Earthquake (1974)

4 / 5  Dec '09
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Mark Robson
Written by:  George Fox, Mario Puzo
Actors include:  Charleton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy
Genre:  Disaster, Action, Thriller
Length:  120 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:
Sure it's a little cheesy and you can see where the miniatures are and it takes a while to get going. What this has working for it is a fantastic nearly all-star cast including Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and George Kennedy to name a few. It's also pretty darned thrilling once it gets going and it has harrowing dangerous escapes, and it's mean spirited (which I love). As a giant destructive earthquake ravishes the land we follow a series of characters as they fight for survival. It does have some surprises including a Soldier who has frickin' lost it (which sure seems a bit over the top but I enjoyed it none the less), plus you never know who is going to bite it next! It's quite action packed, it has tons of crazy '70s outfits, hairstyles and scenery (heck it even has Shaft in it as a motorcyclist) so there is always something to gawk at. I remember thinking the ride at Universal Studios was pretty darned exciting and always wondering how the movie would pan out. Well this won't be a disaster film for everyone, and The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure are way more exciting but this one still ranks I think.

Availability:  On DVD

The Omega Man (1971)

3.5 / 5   Apr '10
Tagline: Pray for the last man alive. Because he's not alone.
Directed by: Boris Sagal
Written by: John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington
Actors include: Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller
Length: 89 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Oh gee well this was sillier than I expected and I knew this was a Charlton Heston flick going in and I generally appreciate his hilarious ways. The story I'm sure is very interesting, it's one of several film takes on the book "I Am Legend" of course and I haven't seen any of the other adaptations yet so I can't compare. I can say that the vampire/zombie things in this one were kind of lame looking...they had whiteish contacts, wore capes with hoods and looked like they'd bathed in baby powder...not at all threatening. The story goes that we are following Heston around who appears to be the last fellow alive because he was a scientist who had a vaccination to the disease that turned the rest of the population into zombiepyres. These monsters can't go out in the light so most of the time it's entirely safe! When he sees a mannequin that moves he learns he's not entirely alone hand has some silly love scenes and lots of fighting monsters too. I appreciated the violence but the tension and fear were never created, but at least the story kept some momentum. Not bad, but I look forward to seeing the adaptation called The Last Man on Earth, I've heard it's spookier and this story could use some of that!

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Touch Of Evil (1958)

4 / 5 Mar '11
Tagline: The Strangest Vengeance Ever Planned!
Directed by: Orson Welles
Written by: Whit Masterson, Orson Welles
Actors include: Charleton Heston, Orson Welles, Janet Leigh
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Film Noir
Length: 111 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
It's definitely stylish, one can't argue that, also the story is an interesting one but it does require patience before things start coming together. At first I was put off by Orson Welles' portrayal of an evil crooked cop. He puts on such a slurred drunken sounding accent that he's difficult to understand in places. I think some of the characterizations were cartoonish and that was offputting, it made me feel like the serious nature of this film was diminished a bit. Still as it wore on it certainly became more and more interesting and Janet Leigh's performance as Susan Vargas was quite good. Painting up Charlton Heston and having him imitate Rhett Butler was an odd choice for a Mexican character but he was at least subdued. The plot is about a car that explodes, and the Police work that leads up to an arrest. It has corruption, danger, violence and many other attributes that make it exciting. It's just not one of the best films I've ever seen is all, still recommended but be patient. Oh, and it's worth noting the version I saw was Welles' intended version.

Availability:  On DVD