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Reviews
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
No finer version has been made
No reason to look further for the finest version of Shakespeare's timeless tragedy. The cast is flawless. Every scene is a visual feast. Having viewed it (and taught it as an English teacher) I can say that the 1968 version beats by leaps and bounds all others. (Certainly the 1928 production with Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer as teenaged lovers was a tough pill to swallow. They could've been Romeo and Juliet's parents.)
Olivia Hussey mesmerizes with a blend of raw passion and innocence. I recall seeing it on a field trip as a high school student and one could hear the proverbial pin drop. I would see it again and again.
The Son (2022)
should come with a warning label
Where to begin? Start with the script. The dialogue sounds like an after-school special. Paced like a snail on Xanax. Move along, for God's sake! Looking pensive and pained seemed to be the only direction given to the actors. "I'm in pain!" is the only line the teen offered to describe his depression...over and over. This kid's performance is just plain awful. How Laura Dern, Hugh Jackman and Anthony Hopkins got roped into this dog is a mystery, though Hopkins only logs about 5 minutes. By the film's conclusion, I didn't care what happened to any of the characters, I just wanted MY pain to end.
Paris - When It Sizzles (1964)
what were they thinking?
I adore both Hepburn and Holden. I adore them together. I hated this movie. It's silly, tedious and watching Holden play drunk made me cringe, knowing that he was deep in the bottle. Both were too good for such drivel.
A Star Is Born (1954)
Mason was right
When James Mason said that the "Born in a Trunk" sequence bogged down the movie he was 100% correct. And the use of stills to fill in the lost narrative is jarring. Both leads are splendid, however, and it's worth watching if only to heard Garland belt out "The Man That Got Away."