Grazcm Reviews

Whistling in Brooklyn (1943)

You forget how funny movies used to be!

[8/10 · 9 December 2008]

Of course there's a lot of slapstick, juvenile jokes, and near pushing the envelope humor, but more than occasional real zinger routines made me actually laugh out loud, (a real rarity). In all the decades,(too many to tell) I've watched movies, I'd never seen a stunt as good as the one in the elevator shaft. Trick 1943 photography or fantastic stunt doubles, whatever, that was real nail biting entertainment. Rags Ragland had great lines. This must have been his best role. Great to see Ebbetts Field again, especially Abe Stark's sign in right field (Hit sign, win suit). I'm a reanimated Red Skelton fan!

Henceforth, I'm going to be on the lookout for any old Skelton movie.

Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)

I felt ashamed.

[4/10 · 10 February 2006]

One of the funniest lines in the British low humor, innuendo filled, "Carry On.." series came from a sketch, I believe in "Carry On Regardless"(1960). Comic Sid James and another are looking for an escaped bird, a blue titmouse. They poke into a striptease club and shout, "Any Blue Tits in here"? The proprietor replies, "Hell no, we've got central heating"! There are no blue ones either in "Mrs. Henderson...", although one of the naked girls complained about the cold.

Alfred Hitchcock reminded us that most movie goers are voyeurs. "Mrs. Henderson" should then appeal to most of us. Yet, somehow I felt ashamed looking at almost totally nude girls, while trying to rationalize that the film was a nostalgic, partly true, look at brave wartime England. What is it with these Brits and nudity,("Full Monty", "Calendar Girls")?

Of course Judi Dench is a good actress, but was she supposed to be funny, serious, sarcastic or what? For me nothing is more offensive than an old lady using "dirty" or "vulgar" words. It's about as funny as those moronic movies where someone, mouth agape and in agony doubles over after being kicked in the groin.

Most disquieting, however, was Bob Hoskins makeup! Was it Mr. Joyboy from "The Loved One" who gave him that well shellacked look?

The Squid and the Whale (2005)

Refreshing surprise, but reminded me of...

[8/10 · 4 February 2006]

Almost dragged to this film, expecting a tortuous "Royal Tannenbaum" ordeal, I made sure to bring my Indiglo watch. At first I squirmed, but was pleasantly surprised by the crisp dialog, fast pace, and the excellent acting. Actually the story wasn't particularly interesting, but I was really entertained by the director's style. I was aghast how well Eisenberg acted. He seemed more like Kevin Kline than his own son in the movie. The Museum of Natural History had always been a kind of "centering-transitional object" for me. That's one reason "Catcher in the Rye" affected me so strongly. Hey everybody, isn't this really the Holden Caufield story? '