285. Guys and Dolls (1955)

Running Time: 149 minutes
Directed By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Written By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, from play by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows and the story The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown by Damon Runyon
Main Cast: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine, Stubby Kaye
Click here to view the trailer

Note: As it pertains to the "COMING SOON" list I posted at the end of the "Ikiru" review, I'll be replacing Nicholas Roeg's "Don't Look Now" with David Lynch's "Eraserhead". It turns out that the link that I was going to use for "Don't Look Now" isn't working properly. However, Youtube has it up for $2.99, which I'll get next week instead of this week. That's all of today's new business. Carry on...

"LUCK BE A LADY TONIGHT!"

I was off today, which meant I could stay up a little later last night (as late as my eyelids would allow anyway), therefore I knew it would be the opportune time to take out one of the longer films in my current pile. That meant either "Das Boot" or "Guys and Dolls" and since I wasn't feeling particularly submarine like last night, I went with the singing & dancing.

The year was 1955. My mother was born, Robert Mitchum transformed into satan himself - in the form of a preacher for "The Night of the Hunter" and Marlon Brando laced up his dancing shoes and did a cool, saltwater gargle to tune up the pipes for "Guys and Dolls", alongside 'Ol Blue Eyes. The film really doesn't have much of a plot and relies more heavily on the musical numbers. Set in New York City, Sinatra plays Nathan Detroit, operator of NYC's oldest running, permanent floating crap game and all he needs is a location and 1,000 smackers and he can get the game running and hopefully make a pile of dough. He has several problems: for one his fiance of fourteen years thinks he's quit the crap game and for two he doesn't have a nickel to his name. Enter Sky Masterson (Brando), a man who once bet another man which rain drop would slide down a window faster. Detroit schemes to make a bet with Masterson that he can't lose - enter Sarah Brown (Simmons), a sister at the Save a Soul Mission. Sky bets Nathan that he can take any "doll" to Havana with him the following night and even allows Nathan to pick the dame. Nathan, scheming hard, picks Sgt. Sarah Brown and follows the progress as Sky tries his best to woo her. That's the blueprints for the film and honestly, it's as predictable as it sounds, so you can go ahead and fill in the rest of the blanks for yourself, I'm sure.

Honestly don't have a lot to say regarding this one, so we'll keep it short today. Any redeeming qualities this film had began and ended with Marlon Brando. While I wasn't crazy about watching him sing & dance, I'll admit that he did fine with the role and was one cool customer. He really is as good as they say he is - believe the hype! Seriously, forget "The Godfather" (the film I always knew Brando for), as Brando was at his prime long before that in films like this and his roles under the direction of Elia Kazan. I'm still looking for that definitive Brando favorite, but have no doubts that I'll eventually find it. As it is, I tend to love him in everything I see him in (while not always loving the film itself) and just have a lot of fun watching him, marveling at his talents. On the other hand, I think I'm sick to death of Frank Sinatra. I honestly had no idea he had so many film roles, furthermore, so many that could be considered "must see". This has gotta' be like the fourth film he's been in for THE BOOK and honestly, I just don't like him as an actor. As a singer - well that's another story, as I do quite enjoy the man belt one out.

Here, the songs are infectious, but that's about it (besides Brando, of course). My personal favorite being "If I Were a Bell". I also liked the one with the girls doing the cat number too - that was cute. Upon further reading, I find out that Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly were considered for the roles of Adelaide and Sarah respectively and honestly, that may have made a difference. Honestly, I didn't care much for Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine seemed to just be playing Marilyn Monroe anyway. I think watching Brando lust after Kelly would've been much more appealing. Also, what was with the way they talked in this movie, using "cannot" instead of "can't" and "will not" instead of "won't" - speaking very square like that all the time. Who knows...

Anyway, this one gives fun in small increments, kind of like the neighborhood kid wailing snow balls and hitting only half the time. You've got Brando and the solid songs on the pro side, but the dull, very predictable plot and the tiresome acting of the rest of the cast on the con side. You may like it, you may hate it - count me in the middle somewhere.

RATING: 6/10  Very *meh* film that I could've done without. But, hey, I've seen it and it's now in the history books so let's move on. I really could go for another great one right about now.

MOVIES WATCHED: 810
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 191

February 28, 2014  5:44pm

276. The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Running Time: 130 minutes
Directed By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Written By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Main Cast: Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Edmond O'Brien, Marius Goring, Rossano Brazzi
Click here to view the trailer

GARDNER LOOKING GREAT!

This one was on a "very long wait" from Netflix, however I managed to track it down via OnDemand, so I just decided to get it over with before Netflix got rid of it altogether - which they do from time to time. The prospect of yet another Humphrey Bogart movie wasn't very appealing, but I soldiered through.

The film is told entirely in flashback, as the main characters are gathered together at the funeral of the film's main character, Maria Vargas (Gardner), whom we learn was once a dancer in a Madrid nightclub. The film really gets underway when writer/director Harry Dawes (Bogart), producer Kirk Edwards and publicist Oscar Muldoon (O'Brien) travel to Madrid, looking for a fresh face to star in their latest production. They hear tell of Maria and decide to pay her a visit, but find that getting some face time with her is harder than they expected. Eventually Dawes uses his charm to get into her dressing room and after some convincing, talks her into doing a screen test. The screen test proves that Maria has talent and she's eventually swept away to Hollywood where she lives out a rags to riches story, becoming a star and quick. From there, we get the bullet points of the rest of her life, not only from Dawes' narration at the funeral, but also the narration of Oscar Muldoon and the man who was her husband upon her death, Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini (Brazzi). The rest of the film tells of her leaving the guidance of Kirk Edwards and her affair with Alberto Bravano (Goring), a Latin American playboy who makes the mistake of publicly berating Maria, only to lose her to the Count.

Well it was a Bogart picture, so you might be able to guess what I thought of it. I've learned to just not expect much when Bogey is on the cast list and this was really no exception, except I really can't blame him. I hate to use the word "boring" when describing my dislike for a picture, but "The Barefoot Contessa" was downright boring and that's that. It was too long and I really didn't care about any of the characters. In fact, I was really never given a reason TO care about any of the characters. Why should I care if Maria Vargas goes from rags to riches? Why do I care about her many loves? Why do I care about Dawes, who only shows up when they need him to tell more of the Maria story. His character is NEVER relevant on his own and is really only ever used to advance the story of the main character. Everything revolves around the Maria character and I could just care less about her. Sure, she looked magnificent. It's hard to deny the physical appearance of the beautiful Ava Gardner, however, I'm not convinced her talents were on par with her looks and if I were Bogart, I think I'd have been pissed at being misused. Sure, I don't care for the guy, but there's no denying he was already a made star by 1954 and here, his only use is to play second fiddle to the vixen Gardner. One has to wonder if they really had Bogart carrying Gardner's shoes from set to set.

RATING: 3/10  Can't believe there's still TWO more Bogart films left in THE BOOK. Here's hoping one of them wow's me and helps to wash the bad taste of Bogey out of my mouth.

MOVIES WATCHED: 794
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 207

February 5, 2014  5:54pm

228. All About Eve (1950)

Running Time: 138 minutes
Directed By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Written By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, from the story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr
Main Cast: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill
Click here to view the trailer

AND THE 23rd OSCAR FOR BEST PICTURE GOES TO...

With the watching of "All About Eve", I get to check another unseen Best Picture winner off of my list of Best Picture winners I've never seen. For the curious, there are still twenty-six films on that list, but hopefully someday (soon) I'll be able to say I've seen 'em all. Anyway, the movie is "All About Eve" and so should be the review.

The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing (I wonder how many people went into this movie SURE that Davis played Eve?), a forty-year-old, semi-talented, very popular actress who is used to being at the center of the spotlight. The film begins at an awards ceremony where Eve Harrington (Baxter) is being honored for her exceptional acting talents. We hear a narration from theater critic Addison DeWitt (Sanders), who begins to fill us in on the essential details. We see the characters that we'll soon know very well: playwright Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe), his wife (Holm), director Bill Sampson (Merrill) and of course, Margo. We then flashback and get the story from Karen Richards' point of view (the playwright's wife). The story picks up several months prior when Karen met Eve Harrington hiding in the shadows, outside the theater where Margo had just given a performance. Eve goes to see every Margo Channing performance and practically worships her. Karen invites Eve up to meet Margo and long story short, Margo eventually hires eve as her personal assistant. As it says in the film, Eve does virtually everything for Margo; she's her mother, her sister, her friend, her admirer, her assistant and her maid. After a while, Margo becomes less and less thrilled with the presence of Eve and really begins to get annoyed by her when she feels that Eve is stepping on her toes and moving in on her man & her friends. The caca really hits the fan when Eve is positioned to be Margo's understudy, at a time when Margo thought she'd conjured up a plan to unload Eve. One evening, when Margo doesn't make her performance, Eve is forced to go on and is a huge success.

I liked "All About Eve" well enough, but I didn't like it as much as I'd expected to. I think it's another case of hype building me up and reality letting me down. I'd always heard great things about "All About Eve", as you normally do about any film that wins the coveted Best Picture Oscar and for some reason, I was really expecting to take to it. However, the film left me a little flat and once and for all made me realize that I am not a fan of Bette Davis. I just don't like her, to be blunt and can't really understand why she's so praised. In my view, she's overacts most of her performance and doesn't become her part, but rather, makes it blatantly obvious that she's an actress, playing a part and nothing more. In the great debate/battle of who's better: Crawford or Davis, I choose Joan Crawford any 'ol day of the week...twice on Sunday. Crawford was a much classier actress, who seemed to hold more in during her performances and let it seep out like cigarette smoke through tight lips, when needed. Davis, on the other hand, lets it all hang out from the get go and almost annoys me. THE BOOK ends it's write-up on "All About Eve" by stating that the film's only flaw is Anne Baxter. On the contrary, I actually enjoyed Baxter a lot more than Davis here. I know, I know, I'll accept the hate mail graciously and read every piece. Seriously though, that scene on the bed, near the end of the film with George Sanders yelling at her was just great and Baxter crossed a fine line between overreacting and just reacting and stayed on the right side of said line. Speaking of Sanders, what a freakin' actor he is! This is my fourth film with him, but I really only noticed him for the first time in "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir". Man, did that guy bring the acting chops to the table or what. In fact, there really wasn't a bad supporting actor in the bunch here as I enjoyed Holm, Marlowe and Merrill too.

It's just that I kind of expected the script to take a different path. I expected the film to get a little darker, and expected Eve to have a more evil streak, doing whatever it took to ensure she was the next toast of the town. As it is, it just sort of happened and yes, Eve was a bitch, but she was talented so what of it? They never really went into WHY Margo didn't like Eve. Eve waited on her hand and foot, did whatever she asked and one day Margo wakes up and just decides she wants Eve to get lost and never look back. The film was a little on the long side as it is, yet there were still some things that needed a little more embellishment. Don't get me wrong, I would've trimmed the fat elsewhere and kept the film at a nice, solid two hours. The overrun was just unwelcome to the viewer and I was ready to call it a picture, raise the lights and wipe the gum off my shoe about twenty minutes beforehand. In conclusion, call it a mixed review. Brilliantly acted, yet a script that wasn't as succinct as it could've been. Details left out that should've been included and a little bit more of an evil edge in Eve would've done wonders, I think.

RATING: 6.5/10  Lingering in the dead zone of not great/not bad movies. I wish it would've delivered more, but after the disaster that was "Rio Grande" it was a breath of fresh air.

MOVIES WATCHED: 717
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 284

August 23, 2013  6:39pm

199. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

Running Time: 104 minutes
Directed By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Written By: R.A. Dick, Philip Dunne, from novel by R.A. Dick
Main Cast: Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Edna Best, Natalie Wood
Click here to view the trailer

FIRST 200 FILMS IN THE BOOK - CHECK!

Yep, that's right. The first two hundred movies in THE BOOK are all officially watched and soon will be reviewed. It's a milestone, but in a project full of little milestones, there's just no use harping on it. In fact, the only milestone worth harping over now is the finish line, which is still a ways away. As it is, onto the business at hand...ghosts and stuff.

Gene Tierney stars as Lucy Muir, a widow who, upon films opening, is breaking to her in-laws (well, technically her former in-laws) that she soon plans to move out and start a life of her own, along with her child Anna (Wood). They're devastated and try to convince her to stay with them, although you get the idea that it's more for selfish reasons than genuine reasons. Lucy, however, is adamant about beginning a new life and soon visits a realtor. The realtor shows her several houses for rent, one of which IS NOT Gull Cottage, a supposedly haunted mansion overlooking the ocean. Lucy continues to insist on seeing Gull Cottage and her realtor finally breaks down and takes her there, where she finds out that the house is indeed haunted. However, Lucy decides that she likes the place anyway and insists on renting it. It isn't long after their arrival ("their" being Lucy, Anna and Martha, the maid) that the ghost shows himself to Lucy. The ghost is Daniel Gregg, a salty, old, foul mouthed sea captain who doesn't want anyone occupying his former fortress and would instead see it turned into a home for retired seamen. However, he admires Lucy's spunk and in fact, is quite attracted to her. After a while the two strike up a (sort of) romance, spending evenings talking and sharing emotions. When Lucy goes broke, Daniel (who calls her Lucia) tells her that he has a book in him and offers to dictate it for her. He guarantees it will sell and that she'll be able to make money off of it. It turns out he's right and when she goes to see a publisher about selling the book, she meets Miles Fairley (Sanders), a potential suitor who is gaga for Lucy.

My wife's always trying to get me to watch those Nicholas Sparks movies and while sometimes she begs long enough that I can't help but give in, I almost always hate them and anything remotely resembling them. I'm pretty sure that love stories were made for single people. People who can sit around, cry and wonder why they can't find a dead sea captain to come and haunt them, so that they can fall in love and live happily ever after. Long story short, I'm not single, I don't require a dead sea captain and I didn't care too much for this movie, which is a shame because I was really looking forward to checking out another Rex Harrison flick (loved him in "My Fair Lady" last season). I just couldn't lose myself in this one, not one bit and at the end of the day I found it to be overly sentimental and really nonsensical. I just couldn't wrap my head around a dead sea captain having talks with this woman and getting upset because she cries and he doesn't like it when women cry, because "even when he was alive, he couldn't stand that" - puh-lease. Also speaking of stupid moments, what was with the in-laws? Were they supposed to be the villains of the script? If so, they're the nicest antagonists I've ever heard of, getting over emotional just because their daughter-in-law/sister-in-law won't move back in with them. Don't these people know that in movies and television no one likes their in-laws and especially when the husband that links the you together ceases to be. Geez, you could tell that this was fifty years before "Everybody Loves Raymond".

I'm trying my best to be witty here folks, is it working? Anyway, I'll stop the humor and wrap the review with a thumb pointing down and a recommendation to avoid. Unless you're like my wife and you just LOVE these types of romantic movies, you're probably not going to care too much for this. Even so, I highly doubt my wife would even care for this, as it slacks off in the romance department and makes up for it in the pointless & silly department. The little good that was in there was provided mostly by the males, with Rex Harrison and George Sanders turning in noteworthy performances. Gene Tierney LOOKED marvelous, but failed to impress me on a talent level. Must see? Nah.

RATING: 4/10  So we're five movies into the season and thus far, all I have to show for it is "Return of the Jedi". Oh well, luckily there's still ninety-five flicks to go.

MOVIES WATCHED: 706
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 295

August 3, 2013  1:38am

547. SLEUTH (1972)

Running Time: 138 minutes
Directed By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Written By: Anthony Shaffer, from his play
Main Cast: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine
Click here to view the trailer

"THE PLOT, AS THEY SAY, THICKENS!"

Imagine my surprise when a film that I saw ten years ago and one that I've been trying to see again ever since, pops up as a result from my search inquiry on YouTube. Unlike this film, I'm going to spoil my surprise right up front - this film is a full blown '10', if I've ever saw one.

In England, Milo Tindle (Caine) accepts an invitation to visit the manor of Andrew Wyke (Olivier), the husband of the woman that he's been sleeping with. Andrew is a very wealthy author of mystery novels, while Tindle is less wealthy, making his earnings as a hairdresser. The meeting between the two starts out mannerly enough, with proper English pleasantries being tossed about. As the meeting progresses, the atmosphere becomes a little more heated, with Wyke demeaning the name of his wife, Marguerite, only to anger her current lover, Tindle. Eventually, Wyke makes the purpose of his suggested meeting known. Wyke suggests that since Tindle is merely a hairdresser, that he won't be able to provide for Marguerite, the lifestyle that she's come to expect from being married to him, a wealthy author. As far as Wyke is concerned, the marriage is over, as he's taken on a mistress of his own and wants to make sure that Marguerite is out of the picture for good. To ensure that Marguerite doesn't come back, citing that "the hairdresser" can't take care of her, Wyke proposes that Tindle steal a box of jewelry that Wyke keeps in a safe, in his study. The jewels are worth about 200,000 pounds and with them Tindle will be able to continue spoiling Marguerite. Also, Wyke will be able to collect the on the insurance policy that he took out on the jewels, so it's a win-win. Tindle, after some convincing, agrees to Wyke's plan and the two set out to stage a burglary. However, once the stage is set, Wyke has a change of plans.

SPOILER ALERT!

It had to be, at least, ten years ago when I saw "Sleuth" (for the first and only time, prior to tonight) and I can remember being totally blown away by it. Ever since then, I've been perusing Amazon over the years, searching for an affordable copy of this out-of-print film, but to no avail. When I purchased THE BOOK and realized that it was one of the elite 1001, it only gave THE BOOK more validity. Since September 2009, when I started my journey, I've been typing "Sleuth" into the search box at the Turner Movie Classics website, in hopes that they might be showing it and in higher hopes that I'd get to see it again. Again, to no avail I typed, month after month, unable to get lucky enough for them to fit "Sleuth" into their schedule. My recent trek into the "YouTube Files" with "The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short" got me to thinking - "Maybe, just maybe, "Sleuth" is on YouTube!". Last night I searched it and was ecstatic when I actually found it.

This time around "Sleuth" was an entirely different viewing experience as it was the last time. Granted, it still "wowed" me, but it was different. For starters, my tastes have been refined, so I viewed it in an entirely different way, than I did before. Also, the last time I saw "Sleuth", I fell victim to the twists and turns, not knowing they were coming. I never forgot them. So, I knew about all the twists, but there's still the FANTASTIC acting, great dialogue and intimate atmosphere that are still in place to provide any viewer with a more than suitable cinematic experience. What I wrote above is merely the first act, in what I consider to be a three act play. Speaking of plays, I'm really starting to acquire a likeness for films that are based on stage plays, as they almost always appeal to me (see "12 Angry Men" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?").

You know there's really not a lot to say about "Sleuth". It's a excellent movie and the reasons why are very clear. You have Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, two outstanding actors, duking it out. At first it's Olivier who overwhelms as the outstanding actor, but Caine holds his own and makes a comeback in the second half, showing that he's no slouch. On top of the acting, you've got the superb dialogue, the intimacy of it all and don't forget the twists & turns, which I'm usually a total sucker for. It's one that I really want you all to see, because it's that good. You know the type - you see a film and you immediately wish everyone you know would see it, so you could all gather and gush about it. It's the type of movie that if you've seen it and then you watch it again with someone who hasn't, it really feels like you're watching it for the first time all over again. I'll stop now....but trust me, this is one you wanna' check out!

RATING: 10/10 As far as the TOP 20 goes...the plot, as they say, has just thickened!

MOVIES WATCHED: 384
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 617

January 3, 2012 3:55am