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Reviews
Flashpoint (1984)
Forgotten 80s thriller worth a watch
I saw this in the theater when it was released, only because I was a fan of Tangerine Dream. I was expecting a mediocre B movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a good conspiracy thriller, well worth your time. Unfortunately, it hardly had a release - probably because it was part of HBO's failed attempt to break into the theatrical market ("the Hitcher" was another one of their titles). And sadly, it's been poorly treated on physical media. It was on VHS and DVD, but both in full frame and both out of print. I would love a proper widescreen Blu-ray. It's a movie that deserves to be discovered.
Hide in Plain Sight (1980)
A great film that most have never heard of
This film DID get a theatrical release, but it quickly disappeared. It's unfortunate, because it's very thoughtful film. As a director, Caan made some interesting choices.
As a side note, I saw Caan discussing it in an interview a long time ago. He said the studio had no faith in the film, so they dumped it without much advertisement. And then they were shocked when it received great reviews. But by then, it was already dead. He also mentioned that the pan & scan version that was on TV changed a lot of wide-screen two shots into separate shots! I'm not sure if the same thing happened with the VHS, but I'll bet it did. Hopefully, a proper version will come out on DVD one of these days.
Eaten Alive (1976)
Tobe Hooper directed this?
I won't rehash what you've already read. All I can say is that I don't believe that Tobe Hooper directed this film. I, too, am a fan of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." That film's budget was so low that they shot on 16mm, but the films still looked stylish. "Eaten Alive," on the other hand, looks like it was shot by film students. The lighting is amateurish, the sets awful. And the script! Actually, I'm pretty sure there wasn't a script. Do yourself a favor and avoid this misfire.
Opera (1987)
Huge let down!
Warning: Spoilers.
I recently saw "Susperia," liked it, and hoped "Opera" would be more of the same. Unfortunately, I felt that it was a huge let down. It's a very well made film--that's for sure. I wish there were more directors as technically accomplished and ambitious as Argento, but the script was poor.
This isn't a matter of a few small plot holes, either. The protagonist acts stupidly (and illogically) throughout the film. I mean just about everything she does goes contrary to what any normal person would do. She doesn't do this because she's stupid, but because of the writer's laziness. And the police department! A murderer is on the loose. He has just killed the protagonist's agent and a cop. Do the police put the protagonist in custody for her own protection? Do they even ask her questions? No, they allow her to perform an Opera! I could go on and on about the many other moments like these. And then there's the ending. Not the tacked on ending, but the awful, awful scene in the back room with the villain. Then there's the horid use of heavy metal music. I'm sure you get the point.
I know there are a lot of fans of this film out there, but I don't understand how you can check your brain at the door (which is what you must have to do to enjoy this film).