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Reviews
Band of Brothers (2001)
"Band of Brothers" worth seeing
Having been born in the middle of WWII, I was raised in its aftermath. An uncle had been killed at Monte Cassino in 1944. There were war movies throughout my childhood. The shy, sensitive type, I didn't like most of them. The years went by, through to 1994 and 1995, when I visited Normandy. One sees all those graves. Near the cemetery is the town of Bayeaux, where twice I saw the long tapestry depicting William the Conqueror's (1066) invasion of England, which, of course, was in the opposite direction. I mean, you can't make this stuff up!
Fast-forward to November 2005, when I attended the World War II Veterans Committee Conference in Washington DC, where, for a couple of days and nights, I hung with some of the brave ones, including one or two mentioned in the "Band of Brothers".
I was glued to every episode of the "Band of Brothers". Much of my interest was absorbed in how well, and credibly, it was done. Like "Sergeant Ryan", it blew away all previous attempts to film World War II. Finally, It really looked somewhat like the hell that General Sherman had said it was. Yet this was not anti-war, which has been another mistake movie makers have made. This was more like how it really was.
I applaud the producers and directors for finally treating an American) audience like mature, thoughtful human beings. For a change.
Ed Wood (1994)
Why I recommend seeing Ed Wood
Having seen Ed Wood on VHS last night, and Orgy of the Dead last week, I feel like I came to understand Ed Wood, Jr. Well, somewhat, anyway. Wood might be categorized, if that is the proper term, under "American Originals." To me, Johnny Depp's portrayal was especially interesting also because everyone has a biography, his story, or history. Or, if you will, her-story. I very much liked this movie.
I remember seeing both Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre in 1964 when they were publicizing The Comedy of Terrors. More or less AWOL from my job at the US Post Office that day, I've mostly forgotten about that job but who could ever forget Karloff and Lorre???
The 1968 movie Targets, directed by Peter Bogdonovich and one of Karloff's last films, reminded me a little of Ed Wood.
The Man Who Laughs (1928)
The Man Who Laughs
Having missed this movie when it was shown not long ago at the French Institute here in New York City, I was pleased to locate it at Evergreen, my local video outlet. Thinking it a horror film, I was more or less prepared for blood and gore. What a surprise was in store. Incredibly well done, those who cry at movies should bring a sufficient handkerchiefs/tissues, for this one. This is the film to see Conrad Veidt, the talented actor, in possibly his best role. (I mean: forget him as the German officer in Casablanca.) Too, one actress looks so much like Madonna that you just know this is where she got the idea for her persona. Made me want to read the original book, which apparently has a different ending. If you're usually put off by silent films, this is one of the genre that will change your mind. It is enthralling from beginning to end. I recommend it the very highest.
Diamond Jim (1935)
Diamond Jim (1935)
I saw this movie a couple of days ago at Film Forum, one of a double feature with another Sturgis film, If I Were King. Almost missed Diamond Jim because had never heard about it before, and only wanted to see the other film. After coming in a few minutes late, I found it fascinating also because of actor Edward Arnold, who played Diamond Jim more as a sympathetic, rather than, e.g. a pathetic, man. Aghast at his eating habits, I thought it morbid and indicative of depression. When I later read his biography on the Internet, I immediately thought that his dining habits might be a substitution for not drinking alcohol. Certainly a Type-A personality, and an Alpha-male. Big in every way, his largeness of appetite(s) was endearing and sad, in equal measures. Likely he could not have become what he became without the morbid appetite! Or he would have become an alcoholic or a drug addict -- the latter maybe less likely in his time and place. Definitely glad to have seen it, I recommend the movie. The movie was perhaps a forerunner of Leonardo DeCaprio's Howard Hughes in The Aviator.