8 Million Ways to Die. (1986)

Tri-Star Pictures
Directed by Hal Ashby
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Flix)

Alcoholic police detective Jeff Bridges finally goes over the edge during a binge, wakes up in rehab, loses his job and his wife. After an AA meeting, a hooker invites him to a party. Although he can't remember her, he goes anyway, where he meets her slimey drug dealing gang headed by Andy Garcia in an early role. She fears for her life and asks him for help, but she is murdered before he can do anything. He vows to track down her killer, enlisting her hooker friend Rosanna Arquette. After an antagonistic start, they strike up an unlikely romance, and together take down Garcia and his empire. Laced with violence and profanity befitting its setting and characters, this may have been too much for the mainstream crowd of 1986 and has been unfairly maligned. Bridges is excellent as always, and Garcia is intense, although he does wear bad 80s suits.

Red Skies of Montana (1952)

Twentieth Century-Fox Films
Directed by Joseph M. Newman
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Fox Movie Channel)

"Smoke jumpers" in Montana build fire lines while the trees explode around them. Richard Widmark is the sole survivor of the opening battle. He can't remember all of the details, experiences profound guilt and then is hounded by the son of one of the victims. He's thrown back into action and is eventually sent to fight another big blaze, but this time must prove himself to the crazed son who goes after him with an axe. Overly melodramatic at times, but the fire scenes are undeniably spectacular. However, the print shown on FMC is so faded that it should have been re-titled Light Pink Skies of Montana, which is a real shame because this is probably quite a sight in the original Technicolor.

Hearts and Minds (1974)

Directed by Peter Davis
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Showtime Extreme)

Vietnam war documentary is a mix of interviews with soldiers, footage from old Hollywood movies filled with American propaganda, politicians trying to justify the war and folks back home on both sides of the debate. It is most effective when juxtaposing pro-Vietnam supporters with horrific images from the war. The debate rages on today, only in different countries, and the enemy has changed names from "communists" to "terrorists".

Le Havre (2011)

Janus Films
Directed by Aki Kaurismaki
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A middle aged man works on the streets of Le Havre, France, shining shoes. His wife gets gravely ill and goes to the hospital for treatment. While away, he hides an illegal immigrant, an African teenager, on the run from authorities. He finds the boy's relatives and arranges to smuggle him to England, where his mother waits. As a "reward", his wife is miraculously cured in a contrived ending. Kaurismaki directs his actors to spend most of their time standing motionless, staring into space, arms rigidly straight down their sides, usually smoking a cigarette. After awhile, this becomes tiresome, but when character after character displays the same traits, it's unnatural.

Gaily, Gaily (1969)

United Artists
Directed by Norman Jewison
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Naive teenager Beau Bridges runs away from his small town to Chicago, where he plans to change the world as a writer. He loses all of his money to a pickpocket in the train station, but is "adopted" by the madam of a whorehouse who is attracted to his innocence. A series of misadventures follow, where political corruption, an unethical newspaper editor and his own sexual awakening combine to rob him of that innocence. A handsomely mounted production with occasionally stunning period flavor, its black comedy will not appeal to all tastes. Margot Kidder is ravishing in her film debut.

Death Watch (1980)

Contemporary Films (UK)
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Showtime Beyond)

Murky story set in the near-future about a dying woman's last weeks shown on television as entertainment. Harvey Keitel is miscast as a man with a camera in his brain which broadcasts everything he sees back to a control room overseen by producer Harry Dean Stanton. Keitel befriends the woman (Romy Schneider) in a homeless shelter after she flees the unwanted media attention, unaware he is actually the source of the TV show. They wander around a bleak Scottish countryside, eventually ending up at the seaside home of her former husband (Max von Sydow) where a few plot twists await, none of them interesting or unexpected. Despite predating reality television by nearly two decades, it is an effective, if obvious, critique.

The Stone Killer (1973)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Michael Winner
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

Bronson is a police detective investigating a series of brutal murders in NYC. The trail leads to the California desert where ex-military types are being trained by the mafia for a revenge killing. An unfocused film that throws in too many undeveloped characters, and Bronson disappears for long stretches at a time. Action scenes are unconvincing: I spotted at least two obvious dummies falling from high places. Supporting work from overly familiar future TV stars Norman Fell and John Ritter (Three's Company) as well as Ralph Waite (The Waltons).

At Sword's Point (1952)

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by Lewis Allen
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

The Queen of France reunites the Three Musketeers when her throne is threatened by a scheming duke. Since the original musketeers are old or dead, it is their sons, and one daughter, who answer the call for help. In one ridiculous scene, none of them seem to notice that Maureen O'Hara is a girl under that frilly musketeer costume, until they retire to a bed they intend to share for the night. Well, they rescue a king, have numerous sword fights and kiss Maureen at every opportunity the rest of the way. It all takes place on the RKO back lot, a poor substitute for France.

Drive-In (1976)

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Rod Amateau
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Sony Movie Channel)

Amiable if ultimately forgettable story of a night at a Texas drive-in. The local rednecks are introduced in the first half, consisting mostly of high school students interested in getting laid, who hang out at the roller skating rink and listen to country music. Other boring story lines include a couple of bumbling hubcap thieves planning to rob the drive-in and a gang of losers who drive around in their van. The story lines eventually converge on the drive-in, where "Disaster '76", a spoof of disaster movies, plays out on the screen and the yahoos find love at the concession stand. Ironically, the movie-within-a-movie is the more entertaining.

Born Reckless (1937)

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Malcolm St. Clair
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Fox Movie Channel)

Race car champion Brian Donlevy blows his money on girls and gambling, takes on a job as a cabbie and leads their fight against a rival cab company and their protection racket. Rochelle Hudson is terrible as the love interest, Barton MacLane wasted as the heavy. Fox's attempt at a Warner-style gangster picture lacks both a punch and atmosphere.