Airport (1970) - Film and DVD Review

Mel Bakersfeld (Burt Lancaster) is the manager of Lincoln International Airport. On a particularly stressful snowy night, he must deal with an angry wife, a Boeing 707 stuck in the snow, and a bomb-damaged airliner that needs to land as soon as possible. That is the basic plot of Airport, a very entertaining disaster-drama from 1970. It features an all-star cast including Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset and George Kennedy. Helen Hayes is included as a crafty, elderly stowaway who is hilarious (there is actually a lot of comic relief, which in this case isn't really a bad thing).

Airport is a favorite of mine. The acting is melodramatic, yes, but that doesn't really bother me. I would be more annoyed if the actors spoke in monotonous tones. Van Hefflin is pitiful as Guerrero, the one who carries the bomb onto Trans Global Airlines Flight Two, planning to commit suicide so that his struggling wife will receive his life insurance money. There are other subplots that make this film interesting, and suspense sets in as the bomb is discovered. The landing scene is also very dramatic.

My Rating: 5/5

DVD Review   
(Airport is available on DVD and Blu-Ray)         

This DVD of airport was put out recently. The picture and sound quality are both great. Three extras are included. One is the film's

theatrical trailer. The other two are Universal Studios Documentaries - one is about the famous backlot where movies were and are still made, and the other is about various

Universal hits that hit the screen back in the 1970's.

 Review©  2013 by Moviefanguy.blogspot 

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) Film & DVD Review

Dark Night of the Scarecrow was a movie I had been wanting to see for a while. It was getting close to Halloween, so I wanted to watch a good scary movie. Dark Night of the Scarecrow did not disappoint. It's a great movie that pays attention to what horror movies need - suspense, creepy atmospheres, and good acting. 

Bubba Ritter, a mentally challenged man, is accused of attacking a child - one of his only friends, young Marylee Williams. He has actually saved her from a vicious dog, but a group of townsmen driven mad by cruelty murder Bubba while he tries to hide from them inside of a scarecrow. 

Through lying, the four killers are set free by the law. But someone - or something - knows about their crime, and begins to avenge Bubba's death.

As Marylee says, "Bubba's not gone... he's just playing the hiding game."

Creepy and well-made, Dark Night of the Scarecrow, a TV movie made over 30 years ago, is still great today and an excellent horror film. It is also noted to be the first horror film to feature a scarecrow as part of the main plot.

My Rating: 5/5

The DVD released by VCI Entertainment is also very great; the picture has been restored to a nice, clear image. As a neat bonus feature we get a commentary track with the director, Frank De Felitta and the writer, J.D. Feigelson. A Blu-Ray of the movie just came out.



                                 Review©  2013 by Moviefanguy.blogspot 

Saboteur (1942) Review

Saboteur is a lesser-known yet still very good Alfred Hitchcock film - a wartime suspense caper with nice touches of humor about a military airplane builder Barry (Robert Cummings) who is blamed for the fire at the factory he works at. Barry knows the true suspect and is determined to track him down, befriending model Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane) who also helps him search for the saboteur. Unfortunately, not only is Barry being chased across the country by the police but also by cronies of the organization that plans to commit even more acts of sabotage toward the United States.

Saboteur is filled with great action and suspense sequences, from the tense chase in Radio City Music Hall to the thrilling climax on the torch of the Statue of Liberty. Although at times it has the mood of a U.S. World War II propaganda film, Saboteur still holds up as a very entertaining movie.

My Rating: 4/5

DVD/Blu-Ray Availability
Saboteur is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

The DVD of copy Saboteur
I own. Nice DVD
with good amount of
extras.

Blu-Ray

                                       Review©  2013 by Moviefanguy.blogspot 

Vertigo (1958) Review

Vertigo is one of Alfred Hitchcock's many masterpieces, and one of my favorite films. Made in 1958, the film is still regarded as one of the best movies of all time. 

A police detective named Scottie (James Stewart) is forced to quit his job because because of his severe fear of heights, or acrophobia.

An acquaintance of his named Gavin asks him to follow his wife Madeleine, whom he believes is being controlled by a deceased 19th-Century woman, Carlotta Valdes. Scottie follows Madeleine around San Francisco, and realizes that something extremely odd is going on...

The film is not only great as a psychological thriller, but a murder mystery. The answer to the strange happenings comes as a good surprise. I also rarely recommend seeing a film in a certain format, but I have to say that Vertigo in Blu-Ray High Definition was a great movie experience.

Vertigo is beautifully filmed, cleverly plotted and Bernard Herrmann's stunning musical score makes it the masterpiece it still is today. 

My Rating: 5/5 

DVD/Blu-Ray Availability
Vertigo is available on DVD and 2-Disc "Universal Legacy Series" DVD. For the time being, it is only available on Blu-Ray through various Alfred Hitchcock Blu-Ray box sets.

Widescreen
Collector's
Edition.

"Universal Legacy
Series" 2-Disc
edition.

                                       Review©  2013 by Moviefanguy.blogspot 

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) Review

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a fun, enertaining comedy film directed by John Hughes (The Breakfast Club). It's about a high school senior, Ferris Bueller (Mathew Broderick) who who pretends to be sick so he doesn't have to experience the monotonous routine of school and have a good time with his friends Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck) and Sloan Peterson (Mia Sara). They go on a joyride across Chicago, getting in to a high-class restaurant, a ball game, and even acquiring Cameron's father's Ferarri, the object which dad "loves... more than life itself."

Many memorable scenes and funny jokes make Ferris Bueller's Day Off a comedy favorite of mine. We can also empathize with the guy who'd rather enjoy time with friends than go to school.

My Rating: 5/5


DVD/Blu-Ray Availability
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Blu-Ray

"Bueller... Bueller" Edition
DVD - the one I own. It
has a good amount of
extras.

                                       Review©  2013 by Moviefanguy.blogspot 

The Towering Inferno (1974) Review

The Towering Infero is one of my favorite action-disaster movies ever. Produced by Irwin Allen, who also worked on disaster movies Earthquake and The Poseidon Adventure doesn't fail to deliver thrills and suspense. Based on novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas M. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson, the plot is very simple.

A dedication ceremony is being held at the top of the luxurious Glass Tower, the tallest building in the world. A sudden explosion on the 81st floor leaves the 294 party guests trapped at the top. The fire spreads rapidly, and all plans of escape seem to fail. "There's no way down. There's no way out."

Filled with action, likable characters, great special effects, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, The Towering Inferno is very well-made and very entertaining. John Williams' music helps out a lot. Wooden acting at certain points doesn't drag this film down. 

My Rating: 4/5


The Towering Inferno is available on DVD, 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, and Blu-Ray.

                                    Review©  2013 by Moviefanguy.blogspot 

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) Review

The film's poster, with the Phantom
pictured above the city.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a 1976 film based upon the true Texarkana Moonlight Murders, a string of killings and attacks that took place in Texarkana, Arkansas and its surrounding areas back in 1946. The film opens with a couple brutally attacked on a secluded road, and a captain J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson) is determined to catch the suspect. The Phantom strikes again and gets away without a problem, making the residents of the town of Texarkana fear for their lives. 

This film, directed by Charles B. Pierce, is at times very suspenseful and well-made. The Phantom Killer (the hooded assailant's nickname) makes for a very eerie antagonist - the brutality of his attacks and his heavy, quick breathing are very unsettling. There are a few moments of comedy that don't seem to fit, but this film still has its moments. 
My Rating: 3/5

DVD/Blu-Ray Availability
The Town That Dreaded Sundown was released on Blu-Ray and DVD Combo Pack after only being available on VHS for over 30 years. 

The Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack was
released by Shout! Factory. It has
many new extras.

                                       Review©  2013 by Moviefanguy.blogspot