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The Great Dictator (1940)
Terrible
That the film is well-meaning does not make it any good. It's simply dreadful. Chaplin is awful as Hitler.
The Great Buster (2018)
A Mystery
I cannot understand why all the prints shown in this homage to Keaton are so washed out as to make the viewer blind. There are fine prints of many of his works, certainly I've seen excellent copies of The General, why not use them. Even modern titles like bits of Sunset Boulevard are show washed out. What gives?
Auntie Mame (1958)
A Lame Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame finally comes to a close after the authors run out of glue to paste still another plot to it. Rosaline Russell is fine in all of its many segments, but all the segments together do not make a whole. In addition all the actors, whatever their age, are very stiff playing Mame's nephew, Patrick. For a comedy, there are very few laughs. What a waste of an otherwise excellent cast.
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Ill-Conceived
If Scorsese determined that he could not film Edith Wharton's masterpiece without the use of narration, he should not have taken on the project. Motion pictures that rely on narration have two strikes on them from the start. For those who do not mind the mixed media, this is a fine adaptation of the novel. One cannot fault the acting or the cinematography, but I do wish Scorsese had found a way to create the film without the narration.
No Way Out (1987)
Less is More
The source of "No Way Out" is the 1947 "The Big Clock." "The Big Clock" has no computers, no chases, no final twist, but is so much better than the remake based on it. What it has is an understandable plot, excellent acting by Ray Milland and Charles Laughton, and an unforgettable humorous cameo by Elsa Lancaster. Don't miss "The Big Clock" if it comes your way, but "No Way Out" is worth watching on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Cours du soir (1967)
Why Did Tati Do It?
In "Cours du Soir" a dim-witted acting instructor teaches acting to a class of equally dim-witted students. This might work well on paper, but the movie is awful. I don't know how Jacques Tati, a master of film and comedy.could have made it, acted in it, and had his name attached to it, unless a gun was held to his head for the entire project. Incidentally, the title has been mis-translated as "Evening Classes." It should be "Evening Class." The French word "cours" serves as both the singular and plural. It's clear only one class is being taught here.
Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
Miscast Bigtime
The wonderful Doris Day, the brilliant actress of "The Man Who Knew Too Much," is here asked to play Ruth Etting, a singer whose voice bears no resemblance to that of Ms Day. I imagine that difference won't disturb the vast majority of today's audience, few of whom have ever heard Miss Etting, but for those who have -- and you can catch myriads of her songs on YouTube -- the difference is simply a killer. I don't know much about Mr Snyder, but why was the great James Cagney forced to play him as if he were Little Caesar? I also wonder why the director has to show Snyder as Jewish. He has him needlessly say "Mazel Tov" to Miss Etting in one scene.
Bobby Fischer Against the World (2011)
Sins of Omission
As a friend of Bobby Fischer for almost 20 years I am in an unusual position to critique this documentary. Let me say at the beginning that I think it is a brilliant work. Even so I am deeply troubled by the complete omission of three people who were as close to Bobby as any one who appears in the film, and probably closer. The three are Jack and Ethel Collins, and William Lombardy.
Bobby cut his teeth, as it were, at the home of the Collins's, spending an inordinate amount of spare time with them as a young child. In their home, he learned from Jack -- a New York State Champion, an editor of "Modern Chess Openings," (America's leading précis on opening play), a respected Correspondence Chess player, and the dean of American Chess Teachers -- and he received needed motherly sustenance from Jack's sister Ethel.
The Rev. William Lombardy was Fischer's "second" in Reykjavik. It is he who fought the battles for Bobby with the administrators and the arbiters. By his doing so, Bobby could stay somewhat in the background getting his needed rest. The tension and responsibilities lay on the broad shoulders of the Rev. Lombardy, who did a magnificent job on the front lines acting for the Mercurial Mr. Fischer. The full story of Bobby Fischer cannot be adequately told without these three Fischer companions making some contribution to his film life.
Given these three omissions one has the right to ask why Susan Polgar is represented as a Fischer expert. She was but three years old when the Fischer-Spassky match was played, and though she may have had later social connection with him, it is wrong to present her in the role she plays.
One can wonder too how Sam Sloan was chosen to give his views of Fischer. His knowledge of Fischer is a distant one at best.
Plaudits, though, are due for the in-depth interviews of Larry Evans and Tony Saidy, two who knew Bobby well. The same may be said of Asa Hofmann, to this day a legend in New York chess circles.
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Pacino in Fine Form
There is no denying the excellence of Al Pacino's performance nor the entertainment value of the movie. That said, I'd suggest that readers try finding a copy of the film "Scent of a Woman" was based on: the Italian-made "Profumo di Donna," starring Vittorio Gassman. Gassman's interpretation is much different, and the film -- though a comedy in the universal sense -- more serious. Gassman's character is an unlikeable failure, with little to recommend him. The intrusive prep school subplot in Pacino's version makes no appearance in the Italian.
Unfortunately "Profumo di Donna" has yet to be released on DVD, only on VHS. Your search will be more than worth the effort as will your time spent watching the film.
Pote tin Kyriaki (1960)
Dassin as a Disaster
Jules Dassin has directed a delightful film starring Melina Mercouri as the happy whore with the heart of gold. As wonderful as Mercouri is, and she is wonderful, Dassin is a disaster, whose performance almost destroys his film. Clearly the low budget with which the film was made prevented his obtaining another English-speaking actor for the main male role.
Dassin, I'm sad to say, is the only actor in the film who has absolutely no personality. He comes across with all the dynamism of a dead log. How lucky we are that Ms Mercouri, who won best actress at the Cannes film festival for her role here, was at the top of her form. Without her, the film would have been forgotten decades ago. As it is, it remains a classic.
American Movie (1999)
The Worst Film Ever Made
Should you wish to see the worst film ever made, look no further. Some wretched movies are watchable because they are unintentionally funny. Alas, American Movie has no wit at all, no unintentional humor, just obscenities thought by its director to be laughable.
For those who liked this film, I suggest you watch Kevin Smith's "Clerks," similar in tone. In Clerks you will find creativity, wit, and enjoyment -- all on a shoestring budget. It should make you forget this hideous effort.
The Last Hurrah (1958)
No Silk Purse
Just as you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, a great cast can't overcome the handicap of a terrible script. The laughs are where the tears should be.
It's nothing less than a pity to see so much talent wasted. For those looking for a great political film (and more), watch the unforgettable "Citizen Kane."
I Was a Male War Bride (1949)
Not to Be Missed
A strange film. Its first half, which has nothing to do with Grant as a male war bride, can stand with the very best of slapstick, screwball comedies; its second half, with Grant and Sheridan suffering from the hells of red tape, is slow, padded, and dull. Because of its brilliant first half, the film should not be missed.
1941 (1979)
Entertainment for Eight-Year-Olds
A parade of juvenile, sophomoric, failed jokes, punctuated by some good jitterbugging, 1941 is an enormous waste of talent. How the AFI came to cite this film as a notable comedy will forever remain a mystery. Do bring your eight-year-old, however; he's bound to be delighted.
The Kid from Cleveland (1949)
Of Historical Interest
Although a dreadful film, The Kid from Cleveland should be of more than routine interest to the baseball fan with a sense of history. Small cameo speaking appearances are made throughout by such baseball greats as Hank Greenberg, Bob Feller, Tris Speaker, Bill Veeck, Satchel Paige, Larry Doby -- well, just look at the cast. The players do more than just bat and pitch, the difference between this and most baseball movies.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Scratch Beneath the Surface
Scratch the surface of this excellent war movie and you find the same film that was made dozens of times in Hollywood during WW II. There's a bloody battle (too bloody for me here; despite all the hoopla, suggestion is often more powerful than "realism"), there's a gold star mother, there's an Italian, there's a Jew, there's a kid from Brooklyn, there's the nerd, there's the officer with a heart of gold, there's the all-knowing top sarge,... Need I continue?
Perhaps most viewers have forgotten how moving those old films were. Most of course can't remember them. To those I say spend 90 minutes in front of your TV set the next time one is aired. You'll be surprised by how good they were.
Mark of the Vampire (1935)
What an Ending!
Rarely, if ever, has so fine a cast been put through such tortuous paces. "Mark of the Vampire" would have made it as a vampire film, but as a mystery with a surprise ending, mon Dieu! Poor Barrymore, poor Lugosi!