sylkenvelvet's Reviews

Leverage (2008–2012)

20 September 2009

Revenge fantasies are tricky. They can get nasty and bitter.

Leverage is nothing but a series of revenge fantasies, but with all the tricks in hand. The plots are clever, the dialog is sharp, witty, and often side splittingly funny, and the fight scenes and special effects are great to watch. A very clever woman I know calls it "Competence Porn" -- smart people doing smart things in the most amazing, amusing way possible. Lots of little throw-away pop culture references just add sparkle, especially for the geek-minded.

The strength, though, lies in the interactions of the ensemble cast. Watching these characters learn to form a team over the series of episodes is the biggest part of the fun. From scary-maybe-psychotic Parker to tortured-alcoholic Nate, the mix of strengths and foibles in these characters make them interesting and involving. It helps, too, that the series works with a season long story arc -- yes, done in case the show wasn't picked up for the following season, but it still gives the episodes a nice feeling of continuity and closure.

I'm quite addicted to the show. I think it's a real winner, and I hope the things that make it strong continue through the third season.

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King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)

7/10

LOLGodzilla!

12 January 2009

It's hard to take this movie seriously as part of the overall Godzilla series, and that's fine. There's nothing serious about this movie except perhaps the producers intentions in creating it. It is a classically bad giant rubber monster movie, and that is exactly what makes it great. I've watched it dozens of times, and it never fails to make me laugh. I show it to friends at parties. All it lacks is captioning in badly typed Engrish.

Why is it so marvelous? Because it is so mockable! The special effects are wonderfully bad, so cheap they are glorious. Kong has duck lips (among other things). The story line is shockingly bad -- for instance, while every 'expert' in the movie claims ignorance of this "Mystery monster", they also know he is Godzilla! And he's the natural enemy of King Kong! And they are going to fight! The whole script is practically on the video cover. It could not be more perfect for what it is.

The added scenes for the American version are as typically awful as the hatchet job done on the original Gojira film -- it could only have been better if they'd dragged Raymond Burr back to stand around looking noble and clueless. Watching for the telling details is practically a game in itself. The humor built intentionally into the film isn't so great, but the unintentional humor can leave you breathless. The sincerity is palpable, and there is no irony. It's like Ed Wood took over the franchise for one film.

Don't go into this one looking for thrills, excitement, or tension. Don't look for development of the Godzilla story. There are no such moments, and if there were, they would ruin the movie. Don't even consider it part of the Godzilla legend -- there are much better movies in the series for the serious fan. Go in expecting a good time. Get out the popcorn and MST3K it. You'll laugh your rubber duck lips off.

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The Mating Season (1951)

8/10

An Under-appreciated Romantic Comedy

7 March 2008

Warning: Spoilers

Thelma Ritter is the whole reason for this film. She's the lynch pin, and the best part. If you liked her in All About Eve or A Letter to Three Wives, you have to see her in this movie.

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS*** (no ending giveaways)

Ellen McNulty (Ritter) leaves her Jersey hamburger stand to the bank and heads to Ohio, where her son, Val, an eager young professional at the Kalinger Machine Works, has just fallen in love at first sight with the beautiful Maggie Carleton.

This movie is built on the typical stock for romantic comedies -- mistaken identity and people who either won't talk or won't listen. Val is torn between wanting to move up to a higher social level and wanting to take care of his mother. Ellen doesn't want to interfere with her son's marriage, but she knows his young bride needs her help, so she takes advantage of Maggie having mistaken her for a cook to move in as the maid. Toss in Maggie's know-it-all ways and reluctance to let anyone else talk, Maggie's own snobbish, selfish mother, and Maggie's former beau (and Val's boss) Junior Kalinger, and you have all the misunderstandings and mistakes you could want to test the strength of true love.

There are no perfect people in this movie, which just adds to the sweetness. Val is caught between expectations of success and deep feelings of duty to the mother who he knows sacrificed so much for him. Maggie is struggling to avoid the snobbery and arrogance that have colored her life as an ambassador's daughter even while she exhibits some of the very traits she dislikes in others. And Ellen, in seeking to do good on her own terms, builds a web of small lies that come apart at the end, creating the movie's crisis.

It's Thelma Ritter's performance as Ellen that make the movie's assorted confusions and complications hang together. Playing another in a long line of working class women with good hearts and more common sense than average, she has most of the good lines and best scenes. Gene Tierney and John Lund have a nice chemistry between them which lends credence to their whirlwind romance, and Marian Hopkins as Mrs. Carleton is overacting her silk stockings off to good effect. The chemistry between Ritter and Lund is even better than that between him and Tierney -- they have some great bits that are all gesture and expression. It's Ritter's movie from start to finish.

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The Opposite Sex (1956)

6/10

Not a terrible remake

11 July 2005

This 1950's version of the 1930's "The Women" was updated quite a bit. The ideals of the 1950's show up, along with the new male characters (who were never seen in the original)and the fashion.

Actually, while "The Women" is dated, too, the dialog is sharper and the characters much more fun. Joan Crawford beats Joan Collins easily as the vamp, and Rosalind Russell eats up scenery. Of course, Leslie Nelson back in his hunky leading man days is plenty of fun. This version is a little more moralistic, with more hand wringing and melodramatic action. And the addition of the male characters really isn't that much of a plus. Sometimes the comic action is overboard.

All in all, not a bad movie, but if you really want to see action, catch "The Women" instead.

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