Reviews

I found this movie original and enjoyable. It's about a futuristic world where people stop aging at 25. They all have a digital clock on their forearm bearing a year's worth of time. The clock begins its countdown once you turn 25. There is no money in this bleak future world. Instead the currency is time. Everything you do from getting coffee to riding the bus is paid in time so literally time is money. Within this backdrop is a love story and revenge tale. Justin Timberlake is suitable as factory worker Will Silas and Amanda Seyfried plays the beautiful, pampered Sylvia. They are likable and the chemistry between the two is believable. The main downside to the movie is the subplot involving Timekeeper/Cop Raymond Leon and his cronies. I found his character annoying and his zeal for the job unbelievable. However, the plot is strong enough to make-up for this distraction. As someone not expecting a lot, I was glad I took the time to watch this movie.

Play Misty for Me is about a handsome radio DJ named Dave Garver (Clint Eastwood) who has a one night stand with a female fan of his nightly radio show named Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter). She frequently listens to the show and calls in to request that he play a song called "Misty". The "no strings attached" encounter takes a turn for the worse as Evelyn becomes increasingly possessive of Dave. She believes that the two of them have something special; however, Dave has no romantic interest in her. His heart actually belongs to ex-girlfriend Tobie (Donna Mills). This movie is satisfying; although, one out of place element in this rather dark film is the inclusion of a lengthy romantic montage with Dave and Tobie featuring the classic Roberta Flack hit "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". It's like it's done just to make sure we see a loving side to Dave and avoid the risk of us seeing him as a jerk that deserves what he gets. Play Misty for Me predates Fatal Attraction by about 15 years but the female protagonist in this film makes Glenn Close's character in Fatal look rather reasonable. The film marks the directional debut by Clint Eastwood which makes it worthy of a look just for this historic value.

I've seen this film a few times now and it remains one of the most enjoyable and memorable films I have ever had the pleasure of seeing.

The film is about convict turned "preacher" name Harry Powers (Robert Mitchum) who marries widow Willa Harper (Shelley Winters) in order to find the $10,000 that her late husband Ben (Peter Graves) hid before he was convicted and hung for robbery and murder. Harry learned about the hidden money when he was a cell mate of Ben's. The only ones who know where Ben hid the money are his children, street-smart nine-year old John (Billy Chapin) and sweet four-year old Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce). The children swore to their father that they would never tell where the money is hidden but Harry will stop at nothing to force them to reveal this information. What evolves is a battle of wills and wit between Harry and young John.

This movie can be divided into two parts: Part one focuses on Harry marrying Willa and trying to become a wonderful stepfather to the two children. He puts on an outward charm to the local towns people but is cruel to his meek and religiously repentant wife Willa and also to the children, especially John who sees through Harry and knows he is a shyster. Harry is relentless in his questioning about the whereabouts of the money with the children. Willa eventually realizes that the money is the real reason why Harry married her and she confronts him. It is after this revelation that we are now privy to the real depths of this man's evil. Part two of the film takes on the air of a dark fairy tale complete with tough, wise "Mother Hen" Rachel Cooper who reads stories from the bible and sings hymns. She finds John and Pearl who have arrived on a river boat. The children live with Ms. Cooper and her foster children. For a little while, the kids appear to live a normal life; although John remains a bit aloof in his new surroundings. The happy fairy tale is soon interrupted as Harry reemerges and the battle between good and evil are heightened to full effect.

Mitchum's Harry Powers is one of the most evil characters on film. He is a psychopath serial killer with hints of Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde. He walks around with the words "love" tattooed on his right hand and "hate" tattooed on his left. His description of why he has these words tattooed on his hands is one of the many memorable scenes in this film. Every character in this film is rich and complex and superbly played, especially Mitchum's Harry, Chaplin's John, and Gish's Ms. Cooper. I'm always pointing out ways a remake might make a film better but in this case, I have nothing. In fact, any remake would surely be inferior to this version.

This film is pretty original as we don't often see movies about the relationship between a brother and his two strong-willed sisters. Harry is a middle-aged bachelor who lives with his two sisters, Lettie and Hester. The family was once rich but lost their money during the Depression. Now the two sisters depend on Harry who works at the fabric mill making prints. Lettie is the pretty, spoiled sister that feigns illnesses for attention and is obsessed with the family staying together; particularly her and Harry. Hester is the feisty, practical widowed sister that knows Lettie's illnesses are faked and frequently argues with her. Harry is caught in the middle of it all, living a mundane existence before he meets beautiful, young female designer Deborah. What you essentially get is a love triangle of sorts between Harry, Deborah, and his needy sister Lettie and the consequences of their decisions.

This movie has good bones but it's missing the complexity and richness for a really good film noir. All the characters are pretty one-dimensional and you find yourself wanting more background on the characters and relationships like how Lettie and Harry became so co-dependent on one another (due to censorship, the film couldn't address what was obviously incestuous feelings by Lettie or both Lettie and Harry).

I'd love to see a remake of this film with some extra depth and without the production codes of the time. It has all the makings to be a classic.

We all know Andy Griffith as the upstanding and affable Andy Taylor from the Andy Griffith show or the similarly upstanding, folksy attorney Ben Matlock on Matlock. Well, before he was type cast into roles like these, he played the morally corrupt character Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes.

The film begins with talent scout Marcia Jefferies (Patricia Neal) visiting the Tomahawk County jail in Arkansas. She is looking for talent to feature on her "roving reporter" radio program called A Face in the Crowd. While there, she discovers boisterous drifter, Larry Rhodes, who she immediately renames "Lonesome Rhodes". Larry is in jail for drunk and disorderly conduct but negotiates getting out of jail early if he sings and agrees to be recorded for the radio show. Once the agreement is reached, Larry breaks out his guitar and mesmerizes the small crowd with witty stories and a bluesy style ad lib country song about his upcoming freedom. Marcia plays the recording back to her uncle who owns the radio station and they immediately know they have a hit on their hands. They track Larry down and offer him a chance for his own radio show. The show is an instant success with housewives and advertisers. Larry quickly realizes that he has a gift to persuade people when he tanks the popular Tomahawk sheriff's bid for mayor by deriding him on his radio program. This incident garners national attention and Larry gets offered a chance to appear on television in the big city of Memphis. He agrees to the offer and takes Marcia along with him and they begin a relationship. Together with program writer, Mel Miller (Walter Matthau), they create a television hit and the sponsor of the show, a mattress company, sees its sales increase by 55%. From this point forward, we see the familiar but wonderfully handled themes related to the evils of fast fame and fortune and how there is nothing like a woman scorned.

This movie is a real gem. Anyone who enjoys films like Citizen Kane, All About Eve or The Bad and The Beautiful will enjoy this film. The only flaw I really see is that Andy Griffith's portrayal of Lonesome Rhodes is so strong that he overshadows the other formidable actors, Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, and Lee Remick. Overall, this film is a classic because Griffith provides you with a unique glimpse into what he was capable of as a character actor.

I decided to watch this film with some trepidation. It showed up as an instant play movie on Netflix. I was already very familiar with the movie being on several critics' list for "must see" movies but this part made me even more skeptical. Why? Because many of the reviews focused too much on the wonderful cinematography, how the film represents the Italian neo-realist film movement, the greater social issues of poverty and austerity measures of the time, and the psycho-social father/son dynamic. Well, all that's nice but is the movie good? The answer is a resounding yes! This 1948 film is way before my time but I connected with it as strongly as any film from today.

The plot is very simple, a father named Antonio is in desperate need of work during post World War II era in Rome. He finally gets a job opportunity posting advertisements but it requires his bicycle which he has already pawned. His determined and supportive wife gathers all the bed linens to help raise money and retrieve the bicycle from the pawn shop. The father's son, Bruno polishes up the bike, noticing a small dent and admonishing his dad for not pointing this out to the pawn shop manager. The son is instantly adorable! The father is elated with his new job which comes with a regular salary and housing stipend. However, on the very first day of work, the bicycle is stolen. The rest of the movie involves the father's search, accompanied by his son, for the bicycle. This movie is infuriating as you experience the apathy of the police and community to the father's situation. As the day prevails, Antonio becomes more desperate and all that he stands for as a man and father begins to disintegrate.

The best movies are the ones that stir intense emotion whether it's joy, sadness, fright, etc. This movie is maddening. You understand the final actions of the father but you also are deeply pained for how it forever changes his son. Thanks to all of you that encouraged us to watch this film. Now, I'm paying it forward.

This film is a guilty pleasure, you know one of those movies that will never be on anyone's "best movie" list but one you can watch over and over again and secretly enjoy as much as those great films. A Piece of the Action is a stark contrast to the popular Blaxploitation films of the 1970s and stars the handsome and talented Sydney Poitier as Manny Durrell and the very funny and charming Bill Cosby as Dave Anderson.

The film is about two high-end thieves (Poitier and Cosby) who are being blackmailed by a mysterious caller with a distinctive baritone voice. The caller agrees not to turn over what he knows to the police if they agree to donate their time to the Community Improvement Center which works with "incorrigible" youth from the inner city. The remainder of the movie involves the two thieves partnering up to work at the center's job preparedness program while also looking for the blackmailer and avoiding the crooks they stole from. Juggling all these things create some amusing encounters.

My favorite parts involve Poitier's interaction with the teens. He's cool and suave and doesn't take anything off the rebellious teens. Over the next few weeks, the teens develop pride in who they are, learn the value of a dollar and hard work, and develop the necessary skills for getting and holding down a job. There is some fantastic dialogue like Barbara's (Sheryl Lee Ralph) Poverty Pimp speech directed at teacher Ms. Thomas. There are also some touching moments, i.e. Willie talking about his brother Timmy. I also like the romantic relationship that forms between Cosby's Anderson (Who knew he had a sexy side) and Lila French (Denise Nicholas), the Center's Director.

The colloquialisms, clothes, dances and music are admittedly dated (although the music soundtrack is awesome). However, some of the over-arching themes are still relevant like having pride in your race, dealing with stereotypes of black youth, etc. I really hope we see a remake of this movie as well as the other two films that partnered Poitier and Cosby – Uptown Saturday Night and Lets Do It Again. This is the strongest of the three films and deserves its place in Black Film history.

Dead Again is one of the best films of the 1990s. It is a psychological thriller that will require your full attention. This includes the opening credits which provide critical background information. In the opening credits, you see old newspaper clippings from 1949 about the shocking death of pianist Margaret Strauss (Emma Thompson). Based on the clippings, we learn that Margaret's husband, conductor-composer Robert Strauss (Kenneth Branagh) claims a thief killed Margaret but he is later arrested for the crime after his fingerprints are found on a pair of scissors. Testimony from witnesses as well as his refusal to testify results in a guilty verdict and Strauss gets the death penalty. Most of the newspaper articles were written by Gray Baker (Andy Garcia) who visits Strauss at his request on the day of his execution. Strauss asks Baker to print that "He loved his wife and that he will love her forever" while getting his hair sheard with scissors by one of the guards. Baker asks Strauss why he is not afraid of death and Strauss states that he is not because things are "far from over". When Baker states, "But you still killed her, didn't you?", Strauss gets up and whispers something in his ear. Strauss is then escorted down the hallway to the death chamber. As Baker gets up to leave, he looks at the newspaper that was next to Strauss and notices the scissors that the guard had laid down are missing. We then see the scissors in Strauss's hand as Baker runs down the hallway yelling "stop" to Strauss. At the end of the hallway is a vision of Margaret Strauss and then we see Robert Strauss reach out and begin to stab her. We're instantly snapped forward into color (from black and white) and a modern day Emma Thompson awakes from her nightmare where she appears to live on the same property as where the Strauss' used to live. Now all of this happens during the first five minutes of the movie and if you're not hooked, then something's really wrong! The film goes back and forth between the past (always shown in black and white) and current day (shown in color). Suspicions abound as we piece together details from past lives and how they relate to the current characters. In doing so, we are left on the edge of our seats as new facts and twists are revealed.

This is a "thinking person's movie" with a load of originality. If you like Hitchcock movies or you find films like the Matrix and Inception to be thrilling because of the twists and/or strong focus you must have while watching, you'll appreciate this film.

This beautifully made film ranks high among my list of favorite movies. One reason is because of its film star, Li Gong, who I loved in Ju Dou, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Curse of the Golden Flower. The second reason is because of Director Yimou Zhang who directed Ju Dou, Hero, House of the Flying Daggers, and Curse of the Golden Flower, all films that should be on your IMDb watchlist if you haven't seen them. The third reason is the exquisite writing and plot. The film is about 19 year old Songlian (Li Gong) whose family falls on hard times after the death of her father. She marries into the wealthy Chen family and becomes the fourth wife of Master Chen. The competition for his attention and affection among the wives is fierce. This is because the Master decides on a daily basis which wife he will spend the night with. Whomever he chooses gets her lanterns lit and special treatment including a foot massage, her choice of food at mealtime, and the most attention and respect from the servants. The first wife is routinely passed over so the other wives ignore her but the remaining wives hate each other and resort to trickery and backstabbing. The unhealthy environment leads to tragedy.

This film is one that will have you continuing to look at the screen five minutes after it has ended. The wonderfully rich colors shown in the movie are in sharp contrast to the dark, depressing life of Songlian who once dreamed of a happy life before being forced into marriage

February is designated as Black History month in the United States, therefore, I thought it appropriate to review one of the quintessential films on race this month.

I've seen the 1959 version of Imitation of Life as well as the 1934 version several times. I even own the DVDs. I have a slight preference for this 1959 version, maybe due to the beautiful actresses Lana Turner and Susan Kohner (as Sarah Jane) or maybe because of Mahalia Jackson's tear induced song "Trouble of the World" which is not in the original version. However, I highly suggest that both movie versions be seen since they are not exact replicas.

The film has two main plots. There is Lana Turner as Lora Meredith, a once struggling actress that achieves stardom on Broadway but at the expense of her relationship with her teenage daughter Susie (Sandra Dee). Susie feels closer to the family's black housekeeper, Annie Johnson, who also has a teenage daughter that lives with the family name Sarah Jane. When Lora goes away to make a film, Susie develops an intense crush on her mother's boyfriend, Steve, who stays behind to help watch over her. Lora and Susie's relationship deteriorate further when Susie learns that Lora and Steve plan to marry resulting in Susie's decision to go away for school so she could get over Steve.

The far more interesting plot is the relationship between Annie and her daughter Sarah Jane who can pass for white. In fact, Sarah Jane looks almost as white as her playmate Susie and resents the inequality she sees between the two due to their race. Sarah Jane's bitterness about how limited her life choices are increases as she becomes a young adult. She is embarrassed by her black mother and chooses to disassociate from her so she can live ("pass") as a white woman. She dates a white man and takes a job performing at a "white only" nightclub. Neither lasts when she is revealed to have a black mother. One of the hardest scenes to watch involve Sarah Jane being brutally attacked by her white boyfriend after learning she is black. Annie is the heart-broken mother trying to remind her daughter who she is and why she should be proud of her race.

This movie is a real tear-jerker. The film is based on the 1933 Fannie Hurst novel with the same name.The book and film address the taboo subject of "passing", something that some fair-skinned blacks did primarily in the 19th and 20th centuries in order to secure a better life and avoid such things as the Jim Crow laws which didn't legally end until the 1960s. If you have an interest in learning more about Black history, don't pass this film up. It is sure to spur additional interest in other historic books and films on race.

I just saw this gem of a movie again after seeing it several years ago. A few things struck me seeing this film again:

First, this movie still delivers suspense after all these years. The aptly titled "Speed" is as much about keeping you on an adrenaline rush as it is about passengers on a bomb rigged bus that will explode if the bus goes below 50 mph. The film begins with psychopath Dennis Hopper (Howard Payne) rigging an elevator full of passengers in an attempt to extort millions of dollars from the city. His plans go awry after meeting Jack Traven (Keeanu Reeves). This incident sparks a spectacular revenge plot that involves each man trying to outwit the other.

Second, there are very few movies that create the chemistry between characters that this movie does. I'm not just talking about the obvious sizzle between Annie (Sandra Bullock) and Jack which manages to be created without any nudity or steamy sex scenes – go figure. You also have strong chemistry with the friendship between Jack and his detective partner Harry (played by Jeff Daniels) and even the respect and concern shown between Jack and his boss, the under-rated Joe Morton as Capt Mcmahon.

Third, the writing and acting is formidable. This movie has equal parts action/drama and witty humor. You'll want to reference many witty lines after watching this film from Annie's confession that her license has been revoked for speeding to the back and forth dialogue between the exasperated bus passengers (Gargantuan, I'm thinking of you!). I think most of us agree that Keeanu is never going to be on a list for greatest actors but he is credible as the bad ass cop with good looks and great biceps! Sandra plays a spunky Annie quite well. Dennis is perfectly cast as the bitter maniac bomb genius and all the other characters including those with minimal lines seem to make a lasting impression.

This film is definitely worth watching or re-watching!