Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Born to Win (1971)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Ivan Passer
Cast: George Segal, Paul Prentiss, Karen Black, Robert De Niro
Time: 88 minutes



J is a junkie who occasionally runs errands for his dealer Vivian in order to cover his own habit. After meeting Parm, he seems intent on getting his life back on track and move away with her, but, with the cops on his tail, he has to agree to collaborate with them to arrest Vivian.

I originally saw this film because it was advertised as starring Robert De Niro, one of my favorite actors. What we have here is a case of an old movie being repackaged to cash in on the success an actor had later in his career. The Raging Bull actor is only in a couple of scenes in Born to Win, and he was not given anything memorable to sink his teeth into.

As for the movie itself, it just seems to be plodding along aimlessly for close to 90 minutes. By the end of it, I still wondered what was the point. George Segal has offered better performances in his career, and so did Karen Black. This one could easily be skipped without missing much. Born to Win is billed as a black comedy, but I failed to see the humor. 

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