Change Your Image
SanDiegoMovieViewer
Reviews
Mr. Wong, Detective (1938)
Two whites don't make a Wong
I actually had to back this up to look at Boris Karloff's first appearance in this movie, because I hadn't realized that he was supposed to be Chinese! I understand that audiences of the time weren't very critical, but still! He looks like what he is, and what he sounds like - an English gentleman. Even Bela Lugosi was far more believable as a Chinese in The Mysterious Mr. Wong. At least he showed some 'Chinese' mannerisms, and tried to have some sort of an accent. I often wonder how much attention audiences of the thirties really paid to movies - particularly B movies like this one, which were basically time-killers.
Lord Love a Duck (1966)
Tuesday Weld and Roddy McDowall are great!
I read about this movie in a Tuesday Weld bio, which made it sound like the movie had real problems. But it keep my interest, and not only is Tuesday practically the ultimate eye candy, but she can act! And of course Roddy is no slouch either.
Ivanhoe (1952)
Slightly loose but enjoyable adaptation of book
I read Ivanhoe, so naturally I had to watch the movie. There were some differences, but nothing that ruined it for me. I was bothered a bit by Joan Fontaine as Rowena, Ivanhoe's love. She was 35, and looked perhaps a bit mature, while Elizabeth Taylor was only 20, and looked absolutely ravishing. I thought it would have been interesting if Rowena had been played by Janet Leigh, who was also doing costume dramas at this time, and would have been 25. If that was considered, Elizabeth probably said 'No way am I going to be in this movie, if Rowena is just as beautiful as I am.'
The Holly and the Ivy (1952)
Charming holiday film - but a bit chilling
Post-war Britain had a thriving film industry, producing many excellent films, most of which we in the U.S. will never see. Thanks, TCM. for showing this one. I have always been a fan of Ralph Richardson, but I enjoyed making the 'acquaintance' of the other actors. There were a couple of things about the film that bothered me, however. The obvious one was the very abbreviated ending, which prompted me to say 'What happened?' The other was that almost everyone seemed to leave the front door open! When the aunts arrived, one commented that it was like 'Siberia out there', but the man who greeted them continued to stand there with the door open, as if it balmy outside (which it probably was - at least, for Britain). Later on, the same thing happened - a man stood at the open door saying goodbye to some people, letting all that cold air in the house! I wondered if the director had a thing about open doors. I only noticed one actor actually closing the door. Other than that, great film.
Rock All Night (1957)
Surprisingly interesting
I watched this on YouTube because the Platters did a couple of numbers. Unfortunately the sound was out of sync through the whole movie, but I just ignored that. The opening was great, when a really cool-looking 1957 DeSoto (I think it was) with fins about as big as they ever got pulled up in front of the bar. I assumed the movie was going to be one of those kid rock festival things, like so many other 'rock' movies of the time, but it turned into a psychological drama.
Not what I was looking for, but it was interesting enough that I kept watching. The fact that it was only 62 minutes long helped. It was really surprising to see Russell Johnson, the Professor from Gilligan's Island, as a bad guy. I looked at his credits, and I never realized before what an extensive career he had. As for the movie, I think the fact that it all took place in one spot, the bar, made it more interesting. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I think it could make an interesting play. Retro, of course. Kind of a study of 50's mentality. I'd say that the people's interactions were highly unrealistic, but that's part of 50's mentality - isn't it?
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)
Uneven, but worth watching
I watched this for Joan Collins and Tuesday Weld. Joan is beautiful, but she does some dances which I guess were supposed to be sexy, but they didn't seem so to me. But when Tuesday does her little 'Pocahantas' dance, there's not much to it, but she really manages to spice it up. Judging from the reviews, I didn't expect much of this movie, but it actually has some very funny parts in it. The main problem is that there is too much slapstick.
The Sting (1973)
I would like to point out that....
This is one of my favorite movies. I love the period look and the music. However, at the risk of being a spoilsport, I would like to point out that there is no way they would have gotten away with this. Somebody would have spilled the beans (either for profit or unintentionally), and they would have all been tracked down and murdered.
Girl Happy (1965)
'Girl Happy' describes Elvis
Elvis said Shelley was his favorite leading lady. Was that because she was so professional? She always knew her lines? Come on! It's Elvis! They probably hit it off pretty well. To me she looks a lot like Ann-Margaret in this movie. Not as sexy, but she wasn't trying to be sexy. She didn't need to try to be sexy. I loved the scene where she helps out the band by traipsing back and forth with the sign that says 'I'm Evil'. Another thing I liked was when kids would jump out of the bushes because somebody shouted, or whatever. They had all their clothes on! Those were the days, right? Shelley is 12 days younger than me. Those were the days, indeed.
The Little Princess (1939)
enjoyable
I enjoyed this movie. Actually, the part I liked least was Shirley Temple's acting. It seemed to consist mostly of tilting her cute little head one way, and looking coyly upwards the opposite way. Mild Spoiler: but, she pretty much made up for it in the scene where she finds her father - I got kind of teary-eyed. I thought Sybil Jason, who played Becky, the servant girl, was much more natural and believable - unlike Shirley, she didn't look like she was acting.
Why does IMDb insist on ten lines of text? I said everything I wanted to say. That's one reason I enjoy short stories - unlike novels, they don't have to pad the story with unnecessary stuff to reach some arbitrary word count.