Film Reviews by Frank TALKER™

Remake of "The Entity" (1981) with borrowings from "The Shining" (1980) and "Poltergeist" (1982).

This one is far too long for its content, which does not delve deeply into the family dynamics which dominate the early scenes. These dynamics are then not convincingly resolved at the film's end - especially regarding the sexually-creepy nature of the heroine's dying father.

Why have a rapey ghost in a soapy melodrama only then to clearly state that the ghost is not her father involved in some kind of personal sexual vendetta against the lead? Outside of a whodunnit, this red herring mostly invalidates and trivialises all of the setup, as if the movie-makers, themselves, were scared (on behalf of the audience) of the unavoidably-dark corners of the neurotic human-psyche into which such incest-laden emotional delvings would inevitably lead.

Tabu was a very good choice for the lead role, here, and she carries the film well; while doing her best with a limited role as an under-written mother-of-two.

Ultimately, "Hawa" doesn't really amount to anything more than a series of set-pieces revolving around an alternately vengeful-then-horny poltergeist whom kidnaps a child for no real reason other than to provide for an admittedly slap-bang ending.

This movie is a longer and a much better version of "Supercop" - watch this rather than that.

This movie is a longer and a much better version of "Supercop" - watch this rather than that.

Compelling study of Muhammad ALI's greatness as a boxer - although not as a man, since very little biographical information is provided here. A pity since ALI was actually bigger than just boxing because he still remains the most famous Muslim in the world - after that religion's founder (in whose honour ALI was named).

Muhammad ALI's most important antagonists are interviewed and there is a clear respect for a great boxer whom was also intelligent, witty & charming.

Melodramatic movie that is both over-ripe and under-written.

A terrific cast is largely wasted on a mediocre rehash of The Thing (1982) combined with The Shining (1980) and yet, without them, it would become unwatchably cliché since they all do their best with the weak script which they have been offered. True professionalism.

There are too many characters here to focus emotional-attention upon as the screenwriter, thereby, tries to make it harder for the audience to guess whom the killer is. And they all use the same American speaking-idiom despite being from different countries: A Scotland Yarder even identifies himself as being a member of the 'Metropolitan Police Department'!

This sameness-of-characterisation only serves to emphasise the dearth of character differentiation, which makes it harder for the audience to get emotionally involved and, thus, to care.

The plot is further weakened by nobody in the remote location in which the movie is set possessing a mobile phone, a radio or a computer to send e-mails - only a landline that no longer works because of the raging snowstorm which takes-up half of the film's running time. All of the vast panoply of modern communications'-technology always seems to fail whenever there is a deranged serial-killer on the loose! (However, a number of CB radios do turn-up at the end of the movie, but without any explanation, whatsoever, for their sudden appearance.)

Worst of all, there's no explanation of the fact that the one alcohol detoxification-unit that the film's hero attends to help him recover from the death of his fiance, is also the one where his fiancée's murderer is in residence. That and the fact that his best friend decides to take-up residence in the local community, for no real reason, just so that he can become a convenient deus ex machina later.

Still, having said all of that, Sylvester STALLONE is in it, and that fact alone usually means at least a three-star rating.

Mediocre murder-mystery which offers little more than pretty photography and good actors in beautiful locations.

The only standout performance comes from the murder victim (played by the excellent Piper LAURIE) whom spends the entire first act easily-convincing the audience that she is nasty, manipulative & greedy enough to fully justify being bumped-off.

A diverting time-killer and nothing more.

Much better than sequels usually are, this character-driven effort emotionally engages right from the start; leading to a finale that is hard to forget and deeply disturbing. Much like a Jacobean revenge tragedy, the downbeat ending is inevitable and tear-jerking - but without cheating the audience of its tears with fake or cloying sentimentality.

Along the way there is much satire of a paranoid and distinctly-violent White culture that is both impressed by talking apes, yet horrified by the implication that by the year 3955 humans will no longer dominate the Earth and control its resources for its sole use.

Everyone is good in this movie and the writing is first rate, except for the fact that the nature of the Western culture satirised is never explained nor elucidated.

Fun movie with the hypnotic Frank SINATRA taking it easy in a role that fits his laid-back charm well.

The movie doesn't take itself too seriously and it's hard to care much about the plot or the low-lifes the hero encounters, anyway, in his bid to solve a number of related murders and, in the process, keep himself from being blamed for them.

The supporting cast are excellent and funny - reducing the sense of danger and replacing it with snappy one-liners.

The beauteous Raquel WELCH is particularly good as a jokey alcoholic; Martin GABEL plays a vicious mafioso whom must temper his violent urges to avoid stress; and, Dan BLOCKER plays a sympathetic heavy whom is almost impossible to subdue in a punch-up.

Replete with in-jokes like BLOCKER watching the tv-series Bonanza on his television set or SINATRA claiming he once knew a 'broad [whom] collected bull-fighters'. Along with sexual humour about gay men and heterosexual males excitedly-frequenting massage parlours.

Amusing movie about people without the necessary social context nor cultural perspective with which to give their unfulfilling lives meaning, reality or purpose; resulting in the ennui and existential despair which inevitably comes from possessing no deep-seated sense of personal, social nor cultural identity.

Darkly funny and accurate in its depiction of those whom have never been told "No", there is, however, no explanation as to why anybody would place themselves in such a lonely position nor of why it is so hard to break free from the emotional lethargy depicted - this, despite the characters not being so delusional that they cannot actually see how delusional and self-destructive they are.

All of the performers here are excellent and make the best of the not very insightful nor particularly original material here, which is clearly not derived from personal experience.

Well-written drama about the relationship between social origins and social outcomes featuring the always beautifully turned-out Raquel WELCH and a bunch of ageing outlaws wondering if their lifestyle could ever possibly come with a realistic retirement plan.

The outlaws muse much among themselves about whether or not a universal symbol of womanhood like WELCH would ever want to spend her days with any of the men-gone-wrong like themselves, despite having kidnapped her. And the theme of men protecting women in return for women civilising men is well-observed both in Dean MARTIN protecting WELCH from the more rape-oriented members of his gang as well as from the bandolero leader - along with much talk about the affect that bad mothering had on most of the unmanly men with which this movie is replete.

An intelligent tragedy that doesn't flinch from its theme in order to offer a final act fully in keeping with the almost-entirely immoral characters on display here.

Amusing movie about a wealthy guy whom, nonetheless, has an emotionally-empty life; leading to years of unsuccessful psychoanalysis.

The narrative contains no explanation for the central characters suicidal despair nor why the Jewish culture from which he emanates has both created his moral wretchedness while also offering no solution to it.

Barbara HARRIS steals the movie in the few scenes that she is in.

Complete nonsense, really - but never boring.

Replete with much better actors than an action movie really needs, Gabriel BYRNE is the best in a persuasive performance as the Devil.

Amusing comedy caper masquerading as an action movie with the usually reliable Charles BRONSON.

Jill IRELAND and BRONSON pretend gamefully not to like each other in a parody of a seven-year-itch type marriage, but you just know that they will win each other's trust in the end.

Jan Gan BOYD is especially effective as the sexually-energetic love interest of the hero with a very amusing and a very serious Electra complex.

Everyone in this film is quite excellent except the two leads, which almost destroys the movie since they are in most of its scenes.

MADONNA is a weak-but-attractive actress and Sean PENN has no genuine comedic sensibility despite being an otherwise superb dramatic actor.

Sadly, this screen pairing partly undermines the exemplary work of the rest of the cast in a well-written and a briskly-entertaining screenplay.

Superb action-comedy with the charmingly-amusing Jean-Paul BELMONDO, playing two characters, alongside the effortlessly-sexy Raquel WELCH showing us just how good at comedy she really was.

The fact that BELMONDO does his own stunts is always a plus - especially in a movie about a movie stunt-couple.

It really required a better dramatic actress than Raquel WELCH to make this film work well since she is unable to successfully get across to the audience the trauma of having had her husband killed and then being repeatedly raped by the killers.

The strong comedy element is exactly what one would expect from director Burt KENNEDY and is well executed by Ernest BORGNINE, Jack ELAM & Strother MARTIN as three hapless outlaws. But this is not a black comedy so it all seems rather tasteless in the context of the moral degeneracy on show here.

Stephen BOYD and Diana DORS are largely wasted in somewhat pointless cameos which fritter away their talent. But the always-dependable Christopher LEE manages to convince as a Mexican - albeit with a decidedly English accent.

Interestingly, if Paco DE LUCÍA had written the musical score for this movie, it would have justified his pleasing, but too short musical cameo here.

The best thing about this movie is the rather tragedic performance of Robert CULP. He gives the movie the dramatic depth which it otherwise lacks as an aging bounty hunter with none of the fulfilling emotional ties that he clearly longs for in his personal life.