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494,077 | 342,623 | 59,410 | 7 |
An icon of the ' 60s
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Made in 1965 , " The Loved One , " based on a novel by Evelyn Waugh , was highly publicized when it first came out . Brilliantly directed by Tony Richardson and with a magnificent and bizarre cast , it's the penultimate black comedy . It totally sums up the ' 60s youth movement of anti-tradition , anti-war , and anti-establishment . The basis of the story is that young Dennis Barlow ( Robert Morse ) comes over from England to visit his uncle ( John Gielgud ) , a Hollywood studio artist who , shortly after Barlow's arrival , is fired by a clueless studio head ( Roddy McDowell ) and promptly hangs himself . This leads Barlow to the Whispering Glades cemetery , where death is both an art form and a religion . Barlow becomes involved with a young cosmetician , Amy ( Anjanette Comer ) and meets some real characters , including the embalmer , Mr . Joyboy , who is saving up for a big tub for his big mother . This is a satire with lots underneath it and probably one of the most off-beat casts ever assembled , everyone from Liberace to James Coburn , and what was probably Dana Andrews ' final A-list role . Somewhere along the line , off-type casting went out of fashion , which is one reason why see are burdened with so much mediocrity today . A page from Richardson's book would liven up many a film . Dark , sometimes gross , sometimes hilarious , sometimes wild , " The Loved One " is not for everyone and its message probably won't be appreciated by the younger generation . Still , it's worth seeing .
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494,355 | 342,623 | 59,453 | 7 |
Odd film
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James Garner is " Mr . Buddwing , " a man who wakes up in Central Park and can't remember who he is in this 1966 film directed by Delbert Mann . Taking the name Buddwing off of a Budweiser truck and the wing of a plane , Garner has a train schedule for a Harlem line , a phone number , and a ring with a crack in it from " GV . " Gradually things start to come back to him as he meets various women throughout the day , all of whom he thinks are named Grace . Through them , he relives different stages of his married life : Katharine Ross , a college student ; Suzanne Pleshette , an actress ; and Jean Simmons , as a drunken blond on a scavenger hunt . Angela Lansbury plays a blowsy woman whose phone number Buddwing finds in his pocket - or thinks he does . The film is made in an interesting way - one minute , Garner will be talking to Pleshette , for instance , in the present , and then a second later , he's talking to Pleshette as Grace , at some time in the past . The film is like that all the way through , as Buddwing's memories come back . Despite its stylishness and the ' 60s New York City scenes , " Mr . Buddwing " moves somewhat slowly . Garner does a good job , portraying the man's confusion and frustration well . Both Pleshette and Simmons are excellent ; Ross has the least showy role . A dark movie , worth seeing .
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494,629 | 342,623 | 28,804 | 7 |
Crazy film done under sad circumstances
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Double Wedding is an enjoyable , albeit dizzying comedy starring William Powell and Myrna Loy . It's really a tribute to the cast that they were able to carry on in such a wacky movie despite being shut down for a time due to Jean Harlow's untimely death . Both Powell , who was involved with Harlow , and Loy , who was a friend of hers , took her death very hard . Powell and Loy play polar opposites in this film . She is a complete control freak who has her life , her sister's life , and the life of her sister's fiancé , planned down to the millisecond . Along comes Powell , who lives in a trailer and hocks items when he needs money . Once he's in their lives , all bets are off , and chaos reigns supreme . The cast is great but the whole thing kind of veers off focus from time to time . The writing isn't as strong as in some of the other screwball comedies of the era . But Powell is a treasure and teamed with Loy , even more so .
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493,871 | 342,623 | 28,829 | 7 |
enjoyable , light story set in Europe and Russia
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Back in the ' 30s , the studios made dozens of movies that were set in Europe to give Americans during the Depression a sense of fantasy and other world glamor , and to keep their foreign market . " The Emperor's Candlesticks " starring William Powell and Luise Rainer is such a film , with supporting roles featuring two young stars , Robert Young and Maureen O'Sullivan . Powell and Rainer are opposing foreign agents who each hide their documents in a pair of candlesticks to be brought to Russia as a gift to a noblewoman . The candlesticks were to be delivered by Powell , but Rainer talks the Austrian who has given him the task to let her do it . They are stolen by her maid and her boyfriend , and both Powell and Rainer try to be the first to recover them . Powell and Rainer are delightful in this crazy story . Rainer , with her small face and enormous eyes , is gorgeous , playing the part of a spy with charm . Powell is always good and plays off Rainer very well . Robert Young and Maureen O'Sullivan portray a prince and his kidnapper's accomplice , respectively , who meet at a masquerade ball , he dressed as Romeo and she as Juliet . Their last scene together is very sweet . This movie is odd for one reason . The stars all lived for a very long time , and in fact , Rainer at this writing is still alive at the age of 96 . Young lived to 91 , O'Sullivan to 87 , Powell to 91 . Must have been something in the water on the set . Wish it had been present on more films !
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493,923 | 342,623 | 114,660 | 7 |
Dark drama with a touch of poetry
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Things to do in Denver When You're Dead is a 1995 film starring Andy Garcia , Christopher Walken , Christopher Lloyd , Steve Buscemi , Bill Nunn , Treat Williams , Jack Warden , Gabrielle Anwar and Fairuza Balk . Garcia is Jimmy the Saint , an ex-mobster who now runs a company called Afterlife Advice , where he tapes the words of dying people so that their relatives can come in after they're gone and listen to them . He's called in by a paralyzed mobster ( Walken ) who wants a favor . Jimmy has no choice but to do it , because he owes money and the mobster owns his notes . On the surface and by mob standards , the favor is pretty benign . The Walken character has a child molester in the making son who is in love with a woman he dated for years . She left him and is now engaged to someone else . Her fiancé is due in town , and the Walken character wants him frightened out of seeing her anymore . Jimmy gets a crew together , two men to pose as cops and some guys to sit nearby and do the scaring once the cops bring him over . Unfortunately , due to a ridiculous decision by Jimmy ( and THE major plot hole ) , a loose canon known as Critical Bill ( Williams ) is allowed to be one of the police ) . Unbeknownst to the men , the young woman is asleep in the back seat , her fiancé realizes the guys aren't cops , Critical Bill becomes critical , and both she and her fiancé wind up dead . The Walken character puts out buckwheat hits on everyone , meaning that they don't die instantly . He gives Jimmy 48 hours to get out of town . Jimmy spends it trying to help the others disappear , helping a young hooker ( Balk ) and dealing with his love for a young woman ( Anwar ) . In his own way , Jimmy the Saint brings things full circle in a way that makes sense for his own life . Violent , sad and depressing , " Things to do in Denver When You're Dead " has some brilliant performances and some very likable characters . Everyone is a standout , most especially Garcia , Lloyd and Williams . The film is punctuated with the advice from the elderly on tape , which gives the film a bittersweet flavor . Very well directed by Gary Fleder , with a somewhat derivative but good script by Scott Rosenberg .
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494,797 | 342,623 | 101,556 | 7 |
Enjoyable entry into the Columbo series
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After being off the air for a while , Columbo returned with some new made-for-TV mysteries that , while not being as good as the original series , are better than the shows that were done in the later ' 90s . " Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health " used the then ( and I guess now , if you think about it ) true crime shows as the situation for a murder . The murder is committed by a very successful , egomaniacal true crime show host , George Hamilton ( in a nice bit of casting ) . His chain-smoking nemesis , who lost the job to him , played by Peter Haskell , attempts to blackmail Hamilton when he discovers a porno video Hamilton made with an underage actress in his salad days . Hamilton uses Haskell's cigarettes to deliver the death blow via poison , giving himself an alibi as well . Columbo is brought in to find out what happened . You know the rest . Highly entertaining .
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493,550 | 342,623 | 48,432 | 7 |
Medical soap opera with all the trimmings
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Olivia deHavilland , Robert Mitchum , Frank Sinatra , Gloria Grahame , Broderick Crawford , and Charles Bickford star in " Not as a Stranger , " the story of an arrogant young man ( Mitchum ) and his quest to become a great , godlike doctor . Along the way , he learns something about becoming a human being . What a cast - Lon Chaney , Jr . even has a minor role as Mitchum's drunken father . Mae Clarke is a nurse . Harry Morgan plays a big eater , Virginia Christine his wife . If you look fast , you'll spot Lee Marvin and also Jerry Paris from " The Mary Tyler Moore Show . " Mitchum and Sinatra are old to be medical students - Sinatra was 40 and Mitchum , 38 . Mitchum is nevertheless very effective as an arrogant but poor man desperate to become a doctor - so desperate , in fact , that when he finds out that nurse deHavilland has $4 , 000 in the bank , he romances and marries her . Once out of medical school , he joins a country practice headed by Charles Bickford and meets sexy , lonely Gloria Grahame - and you nearly can see the sparks . Both actors had hot presences , both oozed sex appeal - I would have loved to have seen them in a star teaming instead of a subplot . This is a very good film - perhaps overly long - but it still holds interest because of the performances and the characters they play . It's very much the story of Mitchum's character and evolution and his marriage to deHavilland . In these days of special effects , a character-driven story is refreshing . All the performances are good , Sinatra supplying the wisecracks as a loyal friend of Mitchum's and the only one who understands him . There have been comments that he was miscast . There is such a thing as a society doctor , however , and the Sinatra character was on the track , so I didn't find his characterization that unrealistic . The towering performance , of course , comes from Olivia deHavilland as Kris , a simple Swedish nurse who falls in love with Mitchum and marries him , only to find it isn't much of a relationship . I say " of course " because in my opinion , deHavilland was one of the great actresses of the classic era , capable of playing a wide variety of roles and in different genres . Sweet and gentle as Melanie , plain , in love , and bitter in " The Heiress , " a petulant ingénue in " It's Love I'm After , " a young beauty in " The Adventures of Robin Hood , " elegant but tough in " Hush , Hush , Sweet Charlotte , " she's letter-perfect as Kris . She is believable from the time she comes on camera with her unattractive blond hairdo , her accent , her plain ways , and her shyness . As Sinatra points out , she's not doctor's wife material - no parents who belong to a country club , no class - " She should marry a farmer , " he says . 38 when the film was made , deHavilland is totally sympathetic as Mitchum criticizes her for not being smart and turns his back on her , not realizing her value as a wife and as a woman . A very good movie . Recommended .
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494,843 | 342,623 | 51,878 | 7 |
Long and hot all right , with a tremendous cast
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Paul Newman stars with Joanne Woodward , Orson Welles , Lee Remick , Anthony Franciosca , Richard Anderson and Angela Lansbury in " The Long , Hot Summer , " based on stories by William Faulkner . It's a lushly produced film about a drifter , Ben Quick ( Newman ) , who comes to town . His reputation precedes him , and he soon upsets the status quo in the wealthy Varner family , headed by Orson Welles with a fake nose that kept melting off and an even faker southern accent . There's the weak , insecure son ( Franciosa ) married to a sex kitten ( Remick ) and an unmarried daughter ( Woodward ) saving herself for a momma's boy ( Anderson ) . In town , there's also Varner Sr . ' s mistress , played by Angela Lansbury . Ben sets his sights on Clara Varner and puts himself in direct competition with nervous son Jody for papa's approval . But Quick ultimately needs to reach underneath his swagger and bravura and confront his cut and run philosophy . This is a fantastic cast that delivers sparkling dialogue and an interesting story that has mostly well-drawn characters . The exception would probably be Remick , who has a small but showy role . She doesn't get to do much except show off her figure and sexiness . Welles is a riot - a marvelous technician , he knew how to externalize a character perfectly , and he is here the epitome of a Big Daddy type . His southern drawl is outrageous , and why he decided he needed a new nose ( which he had in other roles as well ) is beyond me . Woodward gives a touching performance as a young woman who has been living on hope and can't quite cope with her attraction to the overtly sexual Quick . Franciosa is excellent as a tortured young man unable to win his father's love . But as any film that stars Paul Newman , the movie belongs to him , one of the greatest actors to ever hit the screen . Macho , sexy and handsome , his Ben Quick is angry , determined , manipulative , and disturbing , with a hidden vulnerability . His scenes with Woodward sizzle , and you can see her character blossom under his attention . They're a great couple , both on and off the screen . Highly recommended , as is any film that stars Paul Newman .
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494,751 | 342,623 | 21,042 | 7 |
Ruth Chatterton in an early talkie
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I watched this film , Lady of Scandal , because I had never seen Ruth Chatterton in a film , and I'm very glad I saw it . There was very witty dialogue , some funny scenes , and some tender moments peppered throughout this movie , which was based on a play . The beginning was a riot , as Chatterton , while performing on stage , dances herself over to the wings and hands her fiancée a letter from his family . " Your family is horrid ! " she exclaims while doing her high kicks . The dialogue between Chatterton's prospective parents-in-law is especially funny . It's fascinating to see Basil Rathbone in his pre-Sherlock Holmes days . He was Margaret Mitchell's idea of Rhett Butler , she told a reporter , and it's perhaps a little bit easier to see why in these early films . But it's obvious that when Mitchell wrote her famous book , she envisioned her characters somewhat differently and from another perspective . Rathbone could have been a dashing southern gentleman but the ruggedness and sexiness would have been lost . Chatterton was a charming performer with a wide range , as exhibited in this film . She could do the theatrical diva , as well as comedy and pathos . I look forward to seeing more of her films .
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495,215 | 342,623 | 90,966 | 7 |
A homeless man is a adopted by a rich family
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Nick Nolte is " Down and Out in Beverly Hills , " a 1986 film directed and co-written by Paul Mazursky and starring Richard Dreyfuss , Bette Midler , Elizabeth Pena , Little Richard , and Tracy Nelson . Nolte is Jerry , a street person so low even his dog leaves him for a kind jogger . While searching for his dog , he stumbles onto the property of Dave and Barbara Whiteman - Whiteman is a clothes hanger king living the good life in Beverly Hill . Filling his pockets with rocks , Jerry attempts suicide by diving into the Whiteman pool , but is saved and ultimately taken in by Dave . Jerry isn't particularly grateful - he wants Courvoisier instead of the alcohol offered him , and , given dinner , questions the meat on the turkey . Dave , guilty about his wealth , bored with his life , and wanting to do some good , buys Jerry clothes and lets him live at the mansion . He even offers Jerry jobs , which Jerry doesn't accept . Jerry's history is on the vague side - he speaks of doing the concert piano circuit , he is recognized in a restaurant by as a writer , maybe he did some acting . . . hard to know . Before long , he's taken over the entire household , becoming the only one in the house that the Whiteman's psychologically disturbed dog , Matisse , can tolerate , Barbara Whiteman's masseuse and the man who finds her G-spot , the lover of housekeeper Carmen ( Pena ) after Dave goes back to sleeping with Barbara , the man who gets the Whiteman's anorexic daughter ( Nelson ) to fall in love with him and start eating ; and the man who convinces the androgynous Whiteman son to come out to his parents . Too late , Dave realizes he's Dr . Frankenstein , and Jerry is the monster . This is an entertaining film with dark undertones and good performances , particularly from Nolte , Dreyfuss , Midler , Pena and Mike ( Matisse the dog ) . Little Richard is a riot as a neighbor . Nolte is in great shape here , as is Midler , who looks fantastic . The party scene toward the end of the film where Dreyfuss chases Nolte throughout the house and grounds is quite funny . The ending isn't the best , but it's a fun watch anyway .
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494,290 | 342,623 | 40,823 | 7 |
A woman overhears a plot to kill - her !
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Barbara Stanwyck stars as an invalid who hears about a murder plot on the telephone in " Sorry , Wrong Number , " a 1948 film based on a radio script that also stars Burt Lancaster , Ed Begley , and Wendell Corey . You can really get how beautifully this must have worked on radio - it's a natural . Stanwyck's character is Leona Stevenson , whose father owns a huge drug conglomerate . She's a total bitch - I mean , there are points where you wonder why someone didn't knock her off before . Because of a heart condition , she is an invalid and this particular night is alone in her father's house ( though she's married , they live with her father - she likes it there ) . She picks up the phone and asks the operator for a number . The operator gives her the wrong number , or there are crossed lines - at any rate , she hears plans to murder someone . Eventually she comes to realize that she's the victim . This would be such a fascinating film to show students who don't remember an operator asking for a telephone number or even dial phones ! It's also of interest because there aren't the old-fashioned type " invalids " that there used to be - although it turns out that Leona is an invalid , all right , but not where she thinks . Now to the problems . In 1948 , Barbara Stanwyck was 41 and Lancaster 35 . Frankly , he looks a lot younger . We are supposed to believe - apparently - that they met in college not that long ago . It made the scene where they met almost impossible to understand , because I didn't realize at first that they were at a college dance . Then later she says she's cutting some classes . Oy . It's aggravating because that could have been so easily altered in the script . Burt Lancaster is to die for gorgeous . Those shoulders , those lips , that hair , that face - yikes ! One certainly can't fault Leona for going after him , but one certainly wouldn't have faulted her if she was a slightly older woman going after him either . Nevertheless , " Sorry , Wrong Number " is a very intense film , especially in its final minutes . Much of it is told in flashback , and there is actually a flashback within a flashback , a device used a lot in the film " The Locket . " Highly recommended for Stanwyck's performance and for a look at the old days , when operators said " number , please ! "
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493,961 | 342,623 | 482,491 | 7 |
Disturbing and outrageous look at Sante and Kenny Kimes
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A Little Thing Called Murder is another TV movie about Sante and Kenny Kimes , the real-life mother and son con artist / murder team . The first film starred Mary Tyler Moore and focused mainly on the murder of Irene Silverman , the New York woman killed for her brownstone and whose body was never found . ( Court TV also did a documentary on them . ) In this version , the murder of Irene is at the end of the movie . Director Richard Benjamin takes us through the bizarre life of Sante , with each crime a new episode that begins with the title " A Little " - which is how Sante thought of her crimes - A Little Problem with the Maid ( slavery ) , A Little Problem with the Check , etc . Now in prison , Sante Kimes must be in life as over the top as depicted by Mary Tyler Moore - and if you thought Moore was outrageous , wait until you see Judy Davis sink her teeth into Sante . The approach in this film is more of dark comedy , though much of it is quite shocking . Davis ' performance can only be described as out there - and probably accurate . Sante thoroughly corrupts her young son , played here by adorable Jonathan Jackson , which makes his crimes and killings all the more horrible . She sets fire to the family home for insurance ; she takes a test drive in a car and holds onto it for a year ; her Mexican help are actually slaves ; she shoplifts , and when caught , she hits her son and goes after the security guard ; the two claim to the cops that the security guard slapped Kenny and leave ; she hides her husband's death so she can clean out his Bahamian bank accounts ; and finally , of course , the Silverman case . In real life , not shown here , Sante actually posed as Silverman , an 82-year-old , in order to sign some papers . Catch Davis performing " Santa Baby " with a boa and you'll know you've entered the twilight zone . She's a scream . The film is very well done , interesting , and intriguing . But don't look for motives or reasons . The writers deliberately didn't explore them . Sante is so nuts , though , one wonders if she hadn't lost sight of her original demons years earlier .
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494,705 | 342,623 | 36,427 | 7 |
Hope / Lamour WWII comedy
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Bob Hope is a Pulitzer-prize winning Robert Kittridge reporter who , after assuring his editor that Germany will not invade Russia loses his job in " They Got Me Covered . " He thinks that this minor infraction can be forgiven if the man who won him the first Pulitzer , his contact Vanescu , will just come through with the story he says he has . But he's too nervous and tells Kittridge to have a stenographer ( Lamour ) meet him and she should carry a red bag and a green umbrella . His girlfriend / secretary calls home and arranges to have her roommate meet them - but Kittridge has the meeting place mixed up and by the time they get to the right place , the roommate has been taken away in a car . She gets the story in shorthand but the Nazis can't decipher it . They bring in decoder after decoder who look at the notes in dismay and say things like , " This isn't Gregg shorthand . . . this isn't Pittman . . . . this isn't speedwriting . . . " - a very funny scene that probably had the secretaries in the audience laughing . The poor roommate then becomes a target . The script is loaded with war jokes about rationing , the swing shift , etc . , and Hope pops them off in his usual wry manner . When he hears Crosby on the radio , he turns it off and says , " That guy is haunting me . " Lamour sports a big , high hairdo that almost looks like she's got it intertwined with a fur piece . She gives Hope great support . The Axis powers are a scream - Otto Preminger , Eduardo Cianelli , and Philip Ahn . In one very funny scene , Hope , disguised as a dummy , is eavesdropping on them at a health club when Preminger decides to show his skill with a knife - at the dummy . Wartime audiences must have loved this , and much of " They Got Me Covered " still holds up even if that particular war is over . Great comedy delivered by masters .
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494,756 | 342,623 | 114,496 | 7 |
funny feminist film with good performances
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I was very entertained by " Something to Talk About . " I didn't consider it a big , important movie , I just took it as light fun . I have read some of the other comments , and it seems not everyone reacted to it that way . I thought this was a great cast . Robert Duvall and Gena Rowlands were fabulous , as was Kyra Sedgwick . Dennis Quaid is beyond adorable - and there is one of the flaws in the film . How could you trust that man for one second and be surprised when he cheats ? The other flaw is how he managed to be in college with Julia Roberts , unless she was a child wunderkind . As for Julia Roberts , I prefer her in this kind of film rather than heavy drama , because I don't care for her very external acting . She was more believable in this and , especially at the end , she sparkled . I personally loved the ending , and for all you who wonder , I absolutely think they get back together . I think infidelity hurts and yes , it maybe even hurts enough that , in the heat of anger , you might try to poison your husband . I also think you can get past it , and I think this character did . I agree that often , when women cheat in films , it's somehow justified and the man who cheats is vilified . In life , that's not always true . Life is a lot more complicated than that . Obviously , this was written from a woman's point of view . As I said , I took it for what it was . It was entertaining . I had to think when I watched " Camille Claudel . "
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494,454 | 342,623 | 44,100 | 7 |
' 50s sorority life revealed
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Take Care of My Little Girl is a tale of college and sorority life in the 1950s . Jeanne Crain is charming as the young woman who finds out that being in a sorority is not exactly as her mother described . Not that Crain has it all that rough - how bad can things be when you've got Jeffrey Hunter and Dale Robertson making eyes at you ? Despite the prettiness of the outward package of young stars , the film has a serious message about snobbery , shallowness , and hazing ( which still hits the news today ) . There are very good performances here from Crain , who is perfect for her role as a college freshman , Robertson , a student on the GI bill , Hunter , a big man on campus , and Jean Peters does a great job as the uberbitch . It's a film rich in college atmosphere .
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494,212 | 342,623 | 121,314 | 7 |
Good documentary on one of our greats
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Richard Schickel's 1991 documentary about Gary Cooper - " Gary Cooper : American Life , American Legend " gives us a look at the tremendous , all-American star through his films and his life . Narrated by Clint Eastwood , the theme is definitely " Gary Coooper , American " as we are taken through fast clips of his many appearances in westerns , and scenes from " Meet John Doe , " " Mr . Deeds Goes to Town , and " Sgt . York . " The best part of the documentary is the home movies of Cooper and his family as well as his childhood photos , showing him as a beautiful blonde kid with the sunny smile he would have his entire life . There is also a hilarious clip of Cooper on " The Jack Benny Show " doing the comeback on the number " Bird Dog " - and Benny loses it . The documentary also takes us briefly through his tumultuous affair with Patricia Neal , which nearly ruined both their lives . There's a certain cohesiveness missing from this bio / retrospective - it jumps around a lot and has no footage of Cooper being interviewed , which would have added a lot . Also , Clint Eastwood's narration was described as unobtrusive . What it was , was boring and monotone . Given that Cooper himself tended to be the strong , silent type on screen , we could have used a little animation . On a personal note , Gary Cooper was one of the handsomest men who ever lived - there were some looks at him in his early films , but not nearly enough for this fan . That smile , those lips , that bone structure - he was handsome throughout his life , but in films like " Morocco " and " Desire , " he is devastating . Instead of sitting through a scene from one of his worst performances , as Howard Roark in " The Fountainhead , " giving a speech that he admitted to the author he did not understand - a young , suave Cooper in a tux would have been a nice touch . This documentary , alas , was definitely produced by a man .
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494,953 | 342,623 | 44,105 | 7 |
Lincoln makes a " tall target "
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The Tall Target , about a plot to kill Lincoln before his inauguration , is a compact little film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Dick Powell , Adolphe Menjou , Marshall Thompson , and Ruby Dee . Powell plays John Kennedy , a detective and admirer of the future President who finds out about an assassination plot and hopes to stop it , although his written report seems to fall on blind eyes . On board a train , Kennedy finds the person he was to meet is dead , someone is impersonating him , and , from all the political talk , there are lots of suspects who hate Lincoln as the country gets ready for war . Most of the action takes place on the train and the atmosphere and black and white cinematography neatly capture the period . The performances are all excellent , including that of Will Geer as the train conductor and Ruby Dee as a young slave whose mistress ' brother ( Thompson ) is a prime suspect in the assassination plot . Twenty years earlier , Dick Powell was a boy tenor playing male ingénues opposite Ruby Keeler ; in the ' 40s , he turned to tough detective type roles , and ultimately became a highly successful producer . He's very good in " The Tall Target " but a little too modern in manner and dialogue delivery . It's somewhat noticeable because the period is captured very well by the other actors . This is a very good movie with a neat ending and based on a true incident . There was , by the way , a John Kennedy who was a former law enforcement officer who served in the Lincoln administration . Whether he was involved in this situation , I don't know . It's a wonderful story nonetheless .
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495,157 | 342,623 | 293,087 | 7 |
very good look at the making of a classic
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Destination Hitchcock : The Making of North by Northwest is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at what went on during the production of this wonderful movie . Hosted by Eva Marie Saint , the documentary contains interviews with Ernest Lehman , the writer , Patricia Hitchcock , the director's daughter , and Martin Landau , as well as plenty of anecdotes of Saint's . Lehman goes into detail about how the movie was conceived , coming out of his failed attempts to write a script for " The Wreck of the Mary Deare " and his writing around two elements that Hitchcock wanted : a delegate dead at the UN and Mount Rushmore . The most amusing story is one told by Saint , of Hitchcock secretly filming Grant entering the UN from across the street . The best part of the documentary for me were the on-the-set photos showing the cast clowning around and the director speaking with Grant , etc . Also Saint shows the faux pas of the little boy putting his hands over his ears before the gun goes off , adding , " Why of all the takes we did , that one was chosen , I'll never know . " The way Hitchock worked , i . e . , planning to the last detail , has been discussed ad infinitum , but this was the first time I ever actually saw his sketches of the various scenes - he literally drew the entire movie scene by scene before sitting down to actually film it . Entertaining , though alas , there are not enough people alive anymore to talk further about a great movie , " North by Northwest . " Well worth seeing , though .
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494,071 | 342,623 | 40,740 | 7 |
Great cast in ' 40s noir
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Richard Widmark , Ida Lupino , Cornel Wilde and Celeste Holm are all in the " Road House , " a 1948 film noir directed by Jean Negulesco . Widmark , fresh from his career-making role of Tommy Udo , plays Jefty , who owns a road house . His friend from the service , Wilde , runs the place . Jefty is gone on Lily ( Lupino ) but can't get to first base and hires her as a singer . Unfortunately , she falls for Pete . Jefty frames Pete for robbery to keep him and Lily from leaving town to get married , and then arranges with the judge to have Pete paroled to him . To say he's up to something is an understatement . The revelation here is Lupino as a sexy torch singer . She does her own singing here , husky , seductive , very stylized and smoking . She's wonderful . Widmark is vicious as only Widmark could be , and Wilde repeats his " Leave Her to Heaven " nice guy as victim role . Celeste Holm looks great and does her usual excellent job as a woman attracted to Pete who takes pity on him and Lily just the same . My only criticism is that there is a scene where Lily turns on the radio to a classical station where a soprano is singing " Einsam im Truben Tagen . " She tells Pete that she studied opera , and her father had great ambition for her . With that whiskey and cigarette soaked set of vocal cords - I doubt it .
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494,003 | 342,623 | 28,676 | 7 |
With all that beauty , who listens to what they're saying ?
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A broke American is forced to pose as a Russian prince in order to pay a gambling debt in " Cafe Metropole , " a film written by the multi-talented Gregory Ratoff , who also plays a role in the movie . This is a funny , light , romantic comedy where the best scenes are saved for the character actors Charles Winninger and Helen Westley , who have great banter . Menjou is a duplicitous restaurateur who blackmails Tyrone Power into going along with his scheme ; Loretta Young , romanced by Power , is the beautiful daughter of Charles Winninger . If you're a shallow person , this is the movie for you because it's Eye Candy City . Power and Young , two people very , very high on any " most beautiful " list , are so ethereally , incalculably gorgeous that it's hard to listen to a word they're saying while they're on screen . And Young's fashions are divine ' 30s couturier . This is one of Power's very early films ; he was only 22 when it was made , and though only a year older than he was , Young had been around since silent film days . For me , Power's looks reached their full dazzle about two to three years later but if you only saw him in Cafe Metropole , you'd have a hard time believing there could be any improvement in that face . And in a tuxedo for so much of the movie . Almost too much of a good thing . Anyway , if you can concentrate , Cafe Metropole is a delightful film . As a bit of trivia , Power and Young made several films together in Power's early days at Fox . They remained friends , and in 1958 , Young showed up for Power's funeral straight from filming her TV show , decked out and unrecognizable in Oriental garb and makeup to match . In the late ' 70s , she was photographed with Power's son , Ty , Jr . , and you would swear you'd gone back in time . His resemblance to his father was so striking , and she was still so very beautiful .
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494,117 | 342,623 | 139,668 | 7 |
very good
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True Crime is a very good , if derivative film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood . We've seen the whole thing before , but it goes to show that if something is well done and well performed , the viewer will become very involved in it . A rogue reporter , an off and on drunk , who is assigned a human interest story of a man on death row comes to believe in his innocence and must find a way to stop the execution . There are some strong performances by Isaiah Washington , Lisa Gay Hamilton and Diana Venora as well as Eastwood's smooth direction . James Woods to me seemed a little over the top , if only because Eastwood is so relaxed . I have the same problem with this film as I have had with past Eastwood films , and that has to do with his age . Eastwood is 68 in this film ; his character is still working - no mention of retirement ; he's a ladies man and at the end of the movie he's trying to pick up a 20-something ; he has a four-year-old or so daughter . I'm just taking a stab at this - the character is supposed to be , say , 10 to 20 years younger ? One assumes then that there is a young wife at home - well , she's young for Eastwood anyway - it's Diana Venora , with whom I went to school . What's the story with this marriage ? Is it a recent one ? Frankly I'm surprised that Eastwood , who insists on playing roles he's 10 to 20 years too old for , would have tolerated a woman in her forties as his wife . Maybe in his mind , they're the same age . He was running through the forest like an Olympian in " Absolute Power " while he looked like Father Time ; he had ropes in his neck for " Bridges of Madison County . " Meanwhile , the film " Premonition " cast Kate Nelligan , age 57 , as 43-year-old Sandra Bullock's mother and in " Postcards from the Edge , " 56-year-old Shirley Maclaine as 41-year-old Meryl Streep's mother . These women evidently lived in states that allowed 14-year-olds to be married . My point is , Hollywood can never get the ages right . Women are pushed into old age in their fifties and the male stars get to play 40-year-olds when they're pushing eighty . At a certain point , it becomes insulting . If this film had been made last year , I suppose Diana Venora would have been playing Clint's mother . So though I like Eastwood very much and his directing very much and found this film compelling , I was distracted - as I have been in the past - by these little details . We shouldn't be expected to have to suspend reality with the ages of the characters as well as everything else . Once in a while , I'd like to focus on the story .
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493,718 | 342,623 | 36,365 | 7 |
more than slightly delightful
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Lana Turner is young and gorgeous in this light comedy about a waitress with a lucky penny and the dream of getting out of her humdrum life . The penny works wonders . After escaping her small town , a ladder falls on her in New York City - when she comes to , it's assumed she has amnesia ( she was deciding on her new name when the ladder came crashing down ) . After a trip to the library , she decides to become a long-lost heiress who disappeared as a child in 1925 . Robert Young plays her ex-boss who looks to expose her lie ; Walter Brennan is her welcoming , wealthy father ; Ward Bond is his security guy ; Dame May Witty the heiress ' former nanny . Ray Collins of " Perry Mason " fame also makes an appearance , as does Eugene Palette as the newspaper editor who prints the amnesiac's story . It's a terrific cast , with Young's role being a departure for him . He does it well . Lana is simply adorable . The movie leaves an open question , which is kind of fun , too . All in all , very enjoyable .
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494,648 | 342,623 | 36,363 | 7 |
pleasant wartime film
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Fred Astaire is an incognito war hero on leave in " The Sky's the Limit , " also starring Joan Leslie , Robert Ryan , and Robert Benchley . Astaire is a member of " The Flying Tigers " and jumps off of a train so that he can have fun during his leave instead of making promotional appearances . At a bar , he sees magazine photographer Joan Leslie and falls for her without telling her who he is . This is a very sweet film with some good numbers , but I wanted more ! Leslie and Astaire danced well together in the energetic " I've Got a Lot in Common With You , " and Astaire's " One for My Baby " is a standout , both his singing and in a tricky dance number that involves breaking glasses with his feet . Apparently , he injured himself while filming . I love Astaire's singing - he's so musical and if his voice isn't great , it's lyrical . My only quibble is that Joan Leslie's voice was dubbed and yet it wasn't very good . If they were going to dub it , why didn't they dub it with somebody better ? Certainly this was a perfect film to see in wartime - not only entertaining but poignant .
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494,191 | 342,623 | 28,207 | 7 |
The Mounties always get their man
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Jeanette MacDonald is " Rose-Marie " in this 1936 film also starring Nelson Eddy , James Stewart and Allan Jones . The movie borrows its title from the Rudolf Friml operetta , but it does not use the plot or many of the songs . MacDonald plays a famous opera singer named Marie de Flor whose brother ( Stewart ) , going by the last name of Flower , has escaped prison and killed a Mountie . She leaves at once for Quebec and winds up meeting - who else - Nelson Eddy , a Mountie who recognizes her immediately and believes at first that he is helping her get to a rendezvous with a man . Meanwhile , he's falling for her himself . Nelson and Jeannette were one of the great screen teams , and even now , they have fans all over the world . Jeanette was beautiful , a good singer and a fine actress , and Nelson , while not being much of an actor , was an attractive man with a magnificent voice . Their big hit , in fact , their signature song , " Indian Love Call , " is from this film , as is , naturally , " Rose-Marie . " Because of the recording devices used back then and the way female singers were taught , Jeannette's lyric-coloratura suffers somewhat . Like all female singers of that era , she has a back placement for her high notes , though the middle part of her range is quite beautiful . Her obsession with Tosca - one of the opera scenes shown , and a role she also performed on stage in real life - is a curious one . She had no business singing it , and neither did the tenor , Allan Jones , who was a lyric tenor . It's for a dramatic soprano and a spinto tenor . The Gounod " Romeo et Juliette , " which she sings with Jones in the beginning of the movie is much more appropriate for both of them . Eddy , on the other hand , had operatic roots , and his baritone has survived very well . They sounded wonderful together , and there was something about them that just worked , even if he was somewhat wooden . She was spitfire enough for both of them , and it made a nice contrast . My favorite part of the film is when , after her guide steals her money , Marie goes looking for the job as a singer in a honky tonk café and tries to do " Some of these Days , " which she sings operatically while attempting to copy the hoochie-coochie movements of the café's resident singer . Stewart was slowly ascending the scale to stardom , getting better and better roles - he has a couple of big scenes in this film . He's boyish , good-looking and very effective . Today I suppose these films seem very campy , and they've surely been parodied over and over again . However , the music is enjoyable , Nelson and Jeanette are treasures , and one can't help but marvel , amidst the insanity of today , what a much simpler time it was . People were able to be lifted out of themselves for a little while with fantasy and beauty . These movies must have been doing something right . Seventy-plus years later , we're still enjoying them .
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494,601 | 342,623 | 23,926 | 7 |
MGM jumps on that 42nd Street bandwagon
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Like the other studios , MGM wasted no time cashing in on the success of 42nd Street with its own backstage musical , complete with ersatz Busby Berkeley choreography . This one is " Dancing Lady , " and she's young Joan Crawford costarring with Franchot Tone and Clark Gable . A dancer named Fred Astaire makes his official film debut , and Nelson Eddy pops in for a song . Crawford is an ambitious dancer being pursued by a rich boyfriend ( Tone ) , but she's blinded by the footlights of Broadway . He helps her out by getting her into a show directed by tough guy Gable , and when he sees her talent and perseverance , he gives her the " top spot " in the show . Of course , he's attracted to her , too , and she to him . It's easy for all of them to be attracted to one another because they're all gorgeous . 30 years after this film , Franchot Tone would play a dying President in " Advise and Consent " . . . and look it . Here he's a smooth dazzler in his top hat , tails , brilliant smile and dimples . Gable is muscular , sexy , and rough around the edges . Crawford sparkles with her athletic figure , beautiful legs , and surely a pair of the most spellbinding eyes ever in film . She is perfection in her Adrian outfits . Though she does well in her big number with Astaire , Crawford really was from the Ruby Keeler School of Hoofing - lots of arms , big steps , and a ton of noise . The musical itself - uh , " Dancing Lady " - is tuneful and pleasant , and its spectacular finale gives one the impression that Louis B screamed for the kitchen sink - Berkeley-type choreography , a Nelson Eddy solo , and Astaire . It's wonderful to see these stars so young and energetic , and they are all great to watch . Look for an uncredited appearance by a blond Eve Arden and Lynn Bari somewhere in the chorus . Lots of fun from MGM .
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494,240 | 342,623 | 32,554 | 7 |
Sturges ' first hit
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Brian Donlevy is " The Great McGinty " in this 1940 film written and directed by Preston Sturges . The film also stars two men who would become part of the Sturges group of actors , Akim Tamiroff and William Demarest . Muriel Angelus plays McGinty's wife . Sturges always had interesting beginnings - or ends - to his films . This one begins : One man was always evil and had a moment of honesty ; another man was always good and had a moment of evil . They both had to leave the country ( paraphrasing ) . In a foreign country , a bartender tells his story to a suicidal man , an embezzler whom he has just saved , and a woman who works at the establishment . His story is a wild one - he was once governor of a state . As the story unfolds , McGinty - that's the man's name - was a hobo when he was paid $2 to vote to get a man into office . He voted 37 times and attracted the attention of a crooked political boss ( Tamiroff ) who gets him elected as alderman , mayor , and finally puts him up for governor . Along the way , he marries his secretary ( Angelus ) in order to have the appearance of a stable , good man . It's a marriage of convenience - she has two children and a dachshund . But he falls in love with all of them , and with her encouragement , decides to turn his back on the graft and the stealing and start thinking of the people . That's when he gets into trouble . " The Great McGinty " isn't a crazy comedy like " The Miracle of Morgan's Creek " or " The Palm Beach Story . " The humor comes out of the fact that this bum rises to the office of mayor and locks horns with the big boss . The best scenes are between Tamiroff and Donlevy , who work beautifully together , particularly when they're trying to kill one another . Though one of the last scenes is a sad one , Sturges gives us our smiles back with the last moments of the film . Brian Donlevy , who is usually in a supporting role , does a terrific job as McGinty - tough and belligerent , but with a kind side even he didn't know he had . Donlevy repeated his role of McGinty in " The Miracle of Morgan's Creek " in a cameo . Muriel Angelus , a British leading lady who retired to raise a family in 1946 , is lovely as Mrs . McGinty , who never wanted to get married again and then falls in love with her husband . Tamiroff makes a powerful " Boss " who has a volatile relationship with his puppet , who sometimes gets out of his strings . An excellent movie that pokes fun at political machinery and behind the scenes plotting . It also shows us what can happen when a little love comes into our lives .
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493,480 | 342,623 | 36,880 | 7 |
Interesting story of Dr . Thomas Morton
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In an unusual move , Preston Sturges decided to film " The Great Moment , " a movie that tells the story of Dr . Thomas Morton's struggle to be acknowledged for his work in discovering anesthesia . The Sturges 1944 film ( shelved for two years ) starring Joel McCrea takes the point of view that Morton was a wronged man . In reading up on it , it seems that he was , and that a good deal of " The Great Moment " is accurate , probably until the very end . Morton is a dentist seeking a way to practice pain-free dentistry . With the help of his mentor , Dr . Jackson , he eventually tries a form of ether that works , and he gives a name to his product . It was successfully used at the Massachusetts General Hospital for the first time in 1846 . The problem comes in that , as with many inventions , other people claimed credit . Dr . Horace Wells , with whom Morton had worked , indeed used anesthesia in the form of laughing gas , but had a colossal public failure and after that , continued experimenting . Jackson , who claimed credit for telling Morton about the ether , later claimed he had invented the telegraph and a form of ammunition and was clearly unbalanced . The man who made anesthesia a practical tool of surgery was Morton , but he was unable to obtain a patent , and the fight about who really invented it raged on for years . Joel McCrea is very likable as Dr . Morton , and Betty Field is wonderful as his long-suffering wife . Harry Carey turns in one of the best performances as Dr . Warren , the doctor who lets Morton use anesthesia on his patient . William Demarest plays a dental patient who has a pain-free surgery and after that , aligns with Morton . He's actually there more for comic relief . " The Great Moment " works backwards , starting at the end and working through until Dr . Morton " ruins himself for a servant girl " - you'll be wondering what that's about all through the film . Actually , from my research , that part is pure hooey , and that's not why Dr . Morton lost control of his invention . The film is an uneasy mix of comedy and drama and , unlike other Sturges films , is a downer . Apparently this version isn't his cut . Sturges fans will be disappointed . I have to say , I was intrigued .
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494,528 | 342,623 | 33,059 | 7 |
Nick Carter's last case
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Sky Murder turned out to be Nick Carter's final case , which is a shame . The series had a lot going for it , including handsome , commanding Walter Pidgeon as Carter in one of his best roles . " Sky Murder " is a fast-moving mystery involving subversives - Nazis no doubt . Ten years later and it would have been Communists . After a murder in a locked airplane compartment , a German refugee ( Kaaren Verne ) becomes a suspect , and Nick is sure she didn't do it . It's never easy for Nick to work on a case because of people who won't leave him alone , and this time is no different . Donald Meek as Bartholemew is still around with his bees , and he has a hilarious fight scene . There's also a pseudo-detective , Christine Cross ( Joyce Compton ) who is a complete airhead . This series had a nice , chaotic and humorous feel to it , with the anchor ably provided by Pidgeon who puts up with Bartholemew and here , Compton , but never seems to get flustered . Really fun . It's a shame there were so few of the Nick Carter films .
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494,757 | 342,623 | 102,945 | 7 |
entertaining , absorbing drama
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I'll say right off that I'm not a fan of Julia Roberts . I find her acting very external . I do , however , like a lot of her movies . I think our tastes run to similar type stories . What can I say . " Sleeping with the Enemy " is a good , if not great film . It held my interest , especially at the beginning , where one feels the tension in the beautiful home , and when all the little pieces of conversation come together . It seems like the object was to showcase Julia rather than the story - I found some of the scenes a big waste , such as her MTV video doing costume changes and yet another one of those couples dancing together and falling for one another scenes . I thought Kevin Anderson , a marvelous stage performer , did a great job as Julia's love interest , and Patrick Bergin was one scary husband . The suspense did build at the end . Yes , the movie has holes . I just went with it .
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494,058 | 342,623 | 36,962 | 7 |
We're better off not knowing what tomorrow brings
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Dick Powell gets himself in a trouble with tomorrow's newspaper in " It Happened Tomorrow , " a 1944 film also starring Linda Darnell and Jack Oakie . Powell plays Larry Stevens , an ambitious reporter who is given the next day's newspaper by an old man , Pop Benson , who works at the paper . Benson , and Powell have a discussion about knowing the news in advance , and Pop shows up the next day with an advanced newspaper issue showing what is going to happen . Larry is able to write a robbery story in advance and have it ready to go as soon as the event occurs , which puts him under suspicion with the police . Then he reads about his own death . Interesting premise that will sound familiar to those who watched the TV series " Early Edition . " The beautiful Linda Darnell , Stevens ' love interest , plays half of a mind-reading act , the other half being her uncle ( Jack Oakie ) . Rene Clair was an odd duck who was attracted to this type of story . It isn't paced well , but Powell's performance manages to hold the thing together . The film begins with a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary , and the husband wanting to tell the guests a story of something that happened to him . You won't have any trouble figuring out who they are . The plot sounds serious , but it's delivered with a light touch .
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495,012 | 342,623 | 33,105 | 7 |
not your typical Gable and Crawford film
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Strange Cargo is a 1940 film starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable that leaves the usual story lines behind - romantic comedy , kept woman , rags to riches - as it weaves an allegorical tale of escaping prisoners and a Christ-like figure who accompanies them . Gable is Andre Verne , a prisoner on Devil's Island who escapes with several other prisoners ( Paul Lukas , Albert Dekker , Eduardo Ciannelli , J . Edward Bromberg and John Arledge ) . During the evening count , he's almost found missing but another man , Cambreau ( Ian Hunter ) replaces him in line . He then boards the boat to the mainland with them and Julie ( Crawford ) , probably a prostitute , who is escaping also from a lecherous bounty hunter ( Peter Lorre ) . The prisoners fall on hard times as they escape through the woods and also while at sea when their water becomes tainted . Cambreau gives each prisoner comfort and helps them to confront the evil that brought them to Devil's Island , helping to bring them peace at last . This is not lost on Julie who sees a chance for redemption . Verne , however , isn't interested . This is a very simple story beautifully directed by Borzage . The atmosphere of the film is dark and haunting . There is no preachiness . The sheer power of Cambreau and his sense of faith is what brings the prisoners solace . Hunter is majestic in the role . Gable is appropriately tough , and Crawford brings depth to Julie , who thought she knew what she wanted . The rest of the cast is top-notch . " Strange Cargo " seems like a film that was made in the early ' 30s with its Christian parable . This was the last film that Crawford and Gable made together . Its powerful message makes this a fitting ending for a fine MGM team .
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494,388 | 342,623 | 41,767 | 7 |
The King of Fox as the Prince of Foxes
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Despite a comment that Darryl F . Zanuck refused Tyrone Power's pleas to make " Prince of Foxes " in color because he was angry with his star , this is not true . The film was probably made with Italian funds that the studio couldn't get out of the country , and there just wasn't enough money to do this richly-produced film in color . Zanuck was too much of a businessman to let anger ruin a good opportunity . And why would he have been angry ? Power was doing another swashbuckler like the big man ordered , wasn't he ? Despite not being in color , " Prince of Foxes " is a glorious-looking film , made on location in Italy . It's based on the Shellabarger novel about Andrea Orsini , a peasant with a fake royal name , who is sent by Cesare Borgia to infiltrate the court of Count Verrano , seduce his wife , and get rid of him so that Borgia's troops can take over his province . Orsini , however , double-crosses his boss . The acting is marvelous - Tyrone Power is wonderful as the turncoat Orsini , and manages to hold his own against the flashier roles of Cesare Borgia ( Orson Welles ) and Belli ( Everett Sloane ) . Though I doubt that Welles was terribly into his part , as usual he's excellent . When doing a role strictly for money , he had the habit of arching his eyebrow and intoning that glorious voice to make the audience believe he was doing something . It's only when one sees him as Citizen Kane or in a film like " Tomorrow is Forever " that one realizes these later supporting roles are phoned in . But who better to make the call than master technician Welles . Sloane does a fantastic job as a man who just can't stay loyal to one side and pulls one of the film's big surprises . The part is cut down from the book , which is a pity . The music , the scenery - amazing . The great halls are like nothing you've ever seen . For once , Tyrone Power has competition for beauty ! By the time of Prince of Foxes , he was totally sick of these roles , but he had a few years left before Zanuck turned him loose . It's said that he was too old to be a swashbuckler by 1949 - he was 35 , which today is nothing , though he often had to play parts that were intended for someone 10 or even 15 years younger . As a result , he sometimes looked tired out . But not here . Perhaps this film was more tolerable for him because of his impending marriage to Linda Christian , his second wife . In any event , he comes off very well . One thing I never understood is why Zanuck insisted on casting the post-war Power opposite these vapid starlets - Wanda Hendrix in this , Cecile Aubry in " The Black Rose , " Jean Peters in " Captain from Castile " etc . - of these , the only " find " was the wonderful Peters . Hendrix is okay in " Prince of Foxes " but that's about it . The role called for a little more depth than she was able to give . All in all , beautiful to watch , an intriguing story , excellent acting . Recommended , and , by the way , soon to be released in DVD as part of the Tyrone Power Collection .
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494,602 | 342,623 | 33,149 | 7 |
Like a road , it has twists and turns
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When you tune in a film that stars George Raft , Humphrey Bogart , Ann Sheridan , Ida Lupino , and Alan Hale Jr . - well , you expect to see a Warners Brother film starring Humphrey Bogart . Guess again . And that's the first twist " They Drive By Night " has for the viewer - George Raft has top billing . This movie was made before Bogie became a hot property , so the iconic film star is fourth on the cast list . After turning down " Casablanca , " " High Sierra , " " The Maltese Falcon " and " Double Idemnity " and a few other gems - well , there's not much more to be said . Raft and Bogart play the Fabrini brothers who work in the tough trucking business , where it's hard to make a decent living , get any sleep , or maintain any kind of family life . One of the more generous fleet owners ( Hale ) gives Raft a tip on going into business for himself . Hale's wife is the precursor to Glenn Close in " Fatal Attraction " - she's obsessed with Raft and horrible to her adoring husband . Raft , however , is in love with Cassie ( Sheridan ) . After a devastating accident takes Bogart out of commission and destroys their truck , Raft goes to work in-house for Hale . Time for twist # 2 - and it's a doozy that leads to murder and revenge . This is a highly entertaining film with some good performances , and it shows what the common man has to go through to make a decent living - and that remains true today . Bogart is very good in his supporting role , and Sheridan has a nice , earthy quality . Raft , an effective film tough guy , can't give a nuanced performance , but he's okay . Where the movie goes off is in the characters played by Lupino and Hale . Hale is a loud , highly successful businessman who comes off as being incredibly stupid , and the Lupino character has not one redeeming quality . Her big scene at the end is completely over the top and comes from nowhere . Lupino is capable of much better acting than this , but the character is badly written and she was not well directed . Nevertheless , this is vintage ' 30s and vintage Warners - dark , workmanlike , and worth seeing for its stars , though some aren't at their best .
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493,823 | 342,623 | 23,818 | 7 |
unbelievable pre-code
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Blood Money is a fascinating precode - what else can you say about a film that has Judith Anderson in a glamor role ? And an ingénue who longs for S & M to boot . This 1933 film concerns a bail bondsman named Bill Bailey ( George Bancroft ) who's been helping out the mob for years . He falls for a pretty shoplifter named Elaine ( Frances Dee ) - she's actually slumming , as she's from a wealthy family . This leaves Bailey's girlfriend , club owner Ruby ( Anderson ) in the lurch . She's the woman responsible for his success , helping him out when he was thrown off of the police force . However , Elaine ( who would follow any man who thrashed her around like a dog , says she ) steals some bonds instead of delivering them to the appropriate place , thereby setting up Bailey as a mob target and getting his brother-in-law in deep trouble with the law . Ruby believes he's responsible for her brother's problems , and has a hit put out on him . The acting is over the top , the dialogue is rough and filled with sexual innuendos , the atmosphere is sleazy - it's pre-code all right . I read a transcript of an interview with Joel McCrea ( intended to be for a biography that wasn't written ) and he kept referring to " Mother " - I finally realized that he didn't call his wife , Frances Dee , " mother " - he was referring to her that way while talking to one of his sons , who was conducting the interview . As the promiscuous , dying to be hit ingénue , she wasn't very motherly in this . This is a no-miss if only to see Judith Anderson in a gown and jewels hanging out with mobsters and Frances Dee as something other than a pretty goody-two-shoes .
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493,714 | 342,623 | 99,141 | 7 |
bad day at the zoo for Mel and Goldie
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The star power of Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn help this 1990 action film , which is about a witness protection program refugee who reconnects by accident with his old girlfriend . The two then run to avoid the people after him . And run and run and run . There are so many chase scenes in this movie , I lost count , but they lead to a very effective finale in the zoo . I enjoyed this movie because of its two stars . I thought they had great chemistry and repartee . The movie is short on plot and character development , you know , things that one would occasionally enjoy seeing in a film , and long on action , charm , Mel's rear , Goldie's figure , and fashion . On this basis , I found it enjoyable .
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494,320 | 342,623 | 116,638 | 7 |
Compelling drama based on a true story
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Innocent Victims is the story of what happens what the police decide on a suspect and set out to nail that particular suspect , becoming blind to any evidence that would raise doubt . For those who don't believe this can happen in the U . S . , guess again - we just saw it in the Duke University case . Did the same thing happen in this case ? It's up to you . The young man here , Tim Hennis , is well played by a blond John Corbett as a man questioned and finally arrested for brutal murder of a woman and her two small children . He insists on his innocence , and his parents go to great lengths , including selling their home , and his father retiring early and getting only a partial pension , to help him prove it . When he is convicted and lands on Death Row , efforts are redoubled by his attorneys to get him a new trial and to find the real killer . This was a sensational case that resulted in a book and this TV movie . One thing pointed up here is that the defendant agreed to be questioned by the police and submit to DNA testing without an attorney present . I think from seeing the film , people realize that it doesn't matter whether or not you are innocent of the crime , you should never , ever talk to the police without a lawyer , no matter what they tell you . They told this guy he wasn't a suspect and just wanted to talk to him . My sister works for the public defender . She says , don't fall for it . I know many people assume that if you bring a lawyer , you have nothing to hide , but that isn't true . A lawyer is there to protect your rights . Hal Holbrook and Rue McClanahan are excellent as Tim's devoted parents , and Rick Shroeder does a terrific job as one of the lawyers trying to prove that Tim is not guilty . All of the acting is good . It's difficult for me to see lawyers depicted in such a positive light - I had a lawyer for something who did nothing and collected a fortune from me . Someone posted that they have a hard time believing this could happen in America ; I have a hard time believing lawyers like this exist . There is a fascinating update on this case if you go to google . com and put " Tim Hennis " " update " in the search box . The link was too long , and IMDb would not allow it .
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494,502 | 342,623 | 32,643 | 7 |
Sweet as they come
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It All Came True is a delightful 1940 film starring Humphrey Bogart , Ann Sheridan , Jeffrey Lynn , and Zasu Pitts . Sheridan and Lynn are the adult children of business partners in a boarding house ( Jessie Busley and Una O'Connor ) . The women are about to lose the house because of back taxes . Lynn is Tommy , a composer , and Sheridan is Sarah Jane , a nightclub entertainer . Both move back home , but Lynn brings his boss , Chips Maguire ( Bogart ) with him , who is hiding from the police . He's blackmailing Tommy into hiding him the gun that killed the victim is in Tommy's name . Chips can't leave his room , of course , and eventually grows bored with the entire arrangement . He recognizes the very attractive Sarah Jane as having been on the circuit , and decides to help her out by making the boarding house into a nightclub . He finances it and bails the women out of their financial troubles at the same time . Sarah Jane isn't interested in Chips - she's re-connected with Tommy - but naturally plays along . Tommy is uneasy ; if Chips is caught , he'll tell the cops that Tommy committed the murder . The plot may sound serious , but the film is filled with music and a lightheartedness that's hard to describe . Ann Sheridan was sort of the working man's Rita Hayworth . She was at Warner's , which put her low , sultry voice , mane of red hair and other assets to good use in a variety of roles . She wasn't as beautiful as Hayworth or as exotic , but she was more versatile as an actress . Here she's at the top of her game , singing and dancing up a storm and looking sensational . She really carries the film . Lynn , whose career lost its momentum after World War II , was a nice-looking , boy next door type of leading man , and does an able job here . Bogart is a riot ; the man could do anything . Though his character is ruthless and dangerous , he comes off as extremely likable . The striking Zasu Pitts is wonderful as a boarder who sees men following her everywhere and can't handle her liquor . At all . There's a charming sentiment about this film - it'll leave you smiling .
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495,000 | 342,623 | 32,644 | 7 |
Mother and daughter want the same man and the same part
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Deanna Durbin stars in " It's a Date , " a 1940 comedy also starring Kay Francis , Walter Pidgeon and S . Z . Sakall . Durbin plays Pam Drake , an aspiring young actress whose mother is a theater star , Georgia Drake . After the successful run of a play , Georgia and her maid Sara Frankenstein ( Cecilia Loftus ) head for Hawaii for R & R before she starts her new play . However , the author ( Sakall ) isn't sure she's right for the role ; he thinks Georgia is too old . Ultimately he sees Pam perform and gives her the role . Not realizing her mother thinks it's hers , she takes a ship to Hawaii so her mother can help her prepare . On the ship , she meets a man ( Walter Pidgeon ) that she thinks is a stowaway - he's actually John Arlen , a successful businessman . Once in Hawaii , Pam finds out the truth about the role and tries to keep it from her mother ; John , meanwhile , has fallen in love with Georgia , but Pam thinks she's in love with him and it's mutual . It's a mess . In Durbin's earlier films , I found her speaking voice high-pitched and a little annoying and her acting overly energetic to the point of being hyper . Here , she's delightful , bubbly without being manic , and she looks very pretty . Her singing voice has matured as well - she sings " Musetta's Waltz , " " Ave Maria " and " Loch Lomond . " The whole voice is richer though I will never be a fan of the way sopranos in those days were trained to back off of their high notes . She puts a little too much weight in the middle voice and therefore has a somewhat screechy Bb at the end of " Quando M'en Vo . " Still , however , she is one of the best classical singers in film . Though Durbin was a huge star at Universal , the studio never bought big properties for her . This is a nice film with good performances but that's about it . Kay Francis is lovely as Georgia and Loftus is funny as Sarah . The handsome Pidgeon does his usual good job . Deanna Durbin in the end out-Garboed Greta Garbo , retiring at the age of 27 and moving to the outskirts of France , and I don't believe she's been seen since or even interviewed . The image and voice of the young girl live , and thanks to TCM , she undoubtedly has new fans . She deserves them .
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495,070 | 342,623 | 33,174 | 7 |
What a concept
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Though one might suspect " Too Many Husbands " as being in the same vein as " My Favorite Wife , " it's actually based on a Somerset Maugham play . The stars of this 1940 film are Jean Arthur , Melvyn Douglas , Fred MacMurray and Harry Davenport . After her first husband , Bill Cardew ( MacMurray ) was lost at sea , his grieving , lonely widow Vicky marries his friend and business partner , Henry Lowndes ( Douglas ) six months later . Boy is she surprised when Bill shows up alive . So is her new husband and her father ( Davenport ) . It then falls to the confused Vicky to decide which husband she wants . This is a very amusing comedy with terrific performances from all the stars . Melvyn Douglas , one of the truly great American actors , had to do this type of film until he finally reached old age and could show the world how sensational he was . He's very funny , his voice cracking when he's upset . The men act like quarreling children , playing games of oneupmanship and chasing Vicky everywhere . Seeing the frilly guest room , Bill questions Henry's effeminate taste . " What's this fabric ? " Bill asks , holding up a piece of curtain . " DOTTED SWISS ! " Henry yells in a booming voice . In another scene , Bill impresses Vicky by jumping over furniture , causing Henry to give it a try . He falls flat on his face . Arthur does an excellent job as a somewhat dizzy woman who loves both men , and Davenport is a riot as her sober-faced , worried father . MacMurray has always seemed bland to me , but he holds his own as the returning husband who's been stranded on an island for a year . Much better than I thought it would be , and Arthur fans will love it .
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493,642 | 342,623 | 32,651 | 7 |
Crime drama starring Zanuck's top draw
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Darryl F . Zanuck knew the best way to have a hit was to star Tyrone Power , and star him he did , with each Power film grossing more than the previous one . The actor was 25 when he starred in this crime drama . When we first see him , he's in bathing trunks , Zanuck being no fool . At the time " Johnny Apollo " was made , Power was the # 2 box office in the world . There's not much to this movie - it's fairly typical of its genre , similar to what was produced in the ' 30s . There are , however , some very good performances , including those of Lloyd Nolan and Edward Arnold . Dorothy Lamour , wearing very exotic makeup , plays a street-wise singer involved with Nolan . Naturally she falls for the handsome , well-educated Power , who falls in with crooks and renames himself Johnny Apollo after his father goes to prison for embezzlement . Lamour has two good numbers , " This is the Beginning of the End , " and " Dancin ' for Nickels and Dimes . " Johnny Apollo isn't one of Power's best roles by any stretch , but he's adorable , and his presence made it an enormous hit . This film spawned a lot of " Johnny " movies ( Johnny Eager , Johnny Angel , Johnny Doughboy , etc . ) . It was re-released in 1949 .
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494,731 | 342,623 | 41,955 | 7 |
Gorgeous but disappointing film
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Greer Garson is " That Forsyte Woman " in a 1949 film that also stars Errol Flynn , Walter Pidgeon , Robert Young and Janet Leigh . The story is told in flashback . Garson is Irene , a beautiful but poverty-stricken woman who marries Soames Forsyte ( Flynn ) , admitting from the first that she does not love him . Soames isn't the only Forsyte in whom Irene has an interest - she loves the paintings done by Jolyon Forsyte ( Pidgeon ) , though she learns quickly that he is the family outcast , not even permitted to see his daughter , June ( Leigh ) . Irene seeks to bring Jolyon back into the family and to reunite him with June , who is about to be married to an architect , Philip Bosinney ( Young ) - while she herself is falling for Philip , and he with her . MGM spared not one cent in giving " That Forsyte Woman " primo attention - the cost of Garson's gorgeous costumes alone could have probably paid for three lesser films ; the Technicolor , sets , and photography are all stunning ; and in Flynn and Garson , you have two top stars . Unfortunately , the superficial gloss can't cover the film's flaws . For an adulteress , Greer Garson is pretty ladylike - there is no unbridled passion - and zero chemistry - between Irene and Philip . In fact , the inference is that while she loves Philip in her heart , nothing except a few kisses has actually happened . Not being familiar with the source material , I don't know if this was the case or not . And I'm sorry - if I had to pick between the handsome Flynn and Robert Young wearing some sort of curly hairpiece , I know which way I'd go . Philip Bosinney is described as a little older than June - well , Janet Leigh was 21 or so at the time of the filming and probably playing an 18-year-old . Young was about 40 . And looked it . Fond as I am of Young's work , this was blatant miscasting . The role needed to be sexed up a little so we see what the fuss is about - Robert Mitchum , Burt Lancaster , someone hot and in that 30-ish age range . Errol Flynn does an excellent job as the angry , frustrated and jealous Soames . It seems that with a few exceptions , by the late ' 40s , Flynn no longer played roles that exhibited what made him Errol Flynn - charm , dash , a devilish smile , and natural athleticism . While this is certainly a better role than he had in " Cry Wolf , " again , it does not play to Flynn's strengths . Walter Pidgeon is very good as Jolyon and of course he's great with Garson . He should be , considering all the films they made together . Though the story isn't that absorbing , I still recommend this film for its sheer beauty - not only in its look , but for the beauty of Garson , Flynn and Leigh , and the sturdy handsomeness of Pidgeon . " That Forsyte Woman " is a cake with an incredible icing , but the cake is pretty dry .
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494,397 | 342,623 | 41,956 | 7 |
A singing truck driver makes an operatic splash
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Mario Lanza made his film debut in " That Midnight Kiss " costarring Kathryn Grayson , Ethel Barrymore , Jose Iturbi , Keenan Wynn , Thomas Gomez , Marjorie Reynolds , and Jules Munshin . The script was tailor-made for Lanza , set in his home town of Philadelphia . It was this film that nearly ruined my own singing aspirations . My mother always thought that if I were really good , someone would discover me - I guess hauling a piano - the way that Lanza was in this film . Nevertheless , I put all that aside when I watched it . Johnny is a truck driver discovered testing out the piano he delivers to Abigail Budell ( Barrymore ) , patron of the arts . She's just founded an opera company for the benefit of her daughter Prudence ( Grayson ) . When the current tenor ( Gomez ) quits in a huff , Johnny steps in . He and Prudence are in love , but before either one of them can really act on it , Prudence is told by another woman ( Marjorie Reynolds ) that she wants to marry Johnny . How to get these two songbirds back together ? " That Midnight Kiss " is a big budget , glossy MGM musical extravaganza and as such , it's delicious to watch and makes for joyful listening . Lanza , attractive and a natural before the cameras , really commercialized opera in the U . S . with his clarion tenor . His IMDb bios were obviously written by fans . Though he certainly had a fantastic voice , he was evidently hard to work with , especially for his female costars . Alcohol and crash dieting eventually made his heart give out while he was still in his thirties . Also , he had his own sound ; in recordings , Caruso sounds much more baritone-y , though Lanza's IMDb bio claims the voices match . It's hard to know what Lanza's voice sounded like on the opera stage . People who heard him in person claim the voice was not very large . Nevertheless , it was perfect for film . Pretty and petite , Kathryn Grayson does a lovely job both in her acting and singing . Both singers shine in the more lyrical pieces sung outside Prudence's window and show their versatility . A side note - it's a little questionable what opera the company is doing - Grayson and Gomez sing a duet from " Lucia " in rehearsals , but the final product was in English and definitely NOT Donizetti ! The rest of the cast is superb - Keenan Wynn has impeccable comic timing , and Jules Munshin is given some great bits throughout . Thomas Gomez is hilarious as the bombastic tenor Betelli . Ethel Barrymore is stately and classy as Prudence's grandmother . Iturbi , playing himself , is delightful and plays some beautiful piano . Celeste Aida and the Lucia duet were conducted at pretty swift tempi , as was the " Caro Nome " that Grayson starts to sing at the piano . Highly entertaining and recommended if you're a lover of classical music .
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494,759 | 342,623 | 28,330 | 7 |
excellent Harlow film , if a little confusing
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What a loss to films when Jean Harlow died . She was so immensely likable , with a wonderful vulnerability . In " Suzy , " she marries one man ( Franchot Tone ) in London , believes him dead and fears she'll be arrested for his murder , runs to Paris , and ends up married to a pilot ( Cary Grant ) . The story was interesting , enjoyable , and poignant , but a little confusing . I sat through the entire film saying to myself , " Why did France go to war in 1936 ? " I knew it was supposed to be World War I - sort of - but only because 1936 made no sense at all . The clothing , however , was very ' 30s . Cary Grant plays his part of a war hero and bounder very well . The sweetest scenes were between Harlow and Lewis Stone , who plays Grant's ill father . The final scenes were exciting , with a lot of airplane footage from " Hell's Angels . " Virginia Verrill dubbed Harlow's singing , and I assume Grant did his own . Interesting how people in those days sang with that very rapid vibrato .
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494,947 | 342,623 | 28,310 | 7 |
A model becomes involved with a swindler
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Kay Francis stars in " Stolen Holiday , " a 1937 film that also stars Claude Rains , Ian Hunter and Alison Skipworth . Francis plays Nicole Picot , a beautiful Parisian model who is hired by Orloff ( Claude Rains ) to be his escort for an important dinner with a financier . The dinner is a great success , Orloff makes a lot of money and sets Nicole up in her own design house . Though there is not a romantic involvement , they are very close friends , and she is very loyal to him . Unbeknownst to her , Orloff is involved in some unsavory business practices , and things begin to unravel when he and Nicole take a vacation together . Since Orloff isn't around , and at the encouragement of her assistant ( Alison Skipworth ) , Nicole is escorted around town by Anthony Wayne ( Ian Hunter ) . The two fall in love . However , Orloff believes that an elaborate society wedding will make the police less likely to bother him , so Nicole agrees to marry him . The cast and the fashions really help this story . Francis looks beautiful in some great fashions . She often played strong , independent women - even as a young woman , as she is here , she has the air of a leading lady and not an ingénue . Despite her famous speech impediment , her speaking voice is one of her most interesting traits - low and melodic . Rains could play anything . Here he's an elegant Russian swindler who has set his business up with his own self-preservation in mind , and he's very believable . Alison Skipworth , as Nicole's friend and assistant , brings some humor to the film as a card-reader who is less than enthusiastic about Nicole's association with Orloff . Good movie , and I'm grateful that here in the states , we're able to see films such as this on TCM .
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495,033 | 342,623 | 19,702 | 7 |
Unquestionably Hitchcock
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Britain's first talkie , the 1929 " Blackmail , " is directed by Alfred Hitchock , and even back then , it has many of his touches . The stars are Anny Ondra , Cyril Ritchard , John Longden , and Sara Allgood . A young woman ( Ondra ) two-times her Scotland Yard inspector boyfriend ( Longden ) and goes out with an artist ( Ritchard ) . Things get rough in his apartment , and he forces himself on her . She kills him ( a la Dial M for Murder ) . Her boyfriend finds her glove in the apartment and realizes she did it ; the other glove was found by a criminal hanging around the artist's apartment building , and he decides to blackmail the inspector . Hitchcock more than appears in this film ; he has a bit with a little boy on a subway . The film is strange in that the beginning is silent with no title cards . Then suddenly , there is sound . It moves quite slowly , with not much in the way of action . The story builds slowly , and the scene in the artist's apartment is quite long before anything happens . Nevertheless , the Hitchcock touches are there . A pivotal scene happens at the British Museum - Hitchcock's upheaval in familiar places . And in the jail scene , there's a sound the director often described as being terrifying in his childhood when his father had the local police teach him a lesson - the jail door closing . The very pretty Ondra , wife of boxer Max Schmelling , is dubbed here . Ritchard in 1929 is not recognizable as Captain Hook . Worth seeing - it's early Hitchcock and it's an 80-year-old movie . Mind-boggling .
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493,753 | 342,623 | 28,313 | 7 |
Nice Warner Brothers bio
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Paul Muni has the title role in " The Story of Louis Pasteur , " a 1935 film also starring Josephine Hutchinson , Anita Louise , Donald Woods , and Fritz Lieber . The biopic focuses on Pasteur's work in sterilization , rabies , and anthrax , and includes his inoculation of the small boy Joseph Meister ( Dickie Moore ) which is a famous - and risky - moment in Pasteur's life . Strangely , there is nothing about pasteurization , although with a great scientist who was responsible for so many innovations , you can't show everything . And certainly the rabies and anthrax stories are more dramatic . Some of the film , I believe , is fictionalized - his nemesis , Dr . Charbonnet , was probably created to represent some of the criticism Pasteur faced in his lifetime . The love affair between his assistant , Dr . Martel ( Donald Woods ) and Pasteur's daughter Annette doesn't seem to be true either . Typical Hollywood . Nevertheless , this is a reverent biography with a strong performance by Muni and good work by the rest of the cast . It seems crazy to think that before Pasteur , doctors did not sterilize instruments and wash their hands , but apparently , they didn't . Good movie .
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493,994 | 342,623 | 32,687 | 7 |
Playing fast and loose with Mrs . Carter's memoirs
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Miriam Hopkins is " The Lady with Red Hair " in this 1940 biopic of Mrs . Leslie Carter which also stars Claude Rains as David Belasco , Richard Ainley as Lou Payne , and a fine cast of supporting players , including Laura Hope Crews and Victor Jory . Miriam Hopkins and Claude Rains give wonderful performances . Hopkins was a beautiful actress who really makes us feel for Mrs . Carter . Rains is great as the flamboyant , egotistical producer / writer / actor / impresario David Belasco , one of the great names in theater . Though Mrs . Carter's second husband , Lou Payne , served as adviser on this film , it's a poor representation of the real events of Mrs . Carter's life . True , there was a much publicized and bitter divorce , and she was undoubtedly viewed as a scandalous character for that and for becoming an actress . However , she had custody of her son Dudley , so there was no custody battle . Once she broke with Belasco , she did not go back to him and , in fact , started working in vaudeville and actually made some films toward the end of her life . She did indeed marry Lou , and he became her leading man in many productions . The driving force for Mrs . Carter in the beginning of this film is regaining custody of her son , but she finally realizes that in her time away from him , he is thoroughly bonded with his father . In the film also ( and I'm not sure if it was true in real life ) she traveled with her mother and lived in a theatrical boarding house , which gives the film some added interesting atmosphere . Not a bad movie , probably not a depiction of the greatness of either Carter or Belasco . One of Mrs . Carter's most famous moments was in The Heart of Maryland , The Heart of Maryland , where she wore a wig with six-foot tresses . Off-stage , fans were used to blow her hair as she hung 35 feet above the stage clutching the center of the bell to keep it from ringing . Quite a visual .
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494,378 | 342,623 | 41,949 | 7 |
Funny comedy
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Rosalind Russell is the Judge in " Tell it to the Judge , " a 1949 film also starring Bob Cummings , Marie McDonald and Gig Young . Russell plays Marsha Meredith , a recently divorced woman up for a judgeship , encouraged in her career by her judge grandfather ( Harry Davenport ) . The ex-husband , however , Pete Webb ( Cummings ) wants her back . The two are still in love . The divorce was basically a misunderstanding - Webb was working with a beautiful blond witness ( McDonald ) and Marsha mistook it for something else . Even though it puts her career in jeopardy , Marsha remarries Pete . On their wedding night , her grandfather kidnaps Pete so that Marsha thinks he's up to his old tricks . She then takes off and announces to the press that she's married to someone else , and makes up a name . When Alexander ( Gig Young ) , a man she met previously appears , she has him play the part of her husband . This is a typical screwball comedy centering around the struggle that the independent woman has between being a career person and a wife - and apparently back then , it was one or the other . I thought Russell was fine as Marsha , unlike another reviewer - I've seen her miscast , and I didn't think she was this time - but I agree with another remark the poster made , that Bob Cummings steals the movie . Cummings is thought of as a bland film actor , and perhaps he was . What made him a tremendous television star was his sense of comedy , which he didn't get to use much in films but which was his strength . Here he gets to show it off , and a few years later , he made his mark in television . A fun movie , not earth-shattering , as films were going through a difficult transition . So apparently were women , and in the ' 40s , they lost the career battle , only to pick it up again a couple of decades later .
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494,662 | 342,623 | 59,263 | 7 |
Based on a true story of the Norwegian resistance
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The Heroes of Telemark is a 1965 film telling the story of the great bravery of people in the Norwegian resistance during World War II as they attempt to keep material for the atom bomb out of the hands of the Nazis . It stars Kirk Douglas , Richard Harris , Michael Redgrave and Ulla Jacobsen . This is a strange film for several reasons . It has some tremendous people in it yet they aren't really used effectively , i . e . , Michael Redgrave and Ulla Jacobsen as examples , gorgeous scenery and skiing sequences that aren't particularly well photographed ; and a story that includes inaccuracies rather than the true facts . Certainly one can understand the need to combine characters or cut out segments of a story , but when the actual event is as thrilling as the real story of Telemark , why change it ? Several people have commented , as usual , about actors having no accents , most especially Kirk Douglas as a Norwegian scientist . In films , it's more difficult to keep to the theatrical convention , but nevertheless , it is correct : When a film takes place in another country and characters from and in that country are speaking , they ARE NOT SPEAKING English . They are speaking German , Norwegian , whatever . So the convention is - NO ACCENT . Why would Norwegians be in Norway speaking to other Norwegians in English ? Why would they be speaking English to Germans ? They wouldn't be . A good example is the film " The Mortal Storm . " It takes place in Germany , and Margaret Sullavan , James Stewart , and Robert Young speak with no accents . CORRECT . The problem in Hollywood is that they cast some people who are American and some people who are from other countries , making the accent situation difficult . Be that as it may , Kirk Douglas did not need an accent and it was correct that he did not have one . And he can't slip in and out of one - speak with an accent when in England , for instance , because that would be ridiculous . Despite the fact that this film has its drawbacks , it is nevertheless good , with some exciting sequences . It just wasn't very well directed by Anthony Mann , who makes the pace too leisurely . It would have been a better film with more attention to the true facts , a little more characterization , and a faster pace .
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494,231 | 342,623 | 388,500 | 7 |
Entertaining
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Queen Latifah has the dream of owning a " Beauty Shop " in this 2005 film that also stars Kevin Bacon , Alfre Woodward , Alicia Silverstone , Mena Suvari , Andie MacDowell , Della Reese , Keisha Knight Pulliman and Bryce Wilson . Latifah plays a widow with a young daughter who makes her living as a hairdresser for a pretentious phony ( Bacon ) . When she's finally had enough of his bad attitude , she quits and manages to get a small loan from a bank to start her own shop . She takes some clients and workers with her and gradually builds up her clientèle and keeps going despite setbacks . There's not much to this story ; it's the acting and the characterizations that make it enjoyable . Queen Latifah is a warm , natural actress and as the cast list indicates , she's surrounded by some top people . Woodward , a great actress , is very funny as Ms . Josephine , and Sherri Shepherd gives an energetic performance as Ida . But everyone is good , though Alicia Silverstone is over the top with her Southern accent . Andie MacDowell and Mena Suvari do good jobs as upper class clients , MacDowell as someone who hasn't forgotten her down home roots , and Suvari as a self-absorbed , nasty woman . Della Reese makes a brief appearance , which isn't enough . Kevin Bacon sports long hair with highlights and a German accent . He's a Eurotrash riot . The other men in the cast are total hunks - instead of the women being chosen for their looks , it's the guys ! An entertaining , charming film .
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493,695 | 342,623 | 891,527 | 7 |
Interesting , thought-provoking film
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Good directors always have a point of view , and Robert Redford is no exception . Once a gorgeous leading man , he has emerged in the past years as a fine director . What he's always been is a political and environmental activist . So " Lions for Lambs , " coming from him , should be no surprise . The film , which runs only 88 minutes , shows us three scenarios : a Senator ( Tom Cruise ) handing an intelligent reporter ( Meryl Streep ) a " new plan " for the war in Iraq , which is nothing more than a strategy from the Vietnam War that didn't work ; a professor ( Redford ) prodding a lazy student ( Andrew Garfield ) about his beliefs and urging him to be an active , not passive participant in the world ; and two Army rangers ( Derek Luke and Michael Peña ) behind enemy lines in freezing Afghanistan . The reporter doesn't want to write the story given to her by the Senator because she feels it's false , but she needs her job ; the hawk Senator is , after all , only doing his job , as is the professor ; and the two soldiers are doing theirs . This could have been a stunning film - as it is , it does hold interest despite being very talky . The stark picture of the soldiers juxtaposed with the Senator in his well-tailored suit ( " says he in the air-conditioned room , " Streep reminds him as he's talking about the war ) is a sad reminder that for all the plans , the statistics and the estimates , soldiers are human beings , and young human beings at that , committed to what they're doing - and the professor's student could easily have been one of them , freezing in Afgahanistan instead of contemplating his life . In fact , the two soldiers were the professor's students . Despite what others have said , there aren't any true good guys or bad guys in " Lions for Lambs . " Talk is cheap ( and there's plenty of it in this movie ) - it's easy , detached from a set of circumstances , to intellectualize it or to work it like a chess set . It's easy to say you don't believe something and won't write it - when your job is threatened , you fold . What the film has is two heroes . Despite what everybody talks about in the movie , two people literally put their lives on the line . For what ? Well , that's for you to decide .
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494,438 | 342,623 | 138,524 | 7 |
A sharp divorce attorney meets his match
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Intolerable Cruelty is a 2003 film starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones , two beautiful stars who definitely harken back to the golden era of Hollywood . This film , directed by Joel Coen , is an attempt to do one of those battle of the wits comedies so successful in that same era , which starred Cary Grant and Irene Dunne , or several other combinations . Despite the star power , " Intolerable Cruelty " isn't as successful as those older films , partly because the writing isn't sharp enough and the pacing isn't fast enough . The premise is a very funny one ; A sharp , successful divorce attorney , Miles Massey ( Clooney ) comes up against a woman , Marylin Rexroth ( Zeta-Jones ) who marries men for the big settlements she can get in a divorce . She is humiliated by him in court , but shows up in his office with her next husband , a rich Texan ( Billy-Bob Thornton ) wanting a prenup . She's is given the famous " Massey prenup , " which has never been broken in court . On their wedding day , her new husband shows his devotion by eating the prenup . Six months later , she dumps him . Miles is fascinated by her and pursues her , at first wanting to learn her secret , and then falling for her . The best part of the film is the very beginning , when a television producer ( Geoffrey Rush ) catches his wife with an old friend of hers who just happens to be selling pool supplies in their neighborhood . The scene sets up " Intolerable Cruelty " to be much funnier than it turns out . Clooney is very funny ; Jones underplays , which here comes off as somewhat lethargic , given Clooney's broad portrayal . Thornton , Edward Herrmann as Marylin's first husband , and the rest of the cast offer excellent support . Certainly not unwatchable , but not completely successful .
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494,998 | 342,623 | 28,373 | 7 |
And introducing Universal's new discovery
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Deanna Durbin , Nan Grey and Barbara Read are " Three Smart Girls " in this Universal film from 1936 , which introduces Deanna Durbin to film audiences . It also stars Ray Milland , Mischa Auer , Charles Winninger , John King , Binnie Barnes and Alice Brady . It's a sweet story about three young women , now living in Switzerland with their divorced mother , who hear their father ( Winninger ) is marrying again . Not having seen him in 10 years and knowing their mother still loves him , they board a ship to America , with the help of the housekeeper / nanny , determined to stop the wedding . Realizing that the intended , called " Precious " ( Barnes ) is nothing but a gold-digger aided and abetted by her mother ( Brady ) , they arrange for her to be introduced to a wealthy Count . This is arranged by their father's accountant ( King ) . The man he chooses is a full-time drunk ( Auer ) , but the girls mistake him for an actual wealthy count ( Milland ) . What a mess . This is a delightful film , not cloying or overly sugary at all , with some nice performances , particularly by Auer , Milland , Barnes and Brady . The young women are pretty and all do good work . The emphasis , of course , is on young Durbin , who is a natural actress and a beautifully-trained singer . In fact , her voice as a youngster is much more even than it would be as an adult - she has no trouble with the high notes , as she did later on because she put too much weight in the middle voice . She sings a delightful " Il Bacio " in a police station . One of the nicest things about the film is to see the father , played by Charles Winninger , not want his children around - until he sees them and gets to know them . Barnes as the gold-digger isn't all that young , but the girls ' mother looks way up there , so the inference probably was the older man seeking his youth with a younger , more glamorous woman . In fact , he finds the youth he was seeking in his daughters . Universal gives Durbin the big star buildup here - she has the final shot in the movie . Ray Milland at this point was still paying his dues , and it will probably be a surprise even to film fans how young and attractive he is . Very entertaining and of course , this led to a sequel and big stardom for Deanna .
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494,881 | 342,623 | 1,035,065 | 7 |
Tyrone Power and Edward R . Murrow
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With only about 11 months to live , Tyrone Power was interviewed by Edward R . Murrow in his New York apartment around Christmas 1957 . At the time , he was planning on going on a very ambitious tour of a play , Back to Methuselah , which would then end up in New York . Actually , the tour ended about 12 weeks later , the play opened and closed on Broadway , and Power eventually went to Spain to do " Solomon and Sheba " during which he died . The interview is okay , Power very much using his screen persona . His appearance on What's My Line is much more telling - there he's himself - shy , soft-spoken and humble . At the time of the interview , he was single - he would get married five months later , and when he died , his wife was pregnant with their son . Especially interesting because we know what's going to happen and sad at the same time .
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493,862 | 342,623 | 54,295 | 7 |
Good acting highlights crime caper drama
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Edward G . Robinson has planned the perfect crime in " Seven Thieves , " a 1960 black and white film also starring Rod Steiger , Joan Collins , Eli Wallach , Alexander Scourby , Michael Dante , Marcel Hillaire , and Sebastian Cabot . The film is set in Monte Carlo where Theo Wilkins ( Robinson ) has arranged to meet Paul Mason ( Rod Steiger ) to ask him to join in the plot . Wilkins is a former scientist who lost his credibility after commission of some sort of crime , but we don't know what it is ; Mason has just finished three years in jail . The crime concerns the theft of 4 million francs from a casino and will involve a total of 7 people - a dancer ( Collins ) , her friend ( Wallach ) , her married boyfriend ( Scourby ) , and a safe cracker ( Dante ) . Directed by Henry Hathaway , this is an interesting drama that moves somewhat slowly and might have been better . It has a couple of twists at the end that are interesting , and there is quite a bit of tension and suspense for the audience throughout . The performances are excellent . Robinson gives a sympathetic portrayal of an old man looking for his last shot ; Steiger gives a subdued ( ! ) performance , his character being quietly threatening instead of screaming his guts out - good choice . Someone commented on this site that Joan Collins looks the same today as she did in this film 45 years ago - actually , it's kind of true . The only difference is that she wore less makeup then . Her figure is amazing , and she gives a wonderful performance as an unhappy , hard woman who has much compassion underneath . Eli Wallach does a great job as a nervous wreck . " Seven Thieves " holds your attention . Strangely this is around the time of " Ocean's 11 " where the touch is much lighter . This is a very dramatic story . It's not the greatest but worth checking out .
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494,699 | 342,623 | 28,355 | 7 |
highly enjoyable comedy
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Irene Dunne breaks out of small town conventions in " Theodora Goes Wild , " a 1936 comedy also starring Melvyn Douglas , Thomas Mitchell and Spring Byington . Dunne plays Theodora , who lives a sterile life with her two aunts in a small , Puritan , judgmental town . However , she's got them all beat because she's living a double life - in New York City , she's Caroline Adams , a hot romance novelist who put the capital L in LOVE . Her scandalous best-seller is in the process of being banned by the town literary society . While in New York visiting her disapproved of uncle , she meets a friend of her publisher's , the flirtatious , irreverent Michael ( Douglas ) . He doesn't know her real name or her literary alter ego so to prove to him she's no prude , she gets drunk and goes to his apartment - of course , she leaves screaming - but in doing so , drops a few papers that tell him who she is and where she lives . He soon shows up in her home town as a down on his luck man seeking work and she's more or less blackmailed into giving him a job as the family gardener . This is a delightful comedy buoyed by the marvelous acting of Irene Dunne and Melvyn Douglas . The points are hit a little too hard , however , so that both characters come off as very annoying and exasperating at times . The fault lies in the script , because I don't think those two actors ever made a wrong move . Douglas , who in later life would prove himself one of the great actors of all time , sails through this film as he sailed through so many others in roles that gave no hint of his enormous abilities . Here he's charming , smooth and attractive , inspiring Theodora to take some risks - though he's got a few skeletons he fails to mention to her . Dunne is great as the staid spinster who becomes the talk of New York with her wild outfits , saucy attitude , and smart remarks . Underneath it all , of course , it's a love story some innuendo you don't find in a lot of ' 30s comedies , which adds to the fun . Highly recommended .
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494,481 | 342,623 | 23,960 | 7 |
Precode drama
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1933's " Double Harness " is a precoder based on a play of the same name . Before playwrights like Clifford Odets championed the working man , plays dealt with the upper class , as does " Double Harness . " William Powell is John Fletcher , a committed playboy , and Ann Harding is Joan Colby , who believes marriage is a business . She isn't in love with John , but she believes she can be of use to him in his family enterprise , which he neglects . They become lovers ; she arranges for her father ( Henry Stephenson ) to find her in John's apartment . He strongly suggests to John that he do the right thing , and John leaves it up to Joan - does she want to marry him ? He's surprised when she says yes . On their honeymoon , they agree to stay married for six months and then divorce . Then a funny thing happens : love . Ann Harding came from the Broadway stage ; she was a sophisticated , mature , dramatic looking actress with a rich speaking voice . Actually by 1933 , her career had begun its decline ( though she worked on and off until 1965 ) . Like Kay Francis , she is an elegant , independent heroine , a type which had faded out by the 1940s . Here , her Joan is strong , droll and earthy . Powell was an actor whose appearance didn't change from role to role , but he was able to internalize a character so that he always seemed different . He became associated later on with Nick Charles and some wonderful comedies , but in this era , he's quite serious and as always , wonderful . Dated due to the different mores of today but no less entertaining .
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494,973 | 342,623 | 32,273 | 7 |
Big prewar MGM Production
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Clark Gable , Spencer Tracy , Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr star in " Boom Town , " a 1940 film directed by Jack Conway . It's about wildcatters and friends , played by Gable and Tracy , who make money as partners , love the same woman , go their separate ways , reunite , all under the specter of oil rigs . Gable has a role he owned , that of Big John , a tough guy , a man's man , kind of Rhett Butler goes wildcatting . Tracy is Jonathan Sand , his buddy , with a girl back home . Big John meets a lady and falls for her - except it's Sand's girlfriend Elizabeth ( Colbert ) who's just arrived in town . Well , she had to choose between Clark Gable , matinée idol , and Spencer Tracy , a character actor whose talent gave him leading man status . She chooses Big John . Sand accepts it as best he can . By now the two have struck oil and are in the big money . Eventually , Big John loses his part of the business to Sand , and he and Elizabeth leave the area in order to rebuild - and they do , big time . The couple end up in New York , where Big John meets a Big Beauty named Karen ( Lamarr ) and goes for her , threatening his marriage . Everyone is very good in this absorbing movie , with Lamarr's knockout beauty a real asset . This is nothing against Colbert , who is stunning as well and excellent as Elizabeth . Gable and Tracy have good chemistry - in the end , this is really a buddy movie , and they're a good match . Gable is very sexy and at his peak here . Very enjoyable , with great special effects - no expense spared for the four huge stars .
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494,974 | 342,623 | 23,659 | 7 |
Good precode with a beautiful Lombard
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Carole Lombard and Pat O'Brien star in " Virtue , " a 1932 pre-code film featuring Ward Bond , Mayo Methot and Jack LaRue . Robert Riskin wrote the script and Lombard is a prostitute who's thrown out of New York - escorted onto the train , in fact , by a policeman - but she gets off at another city stop and stays in town . She meets and eventually marries a cab driver ( O'Brien ) who has no idea of her past . When he finds out , he's upset , but he's really in love with her , and they stay together . Then she's implicated in a murder . " Virtue " moves at a fast pace , has very good dialogue , and Lombard gives an excellent performance as a street smart woman who falls in love unexpectedly . She's very beautiful and quite sophisticated in appearance , though her comrades in the streetwalker trade seem a lot lower class . Pat O'Brien , who worked into his eighties and usually played the best friend to someone like Jimmy Cagney , does a good job in a rare leading role for him . Since the film is precode , it contains a lot of innuendo , my favorite being O'Brien's advice to Ward Bond , who wants to get married . " It's your doughnut , " O'Brien says . " Dunk it . "
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494,517 | 342,623 | 28,479 | 7 |
good comedy with music
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Ann Sothern and Gene Raymond star in " Walking on Air , " a 1936 comedy with music . Sothern and Raymond were thrown together a lot in the early to mid-thirties , and they're an attractive team . Raymond is a fledgling singer named Pete Quinlan whom Kit Bennett ( Sothern ) hires to play an annoying boyfriend . Her father ( Henry Stephenson ) refuses to allow her to be with the man she loves ( Alan Curtis ) , so Sothern figures if she can come up with someone worse , her real boyfriend will start to look good . Raymond gets to sing some pleasant songs , and the scenes where he insults the family are fun . Raymond and Sothern sing " Let's Make a Wish " and sound wonderful together . It's cute , it's predictable , but it has nice music and a good cast . Recommended .
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494,256 | 342,623 | 340,012 | 7 |
Delightful tale of a ' 30s stage star
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Annette Bening has title role in " Being Julia , " a story about an actress who oftentimes doesn't know where she leaves off and her stage character begins . Though this is really a one-woman show , Bening is surrounded by a marvelous cast including Jeremy Irons as her impresario husband , Michael Gambon as her acting coach , who , though dead for 15 years , is coaching her through life , Shaun Evans as her young , ambitious beau , and Lucy Punch as her rival . Kudos to Bruce Greenwood , who plays a suitor of Julia's - it looked like Bruce Greenwood but didn't sound like Bruce Greenwood , so I had to look at the cast list . Julia Lambert is a 1930s stage star who , as far as she's concerned , will be playing women in her thirties for a long time . Though she depends on her husband , who owns a theater and guides her career , they lead separate lives ( he's under the impression that she hasn't been interested in sex since she gave birth to their son ) . She takes a young lover ( Evans ) who soon falls in love with blonde Avice ( Punch ) and asks Julia to let her audition for a role in her new play . Julia is most generous to her rival , encouraging her husband to cast her as the ingénue in the new play , giving Avice the stage in her key scene , and even wearing a colorless costume so as not to distract from Avice's moment . The viewer isn't fooled ; we sit there waiting for Julia's next move . Julia's own son Roger is never sure when she's acting or being real , especially since she once told him something and that night , repeated the identical thing on stage . Let's just say when something works , she keeps it . When she begs her young lover not to leave her , she says the same speech , word for word , she gave to another boyfriend . Bening is fabulous in this tour de force , and she looks beautiful and elegant in the gorgeous costumes . Someone commented that she bravely let Szabo photograph her in " unforgiving closeup , " but I'm sure there are plenty of 46 year-olds who wouldn't mind looking like Bening . This is a slight story but a highly entertaining one . My only complaint is the casting of Evans , and I do not understand how it is that casting people always , always get this wrong . When Linda Grey had a young boyfriend on " Dallas , " it was Christopher Atkins , which ruined the plot . I could go on , but these roles are often given to men who , first of all , are too young and look it , and secondly are too vapid . Someone on this site suggested Heath Ledger or Billy Crudup - uh , now you're talking . This kind of a role demands someone hot and of the type we older women would appreciate , not someone we want to pat on the head . Definitely worth seeing for Bening's performance and the great period atmosphere evoked in the film . Also , it's a film targeted to the over 40 demographic for a change .
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493,864 | 342,623 | 32,256 | 7 |
Nelson and Jeannette sing their hearts out
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Jeannette MacDonald is an English woman who falls in love with her teacher ( Nelson Eddy ) and runs away with him to Vienna in " Bitter Sweet , " a 1940 musical based on a play by Noel Coward . Sarah ( MacDonald ) gets away from her family and a man she doesn't love to be with Carl ( Eddy ) who sings and composes . They have a hard time making ends meet but eventually start making money performing in a club . When a top producer is brought to the club to hear Carl's music , the future looks rosy . It's just an illusion . The film was given a top-notch production in color , and Jeannette not only looks lovely but wears the most glorious gowns ! I have always preferred Jeanette's acting to Nelson's and Nelson's singing to Jeanette's . Both of them sound wonderful singing Noel Coward's music , including the beautiful " I'll See You Again . " For some reason , both MacDonald and Eddy had uncredited " vocal stand-ins " - I would assume these people did not sing for them but perhaps rehearsed with the musicians , because Nelson and Jeanette sounded like themselves . MacDonald's voice had a fluttery quality and her tone tended to straighten at the top , but the middle voice and lower tones sounded beautiful . And you can't beat her presence . Eddy , of course , was a magnificent singer , totally suited to the operatic stage . He just never seemed that comfortable in front of the camera . Reminiscent of " Maytime , " this is a treat for Eddy-MacDonald fans .
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493,788 | 342,623 | 120,789 | 7 |
Kids from the real world fall into a TV one
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1998's " Pleasantville " is an interesting film with a great concept that somehow doesn't come off . It seems like a simple story at first but as the plot deepens , the film becomes unwieldy though fascinating in sections . Tobey Macguire is David , a teenager who is looking forward to a marathon of his favorite TV show , " Pleasantville , " a ' 50s comedy similar to any that baby boomers grew up with . When an unsolicited TV repairman ( Don Knotts ) appears , he leaves David a special remote . David manages to zap himself and his sister Jennifer ( Reese Witherspoon ) into the black and white world of Pleasantville . David warns Jennifer that they cannot do anything out of character for the town . However , being modern teens , they are not in step with the people of Pleasantville and sure enough , the TV town begins to change . . . from black and white to color . What makes " Pleasantville " the movie a fun experience is that everyone seems to have a different interpretation of what , for instance , the color means , and the message of the film . I can only give my own impressions . For some , the film promotes sexual promiscuity . As the kids become more sexually active , led by Jennifer , and turn into color characters , they are then faced with sexually transmitted diseases and become objects of prejudice , black and white versus colored . Get it ? Then pages that were blank in books are filled in as Jennifer and David tell the stories of Huck Finn et al . , which causes books to be burned . For me the color wasn't equal to sexual promiscuity but to emotional life . And what the movie was trying to say for me is that the black and white world of the Pleasantville TV show only existed on television . There were enlightened people in the ' 50s and plenty of dysfunctional families and illegitimate babies , so someone was having sex ; television just didn't show them . TV did mirror much of society , but people have been people through the ages even if the identities men and women have in our culture has changed . Jennifer is a sexually promiscuous teen ; in Pleasantville , she starts reading and studying and understands that there's a lot more to life . David's TV dad ( Bill Macy ) realizes that he loves his wife ( Joan Allen ) even if she doesn't have dinner on the table at 6 p . m . every evening . I found " Pleasantville " absorbing but something was a little off-kilter about its execution . Perhaps it was in the set-up of David and Jennifer winding up in Pleasantville , which initially made it seem that the film was going to be a wacky comedy . Despite fine performances from Bill Macy , Jeff Daniels as a coffee shop owner / frustrated artist , Joan Allen , Knotts , Witherspoon , and Maguire , in the end , " Pleasantville " bit off a little more than it could chew .
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495,162 | 342,623 | 54,759 | 7 |
Hudson and Lollobrigida in Italy
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Rock Hudson and Gina Lollabrigida star in " Come September , " a 1961 comedy beautifully photographed to showcase the glorious scenery of Portafino , Italy , and the exquisiteness of Gina Lollabrigida , a knockout if there ever was one . Haven't seen her lately , but 25 years later , she was every bit as gorgeous . Hudson plays a millionaire who comes to Italy to spend time in his villa each September . This year , he arrives early , looking forward to a dalliance with Lollobrigida as well . But she's through with him and planning to marry someone else - until she hears his voice . When Hudson arrives at his fabulous villa , he discovers that his major domo ( expertly played by Walter Slezak ) has , for the last six years , been turning his place into a hotel . There is a bus load of young girls staying there with their chaperone , who slips on a champagne cork and is put out of commission . Thus , the girls can't leave and Hudson feels compelled to chaperone them . When Lollobrigida hears the advice he's giving the young women to keep them out of the clutches of some young men who have arrived with reservations - she's not happy . The young men figure Hudson is too old to compete with them so they try exhausting him , hoping to get some time alone with the women . Though this comedy sags in the middle , it's a cute story and the cast is delightful , including Sandra Dee and Bobby Darrin , who sings the title song and also " Multiplication " at a night club . A great talent , his is a sad story of a gifted song stylist who didn't live to mine his full potential . It is during this film that he met his future wife , Dee . Hudson is handsome and fit and again shows his ability for comedy , and Lollabrigida gives an energetic , sexy performance . Their dance together in the nightclub is a high point . One of the posters mentioned that Hudson's films today are diminished because of his now-known sexual preference . I submit this is ridiculous . Straight people have played gay people for years , and vice versa . The fact that we may not be aware of it doesn't make it any less true . Hudson plays a straight man in this , and he's effective . When did it become a mandate that actors could only play themselves ? It's not called acting for nothing .
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493,877 | 342,623 | 41,550 | 7 |
cute comedy
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David Niven is an isolated concert pianist who is swept into the lives of apartment house residents in " A Kiss in the Dark , " also starring Jane Wyman . Niven is excellent as a man who knows no other world than that of the concert stage and the practice room , and his handlers like it that way . When an apartment manager visits him , Niven learns that one of his investments is The Cleopatra Apartments . One look at Jane Wyman in her shorts and Niven decides not to be an absentee landlord . This is a very entertaining comedy , and I agree with previous posters that there are laugh out loud scenes . Some of the comedy is provided by , of all people , Broderick Crawford as a subletter who works at night and sleeps - - or tries to - - all day . It's a different role for Crawford , and he does it very well . Wyman is very pretty and vivacious as an apartment dweller who falls for Niven , and the two have wonderful chemistry . Handsome Wayne Morris is her insurance salesman boyfriend . This isn't the most fabulous film you'll ever see , but it's a fun one .
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495,086 | 342,623 | 54,750 | 7 |
good WW II movie
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Bradford Dillman is a soldier chosen for a dangerous mission in " A Circle of Deception , " a 1960 film also starring Suzy Parker , Harry Andrews and Robert Stephens . The story is told in flashback as Paul Raine ( Dillman ) remembers his assignment after a visit by his ex-lover , Lucy ( Parker ) . In order to divert German troops from an attack site , Paul is chosen because according to his psychological profile , he will break under torture and give the Germans the information the Allies want them to have . Paul knows his mission is risky , but Lucy , an assistant to the captain ( Andrews ) who thought up this scheme , knows the entire story . She's enlisted to go out with Paul , since he seems interested , and evaluate if he's really the man for the job . She becomes a little more involved than planned . Filmed in black and white , this isn't a big budget movie , but it's good . Dillman was a young star then under contract to 20th Century Fox , but despite being both attractive and a good actor , with the studio system abolished , he found most of his success in television . Parker , one of the first supermodels , was a staggering beauty who was given several opportunities in Hollywood . She was lousy in every one of them . Like Grace Kelly , she had a cool , sophisticated look , and also like Grace Kelly , in person she had a fantastic sense of humor and a wonderful personality - and like Grace Kelly , she never got one role to showcase them . Though Dillman and Harry Andrew are both very good , it's Robert Stephens as the German captain who imprisons Paul that gives the most chilling performance . A brilliant stage actor , he's a knockout in this , and one wishes he had pursued more film work before his death in 1995 . He could have had an Oscar-level career . All in all , " A Circle of Deception " is very good , and the black and white helps to keep up the British wartime atmosphere . Dillman and Parker met during the making of this film , married in 1963 , had 3 children , and stayed married until Parker's death in 2003 . Her last work on film was in a 1970 " Night Gallery " episode , in which she looked absolutely gorgeous , but through the ' 50s , ' 60s ( and possibly into the ' 70s ) she was on every magazine cover and in every fashion layout imaginable . The torture scenes are not for the feint of heart - to be honest , I fast-forwarded through them . The rest of the movie is both interesting and suspenseful .
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494,833 | 342,623 | 28,416 | 7 |
Fascinating combination of mystery , suspense , and comedy
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Trouble for Two is a benign title that belies what an unusual film this is . Robert Montgomery plays a foreign prince who is approached by a beautiful , mysterious woman ( Rosalind Russell ) on board ship to London . She asks him to hold an envelope for her until they disembark , at which time she will meet him at the bottom of the gangplank . She never does . It turns out the envelope is full of blank paper . While in London , Montgomery meets Louis Hayward , who tells him and his aide ( Frank Morgan ) of the existence of a suicide club . The prince insists on accompanying Hayward there , over his aide's objections . There , in this exclusive club where people pay to die with another member's assistance so it looks like natural causes , he sees the mysterious lady again . . . This is a very intriguing story with twists and turns that will keep the viewer interested . Montgomery and Russell did five films together and make a good team . She's quite striking-looking and somber in this . Montgomery does an excellent job as the prince , a young man who can't resist the idea of adventure and who is willing to take even foolish risks . Louis Hayward's role is small but a different one for him . He looks heavier and softer . As the actor who first portrayed The Saint , he normally was quite suave and dashing . You have to pay attention during " Trouble for Two " - it moves fast . Based on Robert Louis Stevenson's story " The Suicide Club , " the script could have been stronger , but it's a good effort and a change from the usual fare .
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494,168 | 342,623 | 120,824 | 7 |
stunning
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It's rare to see a movie made with such tender loving care . Director Hallstrom gathered the best cast and crew he could find for this film . The cinematography is glorious - I can't believe Oliver Stapleton isn't up for every award in the world . Kevin Spacey turns in the best performance of his career as a brutalized man , Cate Blanchett is her usual chameleon self as his trashy girlfriend , Julianne Moore is perfection as the woman who helps him heal , and Judi Dench is funny and touching as his aunt . Hers is a role without a huge amount of lines but tons of substance . Only a master could have given the character such depth . The Shipping News has poignancy , humor and a great deal of beauty . What it has above all else is atmosphere - Hallstrom's feel for the Newfoundland shipping village , the simple lives led there and the friendships made is truly awe-inspiring .
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493,610 | 342,623 | 32,831 | 7 |
A famous writer's love for his no-good son
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Brian Aherne stars in " My Son , My Son , " the son being Louis Hayward in this 1940 film . Madeline Carroll , Laraine Day , Henry Hull , and Josephine Hutchinson also star in this saga that spans 20 + years . William Essex is an ambitious young man , determined to get out of the slums . He winds up helping a sick man and his daughter ( Hutchinson ) by delivering bread to their customers . After the man's death , he marries the daughter , a stern religious woman . Together they have a son , Oliver . William has a blind spot when it comes to the boy and is overly indulgent , even when it becomes evident that the kid is a manipulative cheat and liar . William is eventually widowed and reconnects with an artist , Livia ( Carroll ) , whom he met while doing research for a novel in the mines . Unfortunately Oliver is in love with her as well and considers this a big competition , although Livia is not in love with him . His behavior nearly drives Livia away . Oliver then has his way with a girl he grew up , an actress currently starring in William's play - and the daughter of Wiliam's best friend . By the time Oliver goes to serve in World War I , he has cut a wide path of destruction . " My Son , My Son " makes for an okay movie but has a very disappointing performance by Brian Aherne . Aherne , who by this time had been overshadowed by Errol Flynn , was capable of much better as he showed in " Merrily We Live " and other films . He was an accomplished stage actor as well . However , he did not seem very committed to this material . In a way , I don't blame him . The character comes across like an idiot letting this brat get away with what he did . The rest of the performances are very good , particularly from Hayward , who did this smooth con man type of character very well . Carroll is luminous as a woman desperately in love with William but frightened of what Oliver might do next . Laraine Day is lovely as Maeve , who harbors a secret love for William and whose life takes on tragic proportions . " My Son , My Son " is nowhere near as horrible as one of the reviews indicates ( in my opinion ) but it isn't great . It seems to have a tacked-on Hollywood ending as well .
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494,672 | 342,623 | 32,829 | 7 |
Dig that swing !
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With some great music as background , " My Love Came Back " is a very enjoyable film from Warner Brothers , starring Olivia de Havilland , Jeffrey Lynn , Jane Wyman , and Eddie Albert . de Havilland plays a promising violinist who catches the musical ear - but mostly the eye - of a benefactor ( Charles Winninger ) . de Havilland innocently lets him escort her to things that will further her musical education , having no idea that her new school scholarship comes directly from him . Mixups and misunderstandings result when she falls for Winninger's business manager , played by tall , handsome Jeffrey Lynn , who comes off in this as sort of an American Ray Milland . Meanwhile , her roommate , played by a vivacious , blond Jane Wyman and her fiancée , the delightful Eddie Albert , try to drag her into their swing music band . Albert and Wyman , along with S . K . Szall and Spring Byington , make up a great supporting cast . de Havilland is a perfect sweet young thing , playing the comedy very earnestly . Her soft look is in contrast to Wyman , who's positively eye-popping as a blonde . It's hard to connect her with the same actress who would star as the deaf mute in Johnny Belinda , or for that matter , the dowager of Falcon Crest ! Lynn never made it to star status , partially because of World War II interrupting his career , but he enjoyed a long one anyway , as well as a career in real estate . One of the things that makes this film is the marvelous music , not only classical but swing . This is a movie that's well worth seeing and makes for good listening as well .
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494,037 | 342,623 | 41,555 | 7 |
Disjointed film by Nicholas Ray
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Nicholas Ray is a director whose oeuvre is somewhat erratic , and 1949's " Knock on Any Door " shows just how erratic it is . It stars Humphrey Bogart in his first film after leaving Warner Brothers , though it comes off like a Warner Brothers film made in the 1930s - it has a real " Dead End Kids " feel to it , particularly in the beginning . It concerns Andrew Morton ( Bogart ) defending a young man , Nick Romano ( John Derek ) whom he has helped in the past . Morton was too busy to defend Nick's immigrant dad on a charge for which he was not guilty , and Nick's father died in prison after some bad lawyering . Guilt for what happened to the boy's father keeps him in touch with the hoodlum and attempting to help him . Nick's family in reduced circumstances has to move to a bad neighborhood . Nick falls in with the wrong crowd and becomes a delinquent , his crimes growing larger and larger , culminating in the murder of a policeman . Nick's story is told in a series of flashbacks during his trial as Bogart attempts to show that society is guilty for the boy's fate . Of course one can only blame society so far . His family was in a better situation out west ; he could have joined them at any time . He had jobs and a loving wife , but he couldn't stay employed . He had the support of Morton , and he stole money from him . Sooner or later , a person has to take the help offered and decide to change , or nothing is going to do any good . There were scenes of reform school abuse , which perhaps could have been a film in itself and had more impact , as it was brutal and not at all rehabilitative . There was a strange plot device which seemed solely for the purpose of adding to the boy's troubles - his wife , ( Allene Roberts ) makes a decision at one point which comes out of nowhere and is very abrupt and probably went against her character . Bogart looks fantastic - tanned , healthy , and immaculately dressed in expensive suits . His down-to-earth delivery and excellent timing is always great to watch . He plays the part of a compassionate man / passionate lawyer beautifully . This film marked John Derek's debut . He was a true ' 50s hunk , with thick dark hair and smoldering eyes . His acting is adequate for the role , but not of the deeper quality of , say , James Dean . He really had no interest in stardom and turned his attention to wives and photography later on . Nevertheless , you couldn't ask for a more auspicious beginning . The character doesn't come off as very sympathetic - if that was the goal , it failed . I'm not sure it was Derek's fault , but more the fault of the script . All in all , watchable for Bogie , who is always a master and certainly a story that will hold your interest .
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494,694 | 342,623 | 32,823 | 7 |
Tony Martin & Rita Hayworth make beautiful music together
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Tony Martin has " Music in My Heart , " a 1940 B movie also starring Rita Hayworth , Edith Fellows , Alan Mowbray , Eric Blore and George Tobias . Martin is singer Bob Gregory , who is about to be deported . We never get the full story , except his parents never applied for citizenship . Presumably he was born elsewhere but raised in the U . S . On his way to the boat to leave the country , his cab collides with the one carrying gorgeous Patricia O'Malley ( Hayworth ) who is on her way to the boat , too , so she can marry a rich man ( Mowbray ) . They both miss the boat , and Bob ends up not only staying with Patricia's family but falling in love with her as well . The film is filled with music and some great singing by Martin , who by the time I was a child , wasn't doing this type of singing any longer . He had a fantastic tenor voice . Rita's hair looks black here but she's no less fantastic looking . She only has one dance , but it's basically hip movement - we don't get to see much else . She and Martin make a handsome team and give relaxed performances . " Music in My Heart " is probably a cut above a B , considering the cast . Since Cohn was grooming Rita for stardom , he surrounded her with good talent . Not that she needed anyone else around her - she always glittered like gold .
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493,795 | 342,623 | 32,846 | 7 |
nice teaming of Russell and Stewart
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Rosalind Russell and James Stewart are husband and wife in " No Time for Comedy , " a 1940 film also starring Charles Ruggles , Genevieve Tobin , Louise Beavers and Allyn Joslyn . It's based on the Broadway hit that starred Katharine Cornell and Laurence Olivier in one of his early lead roles in the U . S . This was the play , according to legend , that David O . Selznick arranged for Olivier to star in so he would be separated from Vivien Leigh while she was doing " Gone with the Wind . " Russell is the glamorous stage star Linda Paige who is starring in a drawing room comedy by one Gaylord Esterbrook ( Stewart ) . He's actually from the sticks , and the play is not without its problems . When the production loses its backer , Paige steps in and saves the show . Bumpkin Esterbrook becomes a lauded playwright and marries Paige . He writes comedies with starring roles for her . One day he meets Mandy Swift , a socialite who likes to , shall we say , take young men under her wing and mold them . She convinces Gaylord that he needs to write some serious drama . Since he's already doing some serious drinking , it stands to reason one should follow the other . Not having seen the original play , it's hard to say whether the film matches up to the original . At the time of the film , Spain was involved in a civil war , and all of Europe threatened by the Nazis ; war was imminent . The play is about a playwright who is agonized by his success in the genre of sophisticated comedies when the world is such a serious place . It's also about several years into a marriage when the bloom has fallen off the rose . The film " No Time for Comedy " is an uneasy mix of drama and comedy . Stewart , who normally plays a likable character , plays a country boy spoiled by success . He turns to drink and another woman , making him much less likable . Yet the audience is set up from the beginning to think he's going to be a nice guy . Russell , of course , plays the stage actress ( which she was ) beautifully . As Gaylord's suffering wife , she is dignified and sophisticated and you can see her broken heart beneath the veneer . Louise Beavers is fabulous as the maid who is not only an equal in the household but acts on stage as well . Part of the problem with " No Time for Comedy " is that nowadays , we know the importance of comedy in times of tragedy . In fact , it's always time for comedy , never more than when there's a dark pall over the world . Despite good performances , the movie seems dated today , as I suspect would the play .
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493,730 | 342,623 | 32,349 | 7 |
fun pairing of Gable and Lamarr
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Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr star in " Comrade X , " a 1940 comedy from MGM also starring Eve Arden , Felix Bressart and Oscar Homolka . Gable and Arden are American journalists in Russia while the Russians search frantically for " Comrade X , " a reporter sending out uncensored stories to the United States . One man knows the identity of Comrade X - a bumbling valet in the hotel where many of the reporters stay ( Felix Bressart ) . He fears his outspoken daughter is in danger of being purged by the Russians like so many and blackmails Comrade X into getting her out of the country . Well , we've known from the beginning who Comrade X is - who else - and he reluctantly agrees to his assignment - reluctantly until he gets a look at the daughter ( Lamarr ) , who is driving a streetcar using the name Theodore . Women can't drive streetcars . Everyone is very good in this film , and Lamarr's staggering beauty and Gable's macho man are pluses . The supporting cast is great - Homolka is a government official who says his predecessor " met with an unfortunate accident " - as many of them do throughout the film . I have to agree with one of the posters here - the scene with the tanks is absolutely priceless , particularly when you realize that films didn't have the mechanisms for " special effects " as they do today . Lots of fun at the expense of good old Mother Russia .
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494,174 | 342,623 | 54,692 | 7 |
Can't help falling in love with Elvis
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Elvis Presley was in great shape when he made " Blue Hawaii , " which was a cut above the typical Elvis garbage films that Colonel Tom arranged for him to make later . This is a really fun film with some great numbers . I have always been partial to Rock A Hula - it's exuberant , it's sexy , it's Elvis . This film also features " Can't Help Falling in Love " and the " Hawaiian Wedding Song . " Angela Lansbury has a great turn as Elvis ' southern mother . This film , with its big budget and great soundtrack , laid the groundwork for the Elvis movies made later . Unfortunately , as Parker had negotiated a percentage of each film , it didn't take him long to realize that the faster and cheaper they made them , the more money for him and , by extension , Elvis . In fact , later on , the songs done in the films were not specifically written for the particular film - they were simply unreleased songs that were bundled into an album as the movie soundtrack . But when you see Blue Hawaii , don't dwell on any of that . Just enjoy the scenery and the young , healthy Elvis , with his whole post-Army life ahead of him . All 17 years of it .
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494,862 | 342,623 | 292,506 | 7 |
Good film , good cast
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Colin Farrell , Al Pacino and Bridget Moynihan star in " The Recruit , " a 2003 film directed by Roger Donaldson . Farrell plays a young man recruited by the CIA in the person of Pacino ; while training at Langley , he gets close to another trainee ( Moynihan ) . Once out of training , he's told she's an infiltrate from another country assigned to following her . As is often said in the film , nothing is as it seems , and both Farrell and the audience are bamboozled more than once . The film has many twists and turns , all of which add up to a very absorbing movie . A weary-looking Pacino is excellent as always , and Farrell is effective . This one keeps the surprises coming , so pay attention .
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493,737 | 342,623 | 120,744 | 7 |
Familiar tale with a new cast
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Leonardo DiCaprio is " The Man in the Iron Mask " and also King Louis XIV in this re-telling of the famous Dumas story . He is surrounded in a sumptuous production by a stellar cast that includes Gabriel Byrne , John Malkovich , Gerard Depardieu and Jeremy Irons . The oft-filmed plot concerns the twin brother of the cruel , selfish Louis IV who is guarded loyally by D'Artagnan . Phillipe , the twin , was taken from his mother at birth and once found by the King , imprisoned and placed in an iron mask to hide his identity . When the poverty and the uprisings become too much , Aramis ( Irons ) , who knows of Phillipe's existence , breaks him out of prison with the help of Porthos ( Depardieu ) and Athos ( Malkovich ) with the idea of having him replace Louis at an upcoming masquerade ball . It falls to Athos , who has just lost his son Raoul in war because of Louis ' lust for Raoul's fiancée , to teach Philippe how to be king in a short time . Things do not go as planned . This tremendous cast and huge production make for absorbing viewing , different yet as entertaining as the Richard Chamberlain TV version and the Louis Hayward version in the 1930s . Here the emphasis is on the old Musketeers , which works well - Porthos who feels his age and misses the old lusts , the grieving Athos and Aramis , given an impossible job by Louis , which means that Louis must go ; and , of course , D'Artagnan , fiercely loyal to his King and insisting that he can be molded into a great ruler , despite evidence to the contrary . The acting is fabulous - there really isn't a standout among the four men as they are all so good . Leonardo DiCaprio creates two completely different characters with Louis and Philippe and does an excellent job . Though he was trending toward matinée idol / chick flick territory , he pulled himself out to take on weightier roles - though there's no doubt this film was meant to bring in the teenagers . And what's wrong with that - a classic story once in a while won't kill them . Entertaining viewing .
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495,026 | 342,623 | 23,582 | 7 |
don't mess with sorority rejects
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This is an oldie but a goodie , albeit a short one - one of the other comments explains what happened , but no one knows the reason . Myrna Loy is very beautiful and exotic as Ursula Georgi ( which I actually think is an Italian name ) who is a half-caste seeking revenge on sorority sisters who kept her out of their group . She uses the power of suggestion , switching their actual horoscopes by mail that they receive from a swami with predictions of doom . One by one , the women die . She ultimately knocks off the swami and turns her sights on the disbeliever of the group , played by Irene Dunne . Loy would soon break free from exotica with " The Thin Man " series . Mrs . Laurence Olivier at the time , Jill Esmond , appears in the film , as do Ricardo Cortez and Peg Entwhistle . For Entwhistle , the dire predictions in the film played out in real life for her . Shortly after this movie was made , she achieved a lasting fame by committing suicide by jumping from the " Hollywoodland " sign in Los Angeles .
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493,731 | 342,623 | 254,099 | 7 |
Not mom and dad's anniversary party
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Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason-Leigh are Joe Therrian and Sally Nash , a successful novelist and actress throwing " The Anniversary Party " in this 2001 film written and directed by the two stars . Other guests include Kevin Kline , Phoebe Cates , Jennifer Beals , John C . Reilly , Parker Posey , Jane Adams and Gwyneth Paltrow . Cumming and Leigh play a couple celebrating their sixth anniversary , though they have been estranged and are just getting back together . Problems arise almost immediately - Joe has been hired to direct the screenplay of his novel and wants a young actress ( Paltrow ) to play a role everyone assumes is based on and intended for Sally . He invites the actress to the party , making Sally furious . Then the neighbors have to be invited ( John Benjamin Hickey and Posey ) because of an ongoing fight over Joe and Sally's dog Otis barking and enraging the neighbors . As the guests start to arrive , we see some interesting dynamics forming : a married couple ( Adams and Reilly ) who have just had their first baby and left him with a sitter ; she's a neurotic , nearly anorexic working actress and he , the director of Sally's latest film , is unhappy with Sally's performance ; a close friend of Joe's ( Beals ) who's a little too close to him and disliked by Sally ; a married couple ( Kline and Cates ) who bring their two children to the party ( Kline and Cates ' real-life children ) - he's Sally's costar and she gave up show business , etc . When the ingénue arrives with Ecstasy , the party takes a turn , and it's not for the better . This is an interesting film , helped greatly by the acting and the relaxed , almost improvisational feel of dialogue . Leigh and Cumming are cognizant in their writing and direction that this is Hollywood , where people are more self-absorbed and overdone than the norm . When Sally and Greta ( Cates ) have a huge discussion about child-bearing and Joe's inability to grow up , you can't take it seriously - they're both on Ecstasy and have the intensity of two high-schoolers , where everything is the end of the world . The scene is deliberately that way - they're on drugs . When Joe tells Sally he never considered her for the part in the movie because she's too old , we know it's a sore subject he didn't want to bring up . Meanwhile , the uptight , non-show biz neighbors watch the activity in amazement , the wife wanting to belong , the husband , a recovering alcoholic , afraid that she does . The film ends abruptly with nothing really resolved . The end of the film becomes a mini-version of " Long Day's Journey Into Night , " and , almost like that famous play , one gets the feeling that after this night of Ecstasy , overwrought emotions and devastation , it will all begin over again today . Everyone is excellent , and that's not to say they're particularly likable . Jane Adams , Mel of " Frasier " fame leaves you wondering if she'll make it to the baby's first birthday ; Kevin Kline , as usual , gives one of the best performances as a handsome leading man who " has a window " available for Joe's film ; Jennifer Beals gives her character a nice , Hollywood intensity , making the most of lines like " he's magnificent when he's with you . " Paltrow is perfect as the airhead ingénue , fawning all over Sally and saying exactly the wrong things ( " I've watched your movies since I was a little girl " ) and floating around on another plane . Riley , Posey , and the rest of the cast are uniformly strong . Cumming is surprisingly believable as Sally's husband . Greta refers to him as sexually ambivalent , and he pulls that off rather than seeming completely gay - he is most famous for his wonderful performance in " Cabaret " as the emcee - but it's obvious he's capable of more variety . The beautiful Jason-Leigh is sensational - she plays a woman who's a movie star at a time when the cameras aren't rolling , and with her interesting look and penetrating eyes , you can believe it . She's determined to make a go of it with her husband , but she has doubts - that's there too . She and Cumming pull out all the stops as the emotions and situations careen downhill . One quibble I have is the age issue of Sally being uncastable in a role calling for her to be in her twenties . I saw Jason-Leigh in Proof , where a big deal is made in the script of the character being 25 . No one in the audience , myself included , realized that Jason-Leigh was , in fact , at 39 , the oldest actress to have played it on Broadway . Even on film , she doesn't look 39 - in fact , in my opinion , though Paltrow was dressed more youthfully and wearing her hair younger , she looked much less vibrant than Jason-Leigh and , unlike Jason-Leigh , wasted . This was a conceit in the script that would have been better had the age of the character in Joe's novel been more like 18 . Everyone knows with the right lighting and the right cast around someone , they can easily look younger . All in all , a good movie showing the miserable lives of the rich and famous , something poor folk like myself never mind watching .
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495,083 | 342,623 | 45,877 | 7 |
Taut noir directed by Ida Lupino
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Ida Lupino , a talented actress , also pursued a successful directing career , and 1953's " Hitch-Hiker " is one of her best . Based on a true story , it stars Edmond O'Brien , Frank Lovejoy , and William Talman . O'Brien and Lovejoy are buddies , Lovejoy away from his family for the first time , and they're on route to Mexico on a fishing vacation . Doesn't quite turn out that way , as they pick up a hitch-hiker ( Tallman ) who is a notorious killer who has been robbing his kind victims and then killing them . The two friends never know when Tallman will decide to kill them throughout the long drive . This is quite a suspenseful and tense film , with good performances all around . Baby boomers will recognize Talman as the losing . complaining DA , Hamilton Burger , on Perry Mason . But he didn't just appear one day at the casting office ; his career up to then had been character roles in film with some television . He gives an excellent performance as a terrifying , volatile killer . Definitely his best role ; sadly , he succumbed to lung cancer two years after Perry Mason ended . O'Brien and Lovejoy , usually two tough guys in films , are great as ordinary men in an extraordinary circumstance . When Lovejoy sees a little girl , he thinks of his own daughter and hugs the child , crying " Vaya con Dios , " fearing that he will never see his daughter again . My only complaint is that there were endless long shots of the car driving down the road ; you could almost predict when they were coming up . It's a small criticism of a woman who help to pave the way for what few film directors we have today .
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493,960 | 342,623 | 41,498 | 7 |
Pleasant comedy of Cary Grant as an army wife
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I saw this movie years and years ago and always remembered the line , " Be quiet or people will think we smuggled in a cow . " I was excited to see it on TCM . Alas , while it's good , it's not as hysterically funny as I thought it was going to be . Cary Grant plays a Frenchman with an English accent who winds up married to an American officer , played by Ann Sheridan . I loved their banter , especially in the beginning . Their wedding night is interrupted when she gets orders to ship out , and the problem becomes how to get her new husband home with her to America when all the spousal regulations seem to be for brides . For me , the funniest scene took place while Grant is waiting for the bus with all the brides . Over a loudspeaker , a female officer informs the women about the new styles in the states and the way hair is worn . Grant's face is priceless while she's talking . The movie is cute and notable for Grant dressing like a woman and looking very homely . Ann Sheridan is very good . The film is a little slow , but if you love Cary Grant , you should enjoy it .
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494,786 | 342,623 | 45,866 | 7 |
Funny Hope
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In 1953's " Here Come the Girls , " Bob Hope is a pathetic chorus boy in a production around the turn of the century . The leads ( Arlene Dahl , Tony Martin ) want him out of the show , and his only friend is his girlfriend ( Rosemary Clooney ) . Finally , the producer ( Fred Clark ) fires him , only to bring him back immediately . A serial killer obsessed with Dahl goes after Martin and injures him badly . So poor Bob is put back in the show - this time as the lead - just until the serial killer ( Robert Strauss ) can go after him and , as far as everyone is concerned , hopefully kill him . Dahl pretends to be enamored of him , and Hope starts ignoring Clooney . This is very funny Hope , the energetic , cowardly , naive Hope that everyone loved in the ' 40s . Unfortunately , although it's a musical , we don't get to hear much from Martin and Clooney , neither of which have a tremendous amount to do . That's a shame . Hope , of course , couldn't play that youthful character forever ; eventually his films became stale with old jokes and a staid , wisecracking Bob . But here he still shines . The beautiful Arlene Dahl is his costar . She doesn't have much to do except look dazzling , never a problem for her . Look out for the young boy named " Bang Crosby " whom Hope meets along the way . Enjoyable film .
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494,614 | 342,623 | 37,193 | 7 |
Hope as a coward , this time on the high seas
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Bob Hope again plays his cowardly character in " The Princess and the Pirate , " a 1944 film from Samuel Goldwyn Studios . The film also stars Virginia Mayo , Walter Slezak , Victor McLaglen , and Walter Brennan . Hope plays Sylvester the Great ( who gives his last name as Crosby ) , a bad performer who becomes involved with an incognito princess , played by pretty Virginia Mayo . There's really no point in going through the story - it's fairly ridiculous , concerning a map and a treasure . It's really just an excuse for some gorgeous Technicolor escapist entertainment in the midst of World War II . Beautiful women ( the Goldwyn Girls ) and lots of comedy abound . Hope is a scream as Sylvester , impersonating a Gypsy woman and Captain Barrett ( McLaglen ) who has a hook for a hand . Toward the end of the film , both Barrett and Sylvester disguised as Barrett are in Barrett's quarters , unaware of one another , each leaving the room from time to time and making opposite pronouncements to the pirates . Very funny stuff . Hope is an absolute riot with that dry , offhand delivery of his and his facial expressions . He generally played an avowed coward , though a likable one , and this time is no different . Everyone does a great job in this , and I'm sure audiences , depressed by war news , appreciated it . Lots of fun and recommended .
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494,893 | 342,623 | 32,353 | 7 |
A poor man's " Red Dust "
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This time , just call Maisie " Congo Maisie " in this 1940 second entry into the " Maisie " series . Each episode of Maisie's fabulous life is done as a separate entity as if the previous one never happened . So don't get too attached to anyone . Maisie , stranded as usual , stows away on a ship that doesn't go the way she wants and , in fact , breaks down . She tags along with a rubber plantation manager ( John Carroll ) when he hikes to his old house where he worked as a doctor ( he's since forsaken the Hippocratic oath ) . Now it's the home of a doctor who does research ( Sheppard Strudwick ) and his wife ( Rita Johnson ) . " Congo Maisie " is chock full of adventure , with Maisie assisting in an emergency operation and , wearing a gown and a Carmen Miranda headpiece from her club act , fends off witch doctors . It's quite funny but as my sister yelled out to me hearing some of it , " Is that a politically incorrect movie you're watching in there ? " Uh , yeah . John Carroll is the new object of Maisie's affections . He talks a lot and uses a monotone that becomes grating real fast . I recall a photo of him where he was presented as a Gable wannabe . Forget it . Rita Johnson is absolutely lovely , and Sheppard Strudwick is very good . Fun .
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493,790 | 342,623 | 37,303 | 7 |
Holmes in modern day
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When Sherlock Holmes and Dr . Watson moved from 20th Century Fox to Universal , they left the Victorian era and entered wartime Europe . This film , " The Spider Woman , " is based on the Conan Doyle story " The Speckled Band . " Holmes fakes his death in order to investigate some diabolical murders that appear to look like suicides , hoping to force the criminals out into the open . He disguises himself as a Mr . Singh and appears at a gambling club , where all of the victims had played . There he meets his adversary ( Gale Sondergaard ) and , as he tells Watson , " the game's afoot . " This is an excellent entry into the series . The big finale takes place at a carnival shooting game where the targets are Mussolini , Lenin and Hitler , so the writers got their propaganda in . Rathbone is a great Holmes , and the character of Watson as essayed by Bruce comes off quite well . The way the part was written in the serial often made Watson seem like a buffoon , and Holmes was at times unattractively condescending to him . That seems absent here . Very good .
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493,880 | 342,623 | 46,040 | 7 |
A sleeper directed by Elia Kazan
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Fredric March is a " Man on a Tightrope " in this 1953 film also starring Terry Moore , Gloria Grahame , Adolphe Menjou , Richard Boone and Cameron Mitchell , Directed by Elia Kazan , this black and white film is about circus performers who and a daring plan to escape to Germany from Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia . The manager of the circus , Karel Czernik ( Fredric March ) is a seemingly weak man - in fact , his second wife ( Grahame ) detests him for it . When he's called before Communist authorities for one or another infraction committed by the circus , he's deferential and nervous . Behind all this , he has been planning the escape of the entire circus from Czechoslovakia for three years . Only a few people know - but when the Commmunists ask about a radio owned by Czernik , he realizes one of his friends is probably a traitor , though he can't accept it . He also has trouble accepting his daughter's ( Terry Moore ) taste in men ( Cameron Mitchell ) . I visited Czechoslovakia eight years ago . The thought of that beautiful country and those charming , stunning people having to live for so long under Communist rule is a heartbreaking thought . This film really brought it home . One thing immediately noticeable about " Man on a Tightrope " is the circus and the depressing Eastern Europe atmosphere , heightened by the black and white photography and the broken-down circus . Then there is the look of the people in the circus - these aren't actor's faces , these are the faces of real people . Kazan used a real-life circus , the Brumbach Circus , for background and performances . You can almost feel the dust and the oppression of working under Communist rule . Fredric March gives a wonderful performance as Karel , a true actor who appears to bow to the Communists and yet is no weakling . His love for both his wife and daughter is apparent , as is his determination to get out of the country and concern for the performers . Gloria Grahame is sexy and flirty as his wife , who has her eye on the lion tamer , until she realizes the stuff her husband is made of . Moore and Mitchell are convincing lovers . Adolphe Menjou , as a Communist official , is very good as the only one who pierces the act that March is putting on . Smart men bear watching , and so do nice men . Cernik is both . Apparently due to the political climate at the time , this film wasn't widely shown or publicized . I caught it on Fox Movie Channel - hopefully FMC will be on more basic cable in the country , and also hopefully Fox will bring this film out on DVD . It deserves to be seen .
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493,803 | 342,623 | 32,410 | 7 |
Typical Fox musical
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Betty Grable goes " Down Argentine Way " in this 1940 musical , also starring Don Ameche , Charlotte Greenwood , Carmen Miranda , and J . Carroll Naish . Grable is Glenda Crawford , who buys a horse from the South American Ricardo Quintana ( Ameche ) , unaware that the families don't get along . On hearing her last name , Quintana realizes that he has to cancel the sale in accordance with his father's ( Naish ) orders . Glenda and Ricardo are already falling in love , so although Glenda rejects him after the aborted sale , she soon heads for Argentina on the excuse of buying horses . With her is her aunt Binnie ( Greenwood ) . There , she reconnects with Ricardo , though she has to meet his father under the assumed name of Cunningham . This is a typical Fox musical with its bright , vibrant colors and high energy . And , like many Fox musicals , it has no plot and literally one musical number after another . Because Fox had Carmen Miranda and Cesar Romero under contract , there was often a south of the border flavor . Here , Miranda plays herself performing in a nightclub , and she's a dynamo . Ameche sings pleasantly and does his usual good job , and Grable as usual is a joy - a pretty , likable actress , a good dancer and singer , and a bundle of energy . Charlotte Greenwood has several musical numbers and is very entertaining . These musicals are always good for what ails you . My favorite Fox musicals of this kind are " Springtime in the Rockies " and " The Gang's All Here , " but " Down Argentine Way " is a delightful film .
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494,949 | 342,623 | 54,652 | 7 |
okay
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Bob Hope is a " Bachelor in Paradise " in this 1961 film also starring Lana Turner , Don Porter , Jim Hutton , Paula Prentiss , Janis Paige and Virginia Grey . Hope plays an author , A . J . Niles , whose specialty is the sexual practices of countries . When the IRS forbids him to leave the country , it's suggested that he concentrate on the U . S . He's sent to a development in California called Paradise and set up in a rental home . It's actually the home of one of the managers of the development , Rosemary Howard ( Turner ) , and she lives elsewhere for the time being . Keeping his identity a secret , Adam , as he is called , holds seminars and discussion groups for the women of Paradise on how to keep their marriages fresh . Some of his advice works ; some doesn't . Meanwhile , he's being pursued by the sexy but married Dolores Jynson , and he himself is after the beautify Rosemary . This seems to be a very popular film with viewers who post here . I didn't make all the connections with it that some did as I don't come from this kind of background , but I can well appreciate how it would resonate if I had . It's a pleasant enough film , and it is a lot of fun to see all of the ' 60s furnishings , colors and styles of hair and dress and to realize how mores have changed with the years . The cast is very good ( and very ' 60s ) as well . People probably thought Prentiss and Hutton were married as they were paired together so often due to Prentiss ' above average height , and it's always great to see Janis Paige and Virginia Grey . My favorite Bob Hope era is that of the 1940s , where he had great material well suited to him . His youthfulness and the cowardly character he played , along with the situations he got into always made his films sparkle . And what leading ladies - Madeline Carroll , Paulette Goddard , Dorothy Lamour , etc . Here he is teamed with glamorous Lana Turner who looks very beautiful in the film and has the right coolness and sophistication for the part . As for Hope , at the age of 58 , he doesn't have that boyish , enthusiastic , naive quality of the old days , and the jokes he's delivering are pretty stale . Unlike " The Private Navy of Sgt . O'Farrell , " " Bachelor in Paradise " is not a dud . Though it's dated , that's part of the fun , and it has some genuinely funny moments , a lively cast and that American icon , Bob Hope . You can love him or hate him , but you can't deny he was a remarkable entertainer to many generations .
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494,232 | 342,623 | 32,414 | 7 |
cool film
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Dr . Kildare Goes Home , made in 1940 , is a particularly interesting entry into the series . Kildare , made a staff doctor , realizes that his dad ( Samuel S . Hinds ) is exhausted from keeping up with his practice and wants to help him . He takes some doctors who can't find jobs and they start a clinic in one of Kildare Sr . ' s practice area . The idea behind it is that everyone pays ten cents a week for medical care . This will keep the salaries paid and support the work needed on the ill people . Also , the emphasis of the clinic is on prevention and staying healthy . This is health insurance today , which wants everyone to stay healthy and not need medical facilities . Instead of a dime , though , it's thousands per year . I did find that whole subject matter in 1940 fascinating . The next fascinating thing is that Dr . Gillespie goes to watch a rare operation done by a brilliant black doctor ( Jack Carr ) . Carr , a very well spoken actor , is uncredited in the film . This is a different kind of depiction of blacks than one is used to seeing in these old movies , and it's similar to " Crash Dive , " where a black member of the submarine unit is the same as everyone else . These things make " Dr . Kildare Goes Home " a cut above , and the story moves along with Kildare and Mary setting the date . I love the scenes between Mary Boyd ( Alma Kruger ) and Dr . Gillespie ( Lionel Barrymore ) the best . When he compliments her appearance , he says , " You must have lost 15 pounds . " She says , " I've gained eight . What do you want me to do that's illegal ? " Highly entertaining .
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493,592 | 342,623 | 32,916 | 7 |
Kind of fun
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Kay Francis is a " Play Girl " in this 1941 film that was yet another attempt by Warner Bros . to get rid of the expensive Francis , though none of their ploys worked . Here , they've lent her to another studio , RKO . Francis plays Grace Herbert , a woman who has lived her life as a gold-digger , except now she's getting too old to dig and no one wants to give her any gold . She meets a young woman , Mildred ( Ellen Daley ) and teaches her the gold-digging game , with the idea that the young woman will actually get married to someone wealthy , something that Grace never did . But Mildred's conscience takes a hit . One of the best things about this film is that one of the marks is a rich guy from Chicago , played by the very British Nigel Bruce . Just goes to show you the attention paid to the casting . It's not a great film , but Francis makes it more than palatable , and it's a pleasant way to pass the time . Worth seeing for Francis .
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494,809 | 342,623 | 97,457 | 7 |
The piano man
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Dennis Quaid struts around like a rooster in " Great Balls of Fire , " a 1989 biopic about Jerry Lee Lewis , one of the great entertainers . Discovered by Sam Phillips , the man who discovered Elvis and Johnny Cash , Lewis came up the ranks quickly and was poised to become the King of Rock ' n ' Roll when Elvis went into the Army . But the scandal that broke when it was revealed he was married to his 13-year-old cousin Myra ( Winona Ryder ) and was in fact a bigamist - which today would be shrugged off - just about ruined his career . Soon he was prone to violence on and off stage and imbibing in alcohol . I have always loved Jerry Lee Lewis ' music , but the only thing I knew about him was that he married his cousin - so that will show you where all the publicity was focused . I had no idea his cousin was Jimmy Swaggert ( played here by Alec Baldwin ) . I was struck by the qualities he had in common with Elvis - they both were highly-charged performers with so much energy a stage couldn't hold them , both completely original , natural talents inspired by music they heard in their communities , and both were discovered by Sam Phillips . What each one was most of all was just like one of the kids that he sang to , who could pulsate , dance and let their hormones run wild with the music . Lewis remains today an electrifying performer with an unmistakable sound . His high gear " Great Balls of Fire , " " Breathless , " " High School Confidential , " and of course , " Whole Lotta Shaking ' Going ' On " are unmatched . Now , how accurate was this film ? Jerry Lee himself claims he never acted the way Dennis Quaid portrayed him in his life , though others say Quaid was right on . It's a little like Scottish people hearing a Scottish burr on an actor and saying , we don't talk like that when they do . I will quibble with the depiction of Sam Phillips as a snake oil salesman who , according to this script , " lost Elvis . " Phillips didn't lose Elvis - his record company was too small to promote Elvis as he needed to be promoted , and Phillips badly needed the money Elvis ' contract would bring . Elvis , Vernon and Gladys Presley thought they had it good - no one dreamed Elvis could accomplish what he did - so Sam Phillips could have kept Elvis with Sun for a longer period of time , but rather than losing Elvis , he let him go . Quaid does an excellent job as a thrilling performer who perhaps isn't the most likable person off stage - in fact , might be a little sleazy - and Ryder captures the teenage silliness beautifully . Baldwin doesn't get to do much but proselytize . The most interesting thing about " Great Balls of Fire " is its relevance today . Rock ' n ' Roll was perceived as the way to complete degradation for teenagers and the performers were servants of the devil . Rap music is viewed the same way today . With rock ' n ' roll , the road to degradation was a sexual one - swinging those hips and getting all charged up could only mean trouble . Today , with rap , it's the message of violence against women and attitudes towards them , the use of violence and foul language . In between , we had the schools ruling that no one could have a Beatles haircut . Maybe someday it will occur to somebody that many things can destroy a generation - war and drugs being two - but music doesn't seem to be one of them .
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494,409 | 342,623 | 68,399 | 7 |
Susan Clark in a wonderful performance
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Before Susan Clark became famous for the sit-com " Webster , " she was a highly-touted TV movie of the week star and had a film career as well . In this Columbo , she is a mousy , albeit wealthy young woman who has lived her life under the thumb of her father , and after he dies , her brother ( Richard Anderson ) . She hatches a plot to kill her brother , who is interfering with her plans to marry an employee ( Leslie Nielsen ) of the family company but if anything could go wrong on the evening of the murder , it does . Columbo is brought in , and if things weren't clear to him when he first enters the house , they become so after the lady completely reinvents herself , taking over the company , getting a new hair color and hairdo , a fashion makeover , and a rather unattractive , aggressive change in attitude . There is a great performance by Jesse Royce Landis as the mother ( who greets her daughter by slapping her in the face and makes Columbo pay her exorbitant cab fare ) . It's a shame that Clark does nothing today , but I suppose , sadly , her age is a factor . Hopefully she's satisfied with her long marriage to Alex Karras and that's enough for her . But her fans miss her . If you're not familiar with her work , catch her in this Columbo episode .
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493,899 | 342,623 | 460,701 | 7 |
Biography of a great star that could have been more interesting
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For a man who captivated - - and is still captivating - - so many people around the world , programs about Tyrone Power seem to fall flat . I'm not sure why . I took part in the " Mysteries & Scandals " episode on Power , and from what I recall , there was no mystery and not much scandal . That's not a bad thing , but when doing the life story of an historic figure , one needs to hang one's hat on something . I think part of it has to do with the people who are interviewed , myself included . After reading Mai Zetterling's book , " All Those Tomorrows " and her fascinating chapter on Power , with whom she had a very intense affair from 1956 until 1958 , it's obvious that there was a lot more there than people commonly interviewed about him tend to discuss . The A & E bio portrayed a gorgeous , dazzling man who was well loved , still friends with his ex-wives , possibly bisexual or at least dabbled in bisexuality ( although no one ever really comes up with any evidence for that ) , and a man who died tragically at a young age and before the birth of his son . According to Terry Moore , Power wanted only two things in what had been a wonderful life - to have a son and to die " in harness . " Now , Zetterling's book describes a bitterly unhappy , disillusioned man who drank , took uppers , cursed his looks , complained that his ex-wives were milking him dry , that he was only proud of four films , and didn't know the meaning of the word " happy . " Zetterling's Power had a dark side - he was romantic , kind , gentle , generous , attentive , wonderful to work with , but he had some demons . So which is it , folks ? Well , you know , it's probably both , and it would be great if just once , someone would do a complete portrait of what must have been a fascinating and interesting man . Protecting an image is valiant - but behind images are real human beings , and what makes them popular or noteworthy enough to be images in the first place are all their wonderful contradictions . Tyrone Power had amazing charisma , entrancing everyone he met , it seems . He had a passion for life and a fear of death , he loved often , and he loved well , he was a caring father and lover , a wonderful if frustrated actor , a great and fun-loving friend , and a consummate professional . No matter what anyone blinded by his looks claims , he was never one-dimensional on film . It would be great if he weren't one-dimensional in his own biography .
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494,821 | 342,623 | 50,271 | 7 |
A desperate woman will do anything for her man
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So thinks Barbara Stanwyck in " Crime of Passion , " a 1957 film also starring Sterling Hayden and Raymond Burr . Stanwyck is newspaper woman Kathy Ferguson who , in the beginning , is going after the story of a crime being investigated by Doyle and Alidos ( Hayden and Royal Dano ) . Dano gives the newsroom a speech on the idea of " let us do our job " and Stanwyck is the only one who speaks up , stating , " And we're trying to do our jobs . " Alidos ' reply is a killer : " You should be home making dinner for your husband . " Do you love it ? Doyle and Kathy fall in love and get married a little too soon after they meet . Kathy , a woman who craves excitement and new adventures in life , is stuck with a bunch of vapid women she can't tolerate . Making things worse , her husband is a gentle and loving man but he has no ambition . And she's bored out of her skull . Of course , now that she's married , there's no question of her working . In an effort to help him , Kathy cultivates a friendship with the wife ( Fay Wray ) of Police Inspector Pope ( Burr ) and then has a flirtation with the inspector himself . It leads to problems ( that's putting it mildly ) . Stanwyck is terrific in a difficult role , that of a woman with more going on internally than even she knew ; Burr does a good job as a hard-nosed , cold police inspector . Sterling Hayden has never been a favorite of mine . To me he always comes off as a dufus . In " Crime of Passion , " he's excellent as a good man whose only ambition is to be happy and spend time with his wife . Alas , his wife didn't share his dream . This is a small movie , probably a B , directed by Gerd Oswald that is shot in black and white , probably reflective of what people were seeing on television by then . The twists and turns will keep the viewer off-balance and interested . not to mention the pervasive ' 50s attitudes toward women .
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493,756 | 342,623 | 795,421 | 7 |
Upbeat , enjoyable , and fun
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With just a bare bones plot , 2008's Mamma Mia manages to light up the screen , thanks to a great cast , great energy , great music , and great scenery . The Abba musical has been running on Broadway and touring for years . Meryl Streep plays Donna Sheridan , the owner of a hotel on a Greek Island . She's preparing for her 20-year-old daughter Sophie's ( Amanda Seyfried ) wedding . Unbeknownst to her , her daughter has invited the three men ( Pierce Brosnan , Colin Firth , and Stellan Skarsgård ) , one of whom could be her father , to her wedding , hoping to figure out which one it is and have him walk her down the aisle . When Donna sees them , it rocks her world . The stellar cast also includes Christine Baranski and Julie Walters as Donna's best friends , who sang with her back in the day . My only problems with this film were - first , it's been a hit show for so long that the ages of the women no longer work unless you state upfront that it takes place in 1998 or thereabouts , as the women are supposed to be 50 year-old ex-hippies , placing them and their bell-bottoms in the ' 60s and early ' 70s , not the late ' 70s and ' 80s . My second problem , which I'm sure many people have commented on , is the godawful singing of Pierce Brosnan . Surely they could have done some mixing in the sound studio instead of inflicting that on a paying audience . Other than that , wonderful entertainment .
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495,108 | 342,623 | 32,416 | 7 |
Life at Blair General as it was then
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Growing up in the ' 60s , my Dr . Kildare was Richard Chamberlain , but my mother's Dr . Kildare was the attractive Lew Ayres . In the MGM serial , Dr . Kildare was called Jimmy by his nurse girlfriend ( later his wife ) Mary Lamont , played by lovely Laraine Day . His boss , Dr . Gillespie , was played by Lionel Barrymore . In this entry into the series , Kildare attempts to save the reputation of a neurosurgeon ( Sheppard Strudwick ) who has had a streak of bad luck , i . e . , his patients have died . When a patient makes it through surgery but appears to have become demented , Kildare administers insulin shock therapy , an accepted form of treatment until the 1950s to treat psychotic disorders . The treatment put the patient into a coma and upon awakening , saline was given as well as glucose to terminate the treatment . Insulin shock therapy had some efficacy in schizophrenia that was of less than 2 year duration . Kildare's explanation of how it worked and what it treated deviated somewhat from the above description . The subplot is Kildare's hesitance to ask Mary to marry him because it would entail waiting awhile , and his competition for her affections from the aforementioned doctor . Barrymore as Gillespie seems a lot more irascible around Kildare than he did when the series revolved around him later on . Lew Ayres created a huge hoopla when he became a conscientious objector during World War II , and MGM got rid of the Kildare character ; theaters were refusing to show Ayres ' films . Ayres did serve in the military as a medic on the front lines and resumed his career , winning an Oscar nomination for " Johnny Belinda . " He worked almost until his death in 1996 . But post-war , he only played Dr . Kildare on the radio in the early ' 50s . The very likable and excellent cast elevates the series , and this is one of the better Kildare films .
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495,008 | 342,623 | 76,141 | 7 |
Very funny Mel Brooks spoof / homage to Hitchcock
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Mel Brooks is a very funny man , and though sometimes I think his comedy is a little on the low side , " High Anxiety " has some truly hilarious moments . Mel riffs on Hitchcock , right down to Madeline Kahn's gray suit a la Kim Novak in Vertigo . He combines scenes from " Spellbound , " " Vertigo , " " Foreign Correspondent , " " The Birds , " " Psycho , " " Dial M for Murder , " and " North by Northwest " in this story of a man taking over as the head of a mental sanitarium , replacing a man who is murd - uh , dead . Kahn is the Hitchcock blonde whose father is in the asylum . To give you an idea of this place where the lunatics have definitely taken over - Cloris Leachman plays a nurse who's into S & M with Harvey Korman . Both of them are a riot . Mel plays it straight which makes him even funnier . I have two favorite scenes - the first is Mel , doing a perfect imitation of Sinatra's style , singing " High Anxiety " to Kahn . He's fabulous , and the look on Kahn's face is delicious . My other favorite scene is when Brooks and Kahn disguise themselves as elderly people to get through airport security . Psychiatric expert Brooks thinks the more noise you make , the less people notice you . The two of them do a fabulous skit which is priceless . We really lost a treasure when we lost Madeline Kahn , one of the all-time great talents . It's wonderful to see this and remember her . I do believe that because of the humor , the film can be enjoyed without having seen the Hitchcock films spoofed , but of course , it's all the better if you have . A delightful film .
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494,701 | 342,623 | 37,365 | 7 |
A delightful - and sober - Nick Charles returns to his hometown
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It's 1945 , the trains are packed with people , Asta doesn't remain hidden under Nora's fur coat so Nick , Nora and Asta end up in the baggage car as they travel to Nick's home town . And Nick is drinking only cider - his father never approved of drink . Thus begins , " The Thin Man Goes Home , " made as the war was ending and a lot of people whose lives had changed were thinking about going home . Nick , it turns out , has an uneasy relationship with his doctor dad because he himself never became a doctor . When the inevitable mystery arises around a murder , Nora wants Nick to solve it to impress his dad . The fact is , the scripts of " The Thin Man " series never mattered . It was always the acting and interaction of William Powell and Myrna Loy , and here , as usual , they're great - loving , flippant , and funny . Since Nick is always falling on the floor or getting hit on the head , it's hard for anyone to believe he's sober . At a charity dance , in order to do some investigating , he gives his dance tickets to a sailor and Nora becomes his partner . The dance scene is hilarious as the sailor tosses Nora all over the place and swings her around with the kind of maneuvers you see in pair figure skating . The war is still on so the story involves espionage . A very young Gloria de Haven does nicely as a self-consciously over-dramatic young woman ; Harry Davenport and Lucile Watson are great as Nick's parents ; and the later blacklisted Anne Revere does a fine job as Crazy Mary . William Powell could read the phone book with class and humor ; Loy looks beautiful and their teamwork has never been better . Highly recommended .
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493,845 | 342,623 | 32,963 | 7 |
short , light entertainment
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Raffles seems like it was a quickie - it doesn't last very long and it has an abrupt ending . Nevertheless , " Raffles " features two dazzling stars - David Niven , well-cast as an upper class thief , and Olivia de Havilland as the beautiful object of his affections . One interesting thing about this film - which made me realize that I had seen it years before - is the early television in the inspector's office at the beginning of the movie . I regret not seeing the Ronald Colman version . In this one , Niven is charming , handsome , and debonair as a man who seems to steal as a lark and then somehow returns the merchandise , to the frustration of the police . At the film's start , he steals a valuable painting , sends it to his favorite retired actress , and has her return it for the reward money . But when he tries to steal a necklace to help a friend replace money he gambled away before an audit takes place , he runs into another crook attempting to do the same thing , and complications arise . There are some suspenseful moments toward the end of the movie , but all in all , it goes by too quickly , and the character of Raffles isn't sufficiently developed . It's almost as if the movie starts in the middle and ends before it's really over . De Havilland is absolutely beautiful , even if a couple of her hats are outrageous . She's really just doing an average ingénue role here . " Raffles " debuted in the U . S . just before " Gone With the Wind , " and she probably made it right afterward . Entertaining but disappointing .
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494,453 | 342,623 | 58,990 | 7 |
Good B film
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By the time " Brainstorm " was made , both Jeffrey Hunter and Dana Andrews had descended into B films . " Brainstorm " was one of them , costarring ' 50s starlet Anne Francis . Directed by William Conrad , it's actually a good movie about an engineer who falls in love with the unhappy wife of a wealthy man ( Andrews ) and concocts a scheme to kill him and get away with it by faking insanity . Hunter is very good in this dramatic role - he was a far better actor than some of his contemporaries but due to his personal demons , he never fulfilled his early promise . It's a shame because he played this kind of angry , edgy role very well , belying his staggering good looks . He gets good support from Andrews , Francis , and Viveca Lindfors , who plays a psychiatrist . There is one scene that may be unintentionally funny - when Hunter is in the asylum , one of the inmates starts singing the beginning of a song over and over again . Hunter finally screams , " Either finish that song or SHUT UP ! " Brainstorm is worth a watch , especially to see Hunter do a role deserving of his abilities , and one he no longer had an opportunity to play in A films .
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