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Reviews
The Dain Curse (1978)
Confusing Murder Mystery/waste of talent
This confusing story begins like a movie you came into after it began.The charactors all knew each other before, and make reference to things we don't see that appear to have something to do with all the strange goings on.
It involves a weird cult, a girl who is a drug addict and who may have killed her husband, and the detectives efforts to get the girl off drugs.
Mostly it's forgettable and sometimes laughable.
The stupidest mistake here is that the cast includes Jean Simmons and they made very poor use of her talents. She only had four scenes and only spoke in two of them (in one scene she is tied up on an altar and is in danger of becoming a human sacrifice).The film could have been better if they had made the female lead older and used Simmons in the part instead of in the supporting role. Even that however, could not have made this less confusing...just more watchable!
Heidi (1968)
Great Family film/Good acting and the stars make it Great
Very good version of the familiar story of Heidi.Children will like it and so will parents.This version has Maximilian Shell as Heidi's uncle (father of the crippled girl Clara).Lovely Jean Simmons is Clara's governess who is (unknown to him) in love with Heidi's uncle.
The romance is sweet and so is the rest.The whole cast does a good job and it is VERY well done...scenery is beautiful.Jean Simmons is the great jewel here but it's all a fine version of Heidi.
Sabrina (1954)
Magical May/December Romance
Audrey Hepburn plays the modern Cinderella like, Sabrina who falls for the playboy son on the estate her father works at.She is rescued from a suicide attempt by the older and richer son played by Humphrey Bogart and goes to Paris for two years.The young girl returns as a polished beauty and steals the affection of the man of her dreams, David (the playboy younger brother) who is engaged to a sugar-cane heiress. Not wanting the big merger he has set up between the two family businesses to fall through Linus (Bogart) sets out to get her away from his brother.Sabrina finds herself in love with two brothers.The much older Linus has to deal with guilt and and other feelings he isn't used to. The last few minutes decides who really loves Sabrina.This is a beautiful Romance.
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Great Bogart Performance
Navy Capt Queeg takes over the Cain and things begin to go bad.The Capt has a temper and nervous habits,he blows up over small things.The men begin to talk,and finally they have a mutiny.Is the Captain a coward or is he unstable? Humphrey Bogart has the most moving,dramatic,and intense few moments of his movie makng life in the courtroom scene on the witness stand. This film is one of Bogarts best and he deserved an Oscar for it.
The African Queen (1951)
Great Actors,Great Film
Humphrey Bogart gives the greatest performance of his life as Charly Alnut,an odd Gin drinking man who lives on and runs a small riverboat delivering mail in Africa.He takes a prim missionary played by Kathrine Hepburn, who has been stranded by a fire which burned out her mission into his boat and the adventure begins.The unlikely pair eventually fall in love and strike a blow for England and the alias in WW1. One of America's Greatest Films of all time.
Key Largo (1948)
They had it all
A group of mobsters take over a hotel in Florida run by an old man and his daughter in law.The mobsters plans hit a snag when Frank shows up to talk to the video of his wartime buddy (the inn keepers daughter in law). Frank/Bogie and Nora/Bacall fall in love fast.They never kiss in this film but the look in their eyes as they look at each other says it all.The mobsters hold everyone captive till they get what they want and are ready to leave the country...taking Frank with them. After the crisis is over Frank heads back to Nora who is waiting anxiously for his return.
Her Own Rules (1998)
Great Actors make ok story good to watch
Melissa Gilbert stars as Marygold/Meredith.A sad and lonely writer returning to her home town in England for the first time since she was about 6 or 7 years old,after being adopted and raised in America.
While there she decides to look for her mother's grave,and finds out her memories are not exactly what she thought they were,her mother is alive.
She then sets out to find her mother and some answers and finds both.
She also falls in love, of course, but has a problem with long term commitments.
Melissa Gilbert does a good job here but the best performance is turned in by Jean Simmons as Kathrine Stanton (the mother).Simmons goes through a whole range of emotions in her time on cammera,and each one is done perfectly both in her face and voice.The real crimes here are that the writing could have been better,Simmons and Gilberts characters should have found each other earlier and they should have action more action between them,and the girl that played Simmons as a young woman not only had blond hair and Simmons dark brown,but the girl also had a completely different accent!!Did they really think no one would notice?! Also they photographed Simmons in the worst possible light,and even Gilbert looked kind of weird at times around her nose.
Still the daughters quest is interesting,and Simmons alone is worth the watch....though she's not the great beauty she once was her beautiful,classy voice is still beyond compare.
Great Expectations (1989)
Excellent version of much filmed Dickens classic
Disneys version of Great Expectations is the longest and most complete version of the often filmed Book,and probably would have made Dickins himself proud.Attention is paid to even small details,and the entire cast does a fine job. The really stand out performances however are those of the films two big name actors (and the films greatest talents).Anthony Hopkins plays the convict Abel Magwhich,who the main character Pip meets as a boy in a grave yard and befriends,and who re-appears years late.The other really stand out performence is given by Jean Simmons as Miss Havisham,whom Pip meets soon after the grave yard incident.It is interesting to note that Simmons played Estella as a 15 or 16 year old girl in 1946.In this version she has a much more complex role of the mysterious,eerie and somewhat demented Miss Havisham:a woman of ruined and decayed beauty who has become so thin she is spectre-like in appearence.Disney has gone to considerable length to make Simmons look bad enough for the part,and at times she is unrecognizable except for her voice.At other times even the fright-mare make-up cant make her look quite bad enough.Still Jean Simmons gives the part a grace,dignity,and even a regal quality which is not there in previous versions of the charactor.Simmons version of Miss Havisham is fascinating and she dominates/steals every scene she is in.The rest of the cast also does a fine job,and though the film is more than 3 hrs. in length it is well worth the time.
Midnight (1934)
Law or Mercy
Interesting film that explores the outcome of a murder trial on the jury formant and his family. A drama unfolds in the jury formans house on the night of the execution with surprising results for the legalistic jury forman who swayed the jurys verdict. Also interesting because the film features a very young Humphrey Bogart in a small role. The only disapointment is that Bogart didnt have more screen time. A better than average early message movie.