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kocagarya
Reviews
Brideless Groom (1947)
Best Shemp Stooges Episode
One of the best of the Three Stooges episodes with Shemp. Very funny, with good gags throughout, and a supporting cast that includes Christine McIntyre and Emil Sitka. Not to be missed!
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
Nowhere near as good as the original
If you want to see a really good version of this film, see the 1938 version with Louis Hayward as Louis XIV and his twin Phillipe. Hayward was so much better than DiCaprio, whom I really like, in this film. The original had everything - this one is about half as good.
Flash Gordon (1936)
Greatest Serial of All Time
This is without doubt the great serial of all time. Sure, the special effects are cheesy by today's standards. But it has the ultimate hero in Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon, the ultimate villain in Charles Middleton as Ming the Merciless (never better) and a bunch of other good characters like Prince Thun, the undersea king Kala, and especially the hilarious King Vultan. Plus Jean Rogers as Dale and the sultry Priscilla Lawson as Princess Aura. My only questions is: why is Ming the only Asian guy on the planet Mongo? Tons of fun even today, and Buster Crabbe remains the true hero - no gray areas with him.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Great Adventure!
In my view, still the greatest adventure film of all time! Often copied, but never equaled. And the cast is perfect - from Errol Flynn as the definitive Robin Hood, Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marion, Claude Rains as Prince John, Basil Rathbone as Guy of Gisborne, Patric Knowles, Eugene Palette, Alan Hale, and even Una O'Connor. Never a dull moment, and spectacularly photographed in color. Don't miss this one!
Freaks (2018)
Definitely Different
All I can say is that you will either love it or be disgusted by it. I loved it. The ironic theme of the film is that the circus "freaks" are normal people who are kind and look out for one another, while two of the "normal" people - Cleopatra and Hercules - are the ones who are really freaks. A nice combination of drama and humor, and the circus freaks are really good.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
My All-Time Favorite Movie and that says a lot!
The Best Years of Our Lives is my all-time favorite film for many reasons. It is as relevant today as it was in 1946; our veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan face the same problems as Dana Andrews, Fredrick March, and Harold Russell did after WWII. The plot is wonderful, the pace of the film - although almost three hours long - is great, and the acting is brilliant. Fredrick March and Harold Russell both won Oscars for the film, but Dana Andrews is really the star and gives his usual understated performance, as opposed to March, who almost always overacts.
And my two favorite scenes are the ones already mentioned: Fred Derring (Dana Andrews)' father reviewing his son's war record, which almost drives him to tears, and the climatic scene where Andrews is in the cockpit of the airplane which is being junked to build pre-fab homes as he relives his experiences during the war.
Truly a masterpiece on every level!
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
Louis Hayward is Terrific in the Dual Role of Twin Brothers!
This version of The Man in the Iron Mask is the original and best version of the film, and actually far better than the Dumas novel. Louis Hayward is outstanding in the dual role of the foppish, malevolent King Louis XIV and his heroic brother, Phillipe of Gascony. The rest of the cast is also good. I always like a good swashbuckler and this is one of the best!
Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fortune (1965)
Bit of a reach but still pretty good
Any Perry Mason episode with Julie Adams and Jesse White in the same episode is always good in my book. This was a bit of a reach, but the cast still made it a good episode.