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The Third Man (1949)
The ZITHER MUSIC ruined this otherwise perfect Noir movie
I have seen THE THIRD MAN many, many times because it is a powerful and incredibly entertaining Post WW II Film Noir. Everything about it is perfect: shot on location in war-torn Vienna; intriguing characters played by a superb cast headed by Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton; spellbinding black & white cinematography with ominous dark shadows, eerie deserted streets and unsettling camera angles. The police chase through the Vienna sewers is a fantastic and iconic Film Noir masterpiece.
How come then, I shed a tear every time I see this movie? Answer: ... because the ZITHER SOUNDTRACK COMPLETELY RUINS THIS MOVIE! Every time the music appears I wince and turn the sound on my TV down. The music destroys whatever is going on in the movie be it dialogue or plot development. The jingly-jangly sound of the zither truly undermines the greatness of this film.
I have nothing against Anton Karas, the composer and musician of the zither music in the movie. He's a fine musician I am sure, but to have his zither as the one and only musical instrument in this movie was a bad decision. Carol Reed is a celebrated movie director and he did an exceptional job with this movie. Why he agreed to the zither music as the only music for this movie is beyond me. Who made this final decision on this mistake?
Possible solution: It would be awesome if this movie could be re-scored with a completely new soundtrack, something more appropriate for a world-class Noir thriller such as this. With today's advancements in movie digital re-mastering (and working from an original print) it would be fairly easy to remove the zither music and replace it with something better. Actually, this movie would do well without a musical score, period! Let's put it this way ... no soundtrack would be better than the zither mess we have now.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
Exquisite, Charming Movie, but Dark and Disturbing as Hell
I had heard about "Picnic at Hanging Rock" since it came out in the mid 1970's, but for one reason or another never got around to see it until recently when it was aired on Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
An amazing movie indeed! Everything about it is "picture perfect" from the flawless acting, to the cinematography, to the captivating music, to the intriguing plot about a girls' school in rural Australia in 1900. Be forewarned however, this movie has a powerfully sinister edge that stays with you long after you've seen it.
With its engaging characters, mysterious plot twists and Peter Weir's uncanny direction, "Picnic at Hanging Rock" leaves the viewer dazzled in an ominous sort of way. Nightmares are possible after viewing this movie! For a movie to be so visually and psychologically powerful, it deserves my rating of "10 +" .
Santa's Slay (2005)
Shame on you, Goldberg ... (Disgusting!)
OK, I get it ... a Christmas black comedy movie with plenty of laughs and some violence here and there to liven things up a bit. Cool, yes? NO!!!! SANTA's SLAY is an abomination of a flick. The annoying characters and un-funny humor were bad enough, but the violence was absolutely repulsive. I could understand horror and gore in movies like SAW and HOSTEL, but in SANTA's SLAY the level of violence was uncalled for, thus making it just plain gruesome and blood curdling. I'll spare you the details, but beware where the menorah winds up. Gross ....
Bill Goldberg (as well as the other well known celebrities in the movie) must have gotten a nice amount of money to participate in this barf-fest. Oh well, the movie is almost 15 years old now. I hope Goldberg (one of my favorite wrestlers BTW), has gone on to bigger and better things. No more Santa movies, pullllease!
Morlocks (2011)
Why so many poor reviews???
I'm truly surprised by how many bad reviews this movie has gotten. Believe me, I have seen far worse movies than this! TIME MACHINE: RISE OF THE MORLOCKS (aka MORLOCKS) is a very entertaining Sci Fi / Military movie with believable characters and a well scripted story. The main actors David Hewlett, Christina Cole and Daniel Caltagirone brought their characters to life and kept the movie on course from beginning to end.
Though not quite as polished and extravagant as a big budget Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott movie, the acting, special effects, sets and location shots in MORLOCKS were quite impressive. Definitely worth watching . . .
Hover (2018)
Excellent opening sequence, then movie went SOUTH real fast!
I commend the people responsible for the opening sequence with the credits and film information -- excellent use of font graphics and overhead / aerial shots from drones. Promising beginning, but ....
After that, the movie quickly became a mess of poor acting (especially Ms. Cleopatra), poor direction, and poor story development. The special effects and drone CGI were good, but they were overshadowed by the unconvincing acting and dull story. Better luck next time!
Chappie (2015)
I hated Yolandi's big, fat, disgusting WHITE RAT!
Out of the many things that went wrong with "Chappie," for me the worst was seeing Yolandi's huge, disgusting white rodent perched on her shoulder. Really??? Ughhh! The over-sized creature makes its appearance several times throughout the movie, and each time I just had to look away.
It was hilarious when Yolandi and the others are teaching Chappie how to speak and Yolandi keeps saying, "Rat ... Rat ... Rattt...!!" The scene was ridiculous and gross. Yes, Chappie learned that word all too well. For this and other reasons (well documented by other reviewers) I can only give a 1 Star rating.