By Illustrator unknown. "Copyright 1953 Paramount Pictures Corporation, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/inde...curid=88111742
The War of the Worlds - 1953
This is still one hell of a lot of fun to watch. Here's what I said on Letterboxd after seeing the film again yesterday - "One of the best of that golden age of science fiction. The strings might be visible, in our high definition big screen era, but what's also visible is the effort and care in transposing the classic H. G. Wells story to the screen. Technicolor aliens invade a bright, Technicolor world, desecrating a perfect, post-war 1950s period - George Pal and Paramount showing the world how visionary the genre could be if art and production design were imaginatively utilized. Great music from Leith Stevens, sound (Loren L. Ryder), editing (Everett Douglas) and Oscar-winning effects. Gene Barry and Ann Robinson would have cameos in the Spielberg remake. Even Mr. Magic couldn't outdo the original though."
8/10
By The poster art can or could be obtained from Entertainment One., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49024042
Eye in the Sky - (2015)
This is probably one of the best films about modern "warfare" out there. Remotely controlled drones in Kenya are being piloted by Second Lieutenant Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) in Nevada, U.S.A. Looking on and commanding from two different locations in the U.K. are Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) and Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman - in one of his last theatrical roles) while in the meantime, on the ground in Kenya is agent Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi) who is in control of ingenious little flying spy devices. Throughout the film these people, among others in other places, debate firing a missile on a house with three prime targets and two 'soon-to-be-activated' suicide bombers. The collateral damage - which includes a little girl - makes the situation highly charged. It highlights the changed nature of war, with politicians playing a more active role in battlefield decisions, and it also asks us the questions about our complicity in the death of civilians - what is acceptable if you're trying to stop suicide bombers killing people. Very tense, exciting and thought-provoking this.
7/10
By Lionsgate - AwesomeBMovies.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36791927
The Frozen Ground - (2013)
Robert Hansen (John Cusack) was a real-life serial killer in Alaska who would pick up prostitutes, rape them at gunpoint, take them into the wilderness and then hunt them. He ended up killing at least 17 - although estimates go up as high as 41. The Frozen Ground starts with one of the girls that got away - Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens) whose story of rape and torture is dismissed by police because she was a prostitute (they saw it as a deal gone sour) and because they saw Robert Hansen as a stand up, respectable guy. Later, state trooper Jack Halcombe (Nicolas Cage) is investigating the discovered body of a girl, which he connects to other victims, then Cindy, then Hansen. His investigation is obstructed at every corner by officials who really don't want to indict the man - and it takes brilliant police work to outwit the killer and his defenders. This is an enjoyable movie of it's kind - and only really skims the surface of the case. I have to admit though, that it had me on the edge of my seat at times, with Cusack excellent as the cocky and horrible Alaskan killer.
6/10
By The cover art can or could be obtained from [1], impawards.com or Warner Bros. Pictures., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24853267
Sherlock Holmes - (2009)
There's a big budget movie-factory sheen to Sherlock Holmes that's just ever so slightly off-putting, and I never really liked Robert Downey Jr. in the role. Respect to Guy Ritchie for adding a kind of bisexual element to the character though. I guess I'm just tired of these giant blockbusters - the destructive set-pieces, endless one-liners and emptiness of it all is getting to me. My rating is low - probably too low, but movies like Sherlock Holmes are emblematic of why cinema feels like it's dying in this modern era.
5/10
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Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)
Last edited by PHOENIX74; 07-17-23 at 02:01 AM.