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Reviews
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Bad moon, great movie
Maybe it ended a little too quickly? Maybe Alex should have been in peril for a bit longer? I'd like to have seen David try to change himself for another month, then end the movie. Oh, well. It's still a great movie.
My sister saw this movie, as her first hardcore horror flick, when she was 17, in 1981. Scared the ever-lovin' crap out of her. When I saw it in its entirety for the first time, I had years of CSI shows, "ER" and "Law and Order SVU" under my belt. Therefore, the gore was not nearly as shocking. Certainly not as disturbing as following a bullet down someone's gullet and watching their stomach explode. In other words, if you can stomach CSI, "Werewolf" won't bother you too much.
Having said that, it was sufficiently creepy for good thrills, without the nonstop "ick" factor of some of its descendants. The fact that the makeup and transformation scenes were done without CGI assistance is still amazing, and the movie well deserved the Oscar nod for the efforts. The effects are still incredible and hold up just as well today.
David Naughton has such a wonderful speaking voice; I could listen to him read the phone book. And those big, soulful brown eyes.... Sigh. It makes the transformation all the more jarring.
Griffin Dunne is perfect as the undead Jack. He's funny and desperate, all at once.
I'm not really a horror movie enthusiast. I prefer thrillers and suspense to gore-fests. Therefore, it says something about this movie that I like it so well.
Still Crazy (1998)
When good bands go bad...
I spotted this movie in the video store a few years ago and rented it. My husband and I enjoyed it so much we bought the VHS and have enjoyed it ever since.
The plot has been well-discussed, so no need in going over it again. The point is this movie deserves repeated viewings. Americans, especially, aren't going to get all the jokes the first time around. I know I didn't.
This movie is funny, touching, sad-- all at the same time. When Ray proposes the toast at his daughter's wedding, it's cringe-inducing. When Karen calls Tony "Brian" as he attempts to kiss her, it's heartbreaking. When Beano is finally cornered by the woman in black, it's too funny for words.
And the music: it's as good as any movie soundtrack I've heard in years. I was dancing in the living room to "All Over the World."
Every performance is absolutely perfect. Bill Nighy has been justly complimented for his portrayal of Ray, a man who has had one too many bad trips. Stephen Rea is perfect as Tony, the lovable keyboard player who has carried a torch for Karen all these years. He has an appealing hangdog look that makes women want to hug him. But all the actors are equally brilliant.
Ignore any pans you read about this movie and see it. It's a gem.
Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel (2004)
A sad story, mostly well told
I too wish there had been a little more depth in this movie. However, when my sister saw it at the screening at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, along with many of Gram's close friends and colleagues, she never heard anyone voice some of the complaints registered here.
I think calling Gram "obnoxious" is too simplistic. He obviously had his obnoxious moments, but most highly creative people do. It's part of that artistic temperament you've heard tell of. However, I don't think most people could have registered the emotion they showed had Parsons merely been a gifted jerk. This is where the movie shines. The directors show some of the people who genuinely cared about Parsons as a person, and how his untimely death affected them.
I understand the attempt to show Parsons as more than the very pretty face and voice idolized so often. I think the filmmakers wanted audiences to understand Ingram Parsons as a human being, a guy who had a lot of breaks in his life, but who also had a legion of demons chasing him. I actually found myself liking this man a lot by the end of the movie. Parsons was a basically nice, decent guy who had a lot of bad wiring, not the least of which included an inborn tendency to addiction. I felt incredible pity for him.
I hope this movie spurs viewers to listen to Parsons' music and to appreciate the influence he had on popular music. If it does that, it has done its work well.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
What should have been left in...(minor spoiler)
Visually, OP is stunning. The special effects are socko. The acting is good, especially Evanna as Luna Lovegood. All that works.
Yeah, OP is the longest book. As such, the writers and director should have done a little more work on it. Some things should never have been left out. We only get a small sense of the Black Family's history. The writers should have taken just a few more seconds for Sirius to explain that Bellatrix and Narcissa are sisters, and they grew up at 12 Grimmauld Place. Since Narcissa is Draco Malfoy's mother, this would have been vital information. It is also essential to understanding why Kreacher is such a mess and resurfaces later in the series. Family ties are such an important theme for Rowling, and this should never have been omitted.
The Order photograph was a brilliant piece of cinematic shorthand, but Sirius should have gone into a bit more detail about who was who. Such as, "Of the xx number of people in this picture, only xx are still alive. Voldemort killed the rest." That's a line that would have really brought home the scope of his evil.
Also, Sirius is such an essential part of Harry's life, he really should have had a couple more scenes. One reviewer said the movie felt rushed, and perhaps that's my problem with it.
The other bit that should have really been stressed was the importance of the Order of the Phoenix. We never really get the idea the OP was more than a few adept dissidents.
That said, Gary Oldman turns in a performance that, for all it's brevity, is memorable. Sirius Black is an excellent fit for Oldman. Tormented, betrayed, full of bad memories and dysfunctional background. Tailor-made for Oldman. LOL. However, Oldman brings a wonderful tenderness to his scenes with Harry that really makes the viewer love this Black sheep of his family. And his savage joy in fighting the Death-Eaters is unmatched. Sirius has always been a warrior with no battles to fight. In this, his first and last battle, he acquits himself brilliantly.
For the next movie, the writers and directors need to look for those details that may only add five minutes to the movie, but pay off in big leaps in character development, as well as plot devices.
Operation Petticoat (1959)
Sherman's march to the sea...
This is one of my very favorite movies. I now own the DVD, but have watched it who knows how many times since childhood.
"Operation Petticoat" never fails to make me laugh. I don't have to give a synopsis here, since so many viewers before have summed it up nicely, but I wanted to throw in my two cents.
This movie is a perfect illustration of the notion that funny and filthy are not necessarily synonymous. Parents can watch this movie with their children and not be afraid of what their children are hearing or seeing. The writers have produced a script that is funny, without pandering to the lowest common denominator. The humor is a cut above, but easily understood by most viewers.
Other viewers have rightly praised Cary Grant's and Tony Curtis' performances. However, there are some other gems, not the least of which is Arthur O'Connell as the machinist's mate. "Have a piece of pig, Major." Gavin MacLeod as the beleaguered clerk, Hunkle; Dick Sergeant's Ensign Stovall; and George Dunn as the Prophet, singing his plaintive tune "You can't win, my friend" and predicting the early demise of Lt. Holden as they go scrounging for supplies.
It doesn't matter how low I'm feeling--this movie gives me a lift. It does not gloss over the deadly seriousness of war, but does show the truth that funny things often happen in the midst of the greatest chaos. In fact, to quote Nick Holden, "In confusion, there is profit." And a great deal of laughter.