aradford57 Reviews

Arrival (II) (2016)

Top notch cinema.

[9/10 · 12 November 2022]

What a film. Clever, wonderous and mystifying.

Aliens visit Earth and Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, who play a linguist and mathematician, are employed by the government to understand the aliens strange visual language and why they have come to Earth.

A wonderful and very clever script along with excellent acting, superb special effects and a haunting film score make this a film that will leave you pondering for hours after you've watched it.

Takes alien visitation films to a new level. Many will find this film slightly slow but its actually a slow burner that reveals itself as it seamlessly moves towatds it's fascinating and forgone conclusion.

Shanghai Express (1932)

Highest grossing film of 1932.

[9/10 · 9 November 2022]

Worth remembering this film saved Paramount Studios from bankruptcy.

It was the height of The Depression and all the Hollywood Film Studios were feeling the pinch. Paramount's books were well in the red but they gave Von Sternberg carte blanche with Shanghai Express, obviously hoping for a box office smash. Adolph Zukor head of Paramount made the right decision. Shanghai Express was a huge hit. Every secretary and waitress in the USA went around drawling " It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily" and left their eyebrows on their bathroom floors as they imitated Dietrich's wispy antennae.

In 1932 Dietrich must have been like an ethereal goddess visiting earth, her exquisite bone structure, beautiful legs and huge liquid eyes. All enhanced by Sterbergs trade mark lighting and Garmes wonderful camera work. This film was well ahead of its time.

Nearly all the action takes place on an express train from Peking to Shanghai. And to be fair it's an action packed film but of course the main thread of the story is 'Lily' & Docs gradually rekindling romance amidst the dangers of marauding warlords in 1930s China.

A beautifully made film with an engaging script, great characters and there at the centre is a luminous Dietrich resplendent in Travis Bantons sensational gowns and furs fighting for her man's life in between repenting her misspent past.

I can think of no other film in the early 1930s that came close to the sophistication and stylishness of Shanghai Express.

Should be watched by all budding directors and cameramen.

Dietrich & Von Sternberg's greatest collaboration.

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

BBC Drama at it's very best.

[10/10 · 3 November 2022]

Absolutely perfect.

Beautiful naturalistic settings, wonderful costumes and a script that bought Austen's most famous novel to vibrant life.

Every single actor was never less than superb but special mention must go to Mr Collins & Mrs Bennett, never have two Austen characters bought greater amusement than these two. With Mrs Bennets, quiverings & tremblings and Mr Collins fanatical admirations of the great fireplace at Rosings.

Of course this series bought Colin Firth to the attention of millions and springboarded his international career.

Never was there a greater Austen production with Angs Sense & Sensibility coming a very close second.

Wonderful. Viewing of both is highly recommended.

Torn Curtain (1966)

Odd casting but still a good film.

[8/10 · 3 November 2022]

I remember watching this film for the first time in the 1960s and thinking that Newman & Andrews were strange casting for a Hitchcock thriller. Newman was not overly convincing as a nuclear scientist and Andrews was not really suited as his deceived wife. However, both make a valiant effort, despite minimal chemistry between them.

There are, however, some great high spots in the film, the bus ride, the killing of an enemy agent, that proves to be endless and Newmans effort to decipher the East Germans nuclear equations, also some lovely cameo roles from support actors.

As a package I thoroughly enjoyed this film but it's not one of Hitchcocks best. There are some obvious problems and I think the casting of the leads was the main one, much as I am an admirer of both of them.

Rear Window (1954)

Hitchcock's Greatest Film?

[10/10 · 3 November 2022]

Stewart & Kelly are just perfect for this film. He's a rugged, go anywhere photographer imprisoned in his small flat due to a broken leg. Kelly a beautiful society girl who's trying to refashion him as a society fiance. And never the twain shall meet until Stewart suspects there's been a murder in a neighbouring flat. Which unites the couple as they investigate the gruesome crime.

Apart from the two human stars huge credit must go to the fantastic set and musical score provided by the neighbours radios, record players and pianos.

Hitchcock keeps the direction tight and very edgy. Kelly's visit to the murderers flat is still nail bitingly tense.

One of Hitchcock's very best.

Bewitched (2005)

More Bewildered.

[5/10 · 3 November 2022]

This really should have been a charming and amusing supernatural rom com. But due to a terrible script, muddled direction and embarrassing over acting by Ferrell it was not so much a disaster but toe clenchingly embarrassing.

Kidman as Samantha proved to be a highlight of the film as were the brief appearances of Michael Caine. But neither of them could save this film from what proved to be a critical and financial flop.

The premise was quite clever and properly plotted and scripted could have proven to be a good film and the director should really have insisted Ferrell calmed down his character who proved too manic and incredibly unlikeable. So by the time he became a better human being no one really cared.

What a waste of good talent.

Desire (1936)

Dietrich & Cooper Reunited.

[8/10 · 3 November 2022]

6 years after they appeared in Morocco together. This light hearted jewelry heist is actually a pleasant relief from the beautiful but sometimes laboured films Dietrich made with Von Sternberg from 1929-1936. Here Dietrich is allowed to act and do comedy, something she is really rather good at.

She plays a jewel thief and Cooper a straightforward American engineer, begiuled by Dietrich's beauty and sophistication.

Dietrich looks exquisite, Travis Banton, Paramount's costume designer, excelled himself, creating some of the most beautiful fashions seen in a 1930s film.

She is also photographed exquisitely, making every shot of her breathtaking.

Cooper is as reliable as always and the fact that he and Dietrich were having an affair during the making of the film meant the on screen frison was grounded in reality.

A sophisticated 1930s Comedy Heist Film. However, I agree with many of those commenting here, the first half of the picture was superior to the second half. Losing the light hearted comedy element and becoming more about redemption and moral honesty. Probably the dreaded Hays Codes influence.

Rebecca (1940)

I dreamt last night I went to Manderley.

[10/10 · 30 October 2022]

What a film. Still loved by millions, 82 years after it was released.

Hitchcock's first Hollywood film and it never misses a beat from its beginning in Monte Carlo, to the burning down of the ancestral home at the end.

The lovely Joan Fontaine plays the girl swept off her feet by Manderleys master, Laurence Olivier, whilst being employed as a companion to a rather unpleasant rich American. They are married quickly in Monaco and that should be the happy ending. But no! They return to the beautiful Manderley and things go from heavenly to hellish very quickly. Many of the problems being cause by the cold, cruel housekeeper, played wonderfuly by Judith Anderson and Olivier who is haunted by the death of his exquisite first wife. Fontaine is dragged through a miasma of misery as she tries to find her feet as the chatelain of a stately home whilst contending with her husband's moods, her feelings of inferiority and the most unpleasant & malicious housekeeper ever seen on screen.

A truly wonderful film that can be viewed multiple times.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

The sun sets on a silent stars career leading to madness.

[10/10 · 30 October 2022]

Many critics say that Gloria Swansons performance was one of the very best ever captured on film. It's hard to disagree.

A failed screen writer hides his car, avoiding repossession, in the home of a long forgotten silent star. It's not long before the star moves the writer into her boudoir, hoping he will make something of the appalling script she's written to revive her long dead career.

Holdens performance as the gold digging scriptwriter is wonderful. But too late realises he's bitten off far more than he can chew. He has become no more than a gigolo to an ageing, clinging, suicidal has been.

A Hollywood tragedy, which reflected how many once famous stars ended up living their lives. Watching and re watching their greatest films whilst waiting, without hope, for the phone to ring.

An absolutely jewel of a film. A must see for fans of Wilder and Hollywood at it's very best.

Random Harvest (1942)

What a Harvest!

[9/10 · 28 October 2022]

One of Golden Hollywood's truly great films. It's not without its faults but no one cares about those.

What we do care about is Colman & Garson and whether he will ever regain his memory.

The two leads acting, throughout the film, is just magnificent. From Coleman's distracted amnesiac to Garsons long suffering abandoned girlfriend. Quite wonderful.

And those who love this film will always remember the squeaking gate that not only triggers memories but tears from the audience.

MGM made a lot of these sumptuous romantic dramas though the years but Random Harvest stands out because the leads put their hearts and souls into their performances. Greer has never looked more beautiful. The camera certainly loved her luminous clear browed face and sparkling eyes.

Watch and marvel at an MGM Grade A Film.

North by Northwest (1959)

Grant is superb. Another Hitchcock masterpiece.

[9/10 · 28 October 2022]

Everything that needs to be said has been said about this clever, romantic and thrilling film.

Twists and turns abound kept beautifully in check by Hitchcock's direction. Acting from the leads is top draw, Grant, Saint & Mason are all superb.

Grant a sauve advertising agent is thrust into a world of espionage due to mistaken identity. Yves Marie Saint soon turns up as a beautiful & enigmatic femme fatale. And the baddy behind all the shenanigans is James Mason who could personify malevolence and evil in the mere tone and volume of his voice.

Audiences in the late 1950s must have thought this cinematic heaven. It still is.

Don't Look Now (1973)

Red is the colour of this film.

[9/10 · 28 October 2022]

From the drowned child's raincoat to Christie's red boots and handbag and red combination underwear hanging on Venetian washing lines and the finale where blood gushes from a fatal wound this film is all about the colour RED.

An astonishing and haunting film made in 1973 with naturalistic and wonderful acting from Sutherland and Christie, who play a couple who lose a child to drowning, at their home, on a quiet Sunday afternoon. They move to Venice, where Sutherland is restoring a church and what is supposed to be a time of grieving and recovering, from their loss, becomes a time of jarring events and strange supernatural meetings.

Filmed in a style that was popular in the late 1960s & 70s, Venice, filmed in the winter, takes on an almost sepia and slightly horrifying aspect. No sun or brightly coloured tourists, rather damp peeling buildings and crumbling backstreets as this beautiful city prepares for its icy winter hibernation.

The finale is still shocking and immensely sad.

Those who complain it's dull really have obviously never tried to enter into the spirit of this strange and frightening film, with one of the world's wonderous cities as it's backdrop.

Those who love cinema will love this film.

The Red Shoes (1948)

Vibrant & tragic film about art over love.

[10/10 · 2 October 2022]

Using Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale, The Red Shoes, as the template the story documents the rise of a beautiful and ambitious ballerina.

This is the definitive ballet film, exquisite dancing, beautiful performances, the most glorious, vibrant technicolour and sensational musical score.

The beautiful Moira Shearer in the lead role, was an exceptionally talented ballerina and a very fine actress but it's Anton Walbrooks performance, as the great and manipulative empressario, that takes this glorious film to new heights.

Often referred to as Spielberg's and Scorceses favourite film. I'm really not surprised, the direction is mastetful. If this film were a car it'd be a Rolls Royce.

Absolutely wonderful.

The Producers (1967)

What a Production. Comedy Heaven.

[10/10 · 24 September 2022]

What can one say about this glorious film that's not already been said?

My favourite Mel Brooks film and I love them all...perhaps not Space Balls, but even that had its moments.

Zero Mostels performance is outstanding and Gene Wilders hyterical fits...hysterical. One starts laughing from the opening credits until the very end.

Never has a Broadway Show dance sequence left me gasping for breath, due to laughing so much.

I have never met a person yet that doesn't love this film.

As Mel always said, only he could have made this film What a film, what a cast. Thank you Mel from the bottom of of our hearts.

FairyTale: A True Story (1997)

Dealing with loss.

[8/10 · 12 August 2022]

Loss makes adults and children behave strangely. Adults seek solace from mediums and in the occult, children create a magical world were fairies, pixies & gnomes bring comfort when a brother dies or a father is reported missing during WWI.

Looking at the photos 80 years after they were taken it's easy to see they were not real and the fairies were cutouts. However, from 1917 into the 1920s the Great War still was having enormous impact, husband's, bothers, fiance's & father's had been lost in huge numbers and Britain was looking for some comfort for the fallen and an easing of the terrible grief for families.

Lovely film, touching and poignant with good performances all round and magical special effects. Worth a watch.

Elephant Walk (1954)

Rebecca in Ceylon.

[8/10 · 12 August 2022]

This really is Rebecca in Ceylon....dead autocratic father casts a long shadow over his son's life. Including building the most beautiful plantation house over an elephants trail, which causes no end of problems.

To be honest this is really rather a ridiculous film but and it's a BIG but there's an awful lot to enjoy about it.

Exquisite photography of lush sparkling Ceylon and the extremely lush Elizabeth Taylor who really never looked more beautiful or magnificent in her Edith Head gowns.

Peter Finch puts in a good performance as the unstable plantation owner whose every move is dictated by his dead father.

Dana Andrews, a very fine actor, is slightly under used but provides alternative love interest for Taylor.

Suspend disbelief and just enjoy this beautifully photographed colour film from a different time. Actually it's quite wonderful.

Frenzy (1972)

Twighlight of Hitchcock's career. And it shows.

[5/10 · 7 August 2022]

I'm pleased to see some enjoyed this film. But as a fan of Hitchcock's I think it's lamentable. Filmed like an episode of The Sweeny (British Cop Show) it lacks any finesse and looks thoroughly cheap and nasty. Saved by a good cast and a very good performance by the male lead.

Hitchcock did hit the occasional bum note, Under Capricorn, Family Plot, Topaz and There's Something About Harry, this film can be lumped in with those clunkers. However, he directed at least 20 Great Cinema Classics so he's forgiven for this shlocky horror show.

Spellbound (1945)

The plots irrelevant. It's all about Bergman & Peck.

[9/10 · 6 August 2022]

4 reasons to watch this very fine film.

1 Bergman 2 Peck 3 Musical Score by Miklos Rosza 4 Hitchcock's direction.

All 4 are bravura!

Bergman underplays her beautiful looks but still looks ravishing as a hospital psychiatrist. Peck, always a fine actor and handsome lead, is suitably tortured as an amnesiac.

Hitchcock edits it all together and The result is 1940s murder/romance heaven.

Not as good as Notorious but still wonderful.

Enigma (2001)

Gripping WWII spy drama.

[8/10 · 6 August 2022]

First of all this is an adaptation of a fictional novel with the breaking of the Enigma Codes and Bletchley Park as the frame to hang the story on. Not a factual film about the above.

Lovely period settings, good solid acting from an excellent cast and a fascinating script make this a very enjoyable wartime spy story. Special mention should go to the lovely haunting soundtrack.

The Railway Children (1970)

Goodbye Bernard Cribbins & thank you.

[9/10 · 6 August 2022]

Bernards performance as the station master is the highlight of this delightful film. One of his many great performances but this is the one many will remember him for.

Wonderful film, wonderful performances and adieu to a dear British Institution. Rip Bernard.

Emma. (2020)

Appalling.

[3/10 · 4 August 2022]

Apart from the beautiful settings, costumes and masterful photography the rest is complete & utter rubbish. Awful casting topped by truly terrible and embarrassing acting.

Jane Austen has been butchered so gruesomely she's completely unrecognisable.

Best viewed with the volume off. Or never watched at all.

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

A film that haunts you.

[9/10 · 3 August 2022]

Streep & Eastwood, under Clint's superb direction, sprinkle magic dust over this slightly 'run of the mill' tale.

Streep is superb as always and Eastwood, under his own direction, truly blossoms as an actor.

The soundtrack, as is usual, in an Eastwood film, is tender and heartbreaking. If you've never seen this film watch with a tissue handy.

Film making at its best.

The Mule (2018)

A typical Eastwood film.

[8/10 · 3 August 2022]

And by that I mean a finely crafted, well directed film, with plenty of solid acting from the great cast. Plus a very typical Eastwood soundtrack. Surprisingly, despite the subject matter there was a great deal of wry humour.

Not as good as Gran Torino but still a fine film.

Over the years Eastwood has spoiled us with his screen presence and fine directorial skills. A big thank you.

All About Eve (1950)

All About Bette.

[10/10 · 31 July 2022]

Bette Davis is on fire throughout the film. Having resigned from WB she was desperate for a project to keep her career going. Along came All About Eve and she ran with it.

One of her greatest performances. Plus solid gold acting from the supporting cast, especially George Sanders who was never less than superb.

For those who love the backstage intrigues of theatre life this is one of the very best.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Outstanding film that puts acting performance above octane!

[10/10 · 31 July 2022]

Probably the best film ever made about car racing. Excellent script, outstanding performances from the two leads and thrills and spills to boot.

Ford decide to take on Ferrari at Le Mans but first they have to build a car to beat Enzos finest racing machines.

Watch and be thrilled, involved & touched by this film.