christopherleebrick Reviews

The Cruise (1998)

A documentary of genius, all the way around.

[10/10 · 29 March 2020]

One of the most profound and beautiful films I have ever seen. Period. I have a personal collection with 1,400 titles of mostly good to great movies. "The Cruise" resides at the top of the treasure chest. With all that is going on (3/29/20) with the China flu and NYC being ground zero in America, this film is more relevant than ever. And the fact that this footage was shot before the towers came down only adds to it's profundity.

Gretel & Hansel (2020)

Excellent and surprising!

[9/10 · 14 February 2020]

Though I constantly watch films at home, I rarely venture out to the actual cinema anymore; but today I was strangely --and suddenly--inspired to go see the new "Gretel and Hansel" at a noon matinee. I loved it. It was dark, scary, magical, funny, and constantly surprising. The acting, cinematography, production design, original music, and direction were all excellent. (Plus, all of the cool outside locales are shot in Ireland). Even though they take some liberties with the plot, I did not feel like they violated the spirit of the Brothers Grimm powerful fairy-tale. For those who like good storytelling and the old stories freshly told, I definitely recommend.

The Irishman (2019)

Enough

[2/10 · 1 January 2020]

Too long and . . . why?

Goliath: Diablo Verde (2018) Season 2, Episode 7

The most amazing episode in Goliath so far . . .

[10/10 · 25 December 2019]

"Diablo Verde", is one of the greatest and strangest episodes of television I've ever seen. Right up there with the "Pine Barrens" episode of The Sopranos. Loved it. Great character relationship between Billie and the Asian Woman he can't remember from the night before. Fun too to see John Savage again.

Inherit the Wind (1960)

Too Preachy --and too different from the Play.

[6/10 · 23 November 2019]

The movie looks great and has some excellent performances from the leads; the biggest problem is that the screenplay and direction stray too far from the original play by Lawrence and Lee. It was a big hit on the Broadway stage, and even though the play comes off as a bit biased toward the side of the Drummond (Spencer Tracy) character, it managed to achieve a kind of overall balance. The screenplay for the movie is a different ball of wax; it unnecessarily adds scenes and expands characters--and in the hands of Stanley Kramer, the director and producer, it overdoes the bias and paints the townspeople, preacher, and Brady (Fredric March) as ignorant--even dangerous--religious zealots. In short, Kramer loses the more balanced achievement of the play. Too bad; the movie--including the March and Tracy performances-- are less engaging because of it.

Beware, My Lovely (1952)

Amazing gem

[9/10 · 12 November 2019]

Excellent. Excellent. What an unknown gem of a suspense movie. The plot goes places you don't expect. The tension is superb. The two leads are well matched. The great and underrated in his day, Robert Ryan, has possibly never been better. Highly recommend.

The Women (1939)

Wow. Almost unwatchable.

[3/10 · 12 November 2019]

Shrieking harpies! Gaggling geese! Cawing crows! I was shocked at how irritating and almost unwatchable this film is; taken from a play that obviously has not stood the test of time (it's completely forgotten and never produced). The style it's directed in by George Cukor--fast talking, immediate cue pick-ups, animated mugging--is not clever or winsome--merely irritating in this treatment. Norma Shearer comes off well, as does the girl who plays her daughter, and Joan Crawford is charismatic and interesting, but the whole affair does not work; to be fair, maybe it once --sort of-- did in it's day-- maybe it was thought brave and shocking to show an all female cast of "socialites" being loud, aggressive, vulgar, and ugly. Now it just seems weird. It also has the unfortunate generic title of "The Women" (and, btw, doesn't hold a candle as a movie to "The Men" from the early 50's); if this film were truly reflective of most Women, the earth's population would quickly fall off to zilch. The film is also overly long by about 30 minutes. . . . Alright . . . the above was written with ten minutes left in my viewing; I will say the end was slightly winsome and made me give it a single additional star. Still, obnoxious overall and hard viewing. Buyer beware.

The Verdict (1982)

David Mamet is the Star

[9/10 · 6 January 2019]

I love Paul Newman. I own and have seen most of his good/great films--including multiple viewings of this one. I wish he had won his Academy Award for this film (rather than "The Color of Money"). The true star of "The Verdict", however, is the screenplay by the great David Mamet. I would love to have seen him win an Academy Award too.

Against All Odds (1984)

Forgot how bad this is/was

[2/10 · 3 October 2018]

I can't believe I wasted more of my life watching this movie again. Bad writing, really really bad obnoxious and ever present soundtrack, and a mediocre plot. Taylor Hackford and all concerned were cashing big paychecks apparently. This movie proves the maxim that even good actors cannot save a bad script. Ultimately I was reminded that the only decent thing about this movie was the Phil Collins ballad that got overplayed on the radio. And they didn't even use it until the end of the movie. Bad bad bad bad.

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Forecast: Low Clouds and Coastal Fog (1963) Season 1, Episode 17

Excellent Hitch hour episode

[4 February 2018]

Stumbled upon this late night. Fun, and disturbing, and satisfying. Recommend.

The Twilight Zone: What's in the Box (1964) Season 5, Episode 24

Great TZ episode--little known gem!

[9/10 · 1 January 2018]

I feared I had seen all the best of the TZ episodes; this one gives me hope that there are more great ones out there! A well-acted frightening morality tale; and it rings true; hello!!!! couples relationships can become warped, weird, and violent, and sometimes the end result, if not pleasant, may be just. Great story; Joan Blondell and William Demarest are great.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

An Unconvincing Theory

[1/10 · 22 August 2007]

I admit I was skeptical of the global warming "crisis" previous to seeing this film. However, before actually plastering a "Stop Global Whining" bumper-sticker on my car, I felt like I had a responsibility to at least see this film. After all it won an academy- award, right? Maybe my skepticism was misguided and spending a couple hours with Al Gore would straighten me out.

Actually, I really did try to view this film with an open mind (and probably had more of one than those who see it already convinced that man-made global warming is real). I even admit to being afraid of what the film might show me. After all, it won an academy-award, right? Hollywood royalty gave Al Gore a standing ovation that night. It must be brilliant!

The truth is, I couldn't believe how BAD this film was. I was shocked, in fact. At the least, I expected something to grapple with and arguments that would challenge me. I did not expect the most prominent (and just about the only) source quoted to be Al's high school science teacher who had a few theories. Then, since Al didn't quote sources during the film, I expected the extras in the DVD to contain them; wrong-- they don't; they merely contain commentaries from the producers and the director (Hmmmmm. . . I wonder what those are like?), and--low and behold--more comments from Al; what a bonus! The before/after shots of melting glaciers went by so quickly that I barely saw them (perhaps I was supposed to be simply horrified by the notion that . . . oh my god . . . ice melts!!!!) And the many shots of Al Gore frowning out the windows of (no-doubt private) airplanes and (no-doubt solo) taxi-cabs made me laugh out loud and spew my beer across the room. But thankfully the moody electronic music in the background let me know that this movie was serious and gravely important. No beer spewing and certainly no popcorn mastication allowed. Attention must be paid!

B.S! Put up better arguments, quote your sources, engage in debates with some of the many scientists who disagree with your conclusions, and maybe I'll pay attention. As far as this lame piece of propaganda: I recommend it to those who want to swill beer, eat popcorn and have a good laugh. The next morning, the "Stop Global Whining" bumper-sticker went on my vehicle. Until Chicken Little can make a few decent arguments, I'm not buying in.

Grindhouse (2007)

Grindhouse Talks Too Much

[7/10 · 28 April 2007]

The film is tanking at the box office and soon will be gone--I just barely caught it on its way out. Glad I did. Surprisingly (to me), I found "Planet Terror" the stronger piece; it succeeds in having an epic scope and I found most of it--including the gore--hip and entertaining. Best thing about "Deathproof" is the Kurt Russell performance. Worst thing (about both films) are the tedious talky scenes--especially Tarantino's. His self-referential schtick was especially tiresome (references to foot massages and Big Kahuna Burger . . . OK OK, we get it); and seeing Quentin in both films was a little much; his acting was alright--actually pretty good--but, he didn't need to be in both films. Although seeing his character's eye poked out with a splintered piece of peg leg was fun.

Another problem in "Grindhouse" (which given the ending I doubt was intentional) is that Kurt Russell is by far the most likable character in the film. The women are bitchy vain harpies and it was a nice payoff seeing the first batch obliterated in the head-on; it would have worked a lot better to have the second batch be somewhat likable; that way when they are in danger and when they take revenge--we would actually care. Tarantino does his usual "witty hip" dialogue thing, but the conversations amongst the females seemed forced and didn't ring true--because it all sounded too much like Q. Tarantino. I found myself wondering if he can write women's dialogue?

Finally, though I enjoyed the "thematic" grindhouse experience (the double feature, goofy trailers, missing reels, scratchy film, etc.) the experience is simply too long; they should be separately issued companion pieces--and I think that's what they are planning in re- release. Each is satisfying on its own, but together they are too exhausting and come off as a little too indulgent. Plus I had to pee so bad before it was over that I finally just went . . . sorry.

Lord of War (2005)

Lord of Mediocrity

[2/10 · 28 March 2007]

This movie is LAME. There are only two good things about it: the subject is slightly unusual (but could have been much more interesting with better handling) and the opening and closing shots of Cage's character are cool. Other than that, I could barely make it through this thing. It took me several days and I had to watch it in chunks.

The characters are two dimensional and I didn't care about any of them; I didn't believe the relationships--ever. The acting, writing, directing-- mediocre at best. Any more, Nick Cage frankly looks strange; it is like he is always trying to look like a movie star (thin, tan, and shiny smile) rather than the characters he portrays. Jared Leto was irritating--it looked like he was auditioning for a bigger part in which he could chew all the scenery all the time. Ethan Hawke was not convincing as a tough government agent ( I don't why he keeps playing cops; he comes off way too wimpy), and the woman who played the wife was the most mediocre of all. I had to rewind a couple times just to hear her completely mispronounce the word "jewelry" (and no I don't think it was a character choice).

Sherlock (2002 TV Movie)

Fresh Sherlock Holmes movie

[7/10 · 29 November 2006]

I didn't know what to expect from this movie that appears to have gone straight to video. The front cover seems to suggest that Sherlock will be played by Vincent D'Onofrio (who actually plays Professor Moriaty). When I first realized James D'Arcy was playing Holmes I thought he was way too young. And then I realized that was the point. This is about Sherlock Holmes as he is just beginning to find himself. In many ways he has the same insecurities and vulnerabilities as many young men. When he finds himself arrested near the beginning of the movie and questioned down at the police station, my mind flashed to a similar scene with James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause". This is Holmes pre-pipe (he smokes cigarettes), pre-deerstalker cap (he doesn't generally wear a hat) and pre-Watson (he meets him during the course of the story and at first they don't get along). The movie also succeeds in making Victorian London seem very modern indeed (with crime and vice abounding)--which of course it was for those who actually lived in it.

For those who only like their Holmes to be of a more traditional variety, they will probably be turned off by some of the above elements as well as the modern soundtrack; however, the performances of D'Arcy and Roger Morlidge as Dr. Watson won me over. I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories and I found this movie fresh and unexpectedly entertaining.

Best Seller (1987)

An unlikely buddy film that works.

[9 October 2006]

This is a thoroughly enjoyable B movie that came and went quickly from the big screen back in the late 80's. I happened to catch it then--and now own it in my movie collection.

Woods plays Cleve, a brilliant and perhaps psychotic former hit-man, who wants Dennis, a cop turned author (Brian Dennehy), to write his story. He also wants to expose his former employers. Cleve ensures Dennis that the book will be a "Best Seller" and begins taking Dennis on a lurid tour of his former hits.

Like most films, this doesn't transfer quite as well onto the small screen, but it is still well worth the viewing; (plus you get to hear James Woods warble a tune in French). Actually, Woods is way cool in this film, and delivers some of his most compelling work ever. Brian Dennehy pulls off the tough task of making the writer character equally interesting and compelling. An unlikely buddy film that has plenty of action, makes you care, and quite simply--works.

Payday (1973)

The film that should have made Rip Torn a movie star

[9/10 · 16 March 2005]

Rip Torn was originally slated to play the lawyer role that Jack Nicholson played in "Easy Rider". After a last-minute spat with Dennis Hopper, Torn was no longer part of the project. (Nicholson, who had pretty much given up on acting by then and was working in a technical capacity on the film, stepped into the role and the rest is history.) No matter; Torn went on to do this movie a couple years later, and if there were any justice in the movie biz (there isn't) this role would have made Rip Torn a bona fide movie star; (instead he is a respected film/t.v actor and a bona fide star of the American stage; most people in the public simply don't know who he is or they get him confused with Rip Taylor, the comedian/magician). CHECK THIS MOVIE OUT, if you're lucky enough to find it; (don't bother with the big video chain stores--you'll need a hip mom/pop shop to locate this one). It is well worth the search. Torn (as Maury Dann) does his own singing (a precursor to Robert Duvall's work in "Tender Mercies") and does it well; the supporting actors are great, the writing quirky and strong, and the direction bold. The film is also filled with some unforgettable scenes: Maury confronted by a jealous boyfriend in a diner tops the list; also, the strangely funny scene where Maury goes home and visits his barbiturate-addled Mother, and the scene where Chicago, the driver, talks about his love of cooking. Other scenes, such as when Maury goes "bird shooting", are memorable simply because they ring out as authentic and true. Some of the other comments seem disappointed with the ending; it didn't bother me. Though disturbing, I thought it worked. There was a sense of inevitability leading up to it. This is a portrait of a singer living on the edge of country music stardom and riding a "downbound train". The film is powerful and stays with you. And, yes, almost nobody knows about it.

Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973 TV Movie)

A great made-for-t.v. horror flick!

[8/10 · 23 February 2005]

This movie scared the CRAP out of me when I was a kid; I loved it! I was getting it confused with another t.v. movie from the same period--"Let's Scare Jessica to Death" (1971); not nearly as good--since I really don't remember it. What confused me, is that I think the name Jessica appears in this movie as well. I tracked this down because I remembered it stars "Don-nald!"--the boyfriend from THAT GIRL. I had forgotten that the great Bette Davis is also in this film. I would love to see it again now as an adult and see if it is as effective as I remember. I recommend this film as a fun scary t.v. movie from the 70's with some great suspense and shocks.