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Reviews
Karakter (1997)
Twisted Dickens
I agree with the comments that praised this film's characterizations, acting and script and compared watching it to curling up with a good classic novel. In fact, it struck me as an odd version of "The Christmas Carol". Scrooge and his "Xmas past" self are the father and son. Instead of the love of money, there's a love of power. There's the same self-loathing and bitter memories, but no warning spirits and little redemption. I loved it.
Terror on the Beach (1973)
Pointless drivel of white bread family heroes vs. dirty, violent free spirits
I can't believe I waste my time watching this garbage! I did because Leonard Maltin gave it an "AA" rating, and for TV movies this is usually a reliable indicator of some quality entertainment.
The acting was OK, but whoever wrote it should be forever denied access to any medium of communication. The plot is ludicrous, the motivations of the "bad guys" totally absent, and the various family interactions silly and shallow. For example, Dad preaches that violent reaction to aggression is BAD, but he turns out to be an "admirable" person NOT because of his "ignore the idiots" philosophy, but because he's pretty good with his fists...
The ONLY message I was able to glean from this pap was that the nuclear family is Good and alternate living arrangements are Bad. Oh, and Bad people happen to Good people.
Borderline (1930)
This film makes no sense.
I'm usually a fan of "art" and "foreign" films, but when I saw this one my reaction was "it must be called experimental because it makes no sense." The "action" is static, while at the same time it bounces from one location to another. There aren't enough titles to make it clear who is who and what their relationships are. Apparently the main point was to show that in the face of murder, adultery and generally weird and dissolute behavior, the cure offered by the powers that be is to banish a totally innocent black man.
The Cat Creature (1973)
Worth watching for the old-time actors.
This is a very silly story, but I loved seeing a very young Meredith Baxter along with gothic/horror film regulars of the 30s and 40s such as John Carradine, Peter Lorre and Gale Sondergaard. Oh, and Charlie Chan's Number One Son Keye Luke.