Recent reviews

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  Ice Castles 1978

  ★★½ Watched 02 Feb 1979 1

  ICE CASTLES (1978)
  Dir: Donald Wrye

  "Ice Castles" left me cold. Yet another co-mingling of athletics and adversity. "Ice" is a drama of all lows and no highs, a weepy psychological-masturbation tale for adolescent girls and proof to nonphysical types like myself that sports are for suckers (the most exercise I get is when I jump to conclusions).

  A relative acting newcomer, named Lynn-Holly Johnson, is Lexie (probably short for "Plexiglas" as her acting resembles that material--think of a blonded…

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  Network 1976

  ★★★★★ Watched 19 Nov 1976 2

  NETWORK (1976)
  Dir: Sidney Lumet

  --OF CEREBRAL AND VISCERAL MATTERS--

  An infrequent employed feature of the Hollywood Press is the dual film review, but our movie critics - Jim Sheldon and William Margold - enthusiastically feel "Network" is worth a double look-and-say.

  - The Editor -

  "Network" is the the best motion picture I have seen in at least three years, an A-triple-plus-rated (by my own system; the last two such like were 1973's "The Exorcist" / "Godspell"), excoriating drama…

Popular reviews

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  Return of the Jedi 1983

  ★★★★★ Watched 03 Jun 1983 5

  RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)
  Dir: Richard Marquand

  What is stronger than The Force? Well, for myself, it's the friendship (1964-present) and film-critic-peership (1972-present) between myself and Mr. William Frederick Margold, who-after 20th Century-Fox displayed early-in-year Scrooge-ship in the non-giving of a second press pass to "Return of the Jedi"-treated me, on opening day, to "Jedi" at the Egyptian. He raised his grade (see last week for review) from A to A+, the latter of which is also my grade.…

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  Sorcerer 1977

  ★★★★ Watched 08 Jul 1977 1

  SORCERER (1977)
  Dir: William Friedkin

  "Sorcerer" is heavy light-Summer fare, all sound and fury and signifying nothing. But nihilism is its main point--the futility of existence--and for those willing to spend $3.50 for 120 minutes (plus 5 minutes of overture) of grim adventure will be suitably rewarded by superior acting and direction, as well as location shooting that makes the gruelling "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" look like a bucolic picnic.

  William Friedkin's first directorial effort since "The Exorcist" four…

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