Reviews

"Bachelor Mother" was a delightful movie, but one can imagine why a musical, in color, remake would crop up. Debbie Reynolds as Polly Parrish was a good choice, and wound up carrying the movie. Eddie Fisher, as the junior Merlin, was not such a good choice. Many other actors at the time would have been far better. Had someone like Donald O'Connor had the role, it could have been an unmitigated success. Too bad Fisher got the job.

Overall, the movie is delightful. The basic plot, of a sales clerk in a large department store who winds up with a baby that's not hers, but that no one believes is not hers, is an excellent set-up for comedy. This one does a good job. "Bachelor Mother" does a better job. And an even better one may pop up in the future.

gaynor wild

The basic plot line is that Jessica (Angie Dickinson), who is new in a small Italian village, and is working as a midwife, frightens the town's women. They fear she will steal their husbands, as she is presented as being amazingly alluring to all the men. The main problem with this premise, at least from a man's point of view, is that Silva Koscina, who plays one of the wives, is far more attractive, both facially and overall physically, than Angie Dickinson. (Perhaps the Italian men were mesmerized by Ms. Dickinson's blonde hair.) The women are presented as getting together and planning to deny their husbands sex, in order to prevent pregnancies and therefore drive the midwife out of town. The plots of comedies are expected to be kind of dumb, but this one really takes the cake: they deny both their husbands and themselves any sex, because they are jealous of a new woman? How many women do you know who would react that way? Three stars out of ten, and while I'm at it, Maurice Chevalier really can't sing, can he?

While the story is set in the context of world war 2, what it's really about is the difference between men who are now called 'alpha' and 'beta.' One is a brash, self-confident, risk-taking narcissist; the other is a high-achieving, highly educated, planner. Women often wish to marry the latter, and make love with the former. Ms. Down faces this issue.

Overall, an excellent discussion, and depiction, of this particular kind of dilemma.

The movie begins in London, with the American pilot (alpha) and the British nurse conning each other, trying to fake each other out for a place on a bus. This game is interrupted by v-2 rocket bombing, and a real, and intense, emotional bonding. Much later, the nurse's husband (beta) is introduced, and we discover he is a high-ranking official with the British military. The story develops from there, with a somewhat improbable pairing, and a spy mission. It is suspenseful, but is really a romantic drama.

'The Cheap Detective' represents a satirical look at many of Humphrey Bogart's best movies: 'Casablanca,' 'The Maltese Falcon,' and 'The Big Sleep' most prominently. There are small bits of business spoofing several others. This movie, apparently, followed 'Murder by Death' chronologically, implying that Peter Falk's character is developed from his role in that movie. So be it, but that doesn't make this movie a sequel. 'Murder by Death was a spoof of several different mystery story writers, and their most well-known detectives. This movie is a spoof of Bogart movies, some of which are mysteries and some are romances ('Casablanca' is considered by many to be one of the greatest romances ever.) To my taste, this movie is funnier and wittier than the other, and deserves more credit. In addition, Peter Falk's character is changed quite a bit from that in 'Murder by Death,' better, and funnier.

For all those who value Bogart's movies, and for all those who value satire, this is a terrific movie.

The praise this movie gets is astonishing. The dialogue, while interesting at spots, does not seem at all realistic, and especially not given the setting: a small appalachian town filled with people drifting aimlessly. The viewer is expected to believe that an attractive 18-year old girl, who has kept herself a virgin, falls in love with a guy who has had sex with most of the girls in the town, doesn't have sex with him, and does have sex at a boat party with a boy she just met. We are also expected to believe that lover-boy is then so broken up by her "infidelity" (?) that he swears off her.

Please.

I prefer movies about real people. Small town appalachia is OK as a setting, but keep it real.

Gurinder Chadha, in the setting of England and with people of Indian background, has made an excellent movie about racism, sexism and the difference in viewpoints among generations. It is applicable to all people. Using the device of a group of "Asian Women" going from Birmingham to Blackpool for a one-day holiday, she includes stories about wife beating, unmarried pregnancy, loneliness, religious and cultural conservatism, and the most basic: sexual attraction. One of the most striking things about the movie, other than the intensity of the stories, is that no time is wasted. Despite the rather large number of characters, all are adequately described, and the stories are completely told. There is not one moment in the movie that I would modify. It is excellent: four stars out of four. I am looking forward to more movies and stories from Ms. Chadha.

This movie, about five guys who are getting together after a long absence in order to be at the wedding of the second one to do so, develops five different characters who have been friends from a ritzy section of Dallas since grammar school. They are so different that, as one of them says, "are we friends, or are we just coasting on history?" By the end of the movie, each learns something important about his friends, and something important about himself, and a lot about friendship. The only woman who is really featured, the intended bride, also learns some things, about herself and about her future husband. An excellent character study, without much of a plot (rather the kind of movie Roger Ebert likes; why didn't he review it?), it reveals much about upper middle class males. If you fit, you'll probably like it. Three and a half stars, out of four, from me.

This is one of the best statements, made musically, about anti-Mexican-American prejudice ever made. It is set in Los Angeles, during World War 2, when young 'chicanos' or 'pachucos' used the unique style of the zoot suit to set themselves off, and establish a florid machismo. Some of the plot is based on an actual incident. The movie is made as if showing a staged 'play,' in front of an 'audience,' in order to make particular statements about the way things appear to be. Edward James Olmos is the spirit of Pachuco, haunting Henry Reyna, the central character. We are brought to feel intensely both the striving for self-expression of the chicano youth, and the intense prejudice (based, as always, on ignorance) of the larger anglo society against them. Those of us who are anglos also come to identify with the anglos in the story who genuinely care for them and for justice. Four stars, especially for anyone from the southwest who is not a bigot.

This is a family movie, but not trite. The story, and especially the details, ring true, about Norman Maclean's young life in Montana in the early 20th C. There is a bit of scenery (actually British Columbia), all beautiful, and a story about a 17-year old who is full of himself, and who doesn't like the Forest Ranger's cook. We find out about the cook, and about the boy, and a lot about being a forest ranger in the Montana/Idaho wilderness of 1919. Not to be missed by anyone who loves the western mountains, and who was full of himself as a boy.

Castle Keep is not like other ww2 movies: the main characters are not from all over the US, most are from New Mexico; they are very different from each other psychologically, and also very differenct, and more real, than similar groups of characters in other war movies. In addition to the fascinating character development, Eastlake and Pollack have presented what is, in my opinion, the best explication of the differences between the strategic necessity of warfare, and the small-focus, individual absurdity that it produces. Part of this is accomplished by mixing humor and tragedy as effectively as I have ever seen. I regard it as one of the very best war movies, let alone ww2 movies.

Four stars, in my opinion

An isolated group of people talk fest movie, with quite wealthy and relatively young people near New York City. The dramatic focus is mainly on the hostess, who has a tragic story behind her fragile psyche, and one of the guests, who is professionally failing so badly that he is now focusing on 'truth,' in the most hurtful way, to all except the hostess. A Steven Spielberg-like presence, called Sprechman, nearly dominates the story without ever appearing. More or less worth watching, as a tearfultime filler, but not worth keeping.

two stars: only for filling time

"Picking Up the Pieces" is a black comedy involving a gruesome murder, but without explicit violence. It's darkly satiric comments on religion are the centerpiece, with a powerfully expressive focus in the corpse's hand itself. Alfonso Arau has made a small gem of a movie, not to everyone's taste, but hilarious to many. The acting is quite good throughout. Kiefer Sutherland, as the villainous, red-neck cop perhaps overdoes it a bit, but it is satire. David Schwimmer, as a small-town New Mexican priest in love with a local prostitute and whose church is in financial trouble, is exceptionally good. And Sharon Stone (unrecognizable as the super-promiscuous wife of Woody Allen's butcher) is excellent as a woman whose final victimhood allows her redemption from a life of sin.

Three and a half Stars. Check it out