kbone32-1

This film is really a classic piece of work of what I don't know. I generally enjoy the older black and white movies and I don't mind making allowances due to age but here there is no room to cut any slack. We have a group of soldiers pinned down in an oasis by an unseen enemy. So far we have the basis for a good plot. But things go seriously awry from that point forward. First off the enemy as unseen as they are, are only attacking from one direction and although they seem to be able to move in and out of the oasis at will and kill guards as they want, why they just don't wipe everyone out is beyond me. Another plot hole and one of my favorites was in an enviorment with snipers lurking about why would any one climb up a palm tree and just perch on top is beyond me. Do I really need to say what happens next. I almost expected to hear the old cliché' issued in many a 1950 WW II movie.."Gee sarge there isn't an enemy within 50 miles" Bang! I don't think Boris Karloff could have over acted anymore had someone told him too. I mean this is bad to the point where he really gets annoying after the first two lines. After that your begging for someone to shoot him. The whole movie to sum it up is a group of people trapped doing stupid things that lead to their death. While the whole time the viewer is thinking one more down one step closer to the end. Bad film and not even worth looking at.

This movie is kind of a weird one for sure. I will start with the negative because the movie starts off rather slow and stupid. I remember sitting there watching and thought this is probably the biggest waste of time I could have ever encountered and had the movie continued in it's lacadaisy ramblings it would have been. There was one scene where Jared Leto and Jenn Connelly disable an alarm and sneak onto a roof top and upon coming back inside set the alarm off and escape out the way the came in..Whoa what rebels..And all that to talk and fly paper air planes. Also another short fall is Jared Leto's accent which is New York then it's Boston then it's nothing Ellen Burstyn seems to have the same problem. The directing I find to be annoying as well. They have this scene they use when the characters take drugs and after the first 10 times it kind of gets a bit much. After the other 50 times it gets rather annoying. The end was a bit much as well. The director uses a technique where the lives and situations of many characters are building up to a point such as you would see in, say, call it murder (1935 I think) with Bogart. Done correctly this is rather a neat effect. Instead here it is done way to fast to the point where you could have just blacked out the screen and got the same effect. It was a bit over the top as well as the braking up the screen into 2 or 3 mini screens. That being said when this film takes off it takes off. The performance of the characters as well as how far and fast their lives are sinking is incredible. I have never seen a movie with so many (in my opinion) negatives and yet still blow you back in your chair. After watching you will say holy smokes did that really happen. The remainder of the film is highly intense to the point where it pulls it up out of the hole and turns into a must see for anyone as well as a film you'll want to add to your collection to view again.

This holiday classic is still refreshing to see even after almost 40 years. The story line is of course about the little drummer boy who ends up coming to grips with his hatred of people. In the end he has to play his drum for the baby Jesus and even though he is certainly no Buddy Rich it does come from the heart which, as we know from years of watching these type of films is what really counts and in the end the little drummer boy receives a change of heart.It's pretty much the same holiday format that for some reason one can never grow tired of no matter how many times we watch it or different forms it comes in...Certainly a great one to bring the kids up on.