BEST AND WORST PT 2

April 29, 2017 Alan Royle 3

  BEST ‘CAPER’ FILM: The Sting (1973)      This selection was a ‘no-brainer’. If Lawrence of Arabia was near-perfect, The Sting is probably a touch better. Quite simply, it is a seamless, brilliant piece of movie-making. Great writing, an ideal cast on the top of their game, and a […]

THE BEST AND WORST PT 1.

April 27, 2017 Alan Royle 0

  I was recently asked to name ONE movie in each of a number of genres and categories as my favourite, and ONE in each that I considered to be grossly over-rated. Almost an impossible task, but I promised to take a crack at it. Here are my choices, randomly […]

No Image

‘THE VIKINGS’ (1958)

April 23, 2017 Alan Royle 0

                                    The Vikings was shot in the summer of 1957 when its star, Kirk Douglas, was already 40 years old. Einar, the character he was playing, was supposed to be in his twenties. Well, […]

‘THE LAST VALLEY’ (1971) – a hidden gem.

April 21, 2017 Alan Royle 18

  The Last Valley (1971) was panned almost universally, probably because it echoed writer/director James Clavell’s well-known atheism. Churches hate that kind of thing and they had enough clout back then to strongly influence many critics in their reviews. Personally, I thought the script was brilliant, the acting excellent, and John […]

No Image

Casting Blunders Pt 1.

April 19, 2017 Alan Royle 0

I often watch movies over and over again, just for the pleasure of re-visiting an extraordinary performance. Occasionally, as for instance with Double Indemnity (1944), it is not only an individual performance, but a combination of strong acting from more than one player, a fabulous script, seamless directing, and a […]

Indiana Jones – the good and not so good.

April 11, 2017 Alan Royle 0

As shooting on this picture drew to a close, Paramount executives arranged a little surprise for its star Harrison Ford. Chained to a rock and about to be flogged by a turbaned torturer, he was astonished by the sight of Barbra Streisand dressed in black leather and brandishing a phony […]