If dowdy German nuns and Mexican American immigrants and white contractors with a superiority complex are ever really going to get along, then Sidney Poitier seems perfectly poised to be the person to arrange it. Literate and commanding, he still...
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If dowdy German nuns and Mexican American immigrants and white contractors with a superiority complex are ever really going to get along, then Sidney Poitier seems perfectly poised to be the person to arrange it. Literate and commanding, he still maintains an edge in his movies that the audience can be more than respectful towards. While the film is simple, it has an uplifting quality that is hard to deny, and movies like this are precursors to later ones that make more of small subjects than appears on the surface ("Field of Dreams", "Driving Miss Daisy" and on and on).

Not a landmark in motion picture history, but still enjoyable to watch. I might have wanted a little more in the way of backstory, because the cultures and races here are diverse enough to think about it. There is also a little too much sweetness to the nuns, some scenes almost seem to call for a desert storm of maple syrup.

"Tom Jones" takes on a tone that is a good update of the Fielding novel, there is a refreshing sense of the bawdy lustfulness of the upperclass of 18th century England that actually is refreshing to see on the big screen.

...
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"Tom Jones" takes on a tone that is a good update of the Fielding novel, there is a refreshing sense of the bawdy lustfulness of the upperclass of 18th century England that actually is refreshing to see on the big screen.

The cinematography is beautiful in spots, long views of meadows and rolling fields and streams. None of the performances stand out, all are equally matched. While "naughty" often bores me, the constant parade of scrapes the protagonist finds himself in are well-thought out and effective in this film. What bothers me are the dated and distracting film devices, winks at the camera, peephole views, speeded up sequences. Though "modern" at the time, they do not stand the test of time.

I don't consider this an all-time masterpiece of moviemaking, but it is innovative and entertaining - something rare in 60s movies for me.

This DeMille epic doesn't work for me any more than most of his others. There are a lot of aspects that I find so curious that they make me wonder what parts of the life of Jesus the director wants to highlight.

The effective parts...
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This DeMille epic doesn't work for me any more than most of his others. There are a lot of aspects that I find so curious that they make me wonder what parts of the life of Jesus the director wants to highlight.

The effective parts for me include the scenes of Jesus (H.B. Warner) and the children, there is a genuine sentiment and connection there. I also think that the handling of the adulteress about to be stoned is creative. The lighting is often exceptional, combining with a ton of pancake makeup and powder, Jesus stands apart in a singular way. The set of the temple is nice, though not as grand as some. I often don't find this a "cast of thousands" movie, it actually has a claustrophobic feel in many scenes on sets.

What I can not understand is the plotting. The gospels are loaded with individual vignettes, stories that often conflict but can stand on their own as powerful. Instead of mining that material, DeMille makes up his own vignettes that seem the result of cutting gospel chapters and verses into paper strips and picking them out of a jar. He pulls "deadly sins" out of Magdalene like paper towels on a roll, Judas is given "Hollywood" ambitions of power and lust, Palm Sunday breaks out like a spontaneous block party, Jesus spouts beatitudes while perfoming miracles, a young Mark is somehow a part of the action. Seeming to crave a spectacle, some of the most ambiguous words of the crucifixtion are amplified into earthquakes that kill hundreds.

I will say that this is certainly something to see and DeMille certainly did it "his way".

John Barrymore stars in a period piece about 15th century France. The sets in this film are quite remarkable, almost fairytale-like and often juxtposed with interesting intentions (for example, the forlorn stake after a burning is adjacent to...
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John Barrymore stars in a period piece about 15th century France. The sets in this film are quite remarkable, almost fairytale-like and often juxtposed with interesting intentions (for example, the forlorn stake after a burning is adjacent to bulbous gingerbread-decorated buildings, the snow-covered Paris looks like a miniature Christmas village).

Conrad Veidt is effective as a weak-willed and oily King Louis and Barrymore has some great moments as an adventurer with wit and a love of country. Some scenes like the catapulting of food to the poor are hilarious. The movie seems determined to make sure the viewer is informed, it's crammed with title cards (many unnecessary), on the other hand, the facial gestures are not overly dramatic even when the body gestures are.

If anything doesn't work, the serious sides of the movie take away from the physical comedy and light-hearted aspects. Integrating these contrasts is sometimes easier in talking films - as seen in Errol Flynn's "The Adventures of Robin Hood" for example

In some ways I feel a little sorry that Ginger Rogers is mostly known for her movies with Astaire. She was not a brilliant actress but had a good amount of flair and personality. It's a little lost in movies like "Swing Time" as she...
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In some ways I feel a little sorry that Ginger Rogers is mostly known for her movies with Astaire. She was not a brilliant actress but had a good amount of flair and personality. It's a little lost in movies like "Swing Time" as she races past dance numbers, comedic sidekicks, and a sense of character in order to pursue the romantic ideal of the perfect dance. I just like her a lot more in her earlier musicals.

The songs are classic here (destined to become standards), "The Way You Look Tonight", "Fine Romance" and more. Fred Astaire has marvelous footwork and shows it often. Which is good, as his character's gambling prowess is ridiculously over-played. The visuals are interesting, I like the use of snow at the old cabin and falling over the matte paintings of New York out of the nightclub window. The "Bojangles of Harlem" number is interesting to look at, it probably has some technical aspects that are unique as the lighting and rear-projection" seem to produce a washed-out effect.

Entertaining and romantic, the story is lacking.

Errol Flynn always showed enough charm and wit to make him a decent candidate for comedy, and this movie gives him a chance to show it. Unfortunately, the plot does not cooperate and is filled with rather trodden themes of trying to be two places...
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Errol Flynn always showed enough charm and wit to make him a decent candidate for comedy, and this movie gives him a chance to show it. Unfortunately, the plot does not cooperate and is filled with rather trodden themes of trying to be two places at once, duplicate Santa Clauses at his ex-wife's home, etc. The only thing really original is that Flynn's character is a pin-up artist.

I wish there was a little more Hattie McDaniel in this movie, she is a much more adept actor than she often gets the chance to show. On the other hand, while Flynn is especially good in scenes with his character's daughter, Patti Brady is not particularly good at playing the child role. There is a bit of a Christmas theme to this film, and the requisite reunion cheers the close, but the balance of the minutes are very mediocre.

Full of period songs (mostly dubbed), "Shine On Harvest Moon" tries to give some sort of glimpse into the world of vaudeville. Unfortunately, it's way too shallow even by Hollywood biography standards - everything from the cat-calls to...
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Full of period songs (mostly dubbed), "Shine On Harvest Moon" tries to give some sort of glimpse into the world of vaudeville. Unfortunately, it's way too shallow even by Hollywood biography standards - everything from the cat-calls to how Bayer and Noworth wrote "Shine On Harvest Moon" is so stylized that it is difficult to distinguish between the fiction of the stage shows and the movie's story itself.

It's all pleasant enough to watch, nothing awful. But there is little here that rises above mediocre either. The costumes are slightly awkward as well, mixing 1940s shows of female legs with turn-of-the-century bathing suits in the same productions. I'd say that this is must see only for Ann Sheridan fans.

Still on the eve of becoming a romantic lead in "Casablanca", Bogart gets to flex more comedy muscles in this film about a gangster hiding out in a boardinghouse full of wacky characters. He plays a pretty good range, tough guy,...
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Still on the eve of becoming a romantic lead in "Casablanca", Bogart gets to flex more comedy muscles in this film about a gangster hiding out in a boardinghouse full of wacky characters. He plays a pretty good range, tough guy, sentimentalist, scared - I especially like his being frightened by the weird taxidermy mounts in the room he's staying in.

The second story revolves around "tough girl" Ann Sheridan, who is pretty magnetic in this movie. All-in-all, the acting is quite good - Jessie Busley and Una O'Connor both are eccentric but not overly theatrical in their roles as two of the matriarchs at the home. By the time that the boardinghouse is turned into a nightclub that combines gay 90s, swing, and vaudeville, Bogart is so charming that you can see why they decided he would work for "Casablanca".

A marvelous film that tells tales of family interactions in early 20th century ranching California. With a screenplay (adapted from his own book) by Steinbeck, a score by Aaron Copland, and technicolor that makes your eyes pop, "The Red...
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A marvelous film that tells tales of family interactions in early 20th century ranching California. With a screenplay (adapted from his own book) by Steinbeck, a score by Aaron Copland, and technicolor that makes your eyes pop, "The Red Pony" deals with all the misunderstandings, behaviors, and forgiveness that make being a human a natural endevour. A "big deal" film for Republic Pictures.

Filmed as a series of vignettes, the performances are among the more understated and yet effective in motion pictures. There are some "loose ends" that are left untied in the story and the ending suggests another beginning. This might be slightly offputting to some but works within the almost existential style of the movie. The point seems to be that doubts and idiosynchrosies are not things to be "solved" but rather accepted as part of the grand scheme of life. That's actually quite different for a film of the period, and at the same time the character's individualism and Copland score seem to shout "uniquely American". And it's not really about a pony at all.

While this third entry in Capra's "men and machines" series makes some nice documentary points about the state of air technology in the early 30s and the strengths and weaknesses of planes and lighter-than-air ships - it is hampered by...
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While this third entry in Capra's "men and machines" series makes some nice documentary points about the state of air technology in the early 30s and the strengths and weaknesses of planes and lighter-than-air ships - it is hampered by some pretty deadly acting and rather far-fetched scenarios.

Fay Wray is a weeping wife, her delivery is high-pitched and halting, full of her style of "blurting" that doesn't work well for the microphones of the time. But she is considerably better than the stodgy and plodding Jack Holt or the pretty inept "stylings" of Ralph Graves as the cocky pilot who takes Wray for granted. None of these people would last in "a" movies for very long, especially as films stressed more characterization later in the decade.

This is a Columbia picture, so the effects are pretty low-budget for the time. The stock footage of three-engine monoplanes, biplanes, and dirigibles is good and fun to watch. The models and miniature sets used in the scenes in the Antarctic are pretty bad, though they were probably good practice for Capra's "Lost Horizons" a few years later. The highlight of the movie is that it does a decent job showing the dangers that exist in Antarctica even to this day.

I wouldn't say this is necessary viewing, but there are OK spots.

Extremely influential in establishing the genre, this movie is also fast-paced and engrossing. Better than "Little Ceasar" in that it scripts more personality.

Everything is here, pretty much for the first time. The kids...
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Extremely influential in establishing the genre, this movie is also fast-paced and engrossing. Better than "Little Ceasar" in that it scripts more personality.

Everything is here, pretty much for the first time. The kids gone wrong (much more because of nature than nurture), the establishment of persona based on criminal achievements. Cagney is great at setting up a sense of a charismatic "time bomb" kind of character. Also of note are the female roles, there are some notable stars here but they really have little to do but react to the machinations of the men. This would also be important to the many "gangster" films to follow. Only the mother would be an occasional symbol of something more noble - almost a Catholic Virgin Mary-type of prominence.

There are weaknesses in the formula as far as really telling about human nature, but it nevertheless is one of those that best made use of sound coming to motion pictures - and this one was a ground-breaker.

I suppose you either like this movie and its style or you don't. A young Michael Caine is endearing as the Alfie character, his asides to the audience flow out of his dialog as easily as his "in film" conversation.

Still,...
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I suppose you either like this movie and its style or you don't. A young Michael Caine is endearing as the Alfie character, his asides to the audience flow out of his dialog as easily as his "in film" conversation.

Still, there is an emptiness to the idea of sex in later 60s movies, there is no problem dealing with it frankly but it seems to be fashionable to make it without any meaning. The Caine character is no more ambiguous or a scoundrel than the women who are not scripted to convince the viewer whether they have any thought behind the men they are stuck on. Therefore, there is an ultimate sexism that is actually less progressive than the films of the previous decades.

Beset by spiraling costs, production problems, and crew and cast replacements, the silent "Ben-Hur" still tells a good story without a lot of extraneous detail.

A few things aren't that optimal. There are over-acted scenes,...
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Beset by spiraling costs, production problems, and crew and cast replacements, the silent "Ben-Hur" still tells a good story without a lot of extraneous detail.

A few things aren't that optimal. There are over-acted scenes, and it's really un-necessary in this case as the story has good flow and a balance of ethereal, lustful, and dramatic elements already in place. The Roman galleys have a strange tendency to keep all their oars out of the water even when they are moving. But, Ramon Novarro is fine in the heroic role.

The production values are top-drawer. The miniatures, outdoor structures, indoor sets, optical effects, and paintings are as good as you get for the time. The two-color technicolor is a nice addition. I leave it up to other viewers to decide if speeding up the frame rate for the chariot race is effective, it certainly gives a demonic dervish effect to the scene. A classic that is a must-see.

I definitely enjoy this movie, the songs are sentimental but upbeat and I almost feel like I really am at a "coming out" party for the "new adult" Judy Garland (which is how the movie was promoted).

The story...
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I definitely enjoy this movie, the songs are sentimental but upbeat and I almost feel like I really am at a "coming out" party for the "new adult" Judy Garland (which is how the movie was promoted).

The story itself is a little more mediocre, the bitter and suspicious attitude of the grandfather is never well-explained in the film's script and I just find it odd that Garland plays both her character and her character's mother with little time elapsed to get the viewer used to it. Even though the whole thing ends predictably, I like the finale at the policeman's ball and really like the two versions of "Pretty Girl Milking a Cow".

There is a decent amount going on in this very popular silent movie that also launched Valentino's career. Harkening to almost an example of the "ant and the grasshopper" fable, Don Julio Desnoyers is raised as a man of desires and...
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There is a decent amount going on in this very popular silent movie that also launched Valentino's career. Harkening to almost an example of the "ant and the grasshopper" fable, Don Julio Desnoyers is raised as a man of desires and passions, while his cousins are stolid Germans. An awful lot of effort goes into overtly stereotyping these differences (Alan Hale certainly looks German with a square haircut and wire-rimmed glasses). At the same time, the film is not as over-acted as many, the title cards often have more wild expression with many exclamation marks.

As the sides of the family decide to move back to pre-World War I Europe after the death of the Argentine patriarch - one to France, one to Germany - it's not hard to see where the film is going. It is somewhat difficult to say exactly where the film's sympathies lie. Valentino's character does not profit in the end, and there is little vindication other than the supremecy of loyalty and a harkening to words in the introduction that tell that where humankind is crowded together, destruction will follow. The many cards and visuals refering to the futility of war are not fully convincing. Still, Valentino is much more fun to watch when he is free from his later melodramatic image.

The filming is straightforward, establishing shots, staging shots, and close-ups. Some dark arches dramatically highlight some scenes in both the bar in Argentina and in the mansion in France. There's a standard double-exposure of Desnoyers' ghost.

I'm not sure this movie benefits by having American G.I.s as the guest residents of the Canterville Castle, it takes on a rather smarmy propaganda feel when the soldiers are unafraid and actually try to drill the ghost with a machine gun. Robert...
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I'm not sure this movie benefits by having American G.I.s as the guest residents of the Canterville Castle, it takes on a rather smarmy propaganda feel when the soldiers are unafraid and actually try to drill the ghost with a machine gun. Robert Young is just adequate in playing the most personable of the Americans and a distant Canterville himself who needs to prove his courage.

I like the backstory, Laughton is good at making the "living" Sir Canterville rather human and the idea of sealing him in an alcove for eternity is very Poe-like. I sometimes wish that these parts of the Wilde story were emphasized more. Look for an early Peter Lawford as the injured brother of Laughton.

Margaret O'Brien is a bit too young to carry off a pretty literate role in this movie (especially early as she is required to play the "lady of the house"), I often like her, just think she's a bit miscast. Una O'Connor is slightly calmer than many of her other movies. All in all, the screwy episodes of "The Canterville Ghost" just leave me with a lukewarm feeling.

This silent squeezes a lot of atmosphere out of a rather stagey original production. Look for a lot of spotlit scenes (masking the dimensions and walls of rooms and staircases), small models and paintings for exteriors, and plenty of shadows. [+] Read Full Review

This silent squeezes a lot of atmosphere out of a rather stagey original production. Look for a lot of spotlit scenes (masking the dimensions and walls of rooms and staircases), small models and paintings for exteriors, and plenty of shadows.

Supposedly an influence on Bob Kane's "Batman" (though he stole from a lot of sources), in this case the bat is a criminal with agile abilities who is a master of theft. Similarities to the comic include a long trench coat, a mask with large bat ears, a bag of tools, and a cryptic bat symbol used to communicate. The people thrown together in the mansion are certainly colorful, setting up the mystery that is central to the plot. Unfortunately, some of the humor is rather broad and occasionally racist (the make-up for the "Japanese" butler is grotesque). Still, the maid character is a good face actor.

The film follows a tendency of the time to mix comedy, sleuthing, horror, and dubious motivations on the part of many people, jumbling the coherence of it all. There's more secret rooms, fake bookcases, and sliding fireplaces than you can shake a stick at. Still, the Bat is an interesting character and the conclusion has a lot of good humor.

One of those movies that makes something small much bigger, showing some of David Lean's "epic" qualities on a smaller scale.

I like the direction and production a lot - small changes in lighting on certain dialog,...
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One of those movies that makes something small much bigger, showing some of David Lean's "epic" qualities on a smaller scale.

I like the direction and production a lot - small changes in lighting on certain dialog, atmospheric train scenes, the use of the score (including Rachmaninov piano), and the confused narration of the female protagonist lend a really personal view to the story of a brief love affair between a woman and a married doctor. Sometimes it gets a little precious and overblown, but there is a psychology here that can appeal to all those who think a love story is made up of moments that shoot skyward in importance. They rarely are, but the illusion is often common to many people. And using words and imagery, this film captures that in a relatively short time.

Sure, this is a Warner b-film that Bogart hated, but it has a little of its own steam and the main comedy plot is a coherent story.

Bogart himself is merely on cruise control, I suppose Penny Singleton is more active - dancing and...
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Sure, this is a Warner b-film that Bogart hated, but it has a little of its own steam and the main comedy plot is a coherent story.

Bogart himself is merely on cruise control, I suppose Penny Singleton is more active - dancing and singing (partly) enough to put some swing in the Ozark town and secure herself enough status for the Columbia "Blondie" movies. The wrestling is actually as exciting as the pro wrestling of the time and I like the few scenes where there is actual mountain roots music played on homemade instruments. Ultimately, the dialog suffers from too much "shuck my corn" and "holler Hooty Owl" to avoid rural stereotypes. That's too bad as there is potentially enough here to make it more endearing.

A fairly decent narrative style makes this movie watchable. The actors are mostly reacting to situations rather than interacting with each other, so I wouldn't expect much emoting. I do like Wallace Beery and Bessie Love in other movies.
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A fairly decent narrative style makes this movie watchable. The actors are mostly reacting to situations rather than interacting with each other, so I wouldn't expect much emoting. I do like Wallace Beery and Bessie Love in other movies.

The film as entertainment is actually better than the novel and a lot of things that Willis O'Brien did for "King Kong" were worked out here first (the difference is that "Kong" scripts much more dramatic stop-motion scenarios). Stop-motion is often used to best effect in movies where a compelling story makes the viewer accept it. It is less effective when that is all there is to concentrate on. The finale of "The Lost World" is interesting and a precursor to a major theme of many "monster movies".

Interesting film to see the cast - Jean Arthur plays more conservative than later films, there is an early appearance by Dub Taylor, Lionel Barrymore is on crutches (soon to be completely hobbled by arthritis), and Jimmy Stewart has emerged as a...
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Interesting film to see the cast - Jean Arthur plays more conservative than later films, there is an early appearance by Dub Taylor, Lionel Barrymore is on crutches (soon to be completely hobbled by arthritis), and Jimmy Stewart has emerged as a full-blown Jimmy Stewart.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend the film - it's one of so many theatrical plays brought to the screen that all run together in theme and it takes only five minutes to know the plot. There is also the house filled with eccentrics who live the full life and move in and out of center stage just like a million ensemble stage productions before and since. There are some gentle laughs, but I find it too predictable to want to watch it more than once every few decades.

One of the few movies from the late 60s that is worth seeing, this is still a dialog film and parts of it are very effective. Poitier is good interacting with the older generation of actors and both Spencer Tracy and Hepburn are scripted as quite...
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One of the few movies from the late 60s that is worth seeing, this is still a dialog film and parts of it are very effective. Poitier is good interacting with the older generation of actors and both Spencer Tracy and Hepburn are scripted as quite believable.

However, other parts are dated. Isabel Sanford is given a mostly comedic role that's distracting and the relationship between Poitier and the vapid Katharine Houghton is trite, hokey, and forced. The movie really needs better chemistry here, as their relationship is driving every fiber of the movie's situations. As is, there is a slightly unpleasant duality that makes the film less rewarding.

In some ways, I am sorry that the story intrudes on the dialog as much as it does here (police, messengers, bloodhounds, nosy neighbors, etc.), because this movie combines three of the most interesting voices in classic motion picture history -...
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In some ways, I am sorry that the story intrudes on the dialog as much as it does here (police, messengers, bloodhounds, nosy neighbors, etc.), because this movie combines three of the most interesting voices in classic motion picture history - Cary Grant, Ronald Colman, and Jean Arthur. I could listen to these actors forever.

The story is a little different, the concept of justice in the abstract and practical is pretty novel for a comedy. As a matter of fact, the idea of social justice is pretty pointed. Just the interchange of debates between the suave Grant and the urbane Colman is something that I am happy to see recorded for the ages - there is a sort of a "clash of the titans" feel about it.

I have always admired Chaplin for making this movie and for knowing that there are aspects of silent films that would never be duplicated in talkies.

"City Lights" is a wonderful examination of everything about his...
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I have always admired Chaplin for making this movie and for knowing that there are aspects of silent films that would never be duplicated in talkies.

"City Lights" is a wonderful examination of everything about his "Tramp" character, the closest to making him a human being. The situations he endures, the maddening relationship with his on-again/off-again businessman friend in order to acheive a selfless goal is a great way to add more than the usual meaning to broad comedy. Love often needs that element to be really three dimensional. I find the ambiguous ending well-played with more than the usual irony. The idea that struggle may not result in a wanted outcome is good. At the same time, it only ranks as well-done to me - not as some "greatest" film moment - though it's one of many.