Author: John Spry

I am a reviewer of films and television at Spryfilm.com and I upload stories to thisissouthtaranaki.com.

Blu-ray review: “Zombies of the Stratosphere” (1952)

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“Zombies of the Stratosphere” (1952) Science Fiction Running Time: 70 minutes Written by: Ronald Davidson Directed by: Fred C. Brannon Featuring: Judd Holdren, Aline Towne, Wilson Wood, Lane Bradford, Stanley Waxman, John Crawford, Craig Kelly, Ray Boyle and Leonard Nimoy Zombies of the Stratosphere is one of those wonderfully pulpy, endearingly earnest science-fiction serials that could only have come from the early 1950s. Directed by Fred …

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Blu-ray review: “Radar Men from the Moon” (1952)

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“Radar Men from the Moon” (1952) Science Fiction Running Time: 100 minutes Written by: Ronald Davidson Directed by: Fred C. Brannon Featuring: George Wallace, Aline Towne and Roy Barcroft Graber: “How 'bout a ride to town, mister?” Motorist: “Sure. Hop in.” Graber: “There's a man in a flying suit chasing us. Step on it.” Motorist: “Huh?” "Radar Men from the Moon" is a fascinating piece of …

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Blu-ray review: “Agatha Christie’s Marple: Series One to Three” (2004-2013)

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“Agatha Christie's Marple: Series One to Three” (2004-2013) Television Twenty three Episodes Created by: Agatha Christie Featuring: Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie  Miss Jane Marple: “When gentlemen of a certain age fall in love, they get the disease very badly.” Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series, known for its charming and astute elderly detective, has been a beloved staple in …

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DVD Review: “Seaway” (1965-1966) 

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“Seaway” (1965-1966)  Television Series Thirty Episodes Created by: Abraham Polonsky Featuring: Stephen Young, Austin Willis and Cec Linder "Seaway" is a Canadian drama series that aired during the 1965–1966 television season. Set against the backdrop of the newly constructed Saint Lawrence Seaway, the series offers a compelling blend of adventure, drama, and crime-solving narratives. Despite its brief run of 30 episodes, "Seaway" …

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Blu-ray review: “I am Burt Reynolds” (1976)

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“I am Burt Reynolds” (1976) Documentary Running Time: 91 minutes Written & directed by: Adrian Buitenhuis Burt Reynolds: “Having done 300 television shows and almost 60 movies, I'm tired of having guys who are younger than some sandwiches I've had telling me to turn left at the couch. There's no appreciation of actors and no sense of …

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Blu-ray review: “Gator” (1976)

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“Gator” (1976) Action Running Time: 115 minutes Written by: William W. Norton Directed by: Burt Reynolds Featuring: Burt Reynolds, Jack Weston, Lauren Hutton and Jerry Reed Bama McCall: “Don't you ever knock on the door or nothin'? I mean, you could've caught a fella with his britches down.” Burt Reynolds’ Gator (1976) is an intriguing mix of action, comedy, and backwoods crime drama, serving …

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Blu-ray review: “Hustle” (1975)

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“Hustle” (1975) Action Running Time: 120 minutes Written by: Steve Shagan Directed by: Robert Aldrich Featuring: Burt Reynolds, Catherine Deneuve, Ben Johnson, Paul Winfield, Eileen Brennan, Eddie Albert, Ernest Borgnine and Jack Carter Lt. Phil Gaines: "Don't you know where you live, Marty? Can't you smell the bananas? You know what country you live in? You live in …

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Blu-ray review: “White Lightning” (1973)

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“White Lightning” (1973) Action Running Time: 101 minutes Written by: William W. Norton Directed by: Joseph Sargent Featuring: Burt Reynolds, Jennifer Billingsley, Ned Beatty, Bo Hopkins and Matt Clark Vinnie Carruthers: “What happened to you?” Gator McKlusky: “I was tryin' to save these two buddies of mine from getting knocked up by a homosexual.” Vinnie Carruthers: “Oh, praise God!” White Lightning, directed by Joseph Sargent and …

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Blu-ray review: “Listen to Me Marlon” (2015)

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“Listen to Me Marlon” (2015) Documentary Running Time: 95 minutes Written by: Stevan Riley and Peter Ettedgui Directed by: Stevan Riley  Marlon Brando, Himself: “Everything that you do - make it real as you can. Make it alive. Make it tangible. Find the truth of that moment.” Marlon Brando, Himself: “Lying for a living. That's what acting …

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Blu-ray review: “A Dry White Season” (1989)

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“A Dry White Season” (1989) Drama Running Time: 107 minutes Written by: Colin Welland and Euzhan Palcy Directed by: Euzhan Palcy Featuring: Donald Sutherland, Janet Suzman, Jürgen Prochnow, Zakes Mokae, Susan Sarandon and Marlon Brando Ian McKenzie: “Justice and law, Mr. Du Toit, are often just... well they're, I suppose they can be described as distant cousins. And here in South Africa, well, they're simply not …

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Blu-ray review: “The Missouri Breaks” (1976)

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“The Missouri Breaks” (1976) Western Running Time: 126 minutes Written by: Thomas McGuane Directed by: Arthur Penn Featuring: Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, Kathleen Lloyd, Frederic Forrest and Harry Dean Stanton Tittle Tod: “Damn, I don't know why they had to put Canada all the way up here.” Arthur Penn’s The Missouri Breaks (1976) is a film that resists easy categorization. A revisionist Western featuring two …

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Blu-ray review: “Last Tango in Paris” (1972)

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“Last Tango in Paris” (1972) Drama Running Time: 93 minutes Written by: Bernardo Bertolucci, Franco Arcalli French dialogue: Agnès Varda Directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci Featuring: Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Maria Michi, Giovanna Galletti, Jean-Pierre Léaud and Massimo Girotti Paul: “No, you're alone. You're all alone. And you won't be able to be free of that feeling of being alone until you look death right in the …

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Blu-ray review: “The Nightcomers” (1971)

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“The Nightcomers” (1971) Horror Running Time: 94 minutes Written by: Michael Hastings Directed by: Michael Winner Featuring: Marlon Brando, Stephanie Beacham, Thora Hird and Harry Andrews Peter Quint: "If you love someone, you want to kill them." Released in 1971 and directed by Michael Winner, The Nightcomers serves as a prequel to Henry James's novella The Turn of the …

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Blu-ray review: “The Night of the Following Day” (1969)

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“The Night of the Following Day” (1969) Drama Running Time: 93 minutes Written by: Hubert Cornfield and Robert Phippeny Directed by: Hubert Cornfield Featuring: Marlon Brando, Richard Boone, Rita Moreno and Pamela Franklin Chauffeur: [to Leer] “I don't want you to hurt the girl; I don't want you to touch her. If I come back and I find out that she's not …

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DVD Review: “Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials” (2023) 

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“Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials” (2023)  Television Series Sci-Fi Three Specials Written by: Russell T Davies Featuring: David Tennant and Catherine Tate The Doctor: “I really do remember, though. Every second with you. I'm so glad you're back, 'cause it killed me, Donna. It killed me, it killed me, it killed me.” Donna Noble: “We can have more days, can't we? …

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Blu-ray review: “Damages: The Complete Series” (2007-2012) 

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“Damages: The Complete Series” (2007-2012)  Television Fifty Nine Episodes Created by: Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman Featuring: Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Željko Ivanek, Noah Bean, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Anastasia Griffith, Marcia Gay Harden, Timothy Olyphant, William Hurt, Campbell Scott, Martin Short, Dylan Baker, John Goodman and Ryan Phillippe Martin Cutler: "If you were …

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Blu-ray review: “The Invisible Monster” (1950)

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“The Invisible Monster” (1950) Science Fiction Running Time: 100 minutes Written by: Ronald Davison Directed by: Fred C. Brannon Featuring: Richard Webb, Aline Towne, Lane Bradford, Stanley Price, John Crawford and George Meeker CHAPTER TITLES: 1. Slaves of the Phantom; 2. The Acid Clue; 3. The Death Car; 4. Highway Holocaust; 5. Bridge to Eternity; 6. Ordeal by Fire; 7. Murder Train; 8. Window of …

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4K Blu-ray review: “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (1994)

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“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (1994) Comedy Running Time: 103 minutes Written and directed by: Stephan Elliott Featuring: Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Bill Hunter Bernadette: [to Shirley] “Now listen here, you mullet. Why don't you just light your tampon, and blow your box apart? Because it's the only bang you're ever gonna get, sweetheart!” Few films …

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4K Blu-ray review: “Convoy” (1978)

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“Convoy” (1978) Action Running Time: 111 minutes Written by: B. W. L. Norton Directed by: Sam Peckinpah Featuring: Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Burt Young, Madge Sinclair, Franklyn Ajaye and Ernest Borgnine Melissa: “Why do they call you the Duck?” Rubber Duck: “Because it rhymes with "luck." See, my daddy always told me to be just like a duck. Stay smooth on the surface and paddle like …

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