JSanicki
Lifetime Total
25+
IMDb Member
21 years
Reviews
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
The history of a not very good screwball comedy!
When Bringing Up Baby premiered in 1938, the film seemed to break all the rules. It combined Katherine Hepburn, who had never done an
out-and-out comedy before, with Cary Grant, who was known for his debonair leading-man roles. But director Howard Hawks struck casting gold in Hepburn and Grant, and set out to make Bringing Up Baby the screwiest comedy ever. The stars barely had time to catch their breath as they raced from one wild situation to another.
When production was finished, RKO felt the film was too frenetic for audiences. In fact, the studio considered shelving it altogether. When RKO finally released Bringing Up Baby into theaters, the film lost over $300,000. Hawks was fired from his next scheduled film, Gunga Din and Hepburn bought out her RKO contract and returned to Broadway.
However, with the coming of television in the 1960's and VCR in the 1980's, Bringing Up Baby found its audience. The film quickly won a reputation as one of the funniest movies ever made, and became known as the quintessential screwball comedy. In 1990, Bringing Up Baby was selected for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as one of the most important films in American cinema history.
However, I for one, never could understand what was so great about this film. I think the acting is poor and the storyline is very weak, if not believable. What is the big deal with this film? Maybe I just need to see it more...or maybe I've seen it enough. Who knows?
My rating: 1 and a half stars
out-and-out comedy before, with Cary Grant, who was known for his debonair leading-man roles. But director Howard Hawks struck casting gold in Hepburn and Grant, and set out to make Bringing Up Baby the screwiest comedy ever. The stars barely had time to catch their breath as they raced from one wild situation to another.
When production was finished, RKO felt the film was too frenetic for audiences. In fact, the studio considered shelving it altogether. When RKO finally released Bringing Up Baby into theaters, the film lost over $300,000. Hawks was fired from his next scheduled film, Gunga Din and Hepburn bought out her RKO contract and returned to Broadway.
However, with the coming of television in the 1960's and VCR in the 1980's, Bringing Up Baby found its audience. The film quickly won a reputation as one of the funniest movies ever made, and became known as the quintessential screwball comedy. In 1990, Bringing Up Baby was selected for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as one of the most important films in American cinema history.
However, I for one, never could understand what was so great about this film. I think the acting is poor and the storyline is very weak, if not believable. What is the big deal with this film? Maybe I just need to see it more...or maybe I've seen it enough. Who knows?
My rating: 1 and a half stars
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
The history of a not very good screwball comedy!
When Bringing Up Baby premiered in 1938, the film seemed to break all the rules. It combined Katherine Hepburn, who had never done an
out-and-out comedy before, with Cary Grant, who was known for his debonair leading-man roles. But director Howard Hawks struck casting gold in Hepburn and Grant, and set out to make Bringing Up Baby the screwiest comedy ever. The stars barely had time to catch their breath as they raced from one wild situation to another.
When production was finished, RKO felt the film was too frenetic for audiences. In fact, the studio considered shelving it altogether. When RKO finally released Bringing Up Baby into theaters, the film lost over $300,000. Hawks was fired from his next scheduled film, Gunga Din and Hepburn bought out her RKO contract and returned to Broadway.
However, with the coming of television in the 1960's and VCR in the 1980's, Bringing Up Baby found its audience. The film quickly won a reputation as one of the funniest movies ever made, and became known as the quintessential screwball comedy. In 1990, Bringing Up Baby was selected for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as one of the most important films in American cinema history.
However, I for one, never could understand what was so great about this film. I think the acting is poor and the storyline is very weak, if not believable. What is the big deal with this film? Maybe I just need to see it more...or maybe I've seen it enough. Who knows?
My rating: 1 and a half stars
out-and-out comedy before, with Cary Grant, who was known for his debonair leading-man roles. But director Howard Hawks struck casting gold in Hepburn and Grant, and set out to make Bringing Up Baby the screwiest comedy ever. The stars barely had time to catch their breath as they raced from one wild situation to another.
When production was finished, RKO felt the film was too frenetic for audiences. In fact, the studio considered shelving it altogether. When RKO finally released Bringing Up Baby into theaters, the film lost over $300,000. Hawks was fired from his next scheduled film, Gunga Din and Hepburn bought out her RKO contract and returned to Broadway.
However, with the coming of television in the 1960's and VCR in the 1980's, Bringing Up Baby found its audience. The film quickly won a reputation as one of the funniest movies ever made, and became known as the quintessential screwball comedy. In 1990, Bringing Up Baby was selected for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as one of the most important films in American cinema history.
However, I for one, never could understand what was so great about this film. I think the acting is poor and the storyline is very weak, if not believable. What is the big deal with this film? Maybe I just need to see it more...or maybe I've seen it enough. Who knows?
My rating: 1 and a half stars
It Happened One Night (1934)
The first Screwball Comedy
In Summer 1933, Columbia Pictures paid $5000 for the rights to "Night Bus," a short story written by Samuel Hopkins Adams that appeared in the August version of Cosmopolitan. After completion of the film Lady for a Day, director Frank Capra and screenwriter Robert Riskin began work on the film adaptation; as several bus-related films had recently failed at the box office, they changed the title to It Happened One Night.
Columbia, a small studio with few stars under contract, made it a company policy to borrow expensive name-brand talent "as needed." So when Capra wanted MGM's Robert Montgomery and Myrna Loy for It Happened One Night, Columbia's prsident, Harry Cohn, sent the script to their boss, Louis B. Mayer. Although both stars were unavailable, Mayer surprised Cohn when he insisted Columbia take MGM's top leading man, Clark Gable, instead.
With Gable confirmed, Capra turned to the casting of his female lead role. After Miriam Hopkins, Margaret Sullivan and Constance Bennett turned him down, Capra approached Paramount's Claudette Colbert, who didn't want to play the heiress role either. Instead of saying no, however, the actress made Capra an offer she was sure would be rejected: $50,000 for four weeks work. To Colbert's amazement, Cohn agreed to her terms.
Production of the $225,000 project began on November 13, 1933. Although Gable was intially reluctant to work on It Happened One Night, he soon warmed up to Capra and gave a charming performance, one that would forever cement his screen image as a breezy, good-natured man of the world. Colbert, however, was another story. Although she gave an Oscar-winning performance, the actress did not want to make the film and continued to give Capra a difficult time throughout production. After her scenes were completed, Colbert went on vacation to Sun Valley, where she told friends, "I've just finished the worst picture in the world."
It Happened One Night was released on February 23, 1934, to moderate to indifferent reviews. But audiences across the country adored the film and made it the sleeper hit of the year. The first screwball comedy (before Bringing Up Baby), It Happened One Night went on to sweep the Academy Awards, winning all five major Oscars that it had been nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay. But it was Claudette Colbert who knew exactly who was resposible for the success of It Happened One Night when, after accepting her award, she graciously told the Academy. "I owe Frank Capra for this." So do we.
My rating: 3 and a half stars
Columbia, a small studio with few stars under contract, made it a company policy to borrow expensive name-brand talent "as needed." So when Capra wanted MGM's Robert Montgomery and Myrna Loy for It Happened One Night, Columbia's prsident, Harry Cohn, sent the script to their boss, Louis B. Mayer. Although both stars were unavailable, Mayer surprised Cohn when he insisted Columbia take MGM's top leading man, Clark Gable, instead.
With Gable confirmed, Capra turned to the casting of his female lead role. After Miriam Hopkins, Margaret Sullivan and Constance Bennett turned him down, Capra approached Paramount's Claudette Colbert, who didn't want to play the heiress role either. Instead of saying no, however, the actress made Capra an offer she was sure would be rejected: $50,000 for four weeks work. To Colbert's amazement, Cohn agreed to her terms.
Production of the $225,000 project began on November 13, 1933. Although Gable was intially reluctant to work on It Happened One Night, he soon warmed up to Capra and gave a charming performance, one that would forever cement his screen image as a breezy, good-natured man of the world. Colbert, however, was another story. Although she gave an Oscar-winning performance, the actress did not want to make the film and continued to give Capra a difficult time throughout production. After her scenes were completed, Colbert went on vacation to Sun Valley, where she told friends, "I've just finished the worst picture in the world."
It Happened One Night was released on February 23, 1934, to moderate to indifferent reviews. But audiences across the country adored the film and made it the sleeper hit of the year. The first screwball comedy (before Bringing Up Baby), It Happened One Night went on to sweep the Academy Awards, winning all five major Oscars that it had been nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay. But it was Claudette Colbert who knew exactly who was resposible for the success of It Happened One Night when, after accepting her award, she graciously told the Academy. "I owe Frank Capra for this." So do we.
My rating: 3 and a half stars
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
An epic of the 1930's
As a film of the 1940's, the Grapes of Wrath does a wonderful thing. It shows us humanity in only the way that someone like John Ford could show it. Primarily known as a director of westerns, Ford helms this project with all the love and care you'd expect from someone entrusted with such a great and beloved work of American Literature.
Even seen as a bit dated, the film harkens back to a time in American History when the government was literally throwing people off their land just so they (the government) could have more and more room for agriculture and farming purposes. So, the Joad family like millions of other families in the midst of the Great Depression flees to California. They do this simply because they believe that work, not to mention a better life will be found there. However, once they arrive in California the Joads begin to see just how wrong they were with so many of their assumptions.
This has to be the definitive Henry Fonda film. Fonda plays Tom Joad with sort of an everyman type of quality. However, Fonda lost the Best Actor Oscar to James Stewart in The Philadelphia Story. The Grapes of Wrath received two statuettes that year, Best Supporting Actress for Jane Darwell's iconic portrayal of Ma Joad, the undeviating strength at the core of the Joad clan and Best Director for John Ford (his second Oscar after 1935's The Informer). The Grapes of Wrath was also nominated in the categories of Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Recording, losing in all three instances. The film lost Best Picture to Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca.
All in all, this is an important piece in a director's legacy of great films. John Ford would follow The Grapes of Wrath with Oscar wins for both 1941's How Green Was My Valley and 1952's The Quiet Man, not to mention what I consider his greatest film ever, 1956's The Searchers with John Wayne.
My rating: 2 and a half stars
Even seen as a bit dated, the film harkens back to a time in American History when the government was literally throwing people off their land just so they (the government) could have more and more room for agriculture and farming purposes. So, the Joad family like millions of other families in the midst of the Great Depression flees to California. They do this simply because they believe that work, not to mention a better life will be found there. However, once they arrive in California the Joads begin to see just how wrong they were with so many of their assumptions.
This has to be the definitive Henry Fonda film. Fonda plays Tom Joad with sort of an everyman type of quality. However, Fonda lost the Best Actor Oscar to James Stewart in The Philadelphia Story. The Grapes of Wrath received two statuettes that year, Best Supporting Actress for Jane Darwell's iconic portrayal of Ma Joad, the undeviating strength at the core of the Joad clan and Best Director for John Ford (his second Oscar after 1935's The Informer). The Grapes of Wrath was also nominated in the categories of Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Recording, losing in all three instances. The film lost Best Picture to Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca.
All in all, this is an important piece in a director's legacy of great films. John Ford would follow The Grapes of Wrath with Oscar wins for both 1941's How Green Was My Valley and 1952's The Quiet Man, not to mention what I consider his greatest film ever, 1956's The Searchers with John Wayne.
My rating: 2 and a half stars
Woman of the Year (1942)
I guess even George Stevens could make a bomb once in a while! !
If anything, the only reason to see Woman of the Year is for its pairing of the often-replicated but never duplicated team of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Even in their first film together, you can see the sparks of a romance beginning. However, the story itself is totally flat, something that could have been totally done differently with a Ring Lardner, jr. script. So, all in all, just see this one if you want to see an early Tracy/Hepburn comedy, but other than that, I wouldn't waste my time.
My rating: 1 star
My rating: 1 star
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Sexual ambiguity at its very best...Billy Wilder style
Billy Wilder's classic comedy The Seven Year Itch is a sex farce, however there is no sex in it whatsoever. The Seven Year Itch blew the lid off 1950's conservatism, shocked audiences with its irreverant view of marital infidelity and showcased the late, great Marilyn Monroe in her most sexually suggestive role to date.
I think the greatest thing that this film has going for it is the interplay between its stars, Marilyn Monroe and Tommy Ewell. Of course, Marilyn is her normal self in this one and gives another trademark performance, but this one however transcends the boundaries of just a "normal" role and shoots her star into the celluloid heavens where it remains to this day. If Gentleman Prefer Blondes made her a star, than The Seven Year Itch just confirmed it and allowed her to shine even brighter then ever before. Marilyn plays the role of "the Girl", someone who is never named but who plays the role of the innocent girl next door to the hilt, but has a touch of tempstress within her still.
What is so funny about this film is the mannerisms in which it gets played. They're always a tad to the extreme but seem never to get taken "over the top" too much. As always with a Billy Wilder script, the dialog crackles with certain one-liners and an impeccable writing style that only Wilder himself was able to pull off.
In closing, yes this was THE film with the famous skirt-blowing scene that was the cause for Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio's marriage to hit the skids and break up, but as Marilyn herself once said "they're not in love with Norma Jean, they're in love with her (Marilyn Monroe)." And we as an audience are still in love with her as well, over fifty years later.
It's true what they say...some things DO improve with age.
My rating: 3 stars
I think the greatest thing that this film has going for it is the interplay between its stars, Marilyn Monroe and Tommy Ewell. Of course, Marilyn is her normal self in this one and gives another trademark performance, but this one however transcends the boundaries of just a "normal" role and shoots her star into the celluloid heavens where it remains to this day. If Gentleman Prefer Blondes made her a star, than The Seven Year Itch just confirmed it and allowed her to shine even brighter then ever before. Marilyn plays the role of "the Girl", someone who is never named but who plays the role of the innocent girl next door to the hilt, but has a touch of tempstress within her still.
What is so funny about this film is the mannerisms in which it gets played. They're always a tad to the extreme but seem never to get taken "over the top" too much. As always with a Billy Wilder script, the dialog crackles with certain one-liners and an impeccable writing style that only Wilder himself was able to pull off.
In closing, yes this was THE film with the famous skirt-blowing scene that was the cause for Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio's marriage to hit the skids and break up, but as Marilyn herself once said "they're not in love with Norma Jean, they're in love with her (Marilyn Monroe)." And we as an audience are still in love with her as well, over fifty years later.
It's true what they say...some things DO improve with age.
My rating: 3 stars
Manhattan (1979)
A different kind of "Rhapsody in Blue"
Spoilers ahead!
From the opening strains of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" over numerous black and white shots of New York City, we are sucked in instantaneously. Cynical New Yorkers seem to be Woody Allen's forte and here he wastes no time in getting to the heart of his character. Allen plays Isaac Davis, a successful comedy writer whose wife (played here by a very young Meryl Streep in one of her earliest performances), having left him for another woman, is now embarking on a book about their failed marriage. Isaac happily consoles himself in the arms of an adoring seventeen year old schoolgirl (played by Mariel Hemingway in an Academy Award nominated performance) until he meets someone closer to his own age, journalist Mary Wilke (played by Annie Hall's Diane Keaton), who also happens to be his best friend's mistress!
If this plotline fails to confuse you then the film itself certainly will at times. Andrew Sarris of the Village Voice called Manhattan "the only truly great American film of the 1970's", but upon seeing it you wonder how many other films from that decade there would have been for him to choose from. Not many. Art certainly did end up imitating life in this film with Woody Allen divorcing Mia Farrow for Soon-yi Previn (a woman many years his junior) years later. Frankly, this is a good film with a witty screenplay (also nominated for an Academy Award as well) but alas, I think that Allen left a lot of holes in the storyline development. Still, though this film is a classic of the genre that is Woody Allen. Do yourself a favor and see this one at least once. The use of George Gershwin songs as the score is to die for!
My rating: 3 stars
From the opening strains of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" over numerous black and white shots of New York City, we are sucked in instantaneously. Cynical New Yorkers seem to be Woody Allen's forte and here he wastes no time in getting to the heart of his character. Allen plays Isaac Davis, a successful comedy writer whose wife (played here by a very young Meryl Streep in one of her earliest performances), having left him for another woman, is now embarking on a book about their failed marriage. Isaac happily consoles himself in the arms of an adoring seventeen year old schoolgirl (played by Mariel Hemingway in an Academy Award nominated performance) until he meets someone closer to his own age, journalist Mary Wilke (played by Annie Hall's Diane Keaton), who also happens to be his best friend's mistress!
If this plotline fails to confuse you then the film itself certainly will at times. Andrew Sarris of the Village Voice called Manhattan "the only truly great American film of the 1970's", but upon seeing it you wonder how many other films from that decade there would have been for him to choose from. Not many. Art certainly did end up imitating life in this film with Woody Allen divorcing Mia Farrow for Soon-yi Previn (a woman many years his junior) years later. Frankly, this is a good film with a witty screenplay (also nominated for an Academy Award as well) but alas, I think that Allen left a lot of holes in the storyline development. Still, though this film is a classic of the genre that is Woody Allen. Do yourself a favor and see this one at least once. The use of George Gershwin songs as the score is to die for!
My rating: 3 stars
Grease (1978)
Why does the whole world love this film?
I can remember when this film first came out, but then again I was only two years old. My sister had the double album and as a result Hopelessly Devoted to You, We Go Together and Greased Lightning have stayed in my brain for many, many years. It's a fun film, don't get me wrong, but I think that people just over-hype it to death. I wish people thought of The English Patient and All About Eve in the same way!
My overall opinion is that its a great film for the singing and dancing but I just wish that people weren't as crazy about this film as they are. The chemistry between the actors, especially John Travolta, Olivia Newton John and Stockard Channing is wonderful. However, I do believe that this is the best film that John Travolta ever made (obviously I don't think he's that great of an actor) and Olivia Newton-John followed this one with a far better film: Xanadu. I just adore that one!
All in all, this a great film to watch at a party with a big bowl of popcorn to munch on and to wonder if the 1950's were as really as halcyon as the filmmakers made them out to be.
My rating: 2 and a half stars.
My overall opinion is that its a great film for the singing and dancing but I just wish that people weren't as crazy about this film as they are. The chemistry between the actors, especially John Travolta, Olivia Newton John and Stockard Channing is wonderful. However, I do believe that this is the best film that John Travolta ever made (obviously I don't think he's that great of an actor) and Olivia Newton-John followed this one with a far better film: Xanadu. I just adore that one!
All in all, this a great film to watch at a party with a big bowl of popcorn to munch on and to wonder if the 1950's were as really as halcyon as the filmmakers made them out to be.
My rating: 2 and a half stars.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
They just don't make 'em like this anymore
The names Audrey Hepburn and Holly Golightly have become synonomous since this dazzling romantic comedy was translated to the screen from Truman Capote's best-selling novella. Hepburn plays Holly Golightly, a deliciously eccentric Big Apple playgirl who's determined to wed a Brazilian millionaire. George Peppard plays her next-door neighbor, Paul Varjak, an up and coming writer who is "sponsored" by a wealthy Patricia Neal. Guessing who's the right man for Holly is easy. Seeing just how that romance blossoms is one of the enduring delights of this gem-like treat set to Henry Mancini's Oscar-winning score and the Oscar-winning Mancini-Johnny Mercer song "Moon River".
Breakfast at Tiffany's perfectly captures the essence of New York life in the early 1960's from the establishing shots of Audrey Hepburn munching on her danish pastry in front of Tiffany's jewelery store early one morning to the rain-swept ending on a street tucked far into Greenwich Village. Of course, Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of the Bohemian Holly as well as the Set Decorations and the Screenplay itself.
All in all, this is a charming, vivacious warm-hearted story full of love and promise. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.
My rating: 3 and a half stars
Breakfast at Tiffany's perfectly captures the essence of New York life in the early 1960's from the establishing shots of Audrey Hepburn munching on her danish pastry in front of Tiffany's jewelery store early one morning to the rain-swept ending on a street tucked far into Greenwich Village. Of course, Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of the Bohemian Holly as well as the Set Decorations and the Screenplay itself.
All in all, this is a charming, vivacious warm-hearted story full of love and promise. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.
My rating: 3 and a half stars
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Remembering three legends who died too soon
Out of all the classic "teenage" films that I've ever seen, this and West Side Story have been the two that have been embedded in my psyche for the longest time. I have been a fan of James Dean for many years, but it is only here where he finally allows his genius to shine through. Sadly, his star fizzled out before it could even begin to shine fully. Whenever I watch Dean on-screen I am always curious as to "what could have been" had he lived longer. Frankly, I believe that Rebel Without A Cause will forevermore be known as his "testament" to us of his brief time upon this earth.
Everything about this film is stunning from the acting to the camera angles, not to mention the stark use of color in different sequences.
James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo all make up a sort of fractured family, the castoffs whose normal families don't understand. If you look hard enough, there can be seen a sort of "love" between James Dean's character and Sal Mineo's character. Mineo's character simply idolizes James Dean's character and one wonders if he thinks of him as more than just a friend. It is interesting to note that the role of Plato (played by Sal Mineo) was in fact probably the first homosexual character in a film, although Nicholas Ray only allows glimpses and hints at it throughout the film.
This is the film that elevated James Dean into the mythic legend category most stars only dream of, and you must admit that it is one of the most searing, provocative performances ever placed upon celluloid. All three of its stars died too young...and all will never be forgotten.
My rating: 4 stars
Everything about this film is stunning from the acting to the camera angles, not to mention the stark use of color in different sequences.
James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo all make up a sort of fractured family, the castoffs whose normal families don't understand. If you look hard enough, there can be seen a sort of "love" between James Dean's character and Sal Mineo's character. Mineo's character simply idolizes James Dean's character and one wonders if he thinks of him as more than just a friend. It is interesting to note that the role of Plato (played by Sal Mineo) was in fact probably the first homosexual character in a film, although Nicholas Ray only allows glimpses and hints at it throughout the film.
This is the film that elevated James Dean into the mythic legend category most stars only dream of, and you must admit that it is one of the most searing, provocative performances ever placed upon celluloid. All three of its stars died too young...and all will never be forgotten.
My rating: 4 stars
Barefoot in the Park (1967)
Wedded bliss---Neil Simon style
Master of Broadway comedy Neil Simon adapted his hit play about a conservative young lawyer and his off-the-wall bride for this warm 1960's film classic. Robert Redford is Paul Bratter, the "Mister Straight" lawyer. Jane Fonda is his new wife Corie, who dedicates her life to the pursuit of fun. As the ecstasy of the honeymoon at the Plaza gives way to setting up housekeeping and a home in a modest five-flight walk-up, the harmony of marriage turns into comical discord. The mother-in-law (Mildred Natwick) complains meekly. The middle-aged Lothario upstairs (Charles Boyer) flirts shamelessly. Joy turns to anguish...and the results are pure Neil Simon comedy at its best.
This is a great example of 1960's comic genius. Neil Simon would follow this one with 1968's The Odd Couple starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.
My rating: 2 and a half stars
This is a great example of 1960's comic genius. Neil Simon would follow this one with 1968's The Odd Couple starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.
My rating: 2 and a half stars
All About Eve (1950)
A film in a class by itself
Backstage backstabbing is the theme for this juicy Academy Award winning drama. Bette Davis is simply stunning as Margo Channing, an aging theater star who is drmatically upstage by her biggest fan, a ruthless younger actress named Eve Harrington, played by Anne Baxter. When Margo invites her protege into her dearest circle of friends, Eve manages to steal from her idol the success she once envied.
All About Eve is probably my favorite "american classic film" for a great many reasons. For starters there's that impeccable ensemble of actors headed by the late, great Miss Bette Davis who turns in probably what is next to "Baby Jane" her most well-known and detailed role as theater diva Margo Channing. Lest we forget her co-stars, including Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington, George Sanders as Addison DeWitt, Celeste Holm as Karen Richards, Gary Merrill as Bill Sampson, Hugh Marlowe as Lloyd Richards, Thelma Ritter as Birdie, a very young Marilyn Monroe as Miss Caswell and last but not least, Barbara Bates as Phoebe. All of them listed above give what is in my opinion some of the most scintillating performances ever captured upon celluloid. Secondly, there's the matter of that script, probably one of the best if not THE best script to ever come out of Hollywood. The dialog within it is scintillating, and the quick verbal repartee is priceless in so many instances too numerous to mention here.
This film was honored with a record 14 Academy Award nominations and it won six: Best Picture, Director, Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders), Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Recording. Amazingly enough Bette Davis and Anne Baxter who were nominated both for Best Actress were beaten by newcomer Judy Holliday's dynamic star turn in George Cukor's Born Yesterday. Frankly, if you ask me I think Bette Davis should have won it that year. Her performance as Margo Channing was simply amazing.
For its day, All About Eve was a very long film, clocking in at just over two hours. It's a very "talky" picture, especially when it gets into the "cocktail party" scene (the film's piece de resistance). However, it is the breadth and depth of the story that writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz is telling that requires our full and rapt attention. And we do give it. For as many times as I've seen this film (probably around fifty or so by now) it still is looked on as THE perfect film by so many people, myself included. No matter how hard anyone tries, no one will ever be able to either replicate or duplicate it.
Believe me, this film ain't called "the bitchiest film ever" for nothin!
My rating: 4 stars
All About Eve is probably my favorite "american classic film" for a great many reasons. For starters there's that impeccable ensemble of actors headed by the late, great Miss Bette Davis who turns in probably what is next to "Baby Jane" her most well-known and detailed role as theater diva Margo Channing. Lest we forget her co-stars, including Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington, George Sanders as Addison DeWitt, Celeste Holm as Karen Richards, Gary Merrill as Bill Sampson, Hugh Marlowe as Lloyd Richards, Thelma Ritter as Birdie, a very young Marilyn Monroe as Miss Caswell and last but not least, Barbara Bates as Phoebe. All of them listed above give what is in my opinion some of the most scintillating performances ever captured upon celluloid. Secondly, there's the matter of that script, probably one of the best if not THE best script to ever come out of Hollywood. The dialog within it is scintillating, and the quick verbal repartee is priceless in so many instances too numerous to mention here.
This film was honored with a record 14 Academy Award nominations and it won six: Best Picture, Director, Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders), Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Recording. Amazingly enough Bette Davis and Anne Baxter who were nominated both for Best Actress were beaten by newcomer Judy Holliday's dynamic star turn in George Cukor's Born Yesterday. Frankly, if you ask me I think Bette Davis should have won it that year. Her performance as Margo Channing was simply amazing.
For its day, All About Eve was a very long film, clocking in at just over two hours. It's a very "talky" picture, especially when it gets into the "cocktail party" scene (the film's piece de resistance). However, it is the breadth and depth of the story that writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz is telling that requires our full and rapt attention. And we do give it. For as many times as I've seen this film (probably around fifty or so by now) it still is looked on as THE perfect film by so many people, myself included. No matter how hard anyone tries, no one will ever be able to either replicate or duplicate it.
Believe me, this film ain't called "the bitchiest film ever" for nothin!
My rating: 4 stars
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Alfred Hitchcock redux
What Lies Beneath succeeds admirably in making us believe in old fashioned horror films again. This is more a suspense/thriller than a flat out horror film, but trust me, all the elements pop up in one place or the other, most notably in the many overt references to the Master of Suspense himself. I counted four different nods to "Hitch" throughout: Rear Window, Vertigo, Rope and definetly Psycho.
The film starts out well, but takes a little bit too long to build up the tension that is required of it. Once the tension builds to an uncontrollable fever pitch, it's as if we're riding on a galloping horse towards a burning stable, powerless to stop it. Robert Zemeckis builds everything up so good but totally loses us in the last few minutes or so. However, by then we're so wrapped up in the storyline that we don't even seem to care.
The casting was great, especially Michelle Pfeiffer. I thought that Harrison Ford was good, however some of his reactions towards his wife's predicament didn't ring true with me. I thought that he played it a bit too intensely at times.
This is a great film to watch late after midnight...in a darkened room...alone. You'll jump a few times. Trust me. I did.
My rating: 3 stars
The film starts out well, but takes a little bit too long to build up the tension that is required of it. Once the tension builds to an uncontrollable fever pitch, it's as if we're riding on a galloping horse towards a burning stable, powerless to stop it. Robert Zemeckis builds everything up so good but totally loses us in the last few minutes or so. However, by then we're so wrapped up in the storyline that we don't even seem to care.
The casting was great, especially Michelle Pfeiffer. I thought that Harrison Ford was good, however some of his reactions towards his wife's predicament didn't ring true with me. I thought that he played it a bit too intensely at times.
This is a great film to watch late after midnight...in a darkened room...alone. You'll jump a few times. Trust me. I did.
My rating: 3 stars
Proof of Life (2000)
all because of a "dirty little affair"...
This is the infamous film that has been given the notorious distinction of being the way that Meg Ryan met Russell Crowe and thus begat their torrid affair. Frankly, I think that's the reason I saw this in the theater in the first place. Other than that, nothing strikes me as great about this film but I do remember being on the edge of my seat the first time I saw it. However, the second time wasn't the charm...
Proof of Life tries too hard to be something that it just cannot be. At one instance, it is a total guy flick with all the action and the blowing up and the grenades and so on. On the other hand, Meg Ryan is in it so can anyone out there say "chick flick"? Something for everyone you say? Not unless that person has an excellent attention span and an eye for mercurious details. I believe that you just cannot make a film that is at one moment bloody and at the next moment all romantically sweet and saccharine. If I had to use one word to describe this film to anyone I would have to say "draggy". We don't really "get" into the action sequence until at least 3/4 of the way through it and then it seems like its too late.
For all the hype that precipitated Proof of Life's release in December of 2000, I must give total kudos to Russell and Meg and the Warner Brothers publicity department. Simply because of a "dirty little affair" and a Christmas season release, this film managed to sell tickets and dupe the unsuspecting public, myself included into seeing something that should have gone straight to video in the first place.
My rating: 2 stars
Proof of Life tries too hard to be something that it just cannot be. At one instance, it is a total guy flick with all the action and the blowing up and the grenades and so on. On the other hand, Meg Ryan is in it so can anyone out there say "chick flick"? Something for everyone you say? Not unless that person has an excellent attention span and an eye for mercurious details. I believe that you just cannot make a film that is at one moment bloody and at the next moment all romantically sweet and saccharine. If I had to use one word to describe this film to anyone I would have to say "draggy". We don't really "get" into the action sequence until at least 3/4 of the way through it and then it seems like its too late.
For all the hype that precipitated Proof of Life's release in December of 2000, I must give total kudos to Russell and Meg and the Warner Brothers publicity department. Simply because of a "dirty little affair" and a Christmas season release, this film managed to sell tickets and dupe the unsuspecting public, myself included into seeing something that should have gone straight to video in the first place.
My rating: 2 stars
Fame (1980)
A nostalgic, beautiful look back on a time that is no more
I can remember hearing the soundtrack to this film all throughout my childhood. As a young child, I was forbidden to watch the film seeing how it was rated R, but thought it was wonderful anyway because of what it dealt with: the Performing Arts. Now, almost twenty years late, I've just watched it again and I must say that things look a whole lot tamer today than they did then. What was the big deal anyways?
Frankly, I think that this film is Alan Parker's masterpiece. This is the film that he'll be remembered for, if not for the story of it but for the music of it and the dichotomy of his actors, all of whom were virtual unknowns when this film was released back in the spring of 1980. Of course, this film spawned the hugely successful television series of the same name and even a live in concert album (which I owned as a child).
If anything, to me this film is a look back at a time that is no more: my childhood and the early 1980's, when life in general was so much simpler than it is now, when the only upheaval we had was actually electing an actor as President of the United States!
This a film that certainly deserves more than one look.
My rating: 3 stars
Frankly, I think that this film is Alan Parker's masterpiece. This is the film that he'll be remembered for, if not for the story of it but for the music of it and the dichotomy of his actors, all of whom were virtual unknowns when this film was released back in the spring of 1980. Of course, this film spawned the hugely successful television series of the same name and even a live in concert album (which I owned as a child).
If anything, to me this film is a look back at a time that is no more: my childhood and the early 1980's, when life in general was so much simpler than it is now, when the only upheaval we had was actually electing an actor as President of the United States!
This a film that certainly deserves more than one look.
My rating: 3 stars
Black Hawk Down (2001)
A war film for the 21st century
On October 3rd, 1993, about a hundred elite United States soldiers were dropped by helicopters into the teeming market in Mogadishu, Somalia. Their mission was to abducttwo top lieutenants of a Somali warlord and return to base. It was supposed to take only an hour. Instead, they found themselves pinned down through a long and terrible night fighting against thousands of heavily armed Somalis. The following morning, eighteen Americans were dead and more than seventy were badly injured.
This is the premise for one of the more intense war films of the last few years, however unless you see it on a large screen then it loses much of its impact. I saw this film on the big screen right after it was first released and was simply blown away by the sheer realism of it all. I recently watched it again on DVD and alas wasn't amazed the second time around the way I was the first time.
Ridley Scott directed this total ensemble effort and for that I believe he should have received the Academy Award for Best Direction for this one instead of Gladiator. Also, this should have been nominated for Best Picture, although I wouldn't have wanted it to win. Just for this film to have been nominated would have certainly said something.
My rating: 2 and a half stars
This is the premise for one of the more intense war films of the last few years, however unless you see it on a large screen then it loses much of its impact. I saw this film on the big screen right after it was first released and was simply blown away by the sheer realism of it all. I recently watched it again on DVD and alas wasn't amazed the second time around the way I was the first time.
Ridley Scott directed this total ensemble effort and for that I believe he should have received the Academy Award for Best Direction for this one instead of Gladiator. Also, this should have been nominated for Best Picture, although I wouldn't have wanted it to win. Just for this film to have been nominated would have certainly said something.
My rating: 2 and a half stars
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
An American Legend
It has taken me twenty-seven years to be able to see this film and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it...however, the novel that the film is based upon is a totally different story altogether. I have tried countless times to read this novel, seeing how it is one of THE classic works of American Literature, albeit I can never seem to fully immerse myself into it. I always manage to read about a hundred or so pages and then my interests wane quickly. The 1962 film is totally different from the way that the novel is laid out, and I still haven't gotten through all of it (I doubt that I ever will, come to think of it).
Usually, they always tend to say that the book is better than the film, however not in this case. Gregory Peck gave the performance of his career as Atticus Finch the southern lawyer and single parent to two adorable children. It is the way that Peck played the role that sticks out in my mind. His performance of the lawyer with the no-nonsense, straight off the cuff approach to parenting won him the Academy Award for Best Actor that year. He beat out both Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia and Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses, something that in my opinion is no small feat considering who he was up against!
The roles of Scout, Jem, and Dill are three of the film's central characters and the children playing them pull them off effortlessly. Mary Badham who played Scout was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress but lost out to another child star: Patty Duke in the Miracle Worker. The roles of Jem and Dill, played by Phillip Alford and John Megna, respectively, round out the perfect casting that the creative team achieved when casting these roles. If anything, watching this film make make some people long to be children all over again.
To Kill A Mockingbird also won for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Set Decoration-black and white. It lost Best Picture to Lawrence of Arabia.
All in all, To Kill A Mockingbird is a true classic of the American Cinema which has certainly stood the test of time. The performances, direction and overall message of the film attest to that.
My rating: 3 stars
Usually, they always tend to say that the book is better than the film, however not in this case. Gregory Peck gave the performance of his career as Atticus Finch the southern lawyer and single parent to two adorable children. It is the way that Peck played the role that sticks out in my mind. His performance of the lawyer with the no-nonsense, straight off the cuff approach to parenting won him the Academy Award for Best Actor that year. He beat out both Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia and Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses, something that in my opinion is no small feat considering who he was up against!
The roles of Scout, Jem, and Dill are three of the film's central characters and the children playing them pull them off effortlessly. Mary Badham who played Scout was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress but lost out to another child star: Patty Duke in the Miracle Worker. The roles of Jem and Dill, played by Phillip Alford and John Megna, respectively, round out the perfect casting that the creative team achieved when casting these roles. If anything, watching this film make make some people long to be children all over again.
To Kill A Mockingbird also won for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Set Decoration-black and white. It lost Best Picture to Lawrence of Arabia.
All in all, To Kill A Mockingbird is a true classic of the American Cinema which has certainly stood the test of time. The performances, direction and overall message of the film attest to that.
My rating: 3 stars
Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Has all the potential of being a great film...but doesn't deliver
Gentleman's Agreement could have been a great film if it had wanted to, however it just doesn't come through in its delivery at all. Even though it won three Academy Awards in 1947, for Best Picture, Best Director (Elia Kazan) and Best Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm), I like to think that reason it won the highly coveted award was for what it said at the time. Keep in mind that this film was made on the heels of World War II and our victory within it. So, naturally, the country wanted to award a film that dealt with the topic of Anti-Semitism (the first film of its kind to do so, way before Spielberg's Schindler's List). Also, they gave it to Kazan I think because he was gutsy enough to try and make a film that dealt with a topic like that. I think Elia Kazan should have won for A Streetcar Named Desire instead of Vincente Minelli for An American in Paris, but that's another story (and review) altogether.
All in all, Gentleman's Agreement is a good film if only just to see a very young Gregory Peck, but also this film can be seen as a bit dated and quite plain if you ask me. In my opinion either The Bishop's Wife or Miracle on 34th Street should have one Best Picture that year. They are both far better films than this one could ever hope to be, irregardless of the messages found within it.
My rating : 1 star
All in all, Gentleman's Agreement is a good film if only just to see a very young Gregory Peck, but also this film can be seen as a bit dated and quite plain if you ask me. In my opinion either The Bishop's Wife or Miracle on 34th Street should have one Best Picture that year. They are both far better films than this one could ever hope to be, irregardless of the messages found within it.
My rating : 1 star
North by Northwest (1959)
A perfect film for a rainy, cold October day
I saw this film for the first time when I was a freshman in college as part of an english class I took entitled "writing and the movies". Little did I realize that I would be seeing a film that would stay with me to this day and in essence become one of my all time favorites. Then, a few years ago, I caught it on the big screen at the Fine Arts theater in downtown Chicago. I remember that it was a rainy, cold October day. Perfect weather for a Hitchcock film I thought to myself.
For me, half of the fun of North by Northwest is its incredible story. This film has something for everyone within it: a little comedy, a little romance, great snappy dialogue and more action than any Bruce Willis Die Hard film combined. Hitchcock was a master at this and in North by Northwest he lets his genius shine through totally. It seems to me that whenever I watch it, everyone who made this film from Cary Grant on down had nothing but sheer fun making it. Perhaps my two favorite scenes are the infamous "crop-duster" sequence and the last twenty minutes or so at Mount Rushmore.
I must give special mention to Ernest Lehman who yet again managed to write a screenplay that totally knocks your socks off. How he came up with the idea, I've not a clue, but what an idea it is. The screenplay itself was nominated for an Academy Award that year, but lost to Pillow Talk. North by Northwest was also nominated for Best Set Decoration and Best Film Editing, but lost to Ben-Hur in both categories.
All in all, what a film. If you haven't seein it, do so ASAP. North by Northwest just reinforces my belief that Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest directors of all time. Period.
My rating: 4 stars
For me, half of the fun of North by Northwest is its incredible story. This film has something for everyone within it: a little comedy, a little romance, great snappy dialogue and more action than any Bruce Willis Die Hard film combined. Hitchcock was a master at this and in North by Northwest he lets his genius shine through totally. It seems to me that whenever I watch it, everyone who made this film from Cary Grant on down had nothing but sheer fun making it. Perhaps my two favorite scenes are the infamous "crop-duster" sequence and the last twenty minutes or so at Mount Rushmore.
I must give special mention to Ernest Lehman who yet again managed to write a screenplay that totally knocks your socks off. How he came up with the idea, I've not a clue, but what an idea it is. The screenplay itself was nominated for an Academy Award that year, but lost to Pillow Talk. North by Northwest was also nominated for Best Set Decoration and Best Film Editing, but lost to Ben-Hur in both categories.
All in all, what a film. If you haven't seein it, do so ASAP. North by Northwest just reinforces my belief that Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest directors of all time. Period.
My rating: 4 stars
Camelot (1967)
Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one, brief shining moment that was known as Camelot
Spoilers ahead!
Camelot represents the last gasp of the true Hollywood "film musical". It originated as the follow-up to Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's highly successful My Fair Lady opening on Broadway in December of 1960 and ushering in a new time in American Politics as well: the administration of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his thousand days in the White House. The musical made bankable stars out of Richard Burton as King Arthur (in his pre-Liz days), Julie Andrews as Queen Guenevere (in her pre-Poppins and Sound of Music days) and Robert Goulet as Lancelot du Lac in his pre-anything days.
However, where the director of the film (Joshua Logan) goes totally and utterly wrong is by casting not one of the Original Broadway Cast in the film version. By this time, Burton had aged a bit so the jocular, smooth boyish looking King Arthur would be no more. Julie Andrews was riding high on her dual back to back successes, Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music so it would come as no surprise to anyone that she'd want to go back and relive something seven years in her past. Robert Goulet had no other success following the one he had in the original Broadway Company of Camelot, unless you count a saavy lounge act and marrying Carole Lawrence in the meantime.
The film is as lush as we're likely to get when looking back on those halcyon days of the early 1960's. When Camelot opened on Broadway in 1960, it was close to over three hours long, a rarity in those days, especially for what was then called a "book musical". As a result it won three Academy Awards in 1967: for Best Scoring (musical adaption), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration and Best Art Direction/Costume Design. It is worth watching for the sets and costumes alone. Whereas unlike the film version of My Fair Lady, this one doesn't drag at all. It is a requirement almost for this film to be as close to three hours as it possibly can, in order to tell the entire story...and then some. We, the audience cannot be left wanting and wishing for more because by the end of it all we figure out the Camelot "who's who" and exactly how all the characters, like Pellinore and Mordred all relate to one another.
Perhaps, the best moment of this film, as with the stage version that preceded it, occurs at the very end when King Arthur is left alone on the battlefield after the lovers have ran off and left him to attempt to pick up the pieces of his shattered dreams. A young boy, Tom of Warwick, comes along and wants to be made a Knight of the Round Table. Arthur sees the courage and fervent determination in his eyes and knights him, bading him to leave the battle before its begun by running behind the lines and going home to his family. Arthur invokes probably one of the most famous finales in all of musical theater when he tells him:
"Each evening from December to December, before you drift to sleep
upon your cot, think back on all the tales that you remember of Camelot. Ask every person if he's heard the story, and tell it strong and clear if he has not, that once there was a fleeting wisp of glory called Camelot...don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief, shining moment...that was known as Camelot."
My rating: 2 and a half stars
Camelot represents the last gasp of the true Hollywood "film musical". It originated as the follow-up to Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's highly successful My Fair Lady opening on Broadway in December of 1960 and ushering in a new time in American Politics as well: the administration of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his thousand days in the White House. The musical made bankable stars out of Richard Burton as King Arthur (in his pre-Liz days), Julie Andrews as Queen Guenevere (in her pre-Poppins and Sound of Music days) and Robert Goulet as Lancelot du Lac in his pre-anything days.
However, where the director of the film (Joshua Logan) goes totally and utterly wrong is by casting not one of the Original Broadway Cast in the film version. By this time, Burton had aged a bit so the jocular, smooth boyish looking King Arthur would be no more. Julie Andrews was riding high on her dual back to back successes, Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music so it would come as no surprise to anyone that she'd want to go back and relive something seven years in her past. Robert Goulet had no other success following the one he had in the original Broadway Company of Camelot, unless you count a saavy lounge act and marrying Carole Lawrence in the meantime.
The film is as lush as we're likely to get when looking back on those halcyon days of the early 1960's. When Camelot opened on Broadway in 1960, it was close to over three hours long, a rarity in those days, especially for what was then called a "book musical". As a result it won three Academy Awards in 1967: for Best Scoring (musical adaption), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration and Best Art Direction/Costume Design. It is worth watching for the sets and costumes alone. Whereas unlike the film version of My Fair Lady, this one doesn't drag at all. It is a requirement almost for this film to be as close to three hours as it possibly can, in order to tell the entire story...and then some. We, the audience cannot be left wanting and wishing for more because by the end of it all we figure out the Camelot "who's who" and exactly how all the characters, like Pellinore and Mordred all relate to one another.
Perhaps, the best moment of this film, as with the stage version that preceded it, occurs at the very end when King Arthur is left alone on the battlefield after the lovers have ran off and left him to attempt to pick up the pieces of his shattered dreams. A young boy, Tom of Warwick, comes along and wants to be made a Knight of the Round Table. Arthur sees the courage and fervent determination in his eyes and knights him, bading him to leave the battle before its begun by running behind the lines and going home to his family. Arthur invokes probably one of the most famous finales in all of musical theater when he tells him:
"Each evening from December to December, before you drift to sleep
upon your cot, think back on all the tales that you remember of Camelot. Ask every person if he's heard the story, and tell it strong and clear if he has not, that once there was a fleeting wisp of glory called Camelot...don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief, shining moment...that was known as Camelot."
My rating: 2 and a half stars
Rear Window (1954)
Voyuerism, anyone?
Spoilers heirin!
Rear Window is one of my top five favorite films of all time. Everything about it is great, from the acting to the camera-angles to the setting itself. I stumbled upon this film about ten years ago or so. I was in Florida with my mom and she decided that we should rent it and watch it together. We were both huge fans of Hitchcock's and since I'd never seen this one before, she promised me that I was in for a treat. After that first viewing, I became hooked and like to try and watch it whatever chance I get. Even if you've seen it more than once, there are still so many different things and pieces of the puzzle that you can pick up on.
As you probably already know by now, Rear Window is the story of an aspiring news photographer (played by James Stewart) who is sidelined in his Greenwich Village apartment one hot, steamy summer by a broken leg. The rear window of his apartment looks out upon the backyard of his building and the buildings surrounding it. Stewart's character starts watching his neighbors going about their everyday business and it is only a matter of time until he is convinced that one of them is a cold-blooded murderer. He enlists the help of his glamourous socialite girlfriend (played by Grace Kelly), the insurance company nurse hired to watch over him (played by Thelma Ritter), and his best friend the detective (played by Wendall Corey), who is a bit skeptical as to Stewart's reasoning at the beginning but then gets sucked into it like everyone else by the ending of the film. I don't want to give anything away because half the fun of seeing this film for the first time is never knowing just what's going to happen next. Rear Window is a film that you really must watch carefully, and study it frame by frame if you ever get the chance. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.
My rating: 4 stars
Rear Window is one of my top five favorite films of all time. Everything about it is great, from the acting to the camera-angles to the setting itself. I stumbled upon this film about ten years ago or so. I was in Florida with my mom and she decided that we should rent it and watch it together. We were both huge fans of Hitchcock's and since I'd never seen this one before, she promised me that I was in for a treat. After that first viewing, I became hooked and like to try and watch it whatever chance I get. Even if you've seen it more than once, there are still so many different things and pieces of the puzzle that you can pick up on.
As you probably already know by now, Rear Window is the story of an aspiring news photographer (played by James Stewart) who is sidelined in his Greenwich Village apartment one hot, steamy summer by a broken leg. The rear window of his apartment looks out upon the backyard of his building and the buildings surrounding it. Stewart's character starts watching his neighbors going about their everyday business and it is only a matter of time until he is convinced that one of them is a cold-blooded murderer. He enlists the help of his glamourous socialite girlfriend (played by Grace Kelly), the insurance company nurse hired to watch over him (played by Thelma Ritter), and his best friend the detective (played by Wendall Corey), who is a bit skeptical as to Stewart's reasoning at the beginning but then gets sucked into it like everyone else by the ending of the film. I don't want to give anything away because half the fun of seeing this film for the first time is never knowing just what's going to happen next. Rear Window is a film that you really must watch carefully, and study it frame by frame if you ever get the chance. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.
My rating: 4 stars
Chicago (2002)
the return of the film musical...I hope so
At this writing, Chicago stands at the point of having thirteen Academy Award nominations, not bad for a genre that many thought had faded out by now...and all I can say about that is it's about time!
Chicago is a film that explores the many different facets of celebrity and notoriety as seen through the eyes of two murderesses, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. Of course, through the whole film they proclaim their innocence, albeit we as the audience know the real truth: they in fact DID kill the men they were accused of murdering. Since this is nothing but a musical comedy, we are willing to use suspension of disbelief and think that it is okay for women to in fact murder those men who hurt them when in fact there is nothing okay about murder in any way, shape or form. But the audience doesn't care one way or the other, they're simply there to have a great time.
Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones give tremendous performances as Roxie and Velma, respectively. It is interesting to note that before this film, Renee Zellweger had no musical theater experience whatsoever while Catherine Zeta Jones starred as a chorus girl in musical productions in London's West End before she went on to fame and fortune in Hollywood, not to mention becoming Mrs. Michael Douglas. The supporting cast is just as good with the ever-wooden Richard Gere as shyster lawyer Billy Flynn, Queen Latifah as the Matron "Mama" Morton, John C. Reilly as Amos Hart, Roxie's dim-witted husband and Christine Baranski as Mary Sunshine, the role that was originally played on Broadway by a man.
The overall picture of Chicago is stupendous. You really need to see this one on a big screen if not for the sheer fun of it all, but then for the musical numbers. They do take your breath away, especially All That Jazz, the Cell Block Tango and the finale.
Something that I really loved about this film was the way it was written. It is done in a differnt style from most musical films. All the musical numbers are shown as fantasies in the head of Roxie. The script of the film was expanded from the one of the musical, letting the audience see more into these people's lives.
All in all this is a great film done in a style all its own. Chicago takes a lot of risks and succeeds totally. Well done.
My rating: 4 stars
Chicago is a film that explores the many different facets of celebrity and notoriety as seen through the eyes of two murderesses, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. Of course, through the whole film they proclaim their innocence, albeit we as the audience know the real truth: they in fact DID kill the men they were accused of murdering. Since this is nothing but a musical comedy, we are willing to use suspension of disbelief and think that it is okay for women to in fact murder those men who hurt them when in fact there is nothing okay about murder in any way, shape or form. But the audience doesn't care one way or the other, they're simply there to have a great time.
Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones give tremendous performances as Roxie and Velma, respectively. It is interesting to note that before this film, Renee Zellweger had no musical theater experience whatsoever while Catherine Zeta Jones starred as a chorus girl in musical productions in London's West End before she went on to fame and fortune in Hollywood, not to mention becoming Mrs. Michael Douglas. The supporting cast is just as good with the ever-wooden Richard Gere as shyster lawyer Billy Flynn, Queen Latifah as the Matron "Mama" Morton, John C. Reilly as Amos Hart, Roxie's dim-witted husband and Christine Baranski as Mary Sunshine, the role that was originally played on Broadway by a man.
The overall picture of Chicago is stupendous. You really need to see this one on a big screen if not for the sheer fun of it all, but then for the musical numbers. They do take your breath away, especially All That Jazz, the Cell Block Tango and the finale.
Something that I really loved about this film was the way it was written. It is done in a differnt style from most musical films. All the musical numbers are shown as fantasies in the head of Roxie. The script of the film was expanded from the one of the musical, letting the audience see more into these people's lives.
All in all this is a great film done in a style all its own. Chicago takes a lot of risks and succeeds totally. Well done.
My rating: 4 stars
The Hours (2002)
Quite possibly the best dramatic film I've seen in a long time
Stephen Daldry bit the bullet for his second directorial effort, the Hours, a nuanced, deft portrait of three different women in three different time periods. Quite frankly, he may have another chance at nabbing Oscar gold this year after being passed over for his directorial debut, Billy Elliot.
The Hours sparkles and gleams with the courageous pathos and promise that its story require. As I've stated before, the Hours is a intimate portrait of three different women and their lives in the 1920's, 1940's and at the dawn of the new millennium. The three women are played by Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman. Kidman delves into her heart and soul and rewards us with such a beautiful portrayal of the great novelist Virginia Woolf that has me 99.9% convinced that she has the Best Actress Academy Award statuette in the bag already. If Kidman's Virginia Woolf is this drama's central character, then Meryl Streep's Clarissa Vaughn is the drama's main protagonist. She brings such a deep sense and feeling to the general mood of the piece which is basically regret, passions, and most of all unrequited love. Julianne Moore is this film's "quiet storm", bringing a sense of urgency and desperation to her portrayal of a 1940's suburban housewife named Laura Brown, a woman desperate to hold onto her marriage and her family by any means whatsoever.
One thing I will say is that before you view this film, you should at least attempt to read the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that it was based upon. If you don't not only will you be denying yourself the pleasure of reading one of the greatest works of fiction ever written, but for the first fifteen or so minutes of the film you will be severly confused.
This is a film that demands repeated viewings so even if you think you've got it all figured out by the end of the first screening, chances are that you haven't. It is a film that cries out to be seen again because there are so many different viewpoints and hidden meanings deep within it.
This film is quite possibly the best dramatic film that I've seen since 1996's The English Patient, my favorite film of all time.
My rating: 4 stars
The Hours sparkles and gleams with the courageous pathos and promise that its story require. As I've stated before, the Hours is a intimate portrait of three different women and their lives in the 1920's, 1940's and at the dawn of the new millennium. The three women are played by Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman. Kidman delves into her heart and soul and rewards us with such a beautiful portrayal of the great novelist Virginia Woolf that has me 99.9% convinced that she has the Best Actress Academy Award statuette in the bag already. If Kidman's Virginia Woolf is this drama's central character, then Meryl Streep's Clarissa Vaughn is the drama's main protagonist. She brings such a deep sense and feeling to the general mood of the piece which is basically regret, passions, and most of all unrequited love. Julianne Moore is this film's "quiet storm", bringing a sense of urgency and desperation to her portrayal of a 1940's suburban housewife named Laura Brown, a woman desperate to hold onto her marriage and her family by any means whatsoever.
One thing I will say is that before you view this film, you should at least attempt to read the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that it was based upon. If you don't not only will you be denying yourself the pleasure of reading one of the greatest works of fiction ever written, but for the first fifteen or so minutes of the film you will be severly confused.
This is a film that demands repeated viewings so even if you think you've got it all figured out by the end of the first screening, chances are that you haven't. It is a film that cries out to be seen again because there are so many different viewpoints and hidden meanings deep within it.
This film is quite possibly the best dramatic film that I've seen since 1996's The English Patient, my favorite film of all time.
My rating: 4 stars
American Graffiti (1973)
The Genesis of a legacy
If you want to know the quintessential All-American Teenage film then this is it. This was George Lucas' first major film, coming after THX-1138 (1970) and before his first installment of his enormously successful Star Wars saga (1977). Even though American Graffiti was nominated in five categories at the Academy Awards that year (Picture, Director, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay and Film Editing) it lost every one of them, most notably to George Roy Hill and The Sting. Amazing, seeing how The Exorcist was the other heavily favored film that year as well.
The greatest asset to American Graffiti lies within its soundtrack. This soundtrack was the inspiration for the "collector's soundtracks" of today. It is a must-have for any film buff and/or fan of this film. Something interesting to watch as you watch is that all of the "stars" of this film eventually broke out into a bigger success as a result of this film: Cindy Williams (Laverne and Shirley), Suzanne Somers (Three's Company), Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl, Mr. Holland's Opus), Mackenzie Phillips (One Day at a Time) and especially Ron Howard who appeared on television's Happy Days (a spinoff of American Graffiti) and parlayed that experience into a very successful directing career (Cocoon, Backdraft, Apollo 13) finally winning his much-deserved Oscar for 2001's masterpiece A Beautiful Mind.
All in all, watch this film when you just want to feel good, because that's what this is: a feel-good film. There are no hidden meanings, no socio-political messages hidden within it. It just wants to show you what being a teenager was really like during those days of surfboards and sock hops. More importantly, it is an important piece of the puzzle into an accomplished director's legacy.
My rating: 3 stars
The greatest asset to American Graffiti lies within its soundtrack. This soundtrack was the inspiration for the "collector's soundtracks" of today. It is a must-have for any film buff and/or fan of this film. Something interesting to watch as you watch is that all of the "stars" of this film eventually broke out into a bigger success as a result of this film: Cindy Williams (Laverne and Shirley), Suzanne Somers (Three's Company), Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl, Mr. Holland's Opus), Mackenzie Phillips (One Day at a Time) and especially Ron Howard who appeared on television's Happy Days (a spinoff of American Graffiti) and parlayed that experience into a very successful directing career (Cocoon, Backdraft, Apollo 13) finally winning his much-deserved Oscar for 2001's masterpiece A Beautiful Mind.
All in all, watch this film when you just want to feel good, because that's what this is: a feel-good film. There are no hidden meanings, no socio-political messages hidden within it. It just wants to show you what being a teenager was really like during those days of surfboards and sock hops. More importantly, it is an important piece of the puzzle into an accomplished director's legacy.
My rating: 3 stars
Billy Elliot (2000)
A young boy's desire for the grandest passion of them all
Spoilers ahead!!!
Dance for some is the ultimate expression of love, passion, and life. For eleven year old Billy Elliot, dancing is everything. This is a film that shows you totally that no matter what your dream is, it's always within reach.
Set in England during the miner's strike of 1984, Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) is the story of a young, quiet boy who wants to be a ballet dancer so bad that in essence his desire is killing him. Dance to him is like the dreams of some young boys his age wanting to be sports heroes when they grow up. He lies to his family in order that he can continue taking lessons secretly from Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters), the neighborhood dance instructor who teaches a ballet class at the community center that Billy stumbles upon after his boxing practice one day. From there, the story progresses and we see the effect that Billy's dreams and goals have upon his father, older brother and grandmother who always keeps reminding us that "I could have been a professional dancer once."
The main impact of this film lies within its dynamic bravura performance given by Jamie Bell, who in my opinion was sorely overlooked for an Academy Award that year (2000). Jamie's Billy touches all of us and makes us confront out innermost dreams and longings for our passions. Not to be forgotten is Julie Walter's turn as the chain-smoking ballet teacher who has no other life besides teaching young Margot Fonteyns and Nijinskys. Her performance is believable but yet still could have been turned out a bit more. We, for one, never got to see what happened to her at the film's conclusion. Simply, she continues on with teaching the young hopefuls, probably never again to have a student like Billy Elliot in her midst ever again.
All in all, a great film for anyone who's ever been told that their dreams are out of their reach.
Reach for the stars!
My rating: 4 stars
Dance for some is the ultimate expression of love, passion, and life. For eleven year old Billy Elliot, dancing is everything. This is a film that shows you totally that no matter what your dream is, it's always within reach.
Set in England during the miner's strike of 1984, Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) is the story of a young, quiet boy who wants to be a ballet dancer so bad that in essence his desire is killing him. Dance to him is like the dreams of some young boys his age wanting to be sports heroes when they grow up. He lies to his family in order that he can continue taking lessons secretly from Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters), the neighborhood dance instructor who teaches a ballet class at the community center that Billy stumbles upon after his boxing practice one day. From there, the story progresses and we see the effect that Billy's dreams and goals have upon his father, older brother and grandmother who always keeps reminding us that "I could have been a professional dancer once."
The main impact of this film lies within its dynamic bravura performance given by Jamie Bell, who in my opinion was sorely overlooked for an Academy Award that year (2000). Jamie's Billy touches all of us and makes us confront out innermost dreams and longings for our passions. Not to be forgotten is Julie Walter's turn as the chain-smoking ballet teacher who has no other life besides teaching young Margot Fonteyns and Nijinskys. Her performance is believable but yet still could have been turned out a bit more. We, for one, never got to see what happened to her at the film's conclusion. Simply, she continues on with teaching the young hopefuls, probably never again to have a student like Billy Elliot in her midst ever again.
All in all, a great film for anyone who's ever been told that their dreams are out of their reach.
Reach for the stars!
My rating: 4 stars