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wrenster rated Two-Lane Blacktop

 Two-Lane Blacktop 4/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Monte Hellman's supposed break into the Hollywood mainstream with this road movie across America was an enormous flop on its first release, thanks to characters who hardly speak unless its about cars, a girl no one knows a thing about and Warren Oates as a middle-aged man clinging onto his youth by picking up random hitchhikers and challenging the young car owners to a race. A slow-moving drama that doesn't really go anywhere. Singer James Taylor and Beach Boy Dennis Wilson play the Driver and the Mechanic.

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster rated The Lost World: Jurassic Park

 The Lost World: Jurassic Park 8/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

The sequel to Spielberg's mega-blockbuster may not be as good as the original and the ending is more than a tad ridiculous but there are moments when the film manages to outstrip the first film in tension. It's a masterclass in Spielberg's power as a director, to build suspense (the truck over the cliff scene a perfect example). A decent cast led by Jeff Goldblum, with a young Julianne Moore and Vince Vaughn, as well as the mighty Pete Postlethwaite hold it all together.

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster rated Solo: A Star Wars Story

 Solo: A Star Wars Story 8/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

The second stand-alone Star Wars movie is a flawed but fun romp with Alden Ehrenreich stepping into the shoes of Harrison Ford as the rogue bandit Han Solo, showing his origins and how he meets and befriends Chewbacca. The action is fine and the performance is full of energy yet this troubled production does suffer from an uneven tone and coming out far too close to The Last Jedi. Entertaining enough but not the best Star Wars film.

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster rated Deadpool 2

 Deadpool 2 6/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

After the anarchy of Deadpool, this sequel somewhat disappoints. The irreverence is still there and the action sequences are decent enough but it wasn't half as funny and in places got quite annoying. A saving grace was the introduction of Domino, who there should have been more of. It also seemed too soon to release it after Avengers: Infinity War, as that was such an enjoyable romp. Deadpool 3 will need something special than just wise-cracks while breaking the fourth wall.

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster rated Soldier Blue

 Soldier Blue 8/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

A slow-moving western that explodes into a mass of sickening violence in a finale that will stay with you. Peter Strauss and Candice Bergen star as a couple trying to make their way across the wilderness after an attack. On the way, they come across a series of obstacles that bring them closer together. You can see the massacre at the end is a strong message sent out about the Americans involvement in Vietnam and it hasn't lost any of its shock value.

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster rated Breaking In

 Breaking In 6/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

A reasonable exploitation B-movie has Gabrielle Union as a mother bringing her children to her father's home after his death. Planning to sell his high-security home, she soon finds that the building is under siege from thieves who have locked her out while they hold her children inside. This routine thriller has the added twist of Union as the action hero, a woman who can take on any man and when asked what her secret is, tells the captures: I'm a mother!

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster rated Alphaville

 Alphaville 6/10

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Jean-Luc Goddard's sci-fi film noir has Eddie Constantine as a detective who heads to the space city of Alphaville to track down a renowned scientist. A bizarre mix of the French New Wave with crossing genres, this surreal journey is as complex and confusing as you'd expect from Goddard. While you can appreciate why this film is held in such regard, it's far too slow and ponderous and doesn't have any real connection with the viewer.

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to their collection

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster posted a image

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

5 years, 11 months ago

wrenster rated Ace in the Hole

 Ace in the Hole 10/10

5 years, 12 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Outstanding drama with Kirk Douglas as a disgraced newspaper reporter desperate to make his mark on the industry again by joining a small paper and giving them an exclusive; a man trapped down a collapsed cave. Only problem is, he will do anything to manipulate the situation to his own aims. Billy Wilder's superb film is a gripping tale with an unexpected turn of events. Quite possibly Douglas's finest hour as the deeply nasty reporter.

5 years, 12 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

5 years, 12 months ago

wrenster added 2 items to their collection

5 years, 12 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Action adventure with Owen Wilson as a disgruntled pilot who finds himself alone and behind enemy lines in Bosnia, trying to escape from a rebel army. Meanwhile, commander Gene Hackman is powerless to get him out due to political complications. John Moore tries his best to inject some excitement in this routine adventure with flashy camera work but it's hard to take Wilson serious as an action hero when we know him so well as a chilled comic actor.

5 years, 12 months ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

File under "so bad, it's good!" A ropey martial arts action film from Cannon Pictures has Franco Nero as a former army vet now a newly trained ninja, who goes to visit a friend and finds himself coming up against a ruthless businessman who wants his friend's land. The fight sequences are hilarious with some very over-the-top deaths, while Nero's wooden performance makes him the least exciting action hero. Call in Chuck Norris, please!

5 years, 12 months ago

wrenster rated The Grissom Gang (1971)

 The Grissom Gang (1971) 6/10

6 years ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

Robert Aldrich directs this gangster movie in which Kim Darby plays a wealthy young woman kidnapped by a small-time gang with big ambitions. This violent remake of a 1940's British drama moves the story to America's Depression where even the family have no honour, while Aldrich tries to cash in on the success f Bonnie and Clyde. Slightly too long but the attention to detail and Aldrich's macho approach to filmmaking is here for all to see.

6 years ago

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6 years ago

wrenster rated Der Wald (2018)

 Der Wald (2018) 1/10

6 years ago

wrenster added 1 item to Movies Viewed in 2018 list

A pretentious tale of two couples lost in a forest trying to find their mission children. This laborious drama jumps from one-time zone to another while long tracking shots of part of the forest interrupt the drama, as the couples amble through the woodlands without any urgency. Any film you have to read the director's notes to understand what you have watched, in my mind, fails. A bore!

6 years ago