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The Fallen Idol, a review by Antares

The Fallen Idol





Year: 1948
Film Studio: British Lion Film Corporation, London Films, Twentieth-Century-Fox Film Corp.
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Length: 92 Min.

Director
Carol Reed (1906)

Writing
Graham Greene (1904)...Story "The Basement Room"
Graham Greene (1904)...Screenplay
Lesley Storm (1904)...Additional Dialogue
William Templeton...Additional Dialogue

Producer
Philip Brandon (1898)
Alexander Korda (1893)
Carol Reed (1906)

CinematographerMusic
William Alwyn (1905)...Composer

StarsReviewThe Third ManThe Fallen IdolThe Fallen Idol, pleads with the child to just tell the truth.
       From beginning to end, I found this story crisp, clear and thoroughly entertaining. Ralph Richardson gives a subdued, but powerful performance as the butler whom all the detectives think Shane is to a lot of people. That aside, if you like a good suspenseful story, then The Fallen Idol should find its way onto your wishlist.


Review Criterion
5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.


(From The Fallen Idol (1948) on August 31st, 2010)

Race to Witch Mountain, a review by Dragonfire

I have seen most of the movies that Dwayne Johnson has made and I've enjoyed them.  I think he's very entertaining, and I do tend to give his new movies a chance.  I wanted to see Race to Witch Mountain after the first time I saw a preview.

Jack Bruno is a cab driver in Las Vegas trying to get his life in order.  He is a bit annoyed by the UFO convention going on in town and thinks that most of the people involved in it are idiots.  He meets Dr. Alex Friedman, a scientist who is speaking about the possibility of life on other planets, when he drives her to her hotel.  At the same time, a group of government men are investigating what they think is the crash site for a space ship.  One of the government men is determined to track down the aliens. 

Two teenagers, Seth and Sarah, end up in Jack's cab and want him to take them to a deserted spot.  It isn't long before Jack has to accept that Seth and Sarah are aliens and they need his help to save the planet. 

I've never seen the original Witch Mountain movies, so I don't know for sure what was the same or what was different.  The movie has a decent plot that is interesting which made for an enjoyable movie.  There is action in a few scenes that help to keep things interesting.  There is some humor in the movie as well that I think worked overall.  There did seem to be an attempt to make Jack a more complex character by adding in something tied to his past that ultimately didn't go anywhere.  I did like Jack though and enjoyed Dwayne Johnson's performance.  Seth and Sara did seem stiff for a while, but that fits with them being aliens who don't understand much about Earth.  Alex gets pulled into what is going on later in the movie.  She is a decent character even though she isn't developed much.

Overall, Race to Witch Mountain is a fun, entertaining movie that is family friendly. 

 

I did post a review on Epinions if anyone would like to take a look.

Race to Witch Mountain

(From Race to Witch Mountain on April 30th, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Step by Step (1991/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Length: 138 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: French, Spanish

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Plot:
When Frank met Carol, sparks flew. And when J.T., Al and Brendan (Frank's kids) met Dana, Karen and Mark (Carol's kids), more sparks flew - the kind that could send Frank and Carol's romance up in smoke. Can two parents who love each other and six kids who don't ever become one big, happy family?

Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers star in the sprightly, big-hearted comedy that proves there's only one way to make a blended family work: take it Step by Step. Enjoy six memorable episodes, including the pilot (nothin' says lovin' like a food fight), two holiday-perfect Christmas shows and lots of wacky mischief as the kids grow up...and family bonds grow strong.

Step by Step
1.01 Pilot

I never really followed this series, but I watched it from time to time when I happened to catch it on TV. I especially enjoyed the building romance between Dana and her step-brother's best friend (I don't remember his name now), which happened towards the end of the series.
I enjoyed the pilot. It is a good introduction to the series.

Rating:


(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on July 26th, 2012)