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Reviews
The Set-Up (1949)
Top notch
I love boxing movies...usually the only downside is Hollywood tends to over do the fight scenes, especially in Rocky Films and especially the newer films. I'm a huge boxing fan, there's not a boxer alive that could withstand some of punches in the films. But in this great film, The Set-up, these could be the most real fight scenes ever. It's beautiful. It's like watching a real match from 1949. But more importantly the storyline is great. Robert Wise directing is always terrific, one of the best. I wish I could respond to some of the other reviews on this site. Somebody actually called Robert Wise musicals of the 1960s soulless. Lol he's actually calling West Side Story and Sound of Music soulless. Two of the greatest musicals of all time. He suggested that Robert Wise directed those films because he needs to eat. There's a lot of nuts in this world. Anyway, the Set Up is a beautiful film. The entire cast is remarkable.
The Lady Gambles (1949)
I can relate to this film
This is one of the best films about the madness of gambling. As a former compulsive gambler, I can really relate to this film. The only other film about gambling addiction that could be better is The Great Sinner starring Gregory Peck. I don't like to tell the plot on my reviews, and I won't now either. Barbara Stanwyk does an incredible job as a woman that gets obsessed gambling. When she describes how it's a "good tired" after a night of gambling( after she wins) and how Stephen McNally describes the good tired even after you lose. Both logics are so true. Stanwyks performance is brilliant as a lunatic gambler. If you're a gambler or an ex over the top gambler, you'll enjoy this film.
The Real Story of January 6 (2022)
Real news
Ask yourself this question...,. Why would 99% of all our media fight to not have 44,000 hours of video of Jan 6 released? Why did senators of both parties call for Tucker Carlson to be fired when he aired a few minutes of the video footage from inside the capitol? If you were a journalist, wouldn't you be dying to look at 44,000 hours of footage from inside the capitol? I never understood how news organizations would want to see less video footage... well I guess I knew why. Now this documentary will show why. This was a hoax, there was no insurrection .,, it was a set up. Starting with provocation from capital police and feds amongst the protesters trying to lead the way through the doors. Thank you to the real journalists that took the time to tell us the truth.
Our Town (1940)
It goes so fast
I understand why a lot of these reviews aren't that great... in some ways, nothing happens in this film. You seem to be waiting for a plot to form and before you know it, there's only twenty minutes left and no story line has been established. Then all of a sudden, it hits you like a ton of bricks. It's life!!! If you're over fifty years old, perhaps your parents are gone. You suffered loss of loved ones, you'll get this film. You'll get chills, and if you're a normal person, you'll tear up.
Im so happy I watched this film. It's a great town, I love the era it takes place in. People don't live like this anymore. We've become soft people filled with technology that makes us dull. We're spoiled brats on cell phones and social media. I'm happy that I can relate to parts of this movie. I may not have grown up in the early twentieth century but I'm from era that had a milk man. Most all of my friends and I had two parents in our home. We played baseball regularly and delivered newspapers. Man, I loved this film.
The Journey (1959)
Pay Attention
I read a lot of reviews, criticizing this movie for the plot. Many people also find it hard to believe that Yul Brynner's character would give up all this power for the reasons he does in this story. Perhaps they have a point, but who cares? If you love films with good dialogue then this is the film for you. The conversations at the dinner table are incredibly interesting. Especially about the cucumbers and folk music...
Then there's the cast, these are top notch artists that really know their crafts. They obviously learned how to act the right way...what a great group to end up all together, basically being held by communists. The movie is great. I'm not a big Deborah Kerr fan, I probably would have preferred someone else but she was brilliant. She's just not one of my favorites, it has nothing to do with her talent. Sometimes you just like other actors better than others.
The Third Man (1949)
I'm not reviewing the plot
No need to review the plot, there's hundreds of reviews telling the story. I'm writing to respond to the few rare negative reviews. I actually seen one cuckoo reviewer complaining about the sound track. One of the most unique movie scores in history and wanted a typical Hollywood score. Another guy stated that Orson Welles is overrated. I'm not a snob, as a matter of fact, when I was fifteen I'd probably fall asleep watching this film. But any grown up person that gets nothing out of this film should stop reviewing films.
First of all, the dialogue in this film is brilliant. After watching it ten times, you'll start dying laughing at some lines...not because they're meant to be humorous or they are silly. Because they're so good, so real, such great lines that when you analyze them, you'll laugh out loud. Like when Calloway gets called Callahan, he responds, Calloway, I'm British, not Irish. Of course an Englishman is going to correct that. Lol there's so many lines like that. Not to mention the cinematography. Brilliant!! The scene when the little boy is pointing at Joesph Cotten and they all chase him. Wow. Orson Welles standing in the doorway, the car by his feet. Anyone that knows what I'm writing about probably loves this movie. Sorry to have to write this for everyone to read but this site should let us respond to other people's reviews. This film is not an opinion, if you love films, especially film noir type of films. You can't criticize this film. There's a reason people will pay close to three hundred dollars for the out of print Criterion blu ray of this movie. They did an amazing job restoring it.
El Dorado (1966)
Cowboypimpin58
This movie is great. Another Howard Hawks gem. The reason for my title, "CowboyPimpin58" is because of a review i read on this site from someone using that name...it's from 2006 by a 16 year old boy that would now be 33. It's beautiful to read his review. Him and his dad watching movies like this. It gives me hope.... Hope that there's young people that can watch good films and not be stuck watching the garbage and filth that Hollywood puts out nowadays. This film is reminiscent of an earlier Howard Hawks film Rio Bravo. My personal opinion is that it's not as good... full disclosure, Rio Bravo is one of my favorite movies of all time. El Dorado is still great. I don't believe in telling the plot in my reviews. This movie has it all, dialogue and action. Not overdone computer graphic action nonsense like todays film. Howard Hawks is famous for overlapping fast dialogue. Enjoy it in this film.
Peking Express (1951)
Don't let them fool you
I'm tired of communist sympathizers putting this movie down. You'll hear about played out dialogue, or same old ideology. This version revolves around communism. This was made in the 1940s so the dialogue and ideology attacking communism wasn't played out. In fact, it should never be played out... just open your eye's today and you'll see, the communists are winning. Maybe if we kept on making films like this, we wouldn't have a communist infiltration in every American institution today. Including the biggest communist institution, Hollywood!!!
One reviewer even went on to criticize Joseph Cotten in this film because he didn't look natural using a machine gun ... he shouldn't look natural because he's playing a doctor working for the World Health Organization. Btw. That's another institution that is bought and owned by the Chinese communist party today.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
What a cast
I'm not the biggest Tennessee Williams fan, I appreciate his work. It's brilliant, just not my style. That being sad, this film is right up my alley. I love dialogue, it's the thing in movies that make me watch certain film over and over. True movie fans don't watch certain movies multiple times for the story, it's dialogue..and this movie(play) has it. Obviously, you need the cast. For me, it's Burl Ives that has me mesmerized in this film. I'm a huge Jack Carson fan and we all know about Newman and Taylor. The entire cast is brilliant. Even the annoying kids, they were supposed to annoy us. Mission accomplished!!!
I'm glad this movie was done while the Hayes Code was still somewhat in tact...I think using your brain more is a good thing.
Jane Eyre (1943)
Orson Welles is brilliant in this movie
I have to admit, I've never read Jane Eyre, but I've watched this film many times. I'm planning on reading the book. Since I don't know the original story I don't what happens after when Jane goes back after the death of her aunt. In the film, she goes back and it ends very quickly... Both Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine are brilliant in the last scene. Dialogue is great. It just seems like it might have or should have taken longer for Edward to except that Jane isn't there because she pities him. When I read the novel I will find out if there's more back and forth towards the end.
I love the cinematography of this film. It's dark, lots of shadows. I wish there was a better restoration of the film. There's a HD version on iTunes that's soft. Twilight has blu ray that has a 3 out of 5 star review on video quality. But it's a limited edition out of print. It's going for 150 dollars. I'm not sure about buying it since
the reviews are that great.
Knock on Any Door (1949)
It's not all our fault
I really enjoy this movie...Bogart is great in it, John Derek also puts on a great performance as an angry youth that can't catch a break. I don't believe in telling the whole story in a review, I'll just say it's an entertaining story. I think Bogarts speech at the end is brilliant, his performance is wonderful. The dialogue is well written, perhaps some of its true. But these are the moments when Hollywood goes a bit too far. The moral of this story is that society is to blame for crime. I always believe, what one man can do, another can do. If a kid grows up in the slums, his father dies young, he gets mixed up with the wrong crowd, goes to prison for theft or drugs, gets out of jail and goes on to be an upstanding citizen , then it proves it can be done. Granted, it's harder but the individual has to take most of the blame.. it's a very good movie. It's got a great cast and superb director.
Alias Nick Beal (1949)
Film noir?
I don't believe in reviewing the story..it's a great story in my opinion...I'm reviewing the film, it's very good. I loved it. Ray Milland is wonderful in this film. The black and white cinematography is amongst my favorites. The fog, the darkness, the sound of the docks. It's awesome. They can't make movie like this anymore.
Thomas Mitchell is in this film also...the guys great at his craft. I guess I'm partial to these old actors and old films. It's not because I grew up in a time period with only 10 channels and most of the movies shown were from the golden age of Hollywood. There's a lot of things I watched as a kid that don't hold up for me as an adult. The movies hold up...not all movies from back then are great, but at least they never ever attack my morals. Make fun of me because I believe in God. I love to be able to watch a movie with a child, or a mother without having to worry that any moment I'm going to see Greta Garbo take her clothes off, or see Humphrey Bogarts backside while acting out sexual intercourse. I'm smart enough to know when a kissing scene fades to black, it meant sex. Yet my kid won't know and my mom won't blush.
Finally, if you like old flicks, film noir, fantasy or Ray Milland, this is a must watch.
Little Women (1949)
Beautiful version...best version
This is the best version, trust me! June Allyson is the best Joe in my opinion. The technicolor is beautiful!! When I watch a movie that takes place in the 1860s it makes me realize how horrible our culture is today. We have more technology than the people in the 19th century but not more morals. Imagine the March family in 2022? All four sisters would probably be sleeping with. Laurie. No way in hell would they be giving up their Christmas breakfast...instead of acting out Jo's plays they'd be outside smoking pot and listening to hip hop. When I watch films like this it does something to me. They don't know how to make films anymore. They remade this again recently, it's garbage. People do not need a new version, go watch the old ones. Even the movie audience today has been dumbed down. I'm not an elitist, I'm just old enough to remember good movies on tv.
Night of the Demon (1957)
It's a Gem
This movie is my one of my favorites, I love it. Make sure you watch the long version and NOT the butchered 82 minute version. They cut the most chilling scene out, it's when Dana Andrews goes to the Hobart farm. It's an amazing scene, the best scene in the movie.
Its very interesting to read about this film. The director didn't want to show the audience the demon (I personally agree). A compromise would have been ok, instead of showing it twice, perhaps they could have only shown it at the end of the film. I could talk about this film for hours. I'm a huge Dana Andrews fan, he shines in this movie. The entire cast is great.
Hot Rods to Hell (1966)
It's cool to watch Dana Andrews
I'm just writing this review because someone reviewed this movie and wrote that Dana Andrews was pretty good in old horror movies...what the hell is thinking? Horror movies???? Dana Andrews was in one the greatest films of all time, The Best Years of Our Lives and he was also in one of the greatest film noirs of all time, Laura. I know he was in Curse/Night of the Demon , which is a gem. It just bothered me that someone can know so little about Dana Andrews.
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Ok
Great performances but the flick is more for elitists.
Mank (2020)
Ok
They should have shot it on 35mm film. It says mono mix