Happy with the Thin Man

Let's be honest: this is a nothing post. But I have to say I'm extremely happy because I've finally picked up The Complete Thin Man Collection. Tonight, I watched Return of the Thin Man.

Very entertaining. A few more dollars were involved in making this movie, too - at least that's my guess based on the look of the film (that is, a few more dollars compared to the first film, The Thin Man).

The question is, why do I like The Thin Man movies so much? I think, like long running TV series (like M*A*S*H), it's the characters and the situation they're in. Who couldn't love Nick and Nora (William Powell and Myrna Loy)?

Only a barbarian.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Get ready for the uniquely distinctive Garbo

Call me exciteable. Easily exciteable. But I became very merry when I learned that Garbo - The Signature Collectionwould be available from Warners on September 6th.

Yes, I already have Grand Hotel, but (annoying as that may be) movies like Anna Christie, Mata Hari, Queen Christina, Anna Karenina, Camille and Ninotchka are included and they are why I want this set.

From what I understand, this set's release coincides with Garbo's hundredth birthday on September 18th.

Well, happy birthday!

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs, Garbo

A weakness for westerns (and Ann Margaret)

There was really no reason for me to pick up The Train Robbers, a 1973 John Wayne western, other than the fact it was a western, for which I have a weakness.

But ... in the interests of full disclosure I must say - Ann Margaret? 1973? Well!

Who could resist the Ann Margaret of the 1970's?

Not that there's anything salacious in the film. It is a John Wayne movie after all. Still, Margaret plays a pretty good drunk in one of the campfire scenes.

And the movie overall ... well, it's good but forgettable. Except for one aspect - the look. I just loved the way this movie was shot. Director Burt Kennedy appears to have had a very definite look in mind.

Anyway ... Enough blah blah here. I've uploaded my review of The Train Robbers.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs, Westerns

Getting reacquainted with William Powell

I’ve fallen behind in quite a few things this week but I thought it worth taking a moment to point out a few William Powell things, such as a William Powell Tribute over at Classic Movies. (I had no idea he started out playing bad guys in silent movies.)

There are a couple of reasons why I find Powell worth looking at now. For one, he’s one of my favourites of the old Hollywood stars. (As I’ve mentioned before, he stars in my favourite movie, My Man Godfrey with Carole Lombard.)

But also, on Tuesday (August 2nd) Warners releases The Complete Thin Man Collection on DVD. I’ve mentioned this several times – but that’s because I’m pretty jazzed about this one. (For those interested, have a look at DVD Town's review by John Puccio.)

In the meantime, and for what it’s worth, here’s what I scribbled about a couple of great William Powell movies:

- My Man Godfrey (1936)
- The Thin Man (1934)

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

For the record, I love Finding Neverland

Just in case I don't ever get around to writing a review of Finding Neverland, I'd like to say I've watched it three times already (or is it four?) and have loved it each time.

Don't let the fact that it is "sweet" throw you ... It's a very good film about creativity, imagination and childhood, but from an adult perspective.

And it somehow manages to be a great film despite all that! How'd they manage to do that?

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Million Dollar Baby is great cinema

Although he's one of my favourite directors I can never think of anything to write about Clint Eastwood's movies.

Which is why my take on Million Dollar Baby comes across as less than my best effort.

I think the problem is that I like the movies so much, they work so well as good, engaging stories, I forget I'm watching a movie.

In the case of Million Dollar Baby, I think it's one of the best movies of the last few years. I think it's this good because it is such a well told story. It's remarkably well constructed, well-performed and effortlessly executed. And there is no cinematic flim-flam to oversell it as an "important" movie.

It's just there. And it's great. And here's my review.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Bad Day makes for a good night

I just watched Bad Day at Black Rock (1955, directed by John Sturges). It wasn't good.

It was great.

It isn't just that it's a good story, a kind of western that isn't a western (yes, I know that makes no sense - but it does when you see it). It's such a well-executed film. It's so well-constructed, so well put together, it's a great pleasure to watch.

I know I threaten to write reviews here in The Burble all the time ... but never follow through. But this time, yes, I promise to scratch out something on this movie because it is so good.

At least, I think it is. And, dammit, I'm right. Very highly recommended.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

The Thin Man collects himself

Good grief ... Can I possibly resist this? Not likely. Set for release August 2nd from Warner Bros., The Thin Man Collection.

Now this really is classic stuff with William Powell and Myrna Loy. The downside, for me, is that it includes The Thin Man, which I already have. This is a very sneaky twist on the DVD double dip.

Still, This is a seven disc collection. At least, it's billed as such. Since I've seen only six movies listed I'm assuming the seventh disc must be a special features one. Based on what Warners included on The Errol Flynn Signature Collection, I'm hopeful it will be good.

Here are the six movies the set includes:

- The Thin Man
- After the Thin Man
- Another Thin Man
- Shadow of the Thin Man
- The Thin Man Goes Home
- Song of the Thin Man

Update: According to one review on Amazon.com the seventh disc containing special features is, "... entitled 'Alias Nick and Nora,' with two documentaries on William Powell and Myrna Loy. Other highlights are two radio adaptations of the series, as well as comedy, musical and mystery shorts, and cartoons ..."

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Something is missing from Meet the Fockers

I just watched Meet the Fockers and I think I've figured out at least one of the problems with the Meet the Parents movies.

First of all, it has to be said that both movies begin with a great comic premise. In fact, the premise alone is enough to draw you into seeing the movies - or at least, it should. Secondly, it's important to say that both movies (Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers) are good, comic movies. They are definitely worth seeing.

But for me, in both cases, they fall short. And I've been scratching my head trying to figure out why.

While I don't think it's the only reason, one of the problems for me is the Ben Stiller character. For the most part, the movies use him as a prop rather than as a character. This is highlighted in Meet the Fockers in the jail scene where we finally see his character, Greg Focker, stop being a prop - someone to whom bad things happen - and step up to assert himself.

It's not simply that he's asserting himself in the scene, it's that we finally see something more than a schmoe to whom bad things happen.

I'm not saying he should be Hamlet. But until this scene occurs, while the movie's various comic scenes are amusing, there's not much to make it a compelling story.

I dunno. While I like both movies, both miss the mark for me because I'm never fully engaged. And I think the reason is because they make Stiller's Greg the focal point of the movie without making him particularly interesting. And I think this essentially a script problem.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Melodramatic noir - Crawford, Curtiz and Mildred Pierce

With Warner recently releasing (and re-releasing) a number of older Hollywood movies, individually and in sets (such as The Bette Davis Collection, The Joan Crawford Collection and The Complete James Dean Collection), I thought it worthwhile to take a second look at some of those movies I already had.

A few days ago I re-highlighted the review I did a while ago of Now, Voyager (Bette Davis). Now, I thought I'd highlight Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford), a much better film and one definitely worth seeing, if you haven't already. (If you have seen it, then I'd say it's worth a second look now.) It's directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood).

For lack of a better term, I'd call it melodramatic noir. While a soap opera-ish quality mixed with noir may not seem the best blend, the result is not disagreeable. In fact, it works in an odd way. And Crawford gives a marvellous performance as Mildred, a mother obsessed with giving her bitchy daughter everything she wants.

I've got my review here.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Briefly, I sing the praises of Tony Scott

I just finishing watching Crimson Tide and you know ... I saw it back when it came out in 1995, I've seen it several times since, and I've just seen it again. And every time I do I like it.

It's good as an action movie. But it's better than the usual run of action movies. There is a real story and very compelling characters (portrayed by Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington).

Actually, I watched this movie yet again because it was directed by Tony Scott (True Romance). And the only reason I bring that up is because a day or two ago I rewatched (yet again) Man On Fire, which I really like. And will hopefully scribble something about in a day or two.

Anyway ... want to see three really good, fast-paced yet involving movies? Try: Crimson Tide, True Romance or Man On Fire.

Better yet, try them all.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

A lousy week for movies on DVD

The pickin's are slim this week as far as recent DVD releases go. (They've been this way in most recent weeks.) This may partly explain why I've been so engaged by the the first season of Bewitched.

But when new releases kind of suck it's not necessarily a bad thing.

It's a chance to go back to some DVDs that have been out for a while and enjoy them - because they are worth seeing again.

One that comes to mind is Arsenic and Old Lace, an old Frank Capra film from 1944. As DVDs go, it won't win any awards for special features and so on. But it's a damn fine movie. Very funny. In black and white and starring Cary Grant, who I've always liked (and have mentioned several times).

So do yourself a favour and give it a gander. Here's my review.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Bring a hankie for Now, Voyager

It's essentially a soap opera of the 1940's Hollywood variety. And while I wouldn't normally find that terribly appealing, I liked Now, Voyager (starring Bette Davis).

It's available individually or in The Bette Davis Collection boxed set. The collection is a bit annoying to me given that at least two of the movies included (Now, Voyager and Dark Victory) had been previously available ... and I have both. So the set is a waste of time for me.

Getting back to Now, Voyager ... Back when I first got the disc, a couple of years ago, I wrote a short review of it.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Twentieth Century and ... Gina Lollobrigida?

I have no idea why, and I couldn't be bothered looking into it to come up with an answer, but when I did a general search on IMDb.com for Twentieth Century (thinking I'd get the 1934 movie) the first result was Gina Lollobrigida.

Not that I object to Gina Lollobrigida. When I was hitting puberty she was one of those celebrity women I thought was hotter than a pistol. In fact, the Gina Lollobrigida of my imagination is still hotter than a pistol.

But I've no idea why her name came up when I was searching Twentieth Century.

And all of the above is my way of getting around to saying I watched Howard Hawk's Twentieth Century tonight. And I'm still mulling it over as try to figure out what I think about it. More importantly, how I feel about it.

I don't think it was as good as I was hoping, as good as I was led to believe. But that doesn't mean it wasn't good ... just not up to what I had been expecting.

But I'm still thinking this one over.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Stripes extended is very annoying

An extended version of the 1981 movie Stripes seems like ... umm, well there's sort of a sado-masochistic quality to it. I mean, when I saw there was an extended version my first question was, "Whatever for?"

Having seen Stripes - Extended Cut, I'm even more puzzled. This is not a great movie. So the idea of extending something that was dragging to begin with strikes me as an unnecessarily painful exercise.

Granted, the movie has moments. The problem is, that is all it has. Between those moments are some pretty dreary bits connecting them (and I use the word "connecting" very loosely).

My favourite part of the entire movie is John Candy. How I wish there had been more with him. Seeing him here reminded me of just how good he was and how I wish he had lived longer to make more films.

Bill Murray is also quite good. You can see him doing the obligatory "Bill Murray" performance, meeting expectations so to speak, but you also see him attempting to do something more within the limitations of what the film allowed. There's the very good scene with Murray and Warren Oates ("You want to take a swing at me?") that is more dramatic than comic - it makes you wish there had been more moments like this to put more meat on this movie's skinny bones.

This looks like, and comes across as, a movie by very young, inexperienced filmmakers, people who have good instincts (especially comic instincts) but who haven't yet figured out how to make the pieces cohere. They've understood from movies like Animal House that "slob jokes" have worked for them, but haven't yet figured out how to craft that kind of comic sensibility into a fully realized movie.

Basically, their storytelling abilities haven't matured yet.

As for the DVD

I don't know what they were thinking when they put this DVD together but it certainly wasn't the viewer. If you watch the extended version, every time an added scene begins text appears at the bottom of screen announcing it. It apears again when the added scene ends.

This is incredibly annoying and serves only to disrupt the film. It's also unncessary given that the added scenes are not of the same picture quality as the rest of the film. In other words, they look different (less clean) so you can tell they are added scenes. (I have to be honest - I only watched the first one. I couldn't bring myself to watch a movie that had text introducing certain scenes so I switched to the theatrical version. It should also be pointed out that the added scenes can be watched separately in the special features.)

Then there is the theatrical version of the movie ... It keeps freezing for a moment every time an added scene has been included in the extended version.

The end result is neither version of the movie is very good from a movie watching perspective. In both cases, the flow of the film is disrupted - either by text announcing scenes in the extended version, or brief pauses in the theatrical version.

For me, the best part of this disc was the two part documentary of the film's making, "Stars and Stripes." It's quite good.

Out of five stars, I would give Stripes - Extended Cut two.

Tag: Movies, Film, DVDs

Errol Flynn's wicked ways - book review

I finished reading Errol Flynn's autobiography My Wicked, Wicked Ways and I loved it. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants an entertaining read.

Flynn comes across as a great raconteur, a teller of tall tales. His favourite subject is himself but, that's to be expected I suppose in an autobiography.

He may not be the most reliable authority on Hollywood, but he's certainly the most fun. His style is breezy and funny.

So ... I've updated and added to what I wrote earlier (now that I've finished the book) and have posted it as a book review.

Tag: Movies, Film, Books

National Treasure not so precious

I just watched National Treasure. Well, it was entertaining in a TV kind of way, I suppose. But I've gotta tell you ... it ain't no Indiana Jones, as some people suggested.

The thing is, it had it's moments. But a few moments don't make a good movie.

I'd say it's a rental. Too much sticking to formula to be anything more than that.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Bewitched is bewitching (the TV show, that is)

I picked up the first season of Bewitched and I'm loving it. (For what it's worth, I got the black and white version, the way it was originally made, rather than the colourized version. Geez, if you’re the kind of moron who insists that everything be in colour, why are you watching old television or old movies? You like it the way it was made or you don't.)

Anyway ... The series is essentially silly. It's a silly premise. The storylines are silly. And it's one of the few things I've seen recently that I actually laugh out loud as I watch. This is big - I don't normally laugh out loud.

Maybe you need to have a certain sense of humour to appreciate it. Maybe you simply have to be old enough to be acclimated to the period style (and it's very period, at least the first season is - it is SO early sixties).

But this first season of Bewitched makes me laugh. And good heavens, I absolutely love Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne) and Gladys Kravitz (Alice Pearce, and later Sandra Gould) and her oblivious hubbie, Abner (George Tobias).

Just in case I haven't been very clear: I am absolutely loving Bewitched.

Tag: Televison, TV, DVDs

Ford's Drums Along the Mohawk

Heaven knows if you want to watch a John Ford movie there are a lot to choose from. Personally, I'm not sure which one would be my favourite (though I do have a hankering for both My Darling Clementine and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance).

So now I've just watched one of his 1939 efforts, Drums Along the Mohawk. (The other one from 1939 is The Young Mr. Lincoln - both movies star Henry Fonda).

While I enjoyed Drums Along the Mohawk, I can't say it's one of the better John Ford movies. And although some restoring went into the film we get on the DVD, I can't say the film is in the best condition.

But you can read what I thought of this movie in my review.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Correcting my Tom Cruise post

I had to do an edit on my earlier post "Tom Cruise, Matt Lauer and a media muddle" because, frankly, I'm a lazy moron. Not paying attention, I confused the terms psychiatry and psychology, and they are not the same. (As a writer, I should be sent to my room with no supper for this.)

Online, you can find a number of definitions for the terms. From the EMHS Glossary of Medical Specialties, I found these:

Psychiatry
The study, treatment and prevention of mental disorders, including the prescription of drugs, by a medical doctor who specializes in human behavior.

Psychology
The care of behavioral and emotional problems by a professional other than a medical doctor through psychotherapy, counseling and psychoanalysis.

Anyway ... I stand self-corrected.

Tag: Movies, Tom Cruise

Not the man I use to be

I was just going over my posts from a year ago, June 2004. They were much more entertaining than what I've been writing recently. Mind you, they weren't terribly focused, but at least they were mildly amusing.

It appears I've gone all to hell. Must work on that.

(How quickly we fade!)

Tom Cruise, Matt Lauer and a media muddle

A few days ago there was the story about Tom Cruise on the Today Show being interviewed by Matt Lauer and how it turned into some brouhaha about drugs, psychiatry and so on.

Of course, the media gave us snippets - clips, quotes, etc. But I kept wondering, "Yeah, but what was actually said? What was the context?" Frankly, I don't trust those sound bites.

So ... here's what was actually said: 'I'm passionate about life' (transcript of the interview).

It seems to me the conversation was a bit muddled (as these things often are). I wouldn't call it an argument - maybe, stretching things, you could say it was a disagreement but I'd say it was more two people talking at cross purposes.

In a way, I agree with what both were saying. Cruise is correct in his assessment that drugs mask problems. This is because they tend to address symptoms. Where I think he's off base, at least a bit, is in the implicit assumption that psychiatry is all about drugs. Helping someone recognize and change destructive patterns of behaviour, without the use of drugs, is also a form of psychiatry. I'm not an expert but I don't believe treatment necessarily has to include drugs.

I suspect, from what he said, that his definition of psychiatry and mine (and perhaps Lauer's) are a bit different and, if that's the case, it explains some of the muddle. I don't equate treatment with the application of drugs (though it can include this). However, Cruise may be correct in that this may be increasingly what psychiatric treatment amounts to (as opposed to focusing on non-drug related ways of dealing with mental disorders).

Cruise, I believe, would take issue with how disorders are treated and, perhaps in some cases, even that a disorder exists.

But the issue he is really addressing is the missue and abuse of drugs - whether that be the "recreational" and street variety or the ones we like to think are medically warranted. Sometimes these latter kinds are, but we often start using them higgledy-piggledy for just about everything. ("Hmmm ... stay home and get a good night's sleep? Or take Prozac? I'll take the Prozac.")

Anyway ... read what was actually said and decide for yourself who was right, if anyone. I think you'll find it was what it was - a guy talking off the top of his head, not a research paper and, as when people talk in this way (as interviews are designed for), you'll see some is a bit muddled but his essential point comes across: people use drugs for issues that don't really require them. What's required is information, focus, a non-drug related strategy and, most important, support from people who care.

Tag: Movies, Tom Cruise

Falling behind and The Best Years of Our Lives

It was quite a week at work etc., so I haven't scribbled anything about movies - though I've seen some good ones. For instance, I finally watched Hotel Rwanda. Also Truffault's 1962 movie, Jules and Jim.

Last night? It was Howard's End.

Yet I haven't had time to write anything about them (or to revisit Femme Fatale, which I said I would).

I do have a review, though, of the 1946 Academy Award winner (7 of them!), William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives. It's a wonderful movie which, as I mention, didn't generate much enthusiasm in me until I actually watched it. Here's the review.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

The Scallywag Errol Flynn

I usually read several books at the same time. Actually, to be accurate, I don’t read them at the same time. I have several going at once and I alternate back and forth between them.

One of the books I’m currently reading, and having a helluva great time enjoying, is My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Autobiography of Errol Flynn, originally published somewhere around 1959, available now through Cooper Square Press (part of Taylor Trade Publishing group).

Good heavens, what a read. Is anything he says true? Well, maybe. Probably, at least some of it. But that’s not really the point, not for me.

It reads as if it’s the transcript of a recording of a great raconteur, a teller of tall-tales whose favourite tale is his own life. You get the sense of a man who is totally self-absorbed but, somehow, has such a winning personality you love him for it.

I originally picked up the book because I was interested in finding a unique character I might make use of in a story, a model for a supporting player. Well, geez … did I ever get my money’s worth in Flynn. It’s not simply a matter of a long, episodic tale but also one of style. The words, syntax … everything that goes into creating a “voice” in writing, is here.

It’s the breezy voice of a kid who never grew up.

For me, the incidents are less important than the personality that comes across (although the incidents are quite remarkable). Together, personality and incidents, it makes for an incredibly entertaining book.

Flynn is a character, in the truest sense. He’s marvellous and if I had known him, I don’t think I would have trusted him any further than I could throw him.

(By the way, it sounds as if the writing of My Wicked, Wicked Ways was a great story too, or so the book’s introduction suggests.)

My Wicked, Wicked Ways:

- Amazon.com
- Amazon.ca

Tag: Classic Film, Movies, Books

Revising my opinion of Femme Fatale

I think I may have to revise my opinion of Femme Fatale. Maybe even update my rating. On a second look, it's much better than I had originally thought. In noir terms, it's very good and, I think, it's the kind of movie that builds a reputation as time goes on. In other words, thirty years from now it may be viewed as a classic.

Or not. I'm still mulling this one over. But it definitely is a movie that needs to be seen twice. (But that prompts the question, is a movie a "good" movie if you need to see it a second time to get it?)

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Survey says people prefer movies at home

A recent AP-AOL poll about movies has turned up a number of interesting things, such as a general preference people have for watching movies at home.

To start, I'd be interested in knowing when this poll was taken. What sort of answers do you get when you ask these questions in the early part of the year as opposed to the end of the year when the industry is releasing its "better" films as studios grab at Academy Awards?

Still, there are some interesting results. Like three quarters of those polled saying they prefer watching movies at home.

"Young adults, single people and those with college degrees were most likely to say they preferred going to the movie theater."

That's not surprising. Older people, particularly those with families, save money on ticket prices, snacks and baby-sitting by simply renting or buying a DVD.

Home theatres are bigger and better now too so, while the theatre still has that big screen, it doesn't feel like such great advantage unless you're a genuine cinema aficionado. Besides, depending on what theatre you see a film in, the big screen may not be all that hot. I’ve been in theatres where the movie didn’t appear bright enough, wasn’t quite fitted to the screen and didn’t sound all that great.

An advantage home viewing has over the theatre is control. I’ve actually been in theatres watching a movie and tried to press the pause or back button then realized, “Hey, wait! I have no remote!”

Another interesting tidbit from the poll was this:

“People were most fond of comedies, followed by dramas and action-adventure movies.”

Again … when were the questions asked? If Hollywood has a glut of action-adventure movies, there is a good chance people will say they want comedies simply because the action-adventure films have worn out their welcome.

My own take on all of this is that, like all polls, the results can be read numerous ways. But I do think you can safely conclude people are generally finding the convenience and control of home viewing has greater appeal than the traditional appeal of theatres, the spectacle of the big screen. It’s not that home viewing is a better way to see a movie, it’s simply that its advantages are increasing whereas the advantage of the theatre is roughly static. Or, if not static, the additional attractions added to the theatre experience are not of the same kind as home viewing, convenience and control.

And the movie business continues to be run by business people who believe hoo-hah, the usual snake-oil flash, is a safer bet than a good story. I have a bias, true, but I think a good story beats flash almost every time. It certainly does where longevity is concerned. Flash may take the opening weekend, but a good story often means doing well over several weekends and in DVD sales and rentals.

Does this mean more money? Maybe not. Maybe that one big opening weekend is where all the money is to be made. But I think it's also safe to conclude that a movie designed for a big opening weekend take doesn't have "legs." My impression is that they are largely forgettable.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Time for a gander at Femme Fatale?

Hmm. I don't know why, but I looked back today at what I wrote a few years ago about Brian De Palma's 2002 movie, Femme Fatale.

(That's the one with Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Antonio Banderas.)

It didn't seem to go over terribly well with audiences and I apparently was less than overwhelmed by it too. Yet I mentioned it probably required a second look. Whatever the reasons are, I've never found the time to take that second look. So I think tonight might be the night.

I looked at a few of the reviews the movie received when it came out and many of them were quite positive. (Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars. Mind you, he's a De Palma fan.)

Last night, by the way, I took in Jaws. I'd been putting off getting the DVD for quite a while. But someone seemed to want me to get it since they keep releasing new editions of it every few years. I grabbed (at a pretty good price) the latest, two-disc affair: Jaws - 30th Anniversary Edition.

By the way, when you haven't seen a film, such as Jaws, for quite a few years some of those scenes can still make you jump.

That's good movie-making.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

No cigar for Libeled Lady

I've always liked William Powell and Myrna Loy (whom I like almost as much as the team of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne), and I'm particularly thinking of The Thin Man.

With that in mind, I re-watched Libeled Lady (which also stars Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow). You know, I love all the actors in this movie.

I especially love Myrna Loy throughout, Jean Harlow in the last half, and William Powell being the on-screen William Powell from beginning to end. (Spencer Tracy ... well, maybe I wasn't quite so thrilled with him - the role less, rather than the performance.)

But while this movie has its moments, it doesn't really cohere well as a film. I'm not really sure where the problem lies. The story conceit is sort of okay for a comedy. But it just doesn't gel. Somehow, it tries too hard. Honestly, I just don't know what the problem is here. But as movies go, it's a little bit forgettable.

Of course, it doesn't help that the DVD is a pretty weak transfer. There is a lot of scratching on this one. No effort at cleaning it up.

Bottom line? There are amusing moments in this poorly transferred DVD but overall it doesn't hang together well as a 98 minute movie.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Adaptations: Whose story is this anyway?

I’ve just started reading Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen (see Amazon.com, Amazon.ca). It’s a big and fascinating collection of thirty-five short stories that have been adapted to screenplays, though it’s considerably more than that.

It covers older movies (like Bringing Up Baby) and more recent ones (like Minority Report). But the collection begins with an introduction by its editor, Stephanie Harrison, and the book is divided into eleven thematic sections, and each of these has an introduction.

The introductions are wonderful. While they “introduce” the section and its theme, they also have some intriguing background tidbits of information (such as the way Brian Aldiss and Arthur C. Clarke worked with Stanley Kubrick).

It’s fascinating to see the similarities and, even more interesting, the differences between the stories and the films made from them. For example, in the story on which Hitchcock’s Rear Window was based, there is no Grace Kelly character. (Good grief! No Grace Kelly?)

Also interesting, to me at least, is the story Supertoys Last All Summer Long, written by Brian Aldiss and the basis for A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. It’s a great short story but heavens, was it ever expanded upon for what became the final film (directed by Steven Spielberg).

Also directed by Spielberg is Minority Report, based on Philip K. Dick’s short story The Minority Report. Here, while the differences are interesting, what I find most caught my attention was the pacing. The movie is incredibly fast-paced – just as the story is. In fact, Dick’s tale is almost ludicrously fast-paced. It reads like a condensed hard-boiled detective novel.

And while the story stretches credibility in the quick way things happen, once you start reading it you can’t stop. It grabs you immediately and just goes. (If anything, Spielberg eased the pace a bit and added material to make it a more credible tale.)

Adaptations is over 600 pages long – there’s a lot of material here. I’ve barely started getting into it. But it’s a subject I find fascinating – the different takes artists have on the same story. In this case, the differences between a story in written form and the story on screen. Those differences are a combination between different forms and different artists.

It’s interesting that I began the book on the same day I watched Michael Radford’s movie The Merchant of Venice – a filmmaker’s take on a play (and one by Shakespeare, no less).

There is sometimes a kind of kneejerk, default response to adapted material, especially when its based on popular novels. The response says the movie is a poor version of the original. Yet I always think of Hitchcock’s Rebecca when this pops up – based on Daphne de Maurier’s novel of the same name. I loved the book and I loved the movie. It’s at least one example of a great story leading to a great movie.

As Adaptations shows through short stories, it’s not really a question of one form being "better" than another. Sometimes the written story is better, sometimes the film. It’s a question of how well conceived the initial idea is and how well it’s realized in the particular form being used. And stories are stories are stories. The forms inform one another and feed off one another.

In the meantime, I’ll keep reading these stories (I’ve barely begun). It’s a subject I find absorbing. If you share this fascination, you might want to pick up Adaptations. You’ll learn some interesting things about writers and movies while also getting a great collection of stories.

Tag: Books, Screenwriting, Movies

Star Trek: Insurrection – TV episode? Movie? Does it matter?

I just wrote a review of Star Trek: Insurrection, a movie I had completely forgotten about. I was quickly reminded once it was released in the current two-disc package.

And you know something? I liked it more now than when I had first seen it.

Although it still has the same problems, the biggest being it’s an episode of The Next Generation series and not really a movie. Yes, bigger budget, bigger screen, but an episode of TNG nonetheless.

But is that really such a bad thing? I’m beginning to think not. Maybe you need to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy a film like this – I don’t know. But I do know I liked it despite having serious reservations about it.

One of Insurrection's strong points? No Borg.

Here’s my review.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

The Dirty Dozen - should I like it?

There are some movies you like and feel as if you shouldn't. The Dirty Dozen is like this. I think it's a very good movie. But at the same time, I kind of wish I didn't.

It's not so much what it appeals to (the testosterone filled teenage boy who lingers within us) but the way the film finally resolves. Although, in terms of the movie, it appears to end the way it had to.

But it does come across as a giddily adolescent and mean-spirited end. At least, that’s how it strikes me now. I can’t say I felt that way when I saw it years ago at roughly age fourteen. As I age, am I becoming a revisionist?

Perhaps. Anyway, here's my review of it.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Am I the only one who likes Gun Shy?

If you were to read the majority of the reviews of the 2000 film Gun Shy you would think it's an utterly execrable movie.

Well, maybe they're right but, apparently, I don't think so. Not given the number of times I've seen it. (I’ve lost count.) I’m not sure I can say it’s a good film (although I think it is). But I figure if I keep watching it, it must have something going for it.

First, I’d say the negative response to it is partly because of the kind of film it is and the time of it’s release. It’s got that tedious “gangster” milieu that Hollywood keeps trotting out and, at the time of its release, there were a number of movies around that were comedies set in this kind of environment. And the reviewers were right to think, “... Enough is enough!”

Still, despite that, I liked it. And I like it more the further away I get from that period of film when they were making comedic gangster movies. I can increasingly enjoy the film on its own merits, without contemporary context.

Secondly I, too, first reacted negatively to Liam Neeson in the primary role. It somehow didn’t fit. But again, I think that has more to do with context. At the time, I had an idea of what Neeson could do and that didn’t include comedy, certainly not one of this kind. He seemed too restrained for this. But, distanced from that time (circa 2000) and, to be honest, not having seen him in a film for quite a while (I haven’t seen Kinsey), it’s easier to accept him now in this role.

Thirdly, this movie has one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in I don’t know how long and it’s one of the few scenes I laugh at no matter how many times I see it. It’s the "sleepy" scene between Neeson and Oliver Platt (who is priceless in the film!). I don’t know if others would find it funny but I sure as hell do.

I like this movie. A lot.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Faulty Billy Wilder - Irma LaDouce

I've grown up hearing about how Billy Wilder was a great director. But for some reason, I've never been terribly overwhelmed by his films. With a couple of exceptions.

I think Sunset Boulevard is one of the best movies ever made. No taking that way from Billy Wilder. And The Apartment is pretty darned good and, while not one of his most noted movies, I've always really liked Avanti!

But the way people talk about Billy Wilder, you would think he was the greatest thing since ... well, I don't know what. And I just don't think he's that. His movies often seemed dated. Like the one I just watched, Irma LaDouce.

This one has its moments. But it's very uneven. It goes great for a while then suddenly, the engine stalls. The biggest problem is it comes across as a circa 1965 fifty-year-old man's middle-aged crisis movie. Too many jiggly girls and saucy innuendo jokes.

And the movie is horribly stagy. The film's concept is okay, as a comedy. But I believe it was taken from a stage play. It certainly has the look and feel of a play and a play is not a movie. On film, it feels too artificial.

Generally, it comes across as a movie that thinks it's clever and wants you to think so too.

And it just ain't.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

The smooth, slapstick Archie Leach (aka Cary Grant)

Not sure why, but I decided to make a list of the Cary Grant movies I had in my file of reviews. I had more than I expected. As it turns out, I had also written them over a period in which I had changed things like layout. So there was a fair amount of inconsistency between some of them.

And that’s my long-winded way of saying what is listed here is only partial. Call it My List, Part I. It consists of the earlier Grant movies I’ve rambled about – 1937 to 1944. Of course, his movies that I’ve reviewed aren’t all the Cary Grant movies I have. And those ones I have are only a small number of the movies he actually made.

Yes, I’ve always been a Cary Grant fan. (Does it show?) By the way, when I rate movies it’s based on a 5 star system. Here’s my list (part one):

- Topper (1937) 4 stars
- The Awful Truth (1937) 4½ stars
- Bringing Up Baby (1938) 5 stars
- Gunga Din (1939) 4 stars
- My Favorite Wife (1940) 4 stars
- His Girl Friday (1940) 4½ stars
- Talk of the Town (1942) 3 stars
- Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) 4½ stars

(You know, I'm not sure I agree with some of those ratings now that I see them. Though I suppose they're roughly accurate, at least from my point of view. But with the exception of Talk of the Town, I'd sort of like to give them all 5 stars because I like them so much.)

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

East of Eden - some Cain and Abel histrionics

I’ve been hearing about James Dean all my life. I’ve seen the posters. I’ve seen the fashion look recur every few years. But I’ve never been too taken by it or very interested in the James Dean thing.

Well, now I’ve developed some interest thanks to the DVD issues of his three movies (available individually or in The Complete James Dean).

Last night, I watched the DVD East of Eden - Special Edition. It definitely has a histrionic quality that makes it a bit anachronistic as it tells a variation of the Cain and Abel story. But you can definitely see the James Dean quality and why he became a modern myth. But hey … you also get to see a great performance by Raymond Massey, and others.

I hope to scribble some thoughts into a review soon. Meanwhile, I think the movie is worth seeing for its cultural interest but also on its own terms as a pretty good film.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

First impressions are a killer

I tried rewatching Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events tonight. I got less than five minutes into it and all I could think of was my response from the first time I saw it. So I turned it off.

Edward Gorey meets Tim Burton meets Jim Carrey ... anyone alone I like but together, in this movie ... I don't think so. It seemed too contrived, too calculated and not terribly inspired. Despite having what seemed like a lot of promise.

Stinkin' out the joint - The Life of Emile Zola

I've been worried lately that I've been sounding like a shill for movies because I've come across so many that I've liked. And I've been posting about them. And, the truth is, I would rather talk about movies I like than movies I don't like.

So, as I suggest, it worries me that I may come across sometimes as the happy marketing guy who says everything is wonderful.

In other words, I've been looking for a turkey so I could provide some balance. I think I may have found it.

It's The Life of Emile Zola(1936) starring Paul Muni. Despite the DVD packaging, it's not a "powerful film," unless you measure the power of tedium.

The problems with the film are several. For one, it's too anachronistic - meaning, it's too much of a period piece in terms of when it was made (not when it is set) and this means it tries too hard to make it manipulatively moving. It also plays way, way, WAY too fast and loose with the facts (it's supposed to be a biopic), although they do acknowledge this in the opening titles.

Bottom line: it's tedious, it's manipulative in a bad way, and it's just too cornball. This is, at best, a middling B picture. Worth a rental if you're really bored and have no life.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Grant & Dunne - movie stars, not a legal firm

I just posted a review of a 1940 comic gem - My Favorite Wife starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. Here, they team up after the successful 1937 hit, The Awful Truth. And believe me, they are an absolute pleasure to watch.

Off hand, I can't think of anyone else I enjoyed paired with Grant on screen more than Irene Dunne. They play so well together.

And here, in My Favorite Wife, they have a great story conceit. The two are married. She goes away on a trip and is lost at sea. After seven years, she's declared legally dead. So Grant now goes and remarries. However, on the same day he does, his first wife, Irene Dunne, comes back.

As the expression goes, hijinks ensue.

It's absolutely great.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

The Aviator - strange film about a strange man

I found Martin Scorsese's The Aviator an odd film. Not bad, not great - good, but odd.

It's strange in that while it's engaging, it's not emotionally engaging. It keeps you at a distance, sort of like a science experiment. You're curious about it but in a dispassionate kind of way.

Well, you can read more of my musings in my review.

One thing I don't really talk about in it is the performances, which are all good. Scorsese assembled quite an array of today's talent to play yesterday's talent: Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn, Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner, Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow, Jude Law as Errol Flynn ... it's quite a list.

By the way, I didn't get far in the special features. I was watching the Biography thing on Howard Hughes and ran out of gas because it was basically a grocery list - Hughes did this, then that, then that ... kinda boring.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Business life - In Good Company

It's been out on DVD for a few weeks now but I didn't get around to seeing In Good Companytill last night.

It's pretty good - better than I thought it might be though perhaps not as funny as some might lead you to believe. It's especially appealing for anyone who has had a taste of corporate life, or the business world generally. It's amusing as it captures pretty accurately what that kind of life is like.

Of course, given the kind of film it is the end veers away from the real world, but that's okay because it is, after all, a nice comedic film. It ain't cinema verite (and doesn't pretend to be).

For those who like Scarlett Johanssen, you'll like her performance here although if you really want to see her in a great perfromance, I'd recommend A Love Song for Bobby Long.

I'll see if I can't toss a review together at some point. This brief note isn't really fair to the film which is considerably more than a comedy of business life. It has a little something to do with youth and age and is quite good in this respect.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

So, I watch The Incredibles tonight

I wasn't sure what I would be watching tonight but a brief visit to The Bleat has reminded me I need to re-watch The Incredibles.

First time out, it didn't do much for me. Or so I assume. I don't remember it very well so it seems safe to conclude I was less than overwhelmed (despite the hype). But I also discovered something last night as I rewatched The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (another movie that didn't really register one way or another the first time I saw it).

Movies play better on weekends. Probably because we have a few moments to breath and forget about the nonsense that consumes our weekday lives. (And today, in Canada, is Day 3 of a long weekend as we celebrate Queen Victoria, though I don't believe we're suppose to admit to that any more. Still, we call it Victoria Day.)

Good grief ... I can't believe I'm listening to Crystal Gayle singing, Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue. But I am.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Ernst Lubitsch, Carole Lombard and ... Jack Benny?

It struck me as an odd combination but ... what the heck? Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, a director I've always liked, I decided to give the movie To Be Or Not To Be a try.

It was worth it. Despite sagging a bit in the middle, the movie works. Although it just sounds strange to me - Lombard, Benny, Poland, Nazis, romantic comedy ... huh?

Made in 1942, it's Lubitsch's satire of Nazism and he gives it quite a going over. Here's my review of it.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Bobby Long a nice find (Scarlett Johanssen great)

Once again, I picked up a disc without really knowing much about it and certainly not knowing what to expect. And I found I had a thumbs up winner.

A Love Song for Bobby Long is a great movie. The marketing seems to want to make it seem darker than it is. If I had to compare it to something, I'd say it is somewhat similar to The Station Agent. In fact, if you liked that movie I think you would like Bobby Long.

Mind you, it's a drama and definitely has its dark tone. It's like The Station Agent in that it has a small film feel and is character driven. But the characters are wonderful and the performances are great (especially Scarlett Johanssen).

Tag: Movies, DVDs

The Americanization of Emily - problems with satire

I watched the second of the three movies I picked up the other day. It was The Americanization of Emily (1964). And while I really wanted to like, and even liked parts of it, and while I really like Julie Andrews and James Garner ... ah, it just didn't fly with me.

There are good parts to the movie but as a whole it doesn't gel.

I wrote a review of it and as I say there, the satire wrestles with the romantic story and between the two they kind of cancel each other out.

As a general rule, I don't like satire. I seldom find it satisfying. If it isn't telling me what I want to hear, it's hopelessly tedious. When it does tell what I want to hear (like this movie, Emily), it tends to be long-winded. I get impatient for an engaging story. And satire doesn't usually deliver in this respect because a good story relies on good characters and satire tends to depend on caricatures.

Anyway ... There are good moments in The Americanization of Emily but not enough to prompt me to give it a whole-hearted endorsement. At best, I'd give it a wishy-washy, "It's okay. You could do worse."

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Gunga Din - a better film than most

I seem to be making my way through a fistful of films of the Hollywood action - adventure kind from the late thirties and early forties. Most recently, it was Gunga Din, from 1939, directed by George Stevens. (Here's my review of it.)

Like many of those Errol Flynn movies (see below), Gunga Din is almost a blueprint for a certain type of movie. In this case, the action-adventure buddy movie.

From a modern perspective, the movie has the political sensitivity of a drunken elephant but that's largely a reflection of the time and its attitudes. Still, were I from India this movie would not likely be a big favourite. (By the way, Joan Fontaine is in this film. But don't blink or you'll miss her.)

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Three movies, three decades - which to choose!

I got a little sidetracked today and wandered into the DVD area of a certain store and ... Well, darn it if they didn't have a sale and darn it if they didn't have a fistful of discs I'd been wanting to get.

"It's not my fault Mr. Bank Manager. They took advantage of my weakness."

Anyway ... I could have been a lot weaker. As it is, I restricted myself to three movies covering three different decades.

- Gunga Din (1939 - Cary Grant)
- Easter Parade (1948 - Fred Astaire, Judy Garland)
- The Americanization of Emily (1964 - Julie Andrews, James Garner)

The question now is - which one to watch tonight? (I may even watch two - but which ones?) I'm leaning towards Cary. But we'll see.

(By the way, it's fortunate these are available now because a number of the newer films that have been released on DVD recently haven't exactly excited me.)

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

Less nerdy than I thought

It's online so it must be true. I'm as scientifically/technologically challenged as I'd supposed:

Errol Flynn and The Sea Hawk

On film, Errol Flynn seems to capture all the best aspects of what is sometimes referred to as "a boyish quality." At his best, there is an exuberance and sense of fun that is irresistible.

And that really comes across in The Sea Hawk. So I wrote a review of it.

It's a wonderful movie; it's a kind of template for every other swashbuckling adventure.

In the past, I never really understood why people made a big deal about Errol Flynn. But as his films come out on DVD and I finally see them, I understand it. (Many of these movies I've actually seen before, but when I was very, very young and so I only vaguely recall them.)

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Stepford Wives - well, I liked it

You have an idea. You have a book. You have a movie. Now you have another movie.

Must be The Stepford Wives, and a new take - this time directed by Frank Oz (the Muppet guy, the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels guy). Some people liked the movie; some appear to have hated it. I don't think anyone loved it.

I know I didn't. But as my review explains, I did like it - though not the first time I watched it. I think you have to be in the right mood for this one.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Kagemusha - the shadow warrior

It finally arrived and I've finally watched Akira Kurosawa's 1980 samurai movie, Kagemusha.

I saw it when it was first released in North America, when I was living in Ottawa, so it would be close to 25 years ago - yikes! Long time.

It was the first Kurosawa movie I ever saw and the first samurai movie. As I say in my review, it knocked me for a loop. I'd never seen anything like that - not until then.

And now I've seen it again. And the DVD transfer by Criterion is incredible. It's two disc set that's well worth getting. The images in Kagemusha are absolutely stunning.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

A series of unfortunate scenes

I watched Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events last night and found it a bit underwhelming. It looks like it should be fabulous but for the most part it plays tediously, though it does have some great moments.

I’m still thinking about this one because I’m not entirely sure where the problem is - perhaps it’s the combination of several small problems (rather than one big one).

It’s episodic, and that may be part of it. It has some very contemporary moments - references and the like - that jar with the film’s somewhat fantastic and archaic style and look.

Overall, though, it just seems to me to try too hard. It’s a bit like a comedian who oversells a joke.

And having said that, I can't recommend getting the two disc version of this movie. I picked up the single disc widescreen, watched a couple of the featurettes, then stopped before I finished. I was bored.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Cocktails and crime: The Thin Man

I'm still waiting on my shipment (must be sending it from the heart of China by burro). In the meantime, I've been watching a few things in my collection.

For example, last night I watched The Thin Man again - the first, the original. It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy. I've always liked Powell (hence my fondness for My Man Godfrey) and he's in top form with Loy in this one.

By the way, the movie comes from the Dashiell Hammett novel of the same name. And it was directed by W.S. Van Dyke, the man who gave us Tarzan the Ape Man.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs

A fistful of Sergio Leone

From DVDTimes ... it appears MGM has brought out Region 2 special editions of Sergio Leone westerns:

- A Fistful Of Dollars
- For a Few Dollars More
- A Fistful of Dynamite

Of course, my question is when will these be released in Region 1? Also, one of the comments I saw on DVDTimes (in the A Fistful of Dollars review) suggested MGM will also be bringing these out as a six disc set later in the year.

Again ... when in Region 1?

Update: I asked the guys at DVD Town about this and they said, "Sony's purchase of MGM has just been finalized. Therefore, these releases are in limbo outside of R2 UK."

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Sideways - and off kilter

I picked up Sideways yesterday and tapped out a review of it. My take isn't quite the view many others had, though I did like the movie. Just not so much as some reviewers.

By the way, I was sipping a red wine while I watched it - but not a Merlot!

Tag: Movies, DVDs

How sad is this?

If you were to make a satire of English Canadian cinema it would be Guy Maddin's, The Saddest Music in the World. It's firing on all cylinders, as they say: quirky without purpose because hey - we're Canadian, a depressing story about depressed people because - hey, we're Canadian, and of course a walking talking caricature as the "American" because - hey, we're Canadian and we hate the idea that normal people like their movies more than our tedious wank-offs.

What a self-indulgent piece of crap.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Cold Mountain revisited

I watched Cold Mountain again last night and still like it.

"While you can say Cold Mountain is a love story set during the American Civil War and be correct, you will be saying very little of substance about the movie. I think it would be more accurate to say it's a meditation on the nature and qualities of love, one that looks at what its presence does and it's absence ..."

That's the start of the review I wrote. But for the life of me I can't remember how long ago that was. Looks like it would have been back in early July of 2004. (Not that it matters.)

Whatever ... It's worth watching again.

Tag: Movies, DVDs

Morons, marketing and Finding Neverland

I watched Finding Neverland last night and really enjoyed the film. Some feel it's a little too saccharine for their taste but, while it has this element, it wasn't so much so that it bothered me.

What did bother me was the commercial I was forced to watch. I wrote up a little rant about it (It's not about marketing - or is it?) and posted it on my other blog, Writelife.

I just can't get over the idea that someone asks me to pay to own something then, when I buy it, they force me to watch them hawking their wares. But then, marketing people are the sorts of morons who actually would pay money to watch an ad.

Tag:Movies, DVD

Baby's the best

I've watched quite a few turkeys recently on DVD. (For example, there are the two duds I mention below, in earlier posts, Wicker Park and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - major stinkers.)

But the bad taste of those has been cleaned away with Bringing Up Baby - Special Edition, a two disc set featuring the 1938 Howard Hawks' classic. It stars Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant and its fast, frantic and very funny.

It's also one of the better packages to come out recently as far as the special features go, particularly with its lengthy documentary called Cary Grant: A Class Apart. It also features commentary by Peter Bogdanovich, whose usually quite interesting and informative on these kinds of things.

Anyway ... I'm quite happy. This is one of my favourite movies.

Tag: Classic Film, Movie Classics, Movies, DVDs