Movie Review - Juggernaut

Juggernaut

1974

The Cast

On paper, this film should not be as monotonously sleep-inducing as it actually is.  That isn't the roar of the engines or the crashing of the waves against the ships hull you hear... it's the audiences snoring...

The story tells the tale of two courageous men... bomb disposal technicians.  Who have to cope with, not just one, but several cleverly constructed devices onboard a cruise liner.  This should, in itself, bring in a multitude of ways to create an interesting film.  Tension, suspense, panic, and fear at the very least.  Well, no!  The very least appears to be a total disappearance of these elements.  The way most of the movie is filmed is in such a fashion to hinder these feelings untenable.  For example, the scene where the heroes board the ship.  This should have been one exciting moment as the ship is in rough seas and the men are parachuting in from a plane... wasn't a helicopter available(?)  Of course one of them ends up in the sea and has to clamber onto a rope to survive.  However, this is rendered boring by bad editing and worse filming as the scene is shot from a distance and the sea spray renders the shot near impossible to view.  There are a lot of distance shots throughout.  This, at times - though not always, adds interesting camera viewpoints...  however, there's usually very little happening in these instances; a man walking through an office, a group of passengers dancing, a man walking through a bank, etc...  I believe the director was going for a realistic approach but on the whole, realism is boring.  I want my films to invigorate me, at least a little.  Take the ballroom scene when all the passengers are informed of the explosive predicament they are in.  Do they panic?  Do they get anxious and upset?  Do tempers and attitudes start to flair?  No, they just mope about; evidently, the pay for extra's was non-existent after paying for the good cast.  I've never seen a group look so bored.  So much for striking terror into the hearts of people!

Even the actors appear to suffer from the same malignity of dullness as their characters often appear two dimensional and flat.  The worst is Omar Sharif who's rendition of Captain Alex Brunel is so laid back and paper-thin he's almost not there.  Poor Old Roy Kinnear is just annoying as the Social Director of the cruise.  His jokes are worse than bad and his delivery is terrible.  The only thing funny is his name, Curtain - a good name for a person who arranges the entertainment; though I do wish they'd dropped the curtain at the start of this disastrous movie.

Not even the likes of Richard Harris, David Hemmings, Anthony Hopkins, and Ian Holm can lift this out off the doldrums... at times, Ian Holm looks as if he could join the audience for a snooze.  The best actor in the whole film, who actually adds an engaging spark, is Freddie Jones as Sidney Buckland.  If only the rest of the cast and characters were as appealing.  However, one character in a busload is too little... and he's not even a major character.

There are much better films of this ilk out there so I'd recommend you check out one of them rather than this film.

I give this a Juggernaut Of A Disastrous 3.75 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Murder On The Orient Express

Murder On The Orient Express

1974

The Cast

  

This is an apotheosis of a star-studded movie - but where most films of similar ilk fall flat this reigns supreme...  The Story is so good and the director does a brilliant job of bringing this to the large screen and the actors add to the strength of their skills.

There are a couple of drawbacks, for me...  Firstly, I'm not a fan of Hercule Poirot (I much prefer Miss Marple) and Finney's portrayal of the detective left me cold and irritated.  Though he and the director did get his pompous peacock preening down pat, it was more Finney's vocals and no-neck stance that got under my skin.  Secondly, there were a few scene's where the director used Perkins "Norman Bates" to cast suspicion on his character, as Norman does make an appearance a couple of times.

Though, all this said, the rest of the film is delicious and splendidly filmed.  There are some really nice panning sequences; I especially liked the sequence where the train guard walks down the platform as the train pulls out - this is expertly done and sets a great atmosphere, though the music is a little too saccharine for me.

This is a great whodunnit, which I did solve before Hercule, but not too quickly so as to spoil the film, so this is a bonus as it draws the audience in and makes them part of the story and movie.  If you like murder mysteries then this is the one to watch, you should even enjoy it if you've read the novel and know the outcome, as the acting and direction is that good.

I would recommend this to mystery and thriller lovers as well as movie aficionados.  This is now on my favourites list and I will watch it again - even though I'll have to put up with Finney's Poirot.

I give this a mysterious and suspicious 8.75 our of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - The Last House On Dead End Street

The Last House On Dead End Street

AKA:  The Fun House 

1977

Production Concepts Ltd. / Today Productions Inc.

Cinematic Releasing Corporation / DCS Video Screams / Fright Video / Vinigar Syndrome

6.5 / 10

This film isn't as bad as it should be.  Let me explain, the concept is that after serving a sentence in prison for drug related crimes Roger Watkins has had an epiphany.  Kill people for fame and money.  To do this he will make snuff movies with the help of his friends.  Then for it to be told from the miscreant's point of view is a horrifying idea.

However, writer, director, and actor, Terry Hawkins does not turn this into an exploitation film or glorify or condone the horror's portrayed within.  What he gives his viewers is a psychological chiller, which is heavy on the chills.  Hawkins actually makes the audience think and reflect on the nature of the participants of the crimes committed.  I came away feeling mentally cold and more than a little sickened, which is a pretty hard thing to do as I have a strong stomach.  This emotion is a good thing though as I believe it was the aim of the filmmaker.  This is thought-provoking entertainment and not a happy and joyful performance; you should not come away from this movie feeling cheerful.  It should make the audience at least start to wonder how dark the thoughts within mankind are.  How far would one go to make money(?)  Or to be the person they are under their "Normal-World" mask?

The original title when the film was released in 1974 was The Fun House and there are rumours of the BBFC getting it wrong by banning the wrong Funhouse by choosing Tobe Hooper's film of that name from 1981 - see my review here.  When it was rereleased in 1977 to larger audiences somebody had the idea to use Wes Craven's success with The Last House On The Left to rename it to the present title.

I liked the way Hawkins builds up to the story.  The movie starts out slow as he paints the picture of Roger Watkins', his dream, the recruitment of his friends, and the choice of his victims.  Then when the killings start he takes his time to pull all the tension and disgust out of his viewers with some very nasty and graphic images.  The special effects team, as well as the lighting crew and cameramen, do a magnificent job of making all of this feel and appear realistic.  I've seen some pretty nasty horrific special effects, though this is one of the few that has stayed with me.

There's also the concept of what's next(?)  In this film, Hawkins asks the question of the porn business.  When people have become used to and complacent with the normal sex acts and even S&M is becoming run-of-the-mill then what's the next big thing(?)  To some extent, this is still evident today on the internet, so this notion and opinion are still viable today, especially when you get psychopaths posting animal cruelty videos online.

Hawkins is also a pretty good director and though it feels like it's been shot on a handheld 8mm there are some good camera angles and iconic shots which also add strength to the movie.  The use of imagery, particularly the use of Greek masks adds a nice eeriness. Apart from the unrelenting depravity, the only thing which makes this film a little grating is the acting which is below average, though to be fair, most of the actors are students.

Would I recommend this to anyone?  Yes:  To anyone looking to create horrific imagary, either for a horror or a thriller film then watch this movie... this is how it should be done, this is the kind of atmosphere you should be looking to create.  The same can be said of directors who are working on a budget.  If you're a film fan and have a strong constitution and enjoy thought-provoking movies then this could be for you, but don't think you'll be a happy bunny at the end of watching it.