mbrahms26 Reviews

Star Trek: Where No Man Has Gone Before (1966) Season 1, Episode 3

One of the Best TOS Episodes...Too Bad About the Pant Suits

[10/10 · 13 March 2022]

This should have been the first episode shown, not the third, as the cast and sets were different from the first two episodes and all that followed. Spock's appearance character was also different. This was not surprising since it a pilot, the second one. Nevertheless, this was an exciting installment, allowing for the fact that ESP, which was taken seriously back in 1965, has been debunked via numerous studies. My only complaint were the pant suits on the female cast members. Just imagine the gorgeous and leggy Sally Kellerman and Andrea Dromm wearing those ultra short skirts that Uhuru, Nurse Chapel, Yeoman Rand and all other women crew members had to wear!

Jaguar (2021)

Bloody Awful

[1/10 · 12 March 2022]

In what could be viewed as a perfect alternative to self-flagellation, I watched all six episodes of this wretched mini-series. I was horrified to see that nothing was resolved in the last installment, so I guess there will be a Season Two? Bad acting, bad script, bad music and more plot holes, insults to the intelligence of the viewers and plot contrivances than I could count. A good example: the Jaguar Nazi hunters circling a yacht while under close range machine gun fire from about eight men without anyone being hit (not for the only time!) and then crashing their speed boat into the yacht and blowing it up, with every Jaguar remaining unhurt, with the two Nazis they were chasing also surviving. The less said about the Jaguars escape from a hospital filled with soldiers out to kill them, the better. It was so ridiculous it was almost hilarious.

The Siege of Jadotville (2016)

Totally Ridiculous Film

[1/10 · 11 February 2022]

Right, 150 Irish soldiers endure a five day siege, prevailing against 20 to one odds, being shot at, mortared, and strafed, killing several hundred African Katangan soldiers in the process, while not losing a single man killed. I was half expecting at the end that the Katangans would come out and regale the Irish garrison with a tribal song saluting "fellow braves" a la "Zulu."

The Twilight Zone: The Hunt (1962) Season 3, Episode 19

Well Done And Sentimental

[9/10 · 5 February 2022]

I was just 10 when I saw this episode back in 1961, but I recall it like it was yesterday. The ending was rather cheesy and predictable, but the gentle music, rustic setting and Arthur Hunnicutt's compelling performance made it one of my favorites, even though by no stretch of the imagination am I a dog lover. Quite the opposite! I have always enjoyed watching this many times since then, including tonight.

Parkland (2013)

The Truth About JFK's Assassination

[10/10 · 22 January 2022]

I give this film full credit for recognizing that Oswald was the sole assassin of JFK and for refusing to embrace the lunatic conspiracy theories that abound about the event, as were depicted in Oliver Stone's disgraceful diatribe. Excellent performances abound. My only misgiving is the lack of any mention of the fact that Oswald's second shot, then one that passed through JFK's throat, also seriously wounded John Connally, the governor of Texas.

It Happened in Flatbush (1942)

An Enjoyable Baseball Flick

[10/10 · 15 January 2022]

This was a nice, nostalgic flick about a bygone baseball era. Nolan and Landis were in top form. My only complaints were 1) the film could not use the actual name of "the Brooklyn team," i.e. The "Dodgers," and 2) most of the Brooklyn fans spoke in Irish brogues. In actuality, Dodger fans in the 1940's came from a variety of European backgrounds, such as Jewish, Italian, Irish, Scandinavian and Polish. Most were actually born and raised in Brooklyn and spoke with distinctive "Brooklyn accents." As for the Irish-Americans in Brooklyn, most could trace their ancestry in the USA back to the 19th Century. They did not speak in brogues!

Capturing Mary (2007 TV Movie)

I Coudn't Stop Laughing

[1/10 · 7 January 2022]

I found it hard to take the disjointed plot of this film seriously, since the David Walliams character reminded me so much of the actor who played Lumpy on "Leave It to Beaver" some 60 years ago. Every time he opened his mouth with that upper crust British accent I cracked up laughing. I half expected him to say "Gee Wally, my dad won't let me have the car tonight." As for Maggie Smith, she looked like she was 100 years old and acted senile to boot. The young East Asian security guy in the mansion she was endlessly reminiscing in should have tossed her bodily into the street.

American Badger (2021)

I Would Assign A Negative Rating If Possible

[1/10 · 7 December 2021]

The American Badger is truly amazing. He singlehandedly kills about 70 hoodlums of various races and nationalities in this film, helped by the fact that his victims politely wait to attack him one at a time and have the collective IQ of a lump of coal. The plot is incoherent, the dialogue is often mumbled, the fight scenes are ludicrous, and the best acting performance is turned in by a dog. This piece of drek must be Canada's revenge on the U. S. for the War of 1812. You have been warned.

The Great Escape (1963)

Memorable Film That Was Ignored At the Oscars

[10/10 · 28 November 2021]

This is quite simply one of the greatest films of all time. It ranks right up there with Patton, Barry Lyndon, The Godfather, The Bridge On the River Kwai, and many other classics. It had a terrific story, riveting drama, great acting, beautiful cinematography, and a memorable score. Yet it was not nominated for Best Picture in 1964, despite the fact that the overblown and inferior "How the West Was Won" and "Cleopatra" were. Elmer Bernstein's great score was not nominated either, and no actors in the film received nominations, even though the likes of Steve McQueen, Donald Pleasance and Richard Attenborough, among others, richly deserved nominations. No, the "Great Escape's" only Oscar Nomination was for "Adapted Screenplay," and the win went to another nominee!

The Devil's Rain (1975)

No Comprendo Nada!

[1/10 · 28 November 2021]

I just saw this film on "Swengoolie. I wish I hadn't. I have no idea what the incoherent plot was all about, and the ending made absolutely no sense. What the falling "Devil's Rain" is supposed to be must remain a mystery. Without doubt the worst movie ever made with such a distinguished cast.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

At Least They Ripped Off the Plot Of A Great Season 2 Episode

[1/10 · 24 November 2021]

This overly long, incoherent mess was clearly inspired by the TOS Second Season episode, "The Changeling," which featured the space probe Nomad seeking its "Creator,"but it is far inferior to the classic episode. At least they didn't base the film's plot on the wretched "Spock's Brain" episode of Season 3. It was clear that this film was trying to outdo "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Star Wars" with its over emphasis on cheesy special effects.

Brooklyn Bridge (1991–1993)

Where Are the Italian-Americans?

[1/10 · 5 November 2021]

I grew up in the 1950's Bensonhurst falsely depicted in this show. It was about 50% Italian-American and 50% Jewish, but you would never know it from "Brooklyn Bridge," where practically every character is Jewish. Both ethnic groups got along very well, taking off on their respective religious holidays from public school, with friendships, inter-group dating and inter-marrying quite common. Yet the one time the main teenage character dates a Gentile, she is shown as Irish-American! I guess to suggest that there was a strong camaraderie between Italians and Jews in Bensonhurst (and other areas) back then is now a source of embarrassment for the writers of this show.

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

What The Hell Was This?

[1/10 · 20 October 2021]

At the start of the movie, a young Mexican boy is dragged screaming to eternal torment in hell by a demon for the crime of snatching a necklace from some gypsy, who placed a curse on him. At the end of the film, a young and pretty blonde bank officer is dragged screaming to eternal torment in hell by the same demon for failing to grant a third extension on a defaulted mortgage loan to a gypsy woman who places a curse on her. The offenses, to put it mildly, do not seem to fit the never ending punishment. In between the scenes of the two screaming victims crying vainly for help is a really idiotic and boring film.

The Devil's Tomb (2009)

Don't Give Me That Old Time Religion Plus Bad Sci-Fi

[1/10 · 15 October 2021]

Combine an incoherent plot with a hodgepodge of religious mumbo jumbo and totally unsympathetic characters, and what do you get? This piece of drek! Avoid at all costs.

Field of Lost Shoes (2015)

Revisionist History From Confederate Point of View

[1/10 · 29 September 2021]

This is a dramatic, but highly distorted depiction of the Battle of New Market. The Cadets did not charge and break the Union line all by themselves and independent of orders, as shown in the film. What a crock. The whole Confederate force advanced as ordered, and the Cadets formed just a small part of the line. The final assault occurred late in the battle and succeeded because most of the Union infantry had run out of ammunition by then. There was also no hand to hand combat as depicted in the film, with Cadets bayoneting hapless Yankee veterans right and left. That scene was as bogus as the scenes in "Glory" showing intense hand to hand combat between the black soldiers of the 54th Mass. And the Confederates. Hand to hand combat involving infantry was quite rare in the Civil War. Thanks in large part to Franz Sigel's mismanagement, the Union men, who fought bravely and well, had to withdraw before the Confederates reached their position.

I have been to the New Market battlefield on a battlefield tour and read a book about it as well. It is sad to see history distorted in such a fashion. The participation of the VMI Cadets could have been depicted accurately. It was certainly dramatic enough.

Amélie (2001)

A French "Emma" Falls Way Short

[1/10 · 29 September 2021]

The viewer is expected to fall in love with the grinning face and busybody character of Amelie as she meddles in the love lives of others. I failed to do so, and was hoping someone would shoot her for not minding her own business.

Love Actually (2003)

Drek, Actually

[1/10 · 29 September 2021]

There were almost no likable or believable characters in this fulsome romance film. I felt embarrassed for Hugh Grant playing a goofy Prime Minister in love with an underling. Another segment has an officer manager actively encouraging an intra-office romance between two subordinates, which is a no-no in the business world. I hated this disaster from start to finish and upbraided the coworker who recommended it to me.

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Life Is Beautiful...In A Nazi Concentration Camp?

[1/10 · 29 September 2021]

A better title for this contrived and insulting film would have been "The Dumbest And Most Gullible Kid Who Ever Lived." Anyone who had the misfortune to sit through this preachy, ridiculous Holocaust themed comedy will understand what I mean.

Relic (2020)

Mom? Mom? Gran? Gran?

[1/10 · 19 September 2021]

If you want to waste 90 minutes listening to two confused women slowly walking through dimly lit rooms and corridors anxiously saying "Mom?" and "Gran?", then this incoherent mess is for you! Despite the fact that Mom/Gran desperately needs to be institutionalized and engages in repeated self-destructive and violent behavior, the idiot daughter and granddaughter decide to remain in the gloomy Gothic house with her until the very end. And the very end made no sense whatsoever. I think Mom/Gran was supposed to be some kind of alien, and perhaps the other two as well, but I am not sure and I do not care. Can't anyone make a decent horror film anymore.

Grizzly II: Revenge (1983)

No Wonder They Never Released Ths Dreck Until 2020

[1/10 · 2 September 2021]

The best part of this film was getting a nice view of a teenaged Laura Dern's very shapely legs at the very start of the film. Sadly, her character dies almost immediately along with a very young George Clooney and Charlie Sheen. The rest of the flick is terrible and devoid of suspense.

Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964)

The League of the South Could Have Made This Film

[1/10 · 27 July 2021]

An incoherent plot, atrocious acting, amateurish directing, and lots of sadistic gore, some of it quite misogynistic as two attractive young women are tortured and terrorized while screaming in terror before being horribly killed in drawn out scenes. The only positive aspect of the film from a male point of view is the nice eye candy, especially Linda Cochrane and Marilyn Mason.

The Thing from Another World (1951)

Not Just Great Sci-Fi, But A Great Horror Film Too!

[10/10 · 20 July 2021]

In addition to the the many superlatives contained in the various reviews, I would add another aspect of The Thing From Another World that was ahead of its time. Neither of the two female characters were stereotypical females found in sci-fi or horror films of this era. There was no panic screaming or falling down while running away, with the alpha male returning to get them to their feet. Quite the contrary, they were both level-headed and very helpful, Dr. Carrington's very pretty and sassy secretary was a perfect foil for the rather pushy Captain Henry. She stayed with Henry in the terrific fire scene and does not scream as the blazing alien slashes the mattress she is holding with his claw-like hands. She wanted to be at his side at the end outside the generator room in the final encounter with The Thing. The secondary female character, the wife if one of the scientists and apparently a doctor, calmly assists the injured scientist who staggers in from the greenhouse after being attacked by The Thing.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Real Country Folk

[10/10 · 7 July 2021]

A group of attractive young men and women (especially the two young women) encounter a typical rural Texan family that is angered by having their house entered by some of the young visitors unannounced and react in a negative manner, in particular the one with a serious speech defect. To make amends, one of the attractive young women is a dinner guest at the rural family's house and gets to meet grandpa. A nice view of Americana in the 1970's. A wholesome film for the whole family.

Scent of Mystery (1960)

Lots Of Fun With the Scents

[9/10 · 24 April 2021]

OK, I am basing this review on my recollection of this film, which I saw at the Warner Theater in Manhattan along with other members of my Brooklyn Cub Scout group back in 1960, at the age of nine. I recall the Scent -A- Vision aspect very well. The odors matched the action on the screen quite closely, and we kids enjoyed it, especially the scene where a guy is crushed to death by a rolling wine barrel, which breaks apart on impact. I recall little of the plot, but that was clearly not the point of the film, which in addition to the aromas was in color with nice cinematography. My rating is predicated on the presence of the Scent-A-Vision while watching the film.

6-Headed Shark Attack (2018 TV Movie)

Hilarious Film

[10/10 · 31 March 2021]

I gave this film a ten rating because it was so bad that it was funny, and in these tines I could always use a good laugh. The fact that practically every victim who died deserved to die also helped, especially the black coupe that while fleeing the land crawling multi-headed shark picked that time to stop and work out their frayed relationship, and then just stood there as the monster shark approached and started gobbling up the guy while his wife idiotically tried to pull him out, of course leading her to follow her husband into the hereafter. I also enjoyed the fact that that approaching massive tropical storm that caused the people on the island to lose their heads and seek shelter first in a rickety floating lab and then, after two are killed there (including the meteorologist who said the storm would swamp the island) in the lighthouse, NEVER MATERIALIZES! The sun is shining brightly at the end of the film and that storm is never mentioned once the run for the lighthouse begins. There was no reason for the survivors to panic. Priceless directing there!