Shameless Self Expression

Young Swedish orphan Bosse (played by Brit actor Nicholas Pickard) is taken away from his miserable Aunt and Uncle and transported to the land of Faraway. There he learns that he’s actually the son of Faraway’s noble king (the dull but presumably affordable Timothy Bottoms), and that he’s really a prince named Mio. The main plot has Mio and his reliable child companion Jum-Jum (Christian Bale) on a quest that eventually leads them to battle the evil, child-hating knight Kato (Christopher Lee). Susannah York briefly turns up as a seamstress in Faraway called The Weaver Woman.   Largely forgotten 1987 fantasy adventure for children desperately wants to be another “NeverEnding Story” with a little “Lord of the Rings” thrown in for good measure. A Swedish-Norwegian-Russian co-production with an international cast, it’s an extremely expensive disappointment. Based on a children’s book by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (of Pippi Longstocking fame), it suffers from abysmally lethar...

A Jewish police detective named Mo Brummel (George Segal) tries to apprehend a frustrated actor/theatre manager turned serial killer with a penchant for disguises and accents (Rod Steiger). The latter calls the former after every murder for a little chat and an odd relationship of sorts is formed. Meanwhile, Mo romances pretty Kate (Lee Remick), and deals with an angry boss (played TV veteran David Doyle) and nagging mother (Eileen Heckart).   Offbeat, highly underrated 1968 film from director Jack Smight ( “Harper” , “Midway” ) featuring one of the best-ever performances by Rod Steiger. Scripted by John Gay ( “Run Silent, Run Deep” , “Separate Tables” ) from a William Goldman ( “All the President’s Men” , “The Princess Bride” , “Misery” ) novel, it’s a strangely effective mix of macabre black comedy and genuinely interesting crime-thriller. Steiger is clearly having a ball playing the mixed-up killer who adopts various disguises, accents, and demeanours throughout. As funny as...