BlogTopia (now with 11% more blog)

The Canterville Ghost - Comedy-like more for kids than adults film based on Oscar Wilde’s short story. The highlight is Charles Laughton plays the Canterville ghost. Special effects weren’t bad, but nothing too unique for the time as greater effects had been done sooner. The movie isn’t bad, but isn’t particularly great. As I noted, more of a film for kids.

6.8 of 10

The Bride Came C.O.D. - Here is a treat… even if it wasn’t a treat to create, only a barely decent script and really hot set in Death Valley. James Cagney, Bette Davis… in a rare comedy. Sometimes movies are fun to watch even if they aren’t the funniest, merely because of who is in it. This is one of those movies. There aren’t too many laugh out loud moments (though one near the end comes to mind), but the film is charming enough. These two save the film that could have been rather forgettable. Jack Carson plays… well another guy Jack Carson typically plays. Fun enough to warrant watching.

It is odd, but the two films I’ve seen with Cagney have been comedies, this and Mister Roberts.

7.2 of 10

The Hangover - Typical R-rated comedy. Really not that good of a film, sometimes resorting to uncreative or crud dialogue instead of developing actual comedy. To be fair, there are a handful of funny moments, unfortunately, the entire trip isn’t quite worth it.

3 of 10

The Roaring Twenties - James Cagney in what was just another great 1939 film. I like the entire plot and how the events and characters flow quite evenly and smoothly. Everything about the film just works. That’s all I can say.

9.3 of 10

Duck Soup - The Platinum Standard for comedy. The Marx Brothers are involved with a feud between two neighboring nations, Sylvania and Freedonia. Absolute marvel of a film and some really good one-liners.

Dumont: I was with him (her husband that died) to the very end.
Groucho: No wonder he kicked it.
Dumont: He was in my arms.
Groucho: So you admit it was murder.

A couple classic scenes including the mirror routine and the two the peanut stand bits. Old comedy doesn’t do much better.

9.8 of 10

It’s a Gift - Short comedy movie by WC Fields. The husband’s relative dies and then puts the inheritance money into an Orange Field in California. The movie is more about the buildup to leaving and the trip itself. Typical WC Field schtick. Now where are my ten pounds of kumquats?!

8.2 of 10

The Proposal - Rather unimaginative film, with an absurd plot, with an even more absurd conclusion. The only benefit this movie has is Betty White, but even her character had about as much unique creative energy as a 1st grade edition of Snow White. Bullock and Reynolds aren’t annoying which keeps this film from being a shredded DVD. The movie had a few cute moments, but really you probably saw all of the best parts in the preview.

4.5 of 10

Invictus - Story of the South African attempt at the Rugby World Cup in 1995. A slow but purposefully told narrative that concentrates a bunch on Nelson Mandela’s desperate attempt to unify South Africa’s two divergent populations. If you don’t know much about rugby, you may have a hard time following the action (though you shouldn’t, rugby is pretty simple).

The movie is a little lacking. The build up to the rugby action was long and sometimes drawn out. Then the rugby action was a little drawn out. The rugby action was shot in an interesting manner. You are in the action itself, instead of just watching it as if it were a game. The less structured form of rugby, relative to American football, gives the sense of chaos and confusion, but does well to give a true sense of the on field play.

Eastwood uses his craft well and you won’t feel like you wasted your time. It is inspiring, indeed.

7.5 of 10

State of the Union - Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey star in a movie about an idealogical self made rich man (Tracey) is recruited by Newspaper icon Jessica Fletcher… I mean Angela Lansbury who wants to create her own candidate so her paper can have their own man. So Tracey wants his own run, Lansbury wants her own version of him. So the electoral politics get involved and you watch the film and think… yup, things aren’t any different these days.

One short monologue by Tracey stands out, as he goes on and on about his vision of the world. One line goes, ~’The world’s richest nation is the world’s largest failure if it can’t offer the best health care to its citizens.’ 1948. Nineteen bloody forty-eight! Over six decades later and we still haven’t gotten there yet.

Its a good movie, somewhat predictable, but the movie has a good cast, it’s always fun to watch Hepburn and Tracey together, and the story is interesting enough along political lines.

8 of 10

Gunga Din - Three words to give a person an idea of what this film is… Temple of Doom… without the silly potions and stuff. The action is a tad over the top… with Cary Grant making Rambo look like a pussy. The story is good, the characters fun and the climatic battle scene offers a good amount of suspense. A movie from the golden year of Hollywood. Gunga Din is a must see.

9.5 of 10

Monsters vs Aliens - I had a feeling that I wanted to watch this movie. I wasn’t disappointed. The movie was fun and funny enough. It wasn’t the greatest of animated films, but it was a world better than the efforts of movies like Madagascar. The movie is a cliche, but has enough charm to pull off the film. Colbert adds a good touch.

6.5 of 10

Day of Wine and Roses - A heart warming and uplifting story of purity. This movie is about a couple that never touch alcohol… ever. Really uplifting.

Alright, maybe it is a tad bit darker than that. Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick star in a pair of marvelous performances about alcoholism. I warn ya, this movie isn’t fun at all. About half way through, I felt like someone was grinding their fingernails on the chalkboard, not in a bad way rather the journey of the two characters is just hard to watch. The movie stays real and it is a movie to watch.

Oddly, the movie was released the day after Christmas… not a very Christmasy film.

8.8 of 10

On the Town - Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garret star in a movie about three Navy guys who have one day in the city. One (Sinatra) wants to see the sites, the other two want to get The Clap. It seems if you see one Kelly - Sinatra film, you’ve seen every one. Bernstein actually did the music for the film, so that is a good touch for an otherwise, good but really formulaic plot.

7.5 of 10 (but probably deserves 8+ of 10)

Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) - Another 1939 classic. Starring Charles Laughton as the Hunchback. No singing gargoyles in this one, just a bunch of good acting. The story is strong. Not much more one can ask for in a film. This is a classic.

9.8 of 10

The Wizard of Oz - Yeah… just finally watched it for the first time. Honestly, I found the movie boring. First off, the Munchkins were useless… “follow the yellowbrick road". Yeah thanks… what about when it diverges on three different paths. Assholes!

The casting was well done. The acting, singing, dancing well done. I don’t know, though, in the end. I watched The Godfather and at the end, I felt that the all out acclaim of the film was well deserved. The Wizard of Oz felt anti-climatic, though perhaps that is the goal of the story to begin with. The Wizard is a nincompoop simpleton. He doesn’t actually solve anyone’s issues, just gives inane awards to fill a certain desire of the person. I guess the Wizard does a great job of symbolizing the President of the US… ie… people expect the President to solve the world’s problems, but in the end, it is all an act.

I will concede the film was well done, with a great production. But as a cinematic experience, I felt underwhelmed… though certainly in ‘39 it would have been pretty sweet on the big screen. I’ll score it 8.5 on the scale out of respect for the film, but didn’t really get an 8.5 enjoyment from it.

8.5 of 10

The Parallex View - Yeah, this is only the third movie I’ve seen with Warren Beaty in it (Ishtar and Bullworth), so I’ve seen two very different sides of Beaty. Enter The Parallex View… a conspiracy film that I believe does such a good job at forming the conspiracy, that even rational people will walk away needing to try harder to explain why it probably isn’t true, however, keeping a lingering doubt in your mind as to how it could be true in the end.

The movie involves the eventual private investigation (by Beaty’s character) of the murder of a Senator, the twists and turns involved as he digs really deep. The movie is incredible for a few scenes of deep suspense. I did suffer a few moments of wondering whether the movie was taking some leaps or whether I was missing a couple of points along the line. I’d need to watch it again to see if I was just missing something. Otherwise, the movie is a good suspense film, better in some ways than The Manchurian Candidate (in my opinion).

7.5 of 10

Room Service - Marx Brother comedy that pretty much takes place in a single room. As usual, the Marx Brothers are a bit over their head economically, but are trying to put on a play. This movie takes a different tact as… JUMPING BUTTERBALLS, they improvise the suicides of two people in order to hold the hotel owner at bay… which at times leads to a little darker comedy style. Personally, my favorite bit was when the backer shows up and they burst into a room where Harpo is swinging a rod, trying to knock down a flying turkey. Movie was fun and had some good LOL moments.

As a side note, this movie presented two lesser known talents… at the time. Ann Miller and Lucille Ball!

7 of 10

How Green is My Valley - Typically unknown film made a long time ago. It was released to mild fanfare and was given little regard. The only reason why it is known is because the kid was in Planet of the Apes. Overall, the movie wasn’t as bad as it was panned. (yes, that is sarcasm) Great film.

8 of 10

Taken - This is an example of how one actor can save a movie on his own. You’ve got a halfway decent script, simple characters, not a great director but Liam Nielson makes it watchable. Put some other actor in it into the role and it will become unwatchable.

This is not to say the movie was great, just redeemed a bit. The plot was simple, the action over the top at times, but forgivable often times (not all the time), the cinematography wasn’t impressive (the movie could have been shot better).

Tell ya this, Luc Besson really has an issue developing different protagonists. Liam Nielson reprises the role of the Transporter… who reprises the role the Professional… who reprises the lead role and “The Cleaner” of La Femme Nikita.

But Liam Nielson makes it watchable. The film is compact (less than 90 minutes), doesn’t slow down because of love interests (no Transporter 3 lull), action sequences contain three really good moments.

5.5 of 10

Shadow of a Doubt - 40’s Hitchcock film, with a tremendous amount of suspense. Hitchcock controls the pace of the film marvelously. Not a minute was wasted, not a minute was needless. For a movie to be that old and contain that much of a thrill is a testament to the genius that was Hitchcock.

10 of 10

Always - I didn’t quite like this film as much as when I first saw it a while ago. I think maybe it tries too hard to be emotional. It is a good film, but I feel a bit like I did at the end of Pay it Forward, where the only reason for certain events was to fuck with the viewer. That said, Goodman is in great form in the film. It is fun and enjoyable.

7.0 of 10

WubbIdol - Oh yeah! Sparkle, Shine and Shimmer are headed to Wuzzleburg to do a talent content to find a winner to perform with them in Wuzzlewood. You know, Wow Wow Wubbzy is perhaps the greatest small children’s show ever. They really do package something that adults can not only stomach but actually enjoy. The movie itself was a bit drawn out. It could have ended at about 55 or 60 minutes, but overall, the film was “AWESOME!!!!”

6.5 of 10 overall, but 8.5 of 10 for a small kids movie.

The Letter - Regarded by many as Bette Davis’s best film, The Letter is about a letter that comes to notice after a person has been killed. The acting in the movie is great, the plot is great, the ending is great. You’ll never guess who dun it (if you are a moron or have never seen a Bette Davis film before), but the whole thing is just super! The only thing that is taken from the movie is that the suspense regarding the guilt or innocence isn’t too large with Davis… rather the suspense is elsewhere on the screen with other people. The problem with Davis films is that you kinda already know what has happened before the film even starts. The film makes up for this nagging issue however with the plot and the relationship of the other characters to Davis’s.

9.5 of 10

Curse of the Were-Rabbit - I may be out of line with this, but I think this is the best children’s movie ever. It is as good for adults as it is for kids. The claymation is top notch with a few additional special effects thrown in. The movie is exceedingly witty with funny bits everywhere on the screen if you notice them. Aardman proved how good they were a long time ago, but this film’s wit, style, plot, music, everything is just beyond excellent. While getting a great response, sadly, this movie, to me, doesn’t get the sort of long-term praise of a Finding Nemo or Wall-E, but honestly, I find this film blows those two movies away (as good as those films were), being able to keep up with the charm of those two films, while having a much quicker and consistent pace. Even Voldemort and Belatrix are in the movie, great performances, with starring roles.

Simply put, this movie could not have been made better. It won the Academy Award for best Animated movie and a ton of other awards.

10 of 10

Maid in Manhattan - Oy.. oy… oy… The writers thought, ‘hey, we’ll make the script move forward, use the kid as a plot progression device and screw any sort of actual meaningful plot development.’ This movie suffers the 1930’s to 60’s issue of characters who don’t know each other at all, just falling in love, in moments, as if it were nothing at all.

The movie simply exists to get itself off. Terrible stuff.

3 of 10

Pretty Woman - Yeah, the movie came out a looooong time ago, but just saw it in whole for the first time. There isn’t much to say about this film. It’s a love story, which actually showcases a legit love story arc. There is a reason for the ending to happen. Some cliches in the film, though perhaps it created them, I don’t know. Film is enjoyable.

7.5 of 10

Pat and Mike - Katherine Hepburn is one of the most remarkable women in the history of the planet. Her achievements were notable, but this movie showcases her abilities off the stage, mostly with regard to sports. A tennis player, golf player, shooter, she could do it all. Hepburn and Spencer Tracey star together in this film, where Tracey becomes her manager and trying to get Hepburn to become a success, but in order to do so, he must realize the cause of her foibles on the court/green. The movie is charming and has some of the unique charisma that Hepburn/Tracey shared on the screen. Not as good as Adam’s Rib, but certainly a movie worth watching.

8 of 10

North by Northwest - They fly on a Northwest plane… hence the name… I think. Hitchcock classic about a mistaken identity. Some rather excellent tension moments, especially the plane scene. And kudos to Cary Grant who did his own stunts… (in The Holiday many years back he does a couple backflips) that guy was nimble, even as he got older. The storyline is really good, even so many decades later. The suspense holds very well, even when it is aged. One of Hitchcock’s best and Grant is in typical Grant fashion/style. We all have some appreciation that needs to be given to Hitchcock for getting Grant back on the big screen!

9.9 of 10

The Great White Hope - Interesting film about the “life” of Jack Johnson. Flat out, the acting of James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander are superior. My big problem with the movie is that it is telling a story about Jack Johnson, not telling about the life of Jack Johnson. From best I can tell, snips a pieces are legit, but overall, it becomes too hard to figure out what was outrightly fictionalized and what actually happened.

I was disappointed at watching a fictional movie when I was hoping for a historical one. The movie itself has good drama, though the race elements in it (i.e. Johnson’s wisdom early in the film before the first fight) seem to be imported and not genuine. The acting is great. So for a film telling a fictional story it is very good. For a film depicting what actually happened, not so good. There is a true story here that could have been more honest to the truth.

8.5 of 10 for acting - 5 of 10 for historical accuracy

Old Maid - Bette Davis film about a woman who is grumpy. She has a child she can’t pretend she has. Really, the movie had all the swerves of a straight road. Davis, thankfully, isn’t overacting in this film as she can be known to do. The film is good enough, but I wasn’t particularly moved.

6.3 of 10

Operation Madball - Jack Lemmon stars in this movie about a number of military people that want one final bout of fun before the end of the war. I’d imagine that Lemmon’s character is a matured Ensign Pulver. The movie was better than I expected, as some war comedies can really be too cookie cutter and not worth watching. In the end, the guy gets the girl in a typical “it suits the plot, though there was no development at all for it".

6.0 of 10

Watchmen - I know nothing of the comic. The movie starts off good enough for me. Heavy on exposition, but I don’t mind storytelling. The film was doing well, but began to lull. Then a gratuitous sex scene… and then an ending that has me thinking, was I just duped? Is that an honest ending or did they simply not have a good way of finishing the film. Honestly, I felt the climax of the film wasn’t all to climaxy.

5 of 10

The Notorious Landlady - Jack Lemmon, Kim Novak and a non-dancing Fred Astaire star in this good enough comedy which displays the difficulties a Diplomat suffers when renting an apartment which is connected to a previous crime. Typical screwball film ending. This movie won’t have you guessing too much, but it gels enough and is fun to watch.

7.2 of 10

Fail Safe - Remarkably good Cold War movie about how insanely sensitive the trigger was for a nuclear war to develop. The movie stars a number of people such as Henry Fonda and Walter Matheu and even includes Dom Deluise. Hardly a comedy however. The thrill exists despite the film being well after the suspense of the Cold War. I really enjoyed the film.
8.9 of 10

How to Catch a Thief - Classic Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. A thriller whodunit that you probably won’t be able to unravel. Great direction, great twists, typical Hitchcock. The only scene I didn’t like was when they added the fireworks in the scene. I realize it was symbolic, but honestly, it was really jagged and cheesy.

8.8 of 10

Watch On the Rhine - Bette Davis, Paul Lukas (won Best Actor for film) stars in this pre-WWII movie made during WWII about a silent, unknown movement that was trying to defeat European Fascism. German family (well Davis isn’t German) that comes to America via Mexico to rest and stay out of harms way after risking much in their cause.

The movie plays out much like it is on stage. There is more exposition than actual action in the film, which is alright, but of course tempers out some of the thrill that could be in the movie. The movie stays in-bounds and doesn’t get too elaborate. The antagonist wants something, finds a way to get it. The protagonist must choose what to do.

It is an interesting look at the politics of the time and dealing with the realities before there was such hindsight available. While the movie does talk alot, I think it benefits from it. This is a movie about ideas, not as much action.

My only beef in this film is the very last scene. There was absolutely no need for it. No, it wasn’t as bad as the after-credits scene in Wolverine ("I’m drinking to remember.” *YAK*), but it really wasn’t necessary.

8.3 of 10

The Great White Hype - Starring Spencer Tracey and Katherine Hepburn, this movie about a white boxer…

…just kidding. I like this movie a bunch. Say what you want, I’ve liked Jamie Fox in the movies he was in prior to winning an Academy. A bit silly, but there was some charisma to him. The film, about “Don King” and the “sport” of boxing does a good job of not only conning the public in the movie, but the viewer as well. Jackson was super in the movie, as were many of supporting cast. The movie is self-contained, doesn’t last too long and reflects rather honestly on the world of boxing, regardless how much of a caricature the film is. Some good one-liners.

7.8 of 10

Adam’s Rib - Hepburn, Tracey, Holliday star in this film which flirts with a serious issue (equal rights for woman), but never takes itself too seriously, choosing instead to let the undoubtedly smooth charisma between Hepburn and Tracey take a hold of the screen. Honestly, they don’t even look like they are acting, but just being. Incredible… though expected between these two and their unique relationship. Holliday was in typical form, though her “typical form” had yet to be established yet. Her performance earned her a golden globe.

The script, plot, acting in this film is perfect, never over the top, never lacking. This is how a movie is supposed to be made.

9.8 of 10

Mr. Hulot’s Holiday

Yeah… you can tell I watched TCM last night. 1953 French film… which stands the test of time decently well. While this movie will not have you in stitches the entire time, it is dated, there are some really good scenes in it… especially the climatic fireworks scene at the end. The movie is French, but could be considered a silent film as there isn’t much dialog. The movie is regarded as a comic classic by some. It isn’t Bringing Up Baby funny, but good enough that it is worth watching.

7.5 of 10

A Day at the Races - Marx Brothers film which is quite exceptional, at the level of Night at the Opera (I think this film shared some actors with Night at the Opera) or Duck Soup. Very funny, scripted well enough and the lampoonery is really good and not over done. Get your tutty fruity here.

8.3 of 10

In This Our Life (with spoilers)

Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland star (as sisters) in this movie about betrayal and recovery. Believe it or not, Bette Davis plays the role of the antagonist, a spoiled girl, out to create and seek pleasure in chaos. I know, it is such a stretch for her. The movie starts out quickly… Davis (Stanley) steals Roy’s (de Havilland) husband and runs off.

This movie actually is quite fascinating because it covers a couple huge themes as side notes. First off is Parry Clay (a black man). Not just a black man, however, a black man who has done well in school and wants to become a lawyer because as a lawyer his ability to work on his own won’t be as affected by his color. Hattie McDaniel, the large and plump maid that should be familiar to everyone from Gone with the Wind (and a ton of other films), actually gets to act in this movie for a scene, which was another nice change of pace. Instead of dumb old McDaniel, we get to see drama out of her, something that she was capable of, but was always typecasted otherwise. The color issue continues because Stanley is involved in a car accident and attempts to frame Parry Clay as the perpetrator. In a scene in the jailhouse, Stanley and Clay meet one another, it is white verses black. Clay alludes that it is no use. He can tell the truth, but it won’t matter because of the color of his skin. I’m hardly an expert on classic films, but of all the films I’ve seen made in the 40’s and prior, I’ve never seen such a tact regarding race relations before. It was such a change to see McDaniel and Anderson actually act on the silver screen instead of being relegated as dumb black folk, as was the custom in those days.

The other issue is that of class. The father of Stanley and Roy was involved with a company, and his partner in the company set him up for a fall so he could take over. Both Roy and Stanley looked down at him for acting weak, being taken advantage of, when in fact instead of being weak, he just values what he considers more important priorities. Stanley, who is always trying to get her way, was whining about not being happy. Stanley makes a very interesting retort (a double snap if you will) to her: severely paraphrased…

Father: ‘In my day we didn’t expect to be happy. If it came, we took it.”
Stanley: ‘Then what good was any of it?’
Father: ‘We believed in more important, old foggity ideals such as duty and honor.’

The line slams the 21st Century doesn’t it.

The plot of the movie, mainly about being able to move on, for the right reasons is rather good as well. All actors give a very good performance, in a film that I feel covered a ton of ground for movie shorter than two hours.

9 of 10

The Manchurian Candidate (remake) - Rarely can a remake encompass the same emotion and intrigue as the original. This film, starring Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep goes in a somewhat tangential direction with the film, taking sidelined queues from the original and acting on them. This allows the movie to be a remake, but also be its own film, which allows the viewer to still need to guess what is going to happen. A film that has big shoes to fill typically never fills them well enough. But when you’ve got the academy award actors in a film, you have a better shot.

Washington plays a much more struggling Captain who comes back from Iraq. Streep plays a, at times, much creepier version of Lansbury’s character. Schrieber plays a bit more convincing loner than the originally scripted Shaw. The twists in the film keep you on your feet and the movie never lags, and this is from someone who saw the original. This movie doesn’t ride on the coat tails of its predecesor, rather it hits its own homerun.

8.3 of 10

Cabin in the Cotton (1932) - Old, pre-code film (you can tell it is pre-code). Richard Barthelmess and Bette Davis star in this film which does an interesting job of depicting the life battle between Plantation Owners and the Tenant Workers. Barthelmess, who looks like a silent film actor (because he was), plays a boy (Marvine Blake) that was a son of a tenant worker. The father wanted his son to become someone and was trying to get him in school. The father dies and then the plantation owner takes the son under his arm, pretty much to mold him in his image. So Blake becomes educated and moves upward, but ultimately is pitted between the Tenant’s and the love interest there (Betty) and the Plantation Owner and the love interest there (Madge… played by Bette Davis).

Barthelmess, a former silent film actor, does play the role as if the movie were a silent film. A bunch of what I call “Star Trek stares” (with reference to the stares of Star Trek TNG or DS9 characters right before a commercial break). The first thing that comes to my mind is Singing in the Rain, where the silent film actors are having a dreadful time with sound. There was much more room for improvement in Barthelmess’s acting (I mean staring), but the script kept his character above the frey and quite honest to himself, which rescues the character from Barthelmess’s less than great Talkie performance at times.

Davis is a co-star, not a second star, but a co-star. So if you watch this film solely for Davis, there will be a little disappointment as Barthlemess is the single star of the film, as the plot revolves solely around him. Davis was the reason I watched the film, and while her role wasn’t as concentrated as I was hoping, the movie itself does work as the plot is intriguing. While the main role is bumbled a bit, there is enough character support to actually save the film and make it worth watching. I think the length of the film, a bit over 90 minutes helped from keeping the movie developing lulls.

I love the very final scene with Marvin, Betty and Madge… the love triangle that developed and how it seems to end in the conclusion and I found it quite satisfying (of course, maybe I got the wrong impression at the end).

7.5 of 10