archi_cianfrocco Reviews

The Groom Wore Spurs (1951)

Light comedy that Ginger Rogers fans will enjoy.

[7/10 · 15 August 2008]

Ben Castle is a Hollywood sensation as a singing cowboy, with his horse Pancho. But Ben can't sing, draw a gun or ride a horse. Heck - he even needs a step-ladder to get on Pancho! Ben seems to have bad luck gambling too, as he owes a $60,000 debt to Las Vegas gambler Harry Kallen. Hoping to find a way to settle the debt, he hires a lawyer - 'A.J.' Furnival, played by Ginger Rogers.

Ben and A.J. fly to Vegas to try to settle the matter. In just a few hours, Ben and A.J. get married. As a wedding present, Harry says the debt is forgiven. After that, we're treated with the ups and down of life married to a big-time celebrity. Things take a drastic change when an unexpected event changes everything.

A little comic relief is provided by Ben's house-boy, Ignacio, played by Victor Sen Yung. What we get from Ignacio is your stereotypical Chinese man for the time. By today's standards, some people might find this - and one scene in particular - very offensive. But back in the early 50's, it was considered funny.

The Groom Wore Spurs is a decent light, breezy sort of romantic comedy that Hollywood used to crank out all the time. What makes it special - for me at least - is the joy of being able to watch Ginger Rogers!Fans of her will really enjoy this movie and they made sure to have a scene where we get to look at Ginger's legs in high heels. Now isn't that reason enough to watch the movie? For me it is!

House of the Living Dead (1974)

OK mad scientist movie with a great ending.

[5/10 · 15 August 2008]

House of the Living Dead is about a family with a history of mental illness living on the Cape in South Africa. There is the mother and her two sons - Michael, the Master of the house and his brother Breck, the demented mad scientist. Breck, who is deformed and lives shut in a room at the top of the house, believes that the soul is an organic object that can be isolated and contained outside the body.

Michael's fiancé comes to marry him, but she's not welcomed at all by his mother. Strange things are going on at the plantation, including murder and some voodoo-like witchcraft being practiced by the natives.

At this point, the movie starts to drag. There are a couple of chase scenes and an eerie organ inside the house that seems to be playing on its own. When the local constable begins to investigate things, we begin to get a glimpse into what's really going on.

When watching this kind of movie, you hope there will be enough suspense to keep you riveted to the film. If you can't get that, you at least hope you'll get a good ending. I don't want to spoil things, so all I'll say is that this movie at least has a really exciting ending. However, the film leaves you with questions that were never answered and the viewer is left to wonder about certain things.

Overall, if this is a genre of movies that you enjoy, I'd say watch it. If the whole "suspense, mad scientist, witchcraft" thing isn't high on your list as to the kind of movies you like, you'll probably be disappointed.

Some people who have written reviews think the title of the movie is deceptive because it isn't a zombie movie. There is just cause for the title...if you're paying attention!

Congratulations, It's a Boy! (1971 TV Movie)

It's just kinda there.

[4/10 · 15 August 2008]

Bill Bixby plays Johnny Gaines, a 37 year old man who never quite grew up. He works for his parents and spends his free time dating hot chicks, driving around in a cool car and partying down. One day a 17 year old comes to Johnny's pad and says Johnny is his father. Seems Johnny had a fling with a girl when he was 18 or 19 and this boy, B.J., was the result of that fling.

The movie deals with everybody either coming to terms with Johnny having a kid or the fact that Johnny himself is a kid. A man who never quite grew up. B.J. is actually more mature and responsible than Johnny is.

After a bunch of bland dialogue and scenes that don't carry the emotional punch they should, Johnny finally comes to terms with the fact that he needs to grow up and accept the fact that he has a son and that he needs to be a part of the boy's life.

The reason I gave the movie a 4 is because, as I mentioned earlier, the scenes in the film that should be intense, with raw emotions, are whitewashed and we just get a few sentences of bland dialogue. I don't think anybody in the movie ever shed a tear. It moves along at a good pace, but that, and the groovy decorations and clothes in the movie, are its only redeeming qualities. It's not bad, as in you feel like you're being tortured by watching it, but it's not good either. It's just kinda there.