semi-buff Reviews

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

Patty Duke

[6/10 · 18 August 2007]

Although Patty Duke was a bit over the top here, I kept thinking how absolutely perfect she would have been in a biopic of Janis Joplin! The woman can act her heart out and she looks quite a bit like Janis. It would have been a 20-hankie reeler for sure. If you are a Janis Joplin fan, don't miss the Dick Cavett Show Rock Icons DVD set.

I thought the film was OK, but this is one case where the book is definitely better. I wouldn't watch it again (but hey, I'm a straight woman) but I look forward to seeing Roger Ebert's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. ETA: BVD--what dreck! As a big admirer of Ebert, I was sorely disappointed in the whole awful thing. Not even amusingly awful camp.

Fearless (2006)

Worth watching even if you hate fight movies.

[9/10 · 8 August 2007]

Not being a fan of the kung fu genre, I watched this because I like Jet Li. For me, some the fight scenes were too long or too CGI'd. I especially detest enhanced metal-on-metal sounds and had to mute and/or fast forward through some of those scenes. After about a half hour of almost non-stop very lonnng fight scenes, I almost gave up; but I;' glad I didn't, because the rest of the movie was very worth watching. I wondered at the historical accuracy of some of it. For example, would there really be an all-girl drumming team in ca. 1905 China? Would there be female students at the sports school? Women were very important to the story, as they are in real life, and I appreciated that. Beautiful cinematography. look forward to seeing Li in his future non-martial arts films.

Don Quixote (1933)

Don't miss Chaliapin's singing!

[9/10 · 21 August 2006]

Having only once attempted unsuccessfully to slog my way through the Peter O'Toole version of "Man of la Mancha," I was unfamiliar the plot of Don Quixote. I discovered this film at movieflix.com, a nice resource of free films. Even with the poor visual and sound quality of that site, this movie shines. Chaliapin and Robey are wonderful. (BTW, when another commenter refers to "Sancho caressing his ass in tears," he means his donkey.) Chaliapin's beautifully rich voice is matched by his acting, and he brings the full range of emotion to his role. It's a shame that this is the only film he sings in. There is much comedy and pathos here and it's beautifully directed. Highly recommended!

Damaged Lives (1933)

Historically interesting film

[5/10 · 19 July 2006]

*SPOILERS* Syphilis was the AIDS of its day (its day being several centuries), a death sentence, slow and horrifyingly debilitating, and passed to loved ones and children. Penicillin changed that, but at the time of this film I think arsenic was the only cure, and iffy at that, with risk of death. {See "Out of Africa."}

Not well written or acted, but historically interesting. They couldn't say "syphilis" but managed to get "venereal disease" and "syphilitic" past the censors. I also found it very interesting that an obviously part-African woman, Diane Sinclair, played a wealthy white woman who marries a white man! Since this was of course absolutely unheard of, I can only guess that the fact she was foreign allowed her to be viewed as exotic, and perhaps Indian rather than black. She would have been a good candidate to play Peola in "Imitation of Life"; but Fredi Washington was a far better actress.

Curly Sue (1991)

Curly EWWWWW

[1/10 · 29 July 2005]

It's hard to believe people actually LIKE this dreck! I do think kids can enjoy it, but to me it's the kind of kid film parents can't bear to sit through. Predictable plot, boring Belushi, and possibly the worst kid actor of all time. I will give the director some of the responsibility for the kid, but she was truly painful to watch. I feel embarrassed for her now, having people know it was her. When she sang the Star Spangled Banner I had to turn the sound off--then I came here and discovered they did that because she won Star Search. I've always felt Jim Belushi should be ashamed to trade on the name of his wonderful, sadly missed brother, and this crap shows why. Zero stars.

Watch on the Rhine (1943)

There IS a good film on this topic, but it ain't this one

[5/10 · 17 January 2005]

The most enjoyable scene in this film is the one which has the least plot value: grandmother and her friend in the taxi. That was a delight. Too bad it came so early in the film; something like it was sorely needed after the halfway point to keep us from contemplating suicide. Oh, this film is T-E-D-I-O-U-S! Watson and especially Lukas are wonderful; the story is important; the message is clear. But I agree with everyone else--what a horrible way to get it across! And the children. Were any three kids ever less kid-like?! My own review would itself be less tedious if not for IMDb's 10-line-minimum requirement; time to end that silliness, in my opinion. For an involving, well-written, historically fascinating anti-isolationist film, do not miss The Mortal Storm (1940).

Auntie Mame (1958)

Cher?!?!

[10/10 · 10 November 2003]

Is it really true that Cher is to star in a remake? Good lord, the woman is so stretched and botoxed she can't even smile!! A woman devoid of facial expression playing one of the most expressive characters in film history? I don't think so. (Have you seen her on "So Graham Norton"? Yikes! Loved her in "Moonstruck" though.) I feel rather sorry for Cher here, because no one, NO ONE can ever be Auntie Mame but Roz. And you don't have to have been raised on this film and seen it dozens of times, like me, to feel that way; one viewing will do it. "Auntie Mame" has more 10's in the voting box than any other film I've ever seen. There's a reason for that--it's pure magic!

Mother Carey's Chickens (1938)

Delightful in spots.

[29 October 2003]

I agree with most of the other comments that this is an enjoyable but not very noteworthy film. Keeler was surprisingly dull here; she should have stuck to musicals. What I really enjoyed, though, were some scenes with the little boy. The director simply turned him loose with some very well-chosen props and let the camera roll. The results are a child being a child--curious, mischievous, determined--and a very charming and unusual addition to the film they prove to be! The wallpaper scene is priceless.

The Belle of New York (1952)

Absolute dreck!

[2/10 · 19 October 2003]

Considering the prodigious talent involved, possibly the worst musical of all time. This embarrassing mess underscores the importance of good writing in places where we might not think about its relevance, such as a musical. Plus the choreography is boring and the songs are awful. I thought it was going to be redeemed by the homely girl getting a guy, but noooo. The costumes were nice, but otherwise a complete waste of a wonderful cast!

Operation Bikini (1963)

Tab Hunter AND Frankie Avalon?!

[7 September 2003]

When I saw this in the cable listings, I thought, 'OMG, Tab Hunter AND Frankie Avalon in the same *serious* war movie?!' I just had to watch it. I was going to give it a few minutes till I read BrunoCat's amusing review and decided to slog through the whole thing. A mini-time capsule of a sad era in Hollywood, when actors' kids and slack-jawed pretty boys kept talented actors out of work. The double-digit IQ fairly oozes from poor Michael Dante's pores. This is the time when Sinatra's ultra cool Vegas persona was in full swing, and an attempt is made to fit Frankie into this mold. Fuhgedaboudit! Only the divine Bobby Darin could do that, and he out-cooled Sinatra most of the time. I still miss him! Another historical aspect is the view of women: the sexy/gorgeous ones are for sex, the wholesome/pretty ones for love, and the non-white ones can be sort of loved but mostly coerced, as their true purpose is to sacrifice for the white lover's success. Sadly this is still a frequent theme; "El Mariachi" (1992) comes to mind. Anyway, I agree with BrunoCat: this is something you've never seen before and should watch just for the experience!

I Was a Male War Bride (1949)

Don't miss "The Awful Truth"!

[9 August 2003]

As long as people are mentioning their favorite Grant screwball comedies, I'll add mine: The Awful Truth, 1937, with Irene Dunn. What a great team, delightful performances, wonderful script. It absolutely sparkles! And "My Favorite Wife" starring them ain't bad, either.

Funny About Love (1990)

Dreadful, but there's a reason

[11 July 2003]

This is the film Wilder made right after the death of his beloved soulmate, Gilda Radner. I suppose he felt that getting back to work might ease the pain. A big mistake, but forgivable under the circumstances. He IS very talented, so be sure to see some of his other work, such as "Young Frankenstein," "Frisco Kid," "Blazing Saddles," and "Silver Streak."

For Hope (1996 TV Movie)

Well done.

[5 July 2003]

The selfish son, the idiot brother, the rude parents...not an easy family to live or die in, but then few are. I've always hated Bob Saget but have to give him credit here for showing it like it really is, warts and all. Dana Delaney is one of my all-time favorite actresses--if you've never seen "China Beach" do yourself a big favor--and the only reason I watched this. I'm glad I did...sad, but glad. What a terrible disease.

Top Gun (1986)

Cute boys, anyway.

[3 July 2003]

Well. This film is so unmemorable that I was 2/3 of the way through before I realized this was *not* my first viewing of it! Only the scene where Meg Ryan says "He loved flying with you" triggered my memory. This despite the tasty eye candy. Being a red-blooded female I'd think I'd remember that, at least! Very LOUD; annoying, inappropriately bubblegummy Loggins soundtrack; and a theme song that is decent but hardly Oscar calibre.

Gates of Heaven (1978)

Cried a little, laughed a lot!

[1 July 2003]

As an animal lover I found many poignant moments here. The woman who would sometimes forget her dog was dead--I went through that myself in my teens with my beloved childhood dog, so I know how painful it is. And the cemetery owner's theory that pets are more important now because of the pill makes a lot of sense. Nevertheless, I feel certain Christopher Guest MUST have had this film in mind when he made "Best in Show"! Oh my god there is some unintended hilarity here. On the part of the interviewees, that is; I'm sure Morris knew what he had. The cemetery family, the rendering plant manager...hoo boy! The overall feeling, though, is that we love our animals and they are indeed very special and precious.

The elderly woman talking about her ungrateful bum of a son was very sad...I'm going to go call my mother right now.

The Roy Rogers Show (1951–1957)

"Happy Traaails to youuuu!"

[21 June 2003]

Oh how I wish THIS would show up in reruns! This and "Lassie" (with Tommy Rettig) were my favorite shows as a kid, in an era of great kiddie shows. In my little-girl eyes, Dale really had the perfect life--she got the horse AND Roy! It didn't matter what the plots were; they were basically all the same anyway. But there was something about Roy and Dale that was very appealing, and Pat and Nellybelle were fun too. One nice thing about it was Dale was not a damsel in distress; she was Roy's partner, and although secondary, she did her part to help him get the bad guys. ["Annie Oakley" had a female lead without a male costar, except for her kid brother. I think these two shows helped contribute to the rise of femininism in the 60's.] Every kid knew "Happy Trails" by heart, and Roy and Dale sang it right to us at the end of every show. Wonderful memories!

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

Humor and pathos.

[20 June 2003]

Because of their early deaths, I can't watch Candy, Belushi, or Radner without crying while laughing. PT&A is one of my favorite Candy films. His warmth and niceness always came across on film. (Check out "Summer Rental.") I'd forgotten how much fun this one was. Thanks guys!

The Long, Long Trailer (1954)

Terrific family film

[13 June 2003]

I was about 10 when I first saw this in the late 50's and I remember laughing and laughing. Even more remarkable to me at the time was that my mother, not an easily amused woman, laughed just as hard! A fun video rental for the whole family, and it shows up on TCM occasionally, like tonight. This is the first time I noticed that in this rare opportunity to see the famous redhead in color, she was a blond! And looked much better than with her usual nasty fake orange hair.

One Man and His Dog (1976–2012)

Calling all dog lovers

[10/10 · 12 June 2003]

You definitely have to like dogs to like this one, but I love it! Used to be shown on BBCAmerica but is gone now, sadly. It is simply sheep dog trials, a man whistling or calling to his one or two dogs who herd a small flock of sheep through a course, but oh! those dogs! Makes me want to be a shepherd. ;-)

That Touch of Mink (1962)

One of the very best!

[10/10 · 18 May 2003]

People complaining of the dumb/dated plot need to remember that this film is one of a genre and that films of that genre all have the same basic plot. Don't go into it expecting to find something else; allow yourself to accept the basic premise. This is one of THE best of the perpetual-virgin genre, and of course Day was the leading star of same. The script sparkles and the supporting players really add to the total package. John Astin is delightfully smarmy as the cheapskate lothario ("Muscatel, for my lady's pleasure") and John Fiedler is the ultimate mama's boy. Gig Young is unforgettable. Enjoy this fantastically silly movie!

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

"A Shimmering, Glowing Star in the Cinema Firmament"

[10/10 · 21 March 2003]

One of the few films in existence where the ratings chart cannot go high enough, SITR contains my all-time favorite screen dancers (Kelly and Charisse) and number (the incredibly passionate and tender Wedding Night pas de deux with her 50-foot veil enveloping them in love, sex, and promise). Kelly oozed confident masculinity from every pore and Charisse was the only woman who could match him with her sexy, sensual femininity. What a team!

The rest of the film is perfection in every way--casting, performances, script, choreography, costumes, etc, etc. I've seen it more than 30 times and never do or will tire of it. Heavenly!!