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Who in the world thought that an exciting thing about a story about the space race to the moon would be the ego clashes between a couple of astronauts and the training of one of them? That's the first 65 minutes of this film, which also throws in some bureaucrats, arguments about the safety of the mission in conference rooms, and a press leak. The film steers clear of the real-life Apollo I tragedy which occurred earlier in the year, and we feel zero tension in the issues that the astronaut (James Caan) has with the various simulators overseen by his rival/trainer (Robert Duvall), so this part is a complete snooze. Heck, even after liftoff, we get three minutes where parts of the mission control team take a flight to Houston to continue their operation from there.

The last 25 minutes or so at least have some interest, as the astronaut's radio communication is steadily compromised until he's cut off, and he must find the beacon of a shelter on the moon's surface. It's terrifying to think of being so isolated, and the concept of the landing is relevant in light of how missions to Mars might initially be conducted. When he comes across the wreckage of the Soviet spacecraft it's an eerie moment and maybe the film's best, but oddly, despite great time pressure, he takes the time to put their flags together and shows no sense of urgency. There are several other gaffes - the unshielded sun blinding his eyes, his depressurized "space suit" looking like a spring jacket, and strolling around as if he's in the park - and the effects are poor as well, especially when compared to what Kubrick would do a year later. Forget even trying to show the landing itself.

But it's the script which is the real issue, and I say that even liking the idea behind showing the work that has to go in for such missions and developing the characters instead of focusing heavily on action. There are just much better ways of doing this. At this stage of the space race with excitement brimming over about getting to the moon by the end of the decade and ahead of the Russians, it's mind-boggling that such a boring film was made. Of some interest to cinephiles might be how Robert Altman was fired mid-production by the studio nitwits for giving them the overlapping dialogue which would become his signature style, though a few scenes got through where we hear it. It's a shame his original ending was changed too.

To its credit, this nunsploitation film has an actual story, and isn't just about showing lithe young nuns kissing while naked or writhing around on top of each other, though there is some of that. Think of it as The Exorcist (1973) meets The Devils (1971) but darker than both, and you may have an idea of what it's like.

The premise is pretty simple - a couple of nuns who've fallen in love with each other get possessed by Satan and proceed to wreak havoc. Through the story there is a critique of Catholicism in that they seem much happier with the devil, who they associate with freedom and life, than they are with the church, which they associate with being controlled and death. There is also a critique of science, as the doctor who believes it's all archaic superstition soon learns otherwise. It's not terribly deep on either front, but in its message that neither of those things can stand up to evil possessing people in the world, there is a degree of power. Mostly it seemed like a provocative attempt at horror in the 70s that's campy fun now.

I can't say I thought it was a good film, but it had its moments especially towards the end, and at least it stayed focused through its short runtime.

A man returns home to his wife from the Civil War, changed seemingly for the better, but enough so that his identity is in question, as well as his motivations. It's an interesting premise, but I didn't really care for the three principals in their roles, especially Richard Gere and Bill Pullman, but even Jodie Foster to some extent. None of their performances evoked the Reconstruction era South, and they didn't seem to mesh together all that well. The story is melodramatic especially towards the end, the wife's reactions at various points don't seem quite right, and the intrusive soundtrack is filled with soaring music in the big scenes - it's one of those kinds of films. There seems to be an authenticity in the farming that we see (I think anyway), but the mild bits of racism from the community and an appearance from the KKK felt tacked on to make the film seem true to the period. What could have been a more profound story of redemption and the power of love gets eroded by the film feeling made for the mass market, but it held my interest, even through courtroom/aftermath scenes that were too long.