martin-fennell

IMDb member since November 2006
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    2011 Oscars
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Reviews

Alien Thunder
(1974)

Average
Average movie which only intermittently comes to live. A good performance from Sutherland, and it's always a delight to see Chief Dan George.

Not sure why they got Kevin McCarthy for such a small if pivitol role.

Imdb trivia reminded me that the movie featured the lead actors of the original invasion of the body snatchers and it's remake ie MCarthy and Sutherland. McCarthy had a small role in the remake, playing the same character as in the orignal. His appearance is more brief than in this movie, but it's a better one Note I prefered the remake to the original. I mus see if I can anything more about this story, and see how accurrately the movie portrays it.

Union Station
(1950)

Long time since I saw it before now
Hi. I just watched this for about the 3rd or fourth time. But it's probably at least 25 years since I last saw it.

I believe it has gone down in my estimation.

One sequence I found ridiculous. It's the first scne where they are waiting in the station for the kidnapper. Holden's character glances at the kidnapped girl's so often. He might as well have a label saying "cop" pinned to him.

But it got better and tighter after the sequence with the kidnapper's girfriend in the hospital.

The part I liked the best was with Holden and Fitzgerald in the latter's residence.

Puppet on a Chain
(1970)

Great speedboat chase
Good tough thriller with a smashing if somewhat protracted speedboat chase.

Best performance comes from Vladek Sheybal, who along with Anton Differing seemed to have a monopoly on playing villainous characters particularly in the 70's.

Frankenstein
(1931)

Still has the power to chill.
Although this doesn't reach the level of excellence for me, it gets damn close. Where it it doesn't retain it's power are in the domestic scenes. Whale just doesn't seem to be in element there. Clive is terrific in scenes involving the monster, but less convincing in the romantic scenes. Karloff couldn't be better. The other outstanding element is the superb b/w cinematography.

IMDB lists Arthur Edeson and Paul Ivano.

Hairspray
(2007)

Joyous.
What a delight. It's a while since i saw a movie so full of joy and energy. Ok, the songs aren't top league, and Travolta's acting performance isn't anything to write home about. But it was great to see him and Walken dancing together.

Dung che sai duk
(1994)

Great Photography.
Full of extraordinary imagery. But hard to connect with the characters, if indeed they can be described as characters. Still in it's own way, a remarkable movie. 10/10.

The Kansan
(1943)

Average
Average western. The cast are good, particularly Dix and Jory who plays the most interesting character. Best's schtick is pretty uncomfortable to watch.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
(1937)

Pure Magic
Its been many years since I last saw this movie, and I have no idea what I thought of it. Well I must have liked it, because I saw it more than once. But now I can tell you, I think it's a masterpiece, and one of the greatest works cinema has ever produced. I don't think it's totally flawless. The character of the princess is kind of bland. But this is more than compensated for by the 7 dwarves who are pure delight. The Animal sequences are also beautifully done. The other flaw for me is, why did the wicked queen disguise herself as an old hag. Old, yes, but why a hag, with claw like hands. But leaving that aside, this is a movie, that anyone in an interest in the art of cinema must see.

Wong ga si je IV: Jik gik jing yan
(1989)

Terrific Action movie
This movie is really just an excuse for a series of superb action scenes. The stunts are awe inspiring. There is one very funny moment at the end of a crazy motorbike chase /fight sequence involving hatchets which reminded me of The Marx Brothers.

I have seen the first two movies. Both get an 8 from me. I still have to watch the third.

Highly Recommended.

Bulgeundal Pureunhae
(2018)

Kim Sun Ah'is one of the best actressess working today
Once again Kim Sun Ah, demonstrates why she is one of the, if not the most gifted actress working anywhere in this challenging and compelling drama. I say challenging, because it asks the viewer to decide who is right and who is wrong. The performances from the rest of the cast range from excellent (Na young Hee) to adequate (Yeon Je Hyung). As for Cha Hak Yeon, his performance could be seen as either one note or very good, or maybe both. It would be interesting to see him in something else. There are two main stories here, Who is the Vigilante Red Cry, who deals out justice to abusers, or in most cases encourages others to do it, and why does Kim sun ah keep seeing an apparation of a little girl in a green dress. Of course there is a connection of sorts between both. The second mystery regarding the little girl is the more intriguing, even if at one stage the answer is rather obvious.

Act of Violence
(1948)

Well done
Excellent performances from the male leads in this tightly made suspense thriller. A pity the ending wasn't better.

The Concorde... Airport '79
(1979)

Good
Pretty exciting disaster thriller. The final part is particularly good.

At Sword's Point
(1952)

fast paced
Fast paced actioner. Its been a long time since I saw it. I might look at it again sometime. Then again, i might not.

Ambush
(1950)

Routine
Routine western with Taylor doing his usual hero bit.

Always Leave Them Laughing
(1949)

Good
Comedy is often hilarious, but gets bogged down in sentiment.

American Graffiti
(1973)

Delightful
Delightfully written comedy. DReyfuss is the standout in a fine cast. Excellent direction.

All the Way Home
(1963)

good
Fine acting compensates for a rather slow moving tale.

Anthony Adverse
(1936)

Good, but dated.
Though dated especially in the acting and dialogue, this spectacle still retains interest. Good performances.

The Enfield Haunting
(2015)

decent amount of chills
3 part british haunted house mini series made in 2015. Very well acted, and with a good amount of decent chills.

Based on a "true" story from the 70's. I also like that it is filmed as if it was made in the 70's. Well made for british tv.

The conjuring 2 was based on the same case.

Zui jia pai dang 3: Nu huang mi ling
(1984)

Great heist sequence
For the most part, this is pretty entertaining.But it has one delightfully visually inventive robbery sequence featuring among other things santa claus's on jet packs, and motorcycles flying through the air. If only for that sequence alone, the movie is worth watching.

Fuyao
(2018)

Wonderful fantasy drama.
Terrific fantasy drama. Lots of bloody action, romance, tragedy, some comedy too. There are no great acting performances. But they are serviceable, and the two leads are good together. It's the story or stories that is the main attraction.I took breaks from it at certain points.So maybe I found it overlong, or not always compulsively watch as Korean dramas tend to be. Well I suppose that's because episodes didn't always end in a cliffhanger. I found it was a series I could leave and come back to again. I'm sure there are faults I found in it. Some of the acting might not be up to scratch. Maybe some conversations/speeches went on too long. But whatever the faults were, they were minor, and did not take away from the immense enjoyment of this wonderful series. 10/10

Sangsogjadeul
(2013)

passably entertaining
I avoided this drama, because of the many bad reviews I had read. But as someone I am close to watched it, I decided to give it a go. Well it isn't going to go in my top ten dramas or even my top 100. But i found it to be a pleasant enough way to spend an hour or two a day. What makes it is the cast, who are all good to on degree or anther . The main storyline isn't that compelling . The storyline I found most interesting was the relationship between the two brothers. Although I did wonder if Choi jin hyuk could play anything but gloomy and pissed off. Music wise Love is the Moment did nothing for me, and I found it's constant repetion during a number of episodes somewhat annoying. But I did like the song at over the credits on the website where I watched a number of episodes. It's a fast upbeat number, and it has the line "Come on baby" at or around the beginning. But it's not the same number as played on viki or on the official sbs world channell on youtube.

Winchester '73
(1950)

Very good, but not a classic.
A fine clean sharp western with plenty of action.

I'm old enough to have seen this in the cinema. But not when it first came out, since I was born in 59. Yep, there was a time when cinemas didn't just show new movies.

I have seen it a few times since that first time, but I guess this is the first time I have seen it in over 20 years. I remembered the basic gist of the story, but not much of the details.

The first thing I noticed was how little music was in the movie. I liked that, and thought it effective.

Then there were the real life characters such as Wyatt Earp played by Will Geer. Now I liked Will Geer, but as Wyatt Earp, all I can say is "hmmm" Stephen McNally is okay as the main villain, and Stewart is fine, but the film is stolen by Dan Duryea. I can imagine an alternative ending with Duryea riding off at the ending and Stewart and Winters waving at him and agreeing that it was hard to dislike him completely.

Taineun Jiokida
(2019)

good
I suppose this drama is saying something about the potential for violence within us all or something.It's well acted, has good characters. But for me, it never really catches fire. The ending was kind of a mild surprise for me.

Edeonui dongjjok
(2008)

Excellent, but with faults.
I found this to be a compelling drama. The acting varies from okay to good, and above. Nobody gives an embarrassing performance, although there are sequences which the writers should have been embarrassed by. It also features more kidnapping sequences than I have seen in any other drama or movies. One character gets kidnapped at least three times. But It had some powerful moments too. The characters are well done, and the story even allows some minor ones to have a little bit of spotlight. One character, who I found to be the most interesting of the young people in the drama leaves about 3/3rd's of the way through.( Note. According to Wikipedia, she left because her storyline was reduced). But then they bring in another character, who is quickly forgotten about. There are 2 standout performances in this drama for me. Lee Mi Sook. and Yoo Dong Geun.

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