Reviews

When I watched the cast credits at the end of the movie I was surprised to see that the homely, frumpy woman who played Robert Duvall's wife was Tuesday Weld. She HAS NOT aged gracefully.

This is a very uneven film. At times the viewer is in total sympathy with the lead character, played nicely by Michael Douglas. But, as the story starts to wind down, it becomes obvious that he is just another wacko who would not think twice about killing anyone who angers him. Robert Duvall does his usual great job as a cop who is working his last day before early retirement. But, it remains to be seen if he will really retire once he realizes that he will have to spend every day of the rest of his wife with his ugly, nagging wife.

The ultimate connection between Duvall the cop and Douglas, the wanted man is one that defies credibility. But, all in all, the film is reasonable entertaining. SCARY THOUGHT: This film was made in 1992. My God, what must Tuesday Weld look like now, ten years later.

I just read a review by a "newbie" that slams this film. According to said "newbie", this is a bad film that is not scary "like other horror films". I'm guessing that the film is not scary enough for the newbie because it shows no graphic details of someone's head being chopped off, eyeballs gouged out, or total dismemberment. Sadly, that's what the film industry shovels out to the "short attention span" generation that pays tremendously inflated prices to sit in a crowded, noisy theater and watch what passes for a "Horror" film today.

I make it a point to watch Bride Of Frankenstein, every time it's on TCM. One mark of a really great movie is that, even with repeated showings, the viewer can find something new and interesting each time they watch the film. "Bride" definitely achieves this characteristic.

Of course, like most others, I have some favorite scenes that I eagerly await each time I view this classic. Foe me, one of the true highlights is the scene with the Monster and the blind hermit. Both of the actors in this scene are absolutely masterful. When the volume of the music (Ave Maria) is increased and we see the tear running down the face of the monster, we are witnessing (IMHO) one of the greatest scenes in movie history. Boris Karloff was a wonderful actor and his abilities are well showcased in this superb film.

This film is a simple little B type action flick that moves quickly and contains a lot of action. The plot has been done many times before and the characterizations are sort of cliches.

Having said all that, I found Armstrong to be a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours at home on a Saturday evening, courtesy of my TIVO unit. I wasn't expecting any complicated, clever plot development nor did I expect any award winning performances. Frankly, I didn't want either to happen. My wife and I liked the fact that the film moves at a very brisk pace with no long, boring, character development scenes.

If you consider yourself to be somewhat "above" watching this type of film, do yourself a favor and stay away. The rest of us simple minded folk will continue to enjoy this type of movie and not take the film, or ourselves, too seriously.

My wife and I watched this movie last evening and we both enjoyed it immensely. I enjoy movies that provide some thrills plus an occasional laugh. I don't require that a film "educate" me or probe deeply into the meaning of life. In other words, I want to be entertained and forget the real world for a couple of hours.

There is plenty of action in this story and, although it's very far fetched at times, it leaves the viewer on the edge of her/his seat several times. Those who are disappointed that the film was not faithful to Tom Clancy's book or that Clancy sold out will simply have to "get over it".

Entertaining it is, Psych I it's not. Thank God for that......

I enjoyed the story line and comic sequences in this spy-movie spoof. But, I was a bit wary knowing that Jeanette MacDonald was in the cast. I hoped that, for a change, she would give her voice a rest and just play the comedy. I was sure wrong. There are too many musical numbers in this film and, for me, they detracted from my enjoyment of the movie.

I guess there was no way that the producers of any movie with Ms. MacDonald in the cast would not utilize her voice. My fault, I should have known better. Oh, I almost forgot. Ethel Waters (she of the very big mouth) was also in the cast and, of course, sang a couple of songs.

If all of this sounds as if I don't like Musicals, you're absolutely correct. We all have our own individual tastes.

Yes, it's definitely not a work of art. It doesn't spend much time on character development. However, it moves very fast, never staying in one place for too long. Some good action sequences and scenes on a fast moving train, hotel rooms, in a German headquarters, etc. make this a fun film. The acting is not at all bad despite what you may have read elsewhere. Of course, Sidney Greenstreet plays his usual pompous rearend character that seems to be his one and only characterization but, he pulls it off well, causing the audience to dislike him appropriately. Peter Lorre obviously had fun with his role and George Raft was much better than I expected. Turhan Bey did a great job and his character was very welcomed indeed. All in all, if the viewers don't expect this movie to be the second coming of Casablanca and just sit back and watch the action, they will be rewarded with approximately 80 minutes of a suspenseful and fun movie.

I guess that I will go down as one of those who "simply don't get" this stupid movie. From the very beginning it looks and sounds like a cheaply made film with that unmistakable "Made in Europe" look. The actors in this abomination must have needed the money badly. Of course, any "caper" type film must include Robert Morley, whom many viewers seem to find witty and charming. I have always found Morley to be an unattractive and obnoxious man and he certainly delivers on that premise in this picture. I recently read where Bogart had nothing but bad memories of this film because, for some reason, he invested (and lost) a considerable amount of his own money in the production.

The tired old premise of the two good buddies who would die for each other but have the compulsion to constantly argue and fight with each other over every little thing, is done to death in this stinker. Add that to the fact that, for some reason known only to himself and the film's director, Peter Falk finds it necessary to use such a grating and unintelligible accent that it's very difficult to understand a word that he says. What a really poor movie this is.

Slow, boring, talky, confusing, impossible to hear the dialog, stupid plot resolution, etc..... I could go on and on. But, the easiest way to express my feelings about this "Turkey" is to, simply, say that Robert Altman is the Director. Altman is, if nothing else, consistent. His films are all horrible. For some reason, early on, it became fashionable to praise his films to High Heaven (Nashville, MASH, two extremely overrated movies). If you haven't seen this piece of trash, please don't waste your' time and/or money. This movie is actually worse than "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians" and "Plan Nine From Outer Space".

This movie takes a silly, ridiculous premise and actually turns it into a pretty good flick. Most of the actors play their parts in an understated manner and they don't try to go for laughs with the little space alien aircraft. But, Jessica Tandy overacts horribly and her character is grating and annoying. Her husband, Hume Cronyn does a good job. It's too bad he didn't try to keep his wife under control. Miss Tandy's character is supposed to be suffering some form of mental illness. The exact nature of that illness is never explained but it appears as if she is suffering from dementia or the start of Alzheimers. In any event, she plays the role badly. Every time she started that ridiculous dancing around the room at inappropriate times it was obvious that she was an actor portraying a sick woman and was never, for a moment, believable.

There are some fairly good performances in this rather thin movie. However, be advised that James Belushi gives one of the most annoying performances that you will ever see. He plays one of those extremely selfish husbands who always has something unkind to say to his wife (played very well by Cybil Sheppard). Belushi is hyperactive throughout the film and his overacting tends to spoil this movie. His every spoken line tends to be as shrill as the proverbial "fingernail across the chalkboard". I despise people like the character he plays in real life and have similar sentiments towards them on screen. Why the film's Director didn't restrain Belushi will forever remain a mystery to me. During the scenes that Belushi isn't in, the movie is mostly pleasant with some solid laughs.

The other comments on this good film pretty much tell you the main plot. Therefore, my review will focus on the most perfect casting job that I have ever seen. From the beginning, the murderer has counted on getting away with his crimes because he has studied the American jurisprudence system and knows that he can make himself appear to be insane and, therefore, not responsible for his actions. To this end he hires Cutler to be his defense attorney. To those of you who may not be familiar with Cutler, in real life he is indeed a top defense attorney who has become a millionaire by successfully defending criminals like John Gotti. On too many occasions I have seen Cutler look straight into the TV cameras at pre and post trial press conferences and tell everyone how the authorities are trying to "railroad" his client and that his client was totally innocent of any and all charges. Of course, on those occasions, Cutler was a liar and everyone knew it. But, he knows how to perfectly play the system for all that it's worth and usually emerges victorious. In this movie he tries the same tactics on the jury. When you watch the film you will see the results for yourself. One thing's for certain. Cutler did not have to memorize any lines to play this part. He simply acted the same way that he does in real life, ie, cutting under the table deals with the defendant, etc. With Gotti spending the rest of his life in jail, I guess that Cutler wants a new and different source of income. Hollywood would do well to call him anytime they need someone to play a sleazy attorney.

I always enjoy watching any film from the Durango Kid series. These simple, one hour, B&W formula westerns provide the good, old fashioned kind of movie entertainment that I enjoyed in the theaters, many years ago. I'm usually not a big fan of music in my westerns but this film featured some good musicians and singers such as Pee Wee King and his band plus Carolina Cotton. However, I never liked Smiley Burnett and, as usual, his songs do nothing except irritate me.

The plot is rather good as a former Texas Ranger decides that he is going to end up with total control of the only road that provides a path into and out of the town. Naturally, he will make it a toll road. The methods that he plans to use are illegal and an old sidekick of his in the Rangers comes to town, becomes the Marshall and has to go up against his old friend. The resolution of the plot is somewhat different than most of these type of movies and is both interesting and satisfying.

I recall, as a young lad, listening to Mr. & Mrs. North on the radio. The show was, basically, a clone of "The Thin Man" with the North's engaging in amusing banter and solving murders a la Nick & Nora (but with no Asta). However, when MGM decided to make a motion picture about the North's, they went for the broad laughs by casting Gracie Allen as Pam North. This obvious miscasting simply did not work.

Gracie Allen was an attractive woman who, for many years, played a lovable, scatterbrained character on Radio, Television, and in a few movies. She did this to perfection. But, the common denominator in her career was the presence of her husband, the talented and much loved George Burns. Burns was perfect at playing the straight man and comic foil for Gracie and her outrageous ramblings. But, Burns wasn't in this movie and the resulting mediocre effort shows it. Instead of being funny, Gracie was simply annoying and, at times, obnoxious in her role. This movie would have been so much better with a different actress playing the part of Pam North.

From my standpoint, one very pleasant surprise was the casting of Fortunio Bonanova as the North's landlord. He was only in a couple of early scenes but, his presence in any movie is always a treat for me. His rich, Italian accented voice is superb, whether he is speaking or singing.

All in all, this is a decent little comedy-mystery but, it sure could have, and would have been better without Gracie Allen.

I, accidently, came upon this film on the Starz Mystery Channel while channel surfing yesterday. I'm so very glad that I did. I found it to be a fast paced, suspenseful, sometimes humorous, caper "flick". IMHO, the entire cast of International actors is excellent. Telly Savalas and Robert Culp do a great job as two American WW2 military veterans who join forces with an ex German officer, nicely played by James Mason, to spearhead an attempt to retrieve $6 million in gold ingots hidden beneath a German air raid shelter during the war. To do so they must manage to get a German war criminal out of a top security prison where he is the only prisoner. Then, after getting the needed information concerning the whereabouts of the gold from him, they must get him back into his cell as if nothing had ever happened. Aldo Ray does a great job as the head noncom of the US contingent guarding the prisoner who, fortunately, is an old war buddy of Savalas and, for a price, agrees to aid in the caper. As the plot twists unfold, the suspense builds to a very satisfying conclusion. Near the end of the film there is a great scene of an exchange between Savalas as a bogus Army Major and the US Colonel who is in charge of the prison whenever the Americans are on watch. The conversation between Savalas and the Colonel is wonderful. The Colonel is extremely hostile but Savalas bluffs him with a classic conversational style containing a not too subtle threat to inform the proper authorities of the Colonel's non-cooperation. I found those few minutes to be priceless. For the most part, I found this movie to be free of the cliches that normally are found in a caper film. Also, the conclusion of the film is different than that of most other films of this type. If you watch this film I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did.

This is a fairly good movie that doesn't try to overwhelm the viewers with non-stop action, chase scenes and loud, hysterical goings on. However, I do feel that the movie would have been better with a little more action and sharper dialog. For much of the time, the dialog was spoken so softly that I had to keep turning up the volume on my TV just to be able to hear what the characters were saying. The finale, where the protagonist and antagonist meet to resolve the issue is just as low key as the rest of the movie.

Although this movie was made back in the 1960's, tonight was the first time that I ever saw it. My wife and I found it to be an enjoyable Friday night offering. This movie was not about special effects, meteors hurling through space, etc. Rather, it was about the people who comprise the team that organizes and develops the US Space program. As always, Robert Duvall was excellent, this time as an Astronaut who, because of political considerations, was removed as the person who was scheduled to become the first to land on the moon. Duvall played his character with just the right amount of anger and disappointment before becoming the instructor and motivator to the man who replaced him, also well played by James Caan. I wish the ending had been a bit longer but that is a mere quibble with what I feel is a fine movie