Michael Crichton’s ‘Westworld’ fun, suspenseful entertainment

WESTWORLD (1973)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Twenty years before author Michael Crichton wrote “Jurassic Park,” he wrote and directed a small, low-budget film that shared a similar main plot: A high-tech amusement park goes madly out of control.

“Westworld” stars James Brolin and Richard Benjamin as two friends escaping for the week to Delos, a futuristic resort where vacationers interact with robots in Western, medieval Europe and Ancient Rome settings.

Shortly after Brolin and Benjamin arrive at Westworld, the computerized, life-like robots that populate a detailed reproduction of a Western town begin to act strange. Instead of shooting blanks, they fire real bullets.

Brolin and Benjamin suddenly find themselves stalked by The Gunslinger, a robot killer who looks exactly like Yul Brynner – a nod to the role he played in the classic Western “The Magnificent Seven.”

Overlooked and underrated: Coppola’s ‘The Conversation’

THE CONVERSATION (1974)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Between filming “The Godfather” and “The Godfather, Part II,” writer-director Francis Ford Coppola shot a small, fascinating drama – and one of the great paranoid thrillers that filled screens in the mid-1970s.

Gene Hackman stars in “The Conversation” as Harry Caul, a professional surveillance expert hired to eavesdrop on a conversation between two adults in San Francisco. While filtering through the tapes, Caul begins to suspect someone is in danger.

Coppola wrote, directed and produced this efficient, low-budget film – the second movie of the greatest four-film stretch in motion picture history.”The Godfather” in 1972, “The Conversation” in 1974, “The Godfather Part II” in 1974 and “Apocalypse Now” in 1978.

I guarantee you: No American film director can match the quality, depth and lasting power of each of those films. “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II” rank as the top two films ever made, closely followed by the other two.

Director John Frankenheimer in top form with ‘Black Sunday’

BLACK SUNDAY (1977)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Long before author Thomas Harris introduced Hannibal Lecter into the film and literary world, he wrote a crackling suspense thriller about a terrorist plot to bomb the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

“Black Sunday” was a page-turner unlike any other. I devoured the book quickly in the fall of 1975 during my one-hour commute after school aboard a series of New Orleans public busses.

So, when veteran film maker John Frankenheimer jumped on board to direct the movie version, I knew it had to be good.

Frankenheimer helmed such important political thrillers as “The Machurian Candidate” and “Seven Days in May.” Frankenheimer even directed the underrated sequel to “The French Connection” in which Gene Hackman reprised his role of Popeye Doyle.

Frankenheimer, to me, seemed a great choice for “Black Sunday.” I was right.

Sellers, Edwards team on only non-‘Pink Panther’ comedy

THE PARTY (1968)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Four years after director Blake Edwards and actor Peter Sellers finished their second Inspector Clouseau film, the two teamed again in 1968 for one of the most unconventional screen comedies ever made.

“The Party” is rarely mentioned when people talk about Edward’s long list of memorable film comedies that include “The Pink Panther” series, “Victor/Victoria” and “10.” And Sellers’ fans seem to forget “The Party” and usually focus on the “Pink Panther” films.

But with “The Party,” Sellers and Edwards prove they had more talent than people ever imagined. This hilarious, fish-out-of-water comedy is droll, off-beat, filled with great sight gags and uncontrollably hilarious.

Sellers stars as Hrundi V. Bakshi, an unknown Indian actor who has a small role in a big-budget epic motion picture. Despite his repeated clumsiness, Bakshi accidentally gets himself invited to a lavish Hollywood dinner party.

Sneak Prevue Mailbag: You have questions ... we have answers

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

In today’s edition of the Sneak Prevue Mailbag, I answer a question about Peter Jackson’s extended version of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which was recently released in high definition on Blu-ray disc.

I also talk a little about two worn-out film franchises that have seen better days: “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones.” Let’s hope both film series remain dormant for the rest of their lives.

Every week I dig deep into the Sneak Prevue Mailbag and answer a handful of reader questions. As always, feel free to drop me a question. Write me at editor@sneakprevue.info.

Mr. Cassreino: Now that Peter Jackson is filming “The Hobbit,” Warner Bros. just released ‘The Lord of the Rings” trilogy on high-definition Blu-ray disc in what is labeled an “extended cut.” The three films are each significantly longer than the versions that originally played in theaters. Which version do you recommend: The theatrical cut or the extended director’s cut? – Sidney in Lexington

Overlooked and underrated: ‘Once Upon a Time in America’

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

The phone rings and rings and rings.

For nearly 20 minutes that open “Once Upon a Time in America,” the constant ringing of a phone fills the soundtrack as the film jumps from the 1930s to the 1960s. At first, it’s irritating. But as you settle into the film, you realize this is just a stylistic device by the director to unite different ti me periods covered by his story.

Sergio Leone’s 1984 gangster film masterpiece – the final motion picture directed by the Italian film maker before his untimely death from a heart attack in 1989 at age 60 – is one of the great overlooked and underrated films of our time.

Adapted from the novel “The Hoods” by Harry Grey, “Once Upon a Time in America” stars Robert De Niro and James Woods in the gripping story of Jewish youths who live in poverty and rise to prominence in the New York mob scene.

‘The Last Temptation of Christ’: Scorsese’s unforgettable epic

THE LAST TEMPTATION
OF CHRIST (1988)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

As an exhausted, dying Jesus hangs on the cross and rejects one last elaborate temptation to renounce his role as the Son of God, I have never been more moved by a motion picture.

Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” created major controversy when it played theaters in the fall of 1988, primarily from right-wing, fundamentalist religious fanatics who missed the entire point of the film.

Led by the Rev. Donald Wildmon and the American Family Association, opponents objected to several scenes – including the film’s climax in which Jesus is tempted by Satan who appears in the form of a beautiful young girl.

In that sequence, Jesus sees what life would be like if he denied his role as Savior. He marries, has children and grows old. When Jesus rejects Satan, accepts his destiny and willingly dies on the cross to save us, Scorsese movie packs powerful jolt.