nuotio
Recent Ratings
Check out nuotio's...
| 59 T7 | Wonka (2023) - 07 Dec 2023
"Compared to the 70's fiilm, this felt toned down to please a wider audience, but better than the Burton remake. Competently crafted, actors are fine, songs are OK, there's some humor and it avoids feeling too syrupy, but at the same time apart from perhaps the sets and production design, nothing really stand out and it's a bit too long. Still, there's never enough quality family films, and the snowy images feel apt for the season. Good enough, but a step down from King's Paddington films."
|
| 55 T6 | Doa (1988) - 01 Dec 2023
"During 2/3 of its duration, this Japanese thriller works as a prime example of how to make an interesting movie with limited means, few locations and actors.Even the cheap sync sound works in it's favor. A lot of time is spent following the lead & her son and building a suspenseful atmosphere. When it finally erupts, it almost turns into a different movie which is still entertaining, but also goofy and a big shift in tone. Worth a watch, but not quite the gem it's reputation lead me to believe."
|
| 60 T7 | Bröderna Lejonhjärta (1977) - 30 Nov 2023
"I hadn't seen this since childhood and even though I didn't remember much of the plot, specific scenes felt very familiar. It's a sad movie and handles death in a way that would not be done today. The FX and production values are obviously not on LOTR level, but it has nice cinematography and utilizes the locations to great effect. The bond between the brothers is still the emotional core of the film, and all in all I thought the film still works well."
|
| 52 T4 | Find a Place to Die (1968) - 28 Nov 2023
"Mediocre spaghetti about a group of "bastards" helping a lady (and perhaps trying to steal some gold). It has a couple of unique aspects: it's shot near Rome with lush green vistas and ruins instead of the usual Spanish locations. There's also more nudity than usual which apparently caused issues with censors. Hunter is a bit bland as the lead and the film is not taking use of its characters. It's been questioned if Carnimeo really directed this and at least it's missing his usual playfulness."
|
| 62 T8 | 99 River Street (1953) - 27 Nov 2023
"Solid Noir from Karlson, who I mainly knew from more traditional studio work. This is surprisingly raw, brutal and goes to unexpected directions. John Payne is not the traditional lead which helps make him more believable as the ex-boxer/cabbie. It starts to look like it's getting very grim, when he is betrayed and really loses his nerve, but it doesn't quite go there. At only 80+ mins, they could have used some mins to deepen the characters. Dockyard visuals toward the end are Noir heaven."
|
| 54 T5 | Desperate (1947) - 15 Nov 2023
"Solid early Noir from Anthony Mann. It's mostly a couple on a run film, and especially the first half is fast paced and their downward spiral feels hopeless in a fine Noir fashion. It does slow down a bit towards the end, but 70min runtime ensures that you will not get bored. Cast is OK and especially Burr as the baddie and Fowley as the dandy private detective hired by the bad buys made an impression. Not quite a gem, but still a perfectly entertaining B-noir."
|
| 52 T4 | My Name Is Pecos (1966) - 14 Nov 2023
"Pretty routine spaghetti western. What makes it stand out is that it's one of the few with a Mexican protagonist. It's just too bad that the part is played by Robert Woods which makes it quite distracting. Pecos is also more stealthier than usual, hiding and taking advantage of trapdoors etc., but it's rather pointless as he's also the fastest on the draw. All in all, not bad, but felt like a poor man's version of the Milian/Sollima Cuchillo films Face to Face and Run Man Run."
|
| 62 T8 | The Mob (1951) - 13 Nov 2023
"Another solid Noir included in the Indicator's Columbia Noir box. Crawford is good as the cop who goes undercover in the waterfront/docks, and so is the the rest of the cast, including Borgnine in a small role and Bronson in one scene. Pacing is good and there's plenty of fun & tough dialogue. It gets pretty intense and the finale is actually closer to a thriller. I also got German Krimi vibes due to the dock setting and the mystery surrounding the secret identity of the criminal mastermind."
|
| 60 T7 | Framed (1947) - 08 Nov 2023
"Nice way to kick off Noirvember 23. It starts with a bang; Ford steering an out of control truck on narrow roads and city streets. It then evolves into a proper Noir. Ford is good as the down on his luck engineer who has issues with liquor, and Carter is very good as the femme fatale. Supporting cast is solid as well. There were some surprises along the way and I especially enjoyed the mining plot-line. It does get more routine towards the end, but I'd still rank it among the better B-Noirs."
|
| 51 T4 | The Moment to Kill (1968) - 06 Nov 2023
"Mid-tier spaghetti. Directed by Carnimeo and stars Hilton who would later team up for Sartana sequels. This has a bit similar feel with Hilton and Barnes as his "guardian angel" delivering one-liners and using gimmicks to outsmart their enemies. The lighter tone does not work that well with the more mystery heavy plot about finding lost Confederate gold. There are some unusual touches like the slaughterhouse finale. De Masi's title song is quite good and the score is basically riffing on that."
|
