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Reviews
The Secret Six (1931)
One of the earliest "Talkie" gangster movies
I saw this recently on TCM and was quite impressed. This film came before the better known gangster movies of that era-- "Little Caesar," "Public Enemy," and, the greatest of them all-- "Scarface." It was also made at a time when sound recording technology for motion pictures was very new and still in development. The first talkie gangster movie, which happened to be the first all-talkie movie, was "Lights of New York," made in 1928. In that film the equipment was so clunky that the actors had to speak loud and slow and stay close to the microphone. By 1931, several improvements had come along, but it was still a difficult technical achievement to make a film like this.
There is a scene towards the beginning where Ralph Belamy, who does a great job as a sinister hood, fires a tommy-gun in a night club and kills a guy. Then, he and his cohorts run out and jump in a car. The rival gang pursues them, firing their own tommy-gun. Finally, the rivals crash. But during the chase scene, we are taken through city streets, with the cars running fast and the machine guns blazing. Granted, this was done much better a year or so later in "Scarface," but this film set the precedent.
The film is also worth seeing for the Clark Gable role. He shows the charm that made him a star. Harlow is also great as the moll. For a film made that long ago-- at the very beginning of the sound era-- it is well worth viewing whenever it appears again on Turner or any other channel.
The Untouchables: The Frank Nitti Story (1960)
Bruce Gordon, the best of the gangsters
I watched these shows as a kid and I always loved it when Bruce Gordon was on playing Frank Nitti in his dark pinstriped suit. His voice, his sneer, his general bearing all told you this guy was the real boss.
He was in the first show, "The Empty Chair," and had a great scene firing a Tommy gun into a couple of associates in a barber shop. But most of the time he was the big man chomping a cigar in his office and ordering someone else to "knock him off." I later saw photos of the real Frank Nitti, who, of course, looked nothing like Bruce Gordon. The whole series was a fantasy approach to the Prohibition era, bearing no more resemblance to Chicago in the 1930's than most westerns do to the area west of the Mississippi in the later part of the 19th century. Accepting it as such, "The Untouchables" was a great series and a lot of fun to watch.
Breaking Away (1979)
One of the most enjoyable film experiences
I loved this movie from the start. After seeing it in a theater, I caught it every time it played on TV and eventually bought the VHS and then the DVD. This film does what all great films should do-- it creates a world and lets you come in and live there for awhile. Each character is so strongly drawn that you really feel you know them. The story is almost irrelevant. You just go along for the ride (on a bicycle, of course)and observe human nature. The Midwest setting is also a bonus. It is nice to see a film set in Indiana rather than California or New York.
The father-son relationship is revealing and comical without being trite. The buddies are like the guys you may have grown up with, flawed and somewhat stupid at times, but loyal and goodhearted. I don't want to say too much about the story because you need to just sit back and get into it on your own. You may end up buying your own copy, too.
Tre fratelli (1981)
Beautiful and thought-provoking film
I just watched this film with my wife on a Netflix DVD. It is a very slow-paced film, but it captivates you and does what a great film should always do-- it transports you to another world and allows you to enter the lives of other people. In this case, we see the world through the eyes of three brothers, each of whom has long ago moved away from the impoverished village in southern Italy where they grew up. Each has taken on a distinct vocation-- The eldest is a respected judge, a member of the establishment, who, in spite of threats from terrorists, continues to carry out his duty. The middle brother is a liberal, charitable man who is trying to help kids in trouble and whose heart bleeds for the wretched of the earth. The youngest is a Don Juan, who migrated to the northern city of Turin to find work and got mixed up in the radical labor movements that are close to, if not part of, the very terrorist organization the elder brother is trying to stop.
The three brothers engage in conversation about these matters and we see their thoughts in dreams and flashbacks. But what really grounds the film is the old man, their father, and his remembrances of his recently departed wife. His tenderness with his granddaughter also gives the movie a sweet touch. In the end, this film leaves you richer for the experience of having watched it.
Psycho (1960)
Still Great (Spoilers galore)
I was just flipping channels tonight and this was on. Even though I have seen it before, I just could not move on and became totally caught up in it. That was the genius of Hitchcock. The way the shots were framed, the way the story was laid out, the way the actors moved and talked-- it all works as an organic whole.
We have a lot more knowledge of psychology today, or at least we think we do, but the shrink's little wrap-up talk at the end is still fascinating. One thing that probably is dated is the sinister/crazy look on the face of Norman Bates at the end. It works for the spooky effect and sends a chill up your spine, but real-life killers probably never show such "mad" expressions. Then again, the way Norman Bates is portrayed at the beginning is realistic, in that most people who meet mad killers so not detect anything unusual about them.
John Gavin, who later abandoned acting and became US ambassador to Mexico, was the one stiff and unconvincing actor in this film. At his senate hearing, as I recall, he told the panel, "I am not an actor and I have several films I can show you to prove it!"
There were several great shots in this film beyond the famous shower scene that usually gets all the attention. The scariest single moment was the killing on the stairs. Then there is the swinging light and the skeletal face of the "mother." (Spoiler for anyone who just emerged from a cave and has never seen this film).
Hollywood, of course, made a remake some years ago, but this is the film to see.
The Impostors (1998)
some good laughs
This movie is not perfect-- There are some timing problems and a few jokes fall flat, but it is a good madcap romp with lots of great actors having a good time. This is a good movie to watch on a day when you need cheering up and your brain is not being too demanding.
The music is also terrific and there is a great dance number with the whole cast and crew as the closing credits roll.
Tucci and Platt are really good in their roles, but the supporting cast makes it work. Billy Connolly does a good turn as a over-sexed boxer who gets his eye on one of the boys. Lilli Taylor is charming as usual and Campbell Scott does one of the more unusual parts I have seen him in.
It looks like the actors all got on board this one just for fun and they all appeared to have fun overacting and playing the slapstick to the hilt.
Nueve reinas (2000)
Just see it
The less said about this film, the better. It is full of twists and turns and you have to pay close attention to keep up. It would be hard to describe much of this without getting into spoilers, so I won't. It is one of the best films about con artists and swindlers I have seen.
It is great to see such good films coming from Argentina, a country with a lot of talent and artistic heritage to draw on. It is also a beautiful country and looks good on film.
This film is now out on DVD. For those who do not speak Spanish, you will have a lot of subtitles to read and you may want to pause and even go back at times to make sure you don't miss anything. I speak Spanish, so I was able to follow it fairly well, although the Argentine accent takes some time to adjust to if you are not from the southern cone of South America.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
At last an intelligent horror film
The idea of a courtroom drama and horror film combined is wonderful, but tricky to pull off. I think the filmmakers did it. The acting really made this film work. The limited use of special effects was welcome after so many crappy movies with slashers and computer-generated monsters. Campbell Scott played a crucial role as the straight-laced religious man who prosecutes the priest. Every time the story gets carried away with the supernatural, he provides the rational explanations and the right touch of skepticism. The fact that Laura Linney's character is not religious and doubtful to the end also makes her fear more affecting. The actress who plays Emily Rose is incredible. Her physical performance makes the exorcism scenes work. Great piece of work.
Um Filme Falado (2003)
Amazingly bad film, but some nice scenery
The only thing that makes this film worth seeing is the nice tour of historic sites in Europe and the Middle East. The first half is something like a documentary, which is fine for those of us who enjoy history, but we keep wondering if it will ever get around to making a point, if a plot might develop somewhere along the way, if anything at all might happen-- and then--BOOM!-- literally, in the last few minutes, we go from super calm sophisticates having their little pseudo-intellectual prattle to OHMYGOD terrorist attack! The only foreshadowing comes in the form of history lessons about the clash between the West and Islam over the centuries and the fact that those crazy Arabs burned Alexander's great library. So what is the point here? Are we to see current terrorism as an extension of the great clash of civilizations that goes back to the Crusades? I might draw that conclusion if I believed that the director actually had anything at all to say. One wonders how he got all these talented people to be in his film. Was it the money? Did they read the script? Was there a script?
El esqueleto de la señora Morales (1960)
Great Mexican film
I used to have tape of this movie I made when it appeared on TV down in Mexico City during one of my visits there years ago. I only saw it a couple of times and don't have the tape anymore. I was always hoping it would come out on DVD.
This film could be compared to some of Alfred Hitchcock's more macabre and darkly humorous films. This was made towards the end of the golden period in Mexican cinema. In the 1960's things took a turn towards the cheesy side and only within the past several years has Mexican cinema seen a bit of a turnaround, with some world-class productions.
The black and white photography is excellent and the acting is superb in this film about a man who stuffs animals for a living and has a wife who is even colder than the dead creatures in his workshop. I won't say more so as not to have any spoilers. See it if you can.
Skidoo (1968)
One of the worst films ever made
I saw this back when it came out in 1968. It had all these big stars, it was directed by Otto Preminger, how bad could it be? Worse than I could have imagined. Today, it is hard to remember much detail. My mind has, thankfully, wiped out the stains. I saw some of "Heaven's Gate"-- as much of it as I could take -- and I skipped some of the other movies famous for being bad, so I still reference "Skidoo" today whenever I think of total disasters on celluloid. But it could serve a purpose for film students, just as studying lost battles can help military planners.
They should put it on DVD and make it available to interrogators at Guantanamo to show prisoners. No, I am sorry I said that. I cannot condone torture.
Gun Crazy (1950)
Interesting film, especially for its time
"Deadly is the Female" is a lame title, but it captures the essence of this film better than "Gun Crazy," even though that is a much more pithy title. This is not a story about people obsessed with guns and killing. It is more about a sick relationship that involves two people who are pretty good shooters.
In the first part of the film, Bart is portrayed as a troubled young man who has a weird fascination with guns. He is sent off to reform school. So, we may expect him to come out all twisted and ready to go on a crime spree, but no-- He comes back as a nice young man who has served in the army and is now looking to carry on a normal life.
Later, when Bart comes under the spell of the blonde sharpshooter, Annie Laurie Starr, he moves pretty quickly into a life of crime. It seems a little odd that this clean-cut guy would do this and I think it would have been better if he had shown some sign of the depravity the character had as a child.
Of course, there is the highly charged scene in which they engage in a shooting contest. Sexual tension is evident, but since this was 1949, there is nothing too explicit.
What really makes this film fascinating are the great scenes in which the characters go off on their robbery spree. The long one-take shot from the back seat of the car as they pull the bank robbery is terrific. Also the close-ups on their faces when they are running from the law towards the end.
(Spoiler) The final shootout is not as violent as you might expect, given all that has gone before, but it has a nice twist in that the guy who could not kill ends up killing the person he loves.
The Bonnie and Clyde comparisons are inevitable. In some scenes Laurie wears a beret. The real Bonnie wore one in one famous photo, so the filmmakers may have taken it from that. Some 18 years later, Faye Dunaway had the same look. I am sure the producers of "Bonnie and Clyde" were influenced by "Gun Crazy." I wonder why John Dall did not do more films. He is one of those actors with a distinct look. I remember him from "Rope" and "Spartacus," but it appears his last film was the Atlantis sci-fi movie from the early 1960's.
This is a great film for studying technique.
Post Impact (2004)
Bad, but worth a few chuckles
Throw science out the window along with any ideas about plot development, character development and plausible story lines. The special effects are really "special," too. Much of it looks like something you would see in a video game. In fact, I wonder if they didn't just film some shots from a video game to save money.
I enjoyed the film, however, for the laughs. It keeps you wondering just how bad it can get. Just when you think it can't get any sillier-- it surprises you and does.
Just to give you an idea of how bad it is-- the main character is supposedly obsessed with getting back to the zone where he left his wife and daughter, yet he quickly drops his gloom when this British chick sheds her clothes and joins him in the shower. Only moments later, he is clearly hitting on the German chick. Of course, we know he is sensitive and caring, because every now and then he drops his gaze and supposedly thinks of the family he abandoned.
This was a German co-production. I thought the Germans were smarter.
Hurlyburly (1998)
Spacey is the only one worth watching
The only thing that got me through this movie was the chance to see Kevin Spacey deliver his lines. He was perfect in the role of the articulate cynic. But one has to wonder what his character was doing there. He seemed more intelligent than the others, yet he stuck around playing stupid games with them. Pretty depressing and pointless film, much like the lives of the people it depicts.
The actors were all big name stars and one wonders why they wanted to be in this film. I see that the original stage production in Chicago and New York also had big stars. I guess it was an opportunity to spout out some colorful dialog, but I must be missing whatever other value the story has.
Two Days (2003)
Great blend of comedy/drama
One of the hardest things to pull off is a comedy mixed with serious drama. This film does it well. The acting is superb and the story is engaging.
Most of the craziness revolves around the main character, who remains steadfast in his resolve to kill himself even as others plot to change his mind or refuse to take him seriously. The actress who plays his girl friend, Rachel, could be the next Halle Berry. Beautiful and talented. Some of the other actors are also deserving of bigger and better roles in the future.
This film just came out on DVD-- check it out.
In regard to the scene on the beach-- I think his intent is made clear by his statement about the credit cards.