cdlistguy

Really, the dialogue in this movie by Granger drove me crazy. You could have a drinking game where you take a shot whenever he says he wants his mother to have a fine funeral. Oh yeah, and don't forget the flowers. The actor is also unconvincing in his love for his mother - there's no real heartfelt feeling. It's as if he's in love with the idea of the funeral more than he actually cared for his mother. The rest of the issues with this movie are pretty well covered by others here. As for me, I only made it through about 70 minutes, and yes, he's still in "fine funeral" mode after all that time. NOTE: When I don't finish a movie, I give it a single star rating. It probably deserves more than that, but it is my way of reminding myself not to try again!

Too violent for young children. Also, not recommended for dog lovers because of animal cruelty that does not advance plot. // Glenda and EEH are great as usual, but can't rise above mediocre story.

If you can handle the sudden switch in tone midstream, this is an unconventionally enjoyable rom-com. Jean Muir overdoes the melodrama, but we're more than compensated by Loraine Day's strong and sympathetic character. Bonus: I learned to always sit on the coconuts, not the tomatoes.

It's all here: an effective main story; witty humor, especially from Mulder; pathos as Scully deals with family issues; and a continuation of the arc that is presented in a dramatic fashion. Glenn Morgan also manages to weave the story and arc threads together in a creative way. Throw in the ironic use of Petula Clark's "Downtown" and a special guest appearance by Tim Armstrong of Rancid as a major character, and I don't see how you could ask for anything more. Bonus points for referencing Buddha and tulkus in a meaningful way.

This is best served as an introduction to the artist or as a tribute to be enjoyed by die-hard fans. Her early years are the most interesting to me, as I was unfamiliar with some of the information. Once she becomes famous, the doc descends into fawning talking heads or interviews with Ronstadt that feel cobbled from YouTube uploads. Her medical condition makes this a sad story (and there's a touching segment with her family at the end that illustrates her plight), and may be why this movie garners, at present, an 8.0 rating. As a documentary, though, it's slow and uncreative, does not present Linda as a whole person (few faults are examined) and omits important aspects of her career (Andrew Gold is never mentioned, for example). As a casual fan, I enjoyed it for what it was, but don't let the rating fool you into thinking this is a classic music documentary.

Soap opera theatrics, Mitchum looks uncomfortable, Wright overacts, plot is unbelievable. There's enough plot here to have made a better movie, and Alan Hale is wonderful as usual. Alas, after a somewhat promising beginning, it all falls apart in a blaze of bad writing and acting.

Stylish low budget noir undone by a hopelessly routine script. Sydney Tafler plays a con man who gets in over his head. It's a relentlessly predictable story, but it does benefit by being nicely shot and thankfully short. There's even a TV-show style "moral" at the end of the film, so maybe you'll learn something. Or not. :-)

I could spend all day pointing out the ways this didn't work, but, instead, I'll just say the script is weak, the actors are poorly directed, and it has a campy quality at times that doesn't fit the tone (excuse the pun). On the other hand, the cinematography is lovely, as is the set design and lighting, making it enjoyable to watch. Ella Raines, though unconvincing as the "cheap dame" that she has to play at one point, is quite sympathetic as the woman on a mission. There's also an excellently shot bebop jazz scene that is definitely a highlight. My final recommendation is that you start it and see where it takes you.

Watching this episode made me feel like I'd gone back in time to the raunchy 80's comedies era. Porky's anyone? The little kid was relentlessly obnoxious, as was Luke, my least favorite character. Just to make it more annoying, they killed off a (somewhat minor) character that I liked. The complete change of tone seems to be the result of the episode being co-written by Mike Lawrence. Thankfully, it's his only contribution to the series through the first two seasons. Had the writing been like this from the beginning, I would have been long gone.

Perhaps the script could have used a re-write, but otherwise this is a great movie with an excellent performance by James Barton, who has an intriguing back story, including being named one of Bing Crosby's favorite actors. McCabridge and Ireland have chemistry and are solid in their roles, and the former sings a fine song called "Summer Rain." It has a cynical view of human behavior, which, depending on your worldview, may be warranted, but the intelligently written script (despite some lapses) uses the three main characters to partially mitigate the cynicism. Recommended. P. S. If you are looking for non-stop action, this is probably not for you. There is a lot of dialogue, like a play, and Barton's character has some great lines as a farmer/philosopher.

Disgusting isn't scary, it's just disgusting. Multiple scenes of dead animals and the disturbing killing of a pet dog are among the "effects" here. There's also a lot of gruesome horror. Plus it's boring. This is the opposite of the Hill House and Bly Manor offerings, which were atmospheric and creepy. This is just a gorefest. Ugh.

While the information and issues conveyed in this short docu-memoir are important, the title is misleading, and one wonders if it was simply used as a kind of clickbait to draw attention to the film. The brief segment at the beginning which actually focuses on Wong states that she was no longer being offered roles, and that contributed to her death. Actually, she was still active in television and film, and was set to star in "Flower Drum Song," when she died. Watch this to get an idea of the struggles that Asian-Americans go through in the film industry, but best to check out the following book if you wish to learn more about Anna May Wong: "Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong."

Perhaps it should have been called "The Tell-Tale Pom-Pom instead! There's a deadly-dull detective; a resolution that is patently obvious; a lot of boring, talky scenes that might have been helped by a slight injection of humor; and a typically dependable performance by Adele Mara that is wasted in this crime drama. This plays like a standard television mystery with about the same running time. It's a B movie that is more like a C-, but you may like it if you're willing to grade on a curve.

Overlong melodrama with characters that are either unlikeable or bland. This easily could have been a half-an-hour shorter, but I'm not sure that would have helped. The scenes away from the little town (where most of the "action" takes place) are the best. Boyer is actually too good as the scoundrel; I was uncomfortable watching many of the scenes in which he pretended to be honorable. Finally, the ending is contrived in a way that subverts the overall big-budget style of the film. With a good scriptwriter, the elements that highlighted the immigration issues and longing for a better life would have lifted this movie into a more rarified stratosphere, but alas, that was not to be.

A major plot point of this film is involved with terrorizing a horse in order to keep his human co-star (played by Monte Hall) from replacing the unpleasant lead actor in the film. This is all done in service of a typically mediocre singing cowboy movie. Not cool. TRIVIA: Very meta of them to call the movie they're filming in the fictional story "Out California Way."

When reviewers see the (sometimes) great Ernst Lubitsch associated with a film, all subjectivity goes out the window. The unlikely pairing of Cooper and Dietrich (do they have chemistry in "Morocco," I wonder) is a case of wooden meets aloof. The script lacks spark, the jokes fall flat, and the very idea of Marlene living happily in Detroit (even then) seems ludicrous. I can't seem to figure out what these two have to offer each other except for the manufactured "love" that movie romances provide. She ain't down home, that's for sure, and he shows no signs of true sophistication. Had they made a sequel, it would have most likely been "Divorce in Detroit." Thing do pick up towards the end, and there's a fine dinner scene with all the major players, but it's not enough to brighten up the proceedings. I know my opinion is not shared by many, but I can only call it as I see it. NOTE: I have nothing against Detroit; I consider it an important city in America's history. It just doesn't seem to suit the Dietrich persona that was carefully sculpted by Hollywood.

I'm not sure why this movie gets a higher rating than the first one. Although I've read that they replaced Barbara Read as one of the "girls" because she was too grown up, Deanna Durbin seems older than her character as well, but pulls it off with her youthful charm. Unfortunately, the script requires her to be dishonest for no apparent reason, and the writers decided to pit the girls against each other, which totally messes with their chemistry. The father has become obsessed with work, undermining his originally sympathetic behavior in the first movie. Also, the ending is contrived and left partially unresolved. Meanwhile Binns, an integral part of the first film, is given little to do. I give this an extra star because Deanna is always a joy to watch. Otherwise, in the parlance of the times, I say phooey!

According to the user ratings demographics, women between the ages of 18 to 49 gave his movie a 7.4 compared to men at the same age, who gave it a 6.5. This despite Cagney's thoroughly unlikeable character's deplorable treatment of his wife who, despite being slapped around, lied to, and marginalized, puts up with it all. And this is all in service of a lousy script with enough plot holes to drive a taxi through. Having recently enjoyed his performance in the offbeat western, The Oklahoma Kid (hamming it up with Bogie), I was sadly reminded of why I've tried to avoid Cagney movies in the past. If you're gonna be a anti-hero, you have to have at least one or two redeeming qualities; he has none here. So many fans excuse this type of role as "Cagney being Cagney," and it seems that women, even more than men, are inclined to do so. One step forward, two steps back, I guess.

...skip this awful film. The script is amateurish, the acting is sub-par, while Ruth Hussey does her icy best. Her acting is okay, but she's just not believable as the altruistic wife/attorney.

This was a bit of fun. My only complaint is that they overdid the immigration aspect of the story. Their personal feelings about it were fine; it was just that the emphasis on the history of it, readily available elsewhere, took over the second part of the movie to a degree. As a result, it diluted some of the "will they do it?" excitement. With the right directior and editor, this could have been a nailbaiting one hour special!

Made me wish I was still drinking so me and my friends could take a shot every time they call the main character Bill!

All of the elements that make up a great Coen Brothers movie are here, and none of them work. Brad Pitt is obnoxiously over-the-top but, thankfully, calms down about two-thirds of the way into the film. George Clooney reprises his "O Brother" persona but, like almost everyone in this movie, is not very likeable. It's basically a film with no one to root for. The characters aren't very bright, which is supposed to be the point, but that doesn't work because the script is only occasionally funny. The best scenes are with JK Simmons as he tries to piece together what the hell is going on.

I like a good slow-burn psychological thriller as well as the next guy, but this was just a plodding mess with a pedestrian script. The characters are all unlikable so there's no one to root for. The characters are asked questions and just ignore them, a movie trope that I never see in real life. What ever happened to "I'd rather not say," or at least a shrug of the shoulders. Slow moving movies live or die by the payoff - this one dies. Also Emma Roberts is wasted in a non-essential subplot. There's nuns, cause it's that's kind of movie, but they are not at all creepy or even severe. This may have a limited appeal for someone out there, but it left me cold, and not in the "blood runs cold" way. For the record, he does better with his next film as he writes a far superior script. It's still off the slow-burn variety, but it's more effective.

If you like to see a woman slapped in the face and paddled on the backside with a hairbrush so hard she says it hurts (purportedly in the name of love), well, join the unenlightened masses. The acting is often of sub B-movie quality and the story is a confusing version of typical gangster pics of the area. I gave it a little credit because the women get some licks in, punching men more than once in the face, and because there is a good "we're in the together" relationship between the two female protagonists.

Too short for the subject, but a good jumping off point in regards to an important moment in time when a group of mostly Black Americans stood up to the white establishment and changed the course of history by winning a landmark Supreme Court case that ended covenants which excluded them from buying houses outside a designated area of St. Louis.