What Classics Did You See Last Week? (5 June to 11 June 2017
Jun 12, 2017 23:45:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2017 23:45:24 GMT
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins
Starts out very promising with some extremely cute and charming songs filled with good-natured innuendo, Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert make a great on-screen couple, Chevalier is just fun to watch and follow around. The heavy white-face makeup carried over from the silents, is noticeable. Unfortunately the film completely stalls in the middle and runs out of ideas and fills the rest in with a little pre-code 'Jazz up your Lingerie' and a pat ending but it is probably what audiences came to expect-so it delivered. Definitely worth the time if your fascinated by pre-code pictures and a young betty-boop faced Colbert and an ending reveal of Miriam Hopkins in a see-through negligee-so I can't be too upset, was really great in parts though but not complete enough to rate beyond a 7.
In this cheerful 1931 musical from director Ernst Lubitsch, Maurice Chevalier squares off against Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins in a dazzling battle of wits. When a sexually repressed princess (Hopkins) has eyes for Chevalier's lusty Viennese lieutenant, sparks fly and songs swell. The female stars of this randy musical steal their scenes with aplomb in numbers such as the delightful "Jazz Up Your Lingerie."
The Big Steal (1949) Hugh Marlowe, Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix, Patric Knowles
This is a really entertaining little Film-Noir that deftly mixes comedy with some really effective and exciting action, like the great car chase through the mountain roads of Mexico. Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer are a high-octane chemistry kit and every scene with them is a pleasure to watch. Hits on all cylinders- definitely one of those must-see noirs. I enjoyed it enough to give it a solid 9.
An army lieutenant accused of robbery pursues the real thief on a frantic chase through Mexico aided by the thief's fiancée. Mitchum sets out to clear his name in a crime he didn't commit, with help from the guilty man's girl (Jane Greer).
Illegal (1955) Edward G. Robinson, DeForest Kelley, Nina Foch, Hugh Marlowe, Jayne Mansfield
Edward G. Robinson tries his best and almost delivers an academy-award winning performance out of a standardized B-lot script. The movie is on par with Jayne Mansfield, very well put together until it opens it's dialogue and there is a total disconnect between the effort and the results. Even dedicated E.G.R fans like myself should spend the time finding a much better picture-but in my own defense it was a double billing w/ 'The Big Steal' . Just rates a 4, by the end I was just totally bored with the obvious routine.
A remake of The Mouthpiece, this film tells the story of a district attorney with a conscience. When he discovers that a man he's sent to the electric chair was innocent, he takes to the bottle. His assistants encourage him to get off the booze but then Robinson retires as district attorney and becomes a defense attorney who then agrees to help a mob boss get his buddy out of a jam.
Gosford Park(2001) Director: Robert Altman /Cast: Geraldine Somerville, Trent Ford, Camilla Rutherford, Alan Bates, Tom Hollander, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emily Watson, Ryan Phillippe, Jeremy Northam, Kelly Macdonald, Maggie Smith, Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon, Charles Dance, Bob Balaban
The huge and talented cast really add up to make this one a classic period piece and the film has a first-rate production to evoke the ending of the Edwardian lifestyle among the wealthy in England. The upstair/downstair dynamic is fascinating and the story and script are not over-sensationalized-this may make this film too slow for some viewers but to this one it was exactly what I expected from a 'Masterpiece Theater' style production because it created an atmosphere that only added to it's realism, maybe a little light on the mystery but it does end the party with a satisfying completion. Overall just a good example of high quality film-making and there is much to admire -thank you again Mr. Altman. 8/9
A weekend hunting party at the home of Sir William McCordle turns into a murder mystery when the host is found dead. This witty whodunit follows the subsequent investigation from the perspectives of the guests and their servants. Examining the lives of upstairs guest and downstairs servants at a party in 1932 in a country house in England as they investigate a murder involving one of them.
The Adjustment Bureau(2011) Anthony Ruivivar, Michael Kelly, John Slattery, Terence Stamp, Anthony Mackie, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon
Follows the typical formula of a Hollywood compromise, not intelligent enough to be a really good science fiction film nor dramatic enough to be a good romance, mainly seems to be a vehicle to show-case some very clever CGI. It is admittedly entertaining enough but it ultimately feels shallow and cobbled together and not even close to as exciting an action movie like 'Jumper' which is a favorite. One of those films that you give the time to take you somewhere special and it just drops you off at the roadside diner for an overcooked cheeseburger. It's fairly harmless and of course I never expected it to do justice to the original story by Philip K. Dick that it is based on- but still good enough as a night's diversion if you have nothing better to watch- 6.
An action thriller about a man (Matt Damon) who decides to fight the powerful Adjustment Bureau, risking his political future to be with the only woman he's ever loved (Emily Blunt).
Starts out very promising with some extremely cute and charming songs filled with good-natured innuendo, Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert make a great on-screen couple, Chevalier is just fun to watch and follow around. The heavy white-face makeup carried over from the silents, is noticeable. Unfortunately the film completely stalls in the middle and runs out of ideas and fills the rest in with a little pre-code 'Jazz up your Lingerie' and a pat ending but it is probably what audiences came to expect-so it delivered. Definitely worth the time if your fascinated by pre-code pictures and a young betty-boop faced Colbert and an ending reveal of Miriam Hopkins in a see-through negligee-so I can't be too upset, was really great in parts though but not complete enough to rate beyond a 7.
In this cheerful 1931 musical from director Ernst Lubitsch, Maurice Chevalier squares off against Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins in a dazzling battle of wits. When a sexually repressed princess (Hopkins) has eyes for Chevalier's lusty Viennese lieutenant, sparks fly and songs swell. The female stars of this randy musical steal their scenes with aplomb in numbers such as the delightful "Jazz Up Your Lingerie."
The Big Steal (1949) Hugh Marlowe, Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix, Patric Knowles
This is a really entertaining little Film-Noir that deftly mixes comedy with some really effective and exciting action, like the great car chase through the mountain roads of Mexico. Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer are a high-octane chemistry kit and every scene with them is a pleasure to watch. Hits on all cylinders- definitely one of those must-see noirs. I enjoyed it enough to give it a solid 9.
An army lieutenant accused of robbery pursues the real thief on a frantic chase through Mexico aided by the thief's fiancée. Mitchum sets out to clear his name in a crime he didn't commit, with help from the guilty man's girl (Jane Greer).
Illegal (1955) Edward G. Robinson, DeForest Kelley, Nina Foch, Hugh Marlowe, Jayne Mansfield
Edward G. Robinson tries his best and almost delivers an academy-award winning performance out of a standardized B-lot script. The movie is on par with Jayne Mansfield, very well put together until it opens it's dialogue and there is a total disconnect between the effort and the results. Even dedicated E.G.R fans like myself should spend the time finding a much better picture-but in my own defense it was a double billing w/ 'The Big Steal' . Just rates a 4, by the end I was just totally bored with the obvious routine.
A remake of The Mouthpiece, this film tells the story of a district attorney with a conscience. When he discovers that a man he's sent to the electric chair was innocent, he takes to the bottle. His assistants encourage him to get off the booze but then Robinson retires as district attorney and becomes a defense attorney who then agrees to help a mob boss get his buddy out of a jam.
Gosford Park(2001) Director: Robert Altman /Cast: Geraldine Somerville, Trent Ford, Camilla Rutherford, Alan Bates, Tom Hollander, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emily Watson, Ryan Phillippe, Jeremy Northam, Kelly Macdonald, Maggie Smith, Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon, Charles Dance, Bob Balaban
The huge and talented cast really add up to make this one a classic period piece and the film has a first-rate production to evoke the ending of the Edwardian lifestyle among the wealthy in England. The upstair/downstair dynamic is fascinating and the story and script are not over-sensationalized-this may make this film too slow for some viewers but to this one it was exactly what I expected from a 'Masterpiece Theater' style production because it created an atmosphere that only added to it's realism, maybe a little light on the mystery but it does end the party with a satisfying completion. Overall just a good example of high quality film-making and there is much to admire -thank you again Mr. Altman. 8/9
A weekend hunting party at the home of Sir William McCordle turns into a murder mystery when the host is found dead. This witty whodunit follows the subsequent investigation from the perspectives of the guests and their servants. Examining the lives of upstairs guest and downstairs servants at a party in 1932 in a country house in England as they investigate a murder involving one of them.
The Adjustment Bureau(2011) Anthony Ruivivar, Michael Kelly, John Slattery, Terence Stamp, Anthony Mackie, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon
Follows the typical formula of a Hollywood compromise, not intelligent enough to be a really good science fiction film nor dramatic enough to be a good romance, mainly seems to be a vehicle to show-case some very clever CGI. It is admittedly entertaining enough but it ultimately feels shallow and cobbled together and not even close to as exciting an action movie like 'Jumper' which is a favorite. One of those films that you give the time to take you somewhere special and it just drops you off at the roadside diner for an overcooked cheeseburger. It's fairly harmless and of course I never expected it to do justice to the original story by Philip K. Dick that it is based on- but still good enough as a night's diversion if you have nothing better to watch- 6.
An action thriller about a man (Matt Damon) who decides to fight the powerful Adjustment Bureau, risking his political future to be with the only woman he's ever loved (Emily Blunt).