114,323
5
Intriguing , but ultimately self-important . . .
Wife and mother Julianne Moore , living in affluent area of California's San Fernando Valley , starts ailing one day and can't seem to improve . Patchy , anemic picture is initially intriguing , targeting the toxins in our environment , but soon gets caught up in preachiness and melodrama . Some see the film as a dark ...
552,481
989,035
114,345
5
Roland Joffé turns Nathaniel Hawthorne into a heavy-breather !
Prurient , ludicrous , but undeniably entertaining drama with some camp appeal could politely be called a revisionist variation on Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic book about a New England woman in the 17th century whose illicit , secret affair with a minister results in her scandalous pregnancy . If you throw out the sou...
553,683
989,035
120,857
5
It seldom finds the appropriate flavor . . .
Young boy from a broken home is ' adopted ' by a group of elderly British women in pre-WWII Florence , Italy . Director Franco Zeffirelli's rather self-conscious valentine to his own childhood is slushed with poetic sentimentality , most of which feels distinctly artificial . The young lad at the heart of the piece isn...
551,647
989,035
59,661
5
Cheeky western romp . . .
Burt Kennedy adapted Max Evans ' book and directed this utterly unassuming , pleasant time-filler which keeps tongue-in-cheek and deep thoughts in neutral . Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda play two horse-tamers in Arizona who bond with a bucking roan horse ; Sue Ane Langdon and Hope Holiday are two tootsies they tangle with...
551,552
989,035
44,486
5
Collaboration for some wonderful talents is surprisingly mild . . .
Jennifer Jones is rather tepid playing Carrie Meeber , a small town girl who becomes involved in her first romance with a classy restaurateur from the big city . Laurence Olivier's performance as Carrie's lover is sly and seductive , but there isn't any real chemistry between he and Jones , and Olivier could just as we...
552,961
989,035
44,509
5
Far too sober a translation . . .
Celebrated William Inge play , in which Shirley Booth won a Best Actress Tony for her work on Broadway , comes to the screen rather muted of its power . Booth returns to her role as a frumpy housewife desperately trying to keep her moody husband happy ; he's an alcoholic chiropractor struggling to stay off the bottle ,...
553,116
989,035
59,678
5
You're psychotic , but don't be stupid !
Several flasks containing a deadly toxin , prepared by the U . S . government for germ warfare , are stolen from a government lab in the California desert by a traitor and his henchmen ; an investigator on the case locates the group and is taken hostage . Mechanical thriller stretches out its exposition to a yawn-induc...
552,821
989,035
59,674
5
Trash of the glossiest kind can be fun . . .
Empty-headed romance starring Elizabeth Taylor as a beatnik artist in Northern California and Richard Burton as the married priest whom she seduces . Eva Marie Saint is Burton's sniffling wife ( the type of hankie-carrying movie good girl who tend to drive men right over the mountain into Sin City ) . The music is pret...
553,316
989,035
59,711
5
Balky and top-heavy with tragedy . . .
Rather lumpy Civil War story has a Virginia farmer ( James Stewart ) and his family sticking to their business and hoping to ignore the battles going on around them , but when the farmer's sixteen-year-old son is mistaken for a soldier ( or is he ? ) and is taken prisoner , Stewart declares this is now his war , too . ...
551,610
989,035
86,491
5
Cinematic expansion of the cult TV series flatlines . . .
Over-produced , witless affair with one amazing performance : John Lithgow , freaking out on a crowded airplane in the movie's fourth and closing chapter ( a remake of a TV episode starring William Shatner ) . These stories of the macabre , each helmed by a different filmmaker , vary in degrees of style and irony , alt...
552,161
989,035
86,494
5
A comic-book romance
Two Of A Kind originally opened citywide at Christmas-time 1983 without any pre-release screenings for the critics ( and you know what they say . . . they must have something to hide ! ) . True , the wheezing , inane plot and phony contrivances of " Two of a Kind " are tough to wade through , yet the film has a carto...
552,785
989,035
24,763
5
Early Myrna Loy . . .
1933 comedy isn't too creaky , despite its age . Droll adaptation ( the first of two ) of Rachel Crothers ' play about a female writer who has penned a fictional account of an affair she had with a married man , later unknowingly befriending the jilted wife at a dinner party . Some very tart lines and smart performance...
553,385
989,035
71,110
5
It cries out to be satirized . . .
The first sequel to 1970's popular " Airport " is saddled with a fifth-rate script and a third-class production , yet somehow the thing is entertaining on a very low level . Karen Black is an odd choice to play a stewardess ( she's much too intense an actress to be convincing waiting on travelers ) ; when her 747 is cr...
551,748
989,035
114,214
5
Intentionally over-the-top , but flimsy instead of full-bodied . . .
Flashy but flimsy western tries for fantasy-mythic feel but never quite achieves its ambitions . Sharon Stone plays mysterious lady gunslinger who signs up for dueling contest in a tumbleweed town once she discovers her mortal nemesis is involved , the mangy varmint who was instrumental in killing her sheriff father . ...
552,763
989,035
52,104
5
Enjoyable camp
Colorful sci-fi has Zsa Zsa Gabor and numerous other beautiful females trapped on the planet Venus , which is under the ruling of a man-hating feminist . When an all-male space exploration team crash lands on the premises , the gals scheme to break free from the tyrant . Though shot in beautiful color ( and in CinemaSc...
552,684
989,035
24,684
5
Barrymore is charismatic . . . the script is not
Film-version of Marcel Pagnol's play about a naive professor , teaching at an academy for boys , getting the ax from the administration and becoming a chemist for a beverage company headed up by a businessman who turns out to be dishonest . Tale of morals and mores is sluggishly-paced and could use a little extra comed...
552,053
989,035
95,088
5
TV sitcom masquerading as a feature film
Elvira ( Cassandra Peterson ) is a very chipper presence on the screen , but her dry comments and costumed-Valley Girl disposition can't carry a movie very far . The plot - - something to do with an inheritance , a book of spells , and Edie McClurg as a Mrs . Kravitz-type townsperson - - isn't painful or slack , but it...
551,482
989,035
105,508
5
Stylish but aloof and dramatically flat . . .
Puzzling revisionist return to 1920's Chicago , wherein a couple of vicarious thrill-seekers and gay lovers graduate from breaking storefront windows to masterminding the murder of a young boy ( within the pretense of a kidnapping-for-ransom job ) . True story of convicted murderers Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold , Jr...
553,248
989,035
71,080
5
Anything for love !
Charles Grodin is dryly disengaged throughout this sleepy comic caper , which he co-adapted from the book by Gerald A . Browne . An American thief hopes to rob Great Britain's clearing house of its diamonds , but both Grodin and accomplice / girlfriend Candice Bergin are so lethargic they fade into the woodwork . A wil...
550,728
989,035
44,370
5
Unhappy stars struggle through lumpy romantic musical . . .
Exceedingly thin Warner Bros . musical , blanketed in tacky lustre and stock footage , involves an inept assistant's assistant in Washington , D . C . who is in charge of sending out the invites to attend a Theatre Arts Festival in Paris , France ; somehow , an invitation meant for Ethel Barrymore is sent instead to a ...
551,261
989,035
86,399
5
He stuck his fingers in my mouth and called me a pig . . .
George L . Du Maurier's novel " Trilby " , first filmed as " Svengali " in 1931 with John Barrymore and Marian Marsh , gets an embarrassing ' 80s make-over here , with New York bar-band singer Jodie Foster discovered and sent to vocal extraordinaire Peter O'Toole for refinement . They share a begrudging relationship at...
552,236
989,035
359,423
5
The kind of sentimentality that grates . . .
I'm a sucker for romantic movies , with meant-to-be relationships that last a lifetime , but " A Home at the End of the World " is a mishmash of romantic ideas , most of them cobbled from other movies ( say , " Jules and Jim " ) , and yet it never gets its central relationships right . Colin Farrell plays a young man s...
551,681
989,035
24,633
5
Interesting early talkie
Quite good film about a shop-owner who lives to see his little business flourish into a major department store ; unfortunately , his angry , ungrateful children want no part of the business once dad passes over . Melodrama loses focus in the last half , but until then is excellently acted , surprisingly interesting . B...
551,473
989,035
51,758
5
Hayward gets gassed for overacting . . .
Once-celebrated soap opera regarding hustler and maybe-murderess Barbara Graham , who got the gas chamber . Susan Hayward won the Best Actress Oscar , but for what ? Spitting out lines like " It's nothing PERSONAL ! " , " I'm not your MAID ! " or " Take it , it's all I've GOT ! " ( always with the inflection on the las...
552,464
989,035
114,614
5
Brash energy and enthusiasm , but it's a near-miss . . .
From the cult comic-strip by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett about a post-apocalyptic smart-ass ( Lori Petty ) who is in a battle against the bad guys at the Department of Water and Power in the year 2033 . Structured and designed just like a comic book , with jagged editing techniques , animated fragments , lots of rock...
552,971
989,035
44,199
5
Fine cast , familiar story . . .
Often-told tale of a single father meeting and falling in love with a single mother , planning to wed despite the fact their mutual children do not get along . Van Heflin and Patricia Neal are certainly well-matched in the leads , and Heflin in particular gives a sharply-observed performance , but contrivances take ove...
552,359
989,035
374,536
5
Fully fabricated magic . . .
From Nicole Kidman's unnaturally sweet and sing-songy vocal inflections to the heavy-handed pop and rock music selections on the soundtrack , director and co-writer Nora Ephron's high-concept rendering of the 1960s TV show " Bewitched " sparkles like store-bought glitter . Will Ferrell ( overacting without a grounded c...
551,486
989,035
59,410
5
Bizarre , outlandish , well-cast and performed . . . but it runs out of gas too soon
Colorful cast ends up flailing about in this pushy mishmash of darkly comic ideas , written by Christopher Isherwood and Terry Southern from Evelyn Waugh's novel . Slim plot concerns young Robert Morse , newly arrived in Los Angeles to live with his uncle , suddenly faced with burying the man after his uncle unexpected...
550,443
989,035
70,698
5
Lots of low-budget style , but it doesn't add up
Hitchcock-buff Brian De Palma gets an intriguing , just-this-side-of-campy scenario going in " Sisters " : twin siblings are involved in a murder , and quickly attempt to cover it up from a nosey female sleuth who witnessed a bloody " something " from her window . Too bad the flick falls apart after this promising firs...
552,206
989,035
86,250
5
Violence for the purpose of shocking . . .
Exceptionally bloody and profane drug-mob melodrama updates the 1930's Scarface / Al Capone legend and transplants it to 1980's Florida . Political Cuban refugee ( Al Pacino ) , liberated from his homeland by Castro in 1980 along with some 125 , 000 other refugees , becomes major drug-lord in Miami . Elaborately made a...
552,239
989,035
350,258
5
Is it a great performance or a great impersonation ?
Director Taylor Hackford doesn't have to work hard to get Ray Charles on our side : the opening scene , with Ray outsmarting a bigoted redneck , gets you smiling and immediately we're off on Ray's adventure . It seems like a good start , but despite the fact that Ray is a sympathetic , interesting character on-screen ,...
551,050
989,035
51,818
5
Michael Curtiz directed , but it's no " Casablanca " for Elvis . . .
Disappointing Presley-fest has Elvis cast as a young delinquent who becomes involved with gangsters who hang out at a popular nightclub . Adapted from the Harold Robbins book " A Stone for Danny Fisher " , the movie transplants the action from Chicago to New Orleans and is now structured as an acting / singing vehicle ...
552,437
989,035
51,816
5
Unusual war story with a romantic slant , Sophia Loren as ' unglamorous ' woman of convenience . . .
Jan de Hartog's novel " Stella " becomes interesting , erratic , uneven WWII battle story mixed with romantic melodrama . William Holden , an American sergeant with the Canadian Army ( ! ) , is transferred to England to captain a rescue-tugboat in U-boat-infested Atlantic waters ; the job inadvertently comes with a fla...
551,570
989,035
59,447
5
Mickey One . . . Audience Zero
At its core , this heavily symbolic and somewhat hypothetical drama from Arthur Penn concerns a nightclub entertainer escaping his own existence after its been implied his gambling debts have put him in hot water with crime bosses ; believing himself to be " guilty of not being innocent " , he changes his identity to M...
550,642
989,035
59,431
5
Ring-a-ding-dud
It's a marriage merry-go-round when Deborah Kerr rather inadvertently divorces workaholic hubby Frank Sinatra while on vacation in Mexico ; when he fails to make things right , she ( once again ) inadvertently winds up hitched to boozy best friend Dean Martin . Made during the time when films had become second priority...
553,213
989,035
79,489
5
The Count flips the Bird . . .
Rude , snorting satirical updating of Bram Stoker's legendary vampire . George Hamilton is perfect as Count Vladimir Dracula , here being forced out of his castle in Transylvania , pulling up stakes with bug-eating companion Renfield and moving to New York City in search of a model he's developed a yen for . Despite a ...
551,795
989,035
79,501
5
Action in a junkyard
George Miller co-wrote and directed this low-rent Australian variance of " Death Wish " set in the near future , with cop Mel Gibson seeking vengeance for the gang-related deaths of his wife and child . A mercilessly cruel , exploitive thriller overflowing with car crashes . The film certainly doesn't make Australia lo...
551,390
989,035
44,081
5
Missing some of the electricity and unpredictability of a live performance . . .
A deluded Southern belle goes to stay with her pregnant sister and her swaggering brute of a brother-in-law in their tacky New Orleans flat , but his pent-up passion and the belle's fluttery innocence / insanity clash in dramatic and sexual ways . Vivien Leigh is exceptional as quixotic , somewhat irritating Blanche Du...
552,238
989,035
51,864
5
Needed more humor and heart - - and less of Fess Parker
James MacArthur in an early role as a young white man in the 1760s who was raised by Indians before being traded back to his people , whose customs now have left him alienated and sullen . MacArthur has a great masculine stance and a firm jaw - - and he's unhurt by his Mohawk haircut - - but he's perhaps too rigid . Th...