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Reviews
Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
Presenting Judy Garland
Judy Garland was anxious at this point in her career to make the transition from teenagers to adult roles. And she certainly looks much more glamorous and adult in the film's finale. She was even given a more adult male co-star, Van Heflin. It's too bad she's defeated by a silly, illogical script.
Garland as stage struck Lily Mars is relentless in her attempts to persuade theater big shot John Thornway (Heflin) to give her a job. Her antics annoy him so much that I'm surprised he doesn't have a restraining order issued against her. Then, and here's where the illogical elements of the script come into play, she follows him to New York and even sleeps in the theater. When she's discovered, his attitude toward her, for no explicable reason, changes. He not only hires her in a small role but suddenly falls in love with her.
Defying credibility further, when his temperamental leading lady quits, he gives Lily the role, even though up to that point she's shown little in the way of ability. And she's supposed to be Russian!
He eventually realizes his mistake, but then in the big finale, she's suddenly got her name in bright lights above the title on the marquee and is now a huge Broadway star with no explanation at all how this happened.
Judy shines in the finale, and she has some other very good moments--the scene where she plays Lady Macbeth and is hilariously bad, and a tender moment with scrubwoman Connie Gilchrist singing "Every Little Movement Has a Meaning of Its Own." But otherwise she's sabotaged by a dumb script and a lack of chemistry with Van Heflin, who's forte is definitely not comedy.
Thanks goodness she was only a year away from making "Meet Me in St. Louis" and finally getting the sort of great movies she deserved.
A Life of Her Own (1950)
The beginning of the end for Lana
Lana Turner had been a huge star at MGM in the 1940s. With the exception of the fabulous "The Bad and the Beautiful," her MGM days in the '50s were less kind and she was given weak scripts and less interesting male co-stars to work with. "A Life of Her Own" was the start of her downhill slide at MGM in that decade.
Lana plays a small-town girl who comes to the big city hoping to make a name for herself as a fashion model. On her first day in town she meets washed-up model Ann Dvorak whose life has been ruined by bad men, bad booze and too many mink coats. The first 25 minutes of the movie when Dvorak is on screen are by far the most interesting. Dvorak steals the film completely from Turner.
Unfortunately, once she's out of the picture we're stuck with a soapy romance involving Lana and married man Ray Milland. The two stars have zero chemistry so their romance is totally hard to believe. Nothing really much happens after that--they stir up a romance, he goes away, he sends her jewelry, they reunite, they fight... It all gets pretty monotous.
The only reason to slog through the rest of this mess is the encounter between Turner and Margaret Phillips as Milland's invalid wife. And once again, Turner gets upstaged, this time by Phillips who is excellent and brings a real humanity to her role. I iwish the movie would have been more about her.
As for the ending, ugh!
"A Life of Her Own" never really takes on any sort of life of its own.
A Woman's Secret (1949)
It's no "Secret": this movie is a muddled mess
"A Woman's Secret" can't make up its mind what it wants to be. It starts off as a noir then shifts to become a "Thin Man" type comedy mystery and fails in both cases.
It opens with an argument between Maureen O'Hara and Gloria Grahame then leads to a gunshot being heard behind closed doors. Grahame gets shot and O'Hara takes the blame though there's never a logical explanation for why she does this. The next 80 or so minutes are spent trying to figure out what really happened while the characters constantly shout at one another.
Thrown into the mix are some really annoying characters including Melvyn Douglas, who gives one of his worst performances as O'Hara's smug boyfriend whom Grahame also has feelings for. Why either would be interested in such an arrogant creep is a bigger mystery than who shot Grahame? Equally annoying is Bill Williams in the thankless role of a former soldier with a chip on his broad shoulders who falls for Grahame. The relationship between Grahame and Williams is about as carefully prepared as a one-minute egg.
Inexplicably, the movie shifts gears about 35 minutes in and we get the Jay C. Flippen-Mary Phillips alleged comedy hour. Flippen plays the detective in the case who, for no apparent reason, confers with his wife, and soon she is trying to solve the case. While this kind of farce worked well when William Powell and Myrna Loy did it as Nick and Nora Charles, this shift makes no sense in this movie. Phillips, in particular, is so irritating that the movie should have ended up with Flippen taking her to divorce court. Their antics are about as funny as a toothache.
O'Hara plays her role stiffly though it somewhat fits her character. Gloria Grahame comes off best in her underwritten role. It felt like there must have been several cuts in the script because the relationship between her character and O'Hara's is never fully developed. Had the movie been more about them it could have been another "All About Eve." It's no surprise that RKO lost a fortune on this movie.
Nicholas Ray went on to make much more impressive films after this one. I bet he'd have loved to keep "A Woman's Secret" a secret.
Wild at Heart (1990)
If only we could rate in negative numbers
My review can be summed up in one word--excruciating.
Make that two words--excruciating garbage!
Moulin Rouge (1934)
Worst Constance Bennett movie ever
From the misleading title to the dumb story, this may be the worst film Constance Bennett ever made. For starters, it doesn't even take place in Paris or at the famed club of the title.
Instead, it's a pretty stale pastry with Bennett in dual role, first as Helen, a producer's wife who wants to perform in hubby's Broadway show. Her audition wows the director (God knows why, because her singing is terrible), but hubby objects, preferring his wife to perform her full-time duties as a housewife. Instead, Raquel, who had been in a "sister" act with Helen years before then became the toast of Paris as a solo act, gets cast. She and Helen also look exactly alike. When Raquel arrives in New York, the women concoct a scheme in which Helen will replace Raquel at rehearsal hoping her husband will be so impressed, he'll let her have a career in show business. Naturally, things don't go smoothly and an assortment of romantic complications result.
While this could have made for an amusing movie, the actors are defeated by a script that insults the intelligence of both them and the audience. Tone comes off as such a male chauvinist pig--and a dull one at that--that he's impossible to like. Why either of the two Constance Bennetts would want him is a mystery.
As for Bennett, who's usually a delight and has proved herself to be an excellent comedienne in "Topper" and "Merrily We Live," this has to be her worst performance. Her French accent is dreadful, turning her R's into W's so that she sounds like Tweety from Looney Tunes. Her singing is even worse, and how anyone could envision her as Broadway's next big star defies belief. As for the musical numbers, Busby Berkeley-lite describes them.
Everyone involved in this should have been "rouge" with embarrassment.
Atomic Blonde (2017)
"Atomic" bomb
Charlize Theron is a talented actress, but you'd never know it from this horrible movie. This movie is just another example of Hollywood glorifying violence. A disgrace for everyone involved, especially Ms. Theron who obviously was behind on the mortgage and needed this paycheck. How else to explain her doing the embarrassing lesbian sex scenes. Horrible movie, and typical of 90 percent of hte junk coming out of Hollywood today.
Another Language (1933)
"Another Language" gets lost in its translation from stage to screen
There's a good film hiding within "Another Language," but it's overshadowed by an overwrought plot and, most significantly, an unsympathetic central character.
The plot concerns Stella (Helen Hayes), a newlywed whose husband Victor (Robert Montgomery) is blind to his family's boorish behavior and their immediate dislike of his new bride. Worst in the bunch is his smothering mother (Louise Closser Hale), whose reaction in every scene is to pretend to be ill to gain her sons' sympathy. Why none of her stupid children see through her manipulative behavior boggles the mind. Victor (or as his family annoyingly calls him, Vicki) is the most frustrating character in the film. He takes his family's side whenever a conflict arises and treats his wife not only like a stranger, but with disdain. It's a mystery as to what Stella ever saw in him and for that matter, why she hasn't walked out on him. There's also a subplot involving Victor's nephew who falls in love with Stella that is never fully developed, nor is it resolved to a satisfying conclusion.
Another weakness, as someone else pointed out, is that the one family member who shows any compassion toward Stella is Victor's father (Henry Travers), yet he never stands up to his wife or any of the other relatives who are always attacking Stella.
Hayes is acceptable in her role, but it's easy to see why she never became a successful film star. Whatever magic she had on stage doesn't translate to the screen. Her acting is sometimes mannered and she doesn't have a face the camera would fall in love with. She isn't helped by Montgomery, who is just so unlikeable in this film. The two have zero chemistry.
Louise Closser Hale fares better as Mrs. Hallam, the mother-in-law from hell. The standout, though, is Margaret Hamilton in her film debut as one of Stella's sisters-in-law. Though bitchy most of the time, she does show some humanity in the final reels and is the only truly believable member of the family. The movie is only worth sitting for through the performance of this consummate character actor. It's like she's speaking another language compared to the rest of the cast.
Juarez (1939)
It should have been called "Maximilian" (may contain spoilers)
I came into this movie mainly to see Bette Davis chew the scenery in her mad scene as the Empress Carlotta, but the film totally belongs to Brian Aherne, who was rightly nominated for an Oscar as Emperor Maximilian. Aherne gives a nuanced and sympathetic portrait of a man thrust into a political situation that he never should have been involved with in the first place. It's a masterful performance, particularly in his final scenes when he's imprisoned. He's absolutely heartbreaking.
While physically Davis may not have been ideal as Carlotta, her descent into madness doesn't disappoint and she also excellent in her more tender moments with Aherne.
Claude Rains and Gale Sondergaard also contribute wonderfully nasty portrayals of Louis Napoleon and Empress Eugenie.
On the minus side, there's Paul Muni, whose stoic expression doesn't change a whit over the course of more than two hours. John Garfield, normally a dynamic actor, is woefully miscast as a Mexican rebel.
The movie is well-made, but the title is a misnomer. Maximilian's story is far more interesting than that of Juarez.
A Letter for Evie (1946)
Rewriting Cyrano
This charming comedy caught me completely by surprise. Though the story borrows from "Cyrano de Bergerac," director Jules Dassin puts a modern comedic spin on it, and is ably assisted thanks to a knockout comedy performance by Hume Cronyn. In it, Cronyn plays a soldier who writes to a working girl Marsha Hunt, but sends her a photo of his handsome Lothario buddy (John Carroll). Hunt is lovely as Evie, and it's easy to see why Cronyn would fall for her. The movie also didn't end exactly as I expected, which was another pleasant surprise. TCM seems to be the only place to find this movie, so eye its schedule for an upcoming showing. Definitely worth seeking it, especially for Cronyn, who is brilliant in this film.
Who's Minding the Mint? (1967)
Refreshing 'Mint' (minor spoilers)
"Who's Minding the Mint?" has to rank as one of the funniest movies that sadly most people have probably never seen. Director Howard Morris does an amazing job of juggling comedy with caper, thanks in no small part to having a brilliant ensemble of second bananas who make the whole thing seem effortless. As the hapless U.S. mint employee who accidentally destroys $50,000 in freshly minted bills and then has to replace them with the help of some of the most inept accomplices imaginable, Jim Hutton is the perfect straight man to this assortment of loonies. Tops among them are Jack Gilford who's a riot as a hard-of-hearing safe cracker, Victor Buono as former Navy man turned amusement park ride operator and Milton Berle as a pawn shop owner. There are also great bits by Dorothy Provine as a naive mint worker smitten with Hutton, Jamie Farr as a lookout who can't speak English, Joey Bishop as Berle's best customer whose entire apartment is in hock, Bob Denver as an ice cream vendor and Walter Brennan as a former mint worker who has to take along his expectant beagle Icky on the night of the big heist. Icky, played by Peanuts, holds her own with these pros, and earns big laughs as she searches throughout the Mint for a spot to have her puppies.
The movie is perfect family entertainment and a million laughs from beginning to end. If you're looking for a real feel-good movie, "Who's Minding the Mint?" is money in the bank.
Margie (1946)
Marvelous "Margie"
There are certain movies that just leave you with a warm glow, no matter how many times you watch them. "Margie" is one of those, a sweet, nostalgic lollipop of a movie whose chief purpose is to entertain and delight.
Jeanne Crain, an actress who has never quite gotten the credit she deserves, is a true revelation in this movie. She manages to make Margie charming without being winsome, strong without being overbearing. Whether getting laughs with her exaggerated gestures during a high school debate or dealing with her constantly droopy bloomers, Ms. Crain sparkles and lights up the screen for the entire 94 minutes. Also amusing is Alan Young, as the cow-eyed, poetry-spouting geek who only has eyes for Margie.
Though Glenn Langan is a bit of a bore as Margie's French teacher--a sort of Humbert Humbert-lite--the rest of the cast is excellent. Conrad Janis is properly smarmy as a Sheik in raccoon's clothing, Barbara Lawrence terrific as a flirty flapper and Esther Dale amusing as Margie's free-thinking grandma. As Granny's housekeeper, Hattie McDaniel is, as always, a welcome presence.
"Margie" is the very definition of a feel-good movie. After all is said and done, there is really only one "Margie."
Starlift (1951)
Doris Day puts a lift in "Starlift"
The only time this movie ever really comes to life is when Doris Day is on screen. Sadly, she disappears after about 30 minutes. Her musical numbers, " 'S Wonderful" and "You Ought to Be in Pictures" are the film's high points, and she delivers them as only she can. Day just lights up the screen and proves once more how underrated she is as a vocalist. She's also charming in her small scene visiting Jack Larson, who plays a hospital patient.
As for the rest of the movie, the script is even more dreadful than the one for "Hollywood Canteen," of which this bears a resemblance. Janice Rule and Rick Hagerthy have zero chemistry as the romantic leads. The "comedy" routines by Peter Marshall and Tommy Noonan, and Phil Harris, Dick Wesson and the others, are cornier than an Iowa field. Virginia Mayo's South Seas number and Patrice Wymore doing "Liza" helped relieve the tedium, but Doris Day is clearly the standout. If only she'd been in more of the movie, it would have been so much better.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
"Tree" stands tall
I first saw this movie one Christmas night as a child, and I fell in love with it. It's a moving, believable and beautifully acted story of poverty, family and coming of age. Peggy Ann Garner gave what I still think is the best performance ever by a child star. James Dunn's Oscar was well-deserved. It takes a great actor to make a ne'er-do-well alcoholic such a sympathetic character. And Dorothy McGuire is magnificent as Katie. Made two years after her debut as a naive child bride in "Claudia" and the same year as "The Enchanted Cottage," in which she played a lonely, homely housekeeper, she had proved in such a short time that she was one of the screen's most versatile actresses. Joan Blondell is wonderful as Aunt Sissy, giving what had to be her finest performance, and Lloyd Nolan and Ted Donaldson also give terrific performances. Elia Kazan's directorial debut is impressive, and the film has more heart and soul than many of his later films where Method acting sometimes got in the way of the warmth. City life has rarely been more convincing. A masterpiece!
The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939)
Amazing Gracie
This film's been getting trashed pretty hard, which is a shame because it's actually a lot of fun and Gracie Allen shines in it. OK, so it's not the most complicated mystery, but it does have some suspenseful moments, especially the climax which gives new meaning to cigarettes being hazardous to your health. The film's real charms come from Gracie Allen, whose scatterbrained antics generate a lot of laughs. Warren William is also perfect reprising his role of Philo Vance (Fido, to Gracie) and hilariously playing straight man to Mrs. George Burns.
I'd advise anyone who panned this film to give it another chance. You may be surprised.
Johnny Belinda (1948)
Wyman's finest hour
Every great actress has one signature role, the film for which she's forever identified because of the amazing impression she leaves on the screen. Rosalind Russell has Hildy Johnson in "His Girl Friday," Judy Garland has Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," and Jane Wyman has Belinda MacDonald in "Johnny Belinda." Without saying a word, Wyman speaks volumes as the lonely deaf mute who learns about love and tenderness from doctor Lew Ayres as well as fear from bully Stephen McNally. She shines in every scene and creates one of the most touching characterizations ever put on screen. Moments such as her discovery of music and her sign-reading of the Lord's Prayer are beautifully done with a skill exceeding those of the best silent screen stars. Her Oscar was richly deserved.
Wyman, though, is not alone in creating this great film. Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead and Jan Sterling all give complex, layered performances that make each character believable and memorable. And "Johnny Belinda" would probably not be as powerful or moving without the exceptional black-and-white photography and Max Steiner's lovely score, one of his finest, which underscores every moment. Warner Bros. deserves extra credit for taking on a delicate subject (the rape of a deaf character was hardly typical screen fare in the 1940s) and handling it in a tasteful manner.
Ultimately, the movie is a showcase for Jane Wyman who rightly became Warner Bros.' top female star upon its release. She and the film are unforgettable.
Die Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel (2003)
I'd walk a mile for this "Camel"
A documentary that takes place in the Gobi Desert about a mother camel rejecting her newborn white calf may not sound like compelling drama--or dromedary--but the makers of The Story of the Weeping Camel are to be commended for a beautiful, haunting film that left a deeper impression with me than many of the Hollywood blockbusters.
This works on so many levels--as a nature documentary worthy of National Geographic, which was involved in its making; as a look at a far-away culture and in particular the simple joys and difficulties of one Mongolian family; and as a study of Western influences in other continents as the two young boys journey and discover modern innovations such as TV and computer games.
Most of all, it works as a tale of hope and faith as mother camel and calf try to bond. Anyone who isn't moved by the image of the violinist playing as the mother finally accepts her calf, should check out of the human race.
A marvelous film!
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Punch-Drunk Hate
It's too bad IMDb only allows voting down to 1. This one could get ratings in the negative numbers.
Adam Sandler proves again he cannot act as a totally dislikeable nebbish bullied by his sisters. His reaction is to punch walls, glass, bathrooms when they call him gay boy.
None of the characters are likeable or sympathetic. The plot incoherent. In short, a train wreck of a movie.
My Dog Skip (2000)
Ideal family fare
As a sucker for a good dog movie, this is one of the sweetest I've seen in a long time. Everyone can relate to the special relationship between the shy boy (well played by Frankie Muniz) and his lovable pooch, Skip. The movie nicely captures the flavor of World War II America and the difficulties of childhood for someone who's not like all the other kids.
My Dog Skip is a poignant celebration of childhood, friendship, family, and most important, the unique relationship between a boy and his dog. The movie has some darker moments which may me difficult for children under the age of 8, but for others, it's well-worth viewing. It's a film parents should watch with their children, which could provide some good discussion afterwards.
Finally, if you're not misty-eyed by the end of this movie, you may need to go to your doctor to see if your blood has turned to ice water.
It's a charmer.