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The Whales of August (1987)
The Whales of August
When I see this, I cannot help but wonder how much actual acting Bette Davis and Lilian Gish (who made her first film in 1912!) were doing, and how much of their performances were but second nature for two elderly ladies who were simply being themselves in this screen adaptation of David Berry's play. The sisters, now spinsters, spend their summers away from the heat of Pittsburgh in a small cottage on an island off the coat of Maine. Davis ("Libby") is blind and reliant on Gish ("Sarah"), her slightly more nimble, certainly more amenable sister as they live out their lives contemplating what has gone before. Vincent Price adds some delicate diversion to the dynamic, sparingly, as a local gentlemen who, having escaped from revolutionary Russia, has his own stories to tell too. It moves very much at it's own pace, evoking quite poignantly the day-to-lives of the women as one of them is clearly suffering the effects of senility tempered with odd spells of lucidity that demonstrate the fragility of life and of the aging process. You won't need a tissue, but you might want to pick up the phone to your grandmother afterwards...
Ten Cents a Dance (1931)
Ten Cents a Dance
"Barbara" (Barbara Stanwyck) works in one of those dance halls where the managers charge 10 cents to dance with her - unless they are at table drinking (she's partial to milk!). It's not really a marriage of true love, but she ends up marrying the petty waster "Eddie" (Monroe Owsley) - a man who steals left, right and centre from his boss to stay one step ahead of his gambling debts. When she realises the size of the hole he's in, she borrows $5,000 from a wealthy client to bail him out. His reaction is the final straw for her patience with this relationship and she turns to a more practical solution with her loved-up benefactor "Carlton" (Ricardo Cortez). Thing is, that doesn't really make anyone very happy either... Lionel Barrymore directs this and he keeps it engaging enough as the plot itself regurgitates a fairly well trammelled triangular romantic drama. It's really Stanwyck who stands out as a star - she steals each scene simply by being on screen. There is a degree of chemistry between all three of the characters, but the ones with the pretty odious "Eddie" worked better as tempers fray. There is also a strong sense of camaraderie depicted between the gals who are trapped in a cycle of paw or be pawed and though the production is basic, it's still a watch hinting at what's to come from this actress.
The Baroness and the Butler (1938)
The Baroness and the Butler
Hungarian Prime Minister "Count Albert" (Henry Stephenson) is having a family breakfast on the morning after the election when he hears news on the radio that his butler "Johann" (William Powell) has been elected to Parliament - and for the opposition party too! He's quite a savvy and decent old chap and offers his congratulations. In turn, "Johann" promises to continue to take care of his master whilst performing his new parliamentary duties. It turn out that he's quite an effective politician and that although they are not quite of the same social class, he and the "Baroness" (Annabella) - who is married to "Baron Georg" (Joseph Schildkraut) - start one of those love/hate relationships that can only end one way. With the odd, slightly confusing, appearance from Nigel Bruce and a Stephenson who looks like he's enjoying the mischief of it all, I found this to be an entertaining swipe at the principles of declining aristocratic rule and of the aspiring hope of the people in a new order with all of the same problems. Powell is on good form here but Annabella isn't very natural nor entirely at home with the English language. Still - as "Johann" says - "there are always difficulties"! I quite enjoyed this.
The Fisher King (1991)
The Fisher King
"Jack Lucas" (Jeff Bridges) is one of those late night radio presenters who loves the sound of his own voice and who enjoys nothing better than to put down, disdainfully, the collection of sad individuals who phone in with their problems. It's one of his casual off-the-cuff remarks that leads to a tragedy and a spiral that sends him into some serious doldrums. Things change for ever one night when he finds himself on the wrong end of a beating and then rescued by an eccentric looking fellow called "Parry" (Robin Williams). This is an erudite and complicated man who is obsessed with the "Fisher King" legend of the Holy Grail. Upon further investigation, "Lucas" learns more of the tragic cause of his new friend's predicament and as much as for his own salvation as for that of "Parry", he embarks on a task to find him meaning again. To that end he introduces him to the shy "Lydia" (Amanda Plummer) in the hope that this might help him find a new reason to live again. Things come full circle when "Parry" himself becomes a victim of the thugs and "Lucas" must strive to fulfil the quest and save something of both men. Whilst all of this chaos is bubbling away, it's down to "Anna" (Mercedes Ruehl) who is the former broadcaster's long-suffering girlfriend, to carefully tread on the eggshells of her relationship with him whilst quite temperamentally (and engagingly) trying to make sure she keeps him on as straight and narrow a path as possible. This is one of Bridges' better and more natural efforts and he works well with what I thought was an over-the-top performance from Williams to provide a film that is at times funny and at times quite poignant. The underlying mythology is quite effective at providing a modern day conduit for an ancient story of a hunt for the perfect in all of us and though it does take it's time, Bridges keeps it going.
The Greene Murder Case (1929)
The Greene Murder Case
This all starts with a sort of roll-call where a lawyer checks the presence of the "Greene" family at the bedside of their mother. A condition of their late father's will is if they don't all live together for fifteen years after his demise, then they don't get a sou. Not surprisingly, they don't exactly see eye to eye so when one of them is shot, it's hardly a shock. The police - the instantly recognisable Eugene Palette as "Sgt. Heath" - duly arrive and enlist the help of detective "Philo Vance" (William Powell) who quickly discovers that any one of them could have done it. Thing is, the killer isn't content with just the one - and when the family start to drop like flies, the investigators must get a move on in case it is just them who are actually left at the end! It's very stage-bound, this, but the pace is break-neck and there are a few characters - not least the bed-ridden and grumpy mother (Gertrude Norman), to keep the investigation moving along until it's slightly unexpected conclusion. It's a bit of an hybrid of other "Dark House" style stories, but Powell and Pallette deliver simply and quite well here.
Flawless (2007)
Flawless
"Laura" (Demi Moore) is the first woman manager at the London Diamond Corporation but regardless of her obvious skills, it's clear that she has reached the peak of her career. Continually passed over for promotion by mediocre men with carnations in their button holes, she becomes a bit despondent and the ideal executive target for the cleaner "Hobbs" (Sir Michael Caine) who's long nurtured a cunning plan. The film doesn't really dwell on the heist itself, suffice to say that when they open their vault door one morning, the powers that be have conniptions and boss "Ashtoncroft" (Joss Ackland) certainly needs his early morning brandy! They draft in "Finch" (Lambert Wilson) to investigate and pretty quickly he is drawn to the nervous "Laura" as she is also surprised by the scale of the crime. Things is - where did all the stones all go? It's quite an interesting premiss not unlike "11 Harrowhouse" (1974) but the pace is really quite slow and the pairing of Moore and Caine doesn't really catch fire. It does take a bit of a swipe at the venal, corporate incompetence, sexism and patronage and shines a light on crooked industrial and insurance arrangements that smack very much of emperor's new clothes, but it's just a bit under-written and lacklustre conclusion of this film rather sums it all up. Watchable, but entirely forgettable.
Fire Over England (1937)
Fire Over England
If anyone ever doubted the kind of actor Laurence Olivier was going to become, then they need only watch this and it is as plain as the nose on his handsome young face. Here, though, his over-acting (and singing) in the role of the enthusiastic "Michael Ingleby" rather badly dates an otherwise quite entertaining recounting of the machinations leading up build up to the Spanish Armada's attempt to invade Elizabethan England. Flora Robson always did carry off the role of a monarch well and Morton Selten (reputedly a child of Edward VII), Vivien Leigh, Raymond Massey and a slightly camp Leslie Banks serve well in support as this story of court intrigues and romance unfolds. Though it is mostly stage bound there are a few attempts to take it outside, the costumes look the part and it's quite menacingly scored at times, too. Keep a look out for early appearances by James Mason and Robert Newton and remember - a Spanish lady may retire, but she never goes to bed!
Avatar (2009)
Avatar
This is another of these films for which I didn't get the memo. It undoubtedly has parallels with the ecological ravaging of Earth by mankind, but for the most part it is just a fairly standard action romance that owes much of it's significance to it being an outstanding technical production. Sam Worthington is "Jake", a paraplegic solider who is tasked with assisting on a mission on a distant planet. By way of a bribe, the authorities offer him surgery to restore his mobility if he uses an avatar machine to infiltrate the folks inhabiting the planet "Pandora". The more he explores this bright new world, the more he begins to integrate with the people and their beautiful and colourful environment. His affection for "Neytiri" (Zoe Saldana) and his gradually developing appreciation of just what his mission is about, sets him up for a serious conflict with the gung-ho militaristic "Quaritch" (Stephen Lang). This film is all about corporate greed and an horrendous disregard not just for nature, but for an indigenous population that is though frequently touching, let down by a really mediocre cast, some slightly pontificating dialogue and yes, it is really too long. It is great to look at, the standards of the production mixing reality with animation are outstanding; it's just that the story is just all a bit lightweight.
The Reader (2008)
The Reader
David Kross is really effective in this tale of a young boy ("Michael") who encounters "Hanna" (Kate Winslet) as he shelters in her doorway from a rainstorm. In fairly short order, this fifteen year old boy becomes her lover; in return she gets him to read to her. He is soon infatuated and devastated when he turns up at her apartment one day to find her gone. Skip on thirty years or so and he - now Ralph Fiennes - takes over a retrospective of her story as we discover she was tried for being a particularly nasty Nazi prison camp guard and she is sentenced to life imprisonment. Throughout her internment, the two continued to correspond - he would send her tapes to aid in her learning to read... Stephen Daldry has created a delicate masterpiece here, I think. Winslet is very much on form as the story goes from a bit of sexual fantasy for the young man, through to a far darker, more horrific, second part. There is something unnervingly natural about Winslet's performance; from the playful and generous - though temperamental - lover for this naive young boy, then the odious and distinctly unrepentant, almost belligerent, woman at her trial. Despite that, somehow, Daldry manages to elicit just a grain of sympathy for her. Was she inherently bad or just inherently weak - or both? Did she crave for affection just as much as the young "Michael" did when they met? His story is one of emotional barren-ness growing up in a large family where his relationship with his father was distant and chilly and the young Kross really does shine in the role. There is plenty of sex at the beginning, but it's not gratuitous; it's exploratory - for both of them and that intimacy also adds richness to what is ultimately quite a sad tale that, though thought-provoking when it comes to the whole concept of forgiveness and reconciliation, did make me realise that so many people caught up in the Nazi machine were ill-educated and frightened. It's also worth noting the subtle role played by Bruno Ganz as his legal professor "Rohl". This is a character who proves to be a crucial conduit for the young man as he has to come to terms with what he thought she was, and what he now knows she became. The pace of this production is measured, the photography frequently intimate and lingering and the attention to the detail from the production designer also adds potency to this visceral and touching story that I really did find well worth a watch.
The Young Victoria (2009)
The Young Victoria
Historically - as far as the cinema is concerned - Queen Victoria was born well into her seventies. Rarely has anyone tried to depict her early years and sadly, this is a rather shallow attempt so to do. Emily Blunt portrays the Queen with some fortitude but the rather soppy performances from Rupert Friend and Paul Bettany don't give us anything like a proper comprehension of the struggle she had, as a (young) woman, to establish herself at the head of an empire riddled with chauvinism, ambition and pomposity. Miranda Richardson as her mother takes up some of the slack in this lacklustre effort with the occasional, wise, contribution from Harriet Walter as the dowager Queen Adelaide welcome too. If it is a love story, then it just about works - anything else is just too far out of reach.
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
The Other Boleyn Girl
Except, it isn't really much about the "other" Boleyn girl at all, is it? Eric Bana never could hold a film together, and his effort as the amorous but volatile King Henry VIII proves he can't here either. Scarlett Johansson (Anne) and Natalie Portman (Mary) play the Boleyn girls well enough with decent, if brief, contributions from Kristin Scott-Thomas and Mark Rylance as their parents and from Jim Sturgess as their sexually ambiguous brother George. It looks sumptuous enough with plenty of attention to detail both indoors and out, but is over-written and it has all the sexual chemistry of a children's tea party. Sadly, it's a disappointingly weak adaptation of an intriguing story of betrayal, treachery and lust that really deserves better. Perhaps a film mainly for fans of a good costume drama that's big on costumes but less so on drama...
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Sadly, someone agreed that a sequel to "Elizabeth" (1998) was required so we ended up with this rather fanciful vehicle for a still competent Cate Blanchett but not so much for a terribly wooden Clive Owen as the seafaring Walter Raleigh. Following the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton), England is facing impending invasion by the Spanish Armada. The (largely forgivable) factual inaccuracies that dogged the first film are somehow magnified in this rather poor follow up. It really does miss Sir Richard Attenbourgh and despite the best efforts of Geoffrey Rush is left too much to likes of the somewhat flighty Abbie Cornish. As you'd expect, the film looks great and the use of CGI is effectively complementary - especially as things hot up, but none of that really helps enliven the rather ponderous pace of this history. Fortunately the Queen didn't live too much longer after this so we ought to be safe from "Elizabeth III - the Essex Years."
Elizabeth R (1971)
Elizabeth R
Depicting the life of Elizabeth Tudor, this six part drama series takes us as she evolves from the terrified Princess living under constant threat of death to the famed Virgin Queen who ruled England for 45 years. Glenda Jackson is superb in the title role with a supporting cast from amongst the finest English stage and television actors - notably Ronald Hines, Stephen Murray, John Shrapnel and Robert Hardy. The script is tight, the direction focused and the performances convey all the peril, malevolence, greed, perniciousness and ambition of the 16th Century English court. It rarely ventures out of the studio, but the quality of the production has held up well in the almost 50 years since it was made by the BBC.
Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window
Jimmy Stewart is cracking as the laid-up photographer who spends his chair-ridden days casually observing the day-to-day activities of his neighbours. Gradually, he becomes suspicious of one of them as the wife suddenly disappears and the husband (Raymond Burr) starts making odd trips out at night; calling long distance and generally acting oddly. Grace Kelly (his girlfriend) thinks this all a bit too prurient for her but is slowly drawn into his web of intrigue and ends up an active participant with his investigations as we now have a great conspiracy theory thriller. Thelma Ritter is great as "Stella" as is Wendell Corey as "Det. Doyle". This is a tight, tense drama with a really cohesive cast under the skilful direction of the master of this genre.
The 39 Steps (1935)
The 39 Steps
A simply wonderful, sophisticated, adaptation of John Buchan's book of wartime espionage and murder. Robert Donat ("Hannay") goes to the theatre to see a man with an incredible memory; but instead becomes embroiled in a tale of cloak-and-dagger antics that see him accused of murder and forced to flee to the highlands of Scotland. It is here that he encounters a sceptical Madeleine Carroll and together they try to get to the bottom of this clever mystery. The dark and eerie Scottish scenery adds to the suspense and there are two good cameos from Peggy Ashcroft and John Laurie too. I found the ending let this down a little - but it is still a gripping hour and half to watch under the expert hand of Alfred Hitchcock.
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Lady Vanishes
This is a great adventure caper - Margaret Lockwood befriends a charming old lady - Dame May Whitty - in an hotel who subsequently disappears as they travel on a train back to England. She teams up with the pretty exasperating Michael Redgrave and together they try to find the old girl. Paul Lukas is the wonderfully understated doctor and Catherine Lacey has fun being the nun. There are also a few minor storylines running parallel with the search which add some humour and a little diversion as we discover that there are sinister forces at work. It's a simple but compelling Sidney Gilliat screenplay with Hitchcock at his suspenseful best.
Jamaica Inn (1939)
Jamaica Inn
Charles Laughton excels as local grandee "Sir Humphrey" in this super adaptation of Daphné du Maurier's book. The bleak photography and huge great waves help generate a sense of the menace of the evil Cornish wreckers. They are led by Leslie Banks's malevolent "Joss" who is just as cruel to his wife "Patience" (Marie Ney) as he is to any survivors after his men seek to drive ships onto the rocks and make off with the contraband - murdering as they go. His niece "Mary" (Maureen O'Hara) and under-cover customs man "Trehearne" (Robert Newton) discover the evil antics and complicities of both "Joss", his puppet-master and his accomplices and the film now tells the tale of their own death-defying actions trying to bring all to justice. Alfred Hitchcock has much to work with here, the photography is effective and the star is exactly that.
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.
This is effectively three short stories bolted together as Raoul Walsh creates quite an exciting and enjoyable seafaring story based around the Napoleonic Wars. Gregory Peck takes the lead role as the eponymous, rather stiff-necked, Royal Navy captain carrying out a mission to provision a rather unreliable ally with arms and munitions. When events in a Europe being terrorised by Napoleon take a series of more treacherous turns, he must now battle his way across the Atlantic and return to help protect his country from the French. Virginia Mayo provides the love interest and Robert Beatty and a feisty James Robertson Justice work well too, to help keep the ship off the rocks as the battle comes down to tactics and becomes personal! It is a good, old-fashioned and enjoyably paced, boy's own yarn based on the C. S Forester character and well worth watching.
The War Lord (1965)
The War Lord
Not one of Charlton Heston's better efforts, this one. He's the overlord "Cyrysagon" who is sent to reimpose law and order at a remote Norman tower that is frequently being raided by the blond-haired Friesians. Together with his brother "Draco" (Guy Stockwell) and loyal henchman "Bors" (Richard Boone) they are soon embroiled in battles with their foe as well as engaged in the superstitions of the local, largely pagan, community where the lord has first "option" on any virginal newlywed. That's where "Bronwyn" (Rosemary Forsyth) comes in - much to the annoyance of her would-be husband and the local priest (Maurice Evans). When they manage to capture a young boy during a raid, they don't realise his importance - and with the Normans besieged in the tower, their only hope is that reinforcements can arrive. Either that, or the penny might drop about their feisty new young friend! It's not that it's a shocker - it isn't. It's just that nobody seems to be having a good day. Not Heston, nor Boone. Forsyth is terribly wooden and it's really only Stockwell as the increasingly unruly and jealous sibling who seems to want to present us with anyone remotely interesting. It does look good, money was clearly spent - just not on the writing or the story. Pity.
Khartoum (1966)
Khartoum
An epically staged historical drama about the uprising in the Sudan by the Mahdi (Sir Laurence Olivier) and his army of Dervishes against the British Empire. Prime Minster William Gladstone (Sir Ralph Richardson) was initially opposed to committing troops to reverse this defeat, and so instead decided to send as an imposing military figure as he could - General Charles Gordon (Charlton Heston). Respected and loathed in equal measure, he travelled to the war zone and our story tells the tale of his attempts to combat the religious fervour and desire for freedom from this local population. This is a great looking film from Basil Dearden and the scale of the battle scenes are impressive; the acting less so and there is something frankly ridiculous about Olivier's portrayal of the Madhi. It's a long watch, too....
55 Days at Peking (1963)
55 Days at Peking
It is tempting just to look upon this as an imperialist (Western, not Chinese) costume drama with fireworks. I think, however, it does merit a little more credit than that. Samuel Bronston pulls together quite a cast as Hollywood (via Madrid and Valencia) gives us it's version of the failed/foiled Boxer rebellion that lead to the ultimate decline of the Dragon Throne. Charlton Heston and David Niven develop a decent enough chemistry as the story takes shape, and Ava Gardner, Flora Robson, Leo Genn and Paul Lukas ensure there is some strength and depth to the supporting cast, and therefore to the story of the siege of the diplomatic compound in Peking by Chinese rebels in 1900. The sets are testament to what could be done in a world before CGI (and I bet the budgets wouldn't be that much different, either) and the mass-participation scenes are colourful, noisy and look good. As ever with these kind of films, there is an inevitability around the outcome; however preposterous the odds - but this is still a commendable effort to enlighten us, a little, as to the attitude of the colonial powers to China at the turn of the 20th Century.
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
The Fall of the Roman Empire
T's amidst the frozen forests of Germany that we meet Caesar Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) who is pondering a crucial question. He is ailing, aware that he'll be with his gods soon and that his son "Commodus" (Christopher Plummer) should not be entrusted with the empire. That honour ought to go to his childhood friend, and the emperor's commander "Livius" (Stephen Boyd). When he announces this, it leaves the honourable general with a conundrum - not helped by his love for the princess "Lucilla" (Sophia Loren). Thanks to an apple and a very dodgy paring knife, things come to an head and what might have seemed like the honourable thing to do at the time soon comes home to bite "Livius" as his new boss turns out to be every bit as bad as his father had feared. With the empire facing battles on many fronts, the scheming Armenian king "Sohamus" (Omar Sharif) up to mischief in the East - he's now also married to "Livilla", it looks like a battle royal will have to take place to save Rome from itself and it's foes. This is a great looking and sumptuously staged drama with loads of attention to detail both in the wilderness of the trees and with the lavishness of the Imperial court. A veritable all-star cast support too - James Mason, a slightly wooden Anthony Quayle and a brief appearance from Mel Ferrer all add colour to the thing, but it's the surfeit of writing that slows down the pace. There's just way too much chat and not enough action. That said when it does liven up then the grand-scale battle scenes are superbly photographed by Robert Krasker. In the end, the whole just isn't the sum of it's parts, and though gorgeous, Loren doesn't look remotely interested in much, if any, of the proceedings. It'd be hard to shave much from it's three hour running time and make much difference, I think it just doesn't quite work often enough.
Quo Vadis (1951)
Quo Vadis
Oscar-nominated Peter Ustinov is superb as the Emperor Nero in this depiction of the end of the reign of this flawed megalomanic. His behaviour is only tempered by the clever Leo Genn ("Petronius"), his arbiter of arts who manages by deft use of language and his wits, to keep the lunatic emperor from his worst excesses. Robert Taylor turns in a pretty standard performance as the film's hero "Vinicius" and Deborah Kerr looks stunning, though acts woodenly, as the rather simpering "Lygia". A wonderfully colourful spectacle of a film showing off the costumier and set designers arts to best effect. Miklós Rósza's score is suitably grand as our story gives the rise of Christianity the Hollywood treatment. It does run on a bit long, and I'm sure I spotted Sophia Loren driving a chariot...
Cleopatra (1963)
Cleopatra
An excellent example of what you can do when money is no object - except, here, in the writing department where this is simply no substitute for a succinct and creative hand at the typewriter. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton successfully - if a little too theatrically - carry off their portion of this epic tale of the life of probably the world's most famous woman of antiquity. Rex Harrison, much less so as Caesar - but combined I think this is actually a far better film than the critics at the time declared. The cinematography and scale of the production are unsurpassed as are the costumes, and married with Alex North's suitably orchestral score, you really do get a sense of the opulence and grandeur of Cleopatra's court. Unfortunately, the supporting cast - Roddy McDowell; Martin Landau and Andrew Keir in particular don't quite cut it and so the story sort of fizzles out towards the end. Nonetheless, we will never see the likes of a film like this again and we ought to celebrate that.
The Ten Commandments (1956)
The Ten Commandments
Until very recently, I had never actually made it all the way through this Cecil B. De Mille marathon. It is a glorious piece of cinema but no amount of beautiful colour and costumes can detract from what is really rather a staid, over-egged production. Sir Cedric Hardwicke helps open the proceedings as Seti, but once he has gone the film loses much of it's class and just becomes a vehicle for Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner to play Moses and Ramses as this overly scripted tale of frail brotherly love becomes enmity and ultimately open hostility. Edward G. Robinson and Vincent Price present us with a bit of menace; the special effects are cleverly applied - giving the plagues an extra bit of potency and Elmer Bernstein provides a strong score but basically this is just one long story more of biblical, than, epic proportions.