goldenagehollywood Reviews

Woman on the Run (1950)

Very Average Film Noir

[5/10 · 9 November 2021]

I can't understand the high ratings on this movie. The film was very low budget, the corny lines they gave Ann Sheridan were poorly placed and overdone (not clever, more cliche than anything), and unfortunately the ending was very cheap, cheating us out of the big climax.

The saving grace in this movie - and the only reason I even gave it a 5 - is Dennis O'Keefe, who brightened up the whole film. Before he entered the movie, I was a bit bored. The story was slow and a little dull. But O'Keefe's charm helped bring some life and interest to it. Without him, I think this would be a real flop.

The majority of the film rests on a riddle Ann Sheridan's character couldn't figure out. Not one riddle she figured out that then led to another and a final one. Just one the whole time. That added to the dullness big time.

If you're new to film noir, you might enjoy this movie a lot more. If you've watched lots of film noir, there's much better than this out there in terms of filming, dialogue, character development, shadowing, acting (I think the terrible lines they gave to Ann Sheridan affected her normally great performances), and especially climax.

Paid in Full (1950)

Great Cast, Lack of Psychological Sense

[6/10 · 8 July 2021]

I liked this film until about halfway or two-thirds of the way through. It had great concepts, complicated relationships and psychology, and compelling storylines. The actors are wonderful and really pull off their roles well. They're well cast. However the second half or final third is marred by terrible psychology and loose ends. Things start not making sense and never stop. There are some Hail Marys in here that just don't work well. You really have to push the boundaries of realism to enjoy this one, which is a shame since it had such a strong start.

Twentieth Century (1934)

If you like loud silliness, this is for you

[3/10 · 16 March 2021]

I was not at all a fan of this movie because it's mostly just loud and repetitive. For some people, it's exactly what they're looking for: something silly and crazy. I prefer clever comedies, so this was not up my alley. That being said, for what it is, Carole Lombard and John Barrymore are great and a lot of fun. Barrymore really puts his all into it, which is always enjoyable. He is such a fantastic actor! I liked about the first 20 minutes, which had interest and depth, but after that it was just a lot of screaming and grabbing and repetitive silliness that I didn't enjoy. The majority of the movie takes place on a train in three specific areas, so you also have to like being in the same place for most of a whole movie. I don't, so that was another point of dislike for me.