I always felt he was a not-bad guide to the territory of pre-sixties Hollywood cinema (and his guide was the most comprehensive for a lot of stuff that wasn't on home video for a long time — a lot of it probably still isn't)
otm. Though they've outlived any usefulness, I loved looking through Maltin's and other movie guides as a kid.
― intheblanks, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 20:52 (eight years ago) link
And yes, for many years - and maybe even now, to a much lesser extent - his guide was the only source of info about certain obscurities (for UK readers it was especially good on 70s American cinema)
At least he provided a great service discouraging people from watching Taxi Driver
― Josefa, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 20:58 (eight years ago) link
LOL the UK equivalent of Maltin was a guy called Leslie Halliwell - some of his greatest hits here:
http://www.lesliehalliwell.com/modern_times/index.html
― sʌxihɔːl (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 2 September 2015 21:03 (eight years ago) link
This Is Spinal Tap earns three stars. I wonder what those guys could have done to turn that movie into a comedy classic? Or even into something as good as Airport?
(btw, that thing you do!: ***)
― Josefa, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 21:03 (eight years ago) link
I have the 2004 edition of Halliwell's book somewhere, the one that stuck with me was him dismissing Fassbinder's Fear Eats the Soul as pointless because relationships between 60-something German widows and young Moroccan Gastarbeiter must be fairly uncommon irl
― soref, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 21:12 (eight years ago) link
"Caine adds some light moments as an aging hippie who's managed to survive in his own hideaway compound." Pull my finger.
― Vic Perry, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 22:02 (eight years ago) link
"Highly original story also involves adultery, lust, and lesbianism, somehow manages to avoid meanspiritedness while taking dead aim at its subjects." [name that review]
― Vic Perry, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 22:07 (eight years ago) link
first complaint, although I wonder how much affection this movie has on this site anyway:
"Good dialogue and a fun cast make up for the overblown special effects and cluttered array of characters. 2 1/2 stars." That's some pretty generic crit there.
― Vic Perry, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 22:14 (eight years ago) link
[name that review] Bound
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 22:19 (eight years ago) link
Blue Velvet (1986): **
― Josefa, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 22:53 (eight years ago) link
"Highly original story also involves adultery, lust, and lesbianism, somehow manages to avoid meanspiritedness while taking dead aim at its subjects." [
JFK
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 3 September 2015 00:08 (eight years ago) link
Halliwell was one cranky fucker
― as verbose and purple as a Peter Ustinov made of plums (James Morrison), Thursday, 3 September 2015 00:42 (eight years ago) link
he gave 2 1/2 for Spice World, just for some perspective
― Hammer Smashed Bagels, Thursday, 3 September 2015 00:43 (eight years ago) link
Surely he was long gone by then and that review was written by his successor
― Exile's Return To Sender (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 3 September 2015 01:08 (eight years ago) link
Would that be his daughter Geri?
― Josefa, Thursday, 3 September 2015 02:25 (eight years ago) link
he kicked The Thing to death and gave Peter's Friends 3 and a half out of 4.
― piscesx, Thursday, 3 September 2015 02:44 (eight years ago) link
he was always way too fair on just about every kind of British flick.
― piscesx, Thursday, 3 September 2015 02:45 (eight years ago) link
also someone on ILX once mentioned this which still makes me laugh; Haliwell's capsule review for The Vikings: "Low-grade hokum for the easily pleased..."
― piscesx, Thursday, 3 September 2015 02:46 (eight years ago) link
― Hammer Smashed Bagels, Thursday, September 3, 2015 12:43 AM (17 hours ago)
appallingly low
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Thursday, 3 September 2015 17:57 (eight years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/jFvMM5y.gif
― pplains, Thursday, 3 September 2015 18:31 (eight years ago) link