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Reviews
Pennies from Heaven (1936)
Bel Canto Bing!
How innocent the movies were 70 years ago! But innocent doesn't mean without cool: Bing is the paragon of smooth, then or today. And what a vehicle for several excellent pop songs: "Pennies From Heaven", of course, but also "So Do I", "Let's Call A Heart A Heart" and even "One, Two, Button My Shoe". Of course the plot is no more sophisticated than Bellini's operas, but who's really watching it for the plot when it's bel canto?! And you have to love the interplay between Bing and Louis Armstrong - and while you're watching Louis, that's Lionel Hampton playing the drums rather than vibes tonight - not many remember that he first started on the drums before moving to the vibes. I mean, what's not to like here? Check this thing out, you'll love it. Even the graphics on the hand-painted "The Haunted House Cafe" sign are fun!
The Polar Express (2004)
What an awful children's Christmas movie!
I just watched this with my kids last night. I'm sorry, but I just can't square this Santa and North Pole with a standard like that of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer." In "Rudolph" it was full of love and humor, forgiveness and humility. This Polar Express version is dark, authoritarian, and punitive. I also can't believe it earned a "G" rating with so much excessive danger and stressful suspense (train on the ice, Christmas star nearly killing an elf, etc) - my three-year old got scared and had to turn her head six times! How awful! (She kept coming back because her 6-year old brother was still watching.)
In "Polar Express" the conductor, Santa and the elves are humorless and of a "law and order" mentality that is prim and schoolmarmish - this is Christmas Eve, guys! Loosen up! And what is with Santa, anyway? He clearly has a messianic complex that is fed by the uniformed cheers of thousands of sycophantic elves at the Nazi rally - er, midnight takeoff of the sleigh - when he makes his appearance. And when Santa confronts the kid who picks up the lost reindeer bell, why so impolite? The boy picks up the bell and then Santa appears out of nowhere and towers over him, and the kid turns around and is obviously scared - c'mon, it's SANTA, people! - and what does Santa do? No introductions, or "Hello, I'm Santa, what's your name?" Instead, he says, "What did you say?" in a very accusatory manner. What a jerk! But then, he runs a Bushian North Pole that has secret video monitors on every kid alive, conveniently priming tomorrow's kids for a future with no privacy. From saintly divine judgment to a petty spy: that's this Santa. Imagine Soup Nazi mates with Santa (woah), and you have this guy.
So I give this 2 stars because there IS some lip service to the real message of Christmas (what, it's not about just getting stuff?) and the graphics of the train (especially the hot chocolate sequence - that is actually excellent) are good in a Fritz Lang sort of way. But if you want the spirit of Christmas, this is NOT the movie.
Thanks for Listening (1937)
Cute plot, and 60 minutes is about the right length!
I tracked this movie down basically so I could see Pinky Tomlin doing a live version of "The Love Bug Will Bite You (If You Don't Watch Out)", his hit song from 1937. He performs it early on in the movie, and then The Brien Sisters do a reprise of it at the end. The plot is so simple it's ridiculous, but it's also amusing and just oozes "vintage B-movie" charm. It also oozes that "1937 Hollywood fantasy situation" type of thing that's just so glamorous in black-and-white. So what's an hour? The bad guys have a clever plot but the hayseed catches on and they get caught up in a web of their own making. It's quite simple and charming. Pinky is quite the game hayseed who is duped into falsely offering his particular talents, and the "Klondike Pete" type character is just right on the money. Yes I give it a five out of ten because it definitely ain't any higher, but that's also a glass half full, not empty.
Citizen Kane (1941)
In all its shards perfection lies.
Your instinct is right the first time. How can you stare too deeply into the prism? To do so you get all squinty-eyed and you lose focus. Don't expect perfection; just lie back and let it roll over you. Pull back; this is simply perfect. Long steady shots, actors who never saw cameras before; the Buddha sits in the center of the living room and says nothing. He knows. Listen to him. You know. Listen to your head. It's so clear, the total absolute rightness of every composition in which the actors transcend themselves. Don't expect this; it happens better then. Watch this a fourth time with Peter Bogdanovitch talking nonstop; it's schlagsagne. Buddha babba.
Mars Attacks! (1996)
"MARS" is just super-duper!
I can't believe anyone has poo-pooed this movie! Tim Burton is a great director, very fun. This thing works, through repeated viewings. I don't know why, it just does, like the Buddha sitting still in the center of the room while you vacuum. It's crazy. You can study this movie over and over, man. Just listen to Rod Steiger. Man, it's just unbelievable he was Charlie in "On The Waterfront" making you just CRY. "Mars" tells you what you need to know, is all I have to say. And how about Martin Short - who ever thought he was THIS GOOD?! He's great! It makes you a bit sad to see the historic Howard Theater and Frank Holliday's being used as mere props when they played such a quirky important role in American music - but that's the way it is, suck it up and spit it out. The Buddha doesn't complain. Da-da-dat's all, folks.
King Kong (1976)
Why Di Laurentis Made an Excellent "Kong"
Why is EVERYONE so down on the '76 "Kong?" I JUST don't get it. OK, the foreshadowing of the twin towers is dumb, but di Laurintis still made an excellent movie that gets bonus points for not being a slavish remake of the original version.
Why do I think is it almost as good as the first?
1). It has humor, which the first one lacked.
2). The actors are excellent and have space to stretch out with their characters, which is actually pretty cool for a monster movie.
3). I love the comments on corporate greed and gross consumerism.
4). Kong actually has a personality, and thus you sympathize with him. You are SAD when he... (can't give it away).
5). Its scarier!
6). The music is just as good as Max Steiner's pretty much perfect score for the original (and without a good score, a monster movie ain't nuttin').
7). The film-making is smooth and photography is excellent.