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The Swarm review
Posted : 3 months ago on 8 August 2024 02:27 (A review of The Swarm)Even with all that talent, they couldn't save this horrible train wreck (literally, in one scene) of a motion picture spectacular.
To be fair, I added an extra half a star each for the legends, Olivia de Havilland as the delightful schoolteacher in the little down beseiged by killer bees and for Henry Fonda, doing his all in this disaster of a disaster movie. Wanna know the "buzz?" Henry Fonda was a beekeeper in real life, and provided some helpful inside information on
I've watched over 100 movies this year, and this is the absolute worst, at least so far. So bad it's fun to watch? Maybe. If only to watch Sir Michael Caine deliver 90% of his lines to Richard Widmark's character whilst SHOUTING!!
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Harper review
Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 05:57 (A review of Harper)Through the case, like all good noir cases, we are along for the ride in Harper's Porsche 356 Speedster, which, like Harper, is dinged up a bit and has some damage to the driver's side panels. Apropos, yes?
Newman seems to be having a great time in this role, and like any good Private Eye, is cool as a cucumber. He'll do whatever it takes, short of romancing an aging movie star, to visiting a religious order up in the hills, in order to get just the right clue to unravel this case.
Harper has a "deep bench" of talent, too, with wonderful performances from Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner, Julie Harris, Arthur Hill, Shelly Winters, and Strother Martin, who was paired up with Newman on four excellent motion pictures in the past.
Harper is an enjoyable ride, and seemed to capture the excitement of that era quite nicely.
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The Mission review
Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 05:51 (A review of The Mission)A film worthy of your time for the beauty and powerful messages.
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Grease 2 review
Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 05:51 (A review of Grease 2)Most certainly, this doesn't have the legendary status of the original, but there were several moments where the writers and Director "flipped the script" and provided some surprises for us. For example, The T birds were in a locker room and instead of having them spy on classmates of the opposite sex, like many "teenage sex comedies" of the era, they were doing research on their rivals as they rehearsed for the talent show. I found that refreshing.
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Madame Web review
Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 05:50 (A review of Madame Web)Flaws, sure, but that's a reflection of life, no? We are all flawed. We are all products of multi-million dollar budgets and hundreds of people pursuing one goal - to get a motion picture to the big screen, and subsequent streaming service.
As for Dakota Johnson's performance as Cassie Webb, I completely understand her indifference thoroughout 90% of the movie. In her mind, her mother drug her along, albeit in utereo, to the Amazon to study spiders and got herself killed for her troubles. That's some heavy duty trauma to dump on a kid. No wonder she is a "tough hang" as Jason Mantzoukas described her in the podcast "How Did This Get Made?"
And let's give a nod to the three young adults that Cassie has been tasked to protect. Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, and Isabela Merced were all believable in their respective roles as snarky, know-it-all, and/or indifferent teenagers.
Is this Citizen Kane? Nah. Is it silly escapist fun? Of course.
Oh, and Adam Scott is in it, and that's worth at LEAST 1/2 a star.
Madame Web is fun, from a certain angle, and it most certainly didn't deserve all the hate from critics AND the members of the cast.
wait, I think I already said that. Deja vu!
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We're Not Married! review
Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 05:49 (A review of We're Not Married!)The best of the five stories was the final one which involved Mitzi Gaynor and Eddie Bracken as they pulled out all the stops to get married before he had to ship out. That was heartfelt and seemed to have the highest stakes. All told, this was another solid collection of talent overall
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The Seven Year Itch review
Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 05:48 (A review of The Seven Year Itch)What's more, the supporting cast, by and large, stole the scenes from him quite often. "Richard's" wife Helen, played by Evelyn Keyes, had some fun moments during two surprising dream sequences and Robert Strauss as the handyman, understood his role. And then there's Marilyn, known only as "The Girl," who really provided most of the laughs. Her timing and and physical comedy was a breath of fresh air amidst all of Ewell's hand wringing.
I'm giving an extra half a point simply for providing a glimpse of New York's original Pennsylvania Station just eight years prior to her destruction. The sequence, at the beginning of the movie, was far too short, but it was appreciated. While I'm glad I was able to finally view this one, it's certainly not up to the quality of Billy Wilder's other classics.
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American Fiction review
Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 05:46 (A review of American Fiction)0 comments, Reply to this entry
Miller's Crossing review
Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 05:45 (A review of Miller's Crossing)First off, the casting of Marcia Gay Harden as Verna should be studied in film schools across the country. Her portrayal of a tough as nails woman with a "complicated" past is exquisite and she elevates every scene she's part of.
As for the rest of this cast of characters, like all other Coen Brothers movies, there is an embarrassment of riches all the way down the call sheet.
Gabriel Byrne as Tom is the second in command to the legendary Albert Finney, who lords over an organized crime empire. But like any "outfit," there are cracks, double-crosses, and shifting sands of loyalty.
Verna's brother Bernie, played by the impeccible John Turturro, is a bit of a skofflaw and is just asking to be wiped out by both sides. His performance is riviting from the first time we meet him until the final reels.
Joh Polito, as rival boss Johnny Caspar, is electric, and provides a nice blend of friendly banter along with an explosive rage of a man ready to sieze control of the empire.
Finney is the rock as Leo, who seems to have everything under control and friends and foe alike speak about him in reverant tones. His main action set piece in the middle of the movie is like nothing I've ever watched in this genre.
I've been aware of this one for many years, and I'm a little frustrated that I haven't seen it before now. Would have really enjoyed seeing this on the big screen in order to soak in the Depression Era sets and feel the impact of the action sequences. This one takes its time and the Coens trust the audience to go along for the bumpy ride.
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Diamonds Are Forever review
Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 05:44 (A review of Diamonds Are Forever)All of that is a roundabout way to say that Diamonds Are Forever wasn't really on my radar, other than maybe the song, and some clips on various James Bond highlight reels over the years.
On a first viewing, having watched about a dozen other Bond spectacles, was that this one felt a bit campy. Connery's Bond is THE Bond for many fans, and after being in that role for almost a decade by that point, he's a towering figure, however, there were moments where I'm like, "Bond shouldn't be getting his butt kicked by these two goons." Perhaps they wanted him to seem a little less superhuman at this point in the franchise, but he was missing "something."
While some of the opening missions are all over the top action, this one seemed a bit "pedestrian" by comparison, with Bond zipping around the globe and basically beating people up to get some important nugget of information about infamous Bond villan Blofeld. Wasn't the whiz-bang that we've come to expect from other Bond opening segments. (I've since learned that it was ranked in the bottom tier of openers)
The plot centers around the theft of diamonds, of course, but through the course of the movie, it becomes clear that the precious jewels are to be used for more nefarious purposes.
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"I don't think I ever purchased a 45, but my aunt and uncle had a jukebox in their basement, and we played the heck out of the song Convoy (From the movie), And the Cantina song from the original Star "
“SEVEN Academy Award winners! SEVEN!
Even with all that talent, they couldn't save this horrible train wreck (literally, in one scene) of a motion picture spectacular.
To be fair, I added an extra half a star each for the legends, Olivia de Havilland as the delightful school” read more
“What better (or perhaps worse, depending on your sensibilities) guide through the Southern California of the mid 1960s than Paul Newman's rough around the edges, but charming nonetheless, Lew Harper. The titular character is back on the case for an acerbic woman of means played by the legendary Laur” read more
“This outstanding film was a feast for the senses. We are transported back to South America in the 1750s and experience both the promise of a community based on love and the basest tragedies of colonialism. Raw performances from some of the greatest actors and actors of a generation as well as suppor” read more
“Do you know what? This is a movie musical, and by and large, the music and dance numbers are pretty fun.
Most certainly, this doesn't have the legendary status of the original, but there were several moments where the writers and Director "flipped the script" and provided some surprises fo” read more
“Madame Web is fun, from a certain angle, and it most certainly didn't deserve all the hate from critics AND the members of the cast.
Flaws, sure, but that's a reflection of life, no? We are all flawed. We are all products of multi-million dollar budgets and hundreds of people pursuing one ” read more
“An interesting concept, and some fun surprises sprinkled throughout, but it was missing "something."
The best of the five stories was the final one which involved Mitzi Gaynor and Eddie Bracken as they pulled out all the stops to get married before he had to ship out. That was heartfelt ” read more
“First off, even with the iconic scene of Marilyn Monroe and "the dress," this one fell short of expectations, mostly because of our sad sack protagonist played by Tom Ewell. His inner monologues said out loud seemed to be a weak choice. Richard is unlikable and way too nebbish to hold his own as the” read more
“I remember seeing the trailer for American Fiction over a year ago and thinking this was a biting take on the state of publishing today and while I had an idea of where they were going, this far exceeded every expectation. Jeffrey Wright is, once again, such an exceptional talent and handles the rol” read more
“"Hey Tom, what's the rumpus?"
First off, the casting of Marcia Gay Harden as Verna should be studied in film schools across the country. Her portrayal of a tough as nails woman with a "complicated" past is exquisite and she elevates every scene she's part of.
As for the rest of t” read more
“I was thinking back to my first interactions with the James Bond franchise, and I landed on For Your Eyes Only from 1981, which was made all the more memorable because Mad Magazine crafted a spoof of it shortly thereafter, which I had committed to memory. The double entendre went way over my little ” read more
“Alan Arkin is a force of nature in his portrayal of Simon, an average college professor with big dreams of being awarded the Nobel Prize.
In a secluded research facility in Maine, an eclectic group of five super geniuses, led by Dr. Carl Becker (Austin Pendleton), are at a crossroads and ” read more
Would you mind going back to my list and provide your 10 favorite movies?
To do so, you just need to use the link here underneath:
www.listal.com/list/listals-100-films-see-before-614
Thanks in advance!
me playing covers with my wife. Enjoy.
www.listal.com/list/my-covers