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dsbeadle Of yours I've only seen one...
The Mission (1986, Roland Joffe)
Watched it when was new at a cinema, and it is visually stunning. But also remembered viewers changing were to keep thier feets often, usually a sign that it's too long. Nevertheless
7/10.
Not modern movies this week...
The Land Girls 1998 directed by David Leland and based on a novel by Angela Huth.
Starring Catherine Mc Cormack, Rachel Weisz, Anna Friel.
During World War II, the organisation "The Women's Land Army" recruited women to work on British farms while the men were off to war.
We follow three "Land Girls" as they adjust to life at a farm, even finding love. In happiness and sorrows. Grumpy old farmer don't like what's forced on him, but when the three girls shows their skills warms up to having them around, his son warms up in another way.
Don't understand the harsh critic this movie got, since I thought it was rather entertaining, and the scenery is beautiful.
Nice to see Rachel Weisz as one of the girls before becoming famous.
6,5/10.
Aliens 1986 directed by James Cameron.
Starring Sigourney Weaver, Paul Reiser, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen.
Rescued after 57 years floating in space, Ellen Ripley learns that the planet that she escaped from is now colonized by big bussiness.
Things go wrong at that planet and Ripley reluctantly has to return since she might be the only one who knows how to deal with this certain alien species.
I actually liked this sequel better than the original movie, maybe because more is visible through different lightning.
Bill Paxton plays such an anoying character that I wished he was killed off early by the alien.
Sigourney makes a great female hero.
The movie is a tad too long.
8/10.
Alaska Seas 1954 directed by Jerry Hopper.
Starring Robert Ryan, Brian Keith, Jan Sterling, Gene Barry.
Salmon fishing had to be restricted and regulated since there was danger of the fish going extinct, something black marketeers cares less about.
Robert Ryan plays one of his costumary slimy bad guys who works for those who pays best, against him is Brian Keith who helps seeing to that fishers follows the allowed quotes. In the middle is Jan Sterling who loves them both in different ways.
Nearly plays out like a western movie, but exhanging cattle thieves for salmon thieves.
Some impressive second-unit footage up in Alaska, otherwise it's pretty standard.
Good enough for a lazy Sunday.
6/10.
The Black Arrow 1948 directed by Gordon Douglas and based on a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Starring Louis Hayward, Janet Blair, George Macready, Edgar Buchanan.
Swashbuckler taking place after the war of the roses.
Young nobleman returns from the War of the Roses to find his father murdered, a fugitive family friend blamed, and his uncle occupying his estates. Yes! It's a Robin Hood clone and Robin is even mentioned in the plot.
Thanks to some actors it was actually a bit better than I thought it would be.
The big surprice was seeing veteran suporting actor Edgar Buchanan, skipping his usual drunk sidekick image, and playing a very resourceful character and master archer of bow and arrows, when the heroes discuss what to do, his character just says follow me...and he fixes things.
6,5/10.
The Paleface 1948 directed by Norman Z. McLeod and based on all Western movies made before this one.
Starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Robert Armstrong
Calamity Jane is forced to work undercover to expose guns and explosive smugglers and through circumstances as the only way out play romantic to an incompetent dentist.
Seeing a movie I remember seeing in the early 1970's, that was a laughfeast back then, I have some awareness that I might not like it seeing it again. First time in color since we had black/white TV back then.
Maybe not the laughfeast I remembered, but still rather entertaining in spots.
Objections have been made how native Americans are treated in this movie, remember it's a parody!
7/10.
Laura 1944 directed by Otto Preminger and based on a novel by Vera Caspary.
Starring Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson.
I hope I don't have to mention the plot since it could be revealing.
When it goes with classic movies, one needs to refresh memory from time to time, for me I hadn't seen it since the middle 1980's.
And I had totally forgotten the whole plot, so it made it rather fresh for me, I knew who did it, but the way to expose I had totally forgotten.
8/10.