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jamesbardrick
Reviews
The Kennel Murder Case (1933)
1933 murder mystery
Early 30s murder mystery whodunit. Interesting as an example of Curtiz's early work just before he hit his full form for Warner Bros with the Errol Flynn swashbucklers. Starts well with a sense of comedy at a dog show. There's some snappily innovative direction in places, which seems oddly more modern & fresh than contemporary filming techniques today where the camera isn't used as well. Sets are a little underfunded & lacking in style. Competent acting, but several of the male players have an unfortunate resemblance to each other physically which makes it a little difficult to remember who's who. Main weakness is the plot, which is a bit convoluted & contrived, yet thin at the same time & strangely lacking in pace in places, & there aren't enough well written scenes to fully hold the attention. Powell's performance as the lead player, whilst interesting is a little under-powered for the role.
A Face in the Fog (1936)
Creaky thriller
Low budget "poverty row" murder mystery movie from mid-1930's Hollywood. Suffers from poor production values for the most part - only one set in an apartment looks as if it had any money & time spent on it, a primitive storyline & a crude depiction of the villain at work with the risible nickname of "The Fiend", the opening scene is surprisingly poor & on the level of an amateur theatrical production. Worth watching for the acting by a stylishly dressed cast which is pretty good - apart from the female lead, who is a non-event, the dialogue between the characters which is snappy & competently written, & an excitingly filmed fight midway thru.