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JimStaudt
Reviews
Broken Flowers (2005)
What a turkey
I've been a loyal fan of Bill Murray for a long time, from SNL to Stripes to Ground Hog Day to Scrooged, and this is by far the worst movie he's ever made. I sat through the entire movie, hoping for at least one laugh, and I never got one. The plot had real potential, but even Murray's sarcastic comedy couldn't save this dog of a movie. It had a lousy ending -- the encounter with the kid who was on the road was meaningless, too much of a coincidence for even this implausible movie. The gratuitous nude scene with the Lolita character was not necessary or believable. Finally, where on earth did they find that horrible music? The movie was bad enough without it; every time they started to play it I cringed at the fingernails-on-the-blackboard sound. Do NOT waste your time with this horrible excuse for a comedy.
Varian's War (2001)
Filter cigarettes
Another person commented on the lack of attention to detail of this movie, I would have to agree. Besides the things the other person mentioned, I would like add the use of filtered cigarettes.
Like a lot of recent Hollywood releases, they seem to be really obsessed with smoking -- it seems like everybody in this movie is smoking in every single scene.
But when William Hurt fires up a smoke in one of the first scenes, the filter stands out like a neon light! I mean this was supposed to be 1938, and if I'm not mistaken, filter cigarettes weren't even invented until the 1950's!
The Long Gray Line (1955)
All time favorite
When I was a child in the 1950's, my mother used to take my brother and I to the movies every Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Of all the movies I remember watching, the two that stand out the most were this one, The Long Gray Line, and The Last Time I Saw Paris (with Van Johnson and Elizabeth Taylor) -- I think partially because both movies made me cry! Watching the two movies again after almost 50 years, I realize that the Long Gray Line has withstood the test of time -- it is STILL an outstanding movie. And as another reviewer mentioned, the music is a large part of the charm of the movie...and yes, the movie still had the same effect on me.
After watching probably thousands of movies over my lifetime, this one ranks right up there with the best ever.