Reviews
Fitzwilly (1967)
I purchased the movie just so I could look at Barbara Feldon
OK, I admit it. I purchased the movie just so I could look at Barbara Feldon. Most of you will remember her as Agent 99 in "Get Smart". The character was unusual for the era, showing a capable woman succeeding in a stressful career.
There was some excellent commentary on the Blu-ray disc that I watched. They said that Cary Grant was offered the role originally, but he turned it down saying he was too old. Dick Van Dyke played his role perfectly. Claude Fitzwilliam serves as butler to Miss Victoria Woodworth, an elderly heiress whose tremendous wealth is a myth fostered by Fitzwilliam.
Be sure you look for the one minute television commercial featuring Barbara Feldon. This is Feldon's big break in the form of a popular and much-parodied television commercial for "Top Brass", a hair pomade for men by Revlon. You WILL like.
It was also great to see New York City before the collapse. I recommend getting the Blu-ray with the entertaining and informative commentary available as an option.
Project Moon Base (1953)
Donna Martell is 110° in the shade on earth or on the moon.
Donna Martell is 110° in the shade on earth or on the moon.
The film is unusual for its time in both attempting to portray space travel in a "realistic" manner, and for depicting a future in which women hold positions of authority and responsibility equal to men; in the script Martell's character, Briteis (pronounced "bright-eyes"), is a colonel who has made the first orbital flight around the Earth four years earlier and outranks her fellow male astronaut, a major. Colonel Briteis' Christian name is never stated.
The movie has some international intrigue because there's a spy, presumably from the Soviet union that has to be dealt with.
This movie was made for the Drive-In set and it completely fulfills that requirement. Project Moon Base where we have a female President of the United States and women at the forefront of the project to create a foothold on the moon. The movie is tons of fun with lots of gadgets and decent special effects.
Seven Days Ashore (1944)
Miriam LaVelle makes this movie worth pursuing.
Miriam LaVelle makes this movie worth pursuing.
This movie like many others in this time does not have much of a plot. It's more of a variety show loosely connected to an insignificant and irrelevant plot. There's a lot of good entertainment here but the "rare to see" Miriam LaVelle puts on two performances that are worth your time regardless of what you think of the rest of the movie. You will find her dancing act at 36 mins and 1Hour and 11 minutes in the film.
Miriam LaVelle combines tap dancing with acrobatics. A technique that she developed as a teenager and has never been duplicated.
She was in a few other films, she primarily performed live on Broadway. The rest of the movie is certainly enjoyable and worth watching, but despite her almost complete lack of billing in most of the posters and other media prepared for the film, she is the star in my opinion.
Fashion Model (1945)
The gorgeous Marjorie Weaver is the star in this movie.
The gorgeous Marjorie Weaver is the star in this movie. Arguably, the most underappreciated actress Hollywood ever had. Her adorable Kentucky accent and her fun personality. Will win you over every time. This is a light "who done it". The movie moves along briskly with lots of suspense and humor. You'll think you have the bad guy figured out, but you probably don't. A little biased because I'm a massive Marjorie Weaver fan. I try to get every DVD she's ever made. This is a good comedy with plenty of funny bits. You will not be bored but be prepared to fall in love with Marjorie Weaver. Why she never became a big star I will never understand.
A Slight Case of Larceny (1953)
Elaine Stewart is 110° in the shade.
Elaine Stewart is 110° in the shade.
Mickey Rooney is always trying to find ways to get rich quick. Despite various failures, he never gives up. At some point he goes a little too far with his schemes and gets into trouble.
Mickey Rooney's character is interested in Elaine Stewart (as would any normal male be) and the comedy continues.
Part of the plot centers around gasoline pricing wars. Something that I experienced personally in the early 1970s. There's some very interesting scenes featuring Elaine Stewart on the beach in her bathing suit. The DVD that I got from Warner Brothers allowed me to rewatch that scene about 10 times.
This is a light movie with good entertainment and excellent. I candy for the men.
Silver Skates (1943)
Lots of beautiful women ice-skating beautifully.
Lots of beautiful women ice-skating beautifully.
There's a plot to the movie, but it's really just an excuse so we can watch all the terrific ice-skating. I like the old school ice-skating better. Too much jumping and bouncing in more modern displays. The ice-skating here is beautiful and graceful. There's a ice skater here. That's also terrific to watch. This is just a plain fun movie. No stress, no danger danger, just pure joy to watch.
It was great to see about 30 beautiful young women with their freshly scrubbed faces dancing on the ice. If you're after high drama, this is not it if you're after watching people perform beautifully. I think you'll enjoy this movie. I was able to find a good quality copy on DVD, sadly, it did not come with a case, but I can make those myself.
Madam Satan (1930)
A fabulous and funny movie, and it's not about Satanism.
It's an old story, a wife's husband is engaging an extracurricular activities. She figures out that her husband finds her a little boring so he's looking for fun on the outside. She decides she will raise up her temperature significantly in an attempt to win him back.
I loathe it when people referred to any movie as "dated". Of course, a movie is dated, it was made in the past. I enjoyed how people spoke more directly and freely in 1929 than they do today. A man could tell a woman that she was beautiful and she would only take it as a compliment.
There's an absolutely over-the-top, over-the-top, party that takes place on a Zepplin. These people KNEW how to party!
Imdb says the movie is from 1930. However, the film itself reads copyright 1929. So it is a very early talkie. I was able to purchase a DVD from the Warner Bros. Archive collection from Walmart. Despite the fact that it was an early talkie. The sound and picture were quite good.
If you're looking for something fun, and a little different, you have found it.
The Girl Said No (1930)
Very funny. Not politically correct.
I laughed and laughed watching this movie. As mentioned in my title, this movie is not politically correct. In our modern, no sense of humor world, Haines would have been arrested at least a dozen times for his shenanigans.
We have a comedy about a guy aggressively pursuing a woman he is interested in. The problem is, he doesn't know how to talk to women. Reminds me a little bit of the cartoon character "Johnny Bravo".
As you judge this movie, remember it's a comedy, not a romance. Also, in 1930 people could get away with a lot more and could live more freely. Leila Hyams with her good-natured demeanor, was the attractive female in this movie.
Millionaire Playboy (1940)
About a dozen gorgeous women make this movie a hit with me.
About a dozen gorgeous women make this movie a hit with me. The lead actor in this movie is not the best, but I guess he does have to act a little bit odd in order to justify the reason he's at the lodge with all these gorgeous young women. Women make him nervous, and he is sent here to find a cure.
There is a lot of good slapstick comedy and mistaken identity scenarios. But it was good humor to see these beautiful women honestly pursuing a wealthy man. No political correctness in this movie. At one point, the primary female interest in the movie, Linda Hayes, is ask how old she is. She replies 22. Which interestingly was her real age. If you're in the mood to watch a dozen or so 19 to 25 year old women, with freshly scrubbed faces look no further.
I purchased the DVD from Zeus, but there are other sellers as well. The quality was very watchable.
Dupont Barbès (1951)
Madeleine Lebeau is 110° in the shade.
I was able to buy a good quality DVD on eBay from France. But I was disappointed that the only subtitles were in French. This seems like a good movie, I'm surprised we couldn't get English subtitles.
I have to confess, I ended up fast forwarding through any scenes that did not have Madeleine Lebeau. I tried to use Google translate with my iPhone. It only managed to figure out about 10% of the words. I lived in France about 20 years ago for a time. But if you don't speak it regularly, you forget. I believe that Madeleine Lebeau is one of the 10 most beautiful women that ever lived. It was worth the price of the disc just to see her prancing around in her black stockings for about 3 minutes.
Obviously, if you understand French, the movie will have much greater value to you. I'm exploring some translation devices. If I find something that works, I'll watch the movie again.
Gojira -1.0 (2023)
I'm so glad I went to a real theater to see it.
Much better than I expected. A terrific film on every level. I'm so glad I went to a real theater to see it. 100% NON-Woke. I've seen most of the Godzilla movies. Let's ignore the silly ones made in the 1970s. Each Godzilla movie takes a different approach at telling the story. For example, Godzilla 2014 dealt with the inefficiencies of government bureaucracies in dealing with the Godzilla threat. Godzilla 2000, (one of my favorites) centers around a small, and independent research team.
In Godzilla Minus One, we see an accurate portrayal of the difficult life in Japan just after the end of World War II, and how the appearance of Godzilla personally affects individuals. There's plenty of Godzilla squishing things, and being a major nuisance but what I enjoyed was the excellent acting on how a creature like that affects people individually and personally. Each Godzilla movie attempts to improve upon Godzilla's atomic breath. Godzilla Minus One does not disappoint.
I would prefer to watch the movie dubbed in English. I think it makes it just a little easier. The subtitles were well done and not overwhelming. In fact, only about 25% has any subtitles to read it all. Typically, Toho will release the movie in Japanese with English subtitles and then when they release the movie on Blu-ray, they will provide an English dubbed version at that point. When available, I normally see both the Japanese and English versions of the better Godzilla movies. Even the hard to get (it's out there) Godzilla 1985 with brief appearances by Raymond Burr.
One minor disappointment is I missed the first 10 minutes of the film. Generally the wife and I arrive at a theater 10 minutes "late" so we can skip most of the trailers. I forgot this is a Japanese film, and they insist upon it starting precisely at the advertised time. I will go again in a few days and make sure I get there when I should. Whether you're a Godzilla fan or not, you WILL like this movie.
Panama Flo (1932)
I found the movie depressing and hard to take.
I found the movie depressing and hard to take. It's a little difficult to describe why I don't like the movie without providing spoilers. I will just say it involves a sad situation and a woman being miss treated. I don't like those kinds of movies. I prefer movies that make me happy and are cheerful. If I want to see cruelty or unfairness, I can just turn on the evening news.
I think the actors did a good job, and the film was photographed nicely and well written. I just didn't like the subject matter. I was looking for something more lighthearted. The woman in the movie seems to go from one bad situation to the next. It could be viewed as a lesson, that certain types of men should be avoided.
The Petty Girl (1950)
Any red blooded normal American male will love this movie.
Any red blooded normal American male will love this movie. The movie is a celebration of God's greatest physical creation, the female form. I guess there's some kind of plot to this movie that I didn't pay too much attention to. All of the main actresses are dropdead gorgeous. It's celebrates the pinup art popular in the 1940s and 1950s. It showcases how beautiful women were often used in advertising to generate interest. A practice that under our more strict rules that we have today is no longer permitted. I would describe the movie as a "light" musical. There's only about three or four songs in the entire movie but they fit in well with the plot. I'm glad I was able to find this terrific film on DVD to add to my 3000 DVD/Blu-ray collection.
Oppenheimer (2023)
The unnecessary sex scenes ruin and otherwise very good movie 9/10
The unnecessary sex scenes ruin and otherwise very good movie 9/10. We get about 2 hours and 57 minutes of physics, political intrigue, bureaucratic management, and 3 minutes of soft core porn that does NOTHING to move the film forward. As a student of physics, it was great watching a movie try to explain some of the problems in physics to the general public. Oppenheimer had a very high IQ, but along with that came some of his faults. It wasn't necessary to show these in bazaar way of him having sex in government meetings.
I'm thinking about President Kennedy, you've probably seen the movies "PT 109" as well as the movie "13 Days". These two great movies were well received, and did a good job describing President Kennedy at various points in his life. They managed to do this without giving us sex scenes of President Kennedy with Marilyn Monroe, Gene Tierney, or others.
The movie is already quite long (3 hours) the removal of 3 minutes would make it VASTLY superior and make the movie available to younger audiences who would also enjoy it. When the movie is available on home video, I will buy a copy and edit out the filth and make a much better copy for myself. There was no need to include total nude sex scenes in this movie. It takes away the concentration that the public had in the conversation that they were tying to have. Sadly that actress will be forever known as the naked chick in the Oppenheimer movie.
Some will say the soft core porn was needed for the story. Just as not having a "steamy sex scene" prevents Casablanca from being a classic...
Day-Time Wife (1939)
Linda Darnell is 115° in the shade.
Linda Darnell is 115° in the shade. The Dallas native, was one of the most beautiful women to be shown on the silver screen.
Born in Dallas, Texas There was no doubt that Linda Darnell had a rare gift for someone so young. When the Hollywood studios sent scouts to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, her mother thought it would be a good idea to take Linda to a tryout. The talent scouts took one look at her and arranged for a screen test. She made the trek to Hollywood, but when her real age became known she was sent home. After two years and more local theater appearances, Linda returned to California and her career was off and running.
Linda convincingly plays the sophisticated wife of well-off businessman Tyrone Power, whom she incorrectly suspects is playing patty-cake with another woman. No one in Hollywood ever played a better womanizer than Warren William, he does it to perfection in this terrific film. Warren is a business associate of Tyrone Power, and he has Linda Darnell on his radar screen. This is a fun, lighthearted movie with beautiful people. Even the bad guy is funny and not seriously threatening. Great entertainment. I'm very happy to have this terrific movie in my 3,000 DVD/Blu-ray collection where I know it cannot be banned or censored in the future.
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Lots of action. Chinese government had control over much of this film.
Action packed movie that the Chinese government had partial control of. The last 1/3 of the movie was filmed in China. In order to get permission to do this and to show the movie in China, the producers had to follow some rules. American actors could be "good guys" or "bad guys". The Chinese actors could ONLY represent "good guys". Whenever the Chinese had a fight with the American bad guys, they had to defeat them. Including a scene where a 120 pound Chinese woman easily dispatched two a larger men that were CIA trained "bad guys".
There where not a lot of subtitles in the movie when people spoke Chinese. The action made it clear what was happening. However, there was one required translation. A Chinese Government official was on his phone, and the following Chinese propaganda was subtitled in English, "The central government will protect Hong Kong at all costs." (Please note that the people of Hong Kong would much rather that China's central government just leave them alone and not "protect" them so much with restrictions of speech and no ability to elect accountable leaders for their own government.) Lots of action in this movie. Very few dull moments where you can catch your breath. The acting was good.
Climbing High (1938)
This is a very funny movie! Do you like the Marx brothers?
I have a large collection of old movies, what a treat it is to find an excellent film that I had never seen before. I'm so happy to have this excellent film in my 3,000 DVD/Blu-ray collection. To guard against censorship or banning, I always want to have a physical copy. The disc I purchased is from VCI. The audio and video quality are excellent and the disc was pressed, not burned.
This is a very funny movie! Do you like the Marx brothers? Did you like the movie "You Can't Take It With You". If the answer is yes, then this movie is for you. I enjoy beautiful women in my movies. I wasn't sure what to think the first time I saw Jessie Matthews. Yes, she's very pretty, but the incredible expressions that she can make give her that "goofy look" that really comes across well in this terrific film.
This is a wacko British film that has almost everything comedic. It is a madcap, satire, sillyness, wacky and screwball comedy. Climbing High is an entertaining and uplifting film, that charms you rather than overwhelms you. Michael Redgrave plays Nicky Brooke, a millionaire unhappily involved with a society dame who is primarily interested in him for his money and name. Matthews plays a beautiful young girl of limited means, Diana Castle, who works as a model (along with her roommate, Alastair Sim, portraying a Communist forced to take a job as the loincloth-clad "before" picture in a muscle-building ad). While out driving, Brooke nearly runs over Diana; in the process, he falls for her but decides that he will have a better chance of getting his love returned if he courts her in disguise. Disguised as another ordinary working man, he succeeds -- until his real identity is revealed. More complications ensue -- including an escaped lunatic and a finale in which all of the characters end up climbing the Alps.
Janie (1944)
For me, the real star of this great movie is Clare Foley, Janie's seven-year-old little sister.
For me, the real star of this movie is Clare Foley, Janie's seven-year-old little sister. She is tremendously funny, ALMOST at a level equal to child actress Margaret O'Brien (Noted for the terrific movie, Meet Me In St. Louis.) Sadly, Clare Foley died at only 39 years of age. A DuckDuckGo search gives little information about her. As far as I can tell, she was only in the two Janie movies.
In an effort to compete with the popular family pictures being produced by MGM during the World War II era, like the Andy Hardy series, studio mogul Jack Warner charged his staff with creating a wholesome entertainment which would incorporate patriotism, small-town Americana and romance into an audience-pleasing film. The result was Janie (1944), a light romantic comedy about a 17-year-old year who decided to support the war effort by opening her home to every enlisted man stationed nearby. The accent is on humor in Janie with the central premise of adolescent girls developing crushes on visiting soldiers being treated in a charmingly naive way, devoid of any lewd suggestiveness. We will briefly see a very young singer Andy Williams (with his brothers) providing entertainment at a party scene.
Janie became one of Warner's biggest hits of 1944 grossing nearly two million dollars domestically! Pleased with Janie's success, Warner reassembled most of the cast for the inevitable follow-up, Janie Gets Married (1946), but replaced the engaging Reynolds with the studio's favorite all-American (Drop Dead Gorgeous) girl, Joan Leslie, (Joan Leslie's best role is in the movie, The Male Animal.) Also in Janie Gets Married is the very attractive Dorothy Malone.
The movies (Janie and Janie Gets married comes on the same disc.) comes on a burned (purple) DVD, not a longer lasting pressed (Silver) DVD.
Melody Cruise (1933)
It's hard to describe this movie because it's so many things at the same time. It's a comedy, it's a musical, it's sexy, groundbreaking and different.
What a joy it is for a movie collector like me to find a movie I've never seen before that is so darn good. It's hard to describe this movie because it's so many things at the same time. It's a comedy, it's a musical, it's sexy, groundbreaking and different.
Most of the dialogue is spoken rhythmically, a device that might have been tiresome in lesser hands. Zoe and Vera, are two interesting characters in this film. They are "party-goers", stranded in a stateroom. To keep the women safely in his cabin, Pete bribes steward Hickey to steal their clothes. They escape anyway.
The most fun elements of the film are both technical and sub-story-wise. The technical are the creative dissolves from scene to scene. They don't just fade; they are patterned in truly artistic ways. The film contains many highly entertaining special effects created by Vern Walker and Lyn Dunn. Decorated with lots of pretty girls, punctuated with melodic interludes, its strong points are a very pretty ice-skating ballet and the work of Charles Ruggles.
Melody Cruise is mixture of nonsense and music which makes for an excellent show. It's not the singing or the clowning that makes this a smart piece of work, but the imaginative direction of Mark Sandrich, who is alert in seizing ANY opportunity for cinematic stunts. From the viewpoint of direction this production is quite an achievement. I'm very happy to have this excellent film in my 3,000 DVD/Blu-ray collection.
Journey for Margaret (1942)
My DVD worked perfectly. Excellent image and sound quality. A Masterpiece motion picture.
At the beginning of the picture, we are told that the people in it are fictitious, EXCEPT for Margaret. Margaret is real, we are reminded.
Margaret O'Brien played Margaret. Because she was only 4 years old, the studios thought that having her real name and her character name be the same would make it easier. I agree. Margaret O'Brien is the best child actress I have ever seen. Later, she normally plays comedic roles but she was terrific in this masterpiece motion picture.
This was Margaret O'Brien's first feature film. She was in a couple of short subjects previously. The movie reminds me of "Mrs. Miniver". Robert Young gives his reliable good performance. As an added bonus, the drop dead gorgeous Laraine Day plays Robert Young's wife.
(Margaret O'Brien at 6 years old, is best known for her role in "Meet Me in St. Louis" on Blu-ray. She was so good that Hollywood gave her a special award.) Margaret is still alive today. Oct. 2022.
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)
The movie is a masterpiece. A sense of humor is required.
The movie is a masterpiece. A sense of humor is required.
The story, involves what happens when a group of space aliens visits our planet. The aliens have a diabolical plan: raise corpses from the dead and have the ghouls go after the living.
You will see a full-on saucer invasion of Hollywood. Made by Ed Wood, who never let being unable to afford a project stop him from making it. This masterpiece includes horror star Bela Lugosi. Lugosi plays a grief-stricken man mourning for his late wife (Vampira, because of course Bela Lugosi would be married to a woman who dresses like a vampire).
Plan 9 from Outer Space has been in the public domain for more than 15 years, which means that finding a copy isn't hard. There are "restorations" as well and at least one that's colorized!
Some of the best dialogue you'll ever find is contained in this movie. For example. Someone asked a police officer where the aliens came from. The police officer replies "Space". The man asks again, "Where in space?" The police officer response "Outer Space".
Plan 9 from Outer Space should be mandatory viewing for any serious student of film.
The Shadow (1994)
A terrific movie, I wish they had made more of them.
A terrific movie, I wish they had made more of them. This movie was made before Alec Baldwin "changed". He is terrific as The Shadow. To me, all the best superheroes have a few mental issues, The Shadow and Batman come to mind. I had a chance to see this movie a few weeks ago at a classic movie theater. How wonderful it looked on the big screen sitting in the front row of the balcony. It looks good on the Blu-ray disc, but not as good as being a real movie theater. Highly recommended.
If you like The Shadow, you can find some additional movies made in the 1940s. Also the radio programs are good as well.
The Shadow: I'll be there... around every corner... in every empty room... as inevitable as your guilty conscience...
The Shadow: The weed of crime bears bitter fruit.
The Shadow: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!
Dulcy (1940)
Hysterically funny. Everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.
Ann Sothern is terrific as "Dulcy". Ann Sothern is a delight to most men, and she's very funny in this movie. Shocking there is no official studio release. I'm happy to have this terrific film in my 3000 DVD/Blu-ray collection where I know it can never be censored.
Fashions of 1934 (1934)
This movie should be BANNED. WAY too many beautiful, scantily clad women.
This movie should be BANNED. WAY too many beautiful, scantily clad women.
I was so shocked and offended by all of this semi nudity that I had to watch the movie 3 more times just to make sure it was really that offensive. There was Busby Berkeley choreographing all these women dancing around with a little more than a ostrich feather covering them up.
I only wish a few more years had gone by before the production code took affect. I'm glad to have this movie in my 3000 DVD/Blu-ray collection so if ever I want to be shocked and horrified again I know that I will have this movie available, and uncensored.
So This Is Africa (1933)
My favorite Wheeler & Woolsey movie. (And I have them all.)
My favorite Wheeler & Woolsey movie. (And I have them all.)
Is it in bad taste? Oh yes. Does it make any sense? Less than you'd think. Is it any good? YES!
The best part of the movie is where Wheeler meets 'Tarzana' (Raquel Torres). You might think the perfect woman is a 25 year old Sophia Loren, Barbara Eden or Marjorie Weaver. Wait to you meet the sexy 'Tarzana' she's 23 years old and never been kissed. Upon discovering kissing it's all she wants to do, and is Wheeler happy to oblige.
The duo then encounters a tribe of all female Amazons whose traditions include 'loving' men to death, but the men are not afraid. So This is Africa was a 90-minute film, cut down to 65 minutes by censors. Don't be so shocked, Disney and other studios continue to censor movies today. I would pay real money to see the original 90 minutes. So This is Africa is one of the most-heavily censored films of the pre-Code era. The National Board of Review memos include comments like "Nothing as salacious has ever come before the National Board in the eight years of my reviewing", "Absolutely nothing to recommend it", and "The Board would harm itself it were to pass such a picture."
Shockingly, there's never been an official release of this movie on DVD by Columbia. The film is currently owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film has been shown on Turner Classic Movies in the past, and can be found elsewhere.