Saw this probably when I was about 11. The endless charm of mischievous nuns (or Catholic school girls) with Hayley Mills as the naughty girl. [2444]
I saw this probably about the year it was made, probably around Christmas. Watched it again 2017-10-02. Shirley Jones and Lloyd Bridges play a couple of lonely, married persons who, for various reasons, have been forced to live solitary lives. They meet and gradually come to an understanding with each other that a temporary "interlude" would do them both some good. Unusually sophisticated and progressive, for it's day, and quietly moving. They even filmed it with real snow, and real landscapes, near Amherst, Massachusetts. Katherine at one point expresses her utter embarrassment about feeling prudish while declaring that she has no intention of spending the night with John. When was the last time a female character acknowledged "prudishness" when considering going to bed with somebody? She is shocked at married men who hit on her. John replies that there are a lot of reasons to go to bed together besides love! She smiles at him and accepts another drink. She describes a man whose wife was dying and who hit on her-- she refused, and hated herself ever since. A weirdly amazing adult conversation about fidelity and marriage. Unbelievable that the movie was made, and shown on tv. There is nothing about the movie in IMDB. Real Christmas carols (referring to Christ). Really bad "steadicam" shots. She acknowledges that she expected that her husband, who travels a lot, would cheat on her. There are some misfires, especially around the issue of his lies about his wife (he says she's dead, when she's in a mental hospital). He keeps changing the subject, which is off-putting given Katherine's generosity to him. A young couple who don't believe in traditional marriage challenge their preconceptions. When John finally gives Katherine more details about his wife's breakdown, he suddenly backs off and rejects her, fearful of her pity. Challenging ending. Another reason why most people will hate it. Incredibly sad ending that will not please most people because it rather strongly argues against possessiveness and jealousy. You don't even get the satisfaction of a big splashy farewell-- it's frustrated by coincidence and randomness. In some ways, this is the most "adult" Christmas movie ever made. "In the Mood for Love" browses some of the same issues here, with more elegance. [2350]
Compelling true story of native American pursued by posse after killing the father of his girlfriend and then running off with her. Robert Blake plays the native, Katherine Ross the girl. Powerful indictment of racial attitudes, even today. [2338]
Contemptible attempt by Wayne to justify U.S. military interventions in foreign countries-- specifically, Viet Nam, where, we are asked to believe, the native peoples pined for Americans to come over and rescue them from the insidious communist menace. Interesting trivia: Green Berets are not usually 60 years old. Another note: half the actors were also opposed to the Viet Nam War but Wayne, admirably, told them he didn't care about their politics as long as they could act. Even David Janssen, who played the journalist who starts out against the war and is converted to Wayne's pro-war case, was personally opposed to it. Most journalists, of course, made the opposite transition. Roger Ebert, famously, gave the movie 0 (zero) stars. John Wayne, of course, never served in World War II, when he was eligible. [2287]
Deft comedy about self-assured fop, Mr. Belvedere. Well written and crisply filmed. I liked the part where he wins the pole-vault in order to get rid of the freshman beanies. [669]
Inane Bond rip-off featuring leering Dino and a bunch of big-breasted bimbos. [667]
Lively but silly musical about Molly Brown (Reynolds, who is loud, abrasive, and annoying) who rises above Denver society and takes Europe by storm, only to book the Titanic for her triumphant return, ends up leading her life-boat to safety. Hard to like a film that treats the Titanic as just another social-climbing obstacle. [666]
Unmemorably comedy about Lemmon being taken advantage of by his neighbors, even playing husband for a while, I believe. Long time ago. [665]
Inane comedy with Lewis in England annoying everybody. [660]
Drivel about Soupy Sales igesting some poition that makes him fly. Kids stuff only. [653]
I remember this fondly, though it didn't feature the usual stooges mayhem, and even tried for a little earnest sentiment at times. Some oddly jarring figure-skating sequences with Heiss and Stooges. [572]
Very dumb macho bullshit. Frankie Avalon plays a macho racer who is used by Wills for nefarious purposes. [570]
Ball and Arnaz as feuding couple with a trailer: Ball's obsession. Hilarious sequence climbing mountain, when Desi discovers Lucy filled the trailer up with souvenir rocks. [509]
I remember this only as a special treat in our household when it came on in the late 60's. Sounds good. Seen again 2020-05-07. Deeply flawed (especially the casting of John Wayne) but enjoyable diagram of the D-Day invasion, with some unusually tasteful touches, such as acknowledging the existence of Canadians, and having the Germans and French speak German and French with subtitles instead of the usual appalling strategy of having them speak English with thick accents. About as accurate as one would expect, and more accurate than one would fear. What is truly remarkable, by today's standards, is the sheer magnitude of the film shoot, the numbers of actors and equipment, and the scale of the aerial shots (shot from helicopters), especially of the attack on Ouistreham. Another stunning aspect is the sheer volume of well-known Hollywood actors, including Sean Connery, Robert Wagner, Richard Burton, Wayne, of course, Henry Fonda (unconvincing, for Fonda), George Segal, Sal Mineo, Robert Mitchum, and many others, most of whom were too old for the parts they played-- which mattered, yes, for the paratroopers. Eisenhower, it is said, walked out after ten minutes, appalled at the inaccuracies. A hotel in Port-en-Bessin (standing in for Ouistreham) was actually destroyed for the movie. Real Messerschmidts and Spitfires were used. [508]
Don Knotts vehicle. Get that: Don Knotts vehicle. [496]
[updated 2019-01-25] Really an amazing cast for such a low-brow comedy, about a horny Jewish boy, David Kolowitz (who calls himself Don Colman) working in a machine shop who dreams of being an actor and actually goes our for an audition one day, and gets the part because the director's daughter likes his looks. He has to pay $5 for "tutoring" to be in the play, but it opens a dream world for him. His parents, of course, object-- they want him to become a pharmacist-- but his girlfriend supports him. He overcomes obstacles and persevere's and overcomes a horrible start to make a memorable horrible debut. The movie is punctuated by a lot of lustful thoughts on David's part-- pretty well anything that moves-- which is kind of quaint and faintly offensive nowadays. Also has that roughneck New York charm of its era (1929). Sound is poorly dubbed at times, and it's filmed like a sitcom, and it's difficult to believe that even a washed-up talent like Mr. Marlowe would tolerate an actor that bad for even one rehearsal. Janet Margolin is quite exceptional among a cast of stellar comedians not trying very hard. David to Wanda: I think I better take you home. Wanda: (a little breathless) why? Don Rickles goes to town in a scene where he lends his Tuxedo to David-- and does pretty well, as does Richard Deacon, Shelley Winters, Jose Ferrer, Nancy Kovack, and Michael J. Pollard. [465]
Can't remember anything about this except the tandem of Scott and Curtis. [459]
Allright. [455]
Unpretentious film about black architect shanghaied in helping a bunch of German nuns rebuild their church. He reciprocates by teaching them black gospel music. Low-key and successful. [449]
Above average heist film about a robbery at Los Angeles Airport during the arrival of the Soviet Premier for important talks. [440]
JAMES COBURN, CAMILLA SPARV
Excellent romp with the Beatles, showing their consistent originality, wit, and raw charisma. It has been repeatedly said that Elvis envied the Beatles film careers because their films were critical successes, well-received, and admired, while his were regarded as dreck. But he didn't have the guts to fire Tom Parker and change his career-- so, I guess it sucks to be Elvis. Anyway, the "plot" of "Help" is that some girl, destined to be a human sacrifice by some native cult, has sent her ring to Ringo who, if he does not return it, will be required to substitute for the girl. The cult sends representatives to London to kidnap Ringo and return the ring or Ringo so the human sacrifice can proceed. The problem is, Ringo can't get the ring off his finger. All of this, of course, is just flimsy pretense for many sequences of the four charismatic boys skiing or running or mugging or humoring ridiculous officials and authorities. Lester was a brilliant choice as director: nothing looks contrived or tacky or limp. If you want to understand where "The Monkees"-- the band, the tv show, everything-- came from, well here it is. And it's obvious. And if someone tries to tell you that the Monkees got a bum rap and they were better than just Beatles wannabees, watch "Help" and see if you can find anything about the Monkees that was not already done by the Beatles-- with more panache. [428]
I vaguely remember falling for the contrived appeal of combination of tough-guy (Mitchum) and saint (Baker). Can't remember much else about it. [412]
Can't remember much about this except that James Coburn rapes a beautiful blonde who then chases him halfway across the country to fight back. Obviously sexist undertones. [409]
Adolescent. [369]
Solid knock-em-up with Wayne as -- guess-- go getter General. Fonda and Andrews lend some dignity to this well-crafted but un-moving war drama. [367]
Vaguely remembered for sentimentality, I think. [336]
Superbly filmed dramatization of Frank L. Baum story. Great performances all around, magical special effects. Hollywood at it's best was capable of this kind of achievement, magical and endearing. The problem today is that most scripts don't come this close to a story-line. [323]
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I remember this primarily for Carol Lynley's beautiful, sensitive face. and for James MacArthur's somewhat ineffectual portrayal of white child brought up by Indians. There is some eroticism in their initial relationship but the storyline quickly conforms to usual standards of Hollywood melodrama. [322]
I remember this vividly from my childhood. Lots of fun for kids, and surprisingly sophisticated-- if I remember correctly-- by stooge standards. [321]
Usual mindless bikini's and biceps. [318]
About what you'd expect. [306]
Usually distasteful Lewis fare, though appealing to youngsters for broad humour. [274]
I saw this when I was very young, and thought it was great, mainly because of the scary special effects-- including the one-eyed cyclops. According to Movie Guide, it's a 3-star, and may well have been. Saw this again Dec 1996. Not disappointing at all. Sure, some of the drama was a little cheesy and unintentionally funny, but the special effects were truly superb and sometimes downright scary. There is no cyclops: must have had it mixed up with some other film. [254]
I saw this shortly after it was made: I remember the promotional spots on TV. Had a catch theme song by the Supremes. Otherwise unmemorable. [247]
Delightfully trashy, exploitive piece of garbage. Deborah Wally was one of my first true teen-aged crushes. [219]
DEBORAH WALLEY
Fairly interesting violent, adolescent adventure film about 12 misfits recruited for a deadly mission inside Nazi Germany. The formula has been worked to death but by recent standards, this take on it is literate and adult, and well-acted, especially Lee Marvin. The plot: Major Reisen, an troublesome American officer, is assigned to recruit twelve military discipline cases, some facing the death penalty, for a suicide mission into occupied France, to break into a officer's resort and kill as many German officers as possible, in an attempt to confuse the enemy as much as possible as a prelude to D-Day. In return, the soldiers who perform their duties will have their sentences mitigated. What's Interesting: essentially, this mission is illegal, for several reasons. The soldiers disguise themselves as German officers; the target is not a military installation; the wives and girlfriends, hostesses, and staff, are murdered along with the officers. Nobody in the movie is even remotely troubled by these issues. The actors are quite good, including Donald Sutherland in a small role-- that's unusual for an action yarn. The narrative is unusually adult and complex. It takes a good hour or so before any strong action develops. Until then, it's more of a character study, and takes a lot of interest in the unusual situation of the soldiers, especially those who have been sentenced to death, and their relationship with their officers and the military brass. The "victory" of the crew at a military exercise seems a tad improbable. The battle at the chateau also seems a bit cartoonish. Lee Marvin is terrific, as is John Cassevetes. [201]
LEE MARVIN, EARNEST BORGNINE, JIM BROWN, CHARLES BRONSON, JOHN CASSAVETES
The classic, and probably best version of Dickens's A Christmas Carol, now known as "Scrooge" in some listings. Unparalleled performances from all the major cast, especially Sim as Scrooge. [174]
ALISTAIR SIM
Elvis is said to have considered playing a character that is a parody of himself in this film, but Tom Parker, of course, vetoed the idea. Ann Margaret made her smashing debut in this turkey about a pop idol, Conrad Birdie, bestowing a symbolic kiss on a lucky girl before being drafted into the army. Dick Van Dyk is the song-writer who is tasked with writing the song performed after the kiss, on the Ed Sullivan Show. (Sullivan plays himself). Weirder and more interesting than I remember (I saw this sometime in the mid-60's) but also about exactly as trashy as you might think: it is a Broadway Show, after all. Dick Van Dyke is really rather lame as an film actor (his talents were more suited to the famous TV sitcom) and most of the other actors just mug their pats, but Ann Margaret, in the style I never cared for, really impresses with her old-school talent: dancing, singing, and acting. Maureen Stapleton says she took her aside at the cast party after filming and told her "I'm the only person involved in this film who doesn't want to f--k you". Mildly funny at times, never really interesting, it's a pop-artifact. [154]
Very good, but, like most David Lean films, darkly flawed in it's sense of contrived spectacle. William Holden leads a group of commandos deep into the jungle to destroy a bridge being built by British POW's in a Japanese camp. Alec Guiness is the senior British officer who demands proper treatment from the camp commander-- and gets it, eventually. He makes the bridge an object of pride for the men, contrary to the code of conduct for prisoners of war. Lean is a respected film-maker, but the ending is pure Hollywood. [142]
WILLIAM HOLDEN, ALEC GUINESS
Sentimental tripe about releasing a domesticated lion into the wild. [136]
One of the most important films of the 1960's for it's explicit violence and, more importantly, it's utterly subversive take on a couple of the most notorious criminals in U.S. history. Faye Dunaway plays Bonnie as a sensual, sex-starved, bored adventurist, who spots Clyde, fresh out of prison, trying to steal her mother's car, and impulsively decides to go with him. They set out on a crime spree, robbing banks, stealing cars, and shooting their way out of tight scrapes with the law. They are joined by Clyde's brother, Buck, and his wife Maye, and C.W., a mechanic. The banks are pathetically low on cash (this is during the Depression), and the gang makes a point of not stealing from the customers. They become folk heroes in the eyes of the dispossed, the farmers evicted from their land and the jobless migrants. As the film would have it, they kill reluctantly, only when it's "either him or me". They humiliate a Texas Ranger, who then makes it his life's work to apprehend them. What made this film so revolutionary, was the uninhibited admiration displayed for Bonnie and Clyde, who were, after all, bank robbers and killers. Clyde is suave and witty; Bonnie is sensitive and compassionate. We want them to succeed, to escape from the police, to get enough loot to go off somewhere and live in peace. Penn is careful to present society as fundamentally unjust. The farmer evicted from his land is presented as a paragon of hard-working virtue. Clyde offers him his gun to shoot out the eviction notice. The farmer asks if it's all right if his black hired hand takes a shot or two-- presenting an anachronism on race relations. These incidents make a subtle case for Bonnie and Clyde as social revolutionaries rather than criminals, but Penn deftly lets the reader know that there is some pointlessness to the bank robberies as well. Bonnie and Clyde see themselves as just folks. The government and the law are incomprehensible to them. Clyde claims to have cut off his own toes so he could get out of work detail (in real life, he had a fellow inmate do it) but he is parolled days afterwards. Bonnie leads a boring life as a small-town waitress until she meets Clyde (in real life, she was married). The truth is, conventional life bores them and they only feel alive when robbing banks or being chased. How much of this attitude is a reflection of the 1960's counter-culture? Isn't this the brother-in-arms of Dustin Hoffman's graduate staring incomprehensibly as his father's middle-aged business associate recommends he take the word "plastic" to heart? In this sense, the ending of the movie was prophetic: this mad impulse to live, to escape tedium and conformity, to challenge everything most people believe about law and order and good sense, is snuffed out with a hail of bullets fired by anonymous lawmen from behind a bush. [135]
FAYE DUNAWAY, WARREN BEATTY, GENE HACKMAN, ESTELLE PARSONS, MICHAEL J. POLLARD, GENE WILDER
[134]
War movie from point of view of German pilots. [130]
Eerie suspense film about a small seaboard town besieged by hostile, vicious birds. Some sequences are classic-- the birds gradually settling on a school jungle gym in greater and greater numbers, the phone booth, the attic. Subtle message of nature striking back at absusive humans is somewhat lost in the thrills. [122]
ROD TAYLOR, TIPPI HEDRIN
Mad cap comedy. [120]
[116]
Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson
Sprawling sprawl of sprawl with melodrama, chariots, and the worst actor of his generation. [115]
Exactly what you would expect. [112]
Robert Redford and Jane Fonda as newlyweds struggling to make it in New York. Seen again 2018-05-26. Better than I initially rated it, primarily because Neil Simon, for all his limitations-- and there are many-- is a writer of craft and skill. There are always duds, but also a few gems in his script. The running gag about he 5 flights of stairs wears out real quick (in France, they dubbed it "9", because no Frenchman would find 5 flights intimidating in the least), but Corey is an interesting character as played by Jane Fonda. Definitely high-maintenance and hyperactive, but I've met women like this: they bowl you over with their energy and curiosity, and they are oddly entranced with their own effect on men. Corey smiles with genuine delight when Victor flatters her. The sequences that demonstrate Corey's energy and curiosity and willingness to engage with new experiences are effective. She tries new foods at an Albanian restaurant and gets to dance with the host to Albanian Folk music. Even the courtship of her mother is handled deftly. The resolution of her differences with Paul, however, is standard Broadway cheese, and kind of cringe-worthy. The anachronisms are adorable: Corey telling an elevator full of strangers that she is 15, and Paul's contempt for the Boscos, who appear to be of the same sex, and Victor openly declaring that he intends to seduce Corey while her husband is at work. There are those who argue that just because Neil Simon is popular, and writes comedies, does not mean he is not deep. That is a red- herring; just because not all popular plays are shallow doesn't mean Neil Simon's plays are not shallow. He never explores anything more threatening than a personality clash (The Odd Couple) or just how funny cranky old people can be (The Sunshine Boys), or how humiliating the process of seeking love can be (Barefoot in the Park, Goodbye Girl). Some of the virtues of "Barefoot in the Park" are entirely due to accident: Jane Fonda's sexy charisma, Charles [110]
Frank Sinatra as Mark Brittain, who, with his fellow rapscallions plan to rob the Queen Mary with a U-boat. They are rebels, but not too rebellious (Mark refuses to fire on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter that is threatening to attack them-- because they're Coast Guard, damnit!). Still, a surprisingly detailed script about recovering a lost U-Boat with a dead captain at periscope and rehabilitating it for the unlikely caper. There is a very cheesy love story in here with rude Vic Rossiter contesting Rosa's growing affection for Mark, but rude rapscallions usually come to a bad end in these kind of movies. The sub parts are intriguing. (Updated 2019-03) [107]
Can't remember much of this except Mimieux and Scotti. [80]
Light but entertaining story about a big heist. [65]
Not really sure this is the version I saw. [37]
Charming, I'm sure. Tear-jerker, but I liked it when I was about ten, especially the conflict between grandfather and city-slickers. [33]
And loses her virginity. [28]
Fred MacMurray as inventor who stumbles upon "Flubber" (flying rubber). We watched this with the kids in 88 or sometime thereabouts. Not particularly striking. [3]
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