mikequinlan61 Reviews

King of Jazz (1930)

King of what?

[3/10 · 8 July 2015]

Fortunately, the history of jazz was little troubled by this farcical musical travesty. The one black person... (did you know that it was people of color who created Jazz, innovated and sustained it decade after decade only to be constantly supplanted by less talented and creative whites who popularized their music and made millions off it?)... who appears is a cute little girl sitting on the lap of Paul White-Man, the purported king of jazz in a brief segment. The only jazzy number in the film is 'Happy Shoes' with the entire remainder of the film devoted to middle of the road popular schmaltz music and pseudo-classical Gershwin. That said, the film, however distasteful, dated and unfunny, is in some ways an important historical predecessor of the Hollywood musicals to come.

I had read that the production numbers were something to see, but by the end I no longer cared. Not so hot. Comedy, very poor. Female vocals, very poor. White-man and his vaudevillians, crap. Bing Crosby, as usual, quite good.

Anything Goes (1936)

A revelation, and a joy.

[10/10 · 8 January 2015]

'Ruggles does a blatant and bad impression of Vistor Moore (who played the part on Broadway'. One must suppose that the reviewer who 'wrote' this actually attended the Broadway show. And saw Victor Moore's performance... it's hard to imagine that the one dimensional Moore could have been better in the role than Ruggles, had anyone still living possibly have seen him in it.

In any event, the best I could do to see this was watch a poor quality version with Spanish subtitles on youtube. I was entranced from the get-go and laughed all the way through this delightful film. It's true that there are continuity problems, particularly at the start of the film, and it is surprising that a stalwart director like Lewis Milestone could be responsible for these brief but confusing problems. But the film is lively, heartfelt and highly entertaining despite these lapses, and the musical numbers are wonderful. The comedic wit displayed throughout kept surprising me with its unexpected diversity and irreverence. It is remarkable that much of the original score of the Broadway hit was discarded in favor of new songs, but Hoagy Carmichael's Moonburn almost makes up for it.

Amélie (2001)

Is there any hope for humanity? (wink,wink)

[2/10 · 30 March 2014]

Piece of S**t. Movie for morons, who, quite clearly from the rating of this saccharin, cloying, manipulative, bathetic, cutesy, uneven, manipulative and disturbingly mindless piece of toxic cotton candy constitute the overwhelming majority of our fellow humans. Shame on us as a race of sentient beings for accepting this poison as nourishment.

As distressed as I was by the empty headed, falsely virginal simpleton of a protagonist... no, let's say central figure of this pre-adolescent farce, more distressing was her vengeful retribution on her supposed enemies, straw men set up in the childish pursuit of suitable enemies for our 'heroine' to conquer.

'On a minor related note, "Amelie" is a film that wants to be quirky, it wants to be cutesy, but it fails because it tries too hard: The exaggerated camera movements and sound effects, the ultra-luminous (yet rather nice) cinematography designed to turn Paris into a fantasy world, the odd quips of dialogue on orgasms, but the absolute biggest fault of the film is with the lead character known as Amelie.'

Gracias, Miura88.

The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939)

Defying the cliché's of the genre!

[8/10 · 30 March 2014]

Let me lay it out for you... a western with a Hispanic star, #1. A Western where the star is a criminal, not just mistaken for a criminal, #2. A Western where our hero makes a play for the saloon girl, 'girlfriend' of the bad guy, and rides off into the sunset with her?, #3. A Western where the 'bad guy' (with wanted posters all over the place) is the good guy by default at the end?

Cesar Romero steps into the boots of the Cisco Kid (taking over the role from Warner Baxter) in this western that finds the Kid safeguarding the claim of a murdered prospector. Later, with the deceased prospector's orphaned daughter the rightful heir to a profitable mine, the Kid places the child in the care of a pretty schoolteacher, who has eyes for another man.

The funny twists and turns of this action oater kept me entertained throughout. Cesar Romero was great and the supporting cast was fine as well, and the film is smartly paced and cleverly plotted. Good fun!

The Web (1947)

Better than your average potboiler!

[8/10 · 5 February 2014]

Surprisingly good unknown noir, featuring fine work from noir regulars Ella Raines, William Bendix, Vincent Price and Edmund O'Brien. Taut, well-acted, although rather unsurprisingly plotted and photographed, this is quite a satisfying diversion.

Ms. Raines, a competent actress, seems to have relied on her 'ironed' and particularly sleek tresses to carry her career forward. Price, always elevated because of his voice, poise and diction, carries another role both admirably and distastefully. Edmond O'Brien, oleaginous and plump, doesn't sweat as much as usual, although he is subjected to a hotter than usual roasting from... William Bendix, who many of my generation recall as the harmlessly bumbling Riley in 'The Life of Riley' TV series of the 1950's, once again reprises his role as a hard as nails, street-wise tough guy as the police detective.

Great ensemble cast of noir regulars, good pacing and direction, mostly mediocre dialog and music and cinematography, yet still a joy to watch.

At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)

Not for the Missionaries

[8/10 · 18 September 2013]

If you read the bad reviews here, evidently backed up by a groundswell of poor ratings, you will see that the complaints about this film are basically limited to a certain distress over a less than glowing portrayal of evangelical missionaries (oh my!) and shock at the full frontal nudity of little boys (not to mention Tom Berenger). If you find this sort of thing troubling, then you should skip this powerful, well made, brilliantly acted and directed film about cultural terrorism.

Berenger, Quinn, Hannah, Lithgow and Kathy Bates (another OMG nude scene) are riveting and little is spared in presenting this highly charged condemnation of arrogance and meddling in the name of religion.

Open your mind and dig it! Great film.

El Topo (1970)

Fake: a make believe art film.

[2/10 · 21 August 2013]

Saw this when it came out many years ago, and was appalled to find that so many of my friends considered this mess to be a 'good' movie. It is, in fact, a pastiche of art film clichés with a load of whipped cream, jimmies and a cherry-on-top existentialism for idiots. I commented at the time on how the visuals were perceived within the framework of drug culture stating that while stoned on pot and well under the influence, 'El Topo' becomes a violent, would-be erotic freak show, and that, I suppose can be very heavy for some viewers. For others, it is enough to make one yawn. So, take your drugs, let your jaw drop, and try to enjoy this watered down knock off of many better films. It certainly didn't work for me.

Yes, it has some unusual imagery, designed to fascinate the clueless and titillate the TV hypnotized hordes, but in total, it is no more meaningful than an 'in depth' article in USA Today. A poor sensationalist film by a minor director whose subsequent career foundered badly.

Finger of Guilt (1956)

Basehart, great as always.

[8/10 · 9 July 2013]

OK, perhaps I rated this a little too high, but anything featuring the very good Richard Basehart is fine in my book. Having seen this a while ago, I recently watched the beginning and the ending once again.

The beginning draws you in to a story which, while not especially original, does provide enough mystery and twists and turns to be involving. The actors are all highly professional, and the directing is serviceable. Earlier reviews have suggested that Losey (director) had the usual axe to grind as a blacklisted Hollywood veteran. Well, perhaps, but if that was the case, he didn't succeed.

Instead what we have is a psychological drama (a la film noir) in which our protagonist is assailed by an unkind fate (personified by an unexpectedly satisfying Mary Murphy). Things go badly as the film moves toward the predictable climax, when all is revealed. Here, Losey pulls out all of his particular directorial stops and gives us a good cinematic treat as Basehart tangles with the real (albeit somewhat wimpy) villain of the piece in a shadow play bravura conflict. Decent film, well worth your time. 4 out of 5.