Movies

This forum is to jibber and jabber
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:810:
26 - The New Mutants (2020) - 8/10 - I thought this was really good and wish that we could get the sequels that were planned. I thought it was a good introduction to the characters, which were generally faithful to the comics. Those who aren't as familiar with the characters may not enjoy it quite as much. It's not a film like the regular X-Men films where they are fighting big villains and traveling all over the world. Instead, it's a much smaller and self-contained film where they are mostly fighting their inner demons. Anya Taylor-Joy was great, but Blu Hunt, Maisie Williams and the others were good, too. I liked what they did with Lockheed during the battle scene near the end.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:6510:
27 - Hell and High Water (1954) - 6.5/10 - Richard Widmark stars as a former submarine captain who is hired to head an expedition on a refitted Japanese submarine with a makeshift crew and two scientists. They are to follow a Chinese freighter that has been making suspicious deliveries in the Pacific. The suspicion is that nuclear bombs are involved. The movie is rather pedestrian, though there are a few decent parts. I liked the confrontation with the Chinese submarine, for example.

:710:
28 - Comrade X (1940) - 7/10 - Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr star in this comedy about an American journalist in Moscow who files unflattering stories about Russia under the name 'Comrade X'. The secret police are trying to track him down and place restrictions on all journalists until he is caught. McKinley Thompson (Gable) is Comrade X and is found out by his bumbling valet who wants him to get his communist daughter (Lamarr) out of Russia whether she wants to go or not. The movie is moderately funny at times and I thought Lamarr was pretty good in her role. Gable wasn't bad either.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:710:
29 - The Dead (1987) - 7/10 - John Huston's final film adapts a James Joyce short story and was released four months after his death. It takes place at a dinner party in Dublin in 1904 held by two elderly sisters and their niece. There is singing, dancing, and conversation. After the party, a married couple that attended the party discuss feelings and memories that were brought to the surface as a result of one of the songs at the party. I thought that it was a decent film, though not totally fulfilling.

:6510:
30 - Deconstructing Harry (1997) - 6.5/10 - Woody Allen stars as a successful writer who has been divorced three times and spends a lot of time with prostitutes. His stories are thinly veiled stories from his life and the people around him and this leads to conflict with the people who are depicted. He is about to be honored at the university that expelled him as a student and on the way there he starts having flashbacks to his his stories/life. I was kind of enjoying it for a while, but I started losing interest about halfway through. The themes seemed kind of repetitive.

:7510:
31 - Napoleon and Samatha (1972) - 7.5/10 - Johnny Whittaker stars as Napoleon, a young boy who lives with his grandfather. The two of them adopt a tame, but elderly lion named Major whose owner is moving to Europe. Jodie Foster (in her film debut) stars as Samantha, Johnny's best friend. When Johnny's grandfather dies, the two of them trek over the mountains with Major to visit a friend because Johnny is afraid of getting sent to an orphanage. I thought it was a nice family adventure movie. I've read that Jodie Foster was attacked by one of the lions in the film and was left with scarring and a fear of cats.

:710:
32 - Gigot (1962) - 7/10 - Jackie Gleason stars as Gigot, a mute janitor who is mocked and harassed by many of the people in the small French town that he lives in. He rescues a woman and her six year old daughter one night when they are stranded in the rain without any shelter. He befriends the girl and delights in entertaining her, but the mother gets upset when she tries to prostitute herself and Gigot gets in the way. Gleason came up with the idea for the story as well and the movie is much different than what I've seen him in before. It's a decent film and has a fair amount of humor, though some of that is of the cruel variety in the abuse that Gigot takes.

:7510:
33 - That Certain Age (1938) - 7.5/10 - Deanna Durbin stars as Alice Fullerton, the 15 year old daughter of a wealthy newspaper publisher. She and her friends are planning on putting on a musical, but that gets somewhat derailed when a houseguest arrives - star journalist Vincent Bullitt (Melvyn Douglas). They try to get him to leave and he doesn't want to stick around either, but Alice changes her mind when she falls for the older man, much to the chagrin of her best friend (Jackie Cooper). While Durbin does get plenty of chances to sing, the story is pretty decent as well and there is a fair amount of humor. I thought that Douglas was good in his role and Durbin does a nice job as well. It's an entertaining film.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:7510:
34 - Christmas Holiday (1944) - 7.5/10 - Deanna Durbin stars in her first dramatic role as the wife of a convicted killer who sings in a seedy nightclub in New Orleans. She meets a Lieutenant whose plane to San Francisco was forced to land in New Orleans due to bad weather and relates her story in flashback. She is really good in her role and Dean Harens is good in his role as Lieutenant Charlie Mason. I found Gene Kelly to be less convincing in his role as the gambling addict husband with a mother fixation from an aristocratic family. Overall, it was a good noir film.

:710:
35 - April Love (1957) - 7/10 - Pat Boone plays Nick Conover, a young man from Chicago who got in trouble by joyriding with friends in a stolen car. As part of his probation, he is sent to his uncle's farm in Kentucky where his aunt is happy to see him, but his uncle isn't. Nick makes friends with Liz Templeton (Shirley Jones), a young woman who lives on a neighboring horse farm. Liz seems interested in Nick, but Nick is much more interested in Liz's sister Fran. There are plenty of songs throughout the film as Nick becomes more acquainted with the farm and rural life. I thought it was a decent film. Not spectacular, but entertaining.

:810:
36 - La Guerre est Finie (1966) - 8/10 - Diego is a Spanish Communist who has lived in France since the Spanish Civil War ended. He travels frequently to Spain under false names to work for the underground to try and overthrow the Franco regime. On one such trip, he returns to France after being stopped by police for a passport check. Other operatives have been captured and the current operation seems to be in danger. Diego seems weary of the long and possibly fruitless war. He spends time with his mistress and also with the daughter of the man whose passport he used on his last trip. Another trip to Spain may be necessary, but the Spanish police seem to be active. I thought this was a pretty good drama, well acted by Yves Montand, Genevieve Bujold and the rest.

:910:
37 - The Mudlark (1950) - 9/10 - Wheeler is a ten year old mudlark, an orphan boy who survives by selling what he can scavenge from the muddy banks of the Thames. One day, he finds a cameo with Queen Victoria's image on it. He's never heard of her, but when told about her, he walks to Windsor Castle to try and see her. He manages to sneak into the castle, but is eventually caught and accidentally ignites fears of a plot against Victoria's life. Andrew Ray is excellent as the boy, Alec Guinness does a nice job as Prime Minister Disreali, and Irene Dunne is very good (and unrecognizable in her makeup) as Queen Victoria. The other supporting actors are also good and I thought this was a charming and entertaining film.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:710:
38 - Phaedra (1962) - 7/10 - This modern Greek tragedy starts with a Greek shipping magnate sending his second wife Phaedra (Melina Mercouri) to try and talk his estranged son Alexis (Anthony Perkins) from his first marriage into coming to Greece and leaving behind his school in London. Phaedra and Alexis have an affair that leads everything on the path to destruction. Alexis tries to distance himself from Phaedra, but she can't let him go. It all comes to a head at the end of the film. The acting was good and the scenes in Greece were beautiful, but I found myself getting bored with the film less and the story seemed kind of predictable and didn't hold my interest.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:810:
39 - Mulan (2020) - 8/10 - This has gotten mixed reviews, but I liked it a lot. I haven't seen the animated version since it came out so I can't compare the two, but this one had a good story, action, humor, etc. I thought that the villains left a bit to be desired in some respects, but overall I enjoyed it.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:710:
40 - Sensations of 1945 (1944) - 7/10 - This is one of those movies where there is a framing storyline that is mainly there to allow various performers to perform. I enjoyed Cab Calloway, Dorothy Donegan, the circus performers, and some of the other acts. W.C. Fields appears in his last movie before he passed away, but unfortunately it wasn't very good. I also wasn't that impressed with Eleanor Powell's pinball machine dance. The framing story was decent enough.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:710:
41 - Mighty Aphrodite (1995) - 7/10 - Lenny Weinrib (Woody Allen) is an insecure New York sportswriter whose wife Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter) basically walks all over him. Amanda is working toward getting her own art gallery and talks Lenny into adopting a newborn boy. Their son Max is pretty bright and when he is about to enter school, Lenny decides to track down Max's biological mother, but discovers that Linda (Mira Sorvino) is actually a prostitute and porn star. I didn't really care for the first half hour or so of the film and found both Lenny and Amanda to be insufferable. However, after Linda came into the picture, I thought the movie got better and I was enjoying the film a lot more by the end. Mira Sorvino is pretty good and I found the Greek chorus to be amusing. I still wouldn't rate this as one of Allen's better films, but it isn't his worst either.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:810:
42 - The Uninvited (1944) - 8/10 - In 1937, Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) are on vacation and come across an abandoned mansion that they fall in love with. They look into purchasing the place and discover that it has a tragic past and may in fact be haunted. They go ahead and purchase the place and become involved with Stella Meredith (Gail Russell), the granddaughter of the former owner. Stella is attracted to the home she lived in until she was three, but her grandfather forbids her to visit it. I thought the movie was very good. They had pretty good effects and a good story as well.

:910:
43 - Ugetsu (1953) - 9/10 - Genjuro is a farmer who also makes pottery. He lives in a small village in Japan with his wife Miyagi and young son Genichi. A civil war is raging and soldiers are near the village, causing the residents to flee. Tobei and Ohama are another couple in the village. Tobei desperately wishes to become a samurai, pursuing this to the detriment of his family. A trip to a city to sell pottery leads to misfortune for all involved. This movie features excellent acting and cinematography along with an entertaining story. The supernatural elements are also handled very well.

:510:
44 - Dream Wife (1953) - 5/10 - Cary Grant plays a misogynistic businessman who is engaged to woman (Deborah Kerr) whose job at the State Department constantly takes precedence over their relationship. They break off their relationship and he decides to marry a princess from a small country that he met on a recent trip, but his former fiance ends up having to serve as a translator/chaperone. The movie is very dated, especially in some of the ideas of gender roles that the characters hold. There are a few funny bits, but a lot of the humor seems forced.

:710:
45 - À nous la liberté (1931) - 7/10 - Two convicts attempt to escape, but only one succeeds. He manages to become the wealthy owner of a company that manufactures phonographs. Some time later, his former cellmate gets a job at his plant and recognizes his old friend, thus endangering the whole enterprise. This comedy is entertaining, though it definitely could have been better. The use of music and sound was pretty good.

:810:
46 - Colonel Redl (1985) - 8/10 - Alfred Redl was a peasant boy who was born in what is now part of Ukraine, but was then part of Austria-Hungary. He was able to get into a military school and did well leading to his becoming an officer in the Austria-Hungarian army. He rose through the ranks and eventually became one of their chief intelligence officers. In the movie, he becomes ensnared in a plots by Archduke Franz Ferdinand that eventually lead to World War I, though in real life there doesn't appear to be any evidence that this was the case. Redl's homosexuality was something that others could hold against or hold over him when/if it was discovered. I thought this was a pretty good film with good performances, scenery, costumes, etc.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:810:
47 - The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943) - 8/10 - Deanna Durbin stars as a young woman who taught in a missionary school in China alongside her parents and uncle until the Japanese invasion caused them to flee. She manages to get to San Francisco with eight orphan children and does what is necessary to get them into the country. The parts before the arrival in the United States are told in flashback. I thought that this was a very entertaining film and Durbin is very good in a more dramatic role than in many of her previous films. The studio insisted on adding in a number of songs, but many of them involve her singing to the children so the songs fit in fairly well.

:710:
48 - Midnight Lace (1960) - 7/10 - Kit Preston (Doris Day) is an heiress who has been married to a British businessman (Rex Harrison) for three months. Her Aunt Bea (Myrna Loy) is coming to visit them in London. Kit hears a mysterious voice in the fog on her way home one night that tells her she is going to die. She starts receiving threatening phone calls from the same person, but the police and others seem to suspect that she is losing her sanity. It was an okay thriller.

:810:
49 - The Damned (1969) - 8/10 - The movie starts on the night of the Reichstag Fire in February 1933 and continues through The Night of the Long Knives and beyond. A wealthy German family that owns steel factories becomes more allied with the Nazi Party as time goes on. The patriarch of the family is opposed, but he is murdered early on and the vice president of the firm is framed and must flee. Other family members take control and each of them has issues - Konstantin with his homosexual proclivities, Martin with his child molesting and domineering mother, Sophie with her lover and hunger for power and control. It is an interesting film, though not always a comfortable one.

:810:
50 - Seven Thieves (1960) - 8/10 - This heist film has a really nice cast and came out the same year as Ocean's 11. Edward G. Robinson is a disgraced American professor who brings his protege (Rod Steiger) over from America (after completing a 3 year prison sentence) to join a team that he has assembled to rob the vault of a Monte Carlo casino. An elaborate plot is hatched that involves timing and skill along with some misdirection. Joan Collins is the only female on the team and does a pretty good job here as well. I enjoyed the film quite a bit. It can be a bit slow at times as the team does their preparations, but overall I think that the film is well acted and plotted.

:610:
51 - Tchaikovsky (1970) - 6/10 - This Russian biopic has a lot of good music as expected. However, I thought that the story lacked cohesion and jumped from scene to scene. We get a few minutes of his childhood and then jump to a middle aged (or close to it) Tchaikovsky. There were decent bits here and there, but overall it didn't quite mesh.

:710:
52 - Divorce American Style (1967) - 7/10 - Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds are married with two boys, but they have grown apart after 17 years of marriage and seem headed for divorce. After meeting other people, though, they still have feelings for each other. I didn't like the first 20 minutes or so of the film with all of the arguing and the visit to the marriage counselor, but I thought it got better after that. Jason Robards and Jean Simmons were pretty good in this one in supporting roles.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:510:
53 - One From the Heart (1982) - 5/10 - Hank and Frannie have been together for five years and their anniversary as a couple is the next day (which happens to be the Fourth of July). She wants adventure and to go to Bora-Bora. He is much more of a homebody. They have a fight and break up and spend their anniversary with somebody new - he with an attractive young circus performer and her with an attractive piano player. Long and slow ballads play throughout the film and I didn't really enjoy the music. The film is very stylized and that is interesting to a point, but the story itself is very thin and the dialogue isn't that great. Overall, it isn't a very good film, though if you like the music of Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle, you might enjoy the film more than I did.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:7510:
54 - Street Angel (1928) - 7.5/10 - Janet Gaynor stars as Angela, a young woman in Naples who is arrested for robbery and sentenced to the workhouse after trying to get money to buy medicine for her mother. She escapes and ends up falling in love with a painter (Charles Farrell), but her past eventually catches up with her. It wasn't as good as Seventh Heaven, but is still a pretty decent film.

:710:
55 - Johnny Doughboy (1942) - 7/10 - Jane Withers stars as child star Ann Winters who just turned 16 and refuses to do another kid picture. She drives off for a vacation, leaving her studio obligations behind. Meanwhile, the president of the Ann Winters fan club from a town in Nebraska arrives for a two week visit and she just 'happens' to look exactly like Ann. The studio puts her to use as Ann's replacement. She gets involved with a musical show that a group of former child stars are planning to entertain the troops. Included in this group are Bobby Breen, Spanky, Alfalfa, Cora Sue Collins, and others. The movie is pretty short, but I thought it was fun and the musical and dance numbers were pretty good. It's an entertaining hour.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:510:
56 - Laughter (1930) - 5/10 - Peggy was a chorus girl who decided to marry a wealthy man so that she could live a life of luxury. However, she finds herself bored with the dull lifestyle. I can relate since the film was very dull and boring. Two former flames show up - Paul, a piano player and composer - Ralph, a sculptor who is really just after her money. Ralph latches on to her stepdaughter and Paul tries to convince her to leave her husband and go to Paris with him for a carefree lifestyle. The print that survives is not in great shape, but is watchable. It doesn't seem to merit restoration, though, since it isn't a very good film. It alternates between a joking atmosphere and melodrama.

:710:
57 - That Lady in Ermine (1948) - 7/10 - Betty Grable stars as an Italian countess named Angelina in 1861 whose domain is threatened during a time of war. 300 years earlier, the countess at that time (Francesca, also Betty Grable) faced a similar situation. Angelina has just gotten married when enemy soldiers are spotted. Her husband is an officer in the opposing army and flees. The occupying forces are led by a gallant and well mannered colonel who falls for Angelina. Portraits of former counts and countesses line the walls in the big hall and the people in them come to life at midnight. Francesca meddles in the situation to try and bring the colonel and Angelina together. The movie has plenty of music and humor. I enjoyed it more than I expected and while the story was somewhat simple, it was entertaining.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:910:
58 - No Sad Songs for Me (1950) - 9/10 - Margaret Sullavan stars as Mary Scott, a suburban housewife who has been feeling tired lately so she visits the doctor. She expects him to tell her that she is pregnant, but instead discovers that she has cancer which has advanced too far for treatment and she has less than a year to live. She decides not to tell her family and to try and prepare things for when she will no longer be around. Her husband (Wendell Corey) is a surveyor who spends a lot of time away on a job that has a close deadline. Her 10 year old daughter Polly (Natalie Wood) takes piano lessons. The family is happy and they are all close to each other and Mary worries about what will happen after she dies. I thought that the acting was very good and the story was as well.
User avatar
Rusty
Math God
Math God
Posts: 9033
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Movies

Post by Rusty »

:910:
59 - La Vérité (1960) - 9/10 - Brigitte Bardot stars as Dominique Marceau, a young woman on trial for murdering her boyfriend in an attempted murder/suicide. Her story as told in flashback while the prosecutor and defense attorney battle it out in court. Dominique's younger sister, Annie, is a talented violinist who moves to Paris for music school. Dominique lives a much more carefree lifestyle than her sister, but forces her parents to allow her to join Annie in Paris. Annie's friend, Gilbert, becomes infatuated with Dominique, leading to conflict with Annie. Gilbert and Dominique start a relationship, but they enjoy very different things. Bardot is very good in this film as the blond sex symbol who isn't necessarily as bad as she is portrayed by the prosecution. It is a very good film.

:6510:
60 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944) - 6.5/10 - In 1774 Peru, a monk witnesses the collapse of a bridge that kills five people and shakes his faith. He sets out to find out what he can about the people who died and why they might have been chosen to die by God. What unfolds is a story about a talented singer, Micaela Villegas (Lynn Bari), her beloved Manuel, a sea captain, and the viceroy Don Andre who is attracted to Micaela. There are a number of other characters, including Manuel's twin brother, a lonely and bitter old Marquesa, and Micaela's mentor, Uncle Pio. The first part of the movie is pretty dull, but it gets more interesting as it goes along. It still isn't a very good film, but it is okay and there are a few pretty good scenes.

:810:
61 - A Little Night Music (1977) - 8/10 - Frederich Egerman has been married to his his second wife, 18 year old Anne, for 11 months. He loves her, but is frustrated that she has remained a virgin the whole time. He sees an old flame at the theater, actress Desiree Armfeldt, and ends up in bed with her one night. Desiree has another lover, though, the jealous dragoon Carl-Magnus Mittelhelm. There are a number of other subplots involving Frederich's son, Carl-Magnus's wife, and Desiree's mother and daughter. The movie has many bad reviews, but I enjoyed it. There are a lot of good songs and I thought the acting from most of the cast was pretty good - Lesley-Anne Down, Diana RIgg, Len Cariou, etc. The only one that I thought was subpar was Liz Taylor as Desiree.
Post Reply