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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
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
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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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Spookies (1986)
An ark of the covenant from the 80’s that bypassed a DVD release and was mostly an object of misbegotten legend, Spookies has been varnished with immaculate care by Vinegar Syndrome. Firstly, the 4k print is monumental achievement for the … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
Tagged vinegar syndrome
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Cotton Club (1984)
Disclaimer – Review based on the Encore Edition. When it comes to period recreation, Francis Ford Coppola had the clout to be retroactive back to 1930’s Harlem with painstaking authenticity. The Bamville Club and the flappers aren’t just tinseled scenery; … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
Tagged francis ford coppola, nicolas cage
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Hidden Fortress (1958)
While it might not be latent among Kurosawa acolytes, The Hidden Fortress wasn’t a crossover export when it was released in the U.S. Despite its acclaim, it isn’t exulted alongside Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Rashomon as one of his masterworks. … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
Tagged akira kurosawa, toshiro mifune
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Hit (1984)
Eric Clapton and Roger Waters’ title track is no more than moody guitar thrumming but it is a perfectly minimalist accompaniment to Stephen Frears’ picaresque, introspective British road movie. The film is quite cavalier about Willie Parker’s (Terrence Stamp) embroilment … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
Tagged john hurt, terrence stamp, tim roth
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Swimmer (1968)
The Marvin Hamlisch score is pitched like a requiem mass before the camera trails behind Burt Lancaster’s initial dive into a pool. Ned Merrill (Lancaster) is a social butterfly and Lancaster magnetizes every plutocrat within his orbit except for a … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
Tagged burt lancaster, john cheevers
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Super Cops (1974)
Prefaced with candid interviews from the real-life subjects, Greenberg and Hantz, the busts and cumulative crime-fighting of the duo is genuflected with a flamboyantly cyclonic, pungently funny, rollicking stranger-than-fiction saga. When the instructor heeds “don’t look for trouble”, the next … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
Tagged david selby, ron leibman
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Delicate Delinquent (1957)
In his first loopy, albeit winsome solo outing, Jerry Lewis fraternizes with his co-stars with a constraint on his mugging abandon. He might be a porcine screen hog but he milks every ounce of chortles from his potent chemistry with … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
Tagged darren mcgavin, jerry lewis
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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Deal of the Century (1983)
The commercial parody for the Peacemaker military jet (with “Someone to Watch Over Me” in the background) is intelligently acrid view of the American desire for orbiting safeguards against their enemies. Maybe I’m predisposed to unsung satires from SNL alumni … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems
Tagged chevy chase, gregory hines, william friedkin
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