John Alton's cinematography is stunning, 27 March 2008
Alexis (Turhan Bey) is a con man preying on people's desires to communicate with their dearly departed. His new target, Christine Faber (Lynn Bari), is a wealthy woman who has lost her husband. But with Christine, the would-be spiritualist may have bitten off more than he can chew when to Alexis' utter astonishment Christine's dead husband makes a return appearance from the grave. Alexis must go from huckster to hero if he's to save Christine and her sister Janet (Cathy O'Donnel), whom he's developed a real fondness for, from this murderous man come back from the dead.
What a ridiculous title for an masterfully filmed and very entertaining movie. In comparison with a lot of the other B-quickies of the 40s, The Amazing Mr. X features a very well crafted script that's an interesting blend of horror and film noir. The movie is well paced with several nice plot twists along the way. Just when you start to think you're watching a Gothic horror piece, the movie shifts gears and turns from a supernatural thriller to a crime thriller. And the character Alexis changes from a medium in communication with the dead to a phony con-man to the film's hero. It's all these twists that keep The Amazing Mr. X interesting throughout. All of the actors involved to an excellent job. I was particular impressed with Turhan Bey as Alexis and Cathy O'Donnell as the sister, Janet. Finally, as almost every comment on IMDb has noted, John Alton's cinematography is stunning. Films with ten times the budget don't look this good. It's an interesting mix of light, shadows, and creative camera angles. Alton certainly deserves all the praise he's received.
7/10
Butterfingers of the Old West, 4 November 2007
There are a handful of generally unknown actors that I enjoy seeing in just about anything. One of those people is Douglass Dumbrille. From A Day at the Races with the Marx Brothers to Castle in the Desert with Charlie Chan, I always look forward to Dumbrille's performances. In Last of the Wild Horses, he plays the wheelchair-bound owner of the Double C ranch. His performance is by far the best thing this movie has going for it. Now that I think about it, Douglass Dumbrille is probably the only thing Last of the Wild Horses has going for it. The movie is one of those utterly dull, white-bread kind of Westerns where no one gets dirty and the good guys always win. It's the kind of Western that always seemed to feature an annoying comic relief character that you just wanted to see someone put a bullet through. All it lacks is a cowboy with a guitar to make my stomach really turn.
But the most unforgivable part of Last of the Wild Horses is the way director Robert Lippert continually cheats to keep the plot moving. On three different occasions, people conveniently drop evidence that is later found and used to advance the story. From a branding iron to a letter to a bandana – Last of the Wild Horses would have us believe that the cowboys of the Old West were a bunch of butterfingers.
2/10
"I could sure go for a charbroiled hamburger sammich and some french-fried potatoes.", 24 March 2007
Beyond being a bad, terribly dull movie, I have a bigger problem with Jungle Goddess – racism. I'm not sure why it bothers me so much in this movie when I can let it go in movies with similar racial incidents like any of the Tarzan movies, but it really bothered me here. The characters (an by this I mean the white characters) attitudes toward the shooting of an innocent native is so nonchalant. It's no big deal to any of them. You kill a human being and then have the nerve to feel you're being wronged by the other members of his tribe because they want and expect retribution – it's something my 21st Century sensibilities cannot comprehend. And it's not just the "bad" guy. The "good" characters have the same "no big deal" attitude. I honestly think it bothered me so much in Jungle Goddess because the movie is so bad there's nothing to take the edge of these scenes. The racial attitudes of the 1940s were given the opportunity to stand front and center and show just how repulsive they really were.
Okay, off the soapbox for a bit. As I say, Jungle Goddess is Dull with a capital "D". None of the three main actors (George Reeves, Wanda McKay, and Ralph Byrd) seems capable of displaying any of the realistic emotions you might expect from someone lost in the jungle. In fact, McKay plays it much like a little girl going to a tea party. It's completely unbelievable. Speaking of unbelievable, the sets are some of the worst I've seen. You can find more realistic looking plastic plants at the local Wal Mart. And the stock footage scenes of animals don't help at all. It's all too obvious that the characters are no where near the animals. Add it up – cheap sets, dull script, and uninspired acting make for one very bad movie.
2/10
Leslie Brooks is dynamite!, 22 April 2006
For most if its runtime, Blonde Ice is a very entertaining b-noir. Leslie Brooks is about as evil a woman as you'll see in one of these movies. She's beautiful, ambitious, and completely ruthless – it's a deadly combination. She's perfectly capable of chewing-up and spitting-out anyone who gets in her way. And, she's not above committing a little murder if the need should arise. Brooks gives a dynamite performance as far as I'm concerned. The rest of the cast is adequate, but nothing spectacular. The weakest point in the film, unfortunately, comes in the final scene. It's almost as if the screenwriters had no idea how to end Blond Ice. What they came up with is so ridiculous and out of character that it really hurts the overall film.
A word on the DVD - from what I've read, the VCI disc is the only way to go. The price is not much more than what you would pay for the Alpha DVD and the VCI disc has a much better transfer and a plethora of features.
7/10
"He doesn't want to let his left hand know whose pocket the right one is picking.", 29 January 2006
The Big Clock is a wonderfully entertaining noirish thriller with, and unlike most of its deadly serious counterparts, a touch of humor. Ray Milland is a man trying to solve a murder. His problem is that the killer he's looking for is himself. Think of it as a cat-and-mouse game where the cat and mouse are the same person. The acting is top notch with Milland as the man caught between a rock and a hard place, Charles Laughton at his greasiest best, and George Macready as the prototypical "yes man". My only complaint with the cast is how Maureen O'Sullivan is underutilized. The supporting cast is terrific with Elsa Lanchester supplying most of the laughs. Very nicely done.
Nothing against Ray Milland because he does a great job, but the whole time I watched The Big Clock, I couldn't help but think that the role was tailor made for Cary Grant. It might have made this terrific film more widely known.
8/10
"I've had this brain for thirty years. It hasn't done me any good!", 18 December 2005
Abbott and Costello get mixed up with a mad doctor, Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the Wolf Man. It seems that Dracula, with the assistance of the doctor, wants to cure the monster by finding him a new brain. Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man's alter ego, intends to put a stop to these monstrous experiments. And just where does Dracula think he'll find a new brain? That's where Abbott and Costello come in.
There was a time when I thought this was the best film that Abbott and Costello ever made. Back in the 70s, I can remember this movie playing in the afternoons and I couldn't wait to get home from school to watch it. As I've seen more and more of their films, I realize that while it may no longer be my favorite, it's still a very good example of their work. If you're so inclined, you can read positive, glowing reviews for Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein all over the internet. I doubt I could add very much to what's already been written, so I'm not really going to try. I'll just mention a couple of my favorite scenes - the boys' argument with the museum owner and Costello strapped to the gurney. Both are comedy gold and never fail to bring a smile to my face.
But as I said, the movie is not longer my favorite Abbott and Costello film. The reason I no longer think as highly of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein as I once did is my problem with the way Dracula is presented. Frankenstein's monster is still the hulking nightmare of Universal's earlier films. Larry Talbot is still the same brooding "woe is me" character he always was. But Dracula is presented more as a parody of himself than a figure to be frightened of. He comes across more like the actor, Bela Lugosi, than the undead bloodsucker he really is. Many of Dracula's lines and scenes are just plain ridiculous given the character's history.
Even with my growing distaste for the handling of Dracula, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is still a film that I enjoy revisiting whenever I get the opportunity.
8/10
"The wind blows so hard the ocean gets up on its hind legs and walks right across the land.", 10 August 2005
There may be other Bogart/Huston collaborations that are better known and it may not be the first movie people think of when Bogart/Bacall are mentioned, but Key Largo is a fine movie in its own right. Bogart is an Army Captain visiting the wife and father of one of the dead soldiers who served under him. The wife and father run a little hotel on Key Largo. Bogart's not the only guest at the hotel, though. A group of gangsters has decided to hold up there for a while. But the gangsters aren't the only threat to Bogart and the others. A hurricane is blowing on shore that threatens everyone - even the guys with the guns.
Bogart and Bacall are good as ever. Lionel Barrymore is a pleasure to watch. And Claire Trevor's Academy Award was deserving. But I want to spend the rest of this review discussing Edward G. Robinson's performance. Robinson has never been a particular favorite of mine. But, it's difficult not to enjoy him in Key Largo. To be a man of such slight stature, on screen he comes across like a giant. His character, Johnny Rocco, dominates almost every scene - even scenes he's not in. Before we meet Rocco, he's already on of the biggest characters in the movie. All his hired stooges have to do is point to the bedroom door and say something like "He's in there, taking a nap" and Rocco immediately becomes the most important person in the movie. Robinson is amazing to watch as he demonstrates his dominance by threatening everyone (even his own men). But Robinson saves the best for last. As the hurricane hits, he changes and becomes like a frightened child. That Robinson was capable of playing the heavy so convincingly in one scene and the weakling so perfectly in the next is evidence of his wonderful abilities. It's really a joy to behold.
8/10
"You've been taken to the cleaners, and you don't even know your pants are off.", 18 February 2005
Having grown tired of the rat race and cramped living conditions of New York City, Jim Blandings (Cary Grant) finds a property in the country for his wife and children. He's hoping to find the simple life. But, building a house proves to be anything but simple. As the headaches and the bills start piling up, so do the laughs. Will Mr. Blanding's ever get his dream house?
What makes this movie so special is the three main actors - Grant, Myrna Loy, and Melvyn Douglas. Any of three are capable of carrying a movie on their own, so when you combine their talents, almost every scene is special. Grant has always been a favorite of mine in this type of role. He is so good at playing the put upon husband. Loy is a always a joy to watch. The Thin Man films she made with William Powell are near perfect. And Douglas has become a favorite of mine over the last two or three years. Douglas also appeared in The Old Dark House, a particular favorite of mine.
The movie is definitely a product of its time. I get a kick out of imagining a time when you could build a two-story, three bedroom, four bathroom house on $15,000 income a year. Throw in the fact that your two children attend private school and you have a live-in maid and it becomes almost fanciful.
However, for anyone who has bought or built a house, many of the situations and predicaments the Blanding's find themselves in are easily relatable to today. And that's where the comedy comes in. How many people have done some of the stupid things the couple does in this movie only to end up costing more money than expected? - The biggest complaint I have about Mr. Blandings is the whole "wife in love with best friend" subplot. It's really not necessary to the plot and feels out-of-place and very uncomfortable as presented.
7/10
