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allysonoplinger
Reviews
Holiday Inn (1942)
A must every Christmas
Corny? Yes
Thin plot? Yes
Great music? Oh boy!
Both Crosby and Astaire are terrific together. I particularly love Astaire in this because he plays against type as a cad. He's pretty sexy in this film.
And Marjorie Reynolds was gorgeous and looked like she was having a ball. Walter Abel is good and Louise Beavers- as always- is adorable.
The one thing that makes me wince is the "Abraham" number. Not just because of the blackface which is very outdated. But the worst part is Marjorie Reynolds line BEFORE she does the number. She claims she hates to put on blackface because "I've been dreaming about how beautiful I would look tonight." Cut to her entrance in the number. She enters wearing a blond wig made up like Buckwheats hair, wearing a pick a nanny outfit.
If she had planned on looking beautiful in THAT outfit, she must be blind. Makes me wonder how they whipped up that blackface costume so quickly.
Best part: seeing Astaire dance drunk or amongst fire crackers.
And hearing "White Christmas".
Scrooge (1951)
The best live action version ever made
This one makes you feel you are back in Dicken's time. Alistair Sims and the entire cast are great! The music makes it spooky and gothic. I love the Sir Roger de Civerly dance mentioned in the book included in it as well as Barbara Allen.
I grew up watching this and the Mickey Mouse version. To me, they are the two best versions and I watch them both every Christmas.
For Disney fans, Hermione Braddley will be familiar from Mary Poppins. She is Mrs. Cratchit in this movie. And George Cole was in The Scarecrow of Romeny Marsh, also Disney.
No other version compares to this (live action I mean. Goofy as Marley and Uncle Scrooge as Ebenezer are the best in cartoon form).
Frasier (2023)
Trying to get into it
Good things:
1. Kelsey Grammar
The rest:
1. I CAN'T STAND the Freddy character. He is so unlikable and mean to Frasier. He's an a-hole. He needs to lighten up.
2. Eve, the next door neighbor, tries too hard to be funny. Nothing natural about her delivery.
3. Ditto for the gal who works at the university. They need acting lessons.
4. The old British guy plays either cynical or bored.
5. David, Daphne and Niles kid is played as an idiot. He needs to be fleshed out. No clue why he is even present as he seems to just be there to be goofy. Not funny. Or necessary.
Nothing is natural or grounded in reality. And Frasier is not neurotic in this. Instead, he is a pathetic old man being picked on by his a-hole son.
I hope it improves but without the original cast and writers, I don't see it happening.
Son of Paleface (1952)
One of the funniest films ever made
What could be better than four fabulous stars-. Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Roy Rogers, and Trigger!?
Bob Hope is so spot on as a typical "Harvard man" gone west. And his faces and funny little quips are a riot.
Jane Russell always looks good and she is terrific opposit the two fellas. She sings great,too. You can tell she had a ball making this film.
Roy Rogers was a MUCH better actor than he was ever given credit for. (DARK COMMAND comes to mind). In this, he is a perfect straight man who prefers horses to women. And he sings beautifully in this film.
Of course, I saved the best for last. Anyone who has seen Trigger knows who the REAL star of the movie is and you wait for Trigger to show up. He steals a blanket from Hope in one of the funniest scenes. And no horse ever looked better on film. So handsome!
Lastly, enjoy a cameo by the "Master", himself, Cecil B Demille.
Road to Avonlea (1990)
Fabulous show
This is one of the greatest shows ever put on TV. The writing was sharp, the acting superb, and the wholesome messages much appreciated.
I remember watching this and the Anne movies when I was a little girl. I have always loved this Era and have dreamed of going to PEI and pretending to be Sara Stanley.
The 6th and 7th season are somewhat less than the first 5. However, those last two episodes and the special film, "Happy Christmass Miss King" are a great way to go out with this series.
Wish they could do a sequel show with everyone in Avonlea during the 1930s. But without Hetty King, I just don't know...
J. Edgar (2011)
Will this ever end?
It's taken me two days to watch this turkey. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is Dicaprio is very good in this film.
At least in the parts I was awake for.
If you have insomnia, this is the film for you. It is so slow it makes watching paint dry look like the Indy500.
Then they have to add in all of this speculation about Hoover and Tollson. And hints of incestuous thoughts regarding his mother. The mother thing bugged me the most. It depicts the stereotypical mother of a gay man- overbearing, always correcting him, and no father figure. And after she died, he tries on her dress. Is he Norman Baites?
And then all of this tawdry romance between the two men. We don't know, definitively, if they were lovers or not. But this film gives them such cheesy scenes of passionate love that the dialog sounds like its straight out of a soap opera.
And the makeup on older Tollson is so bad it looks like something a kid would wear at Halloween.
In short, it's a bad movie. Which is shocking to come from Clint Eastwood.
Safe in Hell (1931)
Slow moving and downer ending
While the acting was good, the direction was slow and the action very unbelievable. Everything that could possibly go wrong for the girl, does. And her constant poor choices make her final bad decision extremely irritating as she could have lived happily ever after if she had stopped to think clearly.
As usual, Donald Cook is dull. Dorothy Mackaill is good but she is no Stanwyck. Nina Mar Mckinney was wasted. I was more interested in her character than Dorothy's.
Most pre-code films move at a faster pace, have snappy dialogue, are sexy and have more upbeat endings. This one is depressing from stary to finish.
Once seen is enough.
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
A happy and spirited film
I have so many great memories of watching this film growing up. Albert Sharpe is charming and delightful as the title character. Janet Munro is someone every girl can identify with. And Sean Connery...need I say more? And He does his own singing!
The special effects are wonderful and the music gets stuck in your head.
And on St. Patrick's Day, you won't find a movie dripping with more blarney, more Irish wit, or more leprechauns than this classic.
This is the type of Disney film I wish they would make. Its wholesome, entertaining, and with a good moral message.
And it makes me crave corned beef and culcannan.
Thunderball (1965)
Boring Bond
I love the first three movies. Connery IS Bond.
But this film is boring. Too much underwater and it looks cheaply made. Domino was dull. The red headed lady was far more interesting. The female spy pal was unnecessary to the plot. The villain was one dimensional. And the Felix Leiter in this movie was as exciting to watch as a banana peel.
But the worst part was the production value. How it cost more to make than the other 3 is beyond me. It doesn't show. The other three look more expensive. And Connery looked MUCH older than 35.
Once seen is enough. Wanted to like it but disappointed. Sticking with the first three.
Three Amigos! (1986)
Love this family gem
I grew up watching this film and absolutely love it! I think my favorite part is the songs. They are so silly and fun. This is a perfect film for the family to watch as there is nothing offensive about it. It's just a fun, silly, Happy movie.
It also captures old Hollywood. I think that Steve Martin and Martin Short are absolutely terrific in it. And the man who plays the bad guy, Alfonso Arau, is incredible. But then, when wasnt he?
Martin Short steals the film. He is so innocent and naive as Ned. As a kud I had such a crush on him! And Steve Martin is very good as the leader. Chevy Chase is ok, but the other 2 are better.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Jimmy Stewart
In my humble opinion, Jimmy Stewart gives the single greatest acting performance ever put on film. The scene that really gets to me is after Uncle Billy has lost the money and Jimmy rages at his family at home. It's so real that it's uncomfortable to watch. That's true acting. The whole sequence right after that where he is praying to God for help just chokes me up every time.
I dare you to name a modern day actor who could do it so well.
And wasn't Donna Reed the perfect wife? Their honeymoon in the broken down house is so adorable and romantic! Who wouldn't want to come home to her?
A must watch every year. Saw it in the theater yesterday- not a dry eye in the house.
Thank you, Mr. CAPRA.
San Francisco (1936)
Doesn't get better than this
What's not to like? Great acting, solid story, great effects, and who can beat Jeannette MacDonald's rendition of the title song?
And Clark Gable was never Sevier. He also proves that he could act just as well as Spencer Tracy. His characters arc goes from cocky ne'er-do-well to reformed believer by the end.
Jeanette never gets the love she should. She was a very talented actress and she shines in this.
And the earthquake sequence is so incredibly realistic that I always cry during it. What those poor people must have gone through in the real one!
A masterpiece. Watch it. You'll love it!!!