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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Bat*21 (1988)
The heedlessly invigorating Bat*21 is fundamentally a role-reversal prequel to Behind Enemy Lines with Gene Hackman evading enemies on the ground while Danny Glover is his audio guide back to safety. Although Lieutenant Colonel Iceal E. Hambleton (Hackman) was a … Continue reading
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Villain (1971)
Once more into the frat of Cockney hooliganism, Villain is a pungently facinorous crime drama which loosens the reigns from Richard Burton. Burton was usually the staid rock of Gibraltar in films but, as Vic Dakin, he is a frothing, … Continue reading
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Lone Star (1996)
In one of the sporadic examples of Chris Cooper in the lead role, John Sayles embroiders a tapestry of the imperialistic town of Frontera, Texas, in which the Mexicans outnumber Caucasians and yet still travail under them in subservient serfdom. … Continue reading
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Tagged chris cooper, john sayles, kris kristofferson
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Holocaust 2000 (1977)
Holocaust 2000 (a.k.a. The Chosen) is usually disregarded as an Omen rip-off but it is much more prescient about the biblical apocalypse via ripped-from-the-headlines topics like thermonuclear power, a technocracy and the United States tampering with Middle East affairs. For … Continue reading
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Tagged kirk douglas
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – The President’s Analyst (1967)
Psychotherapy was almost an anomaly in the late 60’s when holistic healing and astrology were paramount. Now, the profession of introspection is more pertinent. The fly-on-the-wall sessions between Sidney (James Coburn) and his patients are quite tantalizing and often feel … Continue reading
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Tagged james coburn
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Sitting Target (1972)
In the eruptive, lurid Sitting Target, the inimitable Oliver Reed is an incretionary “animal in a cage” as Cockney convict Harry Lomart. He does push-ups from the pipes above his prison cell. Moreover, Harry is not an alpha male who … Continue reading
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Tagged ian mcshane, oliver reed
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Replicant (2001)
For a science-fiction gimmick dabbling in cloning and symbiotic mnemonic cortices, the most fatuous element is Van Damme’s Tommy Wiseau wig. The neonatal technology for cellular duplication is sketchy and preposterous. Is The Torch so notorious that the NSA would … Continue reading
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Darker Than Amber (1970)
Firstly, this Travis McGee test run deserves better than an infuscate, pixelated VHS-rip DVD which was the only outlet to watch this humdinger. Walter Hill’s Extreme Prejudice and Trancers also suffered from similar transfer issues. The nighttime scenes are borderline … Continue reading
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Tagged rod taylor
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Dark of the Sun (1968)
Jacques Loussier’s progressive score tipples through the ear canals with mischievousness. A rescue-mission-as-subterfuge-for-a-treasure-trove framework is practically a porcine genre unto itself but it is the Simba Rebellion (as opposed to World War II Europe) as a backdrop and the central … Continue reading
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Tagged jim brown, rod taylor
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Possession (1981)
Sometimes the phrase “I don’t know” can be the most crippling statement. The uncertainty can propel people to extremism. Ingeniously, Sam Neill’s Mark is a castoff from a John Le Carre espionage novel. Andrzej Zulawski swirls the camera around Neill … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
Tagged sam neill
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