doghouse-8 Reviews

The Facts of Life (1960)

Better than I thought it would be.......

[6/10 · 9 March 2002]

I watched this movie primarily because it was nominated for Best Screenplay, and in that regard, I was not disappointed. There are several funny scenes and some pretty witty dialogue, but overall this movie rates about 6/10. It's a little too long and some of the plot points are pretty contrived, but Bob and Lucy have good chemistry, which makes up for the few weak points in this film.

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)

Great performances, wonderful movie....

[8/10 · 6 November 2001]

Deborah Kerr and the screenplay received two very well deserved Oscar nominations. I also thought that this was one of the best Robert Mitchum movies I have seen. The plot was pretty basic, but the performances made the movie. And, the ending was perfect. 8/10

Daisy Kenyon (1947)

Too bad they don't make them like this one anymore...

[9/10 · 19 September 2001]

This movie was surprisingly good.....I watched simply because I usually like Joan Crawford movies, but once this film began I was completely hooked. The performances were all first rate, and the script was excellent. Joan Crawford, Dana Andrews and Henry Fonda were equally great in their respective parts, in fact, I thought it was one of Henry Fonda's better early roles.

Barbarosa (1982)

Gary Busey walks away with this one...

[6/10 · 29 August 2001]

This films drifts along through some absolutely gorgeous western scenery. The cinematography is beautifully done, and is one of the finer points of this movie. The storyline is pretty episodic, and many plot points are glossed over without much explanation. Willie Nelson (Barbarosa) has some good scenes, along with Gilbert Roland who plays his revengeful father-in-law, but Gary Busey steals the show as Carl, the hard luck "farmboy". It's not the greatest movie ever made, but I enjoyed watching it......more like a fable than a western. 6/10

Junior Bonner (1972)

A rodeo documentary with a little acting thrown in...

[5/10 · 24 August 2001]

This film starts slow and gets slower.......way too many "slo-mo" rodeo scenes, "slo-mo" barroom brawling, and "slo-mo" bulldozing scenes. The first half hour seemed to be about driving cattle (lots of mooing and stampeding into pens) while Steve McQueen sits and stares. It picks up anytime Robert Preston has a scene, and whenever the actors actually speak to one another. Ben Johnson was pretty good, but generally speaking the acting was fairly weak. 5/10

Beat the Devil (1953)

What a chaotic mess!

[2/10 · 23 August 2001]

First of all, let me say that the version I watched had at least 25 minutes of running time cut out, which did not help the plot continuity.

However, the parts that were left in were excruciatingly lame. Humphrey Bogart looked like death warmed over... Jennifer Jones' potrayal of a British femme fatale was her worst performance I've seen to date....at least Peter Lorre, Robert Morley and Gina Lollibrigida were entertaining. I can't believe this film was directed by John Huston. Wow, was this movie awful. 2/10

A Merry War (1997)

Never read the book, enjoyed the movie.....

[8/10 · 18 August 2001]

I love British movies set in the 1930's, and I am a big Helena Bonham-Carter fan, so I found watching "A Merry War" to be a very enjoyable experience. The Gordon Comstock character is a little annoying in the beginning, but he grows on you as the movie progresses. I thought the supporting cast of characters (especially the publisher and his snooty mistress) were all great. Since I never read the book this movie was based on, I had no preconceived notions regarding the plot.....I just accepted it for what it was and really liked it. 8/10

Ruby Gentry (1952)

Gets better as it goes along.......

[5/10 · 13 July 2001]

Although Jennifer Jones gives a typically poor performance, this movie holds your interest to the end. Karl Malden does a good job with his character (no surprise there) while Charlton Heston looks alot better than he acts (again, no surprise). I liked the plot and thought there were some very good scenes dialog wise......too bad Jennifer looked so old for her character. She was 33 at the time but looks mid 40's. I gave it 5/10.

Second Chance (1953)

Everybody runs around, but nobody gets anywhere.....

[5/10 · 25 June 2001]

This was a very confusing movie. Like the summary says, Clair Sinclair (Linda Darnell) is on the run from a hitman (Jack Palance) and the local prizefighter (Robert Mitchum) helps her out.

However, there were so many plot points that came up but never lead to anything, I started to think that this movie must have been cut from its original length. Or, it was just not very well edited. Anyway, half of the movie is pretty watchable, but there are so many pointless scenes and unexplained loose ends, I find it hard to rate this higher than 5/10.

Robert Mitchum is pretty good (very handsome in this one) but Jack Palance completely over does the bad guy act. Linda Darnell does a good job, especially when she has to run UPHILL in high heels on the cobblestone streets of San Cristobal. Get this, Jack Palance is after her, seems to know every turn she takes, but he CAN'T CATCH HER!

It was only after I watched this that I found out it was a 3-D movie, which could explain some of the scenes (like the fiesta and the aerial tram), but most of the movie is so run of the mill, I can't see why they would make it in 3-D.

The Tall Men (1955)

In 1955 this was probably a drama, in 2001 it's a comedy...

[7/10 · 20 May 2001]

This was a very entertaining movie.....although I'm sure I found it funnier than audiences in 1955. It's fairly fast paced, plotwise, and the characters are pretty well portrayed by the actors. Jane Russell may be one of the worst actresses ever, but here she is so bad, she's hilarious. Clark Gable is pretty good, and so is Robert Ryan...but Cameron Mitchell as the alcoholic, gunslinging brother steals the movie. The scenery is beautiful, especially during the cattle drive scenes. One word of warning however, for some reason this movie seems to be mostly about Jane Russell (she flirts, she pouts, she gets drunk and she even sings!) so it's not your usual western. 7/10 for unintentional comedy.

The Game (1997)

Don't try to rationalize this movie, just sit back and enjoy the ride......

[8/10 · 24 April 2001]

First of all, I think we can all agree that something like this could never happen in real life. Reviewers who pick apart the various plot points are taking this film way too seriously........For me, it satisfied all my basic requirements........it was unlike anything I had ever seen before, (so it gets several points for originality alone), it held my interest for the entire movie and I thought the actors all did a great job. I was especially impressed with Michael Douglas. I haven't seen him in a while and I had forgotten what a good actor he can be.

Also, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the movie wasn't as "creepy" as I thought it was going to be. The ending was not a big surprise to me (probably the weakest part of the movie), but many of the twists and turns were, so overall I thought it was pretty gripping. I gave it 8/10.

The Gunfighter (1950)

One of Gregory Peck's finest performances.....

[9/10 · 17 April 2001]

Other than "To Kill a Mockingbird", I have not considered Gregory Peck to be a great actor. Having only seen him in films like "Roman Holiday","The Man in the Gray-Flannel Suit" and "Spellbound" I always thought his acting style was a little on the stiff side.

However, and this is a big however........I have now seen both "The Gunfighter" and "Twelve-O-Clock High" (he made them in succession) and realize that he can be sensational in the right part.

His portrayal of Jimmy Ringo was so wonderful, especially at the end, I have completely changed my opinion regarding his acting ability. I also thought that Millard Mitchell (the Marshal) was excellent. The final scenes of this movie were absolutely riveting........which is not always the case with westerns. I was also not surprised to find out later that this script was nominated for an Academy Award. I would watch this movie again just for the dialogue.

Top o' the Morning (1949)

Very charming with wonderful songs, funny script.

[8/10 · 25 February 2001]

This was a very enjoyable movie. The plot sounds silly, but the script is quite witty and the characters are really well done. Barry Fitzgerald and Hume Cronyn are especially good as the police sergeant and his assistant. Bing Crosby plays Bing Crosby, but that's ok with me, since the songs in this one are lovely to listen to. The plot however, does turn surprisingly dark towards the end, but that's a minor point. I watched this on AMC so I'm sure it will play again sometime......if it's on, watch it......you won't be disappointed.

Me Myself I (1999)

Absolutely wonderful!

[9/10 · 20 February 2001]

This is a terrific movie. It's clever, funny and really makes you think. Rachel Griffiths is excellent.......in fact, everyone is great. I laughed out loud all the way through this one, but was also very touched by the tenderness this movie showed for the characters. Pay attention to the ending, it's perfect!

P.S. My husband really liked it too, so please don't think it's for women only.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Beautiful art direction,above average acting, so-so plot.

[6/10 · 23 January 2001]

This movie was beautifully filmed. I loved the sets and the location scenery was gorgeous. Many reviewers have mentioned Jude Law as the "star" of the show, and he was excellent. However, to me, Matt Damon's portrayal carried the movie. His expressions during moments of reflection were wonderful. He really seemed to live this character, which helped me through some of the sillier plot points. I had received many mixed reviews about this film, so I will admit, my expectations weren't that high. It is a little on the long side, and some of the scenes near the end are almost laughably unbelievable. (The fault of the novel, I think). But overall, I found it very watchable. My husband even liked it and he usually never enjoys this type of movie. Much better than "The English Patient" which I thought was one of the most overrated and boring movies I have ever seen.

Happy, Texas (1999)

A huge disappointment

[1/10 · 20 January 2001]

This was the worst movie I rented in the year 2000. I disliked this movie so much, I couldn't even watch more than about an hour (so if anything funny ever happened, I missed it). The plot seemed so promising and the cast so talented, I was absolutely stunned by the finished product. I have enjoyed both Jeremy Northam and Steve Zahn in many other movies, and can only assume that they will never look back on "Happy, Texas" as a milestone in either of their careers. I gave this movie a "1", only because "0" was not an option.

Rudy (1993)

A very pleasant surprise

[8/10 · 7 January 2001]

If you haven't seen this movie....do yourself a favour and watch it. I thoroughly enjoyed all the performances, especially Sean Astin as Rudy. He completely carries this movie, which although "hokey" at times, really comes through at the end. A lot happens during the 8 years or so that the movie covers, but Rudy's determination to realise his dream has you rooting for him all the way.