You feel the evil behind this most historically propagandized film. Say what you will about Nazi’s and Hitler, but they can certainly put on a rally. The movie isn’t much more than a documented account so it is impressive, but boring.
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Another Buster Keaton success. Not as fun as Steamboat Bill JR or the General, but still a riotous good time. I will say it again, Buster Keaton is a fearless genius, and it doesn't really matter what the story involves.
After a long break from this project, I purchased a new edition of the 1001 movies tome. It now includes a handful of new movies through 2010...and here is the list of the new additions I have seen:
The Hurt Locker (2008) Let the Right One In (2008) Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008) Slumdog Millionaire (2008) The Dark Knight (2008) The Hangover (2009) District 9 (2009) Inglourious Basterds (2009) Inception (2010) The Social Network (2010) Black Swan (2010) Monsters (2010) True Grit (2010) The King's Speech (2010) Yep...I think I hate Preston Sturgess comedies. I was more than underwhelmed by THE LADY EVE and now...THE PALM BEACH STORY is even more nonsensical and silly. Soooo...it seems a wife is mad that a husband can't pay the rent. So she "leaves" him so she can swindle money away from a rich man to pay for his architectural dreams. Too bad the husband thinks it is real...and winds up chasing his wife down, only to become twisted up in the ruse with the rich man's Princess sister. I guess this all could have been charming...but there is no realistic emotion or even proper comedy that shines through. That train sequence with the millionaire clubs? My god....TEDIOUS. Looks like 1940s comedies are quite lacking.
After seeing Terrence Malick's THE NEW WORLD in 2005, I understood why English settlers would contemplate their place in nature and the order of the universe...mostly because they were integrating themselves into the world where Native Americans seemed so knowledgable about such musings. The same can't be said about his THE THIN RED LINE. It is a compulsively watchable movie, especially since it is 3 hours long and has some very slow points...but to believe that soldiers were thinking about THEIR place in the natural order while participating in the Battle of Guadalcanal...stretches credulity. I was reading Roger Eberts account of the film and he was exactly right. The thoughts and philosophical rants about the universe in such a movie are shared by scholars and philosophers...not by the soldiers themselves....and thus the movie is incredibly uneven. That being said....it IS enjoyable to watch because Malick is a master photographer and the performances by the ensemble cast are superb.
This movie isn't nearly as funny as it thinks it is...or even what it is heralded as. I had a conversation with my fellow movie reviewer recently about these old movies and how sometimes...we just don't get the popularity. I think a great movie is timeless...and there is no such thing as good for its time. I can appreciate significance and historical relevance...but a bore is a bore is a bore. Countless articles about The Lady Eve talk about how it is one of the comedy greats, and Barbara Stanwyck's performace is one of the best all time. Nope. The whole movie is man falls in love with woman. Woman is a con artist. Man falls in love with the woman again later when she shows up in a new personna and man believes it CAN'T be the same woman, because they look EXACTLY alike. Meh. Some parts are silly fun and I DO like how Stanwyck and Henry Fonda play off eachother...but a classic? I don't buy it.
It is so refreshing to see a movie that is simple on paper, elevated to near perfection by its actors. Brando, Malden, Cobb, and Steiger are all so electric as they play out a story that is as simple as a man grappling with his own conscience over his involvement in violent union-involved murder. People say that Elia Kazan created this movie as a sort of contrition over his House Unamerican Act finger-pointing. I like to stay ignorant of the director's personal life. If I didn't....I wouldn't like Polanski or Allen movies either. Powerful Movie and worthy of its 8 oscars. The only reason it didn't win all 11 it was nominated for was because Malden, Cobb, and Steiger all split the Supporting Actor vote.
Another Hitchcock movie, another dud. Hitchcock is good at mounting suspense...and the scene where a gullible young man is carrying a time bomb is truly horrifying and tension filled (as well as the scene where Sylvia Sydney is deciding whether or not to kill her husband). But all of those scenes in between the suspense just drag, and drag, and drag. The film is also poorly titled. It should be called TERRORISM instead of SABOTAGE....but then again, Terrorism wasn't such a catchphrasey word back in 1936 as it is today. Short and simple to a fault...this is another dissapointment from the so-called Master of Suspense. If only that tension could have been maintained throughout...THEN we would have had something.
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford give riveting performances in this film...and the entire concept where a woman is keeping her parapeligic sister captive and under her control shows me that Rob Reiner's MISERY was not as original as I thought it was. The movie drags at times...but the tension is palpable and the legendary feud between the two actresses really elevates their hate-filled performances. The black and white photography is a nice touch because it adds to the drab helplessness that Blanche must have been feeling in her situation. Jane is the quintessential crazy shut in and Bette Davis created quite an iconic, archetypal character. I enjoyed it...but I was hoping for excitement ratcheted up to WHO'S AFRAID OF VIGINIA WOLFF levels.
Just like THE MALTESE FALCON, I love these film noir mysteries with Bogart. I have no idea what was actually going on in this film. It was something about a missing chauffer, blackmail, murders, gamblers, and something or other. Bogart is just an actor you can watch for hours and hours as he talks tough to the bad guys and suave to the women. He is quite a magnetic presence. I only give FALCON a better rating because that film had Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. Otherwise...it is a fun Private Eye film.
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These are Kevin's viewings out of the above Steven Jay Schneider tome Archives
May 2012
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