ar-89423 Reviews

Ace in the Hole (1951)

WAY over the top

[4/10 · 5 May 2024]

Good points: -Jan Sterling -Topicality of the subject matter -Reliability of the supporting cast.

Bad points: -Kirk Douglas' performance is WAY over the top. A year earlier, he played the lead in Detective Story, and was more restrained (well, as restrained as Douglas ever got). The difference was quite possibly the director. Billy Wilder's style was often a bit more florid, whereas the great William Wyler (Dodsworth, The Letter, The Little Foxes, The Best Years Of Our Lives, Ben Hur) managed to get outsized actors to "bring it down." -The afore-mentioned Wilder. He directed many classics (Double Indemnity, Lost Weekend. Some Like It Hot). But also, some stinkers (Kiss Me Stupid, Avanti, a lousy remake of The Front Page). So his judgement wasn't always the best. Ace In The Hole makes that case.

Guys and Dolls (1955)

Many, many mistakes

[3/10 · 18 April 2024]

On the stage, Guys and Dolls is the perfect musical. Terrific Damon Runyon characters, spectacularly funny dialogue, and brilliant music by the great genius Frank Loesser. From the time it debuted on Broadway in 1950, it drew raves, Tonys, and a moniker (see what I did there?) known as "bulletproof." I've seen it on stage at least 7 times - from major professional productions to amateur theatre. A delight each time. But this film version is an absolute dud. If you were to see a stage version, you would realize how grotesquely miscast Brando was. Sinatra didn't fare much better. These guys were the diametric opposite of what Runyon and librettist Abe Burrows had in mind.

The direction was horrible. Classic showstoppers ("Sue Me," "Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat," etc) just fall flat. Appalling. The only saving grace, aside from Loesser's music were Vivian Blaine and Stubby Kaye, both from the original stage play.

Sorry, but you folks who gave this thing high marks are setting the bar WAY too low. Again, try to see it on stage. You'll thank me.

The Post (2017)

Surprisingly mediocre

[3/10 · 10 December 2023]

Wouldn't you think that the first-time trio of Spielberg, Streep and Hanks in the same film would be bullet-proof? I have the utmost respect for their work. But I'm not the least bit surprised by the tepid reviews I see on this site. In fact, I'm astonished, not only by the mediocrity of this thing, but also by the positive reviews.

I never thought I'd say this, but in the cases of both Streep and Hanks, they're neither of them anywhere even close to "becoming" their characters. Instead, they're both guilty of "acting." And you can see them doing it. Cardinal sin, which I've never seen either of them commit before. Hanks especially, with that phoney pseudo-southern accent he adopted to portray Walt Disney in Saving Mr Banks.

Streep as well. This performance may have worked on that Prada thing, but SO out of place here.

All The Presidents Men - WAY better.

3 out of 10 for the realistic depiction of the newsroom.

The Main Event (1979)

Too loud!

[3 December 2023]

Noisy, strident, shrill...I can't imagine how anyone could give this thing a positive review. I can commend Streisand for one thing: the obvious attempt to revive the screwball comedy format so richly done in the 30s and 40s. But she's so loud and in-your-face that this film is an instant turn-off.

Instead, watch 1936's My Man Godfrey, and marvel at the luminous Carole Lombard in action. Or The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, or His Girl Friday. Oh wait, they all starred Cary Grant. Ain't no Cary Grant in The Main Event. Not even close. And his co-stars: Irene Dunne, Katherine Hepburn, Rosalind Russell...now you're talkin.'

Thumbs WAY down.

Satan Never Sleeps (1962)

Leo McCarey?? Really??

[1/10 · 28 August 2023]

Did Leo McCarey really direct this overblown piece of junk? Is this this thing actually based upon a story by Pearl Buck?

Astounding. What passes for a plot is grotesquely unfocused, the actors are disinterested, the whole thing is a snore.

It purports to detail the evils of Communism and so on, but it's really just an amorphous muddle of mumbo jumbo. Holden is just channeling his role in Bridge on the River Kwai. Clifton Webb, whose work in previous films was impeccable, just sleepwalks through this mess.

You want samples of McCarey before senility set in? Try The Awful Truth, Love Affair, Going My Way - and avoid this movie at all costs.

The Razor's Edge (1984)

Why bother

[1/10 · 23 July 2023]

Bill Murray is occasionally funny in comedy sketches. In anything dramatic, he's an empty suit. Deadpan expression, nothing going on underneath. In every film, same thing.

It's egregious enough to film a remake of the classic 1946 film from 20th Century Fox - but Murray's presence in the starring role dooms this thing to overblown irrelevance. Other than thinking "why bother" when I look back on it, one scene sums it up: when Murray's character renews acquaintances with a butler, he says something like "Hey, still doin' the butler thing?" Pretty sloppy for what's supposed to be a period piece.

See the original and forget this remake ever happened.

The Bishop's Wife (1947)

Meh

[3/10 · 19 November 2022]

I am a huge fan of Cary Grant. I love the oldies (Bringing Up Baby, The Awful Truth, His Girl Friday, My Favorite Wife, Mr. Lucky, Suspicion) all the way up to his latest (Charade, Father Goose, Walk Don't Run). But The Bishop's Wife falls well short of his other films, and also fails compared to other Christmas movies like Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, Going My Way, A Christmas Carol (the Alistair Sim version) - even Christmas in Connecticut.

Two problems: (1) It's SO predictable; (2) It's a very sad waste of David Niven's talent. Lots of top-notch actors play "second bananas" - but this seems a humiliating come-down. Wondering if he needed a paycheck.

My suggestion: watch any of the films listed above, for a much more rewarding experience.

Spaceballs (1987)

Ugh

[1/10 · 30 June 2022]

Spaceballs - it wants to be funny, it tries to be funny, it strains to be funny, it yearns to be funny, it aches to be funny...but it AIN'T FUNNY. It's painful. The "jokes" fall flat. The characters are ridiculous. The talent is wasted.

Brooks at his absolute worst. He was already an acquired taste at the best of times. And this is nowhere near that. Avoid at all costs.

To the Ends of the Earth (1948)

Less Is More

[10/10 · 15 June 2022]

What a great example of economical film-making, right up there (although in a different genre) with Brief Encounter. Dick Powell, having transitioned very successfully (years prior) from boy crooner to hard-boiled tough guy, plays a narc on the trail of opium. Riveting drama, tightly directed by Robert Stevenson. Almost a docu-drama, but extremely engaging. Excellent support from Signe Hasso, Ludwig Donath, Vladimir Sokoloff, etc. A must-see.

Out of the Past (1947)

I'm gonna die last!

[10/10 · 13 June 2022]

Some of the best dialogue ever. Greer: "I don't want to die!" Mitchum: "Neither do I, baby - but if I have to, I'n gonna die last." Mitchum was perfect for the role. But the dialogue and direction are so good, that a couple of other noir-ish types would have done just as well, in their own style.. I just read that both Dick Powell and John Garfield turned down the role, before it was offered to Mitchum.

It helps to know what a big star Garfield was at the time, and rightly so. And Powell had successfully transitioned from "boy singer" to seedy detective.

All the noir elements are here: femme fatale, ominous villains, flawed hero in way over his head. And a stupendous and touching finale.

Thumbs up. Don't miss it.

Simon (1980)

Yikes!

[1/10 · 13 June 2022]

I remember Marshall Brickman from his days as a Tarrier (2nd edition), writing and delivering some very funny comic interludes between songs. And of course his Oscar for co-writing Annie Hall, and also his many contributions to Jersey Boys.

But this Simon thing? UGH! Catastrophically inept. Not the least bit funny. I'm flabbergasted at the positive reviews on this site. There is no "brilliance" in this film - merely a lot of chaos and shouting.

Somebody on this thread actually compared this amateurish monstrosity to Dr Strangelove. Gads - please reconsider.