Reb9 Reviews

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Indiana Jones meets Treebeard / Possible Spoilers

[6/10 · 13 December 2014]

This movie is so derivative it is embarrassing. It is to movies what paint by the numbers is to painting. Thr director and editor stretched this fiasco out to two hours with way too much special effects and way too little story. When the first Star Wars came out it was new and fresh while this clunker is yesterdays hash. There are lots of cameos by A list actors who are either lifeless or chew the scenery to bits. I note that quiet a few were highly reviewers were complementary about the big finale.Again it was an excuse for a torrent of special effects that addednothing they hadn't already done before. Is there a new rule for thriller movies that they are required to kill all major villains at twice and preferably three times? Folks it isn't a surprise anymore. I think I was kind by giving it a six.

The Song of Bernadette (1943)

Long but worth the effort

[9/10 · 21 February 2012]

This film simply could not be made in this day of Hollywood anti-religion, anti-Christian bias. It is a faithful adaptation of the Werfel book and, although a long film, is consistently high quality. All of the elements come together to elevate the film to a position in the top rank of films of the period.

Casting is one of the strongest facets of the film. Jennifer Jones gives a performance that is quiet, self effacing yet filled with a core of strength entirely suitable for the young Bernadette. She is surrounded with an astonishing group of character actors -- twelve of the best Hollywood had to offer at the time. Charles Bickford, Anne Revere, Roman Bohnen, Lee J. Cobb, and Vincent Price head the list, but even fairly small roles are played by first rank pros. Gladys Cooper (later to play Henry Higgins mother brilliantly) is outstanding as a bitter, covetous Nun who fails to understand Bernadette.

Even though long, the pacing is tight throughout. I have watched the film several times and have never felt that it dragged at any point. Photography is excellent and even the "visions" of the Virgin Mary, though primitive by todays high technical ability, is acceptable. (One bit of trivia to smile at, the Virgin is played by Linda Darnell, later to be a popular sex symbol) The Song of Bernadette will not be every one's cup of tea. It requires focus and attention. It is thoughtful. It respects the religious point of view of the central figure, Bernadette. In some ways, the film has a sort of European sensibility. If any of that represents barriers to your enjoyment of a film you'd best pass on this gem.

The Captain's Paradise (1953)

Second Rate Guiness

[5/10 · 29 October 2010]

For some reason I had never gotten around to seeing this film. Unusual for me since I have been a Guiness fan for many years. Now I find that I am rather sorry I bothered. It fails completely as comedy and can only have been reviewed favorably at the time of it's release due to the performances -- all good in a poor cause! The problem begins with a screen play that is strained at every turn. The major flaw is that the Guiness character is a totally unlikable sort. A selfish, petty little man who uses people with little care for them. Not even the great Alec Guiness can manage to make this fellow one that we give two hoots in hell about. The film suffers further from one of the very worst musical scores I have ever heard. It is loud, frantic, intrusive, and very ugly. In the final analysis this is one of the most tedious films I have ever sat through (and I love movies and have seen many in my seventy plus years). I note that a number of those commenting have attributed this film to Ealing Studios. It isn't. It was produced by London Productions (see the details on the main page for this film). For those of you who are fans of Sir Alec Guiness's work and who have not seen this film, my advice is to skip it. Watching it will simply disappoint you.

The Good Shepherd (2006)

Would Seem to Require Too Much Thought for a Lot of Folks

[8/10 · 31 March 2008]

This is a much better film than the user rating would indicate. It is slow by U.S. standards but to call it dull is to say more about yourself than the film. It has a rather European sensibility.

Matt Damon is really quite effective in his role. At six the character is just outside the door when his father shoots himself and the boy finds the body. The psychological impact would be profound. The boy then slips the suicide note into his pocket and says the shooting was an accident, thus establishing the core of his life -- keeping secrets. This is a buttoned up, deeply disturbed human being but he attempts to give his life meaning by serving his country. Perhaps to effectively practice spy craft one has to be a little mad.

The performances are uniformly good with one exception. The lad who plays Damon's son is just not up to the demands of the part. The character is supposed to be weak, but is this case it is the performance that is weak. I particularly liked Michael Gambon is a complex and layered roll.

I'll file a minority report and highly recommend this one to any one who doesn't require an explosion or a car chase every five minutes to hold their interest. If thinking hurts your head, skip this one.

Hollywoodland (2006)

Slow but worth the time

[7/10 · 21 March 2007]

While the George Reeves story has attracted much of the attention with this film, it is really the story of Louis Simo, a guy who wants to be more than he is and uses Reeve's death to climb the celebrity ladder. The arc of that journey is the story and whether or not he accepts the official version of Reeves death will determine the course of Simo's life. Brody gives a solid, somewhat understated performance as Simo. Ben Affleck as George Reeves delivers a personal best performance. A couple of comments about Reeve's are in order. George Reeves was never a movie superstar. His only A film as a lead was So Proudly We Hail. For the most part he was a hack with limited talent who did small rolls. In fact, he had greater success in New York in live television between 1949 and 1953 than he had in all his time in Hollywood. He never suffered any problems with the black list and the only thing that held him back was that he simply wasn't very good. How did he die? It was most likely suicide but we'll never know.

The Last Angry Man (1959)

Straight Forward Treatment of One Man Trying to Make a Difference

[6/10 · 7 February 2007]

I find the comments about this film having the feel of a teleplay rather odd. Made in the fifties, a good many directors were trying for that kind of look, thought to be more realistic than gaudy Hollywood color shoots. I hardly think that that detracts from the intrinsic artistry of the film. A previous reviewer has commented on the performances of Paul Muni and David Wayne. Muni was much more comfortable on the stage and his acting style never quite made a full transition to the camera. Stage performances have to be bigger in every aspect to be effective. Muni's performances on film may have tended to be a bit larger than life but they were never without honesty. His peers chose to vote him an Academy Award earlier in his career and to nominate him for The Last Angry Man. This would seem to indicate that actors who worked with him admired his work. A pretty good recommendation. David Wayne was also more successful on Broadway than in Hollywood, to some degree because he wasn't given material equal to his talent. (With the exception of Adam's Rib). A measure of his talent and ability would be his three Tony Awards: 1968 best actor in a musical (The Happy Time), 1954 Best Actor in a Play (The Teahouse of the August Moon) and 1947 Best Featured Actor in a musical (Finian's Rainbow). Not bad for an actor who was "never any good". The Last Angry Man is not available on DVD, but anyone who appreciates good film should keep an eye out for it on TCM. It is worth the time.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Best Picture Nominee?

[6/10 · 28 January 2007]

There are lovable misfits, dangerous misfits, and this film gives us dull and offensive misfits. Alan Arkin is a superb actor but Grandpa is this film is a human train wreck and in spite of his Oscar nomination, he does little more than go through motions on this one. Several performances are quite good, but overall this movie is a waste of time, talent, and resources. It is philosophically bankrupt. It is exactly the sort of film one would expect would wow them at the Sundance Film Festival. I would not by any stretch consider myself a prude, but really, is it necessary to drop the f--k bomb time and time and time again; or to discuss teen age sexual intercourse while a small girl sits in the scene. Does anyone really think that young actress couldn't hear the dialog? What are these people thinking. 1939 is generally considered one of the truly great years for movie making, and yet they turned out classic films without anything more obscene than Rhett telling Miss Scarlet that he really didn't give a damn.

I'd suggest that you spend your time with some of the other Best Picture nominees -- or perhaps rent United 93. It is a far better way to spend your time.

Pleasantville (1998)

A dishonest film, poorly executed

[1/10 · 30 December 2006]

This film has two targets, conformity and the fifties. In the case of the fifties, it plays fast and loose with almost every facet of that decade. I was born in 1934, graduated from High Shcool in 1952 and from college in 1956. I did a two year hitch in the U.S. Army, serving in France. I was an apprentice at one of the best regional theaters in the country. I have now been married for forty-six years and raised three sons. None of this was forced on me by society, the culture, a church or some silly symbol like Big Bob. I haven't always walked the straight and narrow but within my moral code I have no room for some of the "freedoms" espoused by this film. Most of the folks I knew in the fifties welcomed and embraced change almost daily. We were all very much in favor of retaining what was good in the society in which we lived. As I see cultural development over the past forty years, much that is good about individual responsibility has given way to a kind of selfish indulgence and the results have been anything but good. Yes, the McCarthy era should have been controlled sooner and civil rights came slowly, but only the people most responsible for these wrongs and who profited from them opposed those changes. This film would have us embrace sexual irresponsibility, adultery, lies, cheating, etc. as acts for the common good. Nonsense! There are some polished performances, notably Macy, but they are truly wasted on this trash. In the final analysis this is a very poor piece of film making and I can't recommend it to anyone with a grain of sense.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Over Sold, Over Hyped, and Over Rated

[4/10 · 27 December 2006]

Possible Spoilers Ahead... First and foremost, Meryl Streep cannot do comedy! I have never seen her in a comedy where she was believable or where she made me smile, much less laugh. The take on the world of Fashion and Fashion Publications was done better years ago in Funny Face. The characters in Prada are pretty much stock stereotypes and it is very hard to give a happy damn what happens to them. Even the good guys are a rather dull and colorless lot and the Fashion folk are card board cutouts. I haven't read the book on which the film is based and the film doesn't inspire me to rush out and get a copy. I'm sure that there would be many girls who would give anything for the job that Andy had and that says one hell of a lot about the superficial culture that we live in today. I wouldn't recommend anyone waste their time with this tripe.

Hallmark Hall of Fame: Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951) Season 1, Episode 1

A lost gem

[10/10 · 23 December 2006]

Regrettably the original tape of the '51 telecast was inadvertently erased and lost for all time. The audio is widely available on an RCA recording with the original cast. I never saw the '63 version but it was directed by Kirk Browning, who had directed the '51 original. Most of the stories concerning Menotti not finishing the work are pure nonsense. Menotti stayed in contact with Chet Allen (the original Amahl) and saw him just a year before Allen committed suicide at the age of 44 in Columbus, Ohio. After he (Allen) got older his life and career just didn't go anywhere and he became an angry, bitter man. He ended his life with an overdose of anti-depressant drugs. The original telecast was in color but almost no TV sets received in color in '51. The '63 version has not been released on either video or DVD. In 2007 a DVD was released of the 1955 telecast of Amahl. The cast is the same as the '51 telecast except for Amahl -- performed by Bill McIver who did it for four years running. The DVD is in black and white and appears to have been transfered from a kinescope. The performance is first rate, though. One of the extras is a long interview with Rosemary Kuhlman (the Mother) and is very interesting. I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who loves Amahl.

The Country Girl (1954)

Best Actress??

[7/10 · 7 January 2006]

Seaton's screen play is a weak adaption of Odet's play. Making the play within a play a musical was patently done so Crosby could sing a little. Alas, the songs given to him are third rate and detract rather than add to the quality of the film. Crosby was a good enough actor to have played the role not as a song and dance man and might well have been more effective. He was very good in the role and no doubt drew to some degree from the alcohol addiction of his first wife, Dixie. Sadly, he'd seen it up close and personal. William Holden is the strong center of the film, making Bernie Dodd a tough, dedicated director, willing to stick his neck out for the possibility of a great come back performance. Grace Kelly is woefully miscast as Georgie, a role played by a much older Uta Hagen on Broadway. One has the impression that Kelly's performance is much too "Hey, look at me, I'm acting". Her performance rises to the level of that word that every actor hates, it is adequate. Her win as Best Actress that year was a particularly egregious piece of nonsense. Judy Garland's performance in A Star is Born was head and shoulders above Kelly or any other actress in contention that year. Truth to tell, Kelly was never more than a modestly talented actress who benefited from great press, serial love affairs with leading men, and a romance with a prince. Her best work was probably To Catch a Thief and that script didn't make much in the way of demands on his limited ability. Certainly The Country Girl is a film worth seeing but it could have been so much more! One lovely little irony is in the script and casting. At one point in the film, the Holden character, Bernie Dodd, is trying to explain to the producer, Phillip Cook, played by the actor Anthony Ross, why he wants to use the Crosby character. The example he uses is the casting of an over the hill, ex drunk actress named Laurette Taylor as Amamda Wingfield (the Mother) in the Glass Menagerie on Broadway. Taylor, did in fact give a legendary performance in part. The lovely little irony is that Anthony Ross had played the Gentlemen Caller with Laurette Taylor in the original Broadway production. A small and unimportant point, but fun none-the-less.

The Hairy Ape (1944)

A loose interpretation, a little "Hollywooded" up!

[5/10 · 12 January 2005]

A few comments concerning Roman Bohnen. He was indeed a solid character actor. He did considerable stage work with the Group Theatre and worked with The Adlers, Lee J. Cobb, Francis Farmer, and John garfield to name just a few. One would think with his early professional associations he probably was a little left of center. BUT, he made over twenty films after The Hairy Ape, including The Best Years of Our Lives and Brute Force, both major films with substantial roles for him. He died 24 February 1949, well before Senator McCarthy hit the political scene. McCharthy had nothing to do with HUAC (the House UnAmerican Activities Committee -- note House not Senate). The Black LIst was essentially to work of The John Birch Society with the willing complicity of Studio Heads on the movie front and Advertisers and sponsors on the TV front.

On the Beach (1959)

A potentially good film that get's far too "preachy"

[6/10 · 4 May 2004]

Kramer was a first rate producer and a moderately talented director but he could never resist over kill. This is a well acted cautionary tale with a message from the 50's liberal point of view. Peck and Astair are particularly good. The script is literate and interesting. The science is nonsense but I was perfectly willing to suspend logic for the sake of the story. I think most everyone is the theatre when I saw this film all those years ago "got it" early in the playing time. The banner flapping in the breeze that seemed to stick with several people was just plain silly! My feeling at the time was essentially, "Yeah, Stan, WE ALREADY UNDERSTOOD!" When I saw the film in '59 a segment of the audience actually laughed at that closing shot. It would have been far more powerful had the shot been the same, but without the banner. That would have prompted some thought. Certainly well worth seeing, but it is a flawed film.

The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

A creative effort with some hits and some misses.

[7/10 · 28 May 2002]

The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the wittiest plays in the English language. I think I know it fairly well, having directed it once and performed in it once (Alegernon). Great plays cannot be forever preserved in Amber, never to change, always mounted in the same ways and subject to the same old readings. In this film the director has attempted to bring Wilde's wicked wit to a contemporary audience, many of whom have not been taught how to think. Did he go too far at time? By all means. I agree that even a free thinking Gwendolyn would never get a tattoo, particularly on her back side. Nor would Jack nee Earnest. Suggesting that Lady Bracknell had been plucked from the world of the music hall was totally wrong. Most of the other changes served Wilde very well however. Like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde's writing can survive tinkering by the gifted as well as by hacks. This version is not the work of a hack. Go for it!!

Mission to Mars (2000)

DePalma does it again-- and it aint good!!

[5/10 · 14 December 2001]

Take a little of Appolo 13, a lot of 2001, a pinch of Close Encounters, toss in just a touch of the short story Kaleidoscope by Ray Bradbury and you have a mixture to curdle your brain, which is what this film can to do you. Sinise, Cheadle and O'Connell give us solid, workman like performances, though Sinise does look a little bit embarrassed a couple of times. The usually reliable Tim Robbins is just too stolid and John Wayneish in this role. Armin Mueller-Stahl looks so totally unhappy that one has to wonder if he would have preferred to be in a dentist's chair to doing the film. It is interesting to note that he is not credited in the cast list. By choice I'd bet.

From a technical stand point the film is well made. The screen play is a hodge-podge of other writer's ideas. The direction is a hodge-podge of other directors work. The end result is just plain awful. I stayed with it because I really wanted to like it but my brain kept muttering

"will this never end".

If you are a die hard, uncritical sci-fi movie fan, the sort who will sit through the remake of The Thing more than once, you may like this unintended disaster. Otherwise, spend your money on The Day The Earth Stood Still and watch a real classic.

Pale Rider (1985)

Pale Rider is a Pale Copy

[4/10 · 15 November 2001]

Shane is one of the five best westerns ever made. Pale Rider is dreck. The normally sure footed Eastwood should never have attempted this perfectly awful remake. The word "hubris" leaps to mind as the only reason he might have stumbled so badly in this case. The writers, I would assume at Eastwood's suggestion, took a powerful, straight forward tale of good versus evil and poured a heaping helping of metaphysical nonsense over it. Eastwood's Preacher is just one more tired turn as The Man With No Name from his Italian period -- but lacking even a faint hint of originality or creativity. The supporting players were as pale as the rider. Nowhere did we see the power of Van Heflin's performance as Joe in Shane. Heflin was Everyman. Jean Arthur, Jack Palance, Brandon DeWilde, all were perfectly cast. Palance was particularly effective in evoking quiet menace. Eastwood needed to add a back-up group and collectively they couldn't summon up the smallest chill. And Alan Ladd, of course. Stoic without being dull. Projecting a man of flesh and blood instead of some mythic gunslinger. If you want to see Eastwood at his best rent The Unforgiven and steer clear of this pitiful mishmash.

The Proposition (1998)

A STINKER from start to finish (much too long a journey)!

[3/10 · 29 September 2001]

This bomb combines to worst elements of an Andrew Greeley potboiler with performances that should for ever embarrass the actors involved in this poorly written nonsense. The direction is amateurish; sluggish pacing, muddy photography, glaring errors of the period, and no real understanding of the Roman Catholic church of that time. The voice over narration by Brannagh is sleep inducing and his on screen performance is little better. William Hurt is William Hurt, never really giving the character a hint of life. Blythe Danner is wasted. This film is a dog. Don't bother.

Song of the South (1946)

A Victim of Political Correctness!

[7/10 · 7 August 2001]

This charming film, full of humor and love, will never be released in the United States as long as Michael Eisner heads Disney. There is noting evil in this lovely story of an old man and a young boy, neither of whom see skin color as a reason not to care deeply for each other and to reach out to each other. As long as people bend to those who would impose their politically correct views on the rest of us we will live in a society where popular culture is censored. One has only to review a catalog of Touchstone Films to realize that Eisner's fastidious sensibilities don't extend to all segments of our society. Song of the South is a wonderful film but it is being held hostage. That is a real tragedy!

Only the Valiant (1951)

Dated and a little heavy handed -- but terrific!

[7/10 · 4 August 2001]

On the whole one wishes this was a better film, but it has enough flashes of intense power to make it worth while. Peck made this film during the same period that he made The Gunfighter, before he apparently decided he was a monument rather than an actor. A pity! He was a fine actor, perfectly willing to tackle characters that were not very likable, and to do them extremely well. The character he plays here is driven and, when necessary, ruthless. Given the mission the character has been assigned, and the "men" with which to do it, those characteristics are essential.

Without being a spoiler, think of this film as an early, grittier example of The Dirty Dozen genre.

The dialog in this film is a bit ham handed but it is atmospheric and intense and definitely tells a story worth telling. It contains good work by all the character actors and even Barbara Payton turns in a credible performance.

This one isn't often shown on television so your local video store may be the only place to find a copy. Go ahead! Devote an evening to it. It is worth your time!

The Prisoner (1955)

Two Pros Light Up the Screen

[9/10 · 25 July 2001]

This film is often overlooked but if you can find it, it is well worth your while. Adapted from a stage play it is admittedly slow and talky, but it does challenge the intellect. Guiness and Hawkins are brilliant as a churchman consumed with self doubt and a zealot consumed with the state. Their battle of wits forms the crux of this many layered work. A rather pale love story added to the screen play simply detracts from the films power. This is a film that will challenge you to think. It requires work on the part of the viewer and, as a result, is not everyone's cup of tea. Any fan of great acting shouldn't miss it.

Thirteen Days (2000)

American History takes it on the chin again!

[6/10 · 15 July 2001]

So now we know that JFK simply could not have handled the Cuban Missile Crises without the sage advice of Kenny O'Donnell!? Bull! O'Donnell was more Court Jester than senior adviser. He was a friend that JFK was comfortable with, who aided and abetted Kennedy's womanizing, and who was most probably not nearly so involved in the crises as this film would have us believe. And where the hell was LBJ? Lyndon was, after all, the Vice-President; and a loud, boorish, aggressive one at that. He was a Hawk on the Missile crises. To reduce the character to a couple of throw away lines is just plain silly. Then there is poor, misunderstood Bobby, tired of being called ruthless. Even Old Joe Kennedy said Bobby was "the most like me, hard as nails". The military has been held up to disdain and ridicule in Hollywood for quite some time now, so that aspect should come as no surprise. It is a shame that so many American kids will get a distorted picture of historic events from films like this and Pearl Harbor. It is, unfortunately, just one more symptom of the continued dumbing down of the country.

The more you know about the actual events surrounding the Cuban Missile Crises, the sillier this film will be for you.

Chocolat (2000)

A pretty, poison, little bon bon.

[7/10 · 4 January 2001]

Once again organized religion is evil and repressive and paganism is good and liberating. Even Roger Ebert found that element a bit overworked in this film. Check out the closing paragraph is his review for a thought provoking comment. Let's speculate a bit here. The "chocolat" of the title is supposedly wonderful stuff: gives the user renewed sexual potency, raises their level of sensitivity, provides courage, fosters truthfulness, and helps the elderly infirm face death happily. The poor mayor, full of stifling piety, must lose himself in an orgy of "chocolat" to discover his humanity. The wretched wife beater and arsonist, who NEVER HAS ANY "CHOCOLAT", is driven from the town. Even 98 year old dogs (in human years of course) feel frisky enough to mount a lovely little female dog after a bit of this heavenly substance. What is the underlying thesis here? How about letting yourself go and giving in to a life altering substance. There are many layers in this pretty little film and some of them are not very pretty at all.

I'm not saying that one should avoid the film; it has visual beauty and some first rate performances. Think a little bit, though.

Overseas (1990)

French to the core!

[7/10 · 25 June 2000]

A rather show film about people who are not very likeable, but whose lives have interest and value. Through flash back the stories of three sisters are told; each different, each with both good and bad qualities, but each very real and very human. Of particular interest is the colonialist point of view relative the the Algerian war. These people do not consider that they are interlopers. The sisters were born there -- it is their home. In historic context France was a corrupt colonial power but this is a story on more human terms not terribly interested in geo political lessons. This is a film that will require that the viewer think. If you are a car chase, blow-em-up, blood spattered on the wall junkie, save your time and money. Don't rent this one. That way you won't have to turn your head on.

Little Voice (1998)

Strictly a One Trick Pony

[4/10 · 20 September 1999]

The screenplay is a muddled mess. One can only hope that the stage play had something to redeem it. The Ewan McGregor character, Billy, appears to be there solely as a means necessary to save a life when no other plot element offered itself. Jane Horrocks is an accomplished voice mimic but the character she is called upon to play here is such a vapid creature that we simply cannot buy the short lived transformation to knock'em in the aisle performer. It is a gimmick pure and simple. The other performances are wildly inconsistent. Caine is, as usual, reliable, believable, and at the end rather pitiable. And then there is Brenda Blethyn delivering some of the most irritating, over wrought, hammy work of a highly overrated career. The performance might have worked on stage where on has some aesthetic distance but that's doubtful. The mother is surely a monster but even a monster requires some subtle shadings, some layers, a bit of nuance. Blethyn delivers one long slap in the face with a rubber chicken. It is possible that there is a good movie buried somewhere in this dreck but this crowd didn't find it.

Hamlet (I) (1964)

Hard to find and too often overlooked!

[9/10 · 9 September 1999]

Difficult to find since it is essentially a video taping of a Broadway performance, but this is a Hamlet not to be missed! Under the firm directorial hand of John Gielgud, Richard Burton creates one of the memorable Hamlets. He rivals Olivier in a very different interpretation. It is important to remember when watching this one that it is not a movie! Still, Burton vividly demonstrates that he could have been the first classical actor of his generation had he focused on that phase of his career. Gielgud appears as the Ghost of King Hamlet and is magnificent in the role. Hume Cronyn is perfection as Polonius. The remainder of the cast is good but not breathtaking. Trivia Buffs!! Who plays the Player Queen in this version (yes, Player Queen)-- a very young Christoper Culkin. Long before he shortened that first name to Kit and fathered MacCauley.

Burton had instructed that after a limited theatrical release all copies of this were to be destroyed. It is fortunate for those of us who love this play and love great classical acting that somewhere someone failed to follow instructions. If you can find a copy by all means rent it.