GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

clanciai A doubtful story of small credibility, if any at all, is all the same expertly made and told and well worth seeing. Some of the effects go over the edge, but it is certainly better than most films in the genre with few parallels. The only even better one I can think of is "Spellbinder" from 1988 (see my review). Here the occult mystery show is saved by some excellent acting, especially Eli Wallach as the incredulous policeman, the only person in the film with some sober distance and even humour, while Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith, Arthur Kennedy and even José Ferrer add to the stew. Cristina Raines as Alison stand in the center, though, while Chris Sarandon appears strangely callous for a boyfriend of hers, and his character is the least convincing one and not very well constructed. He loves her and yet betrays her, he has some hidden agenda and still acts as her heroic protector - it doesn't quite add up. In smaller parts you see Christopher Walken as very young and even Tom Berenger for a short moment. John Milton and Dante play an important part in quotations, but the main attraction of the film is the mystery plot and legend - it's definitely an occult classic on the same level as "Rosemary's Baby".

Mateja Djedovic "The Sentinel" is a film of two halves, the first one drawn out, boring and filled to the brim with sequences connected in no way to the actual plot and the second one somewhat more entertaining, but still silly and very, very confused. I say confused because the film's mythology and the villain's plot are very vague and badly explained, and while films like "The Exorcist" or more recently "The Blair Witch Project" use this to their terrifying advantage in "The Sentinel" it looks just very amateurish. In fact, the script feels like it is a cut up version of a first-year film school student's first draft of a Gothic horror film. At least half of this film are pointless scenes dedicated to celebrity cameos. Eli Wallach and Christopher Walken (pre-fame) are heavy-handedly shoehorned into the plot as two police detectives bothering Chris Sarandon and then disappear without a trace after about three scenes in which Wallach wisecracks. Martin Balsam shows up for 2 minutes, is given several absentminded jokes to do (which he does surprisingly badly), translates some Latin then disappears. Still, the most audacious one of all is the impressive waste of Jose Ferrer (in a role even smaller than his turn in the immeasurably more entertaining "The Swarm") as a priest who mumbles something to another priest and then disappears, a real Oscar worthy mumble it was. When the film is on plot it ranges from mind-numbingly boring scenes in which Cristina Raines complains of headaches to blatant homophobia. John Carradine is painfully wasted here as a priest who spends the entire film staring out of a window, but at least he has some plot significance. The film finally stumbles upon its climax seemingly through sheer plot convenience we finally get some genuinely creepy imagery (the priest's pink fluffy hat aside) but all it comes down to is Catholic propaganda and the sad realization you've just wasted 90 minutes of your life. The film does have its strengths but they're so few and far apart that they don't really matter. There are two excellent spooky scenes in the film (the aforementioned climax and a really creepy scene in the middle of the film) and one person who almost makes watching this film excusable. Burgess Meredith gives one of his best performances (of many) in this film and unlike everyone around him who are obviously phoning their performances in (everyone that is other than Cristina Raines who really, really tries but is a sadly bad actress), Burgess Meredith gives it his all and pulls of a performance worthy of a real classic horror film, unfortunately, it is in a confused, schlocky, badly written one.P.S. Jeff Goldblum and Jerry Orbach show up playing almost the same character and both of them could be cut out of the film without any grief. In fact, if you were to cut out all the fat from the film you would get a really bad episode of "Tales from the Crypt". Now isn't that a turn-on.P.S.2 The film has without a doubt the best director's commentary ever recorded. Listen to that, skip the film.

vincentlynch-moonoi Considering the cast -- Chris Sarandon, Martin Balsam, John Carradine, José Ferrer, Ava Gardner, Arthur Kennedy, Burgess Meredith, Eli Wallach, and early appearances by Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, and even -- briefly -- Tom Berenger -- this should be a true classic horror film. But, not quite. But why? First, the film gets off to a very slow start. Yes, the "stage" needs to be set, but it sorta drags.Second, Cristina Raines beautiful enough to be a model? Nope...unless the only criteria is being skinny. Christina Raines an actress? Nope again. Terrible.Third, some of dialogue is...well, let's just say not very scintillating...and at times inane.Fourth, it's not supposed to be funny or predictable...but in many places it is one or the other or both. There were times I almost laughed out loud.The question is -- who's to blame. I'd say director Michael Winner. Bet you can't name one of his films off the top of your head. Strictly B material (at best) unless you love Charles Bronson.As far as the acting, Chris Sarandon hadn't quite learned to act yet. He was getting there, but this was only his third film, and it shows.Martin Balsam isn't in the film long enough to critique...nor was John Carradine, José Ferrer, Ava Gardner (at least we can say she was still quite beautiful), Eli Wallach, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum (was that actually his voice, or a voice dubbed in?), or Tom Berenger.Arthur Kennedy as a priest had a somewhat decent role here, and he was certainly a veteran.Probably the best performance is that of Burgess Meredith. There was always something special about Burgess Meredith, and he makes a somewhat minor role into a delicious attraction all its own.There is one thing I will give the film some credit for: it appears to be that some of the "freaks" at the end of the film were really sadly bizarre abnormal people. Kudos for making that real, un-kudos for exploiting people's misfortune.The odd thing is, I actually remember this film from back in the 1970s, and had hoped it would come out on Blu Ray (it's a decent transfer). I just didn't remember how bad it was. I ended up throwing the disc away after one viewing; at least I got a spare Blu Ray container for my purchase.

melvelvit-1 There's not many actors who epitomize the '70s more than Chris Sarandon, Christina Raines, and Deborah Raffin and seeing the two gals together as NYC fashion models in a slickly made horror film from the "Me Decade" was both "of its time" eye candy and a nostalgic rush. Christina, fresh out of the clinic after another suicide attempt, rents a too-good-to-be- true apartment in Brooklyn Heights with a closely "guarded" secret of apocalyptic proportions... THE SENTINEL's from an era when religious-themed Armageddon was in fashion and the film has more than a bit of ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE OMEN in its pedigree. The cast has "more stars than there are in heaven" what with Ava Gardner, Arthur Kennedy, Sylvia Miles, Jose Ferrer, Martin Balsam, John Carradine, Burgess Meredith, Eli Wallach, Jerry Orbach, Beverly D'Angelo, Jeff Goldblum, and Christopher Walken popping in and out. Look quickly for Tom Berenger and Richard Dreyfuss, too. It's a fun movie (based on a popular beach read) that's a bit better than it's initial reception would suggest and it made me nostalgic for movies like THE EYES OF LAURA MARS and THE LEGACY before I came to my senses.