donwc1996 Reviews

Intrigue (1947)

A forgotten George Raft film

[7/10 · 26 May 2018]

Not a bad film about the post war black-marketing racket.Raft looks good-maybe a little overweight-but 2 women find him interesting. June Havoc is dressed to the nines in all her scenes, she looks as if she's going to a nightclub, but we only see her in her office.

The Shopworn Angel (1938)

Is this supposed to be Romantic?

[1/10 · 9 February 2018]

I can't believe that I just sat thru this film. James Stewart came off as so naive and really creepy. Margaret Sullivan played him along after she found out she could/t get rid of him. She should have told him right at the top that she was in love with Walter Pidgeon But, no, she didn't " realize" that Stewart was in love with her. The ending was real bad--so convenient for Stewart to die in battle. HELP!

Tarzan's Revenge (1938)

Talk About A Torso!

[10/10 · 3 April 2016]

I am at a loss to understand why so many reviews here are so negative and for some reason expect Shakespeare when come on guys we're talking about Tarzan. And this Tarzan is great, great, great to look at! In fact I could not take my eyes away from his rock hard sculpted bod - heaven help me. For one thing he was the most natural looking Tarzan and that added to his credibility not only as the character of Tarzan but as an actor as well. The storyline was okay for a Tarzan but then let's fact it all the Tarzan story lines sort of blend into one another. Also, the supporting cast was excellent - some really great character actors.

Loose Cannons (2010)

A Masterpiece!

[10/10 · 24 October 2014]

This brilliant film may just have the dumbest title in the history of the movies and I stayed away from it while it sat on a stack of incoming films from my old standby Amazon.com. Then quite by accident I picked it up and saw it was Italian and thought it couldn't be as dumb as the dumb title. Boy, was I in for a surprise! This film is not only absolutely brilliant but a masterpiece if there ever was one. I was totally knocked over by every aspect of this film, its deep humanity, its incredible beauty, everything about it. I even cried at the end and I never cry in movies. Perhaps it was because this film said something about the human condition that I have never seen in the movies. And what it said was that love cannot be confined to specific boxes that we all know and understand, that love is without boundaries and if we are smart we understand that and in fact can even explore those boundaries. At the very end when the male lead looks at the two loves in his life, one male, one female, it is made abundantly clear that he loves both of them equally and unconditionally. Wow! What a way to go!

The Paperboy (2012)

So Much Talent!

[1/10 · 16 October 2014]

I'm giving this film a 10 because I can only marvel at so much talent so utterly misspent in this southern Gothic tale of woe. This film more than anything else demonstrates out clearly out of sync Hollywood is with the world and why ultimately Hollywood will implode on its own madness which apparently has gripped even the most talented. The point of this film apparently is to see just how disgusting it can be so that the audience runs screaming from the theater. There is one disgusting scene after another as though they are competing against one another in a disgust marathon. The fact that the highest paid talent in the world would be seduced by this utterly disgusting script is further proof that something is rotten in Denmark in this case Hollywood.

Young Adam (2003)

Tilta Is Tops

[10/10 · 14 October 2014]

Tilta Swinton is my favorite actress because she is utterly unique. No one looks like her, no one acts like her. She is like a diamond in the rough, a true gem that you want to hold in your hand and rub until you are absolutely convinced she belongs only to you. And no actress has more courage. In this film she does things that no top actress would even dream of doing. For example, she wears absolutely no makeup. And when we see her actually put on lipstick it really is a shock. For me the film was about her and that's why I saw it. The rest of the movie for me was alright and the cast was okay but I am so hooked on her that all I can see is her.

In the Name Of (2013)

A Work of Art

[10/10 · 14 October 2014]

This film is absolutely superb obviously made by an individual who is a true artist because every scene was like a painting they were so perfectly framed. And within these beautiful frames is the story of a handsome, sexy priest who is attracted to a handsome sexy man and guess what folks? As a recovering Catholic I can attest the fact that many priests are gay and even the current pope when faced with the issue was non-committal, stating that it was between the man and his Creator which I thought was a way of the final admission of the reality of the priesthood in the Catholic church. The fact that the priest's lover himself becomes a priest is simply further testimony to the fact that there are priests who are in love and are able to carry on a relationship within the boundaries of the church. I am at a loss to understand why men would choose to become priests knowing they are attracted to men but apparently according to the latest findings almost all men going into the priesthood are gay and that eventually gays will take over the church. Now that's something to think about.

Whisky (2004)

A Complete Surprise!

[10/10 · 9 October 2014]

This is a superb film that catches you completely by surprise. It is very disarming in the way the story is told because it is so casual and nonchalant, so much so that when the reality of what actually happens hits you it is really something. Talk about surprise! It's like a slug to the gut and you sit there trying to catch your breath wondering how something like this could have happened and you never saw it coming. Actually, in retrospect, there were clues, really obvious clues but somehow they are ignored until the film is over and you start to piece it all together and realize the unimaginable has happened. The central figure in the story is the woman and everything revolves around her but she is a complete mouse, always agreeable, hardly a threat to anyone until all hell breaks loose and she turns out to be a tsunami.

Lovebirds (2008)

Charming!

[10/10 · 9 October 2014]

This is an utterly charming film done in the 40's screwball comedy style with a modern touch and twist. The entire cast is absolutely delightful and the settings are luxuriantly tropical with lots of trees and bushes and animals. The Mother dominates and in fact is credited first with the Father just as dominate and credited second. The two young hunks are third and fourth. And they are quite a pair. Because of the situation with the parents hovering around the two men are stuck apart and only get some respite when they travel into the jungle with friends. But it really is the Mother's story and her realization that her son is not only gay but has invited his lover to visit. When reality sinks in the Mother is very vulnerable and very touching and your heart really goes out to her. Apparently the Mother is played by a top Philippines star and she truly walks away with the film. No wonder she was credited first. She deserves it. It's her film.

Before I Forget (2007)

Stays With You

[10/10 · 9 October 2014]

I walked out of this film when I sat down to watch it the first time but my film bud told me later that the star also wrote and directed and was a big star in France. That intrigued me so I sat down again to watch the film and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I could not stop thinking about it primarily because I wondered how a famous French movie star would make such a personal statement about his own life which apparently he does in this film. First off, he's gay, but more than that he's an old gay guy past his prime who gets off with hustlers. This was shocking enough on its own but put in a larger perspective you have to wonder how many guys are just like him and if their lives are as bleak as the life depicted here. Yet, there was such a touch of humanity in the film that I really related to the guy even though I found his entire situation not just sad but tragic. Ultimately, I realized his life is empty because he has not risen above his basic carnal desires to achieve a higher state of being which can only be done either through faith or some philosophy.

Forgive and Forget (2000 TV Movie)

Push Over For A Pretty Face

[10/10 · 6 October 2014]

The reviews here have been uniformly negative and in some cases even nasty and although I would like to understand all the negativity I really cannot. I thoroughly enjoyed this film because the male lead really had me going and frankly I did not give a hoot how many holes there were in the script and there were plenty because I just could not stop looking at this guy he's that incredible. The story, let's face it, is far-fetched but hey it's the movies folks and we don't go to the movies to watch everyday life - we want to see something new and different and this film stretches the point almost to the breaking, but even still it works for me because I just could not take my eyes off the male lead. Even the ending which most here found absurd worked for me because it showed exactly what happens when a straight guy thinks he has been screwed by a gay guy and this is just what the straight guy here thought - and in fact he had - not literally but mentally and that was just as bad.

Floating Skyscrapers (2013)

Brilliant but Tragic

[10/10 · 5 October 2014]

This is a brilliant cinematic achievement. The director has created a visually stunning atmosphere that grips you just as any great work of art does. He tells his story with virtually no words so that the atmosphere of the film really becomes very penetrating. The cast is gorgeous - everyone of them - male and female - and there are scenes so erotic you have to take a break and cool off. And Poland is so Catholic. After all, they did produce a pope and the modern standards we take for granted simply do not exist in Catholic Poland. The tragic conclusion of the film supports this idea in a way that is really shocking for everyday America where gay rights are almost taken for granted. And abortion rights too. We have so much to be grateful for in America. It would be nice if we really appreciated everything we have. This film is almost prehistoric it is so unrelenting in its bashing of gays, something which doesn't seem to be happening any longer in much of the United States.

Birthday Cake (2013)

Just Plain Awful!

[1/10 · 29 September 2014]

This film is so bad I thought I actually hurt myself watching it. The only reason I sat through the entire film is because my movie bud was sitting next to me and he seemed to be enjoying it. As it turned out he wasn't, but he put on a pretty good act. The fellow behind this film is the producer, director, writer and co-star and right there we get at the root of the problem. He may have had the money to make this film but that's about it. He cannot direct, write or act which is really sad because the film is his baby and because it's his baby it is definitely the worse for wear. The script is a jumble, so filled with ideas that have no connection with one another that you sit there asking yourself constantly what is going on. Worse still is the fact that what we are seeing is being filmed for some reason which I never understood and the movie within a movie concept just adds to the confusion.

The Perfect Wedding (2012)

Love The Chunks!

[10/10 · 29 September 2014]

I am giving this film a Ten because of the chunks in it. A chunk is the ultimate hunk and this film has them in spades, so many in fact my poor little brain had a hard time trying to figure out which one turned me on the most. Also, the actor who played the Father in The Talented Mr. Ripley plays the Father here and as always he is very, very good, one of the top character actors in films if you check out his history at IMDb. Aside from those pluses this film is just plain awful. It has already been pointed out that one of the chunks falls for a nerd which of course is absurd, but he does and you just groan through the film thinking why would a chunk fall for a nerd? But even worse than that is the fact that the bride in the so-called perfect wedding is black while the entire cast is white! Hello? What is going on here? Am I color-blind? No, as it turns out I am not and we are told she is adopted, which, I guess is okay but she does not have a single black friend and she is marrying a white chunk. Worse is the script which is just plain dribble, just chock full of nonsense that just doesn't fly in any way whatsoever. The chunks - three of them by the way - kept me watching because all three of them are such dolls but I groaned throughout the film because of its many, many flaws.

Ma mère (2004)

Warning! Depraved and Disgusting!

[1/10 · 28 September 2014]

I rarely walk out of films but I walked out of this one. It gets off to a great start. It's set in the Canary Islands, one of the most beautiful places in the world and the cast is just as beautiful. One of France's top stars heads the stellar cast and the story is intriguing and immediately gripped me. But, alas, about 45 minutes into the film the most disgusting scene occurred in a cab with Ma Mere, the Mother, her hunky teenage son and Mother's best girlfriend. The son asks the girlfriend for a kiss and she assures him that the only place she will kiss him is on his ass and then makes a comment about how poopy his butt is. Then, as if that isn't enough, she proceeds to demand he bend over and drop his pants so she can insert her finger up his ass in order for her and Ma Mere to sniff it. This is when I walked, telling my film bud he was on his own and true to form the poor guy sat through the rest of this sordid mess until the equally disgusting finish. How one of France's most beautiful and talented actresses got talked into this sewer is beyond me but the poor girl must have just been dumped by her lover and been in an awful state of depression to even consider being involved in a loathsome project such as this.

Man at Bath (2010)

Erotic As Heck!

[10/10 · 26 September 2014]

Maybe it's just me but this film for all its moodiness and abstract story telling sure got my juices going. The lead is a former porn star and this guy sure knows how to flaunt his stuff. You never get tired of looking at his perfect body in all its shimmering glory. In one scene a woman pays him $20 just to look at his butt and since he is broke he agrees to the deal. She then strips down to show him her butt when her boyfriend walks in but as only the French can do the three end up in bed together. Ah, the French! There's no one like 'em! The story is not easy to follow and a couple of times I grumbled and groaned but my buddy kept telling me the film is very French and very New Wave so I had to quiet down and attempt to appreciate the film from my buddy's sophisticated point of view.

Our Paradise (2011)

Classic Hitchcock

[10/10 · 24 September 2014]

This film is Hitchcock from beginning to end but with a French twist to give it an extra bit of fizz. The ending, however, was a misfire and since I am a writer myself I wrote an alternative ending which works for me and I think would work for the film. My ending is about love - the four men involved fall for each other and live happily ever after. The real ending is as Hollywood as Hollywood can get and for a French film that is a bit odd. Still, the more I think about the film the more I am really taken by how strong the characters are and how difficult their circumstances. Let's face it, we all see rough times, even dark times, and the two leads in this film are thrown into some pretty choppy seas.

The Bubble (2006)

Warning! Downer!

[10/10 · 17 September 2014]

This film is brilliant as are all of this director's movies, but beware, it is a downer and the poster art in no way prepares you for the fact that this is an anti-war movie and if you know what that means then you understand this film will tear your heart out and that's just what it does. I was in shock at the ending because in no way was I prepared for what was to happen and even when it did happen I sat there thinking is this for real, did this really happen or has the film suddenly taken a surreal turn that has me completely confused? But, alas, no, the ending comes like a thud, a slug in the gut and I came away from the film like a walking Zombie, alive perhaps, but utterly without feeling or emotion.

Antarctica (2008)

Riddle Wrapped In An Enigma

[10/10 · 9 September 2014]

This film is a blast and sexy as all get out. The guys are just plain hot and the story is hilarious with the mother played by a man being the most absurd. The director obviously just wanted to have fun but at the same time he cast a bunch of hunks all of whom have nothing better to do than sleep together which makes for some steamy scenes. There were so many hunks naked that it was hard to keep track of them but eventually everyone found his place with his partner to create a satisfactory conclusion. The ending is very abstract and you have to ask yourself if what is happening is really happening but then again the entire film is so surreal that it is difficult to determine exactly what is going on. I can certainly see why some people would hate this film but it was so funny you just can't help but like it and the hunks more than make up for any holes in the script - and there are lots of holes.

L'homme que j'aime (1997 TV Movie)

Touching & Sad

[10/10 · 8 September 2014]

First of all this film is about a man dying of AIDS so if that bothers you this film is not for you. However, it is also very touching and beautiful but also very sad. The dying man falls in love with a hunky lifeguard who apparently is closeted and lives with a girl but who ultimately comes out with the dying man and falls in love with him. The fact he accepts the man's death sentence is very touching and sweet and you have to wonder if you could do a similar thing. But love is love and here love wins out. The cast is pure heaven - the two male leads and the two female leads - and their interaction is sublime magic, filmmaking at its best. The locations on the French coast are absolutely gorgeous and had me running to Google to check the French coastline and see where the locations settings were which I was able to find.

Big Bad Wolves (2013)

Funny & Twisted

[10/10 · 7 September 2014]

This film is not for everyone. It takes one of the most disgusting subjects imaginable and turns it into a twisted comedy. You're laughing your head off while castigating yourself for ignoring the dark subject matter which reeks of absolute depravity. But it is funny and you can't help yourself. And so you laugh. But the film keeps you at the edge of your seat gnawing on your knuckles. The male lead is one of my very favorite actors in film today and once I discovered him which was not that long ago I decided to get every film he made and this one came up in my research. No matter how unpalatable the subject matter of this film this actor shines like the star he is. You just cannot take your eyes off him. And that is true star power.

My Life on Ice (2002)

Skating Splendor

[10/10 · 6 September 2014]

Okay, if you like figure skating this film is for you, but if you do not like figure skating then this film is not for you. There is a lot of figure skating in this film because the male lead happens to be a professional figure skater as well as an actor although based on what I found here he has never made another film, which is too bad because he is very good and very handsome and also very engaging. The reviews here are mixed but I found the film immensely enjoyable because the male lead is such a good skater and the premise of the story quite interesting. In fact all the male leads in the film are very handsome and so the film is very enjoyable to look at. The ending is not only a surprise but a really nice way to complete the male lead's personal journey which his use of a video camera documents in a very interesting way. The title of the film is quite accurate and as the male lead films his life the movie unfolds slowly but completely.

I Dreamt Under the Water (2008)

This Film Is Hot

[10/10 · 4 September 2014]

There aren't many reviews here and for the most part they are negative but apparently these reviewers didn't watch the film I just saw because this film is hot, hot, hot! I never saw so much pee-pee in my life! Aroused pee-pee at that! And the hetero sex is just as hot. This film has it all. Okay, so it has a very depressing premise which is drug addiction and that is not a pretty picture but good gracious who can take his eyes off the male lead who looks like a Michelangelo sculpture! I sure couldn't. And even when the film got so abstract you could not figure out what is going on, the male lead kept my attention because you are just riveted to him and that's what makes a star. And this guy has got it in spades!

Late Marriage (2001)

The Most Erotic Film Ever

[10/10 · 4 September 2014]

This film has without a doubt the longest and most erotic bedroom scene ever done in movies. You can actually see the guy's aroused state if you look close enough. That's a first for me in film. To say my hormones were bouncing around would be an understatement. The male lead and his knock-out female companion were not kidding around when they did this scene. It was for real and that's no joke. I had just seen the male lead in another fabulous film, Walking on Water, where I came to the realization he has to be one of the hottest men in the movies, but Water only hints at just how hot this guy is where in this film he ascends to the highest plane of hotness. Paired with the hottest female ever seen in film the duo make magic in spades. It has taken me a couple of days to calm down from this flick!

The Art of Being Straight (2008)

Surprise Sleeper

[10/10 · 2 September 2014]

This film is a real surprise sleeper. It starts out so slow and casual that it lulls you into the story and before you know it you are zapped as though hit on the head with a two by four and it just takes you for the ride which has you gnawing your knuckles. The cast is as perfect as can be and beautifully written in terms of character and motivation. In fact the script is a real gem written with not only a great deal of heart but real understanding of human nature. The ending was a shock, however, and my buddy and I sat there in silence trying to grasp the idea that the film was actually over. Then it hit us both almost at the same time that the story really had gone as far as it could and that the title of the film said it all.