Flying Leathernecks (1951) - Ray's gung ho, Technicolor aviation spectacle

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The thrill of aviation, male rivalry - and a beautiful dame - is all promised on this characteristically red-white-and-blue poster for Nicholas Ray' Flying Leathernecks

Major Kirby takes command of a squadron of Marine fliers before the pivotal WWII battle of Guadalcanal is about to take place.

Flying Leathernecks is a very pro-American war romance-drama, which is perhaps most memorable for the many authentic WWII color clips that are edited into the beautifully Technicolored story. This gives the film an aesthetically messy quality, and some of its effects are dated by today's standards.
The plot is fairly standard for its time: A lax squadron gets a new major, - in this case John Wayne (Island in the Sky (1953)) is the just hammer of a man, - and the Tune Is Changed. In Flying Leathernecks, Robert Ryan (Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)) is the cowardly opponent. At no point are we worried, however, that good will not prevail.
Flying Leathernecks provides entertainment, including some funny supporting characters, SPOILER and its ending take us back to a trite American Dream-type of 1950s fantasy family, which is certainly fascinating.
It is written by James Edward Grant (Special Delivery (1976)), with story by Kenneth Gamet (Santa Fe (1951)), inspired by real-life battle of Guadalcanal hero, Major John L. Smith, and directed by great Wisconsinite filmmaker Nicholas Ray (55 Days at Peking (1963)). A leatherneck is a nickname for a Marine.

Related posts:

Nicholas Ray: Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
55 Days at Peking (1963) or, Peking anno 1900

Watch a 1-minute clip from the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: 2.6 mil. $ (North America rentals only)
= Unknown
[Flying Leathernecks was released 28 August (USA) and runs 102 minutes. Ray hired Ryan, because he thought of him as the only actor who could "kick Wayne's ass". Aviator and film producer Howard Hughes financed the film and decided to use color. Shooting took place from November 1950 - February 1951 in California. A near-catastrophe took place on the set in relation to a dynamite explosion. Without budget and foreign box office numbers known, it is impossible to say, if the film was a theatrical hit or miss. Wayne returned in The Quiet Man (1952), Ryan in The Racket (1951). Ray returned with uncredited work on The Racket and as credited director of On Dangerous Ground (1951). 4,037 users at Rotten Tomatoes have given Flying Leathernecks a 3.4/5 average rating.]

What do you think of Flying Leathernecks?

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) - The enjoyable if farfetched second Apes sequel

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The colorful poster for Don Taylor's Escape from the Planet of the Apes

QUICK REVIEW: 

The most sympathetic ape couple in screen history, Zira & Cornelius were able to flee the nuclear holocaust of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) with a third ape and travel through a warp in time. They arrive back on Earth in 1973 and are initially welcomed, - but it is to an atmosphere of intense fear and paranoia.

Just as the first sequel in the Apes franchise, Escape isn't an altogether successful film and a far cry from the masterful Planet of the Apes (1968). It does have some original ideas, and the story is carried ahead without the film seeming like a sell-out, mostly because it almost completely lacks the action scenes that the former films had. SPOILER It does, however, go out on a gloomy note similar to the first films.
A few reservations: SPOILER The character of Dr. Hasslein, who will go to great lengths to murder the apes for something their descendants will presumably do 2,000 (!) years in the future, is far out. As is the final scene with the baby Milo. 
Most of Escape is mostly enjoyable as a type of involuntary comedy. It is written by Paul Dehn (The Taming of the Shrew (1967) and directed by Don Taylor (Echoes of a Summer (1976)).

Related reviews:

The Apes franchise: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) or, Ape 3.1: Mad Apes!
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) or, The Final Ape!  
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) or, The Ape Uprising   
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) - Decent follow-up to the SF milestone 
Don Taylor: Damien: Omen II (1978) - Mimicking follow-up is a true turkey

Watch an original trailer for the film here

Cost: 2 mil. $
Box office: 12.3 mil. $ (North America only)
= Huge hit
[Escape from the Planet of the Apes was released May 21 and runs 98 minutes. The script was devised to fit a smaller budget than the previous films by only having two actors dressed as apes. Shooting lasted just six weeks November 1970 - January 1971. Kim Hunter (Columbo (1971), TV-series), who plays Zira, liked the script better than the one for Beneath, but later remarked that she and Roddy McDowall (Angel 4: Undercover (1994)), who plays Cornelius, felt a sense of isolation during production, because they were the only two people dressed as chimpanzees. SPOILER She has also said that she was glad that her character was killed off in the film, so she wouldn't have to return to the Apes franchise. Escape opened to good reviews and box office; unfortunately, a world gross isn't made public, but it was certainly a huge hit. Two more sequels were created in the original iteration of the franchise: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). Escape from the Planet of the Apes is fresh at 78 % with a 5.7 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Escape from the Planet of the Apes?

Damien: Omen II (1978) - Mimicking follow-up is a true turkey

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A poster for Don Taylor and Mike Hodges' successful Damien: Omen II

QUICK REVIEW:

Seven years after the events of the first film, (the masterpiece The Omen (1976)), devil-boy Damien lives with his rich, initially unsuspecting uncle and his family, until he is to go away to a military school.

Rarely has a phenomenal first film been followed by as poor a sequel as is the case here. The awfully titled Damien: Omen II is a big production, justified by the massive success of the original film, led by William Holden (The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)), who was there for what must have been a hefty paycheck, (let's not kid ourselves.) He was offered the Thorn-part in the original The Omen but turned it down due to his distaste of starring in a film of the devil, - but after the film's incredible success, he made sure to agree to do the sequel...
The tentative chills of the film are soon replaced by a sense of 'who-dies-next', which isn't scary at all, and worse is that the death scenarios are almost ridiculous more than once, SPOILER with the scene of the man who dies under the ice, - which changes from being glass-like to completely white and nontransparent between shots, - being the worst.
The promising premise of Omen II is wasted in what turns out to be nothing more than a stupid rehash, which attempts to match the brilliant first film as if filmmaking was nothing more than a can factory.
Stanley Mann (Firestarter (1984)) wrote the script, based on Harvey Bernhard's (Omen IV: The Awakening (1991, TV movie)) story and David Seltzer's characters (Bird on a Wire (1990)), and the film was initially directed by Mike Hodges (Flash Gordon (1980)), who was thought slow and therefore got replaced by Don Taylor (The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)). The film is a case of the fatal combination; bad start, middle and end. - Damien: Omen II is just plain bad!

Willam Holden applies a stern face in Don Taylor and Mike Hodges' Damien: Omen II

In lieu of a trailer for the movie, not currently on Youtube, here is Jerry Goldsmith's (The Omen) opening theme

Cost: 6.8 mil. $
Box office: 26.5 mil. $ (North America only)
= Big hit (at least)
[Damien: Omen II was released June 9 and runs 107 minutes. The only returning actor is Lew McKern (The Blue Lagoon (1980)) as Bugenhagen, who, however, went uncredited. The film is mainly set in Chicago, and the Thorn Industries building is in fact Chicago's city hall, but filming also took place in Wisconsin. The film opened #1 in North America in just 525 theaters to an astounding 3.8 mil. $ first weekend. The franchise continued with The Final Conflict (1981), Omen IV: The Awakening (1991, TV movie), The Omen Legacy (2001, TV movie) and The Omen (2006, remake). Damien: Omen II is rotten at 41 % with a 5 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Damien: Omen II?