rc_brazil Reviews

She Knew All the Answers (1941)

cute little comedy

[7/10 · 5 February 2015]

I watched this without great expectations and figured I'd comment on it here since there are no reviews available as of this writing. The story is rather simple; Joan Bennett is a chorus girl engaged to a rich playboy. The playboy is threatened with disinheritance if he marries her. In order to gain the playboy's guardian's approval, she starts to work for him as a secretary/telephone operator. The guardian happens to be Franchot Tone, and the rest, as they say, is history. It's predictable, but Eve Arden is fun (as always) as Bennett's best friend and room mate and Bennet and Tone have nice chemistry. Overall, it is not a bad way to spend a lazy afternoon.

Appointment for Love (1941)

Not that bad,

[6/10 · 29 December 2008]

I was not planning on making a comment for this unimpressive effort, but I felt obliged to after noticing that only one other person had bothered to write something. First of all, I must say that although I never really cared for Charles Boyer "debonair" style of acting, Margaret Sullavan has always been one of my favorite actresses. Whenever I see her in a drama I am sure of the ending (one of the main characters, usually hers, will find a way to die in the end) but in comedy she tends to be more light and fun to watch.

In a plot that strives to make sense in some sort of Lubitsch-like battle of the sexes, we have a writer and a woman- doctor who find love and marriage rather quickly. In a unique way, we soon learn that Sullavan's doctor has a rather open view of her relationship with Boyer's womanizing writer, one that allows separate apartments and separate lives as well. The direction by Seiter is uninteresting; unlike Lubitsch he doesn't permit his audience to imagine what is happening. Not that he receives much help from the script department, since that seems to be dwelling in the creation of its main characters and not too sure of which direction it should take its story. With all that in mind, I felt a bit sorry that one of Sullavan's few attempts on comedy failed, having seen her shine on the wonderful Shop Around the Corner. Perhaps if Lubitsch had helmed this one as well we could have had a classic.

Either way I just feel that I have to clarify the fact that, even though this will hardly ever be in anyone's top ten, it's not disgraceful and can be quite fun to watch once one accepts its defects. If you like 1940's style of comedy, I see no real reason that would keep you from enjoying this one, even if you can easily come up with a better movie to watch. A guilty pleasure as they say, specially if you are a bit of a fan of either one of the two main actors.

Love Before Breakfast (1936)

Anything with Carole

[7/10 · 16 September 2007]

I like Carole Lombard. I think she's one of the most talented, funny actresses ever - and, although this one could not be considered one of her classic movies, it still is fun to watch. A lot of people complain about Preston Foster's role in this movie. It's true that the chemistry they're supposed to have doesn't always work, but I don't think it's the actor's fault - the script is just not that good. It seems to me like we land into the middle of a film. Carole's fiancé is going away to Japan because Preston wants her to himself - and, because he wants her to himself, he keeps finding selfish, annoying ways to get closer. To some up, no one gets why Carole is supposed to be in love with a self-centered, egotistic man. And yet I still like this movie. I pop it up whenever I can't find anything better to do. It's easy-going, if not perfect, and it's amusing. The scene where they're taken in and we discover that Preston's punched Carole is a treat. In conclusion, Carole has made a lot of better films and some of them can be easily found now a days thanks to that great invention that is the DVD (what would we old-movie lovers do if it wasn't for that?), but this one is still worth checking out. I guess anything with her is.

A Máquina (2005)

Good surprise

[7/10 · 29 August 2007]

I rented this movie, but I wasn't too sure what to expect of it. I was very glad to find that it's about the best Brazilian movie I've ever seen. The story is rather odd and simple, and above all, extremely original. We have Antonio, who is a young man living in Nordestina, a town in the middle of nowhere in the north east of Brazil, and who is deeply in love with Karina. The main conflict between the two is that, while Antonio loves his little town and has no wish to leave it, Karina wants to see the world and resents the place. As a prove of his love for her, he decides to go out himself and bring the world to her. He'll put Nordestina in the map, as he says. And the way he does it is unbelievable. This is a good movie; might be a bit stagy for some people due to its different editing job, but I think that it's also that that improves the story. It's just fun, and it makes you feel good.

The Band Wagon (1953)

This movie just makes me smile

[9/10 · 22 July 2007]

What can I say? One of my life's passions is Fred Astaire, and he's simply wonderful here. Minnelli's direction is great and the musical numbers original. The story itself is corny, but the scriptwriter knows it and plays it for kicks and laughs, never taking itself seriously, which works out a great part of its innate charm. Cid Charise also does very well, even if I never really thought of her as an actual actress, no one could deny she had great screen presence. We have an actor who feels his time is over (Astaire, something, thank God, never was reality) and leaves Hollywood for a play in Broadway. Finding help with a couple of writer-friends he manages to get a great play director (Cordova) and a new ballet dancer to star with him (Gabrielle). Of course he and Gabrielle will eventually fall in love. I never though, however, that plots really mattered in musicals (the only exception is Singin' In The Rain, whose plot is extremely smart). It's just an excuse to let people sing and dance and have fun. A saying from my country says that the best way of seeing life is like an old musical. If we are talking about a musical like this one, I couldn't agree more. Lovable through and through, specially the Triplets number.

Second Fiddle (1939)

Fun

[7/10 · 22 July 2007]

I'm a musical comedy fan, though God only knows why - the reason I say this is because I'm only 17. My friends and relatives sometimes worry about my weird taste in old movies like, for instance, this one. I found it to be very cute. Tyrone Power is particularly good, he reminds me a bit of Lee Tracy, his newspaper man performance ready to trick everyone into doing what he wants. The story itself is nothing extraordinary, but it's always cool to watch Hollywood making fun of itself - in this case, the whole Scarlet O'Hara research. A new best-seller has its rights sold off to a big studio who now needs to find someone talented enough to play the lead - something that, after a couple of years, seems to become rather impossible until the figure of Sonja Henie appears out of a Middle School and lands right into Hollywood. I won't bother much with the details, anyone with enough brains knows that Power and Henie will end up together anyways... Rudy Valley gets to sing some good Irving Berlin songs (one of my favorite songwriters). In conclusion if you are looking for mindless fun, a movie that will make you enjoy yourself and get to see some old ice-skating hat tricks the way only old Sonja could do, you are in for a treat.

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

The Greatest Musical Ever

[10/10 · 17 December 2006]

Or is it? I don't know. I first got interested in musicals when I saw Hepburn and Astaire in Funny Face (1957). My logical reaction was to watch Singin' in the Rain (1952). The story is extremely smart and funny - two great silent stars having trouble to pass through to talkies, Lina Lamont is the great, special treat. My problem with it is that years went by and I continued to study musicals.

It seems to me that all numbers are recycled versions of other movies. The titled song first came up in Broadway Melody of 1929, and was quite popular in the 30's and 40's. And what can be said of Good Mornin'? I'm sorry! I know that for most people that song finishes up with Kelly, O'Connor and Reynolds laughing out loud in a couch, but for me it's Rooney and Garland selling a song in Babes in Arms (1939). I've Got a Feeling You're Fooling only reminds me now of Robert Taylor, and Would You brings back the Jeanette MacDonald in San Francisco. As for Make Them Laugh, Freed himself was ashamed of that - I mean, could he more obviously have copied Cole Porter's classic Be A Clown?

In the end, Singin' in the Rain might be considered the greatest musical ever because of its extremely original story, but definitely not because of its musical numbers. I think that, at MGM in the 50's, that title might as well belong to The Band Wagon (1954), Minnelli's underrated masterpiece starring the greatest dancer of all time (Astaire - it's not an argument, Kelly will always be second best and everyone knows it) and Cyd Charisse (a much more interesting leading lady than Reynolds, who I always found annoying).

Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

My First Sonja Henie Film

[8/10 · 14 December 2006]

I liked it. This is a musical comedy, which means: don't pay attention to the predictable story, just enjoy the comical relief and the musical numbers. This film has a great Glenn Miller score, simply lovable. I was afraid I was going to find Henie's performance annoying, but she's actually quite good through out - nothing Oscar worthy or anything like that - and John Payne, an actor I never really liked (apart from the classic Miracle on 34th Street), works well with her. The ice-skate numbers were a special treat. We can't compare with today's ice-skaters, like so many other users have said, but we can't help being impressed either. It was a good experience and I can say it got me interested in the rest of Sonja's work. Boy, could she ice skate!

The Pick-up Artist (1987)

Why do I like this movie?

[5/10 · 13 December 2006]

It really is a mystery for me, why I like this film. I guess that, before going on, I must introduce myself - usually I'm considered quite a film buff, and my favorite film decade actually is the 1930's. Why, then, would I even bother to watch a Molly Ringwald - Robert Downey, Jr. film from the 80's which has a terrible reputation? Good question. I caught it on TV the other day by accident. It tells a dull story (a girl must get 25 thousand dollars to pay off her alcoholic father's gambling debts and finds a womanizing teacher who eventually helps her out of it, if it makes any sense) with a lot of implausible moments - the scene of the robber singing Elvis, for instance, like another comment mentioned - but it does have a lot of familiar faces and I found all performances likable, particularly that of Downey Jr - but then again, his talent should never be in question, in spite of all his drug problems. Ringwald and Downey have great chemistry and pull of what could've become quite unwatchable. In the end of the day, I liked it and didn't think it was a time waster. If you watch it, maybe you'll be able to tell me why. It's been bothering me.