» They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way (1978, USA)
It doesn’t bode well, does it, when a film needs a wacky long title to entice you to watch it. (more…)
Posted on December 30th, 2010 at 8:57 pm. Updated on April 19th, 2020 at 11:38 am.
Uncategorized
» Mean Dog Blues (1978, USA)
Paul Ramsey (Gregg Henry) is happily married, blonde (a bit too blonde), and of gentle disposition. The same can be said of neither Captain Omar Kinsman (George Kennedy) or his beloved Doberman Pinscher, Rattler. You know that it will be messy when all three inevitably tangle. (more…)
Posted on December 28th, 2010 at 9:12 pm. Updated on January 27th, 2013 at 12:35 pm.
» Broken Bars (1995, USA)
At the intersection of movies about undercover cops in prison [eg Behind Prison Gates (1939), White Heat (1949), Death Warrant (1990), Club Fed (1990), Half Past Dead (2002)], and action movies starring blokes with ponytails (eg just about anything with Steven Seagal) is this number. It might not be as far-fetched as some of those others, but that doesn’t mean it’s good. (more…)
Posted on December 26th, 2010 at 10:44 pm. Updated on December 26th, 2010 at 10:49 pm.
» Redeemer (2002, USA)
Redeemer is supposed to be about a lifer with an untapped talent for writing being encouraged to write to the sister of his victim – and winning her support for his release after years of staunch opposition. And, yes, he does write a letter to her. A one-page letter. On big paper, it must be said, but even Hemingway might struggle to turn 20 years of bitterness on its head in one page. What this is really about is a marginally unethical teacher gaining the release of his prize student through persistent, harassing behaviour. The end justifies the means, it seems. (more…)
Posted on December 25th, 2010 at 7:35 pm. Updated on December 25th, 2010 at 7:35 pm.
» Buckstone County Prison (1978, USA)
Also known as ‘Seabo‘, this Earl Owensby vehicle is set in North Carolina in 1957. Owensby produced the film, and is also cast in the lead role as Seabo, a Native American ‘halfbreed’ who is a tracker, bounty hunter and a wronged and supposedly enigmatic prisoner. Owensby, it seems, appeared in 11 films as an actor… and produced every one. If that doesn’t tell you something, nothing will. (more…)
Posted on December 18th, 2010 at 10:50 pm. Updated on December 18th, 2010 at 10:50 pm.
» City Island (2009, USA)
This is a rare beast: a non-prison movie with a corrections officer in the main role. And a delightfully warm, humorous beast it is, too, corrections officer notwithstanding. (more…)
Posted on December 13th, 2010 at 9:24 pm. Updated on December 13th, 2010 at 9:24 pm.
» Stuck! (2009, USA)
I’d read the reverential, slightly fawning reviews and was looking forward to seeing this arty ‘throwback’ (Steve Balderson’s contemporary tale filmed in the manner of a noirish 50s black-and-whiter) with great anticipation. Sadly, I found that it not only failed to live up to the hype, but is not a patch on the Women in Prison films of the 50s, the style of which it seems to try to recreate. If you like the period, watch Women’s Prison (1955), Girls in Prison (1956) or the British Yield to the Night (1956) instead, is my tip. (more…)
Posted on December 4th, 2010 at 10:34 pm. Updated on August 11th, 2013 at 12:03 pm.
» Lockdown (2000, USA)
Lockdown is a prison movie for traditionalists – murders, stabbings, drug use, drug deals, racial tension, rapes, crooked guards… and in the middle of it all, a good, innocent man struggling to survive. (more…)
Posted on November 26th, 2010 at 9:55 pm. Updated on March 6th, 2016 at 5:06 pm.
» I Love You Phillip Morris (2009, USA)
Undoubtedly, the most extraordinary thing about this movie is that it is not nearly as fanciful as it seems; it’s pretty much a true story. Much has been made of its relatively matter-of-fact treatment of what is a love story involving two gay prisoners, and of the supposed risks Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor took by playing gay men. Well, kissing. But for a lover of prison films, the film’s standout feature is the total absence of these openly gay prisoners being stood over for sex by other prisoners, or of them being bullied or humiliated by guards. That sort of thing may happen, rarely, in real life, but never, never, you would think, in a prison movie. (more…)
Posted on November 15th, 2010 at 8:30 pm. Updated on November 15th, 2010 at 8:31 pm.
» Buy & Cell (1988, USA)
“From the creator of Police Academy“, trumpets the blurb on my DVD. I’m not sure if it’s true (the DVD cover manages to get every other detail wrong, including all the names of the film’s characters), but – sadly – it might as well be. (more…)
Posted on November 4th, 2010 at 7:10 pm. Updated on November 4th, 2010 at 7:10 pm.