Movie review: The Great Race

Year:1965
Director: Blake Edwards
Country: USA
Studio: WB
Run Time:160m

Stars:  Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn

Melodramatic adventure at its best! 

The Great  Race is pure melodrama in the true sense.  There's a villain, Jack Lemmon as Professor Fate, Tony Curtis is the dashing, manly hero The Great Leslie, and Natalie Wood, as Maggie Dubois, is the emancipated damsel, who won't give in to distress.  Set these characters in a colorful 1900's back drop and you have the makings of classic comedy.  From the slap stick interactions of Professor Fate and his henchman Max, effortlessly handled by Peter Falk (10 years before he hit it big with Colombo) to clever word play, it's all there.

This movie would be on my desert island list. As many times as I've seen it, it's still fresh, funny, and entertaining.
And, for me, that's saying something.  Cuz I can't really remember the first time I saw it.  This is one of those movies I must have seen for the first time when I was very young.  It's always been there for me.  It's always been a movie I was re-watching.
And I've re-watched it many times.  Staying up late on a summer night to catch it on the late show back in the days when stations left the air at the end of the programing day.  Renting it on VHS on movie nights.  Getting a copy of it on DVD.



The costumes and sets are beautiful.  The music is enjoyable.  It's funny.
It's got the largest pie fight ever staged.  How can you go wrong?
Natalie Wood is wonderful and gorgeous as Maggie Dubois.  One of my all time favorite scenes is her entrance into the film, handcuffed to the door of the men's room.  Tony Curtis is the perfect clean-cut, all American hero.  Jack Lemmon plays Prof. Fate with just the right amount of sinister panache.  Falk as the put upon Max is my favorite.  Arthur O'Connell is excellent as the hapless editor.  Vivian Vance is delightful as his suffragette wife.  Larry Storch, of F Troop fame, does a funny turn as a bandit.
When my 13 year old friend said she wanted to see an adventure comedy this was the first movie I thought of.  She stayed with me yesterday while her parents were out and about and we hung out with the animals, ate junk food, and watched movies.  It was a great day!
And I'm happy to say she enjoyed it as much as I did.  This movie holds up well.  If you're looking for a fun, clean movie for family night I would recommend The Great Race.  If you're looking to relax and have a good laugh, this is your movie.



With Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood this movie gets extra points for eye candy for all sexes.

Movie review: Hanna

Year: 2011
Director: Joe Wright
Country: USA
Studio: Focus Features
Run Time: 111m

Stars:  Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Kate Blanchett, Tom Hollander

'Hanna' is a stylish thriller.
No, it's not  the most original storyline.
Yes, it does have plot holes.
But, ignore all that and just enjoy the ride.
I really liked this movie.  If I had the money I would have already bought this from Amazon.  As it was, I spent the four bucks, that I don't really have to spare, to rent it.
And I don't regret the decision at all.
'Hanna' is a beautiful film.  The cinematography is outstanding with many images that linger in the mind's eye.  From the snow bound woods at the beginning to the final shot, it's all good.  There's no shaky cam here.  The fight scenes are well choreographed and impressive.
Unlike 'Black Death' Hanna has an abundance of emotionally engaging characters.Hanna, herself, is a sympathetic character.  Raised in isolation to be the perfect assassin, her coming of age is violent and confusing.  But she weathers the journey well, and proves that you can overcome your upbringing.  Saoirse Ronan makes Hanna a hero to root for, despite what  she was meant to be.
Cate Blanchett's Marissa is an obsessive, cold bitch that you just love to hate.  She has a lot to hide and Blanchett manages to convey that without going over the top.
Tom Hollander as Isaacs is plain creepy.  The tune he whistles throughout the film will stick with you.
And not in a good way.



Added to the brilliant cinematography the score elevates this film to art.  The soundtrack provided by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons as The Chemical Brothers is wonderful.  It highlights and enhances the action perfectly.



If you like thrillers or action movies, 'Hanna' is well worth the time.

Movie review: 500 Days of Summer

Year: 2009
Director: Marc Webb
Country: USA
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Run Time: 95m

Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geoffrey Arend

This is not a love story.
It's a story about love.
Which really is a different thing entirely.
'500 Days of Summer' is a relationship in a nut shell, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  It's a character piece, so if yer looking for flames and fighting, this is not your film.  If you're looking for an enjoyable story, with some great moments, this is a movie to watch.
I like the style of the film.  The artistic touches and intrusions are well used.  I loved the big dance number, it was a great illustration of an emotion most of us have experienced at one time or another.  The sound track is enjoyable and interesting enough to get me to search it on Amazon, so I could find more of the same type of music.  The non-linear plot is a perfect reflection of memory, and its dependence on perception.
Zooey Deschanel is charming as the quirky, independent, pretty girl.  Even though you're tempted to hate her an behalf of Tom, the focal character, you really can't.  She's too honest and likable.
The real standout of '500 Days of Summer' is Joesph Gordon-Levitt as likable, inhibited Tom Hansen.  He makes a weak, misguided character, a character that could easily cross over into annoying, sympathetic.  He keeps Tom interesting and engaging, even when you want to reach out and smack him.
Joesph Gordon-Levitt, as Tommy on '3rd Rock From the Sun' was my favorite character.  He's made the jump from child star and is proving himself as a fine, versatile actor.  He was a standout in 'Killshot' as a psychotic punk.  He turned in a great performance as action guy in 'Inception', and now he adds nice guy Tom to his credit.
'500 Days of Summer' is an entertaining take on love.  If you see it for no other reason, watch it for Joesph Gordon-Levitt's performance.

Movie review: Black Death

Year: 2010
Director: Christopher Smith
Country: Germany
Studio: Egoli Tossell Film
Run Time: 102m

Stars:  Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Carice van Houten

It is realistic.
That's about the best thing I can say for it.
The middle ages were one of the nastiest, filthiest, most ignorant and violent periods in human history.  This movie captures that very well.  There's plenty of sword play and mayhem.  But it's all done in the shaky cam style, and I'm not a fan.  Just jerking the camera around doesn't lend anything to the action beyond confusion.
Yes, yes I know that's the whole point...
I'm still not a fan.  I'd much rather actually see a well choreographed fight scene than wonder what they are trying to cover up with faddish 'style'.  Let the shaky cam die, people.  'Blair Witch' wasn't that great a film.
'Black Death' centers around a young monk who's too gutless to leave the church to be with the woman he loves and too spineless to commit to his vows.  We follow this wishy-washy, little twerp on a coming of age journey that leads to a life as a vengeful psychopath in the service of the church.
Sound like fun?
The Christians are self-righteous and spiteful, and the pagans are just as bad.
There's really no likable character in the whole film.
It was mildly entertaining, but pointless.  The cinematography was pedestrian and lack luster.  I can't even remember the score.  At no point in the movie did I hold my breath, root for any character, or wonder anything beyond how much longer it had to run.
If you've ever wondered what the Dark Ages were really like, watch this film.  It's a fairly accurate picture.  Beyond that, give it a pass.

Review: Kelly's Heroes

Year:1970

Run time: 144m

Director:  Brian G. Hutton

Studio:  MGM

Cast:  Clint Eastwood (Kelly), Telly Savalas (Big Joe), Donald Southerland (Oddball), Don Rickles (Crap Game), Gavin Mcleod (Moriarty), Harry Dean Stanton, Carol O'Coner, Stuart Margolin.

In the middle of WWII Kelly masterminds a bank heist.  Thirty miles behind the German line is a secret shipment of gold bars, sixteen million dollars, waiting for someone to come along and pick it up.  All they have to do is get to the bank...

This film is a serious, action, comedy.  There's plenty of bombs, flames, and wanton gunfire to sooth the wildest action fan.  The realities of the setting are not totally ignored.  The laughs are woven well in the dialogue and situations.

Eastwood is enjoyable as Kelly, the pragmatic motivating force for this heroic effort.  Savalas does a fine job as Big Joe, the more realistic, battle hardened Sargent.  Donald Southerland is my favorite as Oddball, the freethinking, free living, champion of positive vibes who commands three Sherman tanks.



They are well supported by an ensemble of actors including Don Rickles as a greedy supply officer and Gavin Mcleod (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat.) as the negative tank mechanic, and Carol O'Coner (All In The Family, In the Heat of the Night) as a clueless general.

There are some highlights of cinematography such as the driver's POV shots as Kelly navigates a jeep through a mortar bombardment at the beginning of the film and Oddball's drive through the train yard.

            
 I like the soundtrack for this film.

From the opening ballad 'Burning Bridges' to the tight drum and horn work the soundtrack is interesting and enhancing.

I see this film as a good example of the changing styles of the early seventies.  Opening with a catchy tune and emphasizing the opposition of the common soldier and command, this isn't your everyday war movie.  Southerland's portrayal of Oddball seems a nod to the Hippies in the audience.

The film is a little uneven, but the joke plays well.  See it for the fun of it.  I give it a 6 out of 10.