Review – Secret Lives

This documentary is made all the more fascinating by its own lackluster production values. It looks and feels like nothing more than a bunch of old folks yakking on at length about childhood memories. However, these people’s childhoods were a bit different than most: during the Holocaust their Jewish parents left them with sympathetic families in order to save them from the Nazis. Through their recollections and old snapshots they tell heartbreaking stories of separation, the constant paranoia of hiding, good and bad times with their new families, and then the permanent sense of loss (and even an occasional reunion) after the war. Interviewees also include former foster parents and foster brothers and sisters. Worth seeing

Review – Lambada

As God is my witness, I swear I never thought I’d ever need to type these words, but here they are nonetheless: this movie needed way more Lambada. Even an unending parade of the “forbidden dance” would have been a welcome relief from what otherwise turned out to be a dreadful 80s teen movie. A teacher at a high school for rich kids moonlights at a local dance club, dividing his time between forbidden dancing and teaching geometry to the street urchins. Before we’re done, we’ve gone through just about every dumb cliché in the juvenile drama book. And by the time it ends up with a math competition between the rich kids and the punks (guess who wins), I was ready to beg for mercy. See if desperate

Review – Count Dracula

According to the credits, this was originally released as Les Nuits de Dracula. That – plus the plethora of English names in the cast and Italian names in the credits – suggests that it’s one of those international horror productions from the early 1970s. It sticks fairly closely to the original Stoker story line. Mostly what it is, however, is dull. Maybe I’m just too familiar with the plot, but I have no use for a plodding retelling of the same old tale. Christopher Lee stars as the Count, but even he doesn’t manage to bring much to the production. See if desperate

Review – Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror

Like Bones, this was a little better than the title made it sound like it would be. Indeed, the first two sequences – tag artist gets the demonic power to kill rivals and redneck landlord pushes Vietnam vets too far – are entertaining in a not-too-mentally-challenging way. The last sequence – greedy rap star gets his come-uppance – doesn’t amount to much, nor does Mr. Dogg’s appearance as a Crypt Keeper figure. Overall this could have been much worse, though it’s still plenty dumb and more than a little pointless. See if desperate

Review – The Bad Sleep Well

The battlefield here is 20th century corporate corruption rather than Medieval samurai drama, but this is still classic Kurosawa. Toshiro Mifune stars as an ambitious young executive newly wed to the daughter of one of the company’s high mucky mucks. But strange things are afoot, as the authorities crack down on bribery scandals and our hero reveals a secret agenda of his own. I suspect that at least part of the subtle charm of the drama is lost in the translation, but enough makes it through to keep things interesting. Worth seeing

Review – Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto

This is the first installment in director Hiroshi Inagaki’s trilogy about the life of the legendary swordsman. I’m glad he made three of them, because this one doesn’t stand particularly well on its own. Our hero is ably played by Toshiro Mifune (who else?), but here he doesn’t get much of a part to work with. The protagonist starts life as a peasant and more than a bit of a jerk, a guy with some natural talent but no discipline. After escaping at the end of the Battle of Sekigahara, Musashi takes to the hills and soon becomes a wanted man. When he returns to his home village, the local priest sees potential in him and locks him in the attic with a library full of classic books rather than turning him over to the authorities. After three years, he emerges a wiser man and dedicated samurai. All this is great set-up, but then the movie ends. I should also pause to gripe that many of the swordfights take place at night in dimly-lit locations, which diminishes their impact. So at this point the best I can say is that I’m anxiously awaiting the second installment. Mildly amusing

Review – Executive Decision

Here’s September 11 five years before it actually happened. Thank goodness that the real-life terrorists didn’t have the wit or wherewithal to pack the plane with enough nerve gas to kill half the people on the Eastern Seaboard. The cast includes Halle Berry on her way up and stars Kurt Russell and Steven Segal headed in the opposite direction. Story-wise, using a “remora” to sneak commandos aboard a hijacked jet is an intriguing idea, though it’s largely unwoven by twists and subplots that are far too dependent on Murphy’s Law. Mildly amusing