Reviews

Outstanding casting for this series! Writing scores with unexpectedly strong female characters. The creatives on this series deserve accolades for creating something different from other streaming series. I would put this in the same outstanding quality category as the current Julia on HBOMax.

This is a superb miniseries about 2 great artists of the recent past. Many viewers will be confused not having followed these 2 performers over their life time. For those of us who have always loved musical theatre since they were 5 or younger, we don't need any explanation. We lived through Fosse & Verdon's partnerships, collaborations, etc. and know they were human beings who created great theatre.

I love Broadway and movie musicals, and I hope the failure of NINE doesn't make future projects impossible.

The cast is uniformly outstanding, especially Judi Dench and Penelope Cruz who somehow overcame the pathetic screenplay. I guess their parts weren't destroyed by the bloated production.

I have never been more disappointed by Rob Marshall than in this movie. As outstanding as Chicago! was, NINE is a disaster in terms of staging, choreography and screenplay. There was never any core of a concept or theme that consistently provided continuity or purpose. The stage version was much stronger and all of the changes undermined this project.

It is sad to see talents as Marshall and the rest become so caught up in the industry trappings that they have lost their artistic vision.

You might enjoy this movie if you believe Tom and Jerry cartoons are the greatest artistic achievement of all time. You might enjoy this movie if you have absolutely no knowledge of history. You might enjoy this movie if you have never seen a good one. You might enjoy this movie if your favorite actors are Larry, Curly and Moe.

Tarantino has created his buffoonish, cartoonish, lampoonish impression of World War II. When every character and action is a joke, why give a shoot for over 2 and a half hours of shtick and schlock. There is no acting. It is all acting out. Tarantino is impressed with anyone who can speak or read a non-English language. There are only 6 billion such humans in the world.

Tarantino has such a warped concept of what is good acting, good writing. He can frame a shot. The first scene is what made the movie with critics. They left after the first 20 minutes and assumed the rest was as good.

What is worst of all is that Tarantino betrays his extreme ignorance of all realities of WW2. In order to take liberties with the truth you need to at least understand where the facts stop and fantasy begins. Tarantino misses the boat completely, so the entire premise of the movie is totally flawed. How could he miss depicting the Nazis as vampires? Why didn't he show Hitler's 30 inch ebony dildo and his crypt under the Brandenburg Gate? Also, the real Inglorious Basterds were not Jews, they were escapees from an insane asylum. They all had extreme physical deformities. Obviously, Hollywood wasn't prepared for the sight of freaks. Those facts should have been included. No legitimate WW2 movie would neglect to include them.

I am so glad that TCM is beginning to program this wonderful film with some regularity. I first saw this movie on laserdisc and I really thought it was one of those great films that had been left in obscurity. I watched it several times on laser and then have continued to watch it on TCM. There is something very therapeutic in being engrossed in a story in which the major character is an unrepentant progressive liberal who never gives up his ideals of what people can accomplish or become. James Hilton's stories all speak to me, but this one in particular reaches so deeply. This is probably the least sentimental of all Hilton's novel to film stories. The ending is truly bittersweet and yet so satisfyingly authentic.

John Mills is absolutely perfect for this performance. Other actors would not achieve the believability to sustain this narrative from beginning to end. He is an actors' actor who worked until his end, leaving behind an incredibly wide range of performances, the last (I believe) in the film version of the musical Cats. His performances were always great, and never showy. He always deferred to the character and the material of the piece. I crave the DVD release of The Chalk Garden with Mills, Hayley Mills, Deborah Kerr and Dame Edith Evans!

Trevor Howard is another great film actor who never received the recognition he deserved.

This is a very good classic sit-com and gives a real sense of the mid 1960s America. The writing, direction and cast are superior to more famous shows from the same time. These episodes hold up surprisingly well. The writing is fairly intelligent and easy to take. Until now, only a few episodes have been available to see. THIS TV seems to be running the entire series right now. The films look excellent. This series is a real testament to Patty Duke's incredible acting. Her Cathy and Patty characters are so believably different. This is probably the finest performance of one actor portraying 2 different people in the same movie. This show was not highly regarded when it was first produced. Seeing it now, one must acknowledge that it was among the best of its time. William Schallert also deserves recognition for his wonderful, pivotal performances.

I cannot believe this movie didn't to better with critics. I remember seeing previews and thinking this would be a movie I would want to see, compared to most of the movies being previewed. This takes an interesting twist in the script structure. This is not standard fare, it is quite superior. It seems like everyone took a vote and agreed to hate this movie. I say, "BS!" This is very compelling and thrilling. Excellent performances. The action is staged and photographed brilliantly. The locations are outstanding. This is by far one of the best action thrillers. I just finished watching "I Am Legend" and "Vantage Point" on HD. "Vantage Point" is every bit as good. I think this movie was buried because of the politics.

This bomb deserves all the rotten tomatoes hurled at it. The villain is Diane English who managed to obliterate all the humor and bitchiness that was the driving force behind the original play and film. The Sex and the City movie was so much more like "The Women" than this dullard. In fact, if English had enough imagination she would have revised the screenplay to be about a group of upscale ladies putting on the play (for charity) and drawing comparisons and contrasts between women of today and the 1930's characters. That would have allowed for much more of the outdated humor and attitudes to be included without destroying the original snappy/sappy dialogue. At least 2 of the cast managed to provide performances that far surpassed their material--Annette Bening and Candice Bergen.

It was nice to see Bergen play Meg Ryan's mom, again. Everyone should check out "Rich and Famous" for a successful updating of a similar classic "Old Acquaintance."

It's unusual to see a movie one has heard about for many years and discover how dreadful it really is. This movie doesn't suffer the typical datedness problems, it's just plain dumb. The only comforting factor is to hear Ayn Rand's ravings in her own words. She would have been a real hit with Hitler. She so sadly missed the heyday of fascism she preached and hungered for. The script is incredibly clumsy. If this was Hollywood's way of fighting accusations of preaching communism, maybe I could be more forgiving. I've never heard anything that might suggest that was the case. The characters are disgusting, even the ones Rand thinks we should admire. The production values and cinematography are good. The architecture designs are obviously based on Frank Lloyd Wrignt. The cast is impressive but no one could make this rotten script believable. Max Steiner's music score is one of his most obnoxious with one melodramatic chromatic theme that must be repeated over 500 hundred times.

This is such a realistic portrayal of some of the events of Sept. 11, 2001 that it is difficult to evaluate this film as one does other movies. Yet, this is an artistic creation, and all decisions regarding script, cast, set, etc. were made for specific reasons by the director. I believe Paul Greengrass has achieved something never before in cinema--a truly compelling and gripping portrayal of actual events, without succumbing to Hollywood jargon or cliché or an overindulgence in sentiment, taste or reverence. I didn't realize until after watching this movie the first time that the cast includes people who portray themselves. While that lends a semblance of authenticity I don't think it would have been any less realistic with all professional actors. This is a movie that deserves respect and recognition because it succeeds as an outstanding film as well as a credible account of events. I doubt any other movies that portray the events of 9-11 will come close to achieving such a rare balance.

Dodsworth is one of those Hollywood treasures that the insiders and historians worship but that the general public knows nothing about. There are more famous classic films from the 1930's but not one is any better than Dodsworth. Dodsworth belongs in the class of Lost Horizon, Mutiny on the Bounty, Gone With the Wind, etc. as one of the greatest films of the thirties. It also deserves to be recognized as an old movie that plays well today. This movie does not seem nearly as dated as so many other 70 year old movies. Much of the credit goes to the great novel by Sinclair Lewis, but many great books have been turned into inferior films. The screenplay, direction, acting, photography are all outstanding. The cast is simply extraordinary, one of the best ensembles ever assembled. Just look at the number of soon to be major stars in the supporting cast. Watch it!

I've known about this movie for many years, but, like most people, it's never been available to see since it's release in 1954. It was considered a major success, the theme music was just about all most of us knew of this "blockbuster." I have to say this is the most disappointed I've ever been after seeing a movie I've wanted to see for so long. I'm not a huge John Wayne fan (although I love "The Searchers"), but I have to admit he's the best thing in this movie. Unfortunately, that's not saying a whole lot. The screenplay is a laugh riot of hokeyness and clichés. Practically everything up until the trouble with the plane is some of the worst acting and writing ever put on film. The music is outstanding. The special effects and the plane set are quite good. Yes, it's great to see this movie fully restored and preserved on DVD, but "Airport" is far superior.

Compared to the other sentimental tear-jerkers of the late 1950s and early 1960s this is way above average. Olivia de Havilland provides another outstanding pivotal performance that brings extraordinary intelligence and credibility that more than compensates for any weaknesses in the story. All of the supporting performances are excellent, including wonderful work by George Hamilton and Yvette Mimieux who seem so natural and unforced, and so unlike most of their other performances. The Italian locations and production are gorgeous! The story is quite original and avoids so many of the clichés of the time. The dialogue is intelligent and unsentimental, allowing the performances to create the pain and joy. De Havilland's role is quite progressive in the portrayal of a mother willing to take risks to allow her retarded daughter to have a chance at happiness.

The fact that almost nobody has heard of or seen this movie doesn't diminish it's delightful comedy. Warner Brothers was hardly known for producing strong comedies, much less those starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard. After watching the fun Davis and Howard seem to be having, one wishes there were more of their comic performances to enjoy on film. De Havilland did make some other wonderful comedies at Warners (Strawberry Blonde, Male Animal) Passage of time continues to confirm her standing as probably the least celebrated best actress in Hollywood. She never achieved the "star status" of several lesser actresses. (You can make your own personal list.) Yet she continued to deliver outstanding, intelligent performances, displaying a tremendous range of ability. Check out "Light in the Piazza."

The supporting cast is also full of expert performances. Eric Blore's bird impersonations is hysterical!

Predictable, forced, crass, long, boring, stupid, silly, tasteless are just a few of the adjective that come to mind for this piece of dreck. It is pathetic to see the waste of talent on and behind the screen. The director and screen scribblers should be nailed to Mel Gibson's cross and dragged through Hollywood for everyone to spit on and jeer at them. Meet the Parents was mediocre. This is a worse offense because of the gross abuse and waste of money and talent. Movies such as this should be fined a fortune to fund independent films. This is a study in how unoriginality, predictability and clichés sabotage extraordinary talent, especially at the hands of a hack director. Sometimes a cast can salvage terrible material and direction. This cast sinks faster than the passengers on the Titanic.

I saw this film only once when it was broadcast on network television (ABC, I think) during the late 1960's or early 1970's. I had already read about this movie and made a point of watching it to see how "terrible/horrible" it really was. What I saw was a very slick and entertaining piece of propaganda. This was obviously Hollywood's reply to the HUAC and McCarthyism. It would be interesting to know what the artists involved really thought of this film as they were making it and how they regarded it, later. It is ridiculous for film critic bloggers to trash the individuals associated with this movie; there are thousands of miles of celluloid that stink far worse than this. What is horrible is the culture that produced the "need" for this propaganda, and that was never able to know or tell the truth because of political institutions. This film is evidence of a shameful and troubling period of history that, even today, seems to be rewritten to justify the present and future brain washers of America. This movie deserves to be preserved and should be made available for all to see.

I love musicals and I saw Phantom on Broadway during it's first year. I thought Phantom was good but not really deserving of all the hoopla. I didn't have especially high hopes for the movie, after the disastrous movie of Evita and not finding any reviews that were very positive. However, I was absolutely enthralled by the Phantom film. Webber and Schumacher are to be commended for creating an outstanding transfer from stage to film. There are changes, but they add greatly to the overall effect. This was done with great intelligence and care. The sets/costumes are incredible and could never be reproduced in a live production. The cast is outstanding: Driver is hilarious, Rossum and Wilson are the epitome of a gorgeous ingénue couple, Richardson adds heart with a very underplayed performance. Butler is the weakest link in an extremely strong cast. I think they could have found a better actor/singer. That being said, he did break my heart in the final scene. In fact, the ending they created was absolutely wonderful. By all means see this in the theater on a big screen. The movie critics should be ashamed for failing to acknowledge the merits of this movie.

It is amazing that this movie is held in such high regard considering its abundant mediocrity. It does have an engaging cast, but the story and writing are unbelievable or cliché. There is more authenticity in any episode of "The Wonder Years," which seems to have been a stimulus for the writer to scribe a high school teacher's soap opera set against the realism of the turbulent '60s. I would be astounded to find out that any part of this movie was based on anyone's actual experience as a teacher. As devoted as teachers may be to their thankless profession, the prospect of a teacher so removed and distant from his hearing impaired son is ludicrous. There is no believable explanation for this strained relationship. If Mr. Holland had a hang up because his son was deaf--guilt, anger, etc., the film makes no such connection.

Ideally, one would be able to experience this movie as it was originally presented in Cinerama. I know that just about every child who shared that experience was completely enthralled by this movie. But even without the Cinerama presentation, this is still a very enjoyable and imaginative movie. This is one of the most successful live-action fairy tale films. The entire production is rich in color and atmosphere. The effective use of unusual locations and cinematography puts this film in a "one of a kind" category. The screenplays for the fantasy section are very fine and the biographical story is simple but unpretentious and easy to take. What really makes this sprawling fairy tale work is the wonderful cast and acting. This is an enormous international cast and includes humorous and touching performances from many of film's finest character actors. It would be wonderful to have a DVD release with comments from surviving cast members (Russ Tamblyn) and production artists.

I have this film on laserdisc and it is brilliant! This is one of several film-opera adaptations made by Unitel during the 1970s with truly outstanding casts. Not only is the soundtrack one of the best recordings ever made of this delightful opera, but the opera singers act for themselves and demonstrate that they can really act these roles. There are quite a few imaginative cinematic special effects that could never be duplicated in an opera performance, and they add to the excitement. The performance is in German but there are subtitles. I have used this film to introduce elementary age students to opera and they have always loved watching/listening to this.

I have seen this film many times over and am always amazed by its compelling power. This is a message film that manages to succeed in being a great movie by virtue of a brilliant script, cast and director. Perhaps those in other parts of the world don't realize how shockingly current these themes continue to be in the United States. If this movie were released today it would invoke all kinds of uproar. Even in the election of 2004 we are still debating this conflict of church and state.