Reviews

Just like the tagline says, Nunsense is habit forming--and very much so! I've never been a fan of theatre, so I admit that it had to grow on me, but once it did there was no going back! After watching this riotous revue, I am completely convinced that Rue McClanahan should have her own stand-up comedy show. The continuous one-liners roll effortlessly, as do the show-stopping song and dance numbers. The entire show is filled with non-stop laughs, but a few select scenes will have you simply rolling with laughter. Literally. The first time I saw Nunsense, I actually fell off the couch because I was laughing so hard (then I couldn't get back up because I couldn't stop laughing). By the way, that was during the "baking with the B.V.M. scene" when Sister Mary Amnesia presents her homemade book stand (you'll know it when you see it). Even though I didn't appreciate it as much the first time I saw it, Nunsense grew on me very quickly--to the point where I bought the box set, and I've now seen it probably 20 times (not to mention that I've memorized the songs. LOL!). I would love to see a live production of this sometime. Nunsense is a guaranteed must-see for any theatre or Rue McClanahan fan (or anyone who wants a good laugh, for that matter). Rue is fabulous as Reverend Mother Superior; I can't imagine that anyone could do it better. She can sing, she can dance, she can act, and she's absolutely hilarious!

What can I say, except that Intimate Portrait: Rue McClanahan is the ultimate must-see for any Rue fan. It truly shows that Rue has so much class, grace, and style both on and off screen. Rue's IP takes an interesting, in-depth look at her personal life, and career. My only complaint is that it neglects to cover her work in film, which, by taking a look at her filmography, you can see that film has played quite a sizeable role in Rue's career (and her start in Hollywood in 1961).

The Golden Girls is hands-down the absolute best television show I have ever watched, and is truly one of the few shows to in television history to ever reach perfection. The four main characters, aging from fifties to eighties, fit together perfectly to create what is arguably television's most dynamic, yet lethal, comedy team. Each character was written remarkably well, and each actress portrayed her character beyond perfection. I maintain that The Golden Girls is the most well-written, consistently funny show in the history of television, as nearly every joke works. That is quite a rarity! It would be my guess that in the series' seven-year run, less than 1% of the jokes fell flat. I also firmly believe that a large portion of the show's success was due to the fact that it was so unexpected, and defied all expectations, and stereotypes of old age. Perhaps the character of Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) defied viewers' stereotypes of middle- and old age most of all. A saucy, sassy Southern belle, Blanche has a hearty appetite for the company of men. A self-proclaimed slut, Blanche dates a different man (or men) in nearly every episode, and is both the source, and target of many of the show's raciest and most provocative (and sometimes shockingly surprising) jokes, and jabs. It is almost as if the show's writers were trying to push their limits, and see just how far they could go. The extremely racy sexual undertones of The Golden Girls were cleverly written into some of the best, most unpredictable jokes in television history. It seems to me that The Golden Girls pushed more boundaries, and is more provacative than any show on today. As my mom pointed out, "They're dirty old ladies!" My main point: What do you get when you mix a fifty-year-old self-proclaimed slut, a naive Scandanavian nit-wit who acts out the gang plank scene from Peter Pan alone in her bedroom, a tall sixty-year-old substitute teacher with a hilariously masculine voice who can never seem to get a date, and is the target of several cheap shots from her friends, and an over eighty Sicilian immigrant who drinks sherry in the park? Perfection at its best.

When I think of The Moving of Sophia Myles, the first thing that comes to mind is "yawn-inducing." I still cannot fathom how the writers managed to stretch this storyline into a two-hour film. TMOSM is the second most boring film which I have ever sat through. The only other movie that comes to mind when I think of movies this slow is the low budget version of Hamlet from my eleventh grade British literature class, which was filmed in a one room warehouse. Sad. A review from Variety stated that TMOSM moves at a snail's pace, but I beg to differ. TMOSM moves at a dead snail's pace. The characters are flat, and while I assume they are supposed to stir emotion in the viewer, they only emotion they created in me was self pity- for actually sitting through the entire piece. Rue McClanahan's talent was completely wasted in this little number, as she was hardly given anything with which to work. She gave a decent, but not at all memorable performance, which was not her fault, for every character was written rather poorly. All in all, it was nice to see Rue again, and I commend her costume designer, as Rue wore some very flattering, and beautiful suits. Rue breathed a breath of fresh air into every scene in which she appeared, but she was still not enough to save TMOSM from drowining. It will take a me a long time to forgive CBS for this one.

Out To Sea is not a good movie, but it's not necessarily a bad one, either. Not a particularly memorable film, it is mostly unfunny, and has a mass-produced feel. I think I laughed out loud a total of about five times. Nearly everything about Out To Sea is middle of the road, so to speak- mediocre, but still just barely passing. Many of the characters are not developed very well, but the viewer makes acquaintance with them enough to understand their place in the film. Most of the jokes are generic, and stale. Even the comedic talent of Lemmon and Matthau seemed a bit wasted. The mother of Gloria DeHaven's character (I don't remember her name- see I've forgotten already) was delightful, and garners most of the laughs with her blunt, abrupt personality. As usual, Rue McClanahan does a laudable job with what she was given to work with, but this is probably one of her more forgettable roles (which is not her fault).

Perhaps I am not warranted to distribute advice regarding a genre with which I am not particularly familiar, in this case film noir, but I'm going to do it anyway. This World, Then The Fireworks has about an equal amount of both positive, and negative aspects, which even it out into a mediocre, but passable film. The main negative point, which is prevalent and cannot be overlooked, is that the plot is somewhat confusing, and contains many loopholes. In several instances, I found myself looking at the clock, wondering when it would be over, simply because I only had the slightest idea what was going on. In some cases, the pieces eventually came together, but some questions still remained unanswered. After watching the movie, I felt compelled to log on to the Internet Movie Database to try to hunt down the missing pieces. In terms of the positive aspects of This World, Then The Fireworks, the film has some of the best cinematography I've seen since A Walk In The Clouds, and Titanic. Even if the story is a bit difficult to follow, it is worth watching just because it is so visually pleasing. I must especially laud the use of filters (tinting the screen shades of blue, and red), as it is extremely contributory to the atmosphere of the film. This particular feature does a spectacular job capturing the era of the 1950s, as everything from the costumes, make-up, and the characters' smokey voices to the cars with large fenders, and the settings, makes it an effective period piece. The film is narrated by Zane, which is is typical of 1950s (making it even more effective as a period piece), but his deep, smokey voice is often times difficult to understand, as he usually mumbles. Each of the main cast members gives respectable performance (the acting, not their character), and Zane and Gershon are believable as twins. Rue McClanahan is only in three scenes, each lasting a few minutes, but presents what is perhaps her most melodramatic role yet. If anything, rent This World, Then The Fireworks just to see Rue, whose face must be covered in a quarter inch of latex, creating fake sores, scars, wrinkles, and dark rings around her eyes, making her look like death has warmed over. It is unfortunate that Rue was not featured more, as she gave perhaps the best performance, and breathed a breath of life into each scene in which she appeared. If the viewer would have been allowed to become better acquainted with Elanor Lakewood (McClanahan), perhaps she would be the one character in the film towards whom one could feel sympathy. This World, Then The Fireworks is an artsy film with several flaws, but it's worth a look simply because it is aesthetically pleasing. And believe me- you will see Rue McClanahan like you have never seen her before.

While it is certainly no cinematic masterpiece, "Baby of the Bride" is probably my favorite of the three movies in the "...Of the Bride" trilogy. It's your typical made-for-television movie but it really is quite cute and entertaining. I find "Baby of the Bride" to be very much like the sequel to "Father of the Bride" in terms of the main storyline (mother and daughter pregnant at the same time) but that is where the differences end. As usual, Rue McClanahan gives an excellent performance and is able to create compassion for her character.

To My Daughter truly is the creme de la creme of all of Rue McClanahan's movies that I've seen to date (or at least certainly the dramas). The film is well-written, the storyline is touching and moves along at an appropriate pace, the characters are developed and each of the main actor/actresses give a commendable performance. To My Daughter showcases Rue's tremendous talent to perform drama, as she gives what is arguably one of her best performances in a film (I still maintain that The Golden Girls is "the best of Rue" overall). Each cast member creates compassion and sympathy for his or her character and has the ability to draw the viewer into the film.

It's no wonder Rue McClanahan usually leaves this little number off of her official resume. Worse than the worst cinematic trainwrecks, Hollywood After Dark is a messterpiece of a movie. The only word that can really, truly describe this film is "bad." Plain and simple. I did not expect an Oscar-worthy work of art, but this defied even my lowest of expectations. Everything about Hollywood After Dark is absolutely awful, from the editing (or lack thereof), plot (what plot?) and cinematography to the lighting and music (which is quite annoying and blares loudly throughout the entire seventy-four minute film). Labeled as a sleazy exploiter, the only thing sleazy about this movie is some awful burlesque dancing, which I suppose was considered rather raunchy when Hollywood After Dark was made in 1961. As for Rue's performance- considering what she was given to work with, it really was not bad. Not an award-winning performance by any means but her's was by far the most promising in the entire film. All in all, Hollywood After Dark is likely one of the worst films I've ever seen. I think the best way to sum it up is just to say that Mystery Science Theater 3000 would have had a field day.