Lancoor A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

lasttimeisaw Colin Higgins' San Francisco-based genre-busting comedy-thriller starts with the murder of an archbishop (Roche), then jumps to a chucklesome brush between our protagonists Gloria Mundi (Hawn), a recently-divorced bimbo librarian and a smart-looking but clumsy lieutenant Tony Carlson (Chase in his debut leading role), next, backing with Barry Manilow's Oscar-nominated theme song READY TO TAKE A CHANCE AGAIN (by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel) and sunlit bird's-eye view shots, Gloria decides to take the chance to embrace new adventures and picks up a random hitchhiker Scott (Solomon) and suggests they should have a movie date, unbeknown to her, Scott puts a small film inside his cigarette box and leave it to Gloria because someone is on his tail, before being dispatched in the cinema, he utters a foreboding warning to her "beware of the dwarf!".Once the MacGuffin is set, this Hitchcock parody goes heedlessly into the alley of a succession of cat-and-mouse chases and break-in attacks, with intermittent comic fodder involving a lecherous conductor Stanley Tibbet (Dudley Moore's American celluloid debut), who objectifies Gloria as a target for sex, Moore steals the limelight with his bravura of sexual perversity, straddling between farce and vulgarity. But the film goes downward from there, the story dully takes a familiar course of action with broad comedy sketches, romantic rendezvous and run-of-the-mill action pieces, a guilty-pleasure highlight involves a close-combat between the septuagenarian Meredith (as Gloria's karate-showboating landlord) and the villainess Rachel Roberts, simply because it is so off-centre. The final deciding event is set during the opera THE MIKADO, but until this point, our investment in the characters has already run its course, after a cringe-worthy kissing scene in front of all the dumb spectators (including a horrendous Pope Pius XIII), it is high time to bring down the curtain on this insipid crowd-pleaser.In any case, the film was a box-office hit in 1978, revives Hawn's career and establishes her oft- stereotyped screen persona as a simple-minded blonde with her innocuous bulging eyes, which certainly hampers her career longevity. Chevy Chase, barely appears in the first half of the film as a leading man, starts to integrate his deadpan drollness with a heart-throb front, which would subsequently lend him fame in his later works, notably in the National Lampoon and the Fletch movies. But as for the film, regrettably to say, it can barely leave any fresh impressions by today's new audience where the same tropes have been exploited by a surplus of emulators, time changes, that's why there is always a thrust for studios to remake old movies, maybe they can give this one a green light, at the least, the laughter-cum-scare blending has long exited the mainstream filmmaking in America.

tavm In continuing to review the early film works of "SNL"ers, we're once again in 1978 with the release of the hit Foul Play. Chevy Chase was the first to leave "Saturday Night Live" after a few shows into the second season. He was able to do that because he was only signed to a one season writer's contract-he didn't become a cast member until rehearsals for the first show. This movie became the first time he starred in a major studio picture, having previously appeared in segments of independent revue films like The Groove Tube and Tunnel Vision. As the police detective sent to protect Goldie Hawn from some killers, Chase is both charismatically funny and romantic with Ms. Hawn a perfect match for him here. Also, in his American film debut, Dudley Moore is hilarious as a would-be swinger oblivious to Ms. Hawn's distress when she desperately tells him to take her to his place and he doesn't ask any questions! And wait till you find out what he actually does for a living! I, for one, am glad Tlm Conway turned down the role as it's hard to imagine him doing what Moore does here. There's also a hilarious turn by Billy Barty as someone Ms. Hawn mistakes for someone else and a good turn by Burgess Meredith as a neighbor of Goldie. If there's one quibble, it's that the car chase scene near the end is pretty ridiculous but even there, there were some good moments like that of Japanese tourists being in one of the cars Goldie and Chevy drive in. All in all, Foul Play was one funny and suspenseful entertaining movie.

david-sarkies The thing that struck me about this movie was that it was made in the 70's. Most people wouldn't care but it feels strange when they makes quotes like "come into the 70's" when we are looking at it from the 90's. This movie also stars a very young Goldie Hawn, who has beautiful big eyes, Chevy Chase, Dudley Moore, and most strange of all, a thin, brown haired, Brian Dennehey. Another fact that points to the oldness of the movie is the existence of Pope Pius XIII. This must be old because the only Pope I can remember is the current one (as of writing in the mid 90s), Pope John Paul II.Foul Play is a comedy action type police movie and is quite tame compared to later movies. It is not an influence on any movies after though it does seem to be a satire of earlier movies. They have an albino, a man that died in the cinema, a scarface, and a dwarf. This is reflected in a movie that is screened in the movie (play within a play?) where a similar sort of thing is going on. Such clichés were common in earlier movies, but Foul Play seems to take a more comic direction towards these clichés for that is what they have become by this time.The plot of the movie is not really that deep. Basically there has been some murders, including the Arch-Bishop of San-Fransisco, though nobody knows about this. There is a film that nobody finds, and ends up going into the fireplace, so one actually wonders what the purpose of it is. There is something really bad going down in San-Fransisco and Goldie Hawn knows that it is going to happen but she has no evidence.Beyond this, Foul Play is an amusing movie but does not compete with some of the more classical movies of this time and others. It is more a simple appearance in a time that things were moving along. It does not stand out nor does it leave anybody with any deep thoughts or long lasting memories, rather it is a movie to watch and then forget about until the next time it is on TV.

anoceanroars This is a very funny film, even though it is quite old now and most of the cast is long gone. The film belongs to Goldie Hawn. It really shows off her comedic talent as the height of her long career. The supporting cast is excellent, even Chevy Chase which i never cared for as an actor. He is now a cast member of Community, in which he does a great job. As for the film, it is the story of a young woman in the wrong place at the wrong time, and unfortunately finding herself involved in an assassination plot. She has to beware of the midgets, they are taking over the world, if you've seen it then you understand. Burgess Meredith has some of the funniest scenes. She also has to beware of an up and coming Dudley Moore, doing what he does best, while trying to keep herself from getting murdered. Will she succeed? Watch it and see. Also, the movie does run a little too long, perhaps some editing could have made it a 10. Remember this is a light-hearted comedy, so bring your popcorn, cherry coke and light heart and you will enjoy it.