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Chris-195
Reviews
Green Acres: Never Trust a Little Old Lady (1966)
Weather Updates, Hooterville Style
One of the first truly bizarre episodes of the series. There were hints of it earlier, but this episode really highlights the fact that Hooterville and its citizens are not like the rest of the world.
We learn that the residents of Hooterville have a unique way of predicting the weather - they watch the local news out of Pixley to see whether a little old lady, or a little old man, come out of a house apparently constructed on a set in the studio, something akin to one of those old Swiss clocks. But this isn't a clock. These are two actual people who apparently have done this for years. No further explanation is given. Only Green Acres would open with something this strange, then feel no need to elaborate.
The rest of the episode deals with the farmers reacting to the wildly shifting predictions. It's a fun episode, and unlike prior episodes, it's not afraid to be weird.
Green Acres: Lisa's First Day on the Farm (1965)
Things finally shaping up
Much of the first season of "Green Acres" lacks the lunacy that gives the show much of its lasting appeal, but at least with this episode we get Oliver and Lisa out on the farm, and the introductions of Mr. Haney and Eb. The rest of the supporting cast coming from Petticoat Junction still makes this episode feel a little like we're watching a subplot on that program. That will continue to be the case for a while longer until the show gets its footing.
This episode unveils the first of many cons perpetrated by Haney, establishes Drucker's store as the center of town activity, and we get Eb, the hired hand who basically fulfills the child role this show lacks (unusual for the time, since most married couples on television at the time would have had one or two children).
Green Acres: Oliver Buys a Farm (1965)
An Uneven Debut
Not bad, but the first episode of Green Acres doesn't give much of an indication of how eccentric the show will eventually be. The episode is narrated by a newscaster as if the audience is viewing a documentary about Oliver Douglas buying a farm in Hooterville and convincing his wife to move with him. Like a handful of other early episodes, too much time is spent in the city and not enough in Hooterville. The citizens of Hooterville still feel more like guest stars from "Petticoat Junction" than actual cast members, and that will continue to be the norm until about halfway through the first season.
Overall, not the best introduction to the series. Like a lot of pilots, it feels a little like it was shot separate from the rest of the series, so at times it almost feels like another show.
Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1968)
Surprisingly different for a '60s pop musical
I'm not saying it's a great film, or that it holds a candle to "Help!" or "A Hard Day's Night", but I have to admire this film for at least trying to not play into audience expectations for this type of movie. The difference is especially jarring if you watch if after the Hermits' first film, "Hold On!", which I did when TCM ran them back to back one afternoon.
It's part kitchen sink drama, part '60s musical. There's not a lot of great music, to be honest. The opening number is quite good, "There's a Kind of Hush" is probably the best known song. The title song isn't even sung in full until the end.
The story, though, doesn't go in any of the directions you'd expect. Nothing's changed by the end. Halfway through the film, when things take a turn for the worse, I figured I knew exactly how things would turn around for the lead, how he would get the girl, how his dog would win the big race, how his band would hit the big time... and nothing I predicted happened. For that alone, I have to defend the film.
It's also apparent that by this time, success in the US was not paramount. The films makes few concessions to American audiences. I can't attest to how accurate the film's setting is, but much of it is set in working class Manchester and meant to appeal to a British audience.
Get Yourself a College Girl (1964)
Lackluster entry in the beach genre
Okay, it's got Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto, plus the Jimmy Smith Trio, so as others have said, if you like jazz, you've got two good scenes. Personally, I love the Dave Clark Five and The Animals, but the songs they perform here are far from their best. They aren't hits, and why they'd choose to waste filler material on a movie with the potential to reach a bigger audience is beyond me.
One of my pet peeves is when a film features a song clearly written by an older songwriter with a background in show tunes and the like, and tries to pass it off as a big pop hit. I can't fathom any universe in which the song performed by Mary Ann Mobley, "Get Yourself a College Girl", would be a hit. And yet she's presented to us as this major songwriter with her finger on the pulse of today's youth.
The script feels like it was thrown together on the set. Is it about Mary Ann Mobley being booted out of college? No, wait, it's about her fighting and falling in love with her publisher. Nope, never mind, it's about re-electing a senator. Oops, looks like we're out of time. The end. But before we go, here are the Dave Clark Five and The Animals to sing some more songs you've never heard of while we film them in a straight-on close up that looks like a mugshot.
It's a Bikini World (1967)
The end of the beach movie era
First, the positives - this movie contains some decent musical performances. Sure, they appear to be just lip syncing to the actual recording, but it's still nice to see The Animals and especially one-hit wonders The Castaways in color. We also get to see Sid Haig in one of his first bigger roles.
Overall, though, this film feels more like the last gasp of the beach movie genre than anything else. I hadn't realized they were still making these films as late as 1967, and judging by the lack of enthusiasm from the cast, they can't believe it either. There are some attempts to bring a looser, avant garde approach to the film. Or maybe it's just bad film-making. There are several seemingly random montages with overdubbed voices moving the plot forward. I'm willing to give the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt and assume this is intentional, but for all I know, it could be sloppy editing to cover scenes that should have been shot or bad writing.
The film has a downbeat feel to it, nothing like the bright, perky style we're used to with beach movies. The skies over the beach seem gray and the cast seems to be struggling with depression. I'm left with the impression that by this point, pot had clearly taken over as the drug of choice on film sets, making a Frankie and Annette style of film an uphill struggle at this point.
Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993)
No, it's not good...
... but it was made for charity, so I have a hard time being too critical of it. It's fun for fans, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. Even fans, though, may be alarmed at seeing all these characters crammed into one ten minute film. Some have aged to the point that it's just odd seeing them play the same characters. Tom Baker especially looks so different that it's a little off-putting. And Louise Jameson just looks silly in that Leela costume -- kind of like an aging hippie whose trying to sell you incense at a renaissance fair. Still, it's nostalgic fun. The only offensively awful thing about it is the terrible floating heads they use to represent Hartnell and Troughton caught in the time stream. Surely they could have used their actual images.
James Dean: Forever Young (2005)
Kind of disappointing
I love James Dean, so it's disappointing that I've yet to find a truly great documentary about the man. On the plus side, this documentary has lots of rare footage, especially of his lesser known film and television appearances. I saw a lot of stuff I hadn't seen before. Unfortunately, this is a very basic documentary, the kind of thing you'd expect to get free, tacked on somewhere as a DVD extra. In fact, I'd initially heard this was to be included with the recent James Dean DVD box that came out. It probably would have played better there, but on its own it seems weak. First off, it actually opens with a montage set to Rod Stewart's song "Forever Young". Not only does the song seem terribly out of place, but it also seems like the kind of thing Dean himself would have disliked. We're also subjected to Jim Croce's "I Got A Name" as Jimmy drives to his death. You know the one, where he sings "movin' me down the highway" repeatedly in overly earnest seventies singer songwriter style. And why do we hear Paul McCartney's "Mull Of Kintyre" over the closing credits? All this, plus no interviews, just Martin Sheen narrating in a "then Jimmy acted in this" mode. As a collection of rare clips, this is intriguing for Dean fans. Other than that, it offers little insight into a fascinating life.
Saturday's Children (1940)
Waste of John Garfield's talent
I've been watching any John Garfield films I can lately, and so far, this has been the most disappointing. Garfield is so miscast. I can't imagine what the studio was thinking. The film attempts to deal with the issue of young marriage facing poverty, but every character is so naive that I often found myself wondering if there was a gas leak in their building. It's the only rational way to explain their inability to cope with major problems at anything other than a fifth grade level. Garfield, who was Brando before there even was a Brando, is thoroughly wasted here. He plays his character as a sort of slack-jawed mope, who either pouts or widens his eyes at every little thing. Anne Shirley is attractive, but bland. Claude Rains starts promisingly, but even he can't surmount the problems inherent in the script. The film also commits the horror of having a character use the title in a dramatic moment in the end, summing up the entire film just before the credits roll. As if people really talk like that. John Garfield is amazing, and worth watching in just about anything. But not this.
The Slugger's Wife (1985)
How did Hal Ashby make a movie this bad?
I've been trying to watch everything I can of Hal Ashby's, since I'm a big fan of Being There and Shampoo. My Tivo's been recording all of them, and for some reason, this film and The Last Detail are constantly being shown right now. I immediately watched The Last Detail, and loved it. I'd been putting off this one, because it just didn't sound appealing. Man, were my instincts right on this one. It doesn't even feel like an Ashby film. Everyone's been commenting on the poor baseball quality of the film, but it's equally appalling at the music end. Does anyone believe for a minute that Rebecca De Mornay and Loudon Wainwright III (yes, that's him) have a chance in hell at a record deal? Were record labels in the eighties desperately seeking bands that could do lame covers of both "Little Red Corvette" and "Love the One You're With"? I've had to watch this movie in chunks. I'm determined to finish it. I'm now on day three, maybe even four, of attempting to get through this. I'm in the last few minutes, Michael O'Keefe just hit the clichéd pivotal home run, and I couldn't care less. What went wrong here? I'm not a Neil Simon fan, but I'd think Ashby could have done something with this. Perhaps it's the impact of the eighties on a seventies auteur.
The Meaning of Life (1983)
Worth the time, but still hit or miss
I watched this for the first time in years last night, and was surprised to find how poorly it had aged. Yes, much of the movie is funny, but it's clear to me that this is easily the weakest of the Python's films. Basically, it plays like a long episode of the show, with all the problems inherent in such a situation. Some skits work, some don't. However, I consider every episode of Flying Circus worth viewing, and I feel the same about this film. It's worth seeing, but I think as a film more work was required to justify releasing it as a feature.
Bloody Sunday (2002)
Effective use of documentary style (spoilers0
One of the few films I've seen where the documentary format seems, for the most part, to convince you that you are watching a documentary, and not a film. This may be more effective for US audiences, as I recognized none of the actors, but nonetheless the acting, sets, etc are so naturalistic that you soon find yourself sucked into this world. I'm sure a low budget necessitated some of this -- some shots are so dominated by close-ups you get the feeling that if the camera pulled back just a little more you'd see modern day Ireland in the background. The filmmakers turn this to their advantage, and I think this film probably looks much better than its budget would have led someone to believe it could have.
My only problem is a lack of details in some areas that would leave people unfamiliar with the events of Bloody Sunday confused. I admit, I knew very little about what happened beyond the fact that deaths occured and it set off much of the IRA activity of the 70s and beyond. I can't understand why a government would be so adamant about not allowing a parade to occur, even to the extent they'd send in military troops. What policies led to this kind of outrageous behavior? And on the other side of the coin, many accusations are thrown against the British troops by the end. While I'm inclined to believe these facts are true, I'm still curious as to how the conclusions were reached. Soldiers are shown planting evidence, murdering civilians. I'd like to know when these facts came to light. At the end, we learn that the official inquiry found the military was in the right, but we don't learn how the opposing view spread.
The Intern (2000)
Too inside
A poorly made film made worse by the fact that so many of its jokes are so inside they will go over people's heads. Yes, I get the fashion jokes. It's not that I don't understand the setting. Instead, much of the humor feels like when someone just has to tell you about the funny thing that happened to them at work, the funny thing that is terribly unfunny once removed from the workplace.
I think Dominique Swain is generally better than the movies she gets stuck with, but even she is subpar in this film.
If you're fascinated by the fashion industry, it's worth checking out. Otherwise, stay away.
Oh, and it has Joan Rivers in it, too. Consider yourself warned.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
One of the funniest movies I've ever seen
Absolutely hysterical, one of the best surreal comedies to come out in years. I love it when things are funny and you're not quite sure why, and this movie fits the bill. It looks thrown together in a good way. I only wish it had made more money, so the same people could have made more films like this. The whole cast is great, but Paul Rudd and especially Christophe Meloni really stand out. Meloni is a genius in this. On the DVD, make sure you watch the outtakes -- the hothouse corn sequence didn't make the cut, but it's even funnier than what made it into the final product, as is Meloni's ad-lib.
Spider-Man (2002)
Just misses perfection
It's a great movie, but the poorly developed relationship between Peter Parker and Norman Osborn weakens the impact. The emotional climax hinges on this pseudo father-son relationship, yet the film doesn't develop it well. There are moments, glimpses of it, but not enough. The first time, it didn't dawn on me that Peter's real choice was between Ben Parker and Norman. I mean, what had we been shown to indicate that he even admired Norman, aside from having read his work?
Anyway, I've always found the Green Goblin overrated, and I'm looking more forward to other villains.
That said, it's a great movie, great effects, killer first half, good second half.
Girl (1998)
Not bad
While the movie has some gaping holes -- I don't buy the Todd Sparrow character for a minute -- it's actually a decent film that I found myself enjoying more than I thought I would. I rented it mainly for Dominique Swain, who I think is underrated, but found myself engaged in the film. The most surprising thing -- who knew Tara Reid could actually act? And what happened? I'm not saying she's Meryl Streep in this, but really, I'd never have guessed she was capable of playing more than the blonde bimbo she's been doing since American Pie.
Seconds (1966)
Intriguing, but dated
Only in the 60s could a movie like this have been made. That's a statement I've used both as a positive and a negative. With "Seconds", I'm somewhere in between.
The beginning is unbearably slow. The audience is expected to deal with this massive concept, but we're saddled with a character who doesn't ask even the most obvious questions. Arthur Hamilton is given the opportunity to fake his own death, undergo plastic surgery, and start a new life. While some attempt is made to convey why he would agree to this, it still feels too easy, as if they just want to get it over with and bring on Rock Hudson as Hamilton's new self. Characters tell Arthur what he's going to do, but we don't dig much deeper into why he's being offered this opportunity.
Things do improve some when Hudson arrives, but it's not really until he begins to question what his life has become that things take off. Hudson does a great job in this film, and the critical and commercial panning he took was unwarranted. There are flaws in this film, but Hudson's performance isn't one of them.
By the end, we see Hudson coming to the realization that too much of his life has been spent chasing material things, a conclusion that just seems trite in view of the larger issues here. In fact, the whole concept seems underthought. Yes, these people get younger-looking bodies, but aren't they still the same age they were before? Perhaps my view's tainted, because for years I had thought this was a movie about group that made people younger, sort of a fountain of youth treatment, an idea I found interesting. After finally watching it tonight, the reality felt like sort of a letdown.
Still, the film does have some genuinely disturbing moments, and the ending is chilling. It's something of an ancestor to films like `The Game', and shows like `The X-Files', with its conspiracies and shadowy concepts. It's definitely worth checking out, but I can't help but feel that there's a better film buried in here somewhere.
Unbreakable (2000)
Absolutely incredible
Judging by the comments I heard from the audience around me after this film ended, there are going to be some people who hate this movie. Strangely enough, they seemed to hate it for the same reasons they may have loved "The Sixth Sense" -- too slow, too strange, an ending that forces you to rethink the last two hours. I happen to think this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Give it time, give it your full attention -- it's really worth it.