---more from recent viewing:
Conquest (1937) Greta Garbo, Charles Boyer. I watched this again after many years and hated it even more. Only film where Boyer is made to appear ugly. Garbo is gorgeous and filmed as good as I've ever seen her. The story of Napoleon and his great love (he had quite a few) is humdrum. Kept wondering what she saw in him, but it's the power, I suppose. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028739/
The Exile (1947) Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Maria Montez. Doug is channeling his old man, jumping around, swinging his sword. Only part I liked was the beautiful Maria as the Countess. This is a vanity piece for Fairbanks and he got Max Ophuls to direct which makes some give it more importance than if an unknown had been at the helm. Deliver me! 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039360/
A Night In Paradise (1946) Merle Oberon, Turhan Bey, Thomas Gomez. Story of Aesop of Samos, teller of fables, King Croesus of Lydia, and Persian princess, Delerai, in 560 B.C. In beautiful technicolor, recently shown on TCM in a beautiful print. Gale Sondergaard is the sorceress who is seen in water, mirrors and smoke and is always taking a hand in the proceedings. And laughing at all these fools. Fun and beautiful to look at. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038778/
Scarlet Street (1945) Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea. I knew I didn't care for this from when I saw it in '45 but couldn't remember why. TCM showed it recently and I DVR'd it and watched it recently. Edward G. is just a milk-toast and I never liked to see him without his sneer and swagger. Joan is gorgeous and is good in her femme fatale role, as is Duryea as the villain. But squirmed and fast forwarded through some of it, which is not a recommendation for any film. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038057/
Pandora & The Flying Dutchman (1951) Ava Gardner, James Mason. Ava is so beautiful in Technicolor you forget there is a mess of a story here. And Mason is not dynamic and sexy enough for a woman to die for, IMO. But the fable of the lady who gives all for a mysterious man on a sailing vessel is romantic I guess. Just see it for Ava, the Costa Brava and Barcelona in Spain. Worth the time spent. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043899/
January 28, 2012
January 23, 2012
One more holiday film, plus ----
---a few from the last 2 years:
Mrs. Miracle (2009 TV) Christmas film. Doris Roberts in the title role puts everything to rights by the end. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431115/
A Single Man (2009) A bore. A car crash kills a young man. The news is devastating to his life partner, a college professor. He mopes and contemplates suicide. Does he? Or does he find new love? I was just about to go to sleep because by the time we get to the point of him getting his second wind, I was bored out of my mind. And fast forwarding during the looooong gazes. To each his own... 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1315981/
Fair Game (2010/I) Naomi Watts, Sean Penn. Story of Valerie Plame who works deep undercover for the CIA, and her husband Diplomat Joe Wilson, who served in various African countries, and how they got involved with the lead up to Bush 2 invading Iraq under false data. Very well done, showing the toll taken on both and their marriage. Both careers smashed by false accusations, they are under so much pressure they separate for a time. But as the truth begins to get out, they both decide the only way to survive is to tell their story wherever and whenever they can. Good film about double dealing by our government. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977855/
The Company Men (2010) Ben Afflack, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello. What happens at a conglomerate corporation that began as a ship-building company and is now all about keeping the share-holders happy. So downsizing is the order of the day. One of the men sent packing is Bobby Walker, with a wife and kids, and big house, fancy sports car - in other words the American dream. Country club, golf, vacations. And then - bingo - you are called in, sat down, and told we don't need you anymore. Same story for Gene (Jones), who is one of the original owners of the company so has more stock and better able to make it through. Phil (Cooper) is just devastated and in pain. Very well done story of the upper management men and what happens to them. It is the same for all except the 1% who own everything and don't feel at all bad to not be sharing. Greed - not envy, is the biggest sin. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172991/
Catching up but still not up to date. Cold here in the Heartland USA.
Mrs. Miracle (2009 TV) Christmas film. Doris Roberts in the title role puts everything to rights by the end. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431115/
A Single Man (2009) A bore. A car crash kills a young man. The news is devastating to his life partner, a college professor. He mopes and contemplates suicide. Does he? Or does he find new love? I was just about to go to sleep because by the time we get to the point of him getting his second wind, I was bored out of my mind. And fast forwarding during the looooong gazes. To each his own... 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1315981/
Fair Game (2010/I) Naomi Watts, Sean Penn. Story of Valerie Plame who works deep undercover for the CIA, and her husband Diplomat Joe Wilson, who served in various African countries, and how they got involved with the lead up to Bush 2 invading Iraq under false data. Very well done, showing the toll taken on both and their marriage. Both careers smashed by false accusations, they are under so much pressure they separate for a time. But as the truth begins to get out, they both decide the only way to survive is to tell their story wherever and whenever they can. Good film about double dealing by our government. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977855/
The Company Men (2010) Ben Afflack, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello. What happens at a conglomerate corporation that began as a ship-building company and is now all about keeping the share-holders happy. So downsizing is the order of the day. One of the men sent packing is Bobby Walker, with a wife and kids, and big house, fancy sports car - in other words the American dream. Country club, golf, vacations. And then - bingo - you are called in, sat down, and told we don't need you anymore. Same story for Gene (Jones), who is one of the original owners of the company so has more stock and better able to make it through. Phil (Cooper) is just devastated and in pain. Very well done story of the upper management men and what happens to them. It is the same for all except the 1% who own everything and don't feel at all bad to not be sharing. Greed - not envy, is the biggest sin. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172991/
Catching up but still not up to date. Cold here in the Heartland USA.
January 22, 2012
Love Letters, The Phantom, The Other---
---still catching up with films seen over the holidays:
Love Letters (1945) Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotton. Wonderful romance with a bit of mystery, and a murder. Beautiful score with words for a song composed when it became so popular, using the film title for the song title. Story about a serviceman who composed letters for another soldier, to woo his girlfriend, but who fell in love with her letters in return himself. She was also deeply moved and fell for the man of the letters. Reality, when the faker came home and she married him too quickly, led to drinking and conflict, twists and turns and more to the story. A favorite. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037885/
Runaway Jury (2003) John Cusack, Rachel Weitz, Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman. From a John Grisham novel. An inside man on the jury and a woman working on the outside, find a way to have a trial turn out the way it should, despite big bucks spent to defeat the truth.. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313542/
The Phantom Of The Opera (2004) Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson. Andrew Lloyd Webbers' musical version of the Leroux tale, directed by Joel Schumacher, is of a disfigured musical genius and his obsession and love for a young singer he has trained at the Opera Popular, without showing himself. As she becomes successful and her childhood sweetheart reappears, The Phantom becomes the terror of the Paris Opera House. The music is the star and tells this tale of tragic love well. Cast is first rate and okayed by Webber himself. Holiday favorite - watch it every year on December 26th, my anniversary of my theater experience. I was dazed I loved it so much. 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293508/
The Other Man (2008) Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Anthony Banderas. I love Neeson, but this film almost defeated me. We have a man who discovers his beloved wife cheated on him during her trips, as a shoe designer, to the continent. His obsession becomes finding who she was involved with and when he finally does, his whole perspective changes. Strange, slow, and I for one, could not identify with any of the characters. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974613/
The Other Woman (2009) Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Cohen. Well! You know those films you keep hoping will end? This is one of them. And writing this 2 weeks after watching it, I had almost forgotten the story or the performances. There you have it. Rich jerks and their problems - divorce, kids, babies, death. By the end, I didn't care. Some good shots of NYC. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974613/
Temple Grandin (2010 TV biopic) Claire Danes, Julia Ormond, David Strathaim. Story of an autistic child and the mother who finds schooling to bring her to her highest potential. Temple achieves a Ph.D in animal husbandry and was an innovator in the humane treatment of cattle for market. Wonderful film about the triumph of a family over handicaps. Danes is superb. She won an Emmy, and the show won seven in all. It also won the Directors Guild of America award for a mini-series. HBO is showing it as a film and it is marvelous all around. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278469/
More to come....
Love Letters (1945) Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotton. Wonderful romance with a bit of mystery, and a murder. Beautiful score with words for a song composed when it became so popular, using the film title for the song title. Story about a serviceman who composed letters for another soldier, to woo his girlfriend, but who fell in love with her letters in return himself. She was also deeply moved and fell for the man of the letters. Reality, when the faker came home and she married him too quickly, led to drinking and conflict, twists and turns and more to the story. A favorite. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037885/
Runaway Jury (2003) John Cusack, Rachel Weitz, Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman. From a John Grisham novel. An inside man on the jury and a woman working on the outside, find a way to have a trial turn out the way it should, despite big bucks spent to defeat the truth.. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313542/
The Phantom Of The Opera (2004) Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson. Andrew Lloyd Webbers' musical version of the Leroux tale, directed by Joel Schumacher, is of a disfigured musical genius and his obsession and love for a young singer he has trained at the Opera Popular, without showing himself. As she becomes successful and her childhood sweetheart reappears, The Phantom becomes the terror of the Paris Opera House. The music is the star and tells this tale of tragic love well. Cast is first rate and okayed by Webber himself. Holiday favorite - watch it every year on December 26th, my anniversary of my theater experience. I was dazed I loved it so much. 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293508/
The Other Man (2008) Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Anthony Banderas. I love Neeson, but this film almost defeated me. We have a man who discovers his beloved wife cheated on him during her trips, as a shoe designer, to the continent. His obsession becomes finding who she was involved with and when he finally does, his whole perspective changes. Strange, slow, and I for one, could not identify with any of the characters. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974613/
The Other Woman (2009) Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Cohen. Well! You know those films you keep hoping will end? This is one of them. And writing this 2 weeks after watching it, I had almost forgotten the story or the performances. There you have it. Rich jerks and their problems - divorce, kids, babies, death. By the end, I didn't care. Some good shots of NYC. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974613/
Temple Grandin (2010 TV biopic) Claire Danes, Julia Ormond, David Strathaim. Story of an autistic child and the mother who finds schooling to bring her to her highest potential. Temple achieves a Ph.D in animal husbandry and was an innovator in the humane treatment of cattle for market. Wonderful film about the triumph of a family over handicaps. Danes is superb. She won an Emmy, and the show won seven in all. It also won the Directors Guild of America award for a mini-series. HBO is showing it as a film and it is marvelous all around. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278469/
More to come....
January 17, 2012
A cop film, a sub, and The Jury----
The Seven-Ups (1973) Ray Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco. Cop squad gets involved in corruption and kidnapping. Interesting but we've seen it all before. The title refers to the years in the sentence for the latest success of The Seven-Ups, a squad of undercover NY policemen whose collars regularly get sentences of seven years or up. But soon suspicion rears it's head when a 7-up is killed in a sting, that there is a mole amongst them. Car chases, fights and gun battles galore. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070672/
Crimson Tide (1995) Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Viggo Mortensen, Rocky Carroll. Conflict on a nuclear sub between the captain and first officer when the sub gets a message to go to the nuclear option and starts counting down. But protocol says they are to confirm and the system is down. Since both have to use their keys to launch, it is a battle of wills. Captain is relieved of command and from that point on the crew is divided into two camps. Exciting but mainly because of the great cast. 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112740/
The Jury (2002 UK TV series) Gerard Butler, Derek Jacoby, Helen McCrory, Mark Strong, Sylvia Syms, Anthony Sher. The entire 3 disc set. Wonderful story, cast, and performances. A young Sikh boy is seen running from a wooded area where a body is found. He is arrested and with lots of circumstantial evidence, charged with murder. This causes turmoil between the Sikh community and the native working class families, of which the victim was a part. The main part of the series is the court case and the jury picked to sit in judgement. We follow each of six, who have turmoil in their lives and the problems they are dealing with and each segment of the trial has the two attorneys laying out their case. We viewers are given the same information as that given in open court. So at the end, we are asked to judge the case. We have only our own conscience to guide us and the evidence laid before this "Jury". Great series. Spent time arguing and retrying it over again with people online at various sites. 9/10. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0297571/
Crimson Tide (1995) Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Viggo Mortensen, Rocky Carroll. Conflict on a nuclear sub between the captain and first officer when the sub gets a message to go to the nuclear option and starts counting down. But protocol says they are to confirm and the system is down. Since both have to use their keys to launch, it is a battle of wills. Captain is relieved of command and from that point on the crew is divided into two camps. Exciting but mainly because of the great cast. 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112740/
The Jury (2002 UK TV series) Gerard Butler, Derek Jacoby, Helen McCrory, Mark Strong, Sylvia Syms, Anthony Sher. The entire 3 disc set. Wonderful story, cast, and performances. A young Sikh boy is seen running from a wooded area where a body is found. He is arrested and with lots of circumstantial evidence, charged with murder. This causes turmoil between the Sikh community and the native working class families, of which the victim was a part. The main part of the series is the court case and the jury picked to sit in judgement. We follow each of six, who have turmoil in their lives and the problems they are dealing with and each segment of the trial has the two attorneys laying out their case. We viewers are given the same information as that given in open court. So at the end, we are asked to judge the case. We have only our own conscience to guide us and the evidence laid before this "Jury". Great series. Spent time arguing and retrying it over again with people online at various sites. 9/10. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0297571/
January 13, 2012
Belated Happy New Year
These are the films I have watched lately:
Lottery Bride (1930) Jeanette MacDonald, Joe E. Brown, Zazu Pitts. Jeanette is the title character. She becomes a bride because of misunderstandings between the two men who are brothers and rivals for her hand. The lottery is for women to go to the far north as brides. The finale is a scene of a giant dirigible among all the ice and snow and is in two-strip color. For only 3 years between the first talkie and this film, they are using lots of new tricks and some work and others are laughable. 5/5 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021094/
Lydia (1941) Merle Oberon, Joseph Cotton, Edna May Oliver, Alan Marshall. An old woman, a former Belle, receives her four former suitors and remembers how it was long ago. Each remembers differently. Who was the real Lydia, and who was the man she really loved? Did he really exist? Do we all make up that which we dream about? Interesting but somewhat dull. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033858/
The Jungle Book (1942) Sabu, Rosemary DeCamp. Alexander Korda's lush and beautiful version of Rudyard Kipling's classic story of an infant boy in India lost from his mother when he wanders away during a village disturbance. The toddler finds a cave and lays down on some straw to sleep. The wolf pups gather around him and the female nurses him right along with her own babies. Beautiful story of the animals of the jungle that he grows up with. But the main story is of the greedy men of the village who discover Mowgli knows where a hidden treasure is located and how it costs lives. Gorgeous color and Sabu is great with the animals. Saw this when I was about 10 years old and was totally amazed and wanted animals just like Sabu had. Great film version for young folks. Back in 1942, I had to get the book and read more. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034928/
Scrooge(1951) Alastair Sim, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Baddeley. This version of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" is very, very good and I am partial to Mr. Sim as Scrooge. But it is still a dark tale of conditions in the mid 1800s for poor families. I think all the English cast are superb and the settings and cinematography fine. And the ending with Tiny Tim and Mr Scrooge, is perfect. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044008/
The Great Caruso (1951) Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten. Lanza's great voice is showcased by excerpts from various operas, and is wonderful. The story is not accurate, but we didn't care in 1951 and I don't care now. All through the spring-summer of 1951 I kept going back to see this film. Took all my friends and family I could talk into giving it a try. When my best galpal came out of the theater, she broke down in tears and wondered why she didn't know Lanza before. She fell in love with him and his voice. Powerful experience, and that new thing TV, could not compete. We bought all his records, sent for pictures; the whole fan bit. His two earlier films with Kathryn Grayson are special because they are so good together and ended up good friends. He was a true diamond in the rough and too much too soon killed him. 10/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043599/
The Steel Trap (1952) Joseph Cotton, Teresa Wright. A guy who is a minor official at a bank (access to the big vault; gets to put in the last numbers to open it) but is bored and wants more, decides to steal some of that money he handles every day. How that goes is the plot. This has been a missing film for a long time. Why it is being celebrated now is a mystery as good as the one in the film. Cotton is okay, but the script is against him. His initial theft goes well, but then the script just keeps putting one obstacle after another until I just wanted it to be over. Teresa as a blond, I don't think so. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045190/
Later films after 1952 I'll post soon.
Lottery Bride (1930) Jeanette MacDonald, Joe E. Brown, Zazu Pitts. Jeanette is the title character. She becomes a bride because of misunderstandings between the two men who are brothers and rivals for her hand. The lottery is for women to go to the far north as brides. The finale is a scene of a giant dirigible among all the ice and snow and is in two-strip color. For only 3 years between the first talkie and this film, they are using lots of new tricks and some work and others are laughable. 5/5 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021094/
Lydia (1941) Merle Oberon, Joseph Cotton, Edna May Oliver, Alan Marshall. An old woman, a former Belle, receives her four former suitors and remembers how it was long ago. Each remembers differently. Who was the real Lydia, and who was the man she really loved? Did he really exist? Do we all make up that which we dream about? Interesting but somewhat dull. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033858/
The Jungle Book (1942) Sabu, Rosemary DeCamp. Alexander Korda's lush and beautiful version of Rudyard Kipling's classic story of an infant boy in India lost from his mother when he wanders away during a village disturbance. The toddler finds a cave and lays down on some straw to sleep. The wolf pups gather around him and the female nurses him right along with her own babies. Beautiful story of the animals of the jungle that he grows up with. But the main story is of the greedy men of the village who discover Mowgli knows where a hidden treasure is located and how it costs lives. Gorgeous color and Sabu is great with the animals. Saw this when I was about 10 years old and was totally amazed and wanted animals just like Sabu had. Great film version for young folks. Back in 1942, I had to get the book and read more. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034928/
Scrooge(1951) Alastair Sim, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Baddeley. This version of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" is very, very good and I am partial to Mr. Sim as Scrooge. But it is still a dark tale of conditions in the mid 1800s for poor families. I think all the English cast are superb and the settings and cinematography fine. And the ending with Tiny Tim and Mr Scrooge, is perfect. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044008/
The Great Caruso (1951) Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten. Lanza's great voice is showcased by excerpts from various operas, and is wonderful. The story is not accurate, but we didn't care in 1951 and I don't care now. All through the spring-summer of 1951 I kept going back to see this film. Took all my friends and family I could talk into giving it a try. When my best galpal came out of the theater, she broke down in tears and wondered why she didn't know Lanza before. She fell in love with him and his voice. Powerful experience, and that new thing TV, could not compete. We bought all his records, sent for pictures; the whole fan bit. His two earlier films with Kathryn Grayson are special because they are so good together and ended up good friends. He was a true diamond in the rough and too much too soon killed him. 10/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043599/
The Steel Trap (1952) Joseph Cotton, Teresa Wright. A guy who is a minor official at a bank (access to the big vault; gets to put in the last numbers to open it) but is bored and wants more, decides to steal some of that money he handles every day. How that goes is the plot. This has been a missing film for a long time. Why it is being celebrated now is a mystery as good as the one in the film. Cotton is okay, but the script is against him. His initial theft goes well, but then the script just keeps putting one obstacle after another until I just wanted it to be over. Teresa as a blond, I don't think so. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045190/
Later films after 1952 I'll post soon.
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