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Grace & Favour (1992)
Yes, it was lovely seeing them again
I hope this 2-season attempt to capture a beloved series gave one of the greatest casts of all time a little more lolly in their old age.
The set-up is that the remaining Grace brother spent his employees pension fund and then gave them a country manor instead of money.
Excuse me?
There must have been over at least 100 more Grace brothers employees between the cafeteria staff, the service staff, secretaries and other departments. How many country estates did the firm own??
From the first episode forward logic is "dead on arrival"
BTW What happened to Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Rumbold's wife, Mr. Lucas and Mr. Spooner?? And the beloved Mr. Harmon????
Mr. Humphfries' Mother does ring-up once. The woman must be a 100. One episode features Mrs. Slocume's estranged husband from 30 years prior tracking her down. To that I say ... BULL!
Before I go on, I must comment on the costumes. Lovely and totally inappropriate. They are all in their finery (dressed for an evening function) and this is before they turn the manor into a hotel. On that subject at the start of the show they are all sleeping in the servant's quarters rather than the rooms the guests will eventually occupy. Why?
Moving on to the new cast members. So Miss Brahms is no longer the "cute chick" and is replaced by Miss Lovelock who "entertained" the last Grace brother to his death and she gets a slice of the Manor too? Really?? Makes no bloody sense. I guess Mr. Peacock needed someone to drool over.
You would have thought the running of a manor hotel by an inexperienced staff would offer enough episode content each week. BUT NO! It's also a working farm run by just two people, Mr. Moleturd and daughter Mavis. He's an unfunny creep and she's a clueless hick - stereotypes.
Which brings me to the producer's big mistake to continue the sexual indecision of Mr. Humphries. I understood it in the 70s and early 80s but not in 1992. Sharing a bed with Mavis is not funny. It is creepy and insulting to us loyal fans. He should have "come out" that could have been laced with so much humor especially if all the lady guests and town women fell for him making Mr. Peacock very jealous. That's humor!!
Yes, it was lovely seeing them all again, even if most of the episodes were poorly written. You can't go home again.
Best episode: The Haunting of a dead Cat.
The Prom (2020)
Wish this would have come out in 1975
Would have made my life better.
I Just finished watching THE PROM staring AN EXTREMELLY TALENTED CAST...
Jo Ellen Pellman - Ariana DeBose - Meryl Streep - Nicole Kidman - Jame Corden and more
This is one of the best and maybe the only gay musical about 'coming out' I have ever seen. It's just beautiful and I am telling you, the last 20 minutes I was crying my eyes out!!! Happy tears!! Streaming on NETFLIX.
It was written from the heart and yes, fellow reviewer, sometimes the heart can be bland. It's not deep waters. It's emotional when you have to come out. It's scary. Wanting to be excepted. Gay men and women we all know that.
The entire production was stunning. Thank you.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
I suggest a different plot
So many possibilities, even for a time traveling Macguffan.
The sidekick is all wrong. It should have been his daughter-in-law. Mutt's widow. A young woman who needs to be rescued sometimes, but proves to be useful. She (Rose) works for a NY Museum -- overhears someone inquiring about the Macguffin.
Fight. Chase.
Go back in time for the Basil and the Nazi scene.
Back to present. It is Basil's daughter Helena, looking for The Macguffin -- meets up with Indy who remembers the past. Helena is the villian incahoots with the Nazi.
Fight. Chase.
Indy figures out Helena is working with the Nazi.
Fight.
Indy, Rose & Helena go back in time with the Maguffin to Nazi Germany.
Fight. Chase.
Nazi bad guy wants to kill Hitler but Hitler kills Nazi. Indy shoots Hitler. Helena grabs the MacGuffin, she and the MacGuffin vanish.
It is Rose who brings Marion to Indy.
End.
80 for Brady (2023)
THis was the best movie I've seen this year
How could you go wrong with Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno. The chemistry alone makes this film a 10 score.
The script was very funny. Lily's back story lent reason to her desire to get to the Super Bowl and was understandable.
The gummy scene (no spolier) I laughed so hard.
Rita, 92!! What a performer!! This will be included in the Oscars next year. Jane is always a reliable actress and this character was one of her best. Lily I have loved since Laugh-In. She nails the drama and the comedy. Sally Field has a line (from reality) when the girls say 80 for Brady. Sally quickly points out she's only 75 (which she is or was when filming)
Harry Hamlin looked awesome and was great as always. Still sexy!! And Tom Brady does not look his age at all. He did a fine job.
Need a laugh? See this movie!!!
The Black Cat (1941)
Sine I was a kid maybe 40 years ago I saw this ... loved it!
Saw this while shopping on Amazon and remembered watching as a kid in the 60s and loved it. So I bought it and watched it laughing all the way.
I loved it all over again. It's zany ... horror comedy is a delicate balance. Here you have great old school actors who strike the right chord. Basil had the drama and Huge Herbert had the comedy. Perfect?
No. The screenplay could have been better, yes. (like 5 writers toyed with the script) Less Mr. Penny. More romance from Broderick and the girl he liked would have been good. The story needed a little more tension/suspense.
As noted Herbert brand of comedy is an aquired taste and could have been played down.
All in all, it is a movie I will put on in the background when I'm cleaning or having a project in my house.
Must say, the murderer eluded me.
The Ghoul (1933)
Not Interesting. The pace was so slow.
Saw this "Lost Classic" last night on Svengoolie. Should have stayed lost. Most of the fine actors were under used. The story made little sense. And there was too much dialog for a horror film. Boris, dear man, must have known this film was not very good. And it's pace is so slow. The only possible thing in its favor is the fact that it was the first talking British horror film.
Sister Boniface Mysteries (2022)
Oh how much fun!!
Not that Murder is fun.
But Miss Watson playing lead character Sister Boniface, a brilliantly smart Nun who helps Max Brown (Sam), Jerry Iwu (Flex) and Ami Metcalf (Peggy) with Miranda Rasion (Ruth) a love interest for Sam and the delightful Mrs. Clam played by Belinda Lang.
The cast is outstanding. Takes place in the sixties.
The spark between the charatcers is amazing. Just the idea of a nun investigating murder is fascinating.
The mysteries are well written. Hope this lasts as long as Father Brown.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Not very good for obvious reasons
What happened to the lessons the kids learned in the original film?
Why did Depp create a Pedophile-like character with a breathy voice?
Why did the writer think we'd care Wonka's father was a dentist?
So he created candy to spite his father? Very negative vibe.
There was little depth to the other kid characters. Why?
Some of lude dialog was not necessary. Really? Squirrel nuts?
Why no grand entrance for Willy.
A pretty motion picture is not enough to make it interesting.
Considering the pedigree behind the film, this was not up to snuff.
Danny Elfman's music was no great shakes.
I expected better.
Rim of the World (2019)
A thrill a minute, Action + Great Effects
Loved every minute. The kid actors did a great job. Loved the story line. Equal parts of humor, drama, action and good suspense.
It's a roller coaster ride. The alien is hunting the kids because ... they did something unintentional to the alien. No spoilers.
Put your brain on hold, put your safety belt on and hang on for dear life!!!
Malignant (2021)
Wan's 'Malignant' falls Flat
This story only exists because the husband of the main character, Derek, smashes his wife's head up against a wall ... releasing ...
Let's call out this movie for what it really is, the ole soap opera staple I call "Evil Twin" syndrome.
This time around the twin is ... part ghost, part malignant tumor ... part A-hole ... yada, yada yada
On a personal note the first dozen or so "glowing" reviews are BS. This is not a film steeped in 80s horror/comedy as some have suggested.
This dreck of a film is like hash brown potatoes reheated repeatedly over one week using a microwave and should be force fed to James Wan as a lesson.
Secrets of the Pirate's Inn (1969)
We went to Disneyland in 1969
I am a child of Disney -- watched Uncle Walt every Sunday. All of these TV movies (i.e. The Mystery of Dracula's Castle) lit the fuse for me to become a playwright.
This one is my favorite. Took years to find a copy of it. Now it's on YouTube. Having read mysteries like the Hardy Boys, Agatha Christie and Encyclopedia Brown not to mention the author Wylly Folk St. John whose book of the same name is the inspiration for this Disney TV movie.
Only Ms. John's original Pirates story pales in comparison to what Herman Groves saw in it.
Secret passage ways, riddles to solve, a bad guy, a mysterious treasure map and a rousing conclusion.
Got kids? Sit 'em down to watch a well-written, kid friendly mystery from a by-gone era.
No kids? You watch it, you'll like it!!! Chocolate Chips cookies and milk not provided.
Garfield Goose and Friends (1952)
Oh My Lord, My Childhood was wonderful
And a big part of it was WGN, Frazier Thomas and Ray Rayner. Garfield Goose, and the rabbit were silent puppets and Christmas elfs Coco and Joe. Journey to the Beginning of Time. And wasn't there a hound dog too. I loved every episode and now at 61 years of age, cherish those memories as an old dude.
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)
The First non-Abbot & Costello Film for me
This does not follow the A & C format. Perhaps because Karloff was still at the top of his game more attention was paid to his character but through it all ... something seemed to be missing.
It's as though, go with me here, there was this script with a monster in it and they shoved Abbot & Costello into the storyline.
Also Stevens and Westcott came across as a weak romantic addition to a story which really did not need lovers. Where were their British accents????
Lastly, Jekyll wasn't behaving like the iconic character at all. No inner conflict, no ounce of humanity. Was he even a science dude?
4 Stars. Lowest rating for an Abbot & Costello ever!!
Mapp & Lucia (2014)
Not in the spirit of Benson's books
There is a mean streak throughout episode one like a fly buzzing around my head. The light, humor-sprinkled delightful dialog is missing from this version. We have two very talented actresses playing down the humor. Were they directed in this fashion?
The original Mapp & Lucia (1985) was brilliantly performed by all quality actors who understood the material. Character Quaint Irene was a poor lesbian artist wearing manly attire. The new Irene isn't anything. Major Bengi was a humorous drunk but not weirdly creepy as the new one.
I was so let down, almost as much as the remake of All Creatures Great and Small which I stopped watching after the second episode because it did not have the spirit of the relationships from the book that the original version embraced.
Clutch Cargo (1959)
Used to be on WGN Chicago every morning on Garfield Goose
A kid's show from the 1960s. It was not a "cartoon" per se. It was a still photo of animation with superimposed real dude "lips" speaking the dialog. Also, never understood why an unmarried man adopted a ten-year old boy and called him his ward instead of his son. I'm looking at you too Batman. And to drag this dim-witted boy (named Spinner, a code word for a passive gay guy) into dangerous situations should have gotten Clutch arrested.
Lastly Clutch's name.
noun
1.
a tight grasp or an act of grasping something.
"he made a clutch at his body"
Just saying ...
Downton Abbey (2019)
Every inch a perfect 10
Cried 6 times. Watched characters I have come to love have their character arc get wrapped up. It's rare when an audience burts into applause at the end but my saturday afternoon cinema was full.
Each actor amazing. The surprises unexpected. The love. The staff serving at table. The King and the Queen. What will we do when Maggie Smith goes to the great theatre in the sky. Woman has been apart of my entertainment since the Prime of Miss Jane Brodie where she screamed in the very last minute of the movie "Assassin!"
Love it.
Child's Play (2019)
Yeahhhhhh ... No
A doll possessed by a psycho murderer (and a satan worshipper at that) ... is far more frightening than an electronic doll with messed up programming. Having repeated that sentence outloud I am now laughing at the idea.
Wow that was somekind of high-tech programming and such real life movement. Well yeah, cause it was built in Asia and those people no nothing else in the world but electronics. So yeah ... hmmm!
Having a doll become self-aware was just too unbelieveable for me. I buy a possesed doll. (as stupid as that sounds). These types of dolls run on battery power or pluggin them into a port station. There is down time during which the doll can be destroyed!!
Lastly these are some of the reasons why the film only made 27 million on a film budget of 10 million. Also figure in marketing expensives ... at least 25 million. So the film lost money at the end of the day.
The last word... Mark Hamill? Really? His voice pulled me out of the movie and I couldn't get back into it after that.
A Star Is Born (2018)
Trash
The first two versions outshine this rape of the original story line. When did "A Star is Born" become all about Norman Maine? Why Cooper? Why isn't Gaga featured more than you??
Are we sure she qualifies to be a Best Actress nominee? You're in it more than she is. Why? With regard to this story, no one cares about your character, just be an ass. But no, you wanted the audience to love you. Urination scene. Really? The Dog? Really. You just threw anything at the screen and hoped it would stick. Too bad you wasted the talent that is Lady Gaga!!
And I thought Streisand's version was a complete insane rock-n-roll vanity production. No, Cooper bests Babs!!
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
It was like a religious experience
My lord what a wonderful movie. It struts and amuses and sings, gets into your heart and gets the audience fired up.
Rami Malek becomes a legend and has the power to follow thru with a stunning performance. Best Actor nod, I'm thinking. The Band members, Brian, Roger and John were wonderfully performed. The cast worked well together.
This movie for some unknown reason is getting at lot of flack from critics ... reminds me of the scene in the movie when "Ray" doesn't want to play the song Bohemian Rhapsody because he doesn't get it!! I don't think the critics get it.
We fans, we get it. We loved it and I'm goingg back again. See it in Imax format!
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Number Five and Counting
First third of the movie is a check list.
Gwen's changed. Owen hasn't. Expendable morons assume all creatures are dead cliche.
Weak Bad Guy.
Old dude ... a Millionaire who owns a huge lush private island BUT does not have a staff of gardners, cooks, maids, bulters, a yacht captain/crew , a medical staff (he's hooked into machines) and at least 10 security guards. And the biggest insult screenwriters gave us, One frigging lawyer?? I have three and I'm a nobody. You're trying to tell me an old man who has made millions is SO STUPID as to confront a bad guy from his bed??? "Call the police on yourself!" Screw you movie!
Second third. Escaping the Island ... dumb fun awesomeness. (I will not mention the many cinema sins) Landing on the island with dinos ... nice scene loved it.
Final Third. For what I wanted ... perfect. Maises twist. Blue. The new dino. Love B.D. Wong. Goldblum underused.
Final Word: Director showed us Clair's shoes 5 times!!! As if to say see ... sensible shoes to run in.
Young Sheldon (2017)
It has improved.
And the next episode introduces the legend Annie Potts as the 'cool' Mee-maw. Tonight there were smile moments, laughter a few times and a good theme. "Making Friends" I hope the young Vietnam character is recurring.
I felt more for the characters this episode. Sheldon's attempt to make friends was very funny and human.
The FBI moment was classic!!!
Debut Review:
Right now, it's a non-story.
We know too much about Sheldon because of 10 seasons of The Big Bang. For example we know he learned nothing in his youth about navigating society. Most of his learned lessons come after season one therefore where can this story line go? Week after week a sitcom explores and develops its main character through new experiences. They explore. They get burned. They learn. But this sitcom is forced to sit on its hands because "fish out water" stories usually end with, "Oh, I didn't know that" ending on a warm and fuzzy note. How can the creative team do that considering what we already know. We know his father is due to die. That will change everything. I have heard the awesome Annie Potts is cast as MeeMaw. What a great bit of casting however the "wise sage" character usually teaches the youthfulprotagonist a lesson per episode.
How can he learn things and still connect the dots to the first season of Big Bang. What? Does he learn lessons in his youth only to forget them as an adult? I don't think so, not with his endemic memory. So where do we go from here? On personal note everything looks wonderful, the casting is great and there is some humor. Reduce the fathers and brothers role, pump up Missy and Mom. Lastly find humor in the 'attempts' of those around Sheldon to teach him something. It would make sense that he is just too stubborn to learn 'that lesson' at this point in his young life.
1941 (1979)
I know ... I know ...
... but I love this movie. This type of all-star comedy broadly plays out, getting crazier and crazier as the plot unravels, is a slice of bygone Hollywood.
Think "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!" "The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming," "Cold Turkey" "The Great Race!" And the godfather of them all "Around the World in 80 Days" These films I saw as a kid at the local Drive-In called Route 66.
Famous faces, dozens of cameos, broad humor and all presented with an innocence that longer exists in today's cinematic world.
I am just asking you to view it once, Once, perhaps at Christmas, or because John Belushi is awesome or because there is a dance sequence that is so amazing, you might have to rewind and watch it twice!!
Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
We Know
We know the concept/storyline here is based on a curious event which took place in 1997 in AZ when strange lights appeared above Phoenix.
Director/Writer(s) spin every sci-fi troupe we know. "Lost Footage", Aliens in that region of the US, Air Force jets flying over head, nosebleeding, electronics fail, plucky kids ... and so on.
We know what's going to happen from the get-go. We know because it has already been done repeatedly since H.G. Wells.
Kids see lights, investigate and are never seen again. We did not have to wait and see the "missing" video tape to confirm the conclusion of the story. We knew.
The build-up was not worth a conclusion we knew was coming. Without a surprise or a twist at the end, I am forced to suggest ... you skip it and save your money.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Meh
1. It's not bad
2. It's too long
3. The central idea of God vs Man was not sufficiently explored
4. There's little plot
5. It's too dark
6. There's no humor
7. I never want to watch another scene depicting the death of Bruce's parents AGAIN
8. I never want to see villain Lex Luther (in any form) ever AGAIN
9. All the same old tropes are repeated
10. Batman and Superman are soulless characters
11. Gollywood keeps remaking the same movies over and over AGAIN
12. Dream sequences added nothing to an already weak storyline
In the end, this movie is really a two and a half hour trailer for the DC universe Go Wonder Woman!! Liked the idea of an aged Batman. Henry did not capture Clark Kent at all! Lois Lane is window dressing. Too many cameos that slowed the pace of the film.
This may be the last superhero movie I watch for a while. Maybe I am jaded but Gollywood seems to repeating itself ... and only ... for the all-might buck!
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
Frank Miller is in a literary coma
This disaster may not fell him, but "they" will be closing calculating the economics of future endeavors. I will not mention Robert Rodriguez for is wrong to speak ill of the dead. Well, dead career anyway. He's doing TV.
Mr. Miller can't write real dialogue, gritty or otherwise. As a self-proclaimed geek, his reflects a sad opinion on woman. To him they are only b*tches, Wh*res or corrupt entities -- he can not relate to woman on paper -- never has. No female character escapes his inability to make real character we care about.
There is no humanity, no great cause
just creative blood letting. I have not like his past films, that's not always his fault. (see my review of 300) but then I never liked Elektra either
Only six million on its first weekend? Really? At this moment Sunday 24, 2014 (noon) in the United States of America there are only 24 reviews on IMDb? Speaks volumes.
Having said all of this, this movie will be released in foreign lands with less than a critical eye. The movie will probably recoup its money eventually.
Thing is
in those foreign lands, China for instances, the government profits more from international films than Hollywood. Other countries also take a bigger slice of the pie than American movie houses.
I'll let that sink in.
Summing up this plot less anthology is hard
Marv has super powers, Josh Brolin is wrong for Dwight. Eva Green is the highlight of the movie, well her and some boob shots. Joseph acquits himself.
A violent film noir art film which develops no characterizations, no sense of danger, reality (with in its own universe) but comes with the extra seasoning of "Haven't we seen this all before"
. done better?