vanwall Reviews

The Spirit (1987 TV Movie)

Good, but not great.

[25 February 2009]

I enjoyed this adaptation of The Spirit comics, and in many ways it caught the flavor and humor of the original stories. It had a nice cast of virtual unknowns, and hit all the marks for fun and adventure. Sam J. Jones did a creditable job, and Laura (McKinley) Robinson had P'Gell down cold, and was a gorgeous femme fatal. It had a low budget look, tho, for much of its length, and not enough of the wonderful camera angles The Spirit comic practically cried out for. That said, Will Eisner told me himself, at a ComicCon, that he would rather I never mentioned it again. He wanted a darker, more noir look to it, with a better cast. As for the re-make from 2008, which reeked, the less said the better - I'm sure Mr. Eisner would have plenty of negatives to talk about for that film; many, many more than for this one.

Andy (1965)

Excellent little film!

[10/10 · 9 July 2007]

I caught this once on TV many years ago, and waited for a few years to see it again on TV, and the second viewing confirmed my original impression - a cast of unknowns, headed by Norman Alden, made a beautiful small film that should be released on DVD as soon as possible. Alden played mostly heavies in the films I'd seen him in before, and this was a revelation - he was totally believable and very expressive with his movements, something talented big men can do like no others. The script is almost hyper-realistic, with a good feel for natural language, depending on other characters interactions with Andy to advance each set piece in the film. All in all, a great little independent film.

A Kiss Before Dying (1956)

Gorgeous color, chilling Robert Wagner

[12 March 2003]

Gorgeous film, with a great Robert Wagner psycopath performance. He uses his good looks to advantage, using all the women he knows, and killing some. Wagner's best performance, by far. The location shots are beautiful, and this movie looks better than the mediocre script deserves. Virginia Leith has to carry the last part of the movie, and she's very good. A much under-appreciated actress. Strangely, the weak remake of this movie from 1993 starred Sean Young, who not only looks VERY much like Leith, but her voice is eerily similar! Watch the original, it's pure Hollywood!

Rob in Dago

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Not the usual fare

[2 July 2001]

Stanley Kubrick's often bleak view of humanity is a difficult meld with Speilberg's notorious sentimentality. A.I. is the first Kubrick film since "Killer's Kiss" I can remember having a soft landing at the end. It's also the most negative vision Speilberg has ever attempted. Contrary to the main perception that Speilberg's ending is counter to Kubrick's wishes, Stanley had a very, very, similar ending in mind since the early script treatments - before Speilberg's involvement. A lot of fans wish it had a different point of ending, perhaps earlier in the film, but Speilberg seems to have stayed true to Kubrick's wishes. This was meant to be an elaborate fairy-tale from the beginning, and I feel Kubrick and Speilberg wanted that sort of ending. Osment and Law give Oscar-worthy performances, and O'Connor is perfectly cast as a brittle, but loving mother-figure. The point where she lovingly sends David into the forest to escape the 'evil' stepfather, or his minions, is right out of a Grimm's tale. The scene in Dr. Hobby's lab, with all the packaged Davids and Darlenes is great, like Antinea's hall of gilded former lovers, or a truckload of Pod People. Yikes! I came away with the sad knowledge that no matter how good this pic was, K's protectors of the creed would duke it out with S's zealots. I thought it was a great flick, and I'll see it more than once more. So far this summer, it's the only movie worth seeing. Yeah, tell me about the art-house fare, but I'm waitin' in line again for A.I.

The Third Man (1949)

Masterful

[14 March 2001]

Like a lot of commentary posted here, I think Carol Reed has made a master work. The focus of most critics and scholars seems to be on Welles and Cotten as the main actors, but rarely has a movie had such a perfect supporting cast. Trevor Howard and Bernard Lee are beautiful to watch, as recognizable as cops anywhere on earth. Valli is coolly stunning, and very carefully shot by Krasker for maximum use of her eyes and mouth for conveying emotions that are subtly erotic and hungry at the same time. Only Louise Brooks was better at looking natural while smoldering. Even the little parts by obscure actors are excellent. A lot of the visual clues are nifty as well - the slicing of a juicy duck at a time of suffering for others, the hungry-looking whores at the bar where Holly is watching the the erotic dancer, (a very adult scene for that time!), and the cat who loved Harry Lime. I also noticed some people feel the book was better. It was a little different, still excellent, but this story was a screenplay from the beginning. I saw this back-to-back with "Lady From Shanghai" once, and I was unable to look at modern movies the same after that.

Return to Oz (1985)

Not The Usual Kid's Fare.

[29 October 2000]

I always wondered why this movie got zinged by the reviewers of the time of it's release. I think this movie is one of the best fantasy flicks ever! So it's a little dark, so are some of the best Grimm stories. Reviewers often seem to miss the mark with kid flicks. They are looking for pablum when sometimes kids need a little Kung pao chicken. I read some of the Oz stories in early editions, handed down o'course, with the original illustrations, and this flick is dead on, both in look and feel. The '39 version is a great musical, but it ain't Oz. Disney surprisingly got it right, and Fairuza Balk is great. I followed her career steadily after this, thru "Worst Witch", "Gas, Food, & Lodging", "Valmont", ( whoa! ), etc., right up to current pics. She's still great. This movie stimulates, and every shot has extra bits to look for on repeat viewings. Highly recommended in an age of The Great Pokemon Anime Co-Prosperity Sphere. 'Nuff said.

The Train (1964)

Superb Action flick - don't miss it.

[24 October 2000]

Burt Lancaster can inhabit a role like no other. He moves like a man who has worked the rails all his life. When he files and sets the babbit in the repair shop, it's like he did it every day of his life. Amazing. Burt also had the rare quality of acting like he was utterly exhausted, but without the mugging and fakery of some other actors. His physical grace and beauty were such that he only had to move his shoulders a little, and he conveyed more than words could ever do. Frankenheimer wisely takes advantage of Lancaster's acrobatic agility to make a rare and sensitive action film about what men fight for. Scofield is the best evil Nazi in years. The scene that really sells this movie for me, tho, is Michel Simon's Papa Boule reminiscing about an encounter with a model for one of the Impressionist painters whose works are being heisted by the Germans. Somehow , he comes to the realization that maybe just that scrap of life was worth sacrificing himself for. Frankenheimer has a few of these little set pieces through out the picture, and not one is a drag on the non-stop action and suspense. Alright, I love the train wrecks as well, I'll admit it. Again, don't miss this one.

Emperor of the North (1973)

Best 'Bo movie ssince Beggars Of Life

[22 October 2000]

When I first saw this movie, it was released as "Emperor of the North", although some of the early promos added "Pole' to the title. Since the top hobo of the old days was "Emperor of the North Pole", I assumed the studio wasn't sure if the average viewer would get the title. The literary character of A-number One, is based on a legendary hobo from the turn of the century, who was possibly real, as his graffiti 'A-1', or A-No-1, appeared regularly on water towers and bridges along the rails all over the USA. This film really gets the feel of a depression-era USA, and the conflict between Marvin and Borgnine is visceral and cunning, and the scene with the near-miss of the oncoming train has great tension. Carridine is great as a blowhard punk who might grow up to be something. This flick has an almost religious overtone of good versus evil. It also has a good feel for railroading, kinda like ""The Train"

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Love it or leave it, I guess...

[13 September 2000]

For a trifle little noir shocker, this film brings out more positive or negative comment than many bigger flicks. Nobody is lukewarm on this one, it seems. Poor Charles Laughton, his one masterpiece is so obtuse for some viewers, they seem to forget that films are a product of their times. Laughton wanted a movie that was truly disturbing, and visually striking. Mitchum is the prototype for all subsequent obsessives, but this wasn't apparent at the time. Now every phsycho on film has a little Preacher in 'em, ( and maybe a little Tommy Udo, as well, but that's another story ) and the cinematography is copied endlessly over the years. I still feel if you can get the feel of this movie, you've tapped into a vein of weirdness and mayhem that Laughton was shooting for. Too bad some viewers have too much modern baggage to see this without trying to compare it with newer flicks. I doubt if any era in movies has given birth to such a film, that in its own time repulsed so many, and enchanted just as many more. Remember, Agee's writing on this was truly out of nowhere in 1955, and still not equalled. Guess I just love this flick.

Touch of Evil (1958)

Truly an 'A' picture, and mesmerising

[28 June 2000]

Having seen both versions of this superb film, I understand why the "industry" considered this a failure. Brought in to make a 'B' quickie, Welles turned out an 'A' masterpiece they couldn't stomach. Even re-shuffled slightly in the restoration, I can't get some scenes out of my head. While justly lauded for the opening shot, my favorite scenes are sometimes just the bits - Dietrich as a Gypsy in a run-down flop house, Welles by the river trying to wash his hands, just a lot of great touches all the way thru. A black & white hypnotic wonder. Venice, CA really looks like a hellish border town in Welles' vision, (and believe me, I know; Whit Masterson used San Diego as the setting for many of their stories ), and has a kind of sick fascination I can only compare to the similarly artificial world of "Night Of The Hunter", another gem of personal film-making. This movie ranks up with CK & LFS on the Welles meter.

Somewhere in the Night (1946)

Mankiewicz directs a night-time noir

[19 April 2000]

Mankiewicz does it again. With a small cast of generally B actors, he makes a nifty film-noir. John Hodiak has his best role, IMHO, and the mostly night-time settings have a great look. Strange to see Fritz Kortner, from the Louise Brooks "Pandora's Box", as a slimy fortune-teller.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

Van, Spencer, And Great special effects

[19 April 2000]

Van Johnson, Spencer Tracy and a supporting cast make this movie one of the special few war films that show a naturalistic view of men in combat. Johnson is scared, confused at times, and when he's at the controls, exactly like so many pilots I know - professional. There are elements of jingoism in this film, although remarkably toned-down, certainly less than "..Colonel Blimp", a British war-time effort. Johnson is the classic middle-class guy caught up in a shooting match, same as he was in "Battleground". Some younger viewers may see the special effects as hokey, but I feel the model work was and is unsurpassed, and without any blue-screen trickery! The Hornet flight-deck scenes are amazing in the use of full size B-25's. One other note -"Japanese" are seen on screen only from a distance, curiously.

Miller's Crossing (1990)

Hammett would love it...

[18 November 1999]

This is without a doubt the best Hammett I've seen in theaters. "The Glass Key" brought to life. Byrne and Finney are excellent, while Turturro is positively slimy. Great visuals and a moody, ambivalent script. All other gangster flicks wish they could serve up such a stew. Violence never looked so good.