Maverick1962

East of Sudan is a simple adventure movie from 1964, depicting the fall of Khartoum but without any actual falling that the viewer can discern. That's because we are only informed of it, that General Gordon is defeated and his head is displayed on a spike. Don't worry, we don't see any of that.

What footage of the battles are obviously lifted from other films as this entire production was shot in the studio. Clips of wild animals are used with back projection, allowing actors to stand in front of a screen and shoot at them or wave their arms about, amusingly I might add, it's so ineptly directed.

I thought about giving this one star but raised it to three because, strangely I enjoyed some of it. For a start there is the gorgeous Sylvia Syms at the height of her fame, that fine actor Anthony Quale who does his best with an atrocious script, Derek Fowlds who I know people remember fondly from Yes Minister on TV and little Jenny Agutter looking about ten years old but just as pretty as when she grew up, even though she's hopelessly miscast as an Indian princess with a black wig. Unfortunately her skin is white as Snow White.

It kept me watching in spite of it's flaws and making me wince from time to time as it zips along at fairly brisk pace. Children who wouldn't notice these bloopers might well enjoy it so I mustn't be too harsh although I did feel a bit sorry for Anthony Quale who deserved better material.

OK to watch with a young family on a Sunday afternoon.

I'm sure this was meant to be funny, wasn't it? No? Confusing.

I have not read Persuasion by Jane Austen but I have read Pride and Prejudice so I can tell you that this movie has little to do with Jane Austen other than the title and the names of the characters.

Within minutes of the start, there is an actress playing a Lady, as black as the ace of spades, in early 19th century England? Nothing puts me off casting more than the present trend to include people of all colours in historical films about Great Britain. I absolutely cringe when this happens. It's like including white actors playing Africans in a historic film about, say Nigeria.

The dialogue has been written as if for a modern teen film. At one stage Anne Elliott (Dakota Johnson) says to her companion, after meeting a gentleman (Asian) she likes the look of, that he's a ten? Dakota No!

I actually like Dakota Johnson a lot more than I ever liked her parents as actors so I'm not one to call her a nepo baby. She's the only reason I watched this crap and hung on to the end. I rather liked Cosmo Jarvis as Capt Wentworth too, who actually looked like he was the only actor taking this seriously. It's as if Dakota and Cosmo are in an entirely different film to the rest of the mostly black and brown actors who are all miscast for the time period, probably around 1820.

Ridiculous casting, inane dialogue, what more do you need to know? Don't bother.

I was looking for Gene Hackman movies I've missed as I think he's one of the greatest actors of my lifetime and I found this title I was unfamiliar with. Occasionally I find a movie that completely surprises me with how much I love it.

Full Moon In Blue Water is one of those movie gems I found to be compelling, charming, funny, beautifully written and acted.

Hackman is the laid back owner of a small town bar he runs with the help of Elias Koteas, a somewhat dim jobbing labourer who sweeps up for him and helps to look after his wheelchair bound father-in-law played to perfection by the grumpy Burgess Meredith, who amusingly suffers a bit with memory loss.

Hackman still grieves for his missing wife who mysteriously disappeared some years before and he spends a lot of time playing old home movies of her. He has a female neighbour friend who seems to hold a torch for him played by the lovely Teri Garr. She can't make it plainer that she's in love with the guy but he's still obsessed with his wife. This movie has many funny moments played by these wonderful actors and I can't recommend it too highly if you like old fashioned, well written comedy plots. It was particularly poignant as we very recently lost Hackman and Garr who play off each other so perfectly here, even when they are shouting and swearing at each other, but it's never nasty. Lovely film.