What Movie Did You Watch? Rate 1- 10! (2024)

Man's first flight to the Moon, only something goes wrong & they end up at Mars (these things happen). It's a modest little film, but quite enjoyable, made in 1950 so scientifically nieve, but that's part of the charm. I enjoyed it (I think I saw it when I was 9 or 10 in the late fifties at a local flea-pit, as some scenes jogged my memory).

I recall some one was hired to redo the special effects in the 80’s. Was this ever completed and incorporated into the film?

Answering my own question. I guess it was the 70's not the 80's.

From Wiki- New footage added

Rocketship X-M was rushed to market to be in theaters before the more lavishly produced but delayed Destination Moon that was finally released 25 days later. A lack of both time and budget forced RX-M's producers to omit special effects scenes and substitute stock footage of American V-2 rocket launches and flight to complete some sequences that otherwise would have been made using the Rocketship X-M special effects miniature. These V-2 inserts created very noticeable continuity issues.[3]

In the 1970s the rights to Rocketship X-M were acquired by Kansas City film exhibitor, movie theater owner (and later video distributor) Wade Williams, who set about having some of RX-M's special effects scenes reshot in order to improve the film's overall continuity.[3] The VHS tape, LaserDisc, and DVD releases incorporate this re-shot footage. Williams funded the production of new footage to replace the stock V-2 shots and a few missing scenes. All new footage was produced for Wade Williams Productions by Bob Burns III, his wife Kathy Burns, former Disney designer/artist Tom Scherman, Academy Award winner Dennis Muren, Emmy Award nominee Michael Minor, and Academy Award winner Robert Skotak. Costumes were re-made that closely replicated those worn by the film's explorers, and a new, screen accurate Rocketship X-M effects miniature was built.[3]

The new replacement shots consist of the RX-M flying through space; it landing tail first on the Red Planet; a different shot of the crew heading away from the RX-M to explore the stark Martian surface; the surviving explorers quickly returning to their nearby spaceship, and the RX-M later blasting off from Mars into space. These six replacement shots were filmed near Los Angeles in color, then converted to black-and-white and re-tinted where necessary to match the original film footage. (Unlike the DVD release, the earlier LaserdDisc of Rocketship X-M contains extra bonus material documenting the making of the film and the creation of this new footage.) The film's production and the making of these new scenes were also presented in RX-M feature articles in both Starlog magazine and later expanded in the first issue (1979) of Starlog's spin-off magazine CineMagic. Prints of the original theatrical release version of RX-M are still stored in Williams' Kansas City film vaults.[3] They have not been converted to a home video format.

Image's 50th Anniversary DVD release (2000), under license from Williams, is oddly missing two of his re-filmed Mars scenes: Lippert's original matte painting scene, which has tiny matted-in figures leaving an obviously painted RX-M, is retained instead of the Williams' re-shot replacement scene that has the five explorers heading away from a convincing RX-M effects miniature standing on a barren Martian plain. A new bridging scene, set at the end of the Mars sequence, showing the surviving explorers hurriedly returning to the RX-M, is also missing from Image's DVD.

If this film did not purport to be so autobiographical regarding writer-director Steven Spielberg, it wouldn’t hold nearly the interest for us that it does, and arguably would never have been made. But it clearly is, and so it does hold our interest. As probably everyone knows by now, the film follows the adolescence of Spielberg alter-ego “Samuel ‘Sammy’ Fabelman” (Gabriel LaBelle), the sixteen-year-old son of the family who aspires to become a filmmaker. Michelle Williams is “Mitzi Schildkraut-Fabelman,” Sammy's encouraging mother and a skilled pianist. Paul Dano is “Burt Fabelman,” Sammy's father and a computer engineer, who moves his family across the country in several steps to the West Coast as his career progresses. Seth Rogen is “Bennie Loewy,” Burt's co-worker and best friend who becomes a surrogate uncle to Sammy, and who is to have an even more profound effect on the family than that.

The film alternates scenes of domestic life in the Fabelman household, with Sammy’s early endeavors at filmmaking with his sisters and friends, using first his father’s and then his own 8mm and 16mm cameras. Once the family arrives in California, we see more of Sammy’s school experiences, which is when antisemitism rears its ugly head. While the scenes of Sammy’s family and personal life are well written and performed by the first-rate cast, it’s really the filmmaking scenes that we want to see.

Sammy, inspired by a childhood viewing of C.B. DeMille’s THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, strives to produce his own “epics,” starting by re-creating the spectacular train crash in that film using his toy train set, and graduating to producing and directing westerns and war films with his friends and schoolmates, all tracked with music scores from soundtrack LPs. Sammy actually does the type of things that those of us who are his contemporaries perhaps only dreamed of doing when we were his age, as we imagined setting our film music recordings to new stories. In Sammy’s pre-VHS era (forget about digital), filmmaking was a struggle of shooting dialogue-free silent footage, editing tiny strips of film into a whole, and tracking in music to create a shadow of what professional filmmakers were doing. Yet these efforts were enthusiastically received by his friends and neighbors (if not always by his family).

In addition to the cast members mentioned above, the film has star turns by Judd Hirsch as Sammy’s granduncle and a former film worker and circus lion tamer; Jeannie Berlin as Sammy’s grandmother; and film director David Lynch as film director John Ford. The biggest disappointment in the film is that it ends just as Sammy, despite never having attended film school, lands his first professional job in television production. We’d probably all like to see a sequel of Sammy’s early adventures in Hollywood, based upon Spielberg’s pre-JAWS experiences at Universal.

The film is perhaps a tad long at 151 minutes, but I probably wouldn’t even say that if some more of that time had been devoted to Sammy’s filmmaking activities. Despite the film being a loose autobiography of one of the world’s most famous filmmakers, the $40 million picture itself is best appreciated by specialized audiences, as is evident by its meager box office take to date of under $13 million.

It’s a sad commentary on the state of film music today that John Williams’ score, which would have been considered routine 50 years ago, is now (rightly) deemed award-worthy.

The Saint's Return (a.k.a. The Saint's Girl Friday) (1953) ... 4/10

I've been a fan of the Saint for longer than James Bond ... i.e. I watched the Roger Moore TV series prior to seeing my first JB007 film ... yet I've never seen, until now, any of the films made prior to RM taking the role (1962). And it appears that this was the last of 9 films ... although its length and quality are more akin to a TV production.

I struggled to accept Louis Hayward as Templar ... he wasn't sufficiently suave ... but otherwise it was moderately entertaining. The script was for a new story but it contained many of the usual ideas from the novels/short stories and the inclusion of fellow characters helped with Charles Victor very good as Teal and a nice mention of Inspector Fernack (actor: ???) at the start. However, Templar's regular sidekick from the earlier literary works, Hoppy Uniatz, was totally miscast being more of an English butler here than the American hoodlum he is in text.

Amusing to see Diana Dors in an early role, also Sydney Taffler (who appears to have hardly aged when almost 25 years later he is the captain of the Liparus in RM's The Spy Who Loved Me - wow, what a connection ).

The story doesn't make much sense once the criminal mastermind's identity is revealed but by then most interest lay with admiring early 1950's England, the cars, the clothes, the law (gambling is illegal ). Oh, and whilst the music score was nothing to get exited about ... the inclusion of the Saint's signature tune midway and during the end credits was very interesting. I thought I'd read that composer Edwin Astley had claimed that a few notes hummed by author Leslie Charteris meant his TV theme had to include the author's credit. Based on its use here, that theme was very distinctive and clearly pre-dates the TV series.

For the record, IMDb credits LC for this theme, and Ivor Slaney and Roy Webb for the music score and main theme.

Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977) ... 1+/10

I thought I'd seen this before but maybe it was a clip or two and I recalled virtually nothing ... but then it is instantly forgettable. It is so cheap and weak that it makes the Carry on ... films appear so much better, replacing broad humour and cleverly scripted comedy with a few scenes of nudity and jokes/scenes which had been overused and aged badly.

An early scene included two very expensive funeral cars ... the hire of those must have consumed a large part of the film's meagre budget.

Credit to the actors for making something of the two-page script with Anthony Booth surprisingly good ... e.g. his face-to-face with Robin Askwith ... and surviving the inclement English weather. I wonder if the script was changed each day to allow for the rain ... with dry interludes.

It was good to see Liz Frazer in the last third, bringing some quality to the cast!

When you know that the script for this was penned by Christopher Wood, roughly at the same time as he was brought on board the juggernaut of writers for JB007 (I've read his book which describes these events) it does help explain why the script to The Spy Who Loved Me is one of the weakest in that franchise (including its facile humour).

Music score by Ed Welch ... at least the title credit song by The Wurzels (laying the ground for the anti-European jokes to come) was tuneful.

On the evening of May 8, 1945—VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), Princesses Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) and Margaret (Bel Powley)—the future Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret, Countess of Snowden—beg their parents, father King George VI (Rupert Everett) and mother Elizabeth (Emily Watson), to allow them to go into the streets of London to celebrate with their subjects. Very reluctantly agreeing, the royal parents assign two soldiers, “Lieutenants Pryce and Burridge” (Jack Laskey and Jack Gordon) to act as their chaperones. So, with the younger Margaret attired in a party dress and Elizabeth outfitted in her Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform, the two venture outside the Palace gates and into the surging and boisterous crowds.

Taken by their chaperones directly by car to a hotel ballroom, where their parents have set up a greeting line of middle-aged and elderly admirers, the girls realize they’ve been had. But it doesn’t take long for the free-spirited Margaret to ditch her more straightlaced sister as well as their chaperones and go off partying with some London revelers. Escaping her overseers as well, Elizabeth follows in search of her sister. Entering a pub, she meets soldier “Jack Hodges” (Jack Reynor), whom she later discovers is AWOL from his unit, which is scheduled to ship out soon to continue the war in the Pacific. Still keeping her identity a secret, Elizabeth charms the reluctant and cynical Jack into aiding her in her search for Margaret.

Although grounded in fact (Elizabeth and Margaret really did go out that night, albeit in the company of a large group of friends), this film fantasizes a completely different experience for the women, which includes the first stirrings of romance for the young Elizabeth. While the things that occur in the film probably happened countless times to other Londoners that night, the fact that we see them occurring to famous personages is what makes them worthy of having a film made about them. The film is diverting, but ultimately inconsequential.

Paul Englishby’s score is comprised of two parts—ersatz Big Band numbers for the scenes of Elizabeth and Jack prowling the streets and nightclubs, and more introspective cues for the pair’s budding relationship. The score, which also includes three Glenn Miller numbers, was released in the UK and Europe by Sony Classical. The low-budget British film wasn’t destined to be a big earner in the States and that proved to be the case, with a U.S. gross of less than $300K. But foreign earnings of $4.5 million may have put the film into the black.

I grew-up loving westerns and saw this at the cinema on its release. I recall being very disappointed ...

A modern western in both its setting (1909 ... motors, talk of planes) and in its production (this was no John Wayne/Jimmy Stewart/Henry Fonda clone ...) it didn't sit well with me. Some near 50 years on and I pushed myself to watch it again, somewhat prejudiced.

It's a poor affair, dreadful non-sensical story with little to redeem it. Such redeeming features are lovely landscapes, watching James Coburn (despite not liking his character) ... and great Jerry Goldsmith music, notwithstanding it doesn't fit with the visuals!

In 1976 I didn't know the source of JG's music ... it sounded great! ... now I know the scores to 100 Rifles et al.. I don't suggest any of those were better films but you're better-off listening to those scores than watching this mishmash ... a film which should never have been green-lighted. Little of the story makes sense and despite its running time of 98mins (per IMDb) it drags and becomes tedious. Worse still, you have no affinity for any of the characters.

I didn't think I liked this series, but I liked On Stranger Tides after seeing it on TV, so after seeing the first three films on sale in a charity shop for only £4 the lot (Blu-ray 2-disc sets, 2nd disc is extras) I thought I'd buy them & give them a go. Anyway, Black Pearl this evening, & I have to say I really enjoyed it, maybe 2 & 3 won't be as good, we'll see.

With the intrada disc finally arriving a few days ago, I decided to give the film another spin. Tonight was probably my 3rd/4th watch since it's release. I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. I was obviously iously lighter than the first. Having said that it was still quite violent ( which was nice), if not as graphic. The cast were mostly fine. I thought Grace Jones came.out of it the best. I'm not a fan of hers but she was well suited, here. It, mostly, looked good. There was once scene that was sh*t( even my pop spotted it)- where the escape the Crystal Palace, on a boat- there was some bad back projection.

My second viewing (after many years) and I'd forgotten a lot. It was Robert Mitchum's name which had attracted me but his role is much more as supporting actor. But then, the other two Roberts listed as main stars, Young and Ryan, do not fill the screen time.

This could have been a stage play ... there are few incidental outdoor scenes ... and it is, in essence, a murder mystery akin to Agatha Christie except that it's set in New York and involves the US military (albeit the main characters have recently demobbed). In the UK we're used to seeing our Police restricted when dealing with the military (permission has to be sought to interview, etc.) but here the dogged detective (a wonderful Robert Young) has no such limitations.

The story revolves around bigotry - antisemitism specifically - and makes for uncomfortable viewing. The filmmakers/story allow the viewer to despise the killer more by showing the victim as being not the man the killer thinks he is. I do wonder whether ... but I won't go there.

The middle section of the film (especially as wanted man Mitchell tells his story) does drag a little but all scenes do become relevant for the denouement. It's rather preachy and perhaps it's just as relevant today ... but I won't go there.

Score by Roy Webb works (a little heavy in the Main/End titles) with some nice jazz background interludes.

I didn't think I liked this series, but I liked On Stranger Tides after seeing it on TV, so after seeing the first three films on sale in a charity shop for only £4 the lot (Blu-ray 2-disc sets, 2nd disc is extras) I thought I'd buy them & give them a go. Anyway, Black Pearl this evening, & I have to say I really enjoyed it, maybe 2 & 3 won't be as good, we'll see.

I really enjoyed the first film. It was fresh and interesting. Surprisingly dark, which was a novelty at the time. But one was enough, what Ive seen of the sequels bored me.

With the intrada disc finally arriving a few days ago, I decided to give the film another spin. Tonight was probably my 3rd/4th watch since it's release. I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. I was obviously iously lighter than the first. Having said that it was still quite violent ( which was nice), if not as graphic. The cast were mostly fine. I thought Grace Jones came.out of it the best. I'm not a fan of hers but she was well suited, here. It, mostly, looked good. There was once scene that was sh*t( even my pop spotted it)- where the escape the Crystal Palace, on a boat- there was some bad back projection.

You're to kind. The film was cringe. Especially Jones. And what a garbage ending, its like they ran out of money for the monster fight. It was like a 50's movie with no budget.

I quite like '50s movies with no budget. And 'cringe'. I've watched some 'cringe' with a steaming turd on top. In comparison this was gold, sort of.

I quite like '50s movies with no budget. And 'cringe'. I've watched some 'cringe' with a steaming turd on top. In comparison this was gold, sort of.

I like my 50's movies be in the 50's.

This made-for-television film was the pilot for the 1969 series “The Protectors” (not the later Robert Vaughn series), which became one of the three rotating series under the heading “The Bold Ones” on NBC in the fall of 1969. (The others were “The Doctors” and “The Lawyers.”) The film starred Leslie Nielsen as Police Lieutenant “Sam Danforth” and Hari Rhodes as District Attorney “Leslie Washburn.” Soon after the killings of a black teenager and a white cop threaten to inflame passions in the city, a journalist investigating the killings is murdered. Danforth and Washburn are determined to find the killer, even though they do not exactly get along with each other and disagree over procedure.

The film was directed by Lamont Johnson, and its co-stars included Aldo Ray and Ruby Dee. Smaller parts were taken by future blaxploitation stars Max Julian (THE MACK) and Fred Williamson (BLACK CAESAR). Future director John Badham (SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER) served as a production assistant.

The film didn’t shy away from frank discussion of race relations, and in a scene that would never be allowed today, a white racist played by Aldo Ray was allowed to utter the N-word on camera.

“The Protectors” debuted as part of “The Bold Ones” on 28 September 1969. In the series, Leslie Nielsen’s character became the Deputy Police Chief in the California town of San Sebastian to make him more equivalent to Hari Rhodes’ District Attorney (now named

The series was not a murder-of-the-week type procedural, but instead tackled various social issues through a law enforcement lens. Episodes focused on city contract corruption, police corruption, a convicted rapist who is ordered retried by the state supreme court because of procedural errors in his trial, a highly contagious disease that threatens the city, an Army deserter being shielded by a church, and drug use in schools. Usually in each episode, the storytelling would grind to a halt while Danforth and Washburn would make speeches to each other—Danforth expounding on how laws need to be enforced and obeyed until they are changed through democratic processes, and Washburn on how the accused need to be looked at as individuals, with compassion and understanding.

To maintain a documentary-like feel to the series, the early episodes were unscored, and they opened and closed with a voice-over of a radio talk show host discussing the week’s issue with people calling in to his show. However, later episodes added some music. The series was likely too socially conscious for its time. It proved to be the least popular of the three rotating “Bold Ones” shows and was cancelled after a single season of six episodes.

As expected, a bit flabby compared to the first one (which I saw the day before), various plots & people running around all over the place & action scenes going on for far too long (but then they always do) & the film's a bit too long, but it does look great. I still enjoyed it, it is funny how it just ends with nothing resolved & will be continued on the third film (I understand films 2 & 3 were shot together), fine for me, just a week, but people who saw it at the cinema had to wait a year. I think my favourite will remain On Stranger Tides, with a leaner plot & a stronger narrative drive (& the great Ian McShane as Blackbeard).

...as I posted, I got the Blu-rays of the three films for only £4 in a charity shop (& they look new), that's a lot of movie & budget for only £4; my Saturday newspaper costs me £3.

Gothic murder mystery set on chilly East coast USA, 1830, in which Detective Christian Bale enlists the help of young military cadet, Edgar Allen Poe, to solve a series of gruesome murders taking place in and around the Academy grounds.
Slow, gritty, dark and seductive and featuring a mesmerising performance by Harry Melling (grandson of Patrick Troughton) as young Poe, it's not for all tastes (it's quite dour and slow paced) but the subject matter is right in my wheelhouse and I was rapt for the 2 hour duration.
I felt it stumbled a tad in the last quarter and it's all quite no-frills, but it has stacks of atmosphere and presence.
Nice to see Robert Duval pop up in a two scene cameo as well.
Howard Shore supplies a rumbling orchestral score, cut from the same cloth as his SILENCE OF THE LAMBS soundtrack.

Don’t Worry Darling (2022) 4/10

A half-baked, derivative thriller styled and art directed up the wazoo. Woulda made for a better Vanity Fair layout.

Glass Onion (2022) 5/10

Rachel Weisz's husband and a cast of B & C listers stumble through an over-long, witless whodunnit.

My Policeman (2022) 5/10

Stale, closet-case period piece that's as welcome as another rainy day in England. Harry Styles' uneven performance is the least of the film's many drawbacks.

In From the Side (2022) 6/10

Two fit blokes who play for a gay rugby club start a sweaty, tumultious affair. An over-long, over-cooked romance entails.

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) 8/10

A Colin Farrell special. Darkly amusing. Darkly poignant. Pity Burwell didn't dig deeper than the sentimental.

Tár (2022) 9/10

Exceptional character study with an exceptional performance from Cate Blanchett. Impeccably written, directed and staged.

The Triangle of Sadness (2022) 8/10

There isn't anything new to say about the eternal Class Struggle™, and Ruben Östlund doesn't even pretend to try, so he just goes for the jugular in this OTT satire graced with many entertaining performances.

Any similarity with The Raven with John Cusak?

Eric Porter's performance as the doctor who seeks to study and understand Anna's psychotic behaviour makes this film watchable, far beyond its general entertainment merits. Very little is explained - perhaps the script was pruned but some scene jumps (such as what does the doctor do with the body in the bath?) leave you wondering if a reel of film has been forgotten - but in essence we have a variation on the usual Jack the Ripper storyline.

Good support from Angharad Rees as Anna and Derek Godfrey as the slimy politician who is the catalyst but the roles for the doctor's son and his fiancé are underwritten, somewhat redundant until the film's climax.

A few decent exterior shots (at least they appeared to be) gave the film a glossier appearance than the usual Hammer production and there's a lovely score by Christopher Gunning (one lyrical theme is included on the first compilation of Hammer themes).