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Butch R
Reviews
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005)
It IS a Prize Winner!
This is one of those films lost in the "tracking" gutter of film marketing. In other words, it was not registering with the public so it got a very small release, and a very small audience. This is a shame because it is a "thinking person's Cheaper by the Dozen". It is a very fine movie that leaves you teared up at the end without a contrived plot. It is a true story with real people and they have real faults-yet they bring out the great and wonderful joys of life found by a woman in what most would consider a terrible circumstance.
If you see one film on sheer recommendation this year, this is the film to see. I own a movie theatre in Kansas City and I am playing the film. We had 7 for the matinée that I sat in on one Saturday afternoon-I emailed my customers on Monday and implored them to see this wonderful film. The next Saturday I had 116 for the matinée! It goes on and on and I hope that it will be one of those undiscovered gems for many people this year.
Hollywood (1980)
The best documentary on Hollywood ever-silent or sound era.
This is the best documentary on Hollywood ever made. It deals with the silent era, and it is full of interviews made many years before by the director, Kevin Brownlow. He had the foresight to capture these legends on film before they passed away, and, using the interviews with historic footage from the films, he tells a story of the birth of this great art. It is an adventure as great as any fictional one brought to the screen. You don't have to be a fan of silent film to be entertained and intrigued by this fascinating look at the birth of the industry. I can not understand why this series by one of the most noted documentary filmmakers in the business has not found its way to DVD.
Hollywood (1980)
The best documentary on Hollywood ever-silent or sound era.
This is the best documentary on Hollywood ever made. It deals with the silent era, and it is full of interviews made many years before by the director, Kevin Brownlow. He had the foresight to capture these legends on film before they passed away, and, using the interviews with historic footage from the films, he tells a story of the birth of this great art. It is an adventure as great as any fictional one brought to the screen. You don't have to be a fan of silent film to be entertained and intrigued by this fascinating look at the birth of the industry. I can not understand why this series by one of the most noted documentary filmmakers in the business has not found its way to DVD.
You Can't Take It with You (1938)
One of the great films by the greatest director
Frank Capra is truly a great director whose work sums up the simple idealism that spoke of America during the depression. This movie, while "simple" by today's standards, is one of his best works. He captures the essence of the play with characters that you care about and virtues that ring true into the 21st century. Relax, take your guard down and enjoy one of the American classics by one of the greatest directors of the 20th century.