Robinson Crusoe

This isn’t one of Luis Buñuel’s surrealistic masterpieces like his co-creation, with Salvador Dali, Un Chien Andalou. It’s much more of a Hollywood-type production, though it was filmed in Mexico, but it’s a damn good film all the same. Buñuel was a superb visual artist, and every set-up and shot is interesting in one way or another. The colors are lush, ... Read more »

Robot and Frank

First of all, I’m amazed that they didn’t give the robot a name. I mean, if you’re making a movie with a humanoid robot, it’s almost mandatory that you give it a name, and probably a face as well. Most likely make him cute as a button and witty as well. But the writer and director were going for something else here.

Frank Langella is losing his memory. He forgets that his son hasn’t ... Read more »

Robot Stories

This is a no-budget collection of four stories by Greg Pak, all involved with robots in some way. The best I can say for it is it seems the work of a talented film-school guy and has some competent acting. I’d look at his next feature, but I can’t recommend this one.

Robots

This is a sly political allegory, something not mentioned in the reviews I’ve read. But it quickly becomes obvious that something more is going on here than just a lot of funny robots being knocked about in a weird mechanical city. But as soon as Ratchet, the shiny new CEO of Bigweld Industries, came on the scene I knew he was supposed to be George W. Bush. It became clearer and clearer as ... Read more »

Rocket Science

Absolutely nothing about this total mess of a movie makes sense. Nothing at all. Anna Kendrick (in her second movie role; she was twenty-two and looks younger) is a highly competitive high school student in the state debate finals. Her partner inexplicably is suddenly struck mute. Can’t get a word out. They come in second place.

She is in search of a partner for next year’s ... Read more »

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

I first encountered the Rocky Horror phenomenon at a convention in Minnesota back in the late 70s. I was at lunch with half a dozen fans, who all fell to talking about this great movie. They then proceeded to describe it in great and enthusiastic detail. The business of water pistols and newspaper hats, shouting at the characters, and enacting scenes in costume in front of the screen was ... Read more »

Rocky Jones, Space Ranger: Menace From Outer Space

Many years ago I wrote a trilogy of novels about the adventures of one Cirocco “Rocky” Jones. They sold reasonably well, and everybody assumed that the name was a play on this old serial. But it wasn’t! I swear to you, I had never heard of it! Or, to be fair, if I did know of it, I had forgotten, and the choice of name was entirely a subconscious one.

I found this DVD at Goodwill, ... Read more »

Roger and Me

A great little film, from those long-ago days when Michael Moore had some nodding acquaintance with the truth.

Roger Corman’s Death Race 2050

I watched this ten or twenty minutes at a time over a week on Netflix, early in the morning when I couldn’t get to sleep. There’s no way in the world that I would recommend this to anyone … but I will say there are some good things in it, and if you are ever in the mood for a splatter movie that is pretty funny in places, you could do worse.

I don’t think I ever saw the original, ... Read more »

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

In 1971 George Lucas wrote and directed a swell little film called THX1138. (He couldn’t leave it alone. Some years later he went back and added some special effects. He does that a lot.) Then in 1973 he wrote and directed what is probably the best movie about high school ever made: American Graffiti. Then in 1977 he revolutionized ... Read more »