Track the Films You Watch (2008) (1 Viewer)

[george kaplan]

The Endless Summer

You'd have to like surfing (or rather watching surfing as opposed to doing it) a lot more than I do to enjoy this film. It's not horrible, but the music isn't top notch surfing music, and the semi-documentary 'story' does break up the surfing scenes, but with mostly just different travelogue footage. Would probably be a lot better in five minute chunks, than one two-hour sitting.

 

[PatW]

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) :star: :star: :star: :star:

Interesting film about a man who becomes increasingly corrupted and evil but remains young and unaffected while his portrait changes with ever evil deed.

Based on a book by Oscar Wilde this is quite an effective story about the nature of evil and its consequences as illustrated by the changing portrait.
Hurd Hatfield gives an excellent performance as the title character. His relatively blank face is chilling in it's expressionlessness with all the emotions present on the canvas. The rest of the supporting cast were excellent though Donna Reed seemed out of place in this movie. This is quite a creepy movie but enjoyable.


Catch Me If You Can (2002) :star: :star: :star: :star:

Very entertaining Spielberg directed crime caper based on a true story.

Young Frank Abagnale Jr. runs away from home at 16 after finding out that his parents are divorcing. Unable to choose, he begins a life of crime by forging and passing bad checks and posing as a pilot, doctor and a prosecuting attorney. He is pursued relentlessly by FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Along the way they both develop a respect for each other.

Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks play their respective roles superbly. DiCaprio is one of a few actors that could probably play a 12 year old let alone a 16 year old and be quite believable. He is totally believable in the role. Tom Hanks was also excellent as the relentless agent. This story in a way is laughable and incredulous if I didn't know that it was based on a true story. Fun movie.

 

[ZacharyTait]

I'm going to keep my divided into Theatrical and DVD so that at the end of the year, I can easily see what I saw in theaters this year and come up with my Top and Bottom 10 more easily.

Rating Scale: 1-4 Stars

Theatrical

1/4 Juno (2007) 4 Stars

DVD

1/2 The Bourne Ultimatium (2007) 3 1/2 stars
1/3 24 Season 1: Disc 1 (2001) 4 Stars
1/4 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 3 1/2 stars

 

[RyanAn]

Place Holder!

January

Spellbound (01-01-08)
Manderlay (01-02-08)
Four Rooms (01-02-08)

 

[Michael Elliott]

01/01/08

Killer That Stalked New York, The (1950) :star::star: Earl McEvoy

B-budget noir about a female diamond smuggler (Evelyn Keyes) who is trying to sneak some priceless diamonds into NYC from Cuba. While the police are tracking her down they learn that the woman also has smallpox, which threatens the entire city. The story here is a very interesting one but sadly the film never manages to do anything with it. The film really doesn't know if it wants to settle on the diamond story or the smallpox one and the two really don't mix well together. The biggest problem is the direction, which is also all over the place. With a story like this you'd expect some sort of tension or suspense but none never happens. Keyes is pretty good in her role but the screenplay really doesn't do her any justice as our feelings for her character are never really made clear. Charles Korvin, William Bishop and Dorothy Malone round out the cast. The ending is pretty good and picks the film up a bit but that's about all there is.

Here Comes the Navy (1934) :star::star:1/2 Lloyd Bacon

Standard action from Warner about a cocky loudmouth (James Cagney) who joins the Navy so that he can get even with a Captain (Pat O'Brien) but Cagney ends up falling in love with his sister (Gloria Stuart). This film starts off with a great bang but as the movie goes along things become quite predictable and rather flat. The first part of the movie is great with a lot of fighting and insults being thrown by Cagney. Needless to say Cagney is very energetic and delivers another fine performance. His relationship with Stuart is also handled very well as the two actors have a lot of chemistry together. O'Brien is in good form as well and he and Cagney do their magic unlike any other duo. The biggest problem comes in the middle where the story pretty much gets weighted down by the familiar bit where the cocky Cagney must learn what it means to be a normal human being and shut his mouth up before it gets him in real trouble. The action scene at the end is very nice as is the funny ending. The most shocking scene comes when Cagney sneaks off the boat in blackface.

Mabel and Fatty's Married Life (1915) :star::star: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

When Fatty Arbuckle leaves town, his wife (Mabel Normand) stays home alone and then gets scared thinking that gangsters are after her. These early Fatty shorts have been really hit and miss with me and this one here is a miss. There's really nothing too funny here, although there are a couple nice stunts where Fatty is standing in the road and nearly escapes getting hit by some passing cars.

Fatty's Restless Fling (1915) :star::star::star: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty Arbuckle's wife is sick and tired of him coming home drunk so she makes him go to the shower while she goes out to the store. Instead of staying in Fatty goes to a poker game but when it's broken up by the police he fears about his wife finding out. This is one of the best shorts I've seen from Arbuckle who, as the director, keeps things moving at a very nice pace. There's plenty of laughs to be found here with a great sequence where Fatty is trying to get away from his wife, the cop and a woman's husband. There's also a great gag of Fatty constantly getting shot in the butt.

Fatty's Chance Acquaintance (1915) :star::star:1/2 Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty's wife drags him to the park so that she can read but once there he leaves her when he spots a prettier woman. This short drags in spots but there are still a few nice laughs including a thief getting chased around the park by a elderly cop. There's also a nice sequence with Fatty trying to get his wife to let him buy a drink. Frank Hayes steals the show as the cop.

Hatchet (2006) :star::star:1/2 Adam Green

Extremely gory slasher pic has two best friends and an assortment group of people heading out to the Louisiana bayou where they are stalked by a deformed killer. It seems each and every years there's a horror film that starts all kinds of buzz among horror fans and this film is the current talk of the community. More often than not these films turn out to be duds but I really enjoyed this film, which is clearly a throwback to the 80's slasher period. The film contains a lot of connections to older films with its cast that includes Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Tony Todd (Candyman) and Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th 6-9) who plays the killer here. What really makes this film fun are the countless kills, which contain an over the top amount of gore as well as some rather graphic but fun violence, which got the film an NC-17. After watching the film I can see why that rating was given because the violence is non-stop and includes countless decapitations, a sander in the mouth and various other kills. The performances are all rather one-note but they're good enough for this type of film and all of the characters are fun at least. We get quite a bit of nudity so add that onto the death scenes and you've got a pretty entertaining little film. The make up effects were done by John Carl Buechler who previously directed Friday the 13th 7. There's also quite a bit of humor, which pokes fun at the genre and for the most part the laughs work as well.

01/02/08

Project Grizzly (1996) :star::star::star: Peter Lynch

Documentary on Troy Hurtubise, a canadian man who was attacked by a grizzly so to get revenge he builds a protective suit and goes out to find another grizzly to fight. If this guy sounds strange then that's because he really is. The ending is a disappointment as the fight never happens but everything that comes before this is pretty entertaining because this guy is just so damn weird. He rambles on about stuff he has no idea about and I can't help but wonder if this guy was the inspiration for all those Holiday Inn commercials that you see all over television. Apparently Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of this movie and I'm sure he could have fun turning this into a movie of his own.

That Little Band of Gold (1915) :star::star: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty and Mabel Normand are married but after the wedding he starts going out every night with his friends. Mabel finally demands that he takes her to the opera but once there he runs off with another woman for some drinks. Like many of Arbunkle's two-reelers, this one here spends about fifteen-minutes building everything up for the ending but none of it is very funny. Some of these two-reelers are very weird because it seems that they are never going for laughs and there's just way too much dead time before we get down to the action. Charley Chase can be spotted playing a telephone operator.

Fatty's Faithful Fido (1915) :star::star::star: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty and his bitter rival (Al St. John) get into a fight but Fatty's dog Fido saves the day. Later in the evening the rival hires two thugs to jump Fatty but the plan backfires. This is a pretty good short that moves by pretty quickly and contains some funny stunts and a couple nice fight sequences. The highlight is certainly the dog, real name Luke, who steals every single scene he's in. There's a great chase sequence where the dog has to climb up a ladder and do various other stunts.

When Love Took Wings (1915) :star::star:1/2 Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty and two other men must battle to win the hand of a young woman who they all love. There aren't too many laughs here but the film moves at a very fast pace and manages to stay entertaining throughout. Frank Hayes steals the show as the father who isn't afraid to throw a few punches to protect his daughter. there's a nice twist at the end, which will take anyone by surprise.

 

[PatW]

Collateral (2004) :star: :star: :star: :star:

A cab driver finds himself and his vehicle taken hostage by a hitman who was hired to eliminate 5 people before they can appear in front of the grand jury and give testimony against a drug cartel.

Tom Cruise has mostly been relegated to playing hero types or at least likable characters. He plays against type here for his character is a cold blooded killer and Tom pulls it off quite well. In fact I think I prefer him in this type of role rather than some of the others that he's done. This role is meaty and protrays a different side to his talent. Jamie Foxx was great as the cab driver who had the misforture of picking up Tom.
This is a well crafted movie that comes to a satisfying conclusion. Michael Mann never fails to disappoint.


White Heat (1949) :star: :star: :star: :star:

James Cagney plays Cody Jarrett a ruthless criminal who arranges to spend time in prison in another state for a crime he didn't commit. This way he can avoid death row. Undercover cop Hank Fallon shares a cell with Jarrett in order to find out information about a train heist and the location of the money.

This is Cagney at his best playing a role that he's familiar with. Not too many actors can play a gangster like Cagney can. Edmund O'Brien was also excellent as the undercover cop. He seemed to be able to hold his own against Cagney's scenery chewing. The rest of the supporting characters were great. This is a pretty good gangster flick.

 

[Sandro]

Collateral got a bad rap for some reason but I could watch that movie at any time - Mann made a highly original and effective crime thriller. There are many standout scenes - Cruise's first stop and the way he shoots the two guys in the street, the ending to the talk at the jazz club, the shootout in the nightclub. The last 20 minutes are also tough to beat (once you accept Foxx's transformation into an action hero

Out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

Hired Hand :star: :star: 1/2
70s Western directed by Peter Fonda has a somewhat interesting story but is terribly pretentious. Warren Oates gives his usual excellent performance.

Don't Look Up :star: :star: :star:
This is Hideo Nakata's previous film to Ring and is almost a dry run for it. A pale-faced, ghost actress with long black hair (sound familiar?) haunts a movie studio and somehow film gets imprinted with ghostly apparitions. Many interesting plot threads are brought up and not really developed but Nakata's skill with fright scenes is already on display. I think a remake is coming.

01/02 Things to do in Denver When You're Dead :star: :star:
Obnoxious crime thriller obviously inspired by Tarantino but with some inappropriate sentimentality. The film wastes some good actors and location (why set a film in Denver and not use any good backgrounds?) in a highly unlikely story. I did not buy Garcia's character as Jimmy "The Saint" who we were supposed to sympathize with. The only saving grace is some excellent dialog which makes use of some fresh criminal vernacular.

International House :star: :star: :star: 1/2
Extremely enjoyable film with WC Fields having a ball as a hard-drinking aviator who drops in (literally!) on a posh hotel in China. Many great actors and scenes – Burns and Allen, Franklin Pangborn, even Bela Lugosi.

 

[Mario Gauci]

01/02/07: GULLIVER’S TRAVELS (Peter Hunt, 1977) :star::star:

I had watched this on Italian TV as a kid and recall being fond of it – in view of its mixing live-action with animation; however, it was universally panned at the time…and, catching up with it again after all these years, I have to admit that the critics were right!

What must have seemed wondrous to a child’s eyes is actually very poorly done, not to mention boring for a fantasy-adventure; fatally, both star (ex-‘Angry Young Man’ Richard Harris) and director (action expert Hunt) are ill-suited to the material! At least, Michel Legrand’s score (with lyrics provided by scriptwriter Don Black) is serviceable – if not exactly inspired. By the way, a number of well-known personalities are featured among the voice artists on this British-Belgian co-production (Julian Glover, Bessie Love, Murray Melvin, Robert Rietty, Vladek Sheybal, Graham Stark and, this being his last film work, Michael Bates).

While the essential plot points of Jonathan Swift’s classic novel (‘giant’ Gulliver becomes the pawn in a war between the little people of two neighboring countries and, on escaping, ends up in a land of real giants) do emerge here, it’s done on a strictly kiddie level (with stereotyped characters though, thankfully, little intrusion of the comic/romantic variety) – which renders the whole venture somewhat pointless, outside of its intrinsically experimental nature, since Max and Dave Fleischer had already done a splendid feature-length cartoon version of the book way back in 1939!


01/02/07: RED SONJA (Richard Fleischer, 1985) :star::star:

This is another childhood ‘guilty pleasure’: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s third medieval fantasy-adventure romp following two Conan pictures was similarly inspired by a Robert E. Howard comic-strip and directed by the man behind CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984) itself. I wonder whether this was supposed to be longer and suffered severe cuts in the cutting room because, not only is extra footage included in the theatrical trailer, but it feels distinctly undernourished at a mere 89 minutes (note the utter pointlessness of the villainess’s giant pet spider) – with the muscular action star virtually turning up only during action highlights!

In fact, the nominal lead is newcomer Brigitte Nielsen (who does surprisingly well by her one-dimensional role) playing the titular character, a warrior with a mission to retrieve a talisman and save the world from an evil sorceress (Sandahl Bergman) – the latter having been left facially disfigured when Red Sonja rejected her amorous advances! Flanking Nielsen are an initially arrogant Chinese child prince and his long-suffering, burly servant (Paul Smith, a Bud Spencer wannabe and perhaps best-known for playing Bluto in Robert Altman’s POPEYE [1980] misfire) – while Bergman’s campy lieutenant is played by Ronald Lacey (whom I’ve just watched in the contemporaneous medieval epic FLESH + BLOOD [1985]).

The film’s raison d’etre, ultimately, are its plentiful action sequences – which are vigorously enough handled by Hollywood veteran Fleischer. Incidentally, while the overall look isn’t particularly memorable, the production values here involve many a renowned Italian artisan – from producer Dino de Laurentiis to cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, composer Ennio Morricone (providing a typically rousing score), and production/costume designer Danilo Donati. Striving to inject a modicum of literariness into the heady brew, then, the script has been assigned to a couple of Brits – namely, Clive Exton and George MacDonald Fraser but it still emerges as a surprisingly witless affair! Apparently, the film-makers of RED SONJA – which, incidentally, is about to be remade as a Hollywood blockbuster – were inspired by the Luigi Cozzi/Lou Ferrigno HERCULES (1983) – with which I’ve also reacquainted myself recently – for the sequence in which our heroes get to grips with a giant mechanical fish!

 

[Holadem]

--
H

 

[Martin Teller]

Why on earth do people "reserve" a spot in a thread? That makes no sense to me. Post when you're ready to post.

 

[BrianShort]

I think it's because they'd like a spot on the first or 2nd page, but haven't seen any movies yet.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Sounds sensible to me.

 

[george kaplan]

Little Miss Sunshine

The film is a tradeoff between long drama-laden scenes of a dysfunctional family, with short funny scenes of a dysfunctional family. The funny stuff is very funny, but there's too little of it.

 

[Michael Elliott]

It's easier to read if everyone has their lists on the first couple pages. We had 2500 posts last year so it would be tough searching for someone's list if they were scattered around.

Plus, I like going through the first couple pages and seeing what others are watching. It actually helps me pick what I might watch next, reminds me of what just got released on DVD and so on. Often times the lists will remind me of a film I've been meaning to watch but had forgotten about.

 

[42nd Street Freak]

"Collateral" utterly fell apart during the last 20 minutes. As farcical coincidence was heaped upon us and where everyone becomes Bruce Willis as Cruise turns into a stock psycho character who keeps on coming like a bad Slasher killer.
Such a shame that the superb nightclub sequence (prime Mann) was the last really worthwhile moment int he film.


"This is England" :star: :star:

Shane Meadows' superbly acted, very well made look at the rougher end of English life in the 80's where we follow the life of a young lad becoming a skinhead and finding friends and a place in life, before the darker elements of fascism arise with the arrival of a psychotic National Front member.

Some great music, lots of interesting dialogue and a real feel for 80's England.
All held up by some wonderful performances.

All is good then?
Well no, not really.

Meadows the real-life ex-bad boy seems to have found his salvation to such a degree he's turned into a liberal angel of leftist light who only sees in black and white.

Do you have any thoughts on immigration?
Do you have any worries about completely unchecked, literally come one come all no matter who you are, immigration?
Well if you do.... you're a nasty, racist, tattooed, machete wielding psycho. Because that's all we are offered in Meadows' world.
As any thoughts, worries or views on immigration are seen as wrong and the thoughts of racist animals.

A perfect example is when a National Front thug in suit states
he has no problem with anyone coming over here, no matter who they are, if they come to work and add something to the country...BUT he has a problem with people simply flooding over here to take what they can get.

And what is wrong with that?
Why shouldn't any country and its people think that?
But of course as Meadows chooses to have such perfectly reasoned views spoken by National Front racists they are tainted and as such made void and worthless.

In fact Meadows' view is as one-sided and blind as the views of the skinhead thugs he criticises, for having such one-sided and blind views!
Irony is always good for a laugh.

And I would really like to know exactly what Meadows would have liked to happen over The Falklands' War, another thing he takes achingly childish one-sided views on throughout the movie.

Should we simply have let Argentina invade then? Seems so in Meadows leftist world.
Or should we fight them but then stop and let them win when the social standing, age and how sad they look brings tears to the eyes (as his laughable commentary track comments suggest)?

Argentinian generals take note...simply send a few scruffy looking 20 year olds with sad faces to invade The Falklands next time and Prime Minister Meadows will let you do it!

Such silly, simplistic, attitudes for an otherwise intelligent, well acted and well made film to make. And ones that ultimately soured it for me.

 

[Simon Massey]

Films Watched in 2008

New Films

Tell No One :star::star::star::star:
Death Proof :star::star:
The Kite Runner :star::star::star:
Beowulf 3D :star::star:
The Last King Of Scotland :star::star::star:
Michael Clayton :star::star::star:
Aliens Vs Predator 2 : Requiem :star::star:
3:10 To Yuma :star::star::star:
Clerks II :star::star::star:
30 Days Of Night :star::star::star:1/2
Salem's Lot :star::star:
Romulus, My Father :star::star::star:
The Spiderwick Chronicles :star::star::star:1/2
Hitman :star:
Iron Man :star::star::star:
The Orphanage :star::star::star::star:
Cloverfield :star::star::star:1/2
The Golden Compass :star::star:
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull :star::star::star:1/2
National Treasure :star::star::star:
National Treasure 2 : Book Of Secrets :star::star::star:
The Happening :star:
The Eye (2008) :star::star:
The Incredible Hulk :star::star::star:
The Chronicles Of Narnia : Prince Caspian :star::star::star::star:
Wanted :star::star::star:
Kung Fu Panda :star::star::star:
Enchanted :star::star:
Hancock :star::star::star:
21 :star::star::star:
10,000 B.C. :star:
Gone Baby, Gone :star::star::star:
Street Kings :star::star::star:
Atonement :star::star::star:1/2
La Misma Luna (Under The Same Moon) :star::star:1/2
Twin Peaks : Fire Walk With Me :star::star::star:1/2
Wall-E :star::star::star::star::star:
The Signal :star::star::star:
The Searchers :star::star::star:
The Last Mimzy :star::star:1/2
Agent Cody Banks :star::star:
Agent Cody Banks 2 : Destination London :star:
The Dark Knight :star::star::star::star::star:
The Mist (2007) :star::star::star::star:
I Confess :star::star::star:1/2
Stage Fright :star::star::star:
The Wrong Man :star::star::star:1/2
The X Files : I Want To Believe :star::star::star:1/2
Strangers On A Train :star::star::star:1/2
The Italian (2007) :star::star::star:1/2
There Will Be Blood :star::star::star:1/2
Vantage Point :star::star::star:
Funny Games US :star::star::star::star:
Doomsday :star::star::star:
Tropic Thunder :star::star::star:
Hellboy II : The Golden Army :star::star::star:1/2
Eagle Eye :star::star::star:1/2
Quantum Of Solace :star::star::star::star:
Eastern Promises :star::star::star::star:
Disturbia :star::star: 1/2
REC :star::star::star: 1/2
Libero (Along the Ridge) :star::star::star: 1/2
The Nines :star::star:1/2
Green Street :star::star::star:
Twilight :star::star:
The Mummy - Tomb of The Dragon Emperor :star::star:
Night At The Museum :star::star:1/2
Ghost Town :star::star::star:
Mamma Mia :star::star:
Babylon AD :star:1/2


Rewatched

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix :star::star::star::star:
I Am Legend :star::star::star:
Alien Vs Predator :star::star::star:
Silent Hill :star::star:
Resident Evil :star::star::star:
Resident Evil : Apocalypse :star::star:
Resident Evil : Extinction :star::star:
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind :star::star::star::star:
Lord Of The Rings : The Fellowship Of The Ring :star::star::star::star::star:
Lord Of The Rings : The Two Towers :star::star::star::star:1/2
Lord Of The Rings : The Return Of The King :star::star::star::star::star:
Unforgiven :star::star::star::star:
The Prestige :star::star::star::star:1/2
Spiderman :star::star:1/2
Spiderman 2 :star::star::star::star:
Spiderman 3 :star::star:
Apocalypto :star::star::star::star:
The Usual Suspects :star::star::star::star::star:
Die Hard :star::star::star::star:
Die Hard 2 :star::star::star:1/2
Die Hard With A Vengeance :star::star::star:
Die Hard 4.0 :star::star::star:1/2
I Am Legend : Alternate Version :star::star::star:1/2
The Island :star::star:
From Hell :star::star::star:1/2
Cars :star::star::star:
The Brave One :star::star::star:
Raiders Of The Lost Ark :star::star::star::star::star:
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom :star::star::star::star:
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade :star::star::star:
Monty Python's Life Of Brian :star::star::star::star:
War Of The Worlds (2005) :star::star::star:1/2
Star Wars - Episode III : Revenge Of The Sith :star::star::star::star:
Ice Age :star::star::star:
Ice Age : The Meltdown :star::star:
Batman Begins :star::star::star::star:
Seven Years In Tibet :star::star::star:
The Descent :star::star::star::star:
The Italian Job (2005) :star::star::star:
Signs :star::star::star:1/2
Lady In The Water :star::star:1/2
The Mummy (1999) :star::star:1/2
The Mummy Returns :star::star:
Flight Of The Navigator :star::star::star:
Apollo 13 :star::star::star::star:
Immortal Beloved :star::star::star::star::star:
The Incredible Hulk :star::star::star:
Iron Man :star::star::star:1/2
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull :star::star::star:1/2
Flatliners :star::star:
Die Another Day :star::star:1/2
For Your Eyes Only :star::star::star:
The Omen (1976) :star::star::star:
The Thing :star::star::star::star:
Star Wars : Episode I - The Phantom Menace :star::star::star:
Star Wars : Episode II - Attack Of The Clones :star::star::star::star:
Star Wars : Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith :star::star::star::star::star:
Star Wars : Episode IV - A New Hope :star::star::star::star::star:
Star Wars : Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back :star::star::star::star::star:
Star Wars : Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi :star::star::star:1/2
The Matrix :star::star::star::star:
The Animatrix :star::star::star:
The Matrix Reloaded :star::star::star::star:
The Matrix Revolutions :star::star::star:
Interview With The Vampire :star::star::star:
Dark City - Director's Cut :star::star::star::star:
Kingdom Of Heaven - Director's Cut :star::star::star::star:
District B13 :star::star:
The Phantom Of The Opera (2004) :star::star::star::star:
Wanted :star::star::star:
Kung Fu Panda :star::star::star:
The X Files - Fight The Future :star::star::star::star:
Eraser :star::star:1/2

 

[Pete York]

1/4/08

Christmas Holiday (1944) Dir: Robert Siodmak

Ah! Just what the doctor ordered. Chase away the stress and tensions of the holiday season with a gay romp through Christmas Holiday starring Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly…or maybe not.

Army Lt. Mason (Dean Harens) intends to use his holiday leave to go back to San Francisco and ask his girl to marry him. Of course, she’s thrown him overboard in a telegram he gets just before leaving. But he’s going to go anyway, just to give her a piece of his mind. Sure enough, his plane never gets there, as it’s grounded in New Orleans by bad weather (fate, or some mysterious force, in action, as Al Roberts might say). While waiting for the next plane out, Mason is obligingly taken out for some entertainment by Simon Fenimore (Richard Whorf, who played Sam Harris in Yankee Doodle Dandy), a local newspaperman. They visit the Maison Laffite, which I believe is French for ‘classy Hollywood version whorehouse’, where Mason is introduced to the star attraction, Jackie (Durbin). They get to know each other a little and she reveals that she’s actually Abigail Manette, wife of the notorious murderer, George Manette (Kelly) who’s serving time at Angola. The rest of the film is then spent telling her tale of woe in flashbacks, with a return to the present day at the end to wrap it all up.

Apparently very loosely based on a Somerset Maugham novel, Christmas Holiday’s biggest problem is the figurative dance that writer Herman Mankiewicz must have needed to do in order to adapt the story and meet the code. There are various allusions to a “pathological” relationship between George and his mother (Gale Sondergaard), as well as vaguely defined weaknesses and flaws in George that would somehow make him dangerous to Abigail. It’s so subtle as to be nearly inexplicable. The murder is completely random with no motivation. The ending also features some changes in the characters that are as jarring as the snapping of fingers.

Deanna Durbin is very fine here. It didn’t appear to spur her on to a career as a dramatic actress, although it could have, the potential is there. Gene Kelly has a harder time. He’s a tad stiff in the straight dramatic scenes, but does manage to summon up a bit of edge when needed.

As one might expect of a Siodmak film, there is some splendid b&w photography from Woody Bredell (The Killers, Phantom Lady, The Unsuspected). In particular, there is a terrific, virtually dialogue-free scene (which nonetheless has a lot going on in it) between Lt. Mason and Abigail attending the Christmas Midnight Mass in a marvelous, ornate cathedral (The Saint Louis?). There’s also a very clever match cut during one of the flashbacks bridging Abigail and George’s first date with his later asking her to marry him via the same song.

Although I’m usually asking for less, Christmas Holiday would have benefited, perhaps greatly, with another 10 minutes or so of exposition. As it is, the film is a slight miss. However, fans of the two leads and those venturing deeper into the noir catalog should both find something of interest.

:star: :star: out of 4

 

[PatW]

Petticoat Fever (1936) :star: 1/2

This is a pretty silly movie. The only bright spot is Myrna Loy. Love that lady.


Fargo (1996) :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Classic Coen brothers flick based on a true story and set in Minnesota. Everything here is perfect from the acting, soundtrack, directing and especially cinematography. The all white scene with the lone truck coming toward the camera was just awesome. The script was just brilliant. You got to know these characters, quirks and all and like them or at least some of them. This movie is on my top ten favourites of all time. Great stuff.

 

[Michael Elliott]

01/03/08

Hollywood Hist-O-Rama: James Cagney (1962) :star::star::star: Joseph R. Juliano

Short bio of James Cagney gives a six-minute introduction to his career with various stills from his motion pictures. Needless to say, with such a short running time there's nothing here to learn but the film remains fun for a quick stroll down his career.

Mabel's Wilful Way (1915) :star::star::star: Mabel Normand & Mack Sennett

Mabel Normand gets tired of sitting with her parents so she sneaks out to the park where she runs into Fatty and trouble follows. This is a pretty good short that goes by very quickly and also contains a lot of laughs. There are many highlights including Fatty feeding a bear with his mouth, a cop who likes to hit up on Fatty and a wonderful sequence with Fatty and Mabel on a slide.

Alas and Alack (1915) :star::star:1/2 Joseph De Grasse

Incomplete short has Cleo Madison telling her daughter a story about the noise in a seashell while her husband (Lon Chaney) is away fishing. The woman dreams of becoming rich one day and it seems her wishes are granted when a rich man pulls up on shore. The final six minutes of the film are missing so there's no way of knowing if she leaves with the man or stays with her husband. The most important thing about this early Universal short is that Chaney plays two roles including a hunchback in a dream sequence. The hunchback scenes have him in limited make up but it looks okay. The special effects are pretty good for the time and Madison makes for a good lead. Hopefully the final minutes will be found someday.

Torpedo Squadron (1942) :star::star::star:1/2 John Ford

John Ford made several shorts during world War 2 but this one here is rather unique. The footage shot for this film was originally meant for another movie but not too long after this was filmed all but one of the men from Torpedo Squadron 8 were killed in battle. This film opens up with a brief introduction of the events and then goes straight to the footage of the men with their names inside an "In Memory" plaque. What really took me off guard is how loose and calm these men are even though they are getting ready to leave for battle not knowing if they would return or not. The bravery of these men really comes out even though we see very little of them. The film was shot in Technicolor, which is another added bonus. The movie runs just under seven minutes but it's probably the best stuff I've seen from the Ford shorts.

01/04/08

Fatty's Plucky Pup (1915) :star::star: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Two-reeler has Fatty in love with his neighbor but he's afraid to tell her. Before he even gets a chance to tell her she is kidnapped by some bad men but thankfully his dog Plucky knows where she is. Here's another two-reeler where it seems like no one even tried to get a laugh. There's not a single laugh in the film, which isn't good since this runs twenty-seven minutes. The opening sequence with Fatty setting is bed on fire is amusing but not funny. The majority of the second half deals with the dog running around various obstacles and again, this is amusing but not funny.

Doorway to Hell, The (1930) :star::star:1/2 Archie Mayo

Early gangster picture from Warner tells the rise and fall of Louie Ricarno (Lew Ayres) who started up a beer racket before retiring yet he gets back in after his youngest brother is killed by rival gangs. This film suffers from some technical issues like many films from this era in terms of sound recording but overall it's a pretty entertaining little film, although it's been forgotten today due to Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, which were released the following year. There's plenty of action and tough talk but Ayres is really the wrong guy for the lead. For starters, he looks like a kid so he never comes off too threatening and whenever he pushes the other gangster around it just makes them look like wimps. Ayres also comes off laughable during the scenes where he's trying to show outrage and anger. James Cagney steals the film as Ayres' sidekick and he's his typical, high energy self. Dwight Frye also has a small role here, which was the first of his career.

Public Enemy, The (1931) :star::star::star:1/2 William A. Wellman

James Cagney stars as a guy who grew up poor but quickly works his way up the criminal ladder. I think this is the best of all the early gangster pictures, although the film still has a few flaws. Even the flaws can't stand in the way of all the action, drama and laughs the film has going for it. I never really gave much credit to Wellman but since I've been watching countless films of his I paid closer attention to little details here that would later show up in others films of his. The way he takes the camera off the action is what really stood out and this gimmick always works for the director. It's used here when the man at the piano is shot and moving the camera off the action makes for more drama and works a lot better than if we had seen the shooting. Jean Harlow and Mae Clarke are both great in their roles but there's no denying that this is Cagney's picture from start to finish. This is certainly one of the greatest performances out there as Cagney's free and easy acting makes for a very memorable role. The way Cagney just seems to float within the scene adds to the fun. There are countless great scenes in the film including the grapefruit scene but my favorite is the one where Cagney is dressed in black walking towards the camera in the rain.

Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade (1978) :star::star: Joe D'Amato

Reporter Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) is doing a story on the white slave trade and tracks everything to a gangster living in Africa. Not happy stopping there, Emanuelle comes back to America and begins working undercover. This is probably the best of the D'Amato/Gemser Emanuelle movies but that's not saying too much. Unlike the other films in the series this one here at least manages to be entertaining without having to have a woman jerk off a horse as was seen in Emanuelle in America. This film here has a pretty interesting story and it moves along without too many boring spots. Needless to say there's a lot of sex scenes with Gemser taking on various men and women and these here are without a doubt the best scenes. D'Amato makes most of these very erotic, which is another thing missing from others in the series. I wouldn't say Gemser gives a good performance but she is comfortable in the role and you can't complain about seeing her naked throughout the film. The scenes in Africa are well shot and it's nice seeing some of the wildlife. Some of the American scenes were lifted from Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals but this just adds to some of the cheap fun. Original title: Via della prostituzione, La.

 

[42nd Street Freak]

"Fargo" is damn near perfect isn't it? Always a satisfying watch.

Mario! I love it!
From "Public Enemy" to "Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade"!
It's what movie watching is all about.