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jdmcox
Reviews
Old Gringo (1989)
I was awed by it every time I watched it
A great story from a famous Mexican writer, Carlos Fuentes. The movie was great for a person like me. The story was like a parable of human frailties, desires, loves of different kinds, and revenge, all while being a part of the Mexican Revolution. Gregory Peck is one of my heroes and Jane Fonda is another, both for different reasons, but they're both bigger than life to me, as the story also was bigger than life to me. And film-making at its finest, as far as I'm concerned.
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Idiotic
This was the dumbest movie I've EVER seen. It reminded me of Bugs Bunny or Wiley Coyote movies, but they were just silly animals. I might have liked it if I were 8 or 10 (or mentally that age). But I am only embarrassed for having watched it in hopes that it might improve. It never did. Well, it WAS made during WWII, and maybe something absurdly silly (idiotic) like this would take viewer's mind off what was going on elsewhere in the world for a couple of hours. But to give it a higher score than 3 would make me seem like a fool, now.
The Recruit (2003)
Very complex
I had a hard time keeping up with it, but I think I did. It's not easy. I liked that everyone was top-notch. It was like a test for the audience, too. Very impressive, but almost too much stress for an old man like me. It messes with our brains while it messes with Colin Farrell's, but he's up to it (top of the class at MIT was maybe too much, but he was still good).
Little Women (2019)
Read the book first
I didn't like it because so much didn't make sense. So I started reading the book, and now I can say that you really need to read the book first, because the movie is only like a "classic comic book," which was in its day a comic book that told the basic story of a classic book. The movie seems to presume you've already read the book. For example, Jo dances with some guy she just met on the porch instead of inside where a dance party is going on. The book explains it, and the movie tries to, but in a very lame way. Many things that need explaining aren't explained. There are many confusing, illogical scenes. The movie is simply a very pretty "classic comic book." Read the book (although it seems to have been written for children).