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swgreif
Reviews
Pacific Rim Uprising (2018)
Suitable for the brain-dead
I would like give this mess zero stars. No one in it can act. The hero of the tale has a bad haircut and thinks shouting, snarling, grappling to be the Alpha Male are substitutes for acting ability. Take away the miserable, unfocused computer enhanced special effects, and you're left with nothing. Remember that all avenging foot from Monty Python? I wish it splatter all the noisy young heroes of the film
Brad's Status (2017)
Ben Stiller should stick to comedy
Other critics here have said it better than I ever could, but here is an overlong endless parade of self-doubt and self-pity. I feel sorry for the poor souls who identify with Stiller's character. And what is so great about today's HARVARD, whose racial profiling is self-defeating, unjust, and disgusting.. And why would any parent bankrupt himself/herself to send a child top such a jumped up school? And with Stiller's character, what sort of friend is jealous of other friends' success? Envy is not pretty or funny.
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Hugh Jackman makes a di...uh...fool of himself
I'd rather go to the dentist for root canal work than watch this ugly monstrosity again. From an historical point of view, it has nothing to do with the long dead, great PT Barnum. The banshee music, the hip hop (why no break-dancing!), was like repeated vulgar mob scenes we see daily on TV news was about as Victorian as an electric toothbrush. I was particularly disgusted by the gyrations of the bovine bearded lady. Once again Hollywood insinuates "Inclusiveness" into our wilting brains, brainwashing at its best. Avoid like the plague.
Literally, Right Before Aaron (2017)
Fortunately I watched it for free on SKY
If this is a comedy, it had exactly one second of laughter. If this is a drama, it had no salient moments. I watched it for free, but I can never get back the time wasted. Who can I sue?
3G: A Killer Connection (2013)
Typical Bollywood Trash
I bought a pirated copy of this movie in Vietnam and paid the equivalent of 40c. Had I known it was Indian, I would not have bothered. I wish I had my 40c back! Avoid this dogroll; I mean dogsamosa.p
Wanderlust (2012)
Vulgar and Disgusting
There is nothing funny in this turd of a movie. I watched it only because Jennifer Aniston is in it. I knew Paul Rudd was a jerk, but I hadn't realized just much of one he is. As a grad student at Berkeley in the 60's, I learned to loathe physically dirty, lazy, anarchic, and phony Hippies. Times this contempt by a factor of ten, and you get my attitude to Hollywood resurrected hairy Hippies. I yelled a racist epithet when I heard the following: " When the belly swells, the titties swell." (Disgusting!), I stopped watching at this point and opened a window. Thank God, I saw it free on SKY.
Genius (2017)
Mega Clangers
Right at the outset, there is a howler of a mistake: the flag on Rathenau's car is the kaiserian Imperial flag; it should have been the Weimar Republican flag.
Just to be certain that no previous reviewer made mention of the mega clanger I'm about to report, I read each and every review to date. Let's turn to the Berlin street scene in early AUGUST, 1914, Climate Change seems to have struck: it seems to be snowing, and when in the scene, the Russian scientists on the train from Germany to a Russia at war, there is outside a veritable blizzard. Did this expensive production employ no historical adviser?
Stuart Grief swgreif1943@gmail.com
London Has Fallen (2016)
Not for PC Wussies
I guess there must have been massive call-out from and for the PC Brigade whose tender, sensitive feelings must have been brutalized by this mega-non-PC movie,given the hundreds of almost identical attacks on the movie. Admittedly the movie is over the top, but it is in a genre that has exaggeration as its stock in trade. My one criticism of note is its over-emphasis on the President of the USA; what about the sad plight of the Canadian PM: if it was indeed Justin Trudeau, then his Fate was a form of Karmic Justice. And the Japanese PM: were his final words a quote from TENKO: "you bow, you bow!"? I though the use of Morgan Freeman was a suitable touch to ease the heart palpitations of the sensitive who were not quick enough to race out of the movie theatre in disgust,humming Kumbaya to ward off a complete PC melt-down.. My biggest disappointment was the very limited blast of retribution; if I had been in charge, it would have been far greater in scope and in the number of targets. All in all, a great adrenaline rush for me.
Zoolander 2 (2016)
Just awful, just garbage
USA$50 million to produce this loud, noisy, silly piece of garbage. I'm sorry that IMDb does not offer the choice of no stars, because it deserves absolutely nothing in the way of stars. I hope the movie never recovers its costs. I saw it for free on SKY, and still I felt robbed and cheated. Ben Stiller you should hang your head in shame. The only good part was when that little wart Justine Bieber was shot to death; I'm sorry it was not a real life event. This is another movie for Homer Simpson clones, a piece of dog-roll like INGLORIOUS BASTERDS or is BASTURDS? I have read the positive reviews, and it causes me to wonder why brainless apes are allowed to review, even worse, to vote.
Sisters (2015)
Disgusting Beyond Belief
I wish I could give this piece of puerile garbage a big fat zero stars. I seem to be in good company in panning this cinematic abortion.
I am no prude, but the non-stop vulgarity just about unhinged me. I've long been a Tina Fey fan, but I'm off her now for good.
The only funny part was when the main male character landed on a dancing ballerina music box, and it went straight up his jacksy. I hope he was in a lot of pain.
What an insult to our intelligence is this movie. I felt like opening the window after it was finally over.
I'm glad I saw it for free on SKY.
Die Blume von Hawaii (1933)
A whole lot of fun!!
The following is a joint project with Count de Money, a friend and insightful film critic. At least 50% of this review is attributable to the Herrn Graf von und zu Oz I was nonplussed reading the sole review of this hoot of a movie by a Swiss based critic, and after watching it myself, I had to wonder if a sense of humour and of the absurd are lacking in the land of the Gnomes of Zurich.
"Die Blume von Hawai'i" ("Flower of Hawai'i") which the Hungarian Jew Paul Abraham wrote for the stage in 1931 is a frenzied Jazz musical with an all-star cast.. It was first filmed in 1933 (there was a subsequent re-make 20 years later). My copy of the film has French subtitles, and since I cannot be certain a copy with English subs. exists, I will concentrate on the plot. Thus, plenty of spoilers.
The story is loosely based on the usurpation by the Americans of Queen Liliʻuokalani of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. This shameful event took place in 1893, but in the film it would appear that the story is happening at the time the film was made - so even though there is some foundation in history the film has moved completely into the realm of fantasy.
Like most operettas one can get completely tangled in the plot which is basically there as a backdrop on which to hang a number of excellent musical numbers. Suffice to say that Laya, a princess of Hawai'i is in Paris incognito as Susanne Lamond, a cabaret singer (Mártha Eggerth). Also at this cabaret is the headline artist - a jazz singer called Jim Boy (Fritz Fischer) and like another well-known Jazz Singer - sings in black face.
Prince Lalo of Hawai'i (Hans Fidesser) is also in Paris, he prefers to travel the world - so one wonders if anyone from the Hawai'ian Royal Family is actually living in Hawai'i.
The film begins in a night-club, where Jim Boy performs. Selling cigarettes is Susanne Lamond who is bothered by an amorous drunk. To the rescue is American captain Stone (Iván Petrovich) who arranges for Susanne to take leave and join him for dinner, drinks, dance, and song. He hopes for more than a good-night kiss & gets nothing: Susanne has high standards. A bit later, Stone gets word to leave on a "mission" & he sends a cable to Susanne promising to return.
Two agents of the Royal Family manage to track down Princess Laya in Paris, intercept Stone's cable, and then with the offer of a contract for Jim Boy to appear in Hawai'i in tandem with Susanne Lamond, (Princess Laya) who proves her status as a trouper by some riotous singing & dancing. - they manage to entice the "princess" back home.
Part of Stone's mission is to board the ship to Hawai'i, where he comes upon Susanne Lamond not knowing, of course, that she is the actual Hawaiian Princess. At first Susanne is distant, complains of Stone's silence following his sudden departure, but he assures her that he did write and want to continue the relationship.
Are you confused as yet? Well, no matter, for by this time you will have seen enough musical numbers to enable you to discard the plot altogether and just enjoy all the nonsense.
The musical numbers are for the most part cleverly interwoven into the story so there is not that much of a juxtaposition - but as with all musicals, one does find that inevitably a conversation between a couple suddenly breaks into song.
Meanwhile back to the story - Prince Lalo decides to go home and his arrival in a ketch is well photographed and is accompanied by him singing the hauntingly and lyrical "Ein Paradies am Meeresstrand" (A Paradise by the Sea).
Hawai'i is run by an American Governor - Governor Harrison (Hans Junkermann) who first appears a bit of a dill but manages to be an authority figure in the end. He has a niece, Bessy (Baby Gray) who he wants to join in matrimony with Prince Lalo to ensure a continuation of his power base, but his secretary, an oaf called Buffy (Ernö Verebes) is in love with Bessy. Buffy is obviously the obligatory comic of the operetta.
Things become even more bizarre when a troupe of Fakirs arrive to entertain with a "disappearing victim in a basket" trick. Through this devise, Susanne is kidnapped and brought to the Hawaiian "Holy of Holies" & is there confronted by Prince Lalo who reminds of her royal duty to her people.
Governor Harrisson is concerned that the Hawai'ian native population people will revolt against the American occupation. He sends in the troops who break into the Holy of Holies and demands that Susanne, Princess Laya, sign an act of renunciation of the throne. She refuses, and the Governor orders Captain Stone to arrest her. Unbeknownst to all, Susanne really is not very interested in being a princess and prefers being with Captain Stone. "Princess Laya" eventually signs with the consent of Prince Lalo who realises that the arranged marriage he was supposed to have with the Princess Laya has gone down the plughole and sails way whilst Princess Laya goes off to catch Captain Stone's ship back to America and everyone lives happily ever after, including Buffy who gets Bessy's Governor Uncle's consent to marriage, but not Jim Boy who misses out with both Susanne & Bessy.
Having had a bit of a criticism I can say that I enjoyed it, taking it for what it was and just getting carried away with the mad romp with equally mad musical numbers that seemed to sum up the Berlin style of the dying days of the Weimar Republik.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
A movie for ignorant Morons
Too bad I couldn't give this piece of dog roll a big fat zero. I knew this was going to be historically wrong crap when the movie begins in 1941 with a Nazi round-up of French Jews. The round-ups began in 1942. What really worries me is that piece of wet-dream vengeance fiction will be believed by the morons who get off on this sort of crap. There is no part of this movie that is not fiction; I suppose this is an accomplishment. Whoever wrote the script and the producers must have some real knowledge of the period, especially in regard to film, in that Lilian Harvey, Emile Jannings, and a poster featuring a Clouzot add a gram of reality...that and the fact that Goebbels controlled film, that Hitler (like Mussolini and Stalin) was a film buff. Other that that, the rest is the pornography of mindless violence. What was Quentin T thinking?
swgreif1943@gmail.com
Der brave Sünder (1931)
A German Screw-Ball Comedy
This is a funny and very clever comedy. Outstanding is Max Pallenberg, pater familias, officious head cashier, and a very confused individual whose language, facial expressions, general state of excitement carry on non-stop and in the largely stunned company of his colleague, Heinz Ruehmann, and set-upon daughter, the very wonderful Dolly Haas. Pallenberg, a Jew, was driven out of Germany in '33 and died a year later in an airplane crash in Czechoslovakia. The Jewish actor who played Kalapka died at Dachau in '41. He joins the sad ranks of Dora Gerson, Kurt Gerron, and many other. Heinz Ruehmann put in a fine performance as he always does. He prospered in Nazi Germany and even divorced his Jewish wife to further his career. I suppose he atoned for all this by his wonderful remake of the Kapitaen von Koepernick.
24 Stunden aus dem Leben einer Frau (1931)
A Great Disappointment
I have long been a Henny Porten fan. This is a hard to get film. Much of the problem deals with the Misch-Masch plot. The actors do their best in attempting to bring to life a story that defies reason and sense. The movie ends almost mid-sentence leaving the audience, so the director, I suspect, to wonder what happens next: will Henny continue to love and support a liar, a loser, a hopeless addict to gambling. The filming is only mediocre. I could not find out if the film was actually made in Monte Carlo. If not, I commend the seamless back projection work. This is a slow, dreary movie fortunately only 73 minutes long. Stuart Grief swgreif1943@gmail.com
A Lady to Love (1930)
A truly awful movie
I'm sorry, but other than saying farewell to the very wonderful Vilma Banky, this is an awful movie. Edward G. Robinson's attempt at an Italian accent is appalling. Since when have Italians had problems with "V"? But this doesn't stop Edward G. from pronouncing "Valley" as "Walley" Well Wally to this Wally.
Did anyone notice the large photo of Il Duce in the lounge. Benito hated the way Hollywood portrayed Italians and with good reason.
The scene of washing Edward G. with all his pig squeals was nauseating at best.
But full marks to Vilma B, a great lady.
In summary, other than Vilma Banky, this movie was embarrassing to watch.
Stuart