For some strange reason, I got in the mood for one of those '60s British sci-fi movies and decided to check TCM. Today at 5:45 pm (EDT) is The Hill, one of Sidney Lumet's all time best movies. Sean Connery puts in one of his best ever performances and Harry Andrews is a 'right bastard', one of cinema's great villains. Also stars Ossie Davis, Ian Bannen, and Michael Redgrave (father of Vanessa & Lynn).
I've hardly watched anything, be it a TV show or movie, for the past few weeks, opting instead to read. The Hill isn't sci-fi but I will definitely be tuning in for this! Watch or record it. You won't be disappointed.
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Available to stream is The Vanishing (1988), a Dutch-French movie that got good reviews and which Stanley Kubrick supposedly thought was the most terrifying movie he'd ever seen. May have to stream this tonight. There's no Maltin review of it but on RottenTomatoes it scored a 98% from critics and an 88% from the audience. Here's the synopsis:
The Vanishing is a deeply disturbing psychological thriller about a young man's search for his girlfriend after she disappears at a rest stop during a short trip. Over the course of three years, the man obsessively searches for her, using his spare time to put up posters and leave handbills, hoping that someone will give him a clue to the mystery surrounding her disappearance. Another man, having watched the man for some time, is intrigued by his increasing obsession and finally contacts him. He then gives the man the opportunity to learn firsthand of his girlfriend's fate. The film, frightening and moving with a chilling conclusion, is a small masterpiece as director George Sluizer confronts and examines the true nature of evil and obsession.
Note: it's only available until the 20th.
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Also available is a movie that I really, really liked when I first saw it at the drive-in... in 1973. I've seen it since and it's not great, but it's a way to kill an hour and a half. It also put Brian de Palma on the map. The movie is Sisters and stars a very young Margot Kidder and Charles Durning. It's kind of a mix of Rear Window and sci-fi. de Palma was/is known for ripping off Hitch and you can see it here.
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