alphaleonis Reviews

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

Liked the movie, want the book

[7/10 · 19 April 2004]

Our whole family has always enjoyed this movie. Before coming to this site, however, I didn't know that it was based on a true story. My wife likes the movie (she likes almost anything with Lucille Ball in it) so I will probably get her a copy of the book as a gift. Even if the movie departs from the book significantly, I still believe that reading the true story would only enhance enjoyment of the movie. I would like to thank the IMDB people for creating the format that enables this type of information to be shared.

In my opinion, the movie is carried by a masterful rendition by the three main stars - Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, and Van Johnson. Each of these is a personal favorite, so I may be prejudiced, but I can't imagine anyone else in these roles. And not only did the ages of Fonda and Ball not bother me, but it never occurred to me that there might have been a problem there. (Hollywood does a good job with makeup, and I failed to pull out my almanac while watching the movie to check on the stars' ages.) I have had friends with almost pure white hair become parents. An uncle started going very gray in his early thirties. So age and the appearance of age are very relative. Just enjoy this great movie.

In the Good Old Summertime (1949)

My favorite Judy Garland movie

[10/10 · 16 January 2004]

This is my favorite Judy Garland movie, though my wife likes Meet Me In St. Louis better. I also like this movie better than the other two variations of the story, though they are all good. This is one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time. Love Judy, love Cuddles, love Van. Liked this ending better than the other two movies on this storyline.

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

A Family Favorite Christmas Classic

[10/10 · 16 January 2004]

Of the three remakes of this plot, I like them all, I have all three on VHS and in addition have a copy of this one on DVD. There is just enough variation in the scripts to make all three entertaining and re-watchable. In addition has any other film been remade three times with such all star casts in each? Of course the main stars in this one are great, but the supporting actors are also superb. I particularly like William Tracy as Pepi. He was such a scene stealer that I have searched to find other movies he is in. He appeared in many, but most are not available. As the other comments, I also say - buy this one.

Pride and Prejudice (1940)

Loved the book, Loved the movie

[10/10 · 16 January 2004]

My wife and I read Pride and Prejudice together about thirty years ago. I have since read it several more times as has she. There are very few books that I have read more than once, so my love for the book is evidenced. There are many radical departures of this movie from the book, the most regrettable being the omission of the Pemberley Estate scenes. But I still must give it a 10/10. Some of the changes seem to be actually preferable from an entertainment point of view. But as I reread the novel (as I have two or three times since first seeing the movie) I appreciate both versions.

This is a movie that sits in its case on our entertainment center in our bedroom. Once or twice a year, when the offerings on the tube become unbearable, it's popped into the VCR and never fails to entertain.

This book and the movie have been a launching pad for us on the road of entertainment. We have both since read most of the Austen novels. The only other one we have enjoyed on the screen is Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow), though we have tried several other screen versions including the 5 hour version of P&P. It also was a starting point for searching out more Greer Garson & Lawrence Olivier movies. It was the first movie we saw with either of these great stars in it. Then of course, you can't be a Greer Garson fan without becoming a Walter Pidgeon fan - and it goes on and on. And this was the beautiful starting point for all of this fun.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Sees movie as uplifting, inspiring, greatest ever

[10/10 · 26 December 2003]

I attended The Return of The King with my two teenage sons and one of their friends. While walking out of the theater, my 17 year old son asked me if I had cried in the movie. I replied: "Before I answer that I want to ask you a question. Did watching this movie make you want to be a better person?" He replied in the affirmative. I then told him that I had cried throughout the last 30 minutes of the film. This surprised him since he had been watching me to see if I was crying and it had been well hidden. No audible sobs or visible tears that were telltale signs, but believe me, my heart was in my throat and eyes were misty for a solid 30 minutes. Also at many other times in the film the same thing happened. And during those many times, if anyone had tried to get me to talk to them I would have been unable to. What had me so misty eyed and choked up? The bravery and genuine goodness of the characters, just as Tolkien had depicted them in his books. Also the reaffirmation of the fact that good will always triumph in the end, in spite of current appearances.

I am in my mid fifties and have seen maybe two or three thousand movies in my lifetime, and this is now #1 and will be for some time. It not only uplifted me and made me want to be a better person - more selfless like Frodo and Sam,Aragorn, Theoden and the rest. But it did the same for my two sons, and this is worth a lot to me.

The scenery was breathtaking, the acting superb, the storyline almost as true to the books as could be done in a movie this short. Hope more true in the extended version.

In my opinion, the best movie ever made.