Alan Rapp

Red One

  • Title: Red One
  • IMDb: link

Red One

When Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped days before Christmas, the head of his security (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) will team up with a snarky bounty hunter (Chris Evans), whose actions led the kidnappers to the North Pole, in order to find Santa and save the holiday. Geared mostly towards preteens and teens, Red One is exactly what you would expect for a family Christmas action film with a big budget to blow on stars and special effects and far less time spent on plot.

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Topkapi

  • Title: Topkapi
  • IMDb: link

Topkapi

1964’s Topkapi is an odd film. Starting with a psychedelic opening in which a character breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience, a device which is never seen again, the film then vacillates between a heist film and a farce before finally settling in as a serious heist film (with an admittedly farcical epilogue). The story involves a thief (Melina Mercouri) who recruits an old partner and lover (Maximilian Schell) and a collection of amateurs for a risky heist in Istanbul. Their plan relies, in part, on smuggling the tools needed into the country through the use of unaware small-time hustler Arthur Simpson (Peter Ustinov).

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