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Reviews12
wrk6539's rating
I must heartily agree with those other learned reviewers who see this movie for what it is: shallow, cliched pandering without a frame of truth or honesty to be found. Geeze this movie really BURNS me up.
I've never known anyone in life who talks the way these characters do. And, while that's not ALWAYS a bad thing (no one in real life talks like Tennessee Williams' characters either, but I sure wish they did) here it borders on the offensive. These actors seem so PROUD of the way they act "gay" (at least a straight actor's perception of what being gay is) that they never stop praising themselves long enough to turn in a decent performance.
The time when gays would respond to movies SIMPLY because they were about us is, thankfully, over. We do NOT need to accept any more movies EXPLAINING us to straight society or BEGGING us to be accepted. We also do not need to respond to self-congratulatory cinema that PRETENDS to be speaking to us, while in reality only serves to convince its makers that they are liberal and "now."
If gays and the gay life were anything like what is pictured here, then I might actually consider joining one of those crazy "you can change" groups. As it is, I'll just avoid trendy "we're so hip cuz we're making a movie about gays" crap like this in the future and I suggest you do the same.
I've never known anyone in life who talks the way these characters do. And, while that's not ALWAYS a bad thing (no one in real life talks like Tennessee Williams' characters either, but I sure wish they did) here it borders on the offensive. These actors seem so PROUD of the way they act "gay" (at least a straight actor's perception of what being gay is) that they never stop praising themselves long enough to turn in a decent performance.
The time when gays would respond to movies SIMPLY because they were about us is, thankfully, over. We do NOT need to accept any more movies EXPLAINING us to straight society or BEGGING us to be accepted. We also do not need to respond to self-congratulatory cinema that PRETENDS to be speaking to us, while in reality only serves to convince its makers that they are liberal and "now."
If gays and the gay life were anything like what is pictured here, then I might actually consider joining one of those crazy "you can change" groups. As it is, I'll just avoid trendy "we're so hip cuz we're making a movie about gays" crap like this in the future and I suggest you do the same.
As a life long fan of murder mysteries in general and William Powell in particular, I was thrilled to finally get a chance to see this early sound Philo Vance mystery. A follow-up to Paramount's THE CANARY MURDER CASE (1929), this was adapted from "SS Van Dine's" third Philo Vance novel(originally published in 1928 to runaway business) and also stars the wonderful Eugene Pallette as Sergeant Heath and a young Jean Arthur in the ingenue role of Ada Greene.
The intricate plot finds gentleman detective Philo Vance assisting his old friends District Attorney Markham and Sergeant Heath in a case of multiple and attempted murders at the Greene Mansion in New York's Upper East Side. It seems that someone is killing members of the Greene family, ostensibly for a stake in the large inheritance left by the long dead patriarch, Tobias Greene, whose fortune was accumulated (we come to suspect) by less than honorable means.
I'll admit that, although anxious to finally see this film after reading about it for years, I wasn't expecting much. I had heard that the film was talky, creaky, and static, as many early sound productions seem to modern sensibilities. Perhaps it was because of these lowered expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the great stuff found here. The film abounds with wonderfully creepy atmosphere and a real sense of menace, and the climax, set in the rooftop garden of the formidable Greene mansion (a fantastic set, by the way), is thrillingly shot, with trick photography and a last minute-in the nick time-rescue.
The screenplay is a faithful simplification of the Van Dine novel (the book's first two murder victims, for example, are compressed into one and the character of Julia Greene is jettisoned) and Powell's Philo Vance is much more likable than his literary counterpart. The identity of the murderer, while possibly surprising to the relatively innocent audiences of 1929, is fairly easy to spot by the more jaded modern viewer raised on scores of mysteries and taught to always suspect the least likely. This does not detract from the fun.
Playing the part of Philo Vance was a huge boost to Powell's career, and allowed him to move from villainous heels to debonair man-about-town roles. After a parody appearance as the detective in 1930's PARAMOUNT ON PARADE, Powell played Vance twice more [in Paramount's THE BENSON MURDER CASE (1930) and Warner Bros. THE KENNEL MURDER CASE (1933)] before moving to MGM and forever being associated with the role of Nick Charles in THE THIN MAN series (an even BIGGER boost to his career!)
Yes, the film is invariably hampered by the limitations of the early sound era, but once the modern viewer accepts these limitations, there's a lot to enjoy here.
The intricate plot finds gentleman detective Philo Vance assisting his old friends District Attorney Markham and Sergeant Heath in a case of multiple and attempted murders at the Greene Mansion in New York's Upper East Side. It seems that someone is killing members of the Greene family, ostensibly for a stake in the large inheritance left by the long dead patriarch, Tobias Greene, whose fortune was accumulated (we come to suspect) by less than honorable means.
I'll admit that, although anxious to finally see this film after reading about it for years, I wasn't expecting much. I had heard that the film was talky, creaky, and static, as many early sound productions seem to modern sensibilities. Perhaps it was because of these lowered expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the great stuff found here. The film abounds with wonderfully creepy atmosphere and a real sense of menace, and the climax, set in the rooftop garden of the formidable Greene mansion (a fantastic set, by the way), is thrillingly shot, with trick photography and a last minute-in the nick time-rescue.
The screenplay is a faithful simplification of the Van Dine novel (the book's first two murder victims, for example, are compressed into one and the character of Julia Greene is jettisoned) and Powell's Philo Vance is much more likable than his literary counterpart. The identity of the murderer, while possibly surprising to the relatively innocent audiences of 1929, is fairly easy to spot by the more jaded modern viewer raised on scores of mysteries and taught to always suspect the least likely. This does not detract from the fun.
Playing the part of Philo Vance was a huge boost to Powell's career, and allowed him to move from villainous heels to debonair man-about-town roles. After a parody appearance as the detective in 1930's PARAMOUNT ON PARADE, Powell played Vance twice more [in Paramount's THE BENSON MURDER CASE (1930) and Warner Bros. THE KENNEL MURDER CASE (1933)] before moving to MGM and forever being associated with the role of Nick Charles in THE THIN MAN series (an even BIGGER boost to his career!)
Yes, the film is invariably hampered by the limitations of the early sound era, but once the modern viewer accepts these limitations, there's a lot to enjoy here.
This UK television adaptation of Dame Agatha Christie's 1954 West End hit is a lot of fun and a great way to spend a stormy night. Equal parts mystery and comedy, it tells the story of house-wife Clarissa's trials and tribulations when an unexpected body turns up at exactly the wrong time (as if there's ever a RIGHT time!!)
TV fans will recognize the marvelous Penelope Keith from GOOD NEIGHBORS and TO THE MANOR BORN, and she is as fabulous as ever as the slightly muddled Clarissa.
The producers wisely elected to give the teleplay a cozy period setting and it would make a nice addition to any Christie collection if it were ever released commercially. Here's hoping.....
TV fans will recognize the marvelous Penelope Keith from GOOD NEIGHBORS and TO THE MANOR BORN, and she is as fabulous as ever as the slightly muddled Clarissa.
The producers wisely elected to give the teleplay a cozy period setting and it would make a nice addition to any Christie collection if it were ever released commercially. Here's hoping.....