Amazingly well made, 10 February 2006
At first glance, it would seem natural to compare Where the Sidewalk Ends with Laura. Both have noirish qualities, both were directed by Otto Preminger, and both star Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. But that's where most of the comparisons end. Laura dealt with posh, sophisticated people with means who just happen to find themselves mixed-up in a murder. Where the Sidewalk Ends is set in a completely different strata. These are people with barely two nickels to rub together who are more accustomed to seeing the underbelly of society than going to fancy dress parties. Where the Sidewalk ends is a gritty film filled with desperate people who solve their problems with their fists or some other weapon. Small-time hoods are a dime-a-dozen and cops routinely beat confessions out of the crooks. Getting caught-up in a murder investigation seems as natural as breathing.
While I haven't seen his entire body of work, based on what I have seen, Dana Andrews gives one of his best performances as the beat-down cop, Det. Sgt. Mark Dixon. He's the kind of cop who is used to roughing up the local hoods if it gets him information or a confession. One night, he goes too far and accidentally kills a man. He does his best to cover it up. But things get complicated when he falls for the dead man's wife, Morgan Taylor (Tierney), whose father becomes suspect number one in the murder case. As Morgan's father means the world to her, Dixon's got to do what he can to clear the old man without implicating himself.
Technically, Where the Sidewalk Ends is outstanding. Besides the terrific performance from Andrews, the movie features the always delightful Tierney. She has a quality that can make even the bleakest of moments seem brighter. The rest of the cast is just as solid with Tom Tully as the wrongly accused father being a real standout. Beyond the acting, the direction, sets, lighting, and cinematography are all top-notch. Overall, it's an amazingly well made film.
If I have one complaint (and admittedly it's a very, very minor quibble) it's that Tierney is almost too perfect for the role and her surroundings. It's a little difficult to believe that a woman like that could find herself mixed-up with some of these unsavory characters. It's not really her fault, it's just the way Tierney comes across. She seems a little too beautiful, polished, and delicate for the part. But, her gentle, kind, trusting nature add a sense of needed realism to her portrayal.
9/10
"From where I sat it looked as though you were conjugating some irregular verbs.", 9 February 2006
A string of daring jewel robberies on the French Riviera leads the police to suspect one-time cat-burglar John Robie (Cary Grant). Robie claims to be reformed but the police suspect otherwise. As the police seem so intent on following him instead of looking for the real crook, Robie decides to track down the thief himself. He soon meets and begins a romance with Frances Stevens (Grace Kelly) whose mother happens to have her own collection of valuable gems. But when Frances' mother's jewels are stolen, she naturally suspects Robie. Robie must convince Frances of his innocence and, with her help, finally unmask the real cat-burglar.
To Catch a Thief may not have Hitchcock's most suspenseful or intricate plot, but it's certainly one of Hitch's best looking films. Everything is simply beautiful. The French Riviera locations are amazing. Odd, craggy points that lead to the crystal blue ocean are filmed like works of art. It looks better than any travelogue you're likely to see. The old, unique, character-filled buildings make for stunning backdrops to the unfolding story. And, has there ever been a better looking on-screen couple than Grant and Kelly? I doubt it. These two can make the most mundane of scenes look like a million dollars.
As for the plot, it's not overly difficult to figure out who the real burglar is. The movie all but slaps you in the face with the answer. But the fun comes in watching Grant and Kelly get to the final conclusion. The final showdown between the police, Robie, and the cat-burglar is great. Other highlights for me included the swimming scene, the boat scene, and the picnic scene. Unfortunately, I've always felt there were few instances where To Catch a Thief drags a bit. There are a number of scenes where cars drive back and forth along twisting mountainous roads. And while the scenery is breathtaking, a bit more intrigue might have been a plus. Grant and Kelly's charm, however, is generally enough to offset these moments.
Overall, it may not be Hitch's best, but I've always enjoyed revisiting To Catch a Thief.
7/10
Ahh, the Memories, 6 February 2006
I just finished watching "The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries" Season One DVD set. I must admit that I had a great time with the series. Sure, this stuff is pretty simplistic, but it's fun. The show is really pretty tame and the mysteries aren't very involved. It would probably be a good watch for the whole family.
Highlights of the first season include - Richard Kiel in The Mystery of the Haunted House, Shaun Cassidy singing in a couple of the later Hardy Boys episodes, Jamie Lee Curtis and Robert Englund in The Mystery of the Fallen Angels, and the way a couple of the episodes, particularly The Mystery of the Whispering Walls and The Disappearing Floor, were put together. Good stuff!
I'm probably a little more biased in favor of "The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries" than some would be. In 1977, I was 13 and fit perfectly into the shows demographic. Back then, I thought this stuff was better than sliced bread. Ahh, the memories.
7/10
Michael "Paycheck" Caine strikes again!, 6 February 2006
As a point of reference, I don't rate every other movie I see a 1/10. Of the 1,005 movies I've bothered to rate over the past few years, I've only given 20 of them a 1/10. It takes a "special" movie can join the ranks of Prime Evil, The Creeping Terror, and Curse of the Swamp Creature. The Swarm is one of those "special" movies. Watching The Swarm is something of an endurance test. At one point, I felt like I had been sitting and watching for days. I checked the counter and discovered I had only seen 76 minutes – I still had another 80 minutes left to go.
So what went wrong? In a word - everything. As I've already indicated, The Swarm is dull and tedious. If I'm ever forced to watch this movie again, I can only hope it's the 116 minute version and not the 156 minute director's cut. In addition, the characters do and say the most unrealistic things. Take the movies supposed hero played by Michael Caine and the General played by Richard Widmark. Every conversation these two have is full of absolute nonsense and done in volumes usually reserved for football games. The fact that these two NEVER attempt to work together to accomplish anything is ridiculous. Or, take the fact that Caine's character, who has been appointed by the White House to head up the operation, spends more time tracking down a 10 year-old runaway than he does finding a solution to the bee problem. Unrealistic. The Swarm also features a couple of the most inane love story subplots I've seen. The first features Caine and Katharine Ross who never seem to get beyond admitting they "like" each other. How old are these people? 12? The second is the senior citizen love triangle that goes nowhere and has no real purpose. It's like watching a bad episode of "The Love Boat". Finally, some of the acting is downright atrocious. Caine and Ross are good actors when given decent material. But in The Swarm, Caine appears to be in it solely for the paycheck and Ross acts as if she realizes how bad it is and just wants out.
Picking the negatives out of The Swarm is like shooting fish in a barrel – it's impossible to miss. And I haven't even discussed the plot – killer African bees threaten the Southwest. Not a bad idea, but the execution in The Swarm is the worst.
1/10
"That's a very nice dress you nearly got on.", 1 February 2006
What a shocker! Who knew that Jayne Mansfield could actually pull off a role that required some real acting? No, she's no threat to knock Ingrid Bergman off of anyone's top actress list, but she's surprisingly good in Too Hot to Handle. It's quite a change of pace from her roles that I'm more familiar with. Mansfield is definitely much more than the blond sex-kitten I had thought.
The other "names" in the cast are Leo Genn and Christopher Lee. Genn is his usual solid self. In fact, I can't remember seeing Genn in anything where he wasn't solid. It's a shame this man isn't better known by the general public. Being something of a Christopher Lee completist, Lee is the reason I wanted to see Too Hot to Handle in the first place. But other than introducing a few dancers, he really doesn't do much.
As for the movie, it's a total melodrama with one cliché after the next. It may be listed as "Crime" on IMDb, but the crime elements have very little to do with the actual plot. And, it's dull. Who would have thought that a movie with Jayne Mansfield working in a strip club could be so boring. I didn't care if Genn lost his club. I didn't care if Mansfield got her man. I didn't care if there was an underage girl working in the club. I didn't care about any of it. All I wanted was for the thing to end.
There's a sub-plot in the movie involving a dancer who is in the country illegally and the writer who falls for and wants to help her. Their story is the most interesting thing in the movie and keeps me from rating the movie any lower. Unfortunately, this sub-plot goes nowhere.
3/10
Another good one from the other Sergio, 1 February 2006
Joe vows revenge against a band of outlaws who have been killing and scalping his Indian brethren for bounties. Joe meets up with some folks in a town being threatened by the same outlaws. Joe sees this as his chance to get even with the cutthroats and offers his assistance to the townspeople – for a price. But can one seemingly ill-equipped Indian defeat a large group of outlaws armed to the teeth?
Navajo Joe is best known as the only Spaghetti Western Burt Reynolds made and that's too bad. Burt is okay – he neither adds much nor takes much away. Regardless of whether Burt is in it or not, it's a solid, early Spaghetti Western from the second best known Sergio – Sergio Corbucci. I've said it before, but if it weren't for Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci would probably be regarded as the best director to have worked in Spaghetti Westerns. Navajo Joe isn't anywhere close to being as good as some of his other films (Django, The Great Silence, etc.), but it's enjoyable enough and offers one of the few examples where Indian characters play even a small role in a Euro-Western. Sure, there are plot holes and characters routinely take the most stupid course of action available to them, but it's all good fun.
Ennio Morricone is, in my opinion, the greatest composer to ever work in films. His score for Navajo Joe is another winner. It may not be as well known as his work on Leone's Dollars Trilogy, but it's almost as good. Here, Morricone successfully combines Indian-style rhythms and chants with his traditional Spaghetti Western sound. I enjoyed it so much that I think I'll try to track down a copy.
7/10
"There's a huge monster gorilla that's constantly growing to outlandish proportions loose in the streets!", 29 January 2006
The tag-line listed on IMDb for Konga reads – "Not since "King Kong"...has the screen exploded with such mighty fury and spectacle!" Here are a few ideas for tag-lines that would seem to me to be more appropriate (and truthful).
"SEE a chimpanzee magically transform into a man in a bad gorilla suit in mere seconds!"
"WATCH as Michael Gough chews more scenery than a Weed-Eater!"
"HEAR more pseudo-science babble than any one movie has a right to!"
"WATCH a brilliant professor throw his career away on one of the homeliest excuses for a college co-ed ever put on film!"
"SEE Barbie dolls thrown across the screen by the man in the bad gorilla suit!"
"WATCH the dullest movie ever made about a giant ape!"
3/10
