carleeee Reviews

Saltburn (2023)

Not for everyone but it's very well done

[10/10 · 3 February 2024]

Oh finally...an original storyline, not a remake and definitely not predictable. I got "Brideshead Revisited" vibes in places but much darker and way more sinister.

I thought the performances were top notch and paired with the well though-out cinematography made it a compelling psychological thriller I'll never completely forget.

Richard E Grant is perfect as the father of the family, in fact all the supporting characters were excellent and with depth. No unnecessary "token" characters, everyone belonged in the plot.

Berry Keoghan is a new face (for me anyway) and I imagine this will open some doors for his career, what a stellar performance.

This film takes you for quite a ride!

The Royal Treatment (2022)

Cheesy but fun

[8/10 · 22 January 2022]

Some low reviews here, but honestly it you are a fan of the Rom-Com genre it's pretty decent.

Cheesy, a little predictable with an overly convenient wrap-up but hey, who cares right? It's meant to be a fun movie not a deep and meaningful intellectual one, and it delivers.

The credit order is interesting, Peter Chin got second billing despite having no lines at all. He was, however, once the Mayor of the city where it was filmed so I guess that helped a little.

Don't Look Up (2021)

Identity crisis in film form

[3/10 · 26 December 2021]

What even is this?

Political satire? Not enough gags Disaster movie? Not fast or intense enough The film was longer than it needed to be, a lot of painful jabs at politics ("don't look up" chant sounded like Trump supporters' "lock her up" for example).

Yet another movie where the USA is the only country seemingly involved in saving the world, one or two others were mentioned but there are 194 others apparently just waiting for something to happen.

That's the only realistic bit, if this happens and we rely on the US to save the planet we're screwed.

My advice? Don't look up...this movie.

Diana (2013)

Frustrating waste of talent

[4/10 · 22 October 2021]

Although I never met Diana personally, I felt Naomi Watts' portrayal of the princess to be near perfect. She got the moves, the accent and the style down to a tee.

Where the film fell flat is that the storyline was quite frankly pointless.

The main plot sits around her relationship with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, which in real life was very private and his family refused to cooperate with the film (as admitted in the end credits)...so that begs the question of how accurate are their private scenes?

There was more to Diana than the last part of her life, what we need is a biopic showing a fuller picture even if it only starts at her engagement.

It frustrates me they wasted an excellent portrayal of Diana on such a weak storyline. I had high hopes and they were dashed.

The Father (I) (2020)

Wow just wow

[10/10 · 18 September 2021]

This isn't just a film about dementia, it's an journey and what a ride!

This film deliberately leaves the audience a bit lost and confused throughout as we're not just watching we're a part Antony's word as he sees it.

It's a tough call but I think this is the best I have ever seen Sir Anthony Hopkins in. One of the most deserved Oscars.

I was a mess by the end.

"I feel as if I'm losing all my leaves". I broke right there.

You Can't Take It with You (1938)

Meet the Fockers meets the 1930s

[9/10 · 8 July 2013]

Anthony P Kirby (Edward Arnold) runs a large corporation trying to force Martin Vanderhof to sell his home for a monopolising commercial development. Vanderhof is digging in his heels, so you can imagine how well they get on as in-laws when the Kirbys' golden boy Tony is betrothed to Vanderhof's beautiful granddaughter Alice Sycamore. Tony's bright idea to surprise them and bring his parents over unexpectedly resulted in probably the most disastrous meet-the-parents ever...quirky families need prior warning if they are required to act normal. Alas there was no warning given and they all ended up in prison...how? Watch it and find out! I did rather like the judge played by Harry Davenport, quite a character, and Mrs Sycamore's use of a kitten as a paperweight is a real "awwww" moment. Donald Meek played charming inventor Mr Poppins, stuck in a mundane job and rescued by Vanderhof; though his character faded away and seemed quite pointless given the initial screen time. Mrs Kirby was very snobby and holier-than-thou, however we didn't really get a chance to get to know her much deeper than that and her development in that area was not explained. Given solar panels weren't commercially available until the 1950's I was intrigued by Tony's musing if they we could learn to pull power from the sun's rays "we could take all the power we need right from the sun". Although love in movies always faces trials, it was interesting that there were no love triangles or other potential suitors...there again things were crazy enough as they were. The film was fun to watch with an amusing mix of madcap antics (the restaurant scene is hysterical) with a warm plot and good morals. The cast worked well together, which is essential for some of the crazy scenes they had to synchronise!

The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

Rooting for the Underdog

[8/10 · 8 July 2013]

Émile is like the Julian Assange of 19th Century France, though certainly less dramatic. He comes under intense criticism as his books gain popularity and the censors are under pressure from the government and the French Army to stop them. The Dreyfus Affair was still well-known at the time of the film's release, but as a person watching for the first time 75 years later I got a little lost. I failed to see the connection between the two seemingly unrelated sub-plots and the ensuing period where there was little to no appearance of the film's namesake. This was eventually cleared up for me but the reliance on assumed knowledge was not very forward-thinking. One quibble is that the women did not seem to age, I had a similar complaint watching Cimarron; throughout the decades covered by the film Zola got older and cuddlier, Dreyfus aged even more...yet their wives hardly aged a day. I wish I knew their secret. Snaps for Joseph Schildkraut whose portrayal of Captain Alfred Dreyfus scored him an Oscar® for Best Supporting Actor. It was a good film and certainly highlighted the level of corruption in France at that time, as well as rooting for the underdog. I must procure one of Zola's books and check him out.

The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

Loooong but worth pushing through

[7/10 · 8 July 2013]

Sex appeal and charm sells, as Ziegfeld is well aware. Combining his love for pretty girls and his drive for showbiz, Ziegfeld forms song- and-dance reviews and later debuts the Ziegfeld Follies. His charm and way with the ladies saw him never short of a star and always finding a generous backer since he was nearly always broke. The painful performer dressed as a minstrel singing "If You Knew Susie" which was even less PC than a Mac. Some decent snacks would come in handy to get you through the first hour of this three-hour journey as the film does rather drag on in places and can be hard to follow; don't give up on it as some of the song-and-dance numbers are well worth waiting for especially 'A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody' performed by Dennis Morgan (dubbed by Allan Jones) with the cast on a huge spiral staircase. The women over-act regularly; cross Lucy Ricardo with Marcel Marceau and you have the overly-expressive and hyper-dramatic Anna Held (played by Luise Rainer who amazingly won an Oscar for this). Unfortunately this blocked my ability to sympathise with her character and she began to just annoy me! Three actors play themselves in this film, including the tap-dancing Ray Bolger who danced his way down the Yellow Brick Road just two years later, which shows how highly-esteemed the real-life Ziegfeld was at that time. I didn't hate it, the film had plenty of fun and sparkle especially in the stage numbers but the storyline was like watching someone with a stutter, I politely let it go on while on the inside thinking "spit it out and get to the point"!

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Entertaining and engaging

[8/10 · 30 September 2012]

We follow the crew of the HMS Bounty on its mission to collect Bread Fruit from Tahiti to plant in the West Indies. Commencing with the formation of the crew through to the mutiny itself and the subsequent events, we see it mainly from the point of view of the crew.

We're introduced to the film the way it ends, with a rousing patriotic rendition of Rule Britannia. Under the regime of Captain Bligh (Laughton), the crew sustain abuse and cruel unprovoked punishment until enough of them stand up to him under the leadership of Fletcher Christian (Gable) and send him on his merry way. The film shows (with all my experience of life aboard 18th-century sailing ships) a genuine portrayal of life at sea at that time, and the ocean scenes were very convincingly shot. They chose to shoot the Tahitian scenes in Tahiti rather than a set so we got to see real scenery and experience some local flavour as well. This is based on a book that was based on a true story so naturally some facts were lost along the way in the name of entertainment rendering it quite inaccurate historically. This period was a turning point of "a new understanding between officers and men" no small thanks to Byam (Tone) for his courageous speech at the trial. The tagline "A Thousand Hours of Hell For One Moment of Love" was a confusing choice since the romantic aspect was such a small part of the storyline! It took longer than I expected for the mutiny to commence, perhaps to really hammer home the reason for the mutiny without the audience labelling them as anarchists...but how much convincing did a 1930s crowd really need? Still, the film was engaging throughout and gave us a chance to really get to know the characters and sympathise with most of them. We did not get a chance to get inside the head of Captain Bligh, which made the film one-sided and most audiences would side with the oppressed on their own without being forced towards one point of view. It was a very enjoyable film, though it would have been nice to add what became of Christian and the other settlers after they began life on their new home. Despite winning the Best Picture Oscar® of 1936, someone thought they could do it better come 1962 with a remake starring Marlon Brando...they did come close with a nomination, which is not a bad result for a remake so I might have to check it out!

It Happened One Night (1934)

A wonderful 1930s rom-com!

[9/10 · 30 September 2012]

This comedy follows runaway heiress Ellie Andrews (Colbert) who eloped with playboy King Westley (Jameson Thomas), a man her father deemed unsuitable. She meets smart-mouthed reporter Peter Warne (Gable) en route and the antics continue as they mutually reply on each other to get to New York despite their differences.

After Ellie Andrews escapes the clutches of her father (Connolly) and tries to make her own way to New York, we get to enjoy seeing her experience such foreign concepts as budgeting, being alone with a man and sleeping rough...mostly done with her upper-class charm, bar the odd tantrum.

Rogue reporter Peter Warne, not wanting to miss a chance to get his job back, blackmails her into letting him tag along. Their relationship develops and varies between friends and enemies as they remain stuck with each other. Peter fails to hitch a ride with his thumb so Ellie hilariously hitches one using her leg, a scene mimicked in the Laurel and Hardy classic Way Out West when Stan does the same thing.

It was a non-stop film and plenty of fun to watch, though the acting was over the top in places among some of the supporting cast. The atmosphere on the bus was well done with a very entertaining rendition of The Man on the Flying Trapeze.

Said to have inspired several Looney Tunes characters, the film thrives on the combination of the naivety of Ellie and the life experience of the more happy-go-lucky Warne as an unlikely love triangle begins to form and plenty of hilarity ensues. It is a little predictable like many rom-coms, though perhaps in the day they kept the audience guessing! This was the first film to receive the Oscar® "Grand Slam": Best Picture®, Best Director®, Best Actress® and Best Actor®. A nice bit of irony for Oscar®-winner Claudette who stated "I have just finished making the worst picture I've ever made".

Grand Hotel (I) (1932)

If these walls could talk...

[8/10 · 23 August 2012]

The film was highly enjoyable; though I certainly hit the ground running at the start…this may set a record for the number of characters introduced in such a short space of time!

I did feel sorry for the meek and humble Kringelein, the only truly genuine guy in the film, who had never really experienced life until he found his was nearing an end and just wanted a friend. His fascination with everything, even the 24-hour hot/cold running water, gave him a childlike innocence.

The Baron bounced between being a friend, lover, thief and backstabber. He was well played by John Barrymore, though I felt his character's storyline was concluded too conveniently.

"Thank the Stars for a Great Entertainment" screamed the tag-line...I reckon "If These Walls Could Talk" would be a much better tag line for this film, as the hotel itself would be the only character who would know all that went on. There again it's 1932, just say "Greta Garbo" or "Joan Crawford" and you've filled enough cinemas to pay for it all. Even today, seeing all those stars together in one film makes it well worth watching.

Overall it was good fun to watch though it didn't really flow smoothly or come to a decent conclusion. Once or twice I was left wondering where exactly the plot was going (and even, in fact, what the plot really was). There were too many unfinished story lines; that is normal in real life especially for a hotel with all their short-term occupants, but as an audience it's a little irritating.

If you have special features on the DVD including a short film "Nothing Ever Happens"...it's an hysterical spoof of Grand Hotel and a fun way to end the film once you've seen it!

--Louisiana Flip--

Fill a shaker half full with ice cubes and add:

7 parts white rum, 1 part Cointreau (or Triple Sec), 1 part Grenadine, 1 part orange juice, 1 egg yolk

Serve in high Champagne glasses

It's little wonder this concoction has Mr Kringelein peering into the mirror stating "You're drunk, Mr Kringelein" before going to bed and falling out of it in a cocoon of bedding!

Cimarron (1931)

High Rickety!

[7/10 · 22 August 2012]

The historical but fictional film, based on the book by Edna Ferber, presents us with a clash of cultures and attitudes. Yancey is a restless jack-of-all-trades: the new town's newspaper editor, a lawyer, fast-shooting law enforcer and even a preacher. Wanderlust gets the better of him, leaving his wife Sabra (Irene Dunn) to raise the family and run the newspaper.

Mostly set in the fictional 'Boom Town' of Osage, not to be confused with today's Osage in Oklahoma which is tiny, we see the townsfolk making do with what they have. Yancey is mainly the Editor of The Oklahoma Wigwam but at the same time he gets to use his shooting skills, act as a lawyer, and run the first church service.

The issue I had with Cimarron was that the storyline was disjointed and lost focus at times. Overall it was about the birth of a new state, though it went in different directions at different times and many sub-plots were never fully-explained. Sabra's character grew into a wise and admirable older woman, however we missed out on seeing her character actually develop. A woman in a more modern film would not have shown so much loyalty to her husband...her loyalty is to be admired even if her husband needs a clip round the ears!

On a technical note, the characters didn't always age in sync with one another. By the end of the film Sabra has aged (at least in the hair department), but not nearly as much as Yancey. Her complexion remained unrealistically youthful for a woman over 60, though her vocals were always spot-on to whichever age she was playing which is no mean feat for an actor.

The acting overall was convincing, special mention to Estelle Taylor as town prostitute Dixie Lee for her moving life story showing there is more than meets the eye when it comes to judging someone, though the town gossip Mrs Tracy Wyatt was a bit over-played by Edna May Oliver. Tracey's mannerisms and loud outfits give the impression of a cross-breed of Hyacinth Bucket and Madame Thenardier.

Some minor story lines could have been cut to speed things up where it was needed, but overall Cimarron is a great example of 1930s film, and gives a good grasp of the lives of pioneers in the late 19th Century.

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Honest portrayal

[10/10 · 22 August 2012]

The story follows Paul Baumer (Lew Ayres) and his classmates, heading off to war having been convinced to enlist after hearing Professor Kantorek wax lyrical about the honour of fighting for the Fatherland. The film looks at the impact of war on the soldiers themselves versus the opinions of those back home following the war via media.

It is an excellent portrayal of the effects of war on the soldiers themselves. Aside from the French being referred to as the enemy, the film seems to steer clear of taking a particular opinion on the war, focusing instead on the young soldiers and their experiences. It's interesting to note that some scenes were deemed so realistic they were used in genuine WW1 documentaries many years later, so if you were wondering which gutsy cameramen were wading through the mud filming the action...now you know!

What I liked most of all about this film is that it left more questions than answers, it did not force any particular opinion on World War 1 or war in general. It seemed to show a realistic portrayal of life in the trenches, fighting a war the soldiers themselves didn't really seem to understand.

Expert food-forager Katczinsky (Louis Wolheim) does come up with a novel approach to how a war could be fought: "Whenever there's a war coming on, you should rope off a big field...and on the big day you should take all the kings and their cabinets and their generals, put 'em in the centre dressed in their underpants and let 'em fight it out with clubs. The best country wins." I like that idea immensely.

The Broadway Melody (1929)

Some good numbers but a little disjointed

[6/10 · 22 August 2012]

The film had great music, dancing and acting. I particularly enjoyed the Wedding of the Painted Doll number which was vibrant and fun; I loved how they had the dancers rise up through the stage floor. Some of the songs were later used in the 1952 musical Singin' in the Rain (one of my all-time favourites) so it was interesting to see them in their original context and get some of the references used in that film.

Charles King had a lovely singing voice, adding a beautiful performance of the hit song "You Were Meant For Me". Anita Page, known at the time as "the girl with the most beautiful face in Hollywood" shone as Queenie. Her acting lacked a bit of naturality, however it's important to note in the post-silent era they were still hired more on their looks than their vocal skills.

Sadly, the storyline seemed to lose focus and become disjointed; I had not developed enough of a relationship with the characters to care about the love triangle (which was solved too conveniently). It seemed to me the major focus was on the sound, being a fairly new addition to films of that era, and the scriptwriting fell on the wayside as a result. The title makes it sound like a musical of non-stop excitement whereas the storyline was quite dull, making it seem to go on for longer than 100 minutes. For the time, however, it must have been such a marvel to see talking and singing on screen that the audiences of 1929 wouldn't have been too bothered about the plot.

I can't be too harsh of course, it was 1929 after all and many aspects of film (especially audio) were in their infancy. It's worth seeing, even if just for the Wedding of the Painted Doll and to see how far films have come over the decades since.

Wings (1927)

Beautifully done

[9/10 · 22 August 2012]

With no audio (talking-wise) the visuals had to be strong and engaging to make up for this and the film did not disappoint! With not a hair out of place, Jack and David head off to World War I to train as fighter pilots and dislike each other intensely until they bond while beating the crap out of each other during basic training and become best of friends.

The much-hailed world's first on-screen male-male kiss was more bromance than romance, the world was not quite ready for Brokeback Mountain back then. The aerial dog fight scenes were tremendously well done; if they didn't film real flight aerobatics they certainly made it convincing. The special effects with Jack's drunken bubble hallucinations were hysterical as well!

Casting Charles 'Buddy'Rogers as Jack and "It Girl" of the day Clara Bow as the beautiful Mary was bound to create chemistry. Both had winning smiles, and Clara Bow particularly has excellent screen presence and expression. The film showed both the camaraderie and horrors of war...though was light-hearted more often than not, which was perhaps unrealistic but not every war film needs to be depressing.

It really was a wonderful film. It covers action,humour, friendship, romance…and you can watch it on mute at 3am without bemusing your neighbours and house mates!

Cavalcade (1933)

The 'Forrest Gump' of the 1930s

[8/10 · 22 August 2012]

The film follows two London families from the end of 1899 through to 1933, throughout various real-life historical events: the Marryots, an upper-class family; and the Bridges, a family in service who work as the Marryots' live-in maid and butler with their infant daughter. As per the title card, the film is mainly based through the eyes of Mrs Jane Marryot (Diana Wynyard), "a wife and mother whose love tempers both fortune and disaster".

I enjoyed the film, it could be the Forrest Gump of its day but more realistic since it covered fewer events and more central characters. Despite their losses, Mr and Mrs Marryot regret nothing come the end of the film and greet their golden years with a philosophical outlook.

There is a good mix of drama, romance and a few laughs (Merle Tottenham's overly-nasal character asking "where is Afrey-kerr?" while talking about the Boer War). We are also treated to different perspectives of the events, comparing a young woman thinking how wonderful it is seeing all their men off to war with an older woman stating she was just wondering how many of them would come back alive; as well as comparing the servants downstairs and the family upstairs as Downton Abbey did in a more recent example.

I liked how they used the montage effect similar to All Quiet on the Western Front during scenes from the War. Scenes showing emotion or grief tended to be over-done or skimmed over, perhaps to avoid dragging the mood.