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Reviews
Rachel, Rachel (1968)
Awful does not describe it
This is a slow moving effort that never gets anywhere. It got high reviews because of the Newman/Woodward connection, but this movie does not hold up at all. Simply dreadful. Long, unconnected dialogues, fantasy scenes bearing no relation to the movie, and nothing happens!!!!
Anna Karenina (2012)
Tolstoy is spinning in his grave
Absolutely awful. Incomprehensible dialogue, odd segues, poor acting, melodrama when serious drama is called for, and overall one of the worst tellings of this great story ever done. Simply dreadful.
Winchester (2018)
Don't bother
Had to leave after 30 minutes--movie employed every horror cliché possible, and not well. Freddy Krueger a lot more frightening for a lot less budget.
Big Business (1929)
Best two reeler ever made!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only criticism of this film is that it has no plot--so what?????????? How many incidents in life have no plot--they just happen--forget any worries about a plot--this is the funniest encapsulation of life ever filmed--it just is as it is--God bless Laurel and Hardy!!!!!
Paths of Glory (1957)
Emotionally draining
The best war and anti-war film ever made, and perhaps on of the top ten films ever made. No wasted action or shots or dialogue--for anyone who has visited the killing fields of WW1 in France and Belgium, this story rings true. This film gives the lie to Renoir's opening of La Grande Illuson in which Renoir seemingly thanks the Americans for coming to the aid of the democracies. This film shows the flaws of the "democracy" that was France, and indeed, of all democracies, when life becomes only a percentage of casualty. Would be nice if Trump would watch this.
Masterpiece!!
Dunkirk (2017)
Much hype--ended up rooting for the Gerans
Lots of explosions and gore--no character development all, some wonderful Ed Wood like continuity problems (scenes changed from day to night to day to night even though all the action took place within a few miles of each protagonist). Frankly hard to tell who was who.
The film missed the three major points of interest of Dunkirk-- 1. the bloody resistance the Brits and allies must have put up to keep the Germans at bay long enough for the evacuation to happen; 2. how the order to mobilize civilian ships in the rescue effort was communicated, and some background and insights into the men and women who responded so gallantly; and 3. how Churchill and the folks at home reacted to the news and how Churchill kept everyone's pecker up.
Don't waste your money
The Phil Silvers Show (1955)
One of the best
"Bilko" remains one of the funniest shows ever aired on TV. Other reviewers have nicely captured the essence of the show, with one exception. Bilko pokes fun at every human foible, but without malice and nastiness. The show has a respect and love for us humans, warts and all.
I have to agree that the "monkey joins the Army show" is the best, but my favorite remains the episode that commences with COL Hall being passed over for promotion to Brigadier again. After he receives the notice he places a call to Washington to complain, and as he waits for his call to go through he practices a tough response to the superior officer with whom he will speak. However, when the call is finally placed all Hall can say is "COL Hall speaking, sir" in the meekest of subordinate tones.
Angry at himself for his meekness Hall roars off to Washington to complain in person, and a worried Mrs. Hall and the base chaplain send Bilko after Hall to rescue him.
The next scene will resonate with anyone who has served in the military. Hall arrives at the general's office (which is filled with people waiting to see the general), and a rude secretary tells Hall he will have to wait a few days to get in.
Bilko arrives, sizes up the situation, and through his usual fast talking wangles a golf game for "Jack Hall, the tiger of New Guinea" with pro Jimmy Demaret and, unknown to Hall, President Eisenhower.
After the game, Hall, totally beatified, enters the clubhouse, sees Bilko (who asks about his game) and can only reply: "he called me Jack." In the next scene, Hall returns to the general's office and, Ike obviously having phoned ahead, the general rushes out of his office, embraces Hall while yelling "it's Jack Hall" a the top of his lungs.
Hall returns home to Ft. Baxter with his star, but then he removes it, telling his crew that accepting the star would have meant leaving the base for another, and he couldn't face leaving his team, so he remained a colonel.
All this in the space of 25 minutes! Truly a wondrous show. Enjoy.
A Separate Peace (1972)
Must see--it can't get any worse
This may be the all time worst movie ever made--I ignore anything by Ed Wood as all his work is sui generis (and also quite humorous) This move totally misses the book, adds scenes not found in the book, and could not even find the proper tree at Exeter--awful! The only one I liked was Ed Echols as Ludsbury
Not sure why paramount chose to film this, anyway, as it is a psychological novel full of "interiors"--on a lesser level like trying to film stuff by Woolfe or Kafka (that takes an Orson Welles and Larry Peerce did not measure up).
Nice shots of the Academy and the town, and the tea party is somewhat realistic--the scene in the church with the choir is the worst of many bad scenes--just awful
this movie is shown once a decade on cable channels which have run out of MASH reruns--don't bother
don't watch it