planktonrules

"The Lawless" is a film which is part of a batch of movies from the same time period which address racism. A few other examples are "Crossfire" and "Gentlemen's Agreement" which concern antisemitism as well as "Intruder in the Dust" and "Pinky" which were about racial prejudice. Here in "The Lawless" it concerns the hatred of Mexican-Americans. Unfortunately, while the story is very earnest and worth seeing, it's also a bit farfetched at times.

The story is set in a small town where there are many Chicanos as well as whites. The two groups don't always get along so well and the Chicanos are looked down on by many of the residents. What follows is a case where the city becomes worked up over a relatively minor incident...and the white folks are intent on a lynching. Much of this is drummed up by some amoral reporters. One of the reporters (Macdonald Carey), however, is a bit more openminded and comes to champion the cause of this oppressed minority.

The film is very good and the story is never dull despite seeming a bit farfetched at times. Still, the acting is good and it's worth seeing...and Carey is particularly good in the lead.

"Alien" is the first rated R movie I saw in the theaters. Oddly, my parents let me see it at 16 because it didn't contain nudity...just horrific violence! Regardless, it's NOT a movie for kids...and led to several more films of decreasing quality.

With almost 2000 reviews, there isn't a lot for me to say. The story is incredibly tense, never has any dull moments and was made very economically by Ridley Scott and his crew. Well written, well acted and well worth seeing all these years later. But most impressive is the lighting...with an almost film noir look but in color and with massive amounts of blood to boot.

I first saw this movie back in 1984 and recently saw it on the big screen at a special screening and enjoyed it every bit as much as the first time.

With over a thousand reviews, this one doesn't need to be indepth. Suffice to say the story is riviting and exciting, the acting very good and the overall message of machines taking over the world is as timely now as back in 1984. Its non-stop rapid pacing is also perfect. The only complaints are minor and one is not the fault of the production...such as some awkward stop-motion robot scenes near the end. The technology to make this more realistic that exists today simply didn't exist at the time. But one tiny quibble is the final scene...with a horrible matte painting of the mountains. It's not that noticable on TV but on the big screen it just looks bad. But considering everything else...this is really not important.