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monniewood
Reviews
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
Gotta love Hans ...
as the wicked Dr. T.! I wish I could find and see this flick again. Haven't seen it for more decades then i'd like to admit...but I remember it well, considering all of the damage done during the years in between and now! the scene that sticks with me though - above all others, is the guy in the drum! Man, what an image that was! hope that's not a spoiler. Nah, has nothing to do with the plot or storyline...just one of the many interesting, bizarre and well done visuals in this movie. But, hands down (pun intended) Hans steals the show just as he does all of those little fingers. Don't ask why.. its great entertainment and that's enough! I think that any one that studied music, specifically the piano, can relate on some level with this movie - in fact - even if you didn't - you can still see the kid's point of view of music lessons being a bit of a nightmare. Which is my personal view on the psychology behind this film. It makes the reality of music lessons so nonthreatening that if you had been dreading yours you could laugh it off now as being at least not so bad as this kid's had been.
Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
i love this movie...
so much. i wish i could watch it right now. "life at last! salutations from the other side"...used to have the soundtrack but lost it somewhere and have missed it ever since. Brian de palma - he is always the one that makes these films that get under your skin. i will always wonder why this film didn't garner more of a following. it sure should have. i love the songs, the score and the characters are fantastic. especially "Beef," just hilarious. And it really does have moments where its a bit scary. I mean not really but you know, kinda gets your heart going a bit. Paul Williams best effort in front of a camera definitely. Tho the scenes with him and Jessica are a bit forced to say the least but hey - Paul deserves some TLC too right?. Right! And of course there is that underlying "poetic justice" theme a la Phantom of the Opera that is undeniably wicked but welcomed. We want the revenge to happen. if you have never seen this movie - i don't know what to tell you except u missed a good one!
Captains Courageous (1937)
they just don't make them like this anymore...
this has to be one of my favorite films ever. I loved it as a kid and the last time I happened to catch it on TV, i loved it just as much and cried just as hard. Freddy Bartholomew! what a fantastic little actor this kid was! and of course, the unparalleled Spencer Tracy as Manuel the fisherman we all love so much, is simply fantastic. i did not realize that this was a Fleming film, that explains a lot. All of my favorites from this era seem to have had this man at the wheel. He sure knew the right combination of sentiment, humor, melodrama, and reality to come up with a winner most of the time. I'm glad to see so many other votes and comments that echo (i guess i'm the echo tho, huh?) my own feelings about this film Its nice to know others also feel as strongly and as warmly about it as i always have. it sure deserves it.
I sing "Yo, ho little fish, don't cry, don't cry, Yo ho little fish don't cry, don't cry" to my kids at night thanks to Manuel. It always works too!