seen from Türkiye
seen from Germany
seen from Sweden
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from Philippines
seen from Albania
seen from Germany
seen from Canada
seen from Malaysia
seen from Australia
seen from Netherlands
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Russia
seen from Brazil
seen from Canada
Scrooge (1970). A musical retelling of Charles Dickens' classic novel about an old bitter miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions.
This is a pretty fun, straightforward adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and the music really does bring a different sort of tone to it. It’s great for holiday season viewing, and Albert Finney does a solid job of bringing Scrooge to life every step of the way. 7/10.
A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969). Charlie Brown makes his way to the national spelling bee finals.
It’s pretty easy to see just why Snoopy and Charlie Brown have had the legacy they’ve had when watching this first feature in the iconic franchise. It’s charming, lowkey, earnest and really just a lot of fun. Even characters who feature only briefly feel well-drawn and well-realised, and the entire dynamic of it just really makes for a nice way to spend 90 minutes. 7.5/10.
Tristana (1970). Shortly after her mother's death, an innocent and youthful woman will find refuge into the household of her middle-aged aristocratic guardian, who will submit her to his sexual advances.
Catherine Deneuve is always magnetic on screen, but she’s got a particular pull in this film about a woman who’s fate is dictated by circumstance and sex. She grounds every scene she’s in - first with innocence and grace, and then with a bitterness and barely contained fury, and it makes for a terrific throughline throughout the film. Which is why it’s a shame the other performances don’t quite rise up to match her, nor does the script offer anything particularly unique. Still, it’s worth the watch for Deneuve. 6.5/10.
Five Easy Pieces (1970). A dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.
There’s an interesting premise at the heart of this film, and it really is grounded by some excellent performances, but unfortunately the pacing feels a little off, and the plot veers from dramatic realism to meandering emptiness that feels pretty reflective of the times. It’s worth checking out, but it’s probably not for everyone. 6/10.
Joe (1970). Two men, Bill, a wealthy conservative, and Joe, a far-right factory worker, form a dangerous bond after Bill confesses to murdering his daughter's drug dealer boyfriend to Joe.
While there are some pretty solid performances in this film, particularly from Peter Boyle as the titular Joe, it really is pretty dated, the whole thing panning out more as an afterschool special than the gritty, shocking movie I think it was intending to be. It’s also really oddly paced - dragging more often than not before a climactic final sequence that isn’t given enough time to breathe. This is one you can probably give a miss. 4/10.
Little Big Man (1970). Jack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Native Americans and fighting with General Custer.
This is such a strange film that it’s hard to know what to say about it. It’s not bad exactly - and the cinematography is genuinely excellent in certain parts, but it’s also weird, dated and has race issues that leave a bad taste in your mouth. It also walks a fine line between parody and drama, borderline slapstick comedy and deeply rooted emotion, so...yes. Very odd, haha. 5/10.
The Molly Maguires (1970). In the Pennsylvanian coal mines of 1876, a group of Irish immigrant workers begin to retaliate against the cruelty of their work environment.
In a lot of ways, this film feels older than it is. There’s just something about the plotting and the pacing that’s dated, which is a shame, because it’s not a bad movie. Sean Connery is particularly good in it, and I think it really is trying to tell an interesting story. Unfortunately, it falls flat more often than it doesn’t. Still, it’s not a bad movie exactly, and there are elements that make it a fairly interesting watch. 6.5/10.
Airport (1970). A bomber on board an airplane, an airport almost closed by snow, and various personal problems of the people involved.
Hoo boy. Look, I’m not the biggest fan of disaster movies at the best of times, and given this movie was basically the formation of popular tropes within the subgenre, it probably won’t surprise anyone that I didn’t particularly enjoy this film. It’s slow and the characters are pretty shallowly drawn and there’s little to either connect you to them or make you care about what happens to them - a feat given the cast is chock full of charismatic actors. 4/10.
