Reviews (30,573)

  • During World War II, Hollywood did something they never would have dared do before the war or only a couple years after the war...they made Pro-Soviet movies. In films such as "The North Star" and "Song of Russia", the Russian people are portrayed as noble, decent and, above all, America's friends. Why? Well, because the Soviet Union was an ally of the USA during much of the war...and the films were propaganda pieces aimed as softening the views Americans had of the USSR (which had often been very negative before this). "Counter-Attack" is another of these pro-Soviet films. Now this isn't saying it's bad...but it did serve the purpose of improving American perceptions of these allies.

    The plot of this one is very simple. A pair of Russian soldiers are trapped under debris in the basement of a building...and there are about a half dozen Germans trapped with them. Alexei (Paul Muni) has gotten the drop on them...disarming them and taking them prisoner. But he cannot escape...and while they are trapped, he decides to ask these Germans questions, as he has good reason to believe that one of them is an officer in disguise as an enlisted man. But time is working against him, as he cannot sleep or they'll kill him. And, he hopes that his Russian comrades come before the Germans do to rescue them.

    This film isn't as wide-eyed and saccharine as the pro-Soviet films I listed above. Instead, it's intelligent without laying the propaganda on too thickly. As a result, it's a very good film...and isn't yet another silly pro-Russian story. The only negative is that the story, at times, tends to be rather talky.
  • "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" is an Agatha Christie story featuring Miss Marple. It's also a story clearly inspired by the very tragic life of the actress Gene Tierney. It seems that Tierney had a severely mentally and physically disabled child. Later she larned that while she was pregnant, a thoughtless fan came to see her...even though she had the measels and was in quarantine. This fan told her this story again years later...and then Tierney realized WHY her child was disabled. This event caused huge psychological problems for Tierney and they were exacerbated when she learned the truth.

    In this Christie story, the thoughtless fan dies soon after she met the actress a second time and told her about breaking quarantine. She apparently died as a result of someone spiking her drink with a powerful sedative which killed her...a drink which might have been intended for the actress.

    This is one of the better "Marple" episodes, though I think the Joan Hickson version made back in 1992 was a touch better. Some of it because the music in this newer version is a bit too intense at times...and was a bit distracting. Otherwise, very well done and definitely worth seeing.
  • This installment is about a world-wide phenomenon...but amazing one you've probably never heard of before..the Jubilee Singers. This film is about their rise and fall, of sorts, all in an attempt to keep a tiny university afloat.

    The story begins just a few years after the Civil War. Fisk University, in Tennessee, was created to educate newly freed black men and women. However, there was little support for such institutions and the school was considering closing its doors. But someone came up with an idea...to take their singing group of a tour of Northern states in order to raise funds for Fisk. Amazingly, after a very rocky start, the group was invited to perform all over the world...for kings, queens and presidents. The documentary talks about its rise and eventual fall...of sorts. See the story to understand why.

    This is a pretty typical "American Experience" film in style, but it covers material that is likely new to most viewers...and because of this alone it's well worth seeing. A most interesting show.
  • After watching "The Duel", I was left thinking that BOTH Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were complete idiots. Why? Well, they ended up fighting a duel against each other...and Burr killed Hamilton...and both seemed very stubborn and stupid to get involved in such a thing.

    The story consists of an explanation of who both were and outlines their lives before their fateful duel. It also discusses the events that led up to the duel...and its aftermath.

    This is a very good overview of this important event...and didn't seem to take sides and discussed how both were so stong-willed and how that lead to the duel. Very well made and worth seeing.
  • I've been to Hoover Dam before and didn't stick around nor take any time to marvel. However, I think if I go that way again, I can't help but think about this documentary from "American Experience". This is because it talks about the human toll to build this dam...the 112 lives lost, the many injuries and the horrid working conditions in the middle of the desert. The film really gets you to think and consider the human factor...which is why I think this is such a good documentary about Hoover Dam.

    As you'd expect from one of the films in this series, it's extremely well made...with many interviews, lots of photos as well as vintage footage of the structure and men building it. All in all, well worth seeing.
  • "The Roots of Roe" is a documentary promoting abortion and contraception and using American history to support this. It consists of many interviews, old photos and pictures and famous actors narrating or reading the experiences of mostly long-dead folks.

    The premise of this film is that abortion in America was only really looked down on in the mid-19th century...and the views of anti-abortion advocates today are regressive and not those of the earlier Americans.

    The problem with this film is that no matter how hard the filmmakers want to convince you of their position, it probably won't change any attitudes as it's a very contentious topic. Additionally, it's a case of a film 'preaching to the choir'. In other words, it mostly is a film meant to affirm the beliefs of many viewers who see no problem with abortion. This is NOT criticism...just what comes with any film about abortion in America today.

    Is it well made? Yes. But it also occasionally works harder to convince you of the rightness of abortion than trying to provide a balanced look. Now again, this isn't necessarily a criticism...but they do ignore some information which might hurt their argument (such as Margaret Sanger being more a proponent of abortion for non-whites and ethnic types).
  • Anna Lucasta is a woman whose love can be bought...or at least rented. I say this because when I tried to write what her profession is, IMDB flagged it and said the term was not permissible. Suffice to say, men pay her money for....well, you know. It seems that she's become a 'good time girl' to pay her way in life because her father threw her out three years ago. However, out of the blue, her father arrives...begging her to come home. Why? Well, they want to marry her off to a guy who has a bit of money...because the family is hoping to get some of this money. If you think about it, it's a very sorry bunch and Anna is actually among the best of them because she puts on no pretense...she is who she is.

    When Anna meets this man, they do hit it off and he seems really smitten with her. However, she's apprehensive to tell him about her past...but ultimately does. But, surprisingly, he still wants her. However, her father is an ugly, nasty man...and what he does, well, you'll have to see it for yourself.

    This is the original film version, though oddly the family isn't Polish like they were in the original story...a play. However, the play also was later performed with an all-black cast...and it was super successful. Oddly, the film removes all the ethnic and racial aspects of the story...which does make it a bit blander. Fortunately, nine years later, the black film version of "Anna Lucasta" was made...and it was terrific, as I saw it a couple days ago.

    What did I think of this particular version? Is it worth seeing? Yes. Although some of the seemier aspects of the remake were missing, the story is still quite strong and well worth seeing. I still prefer the original...mostly because the cast (apart from Sammy Davis Jr.) were all mostly unknown actors of the day...and it made this story of poor folks seem more realistic than one with the familiar Hollywood faces in this 1949 film. It also helped make the father deeper and more corrupt...but in this one he seems more like a nasty drunk and that alone. See them both if you can, as both are currently on YouTube.
  • "The Blue Geranium" was originally a Miss Marple tale (unlike many previous installments in the series), but it also was from a short story...a very short one. Because of this, the TV episode is very heavily padded and a few details were changed. But, for the most part, it does preserve the events in the short story.

    A man in on trial for murder and suddenly Miss Marple has a revelation. Although she was onhand for the investigation where she just happened to be there during several murders, suddenly she realizes she has the story all wrong. And, when she meets an ex-Scotland Yard high muckity muck, she relates the details of the murder and the original but wrong solution to the case.

    For the most part, I enjoyed this dramatization despite some aspects being changed. My biggest complaint, and it's a minor one, is the style of the story...being retold as a flashback. It was okay but I think simply showing the story instead of as a long flashback would have worked better for me...but it's a minor, minor complaint. Worth seeing even if it is heavily padded and a tad slow because of this.
  • I have a prejudice about boxing films. I prefer films that show the ugly side of the sport...the damage being done on the boxers and the corruption among those staging the fights. However, "Winner Take All" is one that is a bit more idealistic...to a point.

    Steve (Tony Martin) is oddly cast as a cowboy who is stranded in New York City when the rodeo folds. He's forced to wait tables and soon he becomes slightly famous when he agrees to box in a charity match. He does great and soon he has an agent and is going professional. Steve does great...though his head has begun to swell AND he doesn't realize his matches have all been set-ups where his opponents are paid to take a dive! Will Steve ever receive his comeuppance? And, if he does, what is he doing next?

    This B-movie is full of cliches and is pretty easy to predict. This isn't a terrible thing but don't expect any surprises. And, like most Bs of the 1930s and 40s, a nice timepasser but nothing more.
  • Films in 1908 tended to be VERY short...often less than five minutes long. So, when you watch "Cupid's Pranks", keep this in mind...it's short but so were nearly all of the movies of the day.

    When the story begins, Cupid is in trouble because instead of making more arrows and spreading love, he's falling asleep. I'm not sure which god caught him and spanked him...perhaps it was supposed to be Zeus.

    Soon Cupid flies down to Earth in search of couples to unite. In this case, he goes to a ball and sees a woman all alone...and soon he lassos a man and drags him to meet her...all the which time no one (except for the woman) can see Cupid. What's next? See the film.

    I found this one on YouTube and it is always surprising what you see posted. For the most part, the film is in very good shape for 1908 but there are portions late in the film which are overexposed...though it's still watchable. Very good sets for 1908 and a nice flying Cupid...though some of the double-exposure scenes are rough and very dated.
  • I adjusted my expectations for "The Old Maid's Valentine" to what an average film was like in 1900. Nearly all were very short---just a minute or two in length. Also, the acting was much broader than it would be in later silent films. I also wonder, however, if even for a short 1900 film if there's more to it and it's simply been lost.

    An old and unattractive spinster receives what she thinks is a Valentine...as her cat watches. But, in the end, it turns out to be something shocking...but I had a hard time telling what.

    Because this film might be incomplete, I'm unable to really score it. It's mildly interesting because it's one of the earliest films about Valentines Day...otherwise it's easy to skip.
  • My summary is NOT a criticism of "Dancers in Mourning"...it's a very good installment of "Campion". But I mention this because Campion is spending time with some theatre folks from London...and they are a pretty insufferable bunch!

    Jimmy Sutane is a Broadway star and someone has been pulling pranks...or worse...at his expense. So, he asks Campion to follow him about and see if he can figure out what's happening. However, soon there is a murder...and then more. Why and who is responsible?

    Seeing very annoying characters killed was actually pretty cathartic...something I almost never feel when I watch other murder mystery shows. But this is a lot who just will rub most viewers wrong and they'll be rooting for more! Worth seeing...and about average for this series.
  • "The Secret Chimneys" is an Agatha Christie story but it never starred Miss Marple...until this 2010 installment of "Marple". Originally, its amateur investigator was Anthony Cade. Here, he's in the story...but not an investigator...just a character in the story. Now, as far as the story goes, it's also NOT at all the original story...not even very close. But it IS enjoyable and worth seeing.

    The story is set at a huge manor home that is falling into disrepair, as the family fortunes have diminished. An Austrian Count comes to visit...and soon he's found dying in the tunnels under the home...and Anthony Cade is with the dying man. He's assumed to have shot the Count...who soon dies. What follows are more murders, lies and deceit and it's up to Miss Marple to figure out what's going on...as usual.

    The story is enjoyable and kept my interest. Is it Agatha Christie? Not exactly...but it is enjoyable and worked fine with Marple in charge instead of Cade.
  • Barney and Jim are on vacation in some Latin American country. While there, Barney finds a sweetie (Cicely Tyson) and soon a jealous ex-boyfriend enters the apartment and attacks her. Barney arrives and defends himself but the maniac ends up flying out the window and dying. It being a crappy country, Barney doesn't stand a chance, as the dead man is the brother of one of the military leaders...the head of a death squad. So, unless Jim and a hastily assembled team can free Barney quickly, he's headed to the afterlife as the Chief (Pernell Roberts) plans on killing Barney...whether he's innocent or guilty.

    In addition to Tyson, the episode features Pernell Roberts and Leon Askin (the General from "Hogan's Heroes")...making it a very enjoyable episode. It also is unusual because there is no mission portion...and a mission is quickly created on the fly.

    Overall, this is a very good episode from a very good series. Well worth watching and a nice change of pace.

    While this is a very good episode, you do wonder...why would Jim and Barney vacation in such a crappy country with death squads?! Regardless, the style of the show is a nice change of pace from the usual predictable formula.
  • Constantine is fighting junta Logosia

    In the country of Logosia, a military junta has taken over the government and the US is backing the rebels. However, a huge blow has come to the rebels...their leader, Constantine, has been captured and the junta is planning on executing him as soon as possible. So, the IM Force must infiltrate Logosia, free Constantine AND leave the junta in shambles by getting these military leaders to start distrusting each other.

    This is a very good episode, though Carl Betz is only okay as the leader of the junta. He wasn't a bad actor here...just not as memorable as many of the other familiar guest stars. Still, the mission is interesting and well worth your time.
  • An enemy nation has an assassin whose identity is unknown AND his next victim is unknown as well. So, the IM Force must go to this enemy nation to convince the assassin's handler (perennial baddie, Albert Paulsen) to make contact with him...and call off the assassination. How they do this is VERY complicated and it's just something you'll need to see for yourself.

    This episode gave Peter Graves a nice chance to show his acting skills, as he plays an agent who is a heroin addict and he's going through withdrawal. Jessica Walter is on hand to be the 'female of the week' is she's very good as well. A very interesting and well made episode.
  • In the late silent era, Clara Bow was the biggest starlet in Hollywood...with one hit after another. However, in the sound era her career languished and I've read books that said it was because of her thick New York accent...it just wasn't right for the talkies. Well, I think this is pure crap. She sounded just fine and could act...but the studios (particularly Paramount) kept giving her inferior material...like movies like "Dangerous Curves"...a poorly written film with an unlikable leading man.

    Pat (Bow) is a very sweet girl in the circus. She's kind and decent...and for some reason she's interested in Larry (Richard Arlen)...a complete jerk in every possible way. Larry is completely indifferent about decent Pat and instead chases after the selfish Zara (Kay Francis)...even though she treats him like dirt. Eventually, she leaves him and the circus for another man. Larry begins drinking heavily and Pat rescues him and brings him back his self-respect. But as soon as he's sober and has created a new act with Pat, he dumps her and brings back Zara!! What an idiot...and that is THE main trouble with the character. Additionally, Arlen himself is pretty bland and both Francis and Bow act circles around him...so to speak.

    The story just makes no sense. Larry is a louse and his interest in Zara and disinterest in Pat is confusing to say the least. Additionally, you wonder WHY...why would Pat like such a jerk. In fact, you wonder why she wouldn't just spit on him or worse! Yet, the plot is a longsuffering woman plot...and it's bound to turn off most viewers...along with Arlen's blandness.

    With a few more films like this as well as her own declining mental health, it's very understandable how Bow was pretty much finished in Hollywood by the time she was only 28! My, how fickle Hollywood was when it came to her...much like Larry in this film!
  • Apparently, oil has been discovered in some itty-bitty teeny-weeny country. However, there's a problem. While the country MIGHT be the domain of the UK due to a document signed by King Henry IV, the document has been lost. And so, Campion and a group of friends go in seach of it and the search leads to a weird, unfriendly town. Soon after, Campion disappears and it seems like the baddies in the town have won.... SEEMS.

    I noticed one reviewer said that unlike the season one first parters, this one is more exciting from the onset...and I'd have to disagree. Part one is a bit dull but part two makes up for it leading to a very exciting finale...where a woman comes to Campion's aid.

    Overall, this is enjoyable and fun to watch...and is well worth your time.
  • While the story ostensibly is about the occult, fortunately this is just the cover for evil goings on...all blamed on witchcraft. I mention this right up front because the plot involving witches might turn off some. Just hold on tight...Agatha Christie wasn't writing a story in favor or against these sorts of doings!

    I should mention that originally this was NOT a Miss Marple tale but a different leading character, Mark Easterbrook. He IS in this drama...but he's assisting Miss Marple.

    The story is set in an odd village where they once hung a witch. Today, some folks commemorate this and three supposed witches run a local inn. But there is MUCH more to the story, as although these witches claim to have the ability to hex people and cause them to die, there is a much more down to earth explanation for the deaths...and an evil organization behind it.

    This is a REALLY intriguing story and provides lots of false leads...the makings of a really good Agatha Christie story. And, I appreciate the way the dramatist was able to bring Marple into this while preserving Christie's basic story. One of the better episodes and well worth seeing.
  • When the story begins, A very dumb young weasel (Bramwell Fletcher) arrives at his mistress' apartment which he pays for and keeps her living in style. Unfortunately, she's a user and is already married...and the dumb young man staps. She begins berating him...taunting him to kill her! And so, he strangles her and runs from the apartment.

    The young idiot arrives home and soon him non-evil girlfriend and his parents arrive. He tells them about strangling the girl. Soon the police arrives...and the father inexplicably claims the wallet and check they found in the dead woman's apartment are his...but he didn't kill her. He is arrested and most of the rest of the movie consists of a trial in which they are trying to prove the father is a killer.

    This film has a neat plot but makes a lot of mistakes that ruin what could have been a dandy film. First, Fletcher's acting isn't very good. Second, the courtroom scene with the outburst is pretty ridiculous...farfetched but also way overdone. Third, and worst, the ending was a muddled mess...as if they were trying to re-write the entire movie and give a completely different explanation for things...even though we saw the young weasel strangle the victim. It was also cliched and stupid...so much so that I cannot recommend the movie.
  • The plot to "Oh, For a Man!" is truly nutty...so much so I'm surprised they made it. But this doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad movie...just a truly strange one!

    Carlotta (Jeanette MacDonald) is a world famous opera singer who is bored with her life despite her fame and fortune. One night, 'Barney' breaks into her home to rob it. She catches him and strikes up a conversation with the robber. Soon, she gets him to sing and think he MIGHT be good enough to sing professionally..though his voice is rough. After getting him singing lessons, her plans for Barney turn out to be a bust so she then does something even nuttier than making friends with a thief...she asks him to marry her! Not surprisingly, they are so different from each other that the marriage is a bust. What's next? See the film...or not.

    Aside from a truly ridiculous plot, the film suffers from MacDonald really overacting at times...especially when Barney leaves her. But despite all this, it's not a horrible film...just not an especially good one. Worth seeing for the strangeness or to catch a glimpse of Bela Lugosi just before he became world famous for playing Dracula for Universal Pictures.
  • "Death of a Ghost" is not one of the better episodes of "Campion". Much of it is because a couple of the characters are VERY poorly and broadly written. You have an Italian lady who mostly screams and over-emotes (a pretty annoying Italian stereotype) as well as a lady who believes in astrology and CONSTANTLY talks in a manner that just seems like bad acting. In other words, the astrology devotee is supposed to be kooky...and she really lays it on thick. Both of these characters just annoyed me. A very minor annoyance was Linda's hair...clearly a 1970s or 80s hairstyle...even though the show is set in 1935. But again, this is minor...and the poor characters are major problem.

    A very obnoxious artist is killed during a show. The lights go out and when they come back on, the guy is dead...stabbed. But that's not the weirdest part. Soon after, his painting start disappearing and there seem to be none left...either bough up by folks paying cash at the art galleries or stolen outright! What is going on here??

    So, apart from a few badly written and badly acted characters, is "Death of a Ghost" any good? Yes. One thing I appreciate is that Campion is NOT a great detective in this one and must be saved in the end...which I appreciate as too many amateur detectives are too perfect in my opinion! But I must deduct a couple points because of those two horrid caricatures of characters.
  • I noticed that many of the reviews for "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" did not like the episode at all...calling it 'the weakest entry', 'awful' and 'dull and disappointing'. Now this does not mean everyone disliked it...I even noticed one who gave it a 10...though I can only think they did this because they hated the negative reviews. Clearly it doesn't merit a 10...as there are many better installments of this series. But is it as bad as many reviewers say? Well, generally, I'd say yes...though the ending, while ridiculous, was fun to watch.

    When the story begins, a dying man is found dangling on a cliff. He says "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?"...and then dies. Soon the annoying Bobby and Frankie get pulled into the case...with Frankie unbelievably smashing her car in order to gain access to a home where they MIGHT know about the murder. This is pretty limp...as are most of the behaviors of the young Frankie and Bobby and the other young people in this one. In fact, most of the folks are very young and annoying.

    The solution to the murders (yes, of course, there will be more) was tough to believe but interesting. And the ending, again, tough to believe but interesting...especially what the butler does at the end of the story!

    To me, the biggest weakness in the story were the annoying Bobby and, especially, Frankie. It was originally an Agatha Christie story without Miss Marple...and she is pretty inactive for much of the story...but at least she wasn't annoying. Overall, I am surprised they added Marple to the tale but wish they'd excised Frankie and Bobby...and those weird young folk in the mansion...what annoying and difficult to believe character. At times, this honestly felt less like an Agatha Christie story and more like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Much of this is probably because in many ways it is NOT an Agatha Christie story, as it has been changed so much...too much...from the original.
  • The most famous quote attributed to Will Rogers is "I haven't met a man I didn't like"...yet in "So This Is London" he plays a man who hates the English...and for no particularly good reason. So when Hiram (Rogers) is forced to go to Britain on business, his family accompanies him to keep him out of trouble. However, as the story progresses, the young man falls for an English girl whose father hates Americans every bit as much as Hiram hates the English! Naturally, fireworks result!

    I can assume that Rogers deliberately played against type in order to show how silly bigotry is. I also laughed when he yelled at the obnoxious little girl on the ship...and she said she came from Claremore, Oklahoma...the same town Rogers actually lived in at the time! I also think he played a stupid stereotype of an American Indian (to scare the family of the Engish girl his son is smitten with) because in reality Rogers WAS a Native American...again, I think he's parodying these stereotypes.

    So is this any good? Yes...and the film sure fits Rogers' world view. I found the movie charming and fun. My only complaint is that Rogers' style of speaking was a bit mumbly and his asides were often forgettable...something he corrected in later films. I also think editing these remarks a bit would have helped to make a more polished film.
  • For the most part, "They Do It With Mirrors" is very close to the Agatha Christie story on which this show is based. However, oddly, a few relatively unimportant changes were made...and I have no idea why. The first murder victim was shot in the story...and stabbed in this TV show. And, the second murder victim was actually two in the original story AND they were different people. Again...why the changes?

    Despite these unnecessary changes, the story does stick much closer to the original tale than all or nearly all the Geraldine McEwan episodes...which should make Agatha Christie purists happy. Overall it's is interesting and worth seeing.
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