I actually love the music, but the plot gets sadly preachy. It deals with so many social issues and becomes strained trying to deal with some all. It's like some inept juggler trying to keep all the balls in the air at once and then somebody throws him a chainsaw to juggle at the same time. Things get messy and Confused pretty quickly. I'm not even talking about the period stereotypes that is part of the time in which the pieces set. But they introduce other issues more modern times and try to deal with them while trying to keep characters sympathetic. Finian's Rainbow did a better job at dealing with social issues and stereotypes that were involved in its plot. But Mame does not deal with it with as much finesse as I would have expected it. It disappointed me. I found that I did not like the movie as a whole, and the music barely holds it together to make it watchable at all.
Reviews
24 Reviews
The Ballad of Lefty Brown
(2017)
TOO TOO
22 February 2023
Too dark. Too long. Too bloody. I've watched just about every horse opera ever made and this one certainly is not a cookie cutter one. While I personally love Jim Caviezel, he practically sleeps through this role. The plot goes on and on, and on and on, and on and on. People get beaten to a fleshy, bloody pulp. Someone in special effects loves his fake blood. Far too many gun fights for my satisfaction. I watch this after having recorded it on my DVR which was a good thing to do because I could at least zap through the extended gunfights to get back to the plot line.
It just wasn't a very satisfying plot and ending.
It just wasn't a very satisfying plot and ending.
A Christmas Carol
(2019)
Dickens not turning, but vomiting in his grave.
19 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I'm late to this "adaptation" of the much beloved Christmas classic. But calling it an adaptation is crediting the writers with more than they deserve. This is a woeful P. O. S. That should find its way to the dungheap of adaptation history. I wouldn't blame Mr. Dickens if he rose from his grave and personally vomited on the writers.
The best thing about this "feature" is that it was filmed in such darkness much of the material cannot be well seen. There's also a gracious lack of dialog, but what is audible is objectionable.
Whoever conceived of taking Dickens' classic and dismembering it so would be well advised to leave Melville's Moby Dick alone. You can never tell what an angry whale will do!
Note: I found it odd that at the "redemption" end, Scrooge mutters to himself wishing Marley to rest at ease. Nice he thought more kindly of his condemned partner than of Dickens' suffering.
The best thing about this "feature" is that it was filmed in such darkness much of the material cannot be well seen. There's also a gracious lack of dialog, but what is audible is objectionable.
Whoever conceived of taking Dickens' classic and dismembering it so would be well advised to leave Melville's Moby Dick alone. You can never tell what an angry whale will do!
Note: I found it odd that at the "redemption" end, Scrooge mutters to himself wishing Marley to rest at ease. Nice he thought more kindly of his condemned partner than of Dickens' suffering.
The Iron Lady
(2011)
Yawner
9 December 2020
I'm surprised this thing won anything. Streep tries to walk her way through this confusing mish-mash of flashbacks and other things. I tried to hang in there for her sake, but finally gave up after 30 mins. I was so lost I figured nothing could get my brain unraveled.
Gave it 2 stars for Streep alone. She tried her best.
Gave it 2 stars for Streep alone. She tried her best.
A Bridge Too Far
(1977)
A Movie Too Long
14 July 2020
Realistic or not, the director/producer/whomever is responsible for this movie wallows in long, drawn out scenes. If it's blood, it's bloooood. If it's rain, it's raaaaaaaaaaain. None of that moves the plot along. It only serves to drag out the film. They could easily cut an hour, maybe more, and still tell the story with respect and honor to those who were involved in the actual mission. The movie The Longest Day was far and away a better use of time, even at the length it is.
Oleanna
(1994)
Pretentious train wreck
11 March 2020
I had no preconceptions about Mamet, the play, political correctness, the Thomas/Hill case, and all the rest of the topics/issues/subjects people seem to thing this film was all about. I was a tableau rasa.
After lugging through the set up, I found myself presented with a train wreck that I wanted to repeatedly turn off, but continued in the same morbid fascination people find themselves knowing they're about to see a train wreck but cannot avert their eyes. Kinda like watching anything that Paris Hilton might be doing or saying.
You want grades, okay, here goes:
Acting: B Setting: A Dialogue: D+ Plot: D Denouement: F
If it was graded pass/no pass (we didn't have "fail" as the opposite of "pass" when I attended college), it would have to be "no pass." No Pass meant you got no credit for the course, and it wouldn't even show on your record that you had taken it. That sounds about right for this "course" in film watching.
It seems to me that Mamet, as a writer, is an acquired taste... one I haven't acquired. I realize this plot was situated in the good old days of rotary dial phones, long before the P.C., Supreme Court Justice Cavenaugh, and Harvey Weinstein's "Me Too" movement. But for me, a film's believability hinges on its plausibility, both of which are sorely lacking here. To think that a professor would allow himself to interact ALONE with anyone who had just filed an indictment against him is 100% unbelievable and unimaginable. That the plaintiff would want to meet with the defendant without counsel present, especially when she is using a tenuously baseless suit to promote her cause, is beyond credulity.
People have criticized the dialogue as being unbelievable, rapid fire, terse... all true. In order for me to stay with the film, I had to conclude this was the Readers Digest version of dialogue and a lot was necessarily lost in truncation and over speaking. But it amazes me that these characters were so concerned with communicating with and understanding each other yet continually interrupted each other and made wild assumptions which serves neither communications nor understanding well.
My conclusion for this film is that those who loved it are bumptious and those who disliked it are still trying to figure out why anyone liked it!
After lugging through the set up, I found myself presented with a train wreck that I wanted to repeatedly turn off, but continued in the same morbid fascination people find themselves knowing they're about to see a train wreck but cannot avert their eyes. Kinda like watching anything that Paris Hilton might be doing or saying.
You want grades, okay, here goes:
Acting: B Setting: A Dialogue: D+ Plot: D Denouement: F
If it was graded pass/no pass (we didn't have "fail" as the opposite of "pass" when I attended college), it would have to be "no pass." No Pass meant you got no credit for the course, and it wouldn't even show on your record that you had taken it. That sounds about right for this "course" in film watching.
It seems to me that Mamet, as a writer, is an acquired taste... one I haven't acquired. I realize this plot was situated in the good old days of rotary dial phones, long before the P.C., Supreme Court Justice Cavenaugh, and Harvey Weinstein's "Me Too" movement. But for me, a film's believability hinges on its plausibility, both of which are sorely lacking here. To think that a professor would allow himself to interact ALONE with anyone who had just filed an indictment against him is 100% unbelievable and unimaginable. That the plaintiff would want to meet with the defendant without counsel present, especially when she is using a tenuously baseless suit to promote her cause, is beyond credulity.
People have criticized the dialogue as being unbelievable, rapid fire, terse... all true. In order for me to stay with the film, I had to conclude this was the Readers Digest version of dialogue and a lot was necessarily lost in truncation and over speaking. But it amazes me that these characters were so concerned with communicating with and understanding each other yet continually interrupted each other and made wild assumptions which serves neither communications nor understanding well.
My conclusion for this film is that those who loved it are bumptious and those who disliked it are still trying to figure out why anyone liked it!
The Barefoot Contessa
(1954)
2 stars for the 2 stars
1 June 2018
And that's about the totality of it. One for Bogey and one for Gardner.
For most of my life, The Barefoot Contessa was a movie that begged me to see it. Now that I saw it, it turns out to be a movie in search of significance.
It starts out with the graveyard scene then goes to the Spanish dive scene the makes no sense. Then the movie continues down that path on and on and on.
Some of the lines reminded me of the worst scriptwriting I've heard since "Green Dolphin Street." I expected more from Contessa but it never delivers. It just wants to drone on and on and more and more down the drain.
Guess they gave the Oscar to O'Brien cuz his character was the only one awake enough to try to liven this dragster up. Even so, it's not enough to CPR it. Contessa proves that even Hollywood elite can make bad movies.
My recommendation is... don't be fooled by the star power, pass this one up, and watch Mary Poppins again. "
For most of my life, The Barefoot Contessa was a movie that begged me to see it. Now that I saw it, it turns out to be a movie in search of significance.
It starts out with the graveyard scene then goes to the Spanish dive scene the makes no sense. Then the movie continues down that path on and on and on.
Some of the lines reminded me of the worst scriptwriting I've heard since "Green Dolphin Street." I expected more from Contessa but it never delivers. It just wants to drone on and on and more and more down the drain.
Guess they gave the Oscar to O'Brien cuz his character was the only one awake enough to try to liven this dragster up. Even so, it's not enough to CPR it. Contessa proves that even Hollywood elite can make bad movies.
My recommendation is... don't be fooled by the star power, pass this one up, and watch Mary Poppins again. "
America Before Columbus
(2009 TV Movie)
Call it what it is, America AFTER Columbus
24 September 2017
I have to agree with the review titled "Misleading Title." It spends an inordinate amount of time covering America AFTER Columbus. That was disappointing because I was looking forward to learning what the title promised but didn't deliver. As for being political and biased, there's enough of that to go around here. I can't say it was subtle nor tremendously obvious. Nor can I say either way is appreciated. I will agree with those who value the production quality, it is good. But I reiterate that you should not expect it to spend the bulk of its time on America BEFORE Columbus. Disappionting.
Fascinating, informative, and MUST SEE
2 June 2017
Excellent presentation of a complex disease, or should I say diseases. As a cancer survivor myself and also surviving my brother's loss to colon cancer, this documentary both answered and raised questions for me. It should be a MUST SEE for anyone who has been touched by this dreadful malady. The presentation is a straight-forward look at an unbelievably large subject. Both difficult and hopeful, it makes a confusion of medical and scientific information as understandable as possible. It covers a long history of research, the raised hopes, the pitfalls of over-anxious treatments, and the varied impacts (physical, emotional, financial) that is involved in this malady known as cancer. You may need to watch it with a box of tissues handy or a punching bag to relieve the shared frustrations that comes with cancer, but watch it, indeed. You will not regret it and it will give you a strong education and continuing food for thought.
Holes in My Shoes
(2006)
A man of faith by way of wisdom
22 April 2013
A portrait of a very special man, both as a New Yorker and as an American. His wit and wisdom will bring you to laughter and tears, from a lifetime of living. Besides his wonderful letter about his struggle to find the purpose of life, his one quote should be a standard American motto... "When you have freedom, you must defend it!" Truer words were never spoken. God blessed this man, and blessed our lives with this special man. And "Holes in My Shoes" will bring blessings to the viewer in so many ways! Congratulations to David Wachs, and THANKS to him for capturing for posterity the man, Jack Beers! Jack Beers is a life force in and of himself. His life is the life of America in the 20th Century, helping to build New York City AND America in a critical time in our history. There are far too few "Jack Beers" and there should be more. We are a great nation for the likes of him, and we would be even greater if there were more like him.
Chasing Madoff
(2010)
Incredible, Incredible, INCREDIBLE!
30 September 2012
As massive as the scheme was, so massive is the greatness of this documentary! Anyone who wondered about what happened will be informed, educated, amazed, and mind-blown! The saddest part was near the end when Markopolos and the other whistle blowers realized that the scheme hurt so many "common" people, not just the big guys. When you analyze things, you realize that the world economy is based on TRUST... in each other in our personal transactions, in businesses, institutions, and government and when that trust is to VILELY violated, the entire system suffers. Rebuilding that trust in the aftermath will take many careful years. But it is both ironic and somewhat self-satisfying to know that ultimately the scheme was blown by the pressures of the market itself. Markopolos and all of us must stand firm in the faith of the FREE AND OPEN marketplace to weed out the evil and corrupt. This documentary is a MUST SEE!
The Lost Moment
(1947)
Overly melodramatic trash!
21 September 2012
Not since "Green Dolphin Street" have I seen such drawn out melodrama! YUCH! If this is Henry James, I'm glad I don't read his works.
The plot is so highly predictable it takes any pleasure out of that aspect of the film. Each seeming plot twist made my nausea even worse. Not even the production values can rescue this laborious waste of time.
Cummings and Hayward make a valiant effort, but this is not worth the film used to make it. Agnes Moorehead could have been replaced by Norman Bates' mother and still that would not have improved things any.
There is ONE good thing I can say for it... it didn't beat Citizen Kane for dramatic cinematography. Do yourself a favor... SKIP IT SKIP IT SKIP IT!
The plot is so highly predictable it takes any pleasure out of that aspect of the film. Each seeming plot twist made my nausea even worse. Not even the production values can rescue this laborious waste of time.
Cummings and Hayward make a valiant effort, but this is not worth the film used to make it. Agnes Moorehead could have been replaced by Norman Bates' mother and still that would not have improved things any.
There is ONE good thing I can say for it... it didn't beat Citizen Kane for dramatic cinematography. Do yourself a favor... SKIP IT SKIP IT SKIP IT!
Green Dolphin Street
(1947)
Setting the standard for melodramatic trash!
21 September 2012
This is 141 minutes of time wasted in my life that I cannot get back! It surprises me that it is ONLY 141 minutes long because it felt like 4 HOURS to me! It is also a waste of great talent. How many MORE disasters could strike in ONE movie? The odds of such things are incredible! You'd have better odds of winning the lottery! Murder? Dissertion? Drunkenness? Not to mention an earthquake, tidal wave, and an uprising by the "natives!" WOW! It has more plot twists than Lombard Street! A great cast is swallowed up by a monstrous plot. Since I first saw it, I have warned people away from this lugubrious mediocrity forever! MY humble opinion... don't waste your time, because you will never get it back and you will feel cheated.
The Red Baron
(2008)
OK, but slow and a tad boring and difficult to follow
6 May 2012
Thought I would enjoy this movie, but found it to be slow, a bit boring, and a bit difficult to follow the plot and characters.
Acting was okay, but could have been better. The disc should have contained English subtitles, but only had FRENCH subtitles on it. What if a deaf English-speaking person wished to view this movie? Flying scenes were well done but the CGI was too obvious. Trying to connect plot point "A" to "B" and so on, I found difficult. They could have approached it more as a documentary than trying to turn it into a historical romance.
If you have an afternoon to spare, watch it. Otherwise, move along.
Personally, I liked the horses in the movie the best!
Acting was okay, but could have been better. The disc should have contained English subtitles, but only had FRENCH subtitles on it. What if a deaf English-speaking person wished to view this movie? Flying scenes were well done but the CGI was too obvious. Trying to connect plot point "A" to "B" and so on, I found difficult. They could have approached it more as a documentary than trying to turn it into a historical romance.
If you have an afternoon to spare, watch it. Otherwise, move along.
Personally, I liked the horses in the movie the best!
In Bruges
(2008)
Unsatisfying, to say the least
2 September 2009
I was well into the end of the movie and I was still asking myself, "Well? When will something start happening?" I mean by that, when will something happen in the movie that I can actually CARE about? What I DID find myself caring about was the tremendous amount of vulgar language in it. In fact, I actually kept a COUNT... in the hour-and-45-min movie, I counted 130 "F-bombs, 16 "S-bombs," and 23 various other vulgar or obscene terms. That works out to 1.3 "bombs" per minute. This is QUALITY dialog? This is quality writing? I realize the subject matter isn't the most gentile of subjects, but my point is that I cared more about the language than I cared about the MOVIE! That does NOT speak well of a movie. If I had my druthers, I wished I could have my hour and 45 mins back, and spent it watching something more intelligent, like "Wild Hogs!" (P.S. I hate Wild Hogs!)
Little Children
(2006)
Don't Bother!
19 March 2008
With all the rave reviews from the critics, this was a truly disappointing movie. The plot was predictable, confusing, and hard to swallow. The characters are shallow and by the time the end rolls around, we are not really caring about them or what happens. Much of the sexual content was gratuitous. Trying to make an unsympathetic character sympathetic didn't work.
Better to rent Bambi again and enjoy some real entertainment. I don't remember this movie hitting it "big" in the theaters, and no wonder. Who wants to sit in the dark watching people j-off in panavision? It bordered on obscene, and it surprised me that the movie was "R" rated. I'll bet the ratings board had this one as borderline NC-17.
Better to rent Bambi again and enjoy some real entertainment. I don't remember this movie hitting it "big" in the theaters, and no wonder. Who wants to sit in the dark watching people j-off in panavision? It bordered on obscene, and it surprised me that the movie was "R" rated. I'll bet the ratings board had this one as borderline NC-17.
Wild Hogs
(2007)
Just not my cup of tea
14 March 2007
I sat in a theater full of people who were laughing through the entire movie, but I seemed to be the only one not laughing. The only "gag" I thought in any way funny was the vulture, even though it is an old sight-gag. I was giggling at how cute the thing was trying to walk alongside.
Otherwise, I didn't find the humor, sight-gags, or plot particularly funny or appealing. Most of it was unoriginal or insulting to the intelligence, or just plain dumb. Thankfully I saw it at a half-price matinée, so I didn't feel I wasted a lot of money on this.
The ending was rather trite, and wasted promising plot-twist that also ended in a rather over used ending. I just did not appreciate this movie at all. At the risk of sounding elite, this was just below average, but with it's seeming popularity, I guess there are a lot of below average.... oh never mind. In my book, this is a movie where the stars must have been desperate for money to stoop to this lack of good humor to make this movie.
Otherwise, I didn't find the humor, sight-gags, or plot particularly funny or appealing. Most of it was unoriginal or insulting to the intelligence, or just plain dumb. Thankfully I saw it at a half-price matinée, so I didn't feel I wasted a lot of money on this.
The ending was rather trite, and wasted promising plot-twist that also ended in a rather over used ending. I just did not appreciate this movie at all. At the risk of sounding elite, this was just below average, but with it's seeming popularity, I guess there are a lot of below average.... oh never mind. In my book, this is a movie where the stars must have been desperate for money to stoop to this lack of good humor to make this movie.
Teenagers from Outer Space
(1959)
Generic to the Genre, I guess
12 March 2007
I keep asking why... WHY did the man go into the cave where the lobster-monster was and get himself eaten up? WHY didn't Betty stay put when told to? WHY do these people keep running towards trouble instead of away from it? WHY did the doctor go WITH Derek and Betty instead of running as far in the other direction as possible? I guess it's just part of the genre of horror. If these people did not get themselves into predicaments, there would be no horror to the situations. Guess it's also why I generally do not prefer the genre of horror, because I cannot think why anyone in their right minds would run towards trouble instead of away from it, and throughout these films, no one ever seems to learn from the mistakes of others... "Hey, let's follow that idiot right into the throats of ..." whatever!
Crash
(I) (2004)
Couldn't hold our attention or interest
26 October 2005
Neither of us could even FINISH this movie. I fell asleep somewhere in the middle and didn't bother finishing up, while my fiancé shut it off after only 10 minutes. I've heard all the "wonderful" reviews of this movie, but for the life of me cannot understand how it got the good reviews. While it was not a "trash" movie, and it was "well-made," I cannot even relate to the comments made by the "critics" how this was such a good movie. Most times the "critics" hit it right on about movies, but this one, they missed the mark. Too bad, because I think the critics made this movie sound more interesting than it was. "Two Thumbs" "So-So" for this one. While not crap, it was not what was promised.
Frank McKlusky, C.I.
(2002)
Good Money Gone Bad
11 October 2005
For the LIFE of me, I cannot understand how or why ANYONE ever thought to put good money towards making the kind of crap that turned out to be this movie. Those who made cameo appearances had to be really hard-up for money to put their standards aside to appear in this piece of ... excrement.
I was hoping beyond hope there might be some redeeming joke or gag that might salvage my time watching this "thing," but there wasn't. I can't believe I watched the entire movie, but for some morbid reason, I couldn't shut my eyes. I was in shock. It was like watching a train wreck in progress; you know what you're watching is horrific, but you can't blink.
It is unfortunate that IMDb does not have NEGATIVE ratings in their voting, for this piece of cinematic dung deserves no less than a -1000. Oh, I shouldn't have described it as dung... that's insulting dung. At least dung can be used as fertilizer. This celluloid creation has no redeeming value whatsoever.
I was hoping beyond hope there might be some redeeming joke or gag that might salvage my time watching this "thing," but there wasn't. I can't believe I watched the entire movie, but for some morbid reason, I couldn't shut my eyes. I was in shock. It was like watching a train wreck in progress; you know what you're watching is horrific, but you can't blink.
It is unfortunate that IMDb does not have NEGATIVE ratings in their voting, for this piece of cinematic dung deserves no less than a -1000. Oh, I shouldn't have described it as dung... that's insulting dung. At least dung can be used as fertilizer. This celluloid creation has no redeeming value whatsoever.
The Phantom of the Opera
(2004)
My secret indulgence!
18 September 2005
Having heard so much about the play and never having seen it, I didn't know what to expect. Living "way out here" in Wyoming limits availability of some of the "lesser" movies in our limited theatres. POTO didn't arrive in theatre until late and only for a limited run, so I wasn't even able to see it in the theatre. So when it came out on DVD, I rented it right away! WHOA!!! Remembering some of the lukewarm reviews of the movie, I was ... in a word... smitten with this movie! I bought the DVD the next day and keep it next to the player whenever I want to indulge. What a lush production, wonderful cast, and regardless of what criticisms have been thrown at it, POTO is worth every minute seeing it, feeling it, and loving it, over and over again! For me, it is my secret passion to watch it, with tissues in hand... for it never fails to evoke tears and bring back feelings of love. If it is ever re-released for the theatre again, I will be first in line to see it in it's full-effect... sights, sounds, passions!
Salmer fra kjøkkenet
(2003)
Wonderfully Quirky
9 September 2005
I love movies like this... thought-provoking, involving, and then surprisingly funny! Hurrah to the makers who know there are some of us "out there" who enjoy intelligently funny movies! It may take time for us to understand what is going on, or all the nuances of them, but once we "get it"... it's great! Don't be put off by foreign films or subtitled films, great humor is universal, and the great thing about seeing it "at home" is that you can "rewind" to get all the dialog. While there's not a whole LOT of dialog in this movie, it's important. Once you see it you'll want to see it again to understand and enjoy the many layers of humor and interest, too! To think it's based on real life makes it even more humorous! SEE IT... SEE IT... SEE IT!
Full Metal Jacket
(1987)
Noise Noise Noise!
20 October 2003
I did not voluntarily see this movie. I was "trapped" on a ski-weekend bus and forced to watch, or more accurately LISTEN. The plot, if there was one, made no sense to me. Things happened for no apparent reason. Characters were not sympathetic, so who cared what happened to them? But most of all, the noise, noise, noise, noise.
A Christmas Story
(1983)
Humor that hits close to home!
20 October 2003
Being a Jean Shepherd fan from WAY back into the 1960's when he had a radio show out of NYC, I was delighted when this movie first came out, and I can watch it year-round and laugh heartily every time! Jean's humor came from his own real life experiences, maybe exaggerated some, but always a ring of truth to it. For me, the star at the top of the Christmas tree is the REAL thing, because we had that exact same star on our tree for so many years as I grew up in the 50's and 60's!
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