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Reviews
Blackboard Jungle (1955)
some good things after seeing it again
One of the interesting things is to watch movies over and realize how much you'd forgotten about it. I enjoyed this movie both times I have watched it, and after teaching for a number of years now, some things really struck me that worked:
1. Engagement. Things start to change (after a number of unfortunate situations) when Glenn Ford's character starts to really involve them in the lectures and works hard to keep them off the subject. Now, while that's not the be all and end all of good teaching, it is the beginning.
2. Respect. It seemed that, and as it should be, the teacher had to take a while to earn the respect of the kids. It had to go out of the way and overdramatize it, but with older students, respect comes with time and ability and composure. That was well done.
3. The "primary" bad guy doesn't become good in the end. Thank you Hollywood! The system, no matter what's being put into it, doesn't always work out in the end for some people, and I'm glad that it wasn't all touchy-feely.
The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
more information
I decided to watch this movie because it was listed as one of the 300 titles chosen for the AFI's newest top 100 movies list (inspirational movies). I think that it could have made the list if (1) someone other than Jackie Robinson was playing Jackie Robinson, and (2) they would have made the movie with a more complete look at his life.
By having the star play himself, it does a decent job of showing what he was actually like. He obviously understood what was so important about keeping his demeanor in check, always being polite to the manager and other teammates, etc. I think I've heard stories that, when he was actually on the baseball field, he was one of the toughest, meanest SOBs ever in baseball. That would make sense as compared to today's Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, who are one thing to the camera, and another on the playing field.
I think it would be in great interest to have this movie redone, showing his entire career (including the Brooklyn Dodgers' only championship in 1955) and his future work to build up the black community. It was sad to notice that, with the movie being only 77 minutes long, some parts actually seemed to include filler (ex: the large amount of play-by-play calling that seemed quite unnecessary). Plus, it would have been nice to have had a larger part for the brilliant Ruby Dee as his wife.
So, to conclude, it's not a bad movie, but it lacks the full story of his life to be really great.
Huckleberry Finn (1974)
okay, I guess
I'm back to deliver another commentary after reading the book. Like the book, I couldn't wait for the movie to be done. I thought the ending got smoothed out a little bit, but it was a "musical adaptation" of the story, so if you wanted the mess that was the ending of the book, this isn't the place to look for it.
Speaking of which, I'd love to see a musical movie of Big River, which is the 80s musical version of the book. It has fabulous music, and while it also smooths out the ending, the music more than makes up for it.
The most enjoyable part of the movie was seeing Harvey Korman's The King. I was secretly hoping that Tim Conway would end up being The Duke, and that would have been awesome. But he was great, as he always was on Carol Burnett and other roles.
The Rise & Fall of ECW (2004)
a good glimpse into the sport
I want to take each disc separately on this occasion.
I grew up watching WWF (when it was named that) wrestling for most of my childhood on Saturday mornings and on Saturday Night Main Event. I've always had a fascination with the sport. I don't spend time now watching it on TV, but anytime I get a chance to watch a documentary on some part of the subject, I usually take the opportunity.
This one interested me primarily because I'd spent a lot of time reading about it in various publications, most notably Mick Foley's first autobiography. The quality and pace of the documentary were really good. The intersection of personal stories and wrestling highlights was great. On the extras, I really enjoyed hearing Chris Jericho talk about huge Ron Simmons getting a discounted plane ticket with the name Seymour Goldstein or something like that. Pretty funny. I was overall interested to see the differing opinions from various personalities as to why ECW crashed and burned. It helped that there was no overlying narrator to tell the story.
The second disc was very interesting for me because I did get a chance to see some of the matches. I thought it was fun to watch, although I now have a much better understanding of why the sport had such a cult following, but not as much of a national one. While it's cool in concept and clips to see most of the highlights, I found most of the matches to get tiring after a while. To me, the fun of using a chair was that it was part of the climax of the match. It's not nearly as much fun to watch a guy get hit by a chair 20 times during a match (at least for me).
Overall, a great 2-disc set. I welcome your opinions.
Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
some comments
I enjoyed this foray into WWII, particularly coming from the era of the actual war. Burgess Meredith, who for my money always looked old no matter what year he was acting in, does a good job as the war correspondent. I was also a fan of the fact that the movie didn't hide the dangers of war or give a sense of the majestic war experience. This one is down and dirty, and that's a good thing. I would like to add the following comments:
1) I don't see this movie having validity OVER Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg created one of the most memorable (good or bad, you could argue) movie experiences ever with the opening D-Day sequence. His is part of the "war is hell" feeling, as is this movie, and they really shouldn't be judged. One person's experience or view isn't going to be the same as another's, even if it regards the same experience.
2) I saw that some people felt this was Robert Mitchum's best performance. If I didn't know going in that Mitchum received his only nomination for this role, I wouldn't have guessed it from watching this movie. Mitchum's two best characters were a couple of the scariest villains ever in movies: the sadistic preacher in "Night of the Hunter", and the serial killer in the original "Cape Fear". Neither of those were nominated for Oscars, which is a shame.
I welcome your comments.
4 Little Girls (1997)
really really good
I very much enjoyed Spike Lee's first foray into the documentary style. He did a great job of giving each of the participants the time to discuss the background of each of the subjects, of the politics of the time, and the overall state of affairs for everyone involved.
I think his best work within this feature, aside from securing the trust of the kin of the 4 girls murdered, which is tough in itself, was the interview with George Wallace. It took me a second to believe that that was actually him, and that he agreed to the interview. The features on the disc I watched gave the full interview, and you realized that this man was near the end of his life and quite ill, and probably trying to save some face for his earlier actions. It was both tough and fascinating to watch the former governor make excuses for his earlier actions, and doing so by talking about what he did for black students while he was governor. He frequently called over his "black friend" to be in the camera shot with him. You find out later that the same man who has "traveled all over the world" with the governor is also working for him as his nurse. Plus, the same person gave no indication, spoken or unspoken, of his friendship with the governor. He simply looked nervous, not someone who looked in full support of the governor's friendship.
I highly recommend this documentary (and accompanying "making of"). I look forward to your comments.
Ice Station Zebra (1968)
damn, I read the book first again...
A number of movies I try to watch, particularly some older ones, I often read the book first before seeing the movie. Sometimes, I just shouldn't.
Now don't get me wrong. I thought the movie was good. I was certain that it would or at least be nomintated for cinematography, which was excellent underwater. It was a very pretty movie to watch.
Due to the era from which it came, though, the movie focuses much more on the US-Soviet relations, where as the book focuses more on the internal struggle within the submarine. Some parts of this are hinted at, such as some of the scenes with Jim Brown and his authority. I was waiting for a long time for one of the characters (one who's in the book but not the movie) to show up and start being the saboteur, but that didn't happen. Oh well.
Peyton Place (1957)
please do a remake...
My opinion of this film comes from a bias from reading the book first. I would advise someone who wants to see this movie to watch it first, then read the book second. Some of the other opinions mention that the book is better, and it certainly is.
I got more excited to see the movie once I got closer to finishing the book. When I was almost near completion, I then wasn't so sure I wanted to watch the movie, taking into account the 1950s, when it was made. There was too much censorship during that time to really make this book the way it read. Gone is the tough language and all of the sex that is described in the book, one of the things that makes it worthwhile reading. The movie glosses over these tougher scenes, which in the hands of a good director these days (like a Curtis Hanson), could be really well done.
To be fair, the movie did a good job of giving the feel of Peyton Place as described in the book, and I think did a good job with casting the three main female leads. In particular, Hope Lange as Selena was excellent. However, the depths of evil that could have been plumbed in either of the Harrington characters wasn't, which made the book that much more interesting.
In summary: watch the movie first, read the book second.
I welcome your comments.
Malcolm X (1992)
more fulfilling once you've read the book
This is the second time I've watched this movie. I watched it about 8 years ago without much knowledge of the person, and still enjoyed it. The second time, I read the autobiography first, then re-watched the movie, and really enjoyed it. The recently released special edition 2-DVD set has a really good making of featurette, plus a 90-minute documentary made in 1972 on Malcolm's life. All were quite good. But, back to the movie.
This is, by most accounts, a sprawling epic. Spike Lee wanted to make a movie on the scale of Laurence of Arabia (itself nearly 4 hours long), and felt that Malcolm X had enough subject matter to do so. After reading the autobiography, that makes sense. Some have issues with the first hour, since it details Malcolm's life before he enters jail and gets static. In this case, Spike follows the book quite well, because the book is very detailed BEFORE Malcolm enters jail. I had no real problems with it, although I was surprised that it was an hour before the change started. But Spike gave a great picture of what Malcolm's life was like before he converted to Islam, which was important to see the transformation. And, if nothing else, Malcolm's life was transforming fast.
The politics of the film (that the Nation of Islam doesn't receive the blunt of the attack) deserve a comment. Reading the book made me understand that Malcolm would not completely shun the entire Black Muslim movement because those tenets brought him out of misery and gave him a new life. With that type of history, a person as self-educated as Malcolm would understand that he can't just dismiss those who helped him out. Hindsight is 20/20, which some critics didn't totally realize.
The Oscar question...this movie suffered two major snubs. Spike Lee should have at least been nominated for best director. Knowing the story of making the film should have appealed to the emotions of the academy, along with the scope of the story. And Denzel Washington was robbed, which is common knowledge at this point. I watched the 1972 Malcolm X documentary, and there are times where you think Malcolm X was doing a Denzel impression...that's how good Denzel is in this movie. Right up there with the transformations of Jamie Foxx in Ray and Val Kilmer in The Doors. Essentially, Denzel didn't win because the academy had somehow managed not to give Al Pacino an Oscar for works such as, oh, I don't know, THE GODFATHER 1/2, SERPICO, DOG DAY AFTERNOON etc. So Denzel wins best actor later for Training Day, even though Russell Crowe probably deserved it more in Beautiful Mind. But then, Crowe won for Gladiator the year before even though Tom Hanks (Cast Away) or Ed Harris (Pollock) was more deserving. The Oscars can be a nasty cycle.
I've said enough. I look forward to your comments.
Vera Drake (2004)
good but not great
I looked forward to this movie quite a bit, because of the buzz with the Oscar talk, and because I've enjoyed some of Mike Leigh's previous work, most notably Secrets and Lies. I felt this work had good and bad in it.
First, a note: I partially understand some of the negative reaction to this work, but not in the direction of the political. I, for one, don't look to movies for the political message (I'm not saying most or all of us do). I try as hard as possible to take each movie I watch at its face value, without implying my own thoughts on the work or trying to make sure I understand or know how I would or would not deal with the situation.
Secondly, the good: Imelda Staunton's performance is excellent. She was very deserving of being nominated for an Oscar, although I'm glad she didn't win it for this role (because Hilary Swank's performance was much more impressive to me). The second half of the movie was an excellent acting lesson in the slow burn, seeing her simple life crumble before her. Plus, the feeling of the character that she was there to help, not break any laws, were just perfectly done, and was the essence of Vera Drake. The mood and costuming was also very good, and I felt most performances were well done.
Lastly, the not-so-good: the movie was too long for me. While I enjoyed reading the other arguments of the movie defending Mike Leigh's style for being "observational" (and I personally enjoyed that aspect of reality in Secrets and Lies), this movie lacked any real tension, particularly in the first half. I thought it took much too long to get to the conflict of the movie, and it just dragged on and on.
I welcome your thoughts.
Street Smart (1987)
very enjoyable and taut crime thriller
I found this movie to be very entertaining and well done, with good performances across the board. I agree with previous reviewers that the late Chris Reeve's performances in other movies, and at times this one, could be seen as wooden. That being said, I think he played his role extremely well, because it was able to work with Morgan Freeman's outbursts and explosions. Because of the problems encountered by his fabricated story, Reeve's performance was handled well being outside of his environment as much as he was. He was unsure and understated, and being a reporter, being unemotional was in his well being. On the other end, Morgan Freeman was fantastic! Seeing him in a role like this makes you want to see him take on a role where he can be the loose cannon.
This movie can show what happens when you "create" a story and you do it TOO well. More people should see it and comment on it.
Ieri, oggi, domani (1963)
some good, some bad
Wasn't too bad, but wasn't the best either. Sophia Loren is smokin' hot in this, like usual, and particularly the strip tease at the end. Little disappointed they stopped some of the tease, such as going from mostly covered down to bra without showing the clothes coming off. I could imagine how Marcello's character is losing his mind watching this. Overall, I'd have to agree that the second vignette was the weakest, and also happened to be the shortest.
My biggest issue is the DVD print I watched. I don't know if there's a new edition out, but an academy award winning film should at least be seen in letterbox format, instead of what looks like a poor quality VHS transfer.
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968)
better than I was expecting
I don't feel like I can rate this movie much higher than 7, although I did rather enjoy it. It began slow, but once Sellers meets his female match in Nancy's character, things start to move. I was personally a fan of all the "inadvertent" troubles Sellers's character kept getting into once he picked up the new psychedelic car, and how he was getting beaten down by all of the things in his own life. I'm sure that, at the time, the scene with the "groovy" brownies was quite new and perhaps had not been seen at all on TV or in movies, but it seems pretty predictable now (particularly with its use in "That 70s Show" and Never Been Kissed). The best thing about it is that it seems to provide a pretty good snapshot of the late 60s, from which my own remembrances of the era are in the form of not being born until 7 years after this movie was made.
Sombrero (1953)
has its good parts
This was an interesting movie.
The good: plenty of good looking people in the cast. Hard to argue against Pier Angeli, Cyd Charisse, Yvonne De Carlo, Ricardo Montalban, Jose Greco etc. The photography is beautiful, with full and lively colors. The two major dance sequences are quite good (although, as for the Charisse dance, bizarrely placed). And for what I believe is an American production, doesn't push the insensitive envelope too much.
The not-so-good: I'll go back to the Charisse dance. I sure didn't see that one coming. It literally seemed like the producers said, "Hey, Cyd Charisse is in the picture, let's make sure she dances, even if there's no reason why she really should." The pace of the film died off considerably over the second half (a couple of dramatic scenes just took too long). And it's really weird, as always, to watch fight sequences from back in the day. I believe one man literally jumped up and was caught by another guy on his "attack". Something that could only be pulled off in a spoof.
Personally, though, I'm not going to pass up a movie with Cyd Charisse in it, 'cause she's dreamy, and a hell of a dancer. I vote 6.
Control Room (2004)
interesting and good movie
The first thing I did after seeing this movie was tell my girlfriend to see it too, because I wanted to talk about it. This is definitely not a perfect documentary, but it is very engrossing and worth the dialogue. Most of the comments I've read captured the essence of the movie and the plot/situations, so I'll comment on a few that I hadn't read about much in depth.
One point that should not be lost is the fact that Al-Jazeera has only been around for 8-9 years, not the 225 years that free press has been around in the U.S. One commentator in the movie made a point to say that the Arab world is still quite young and inexperienced within the structure of non-biased reporting. Someone watching this movie should keep that in mind.
Spoiler* The conversation between an Arab and European reporter was intriguing from a point of view perspective. The European was giving the Arab a short lesson on interviewing technique, and trying to make it clear that the Arab reporter needs to come into the interview as unbiased and contented as usual. The Arab, for as long as the interview lasted, was trying to make his case that he was angry, and it seemed clear wasn't ready for the disassociation needed for unbiased reporting.
As another commentator witnessed, I also saw the Daily Show interview with Hassan Ibrahim, and he mentioned that the Army Lieutenant he conversed with throughout the movie was the first one he's ever known who was willing to have a dialogue and wasn't short with Ibrahim. I have to believe the Army PR guy is in a tough position, and I certainly wouldn't want that job.
My reason for my vote of 7 and not higher is that the documentary lacked the backstory and finish I would have liked. I think it's fair to criticize the movie as being just a series of scenes in the life of Al Jazeera and lacking enough commentary and perspective. But it's definitely worth seeing and certainly worth talking about after.