There's bits and bobs from everything there and there's something endearing about the whole thing but the script feels like patchwork of drafts and "homages" with no real drive beyond... making a movie I guess.
Beyond its rather hamfisted message, there's not much point to the whole adventure and it's not nearly as entertaining as it could have been.
Not so much dark as morbid really.
The irony in all this is that the big crazy villain is a bad bad sadist guy who needs an audience to witness his perverted torture porn but as an audience we are left to witness the whole of it, without having signed off on the torture porn because the writer and director seem to be enjoying making us watch.
It's unnecessary scene after unnecessary scene. And we are made to watch all that disgusting parade of snuff... Wish I could erase it from my memory.
Nothing we haven't seen before 100 times.
It's the typical Taken type of movie but with a female lead. Does that make it more interesting? Nope.
Does that make it worse? Nope.
Is Jennifer Lopez less convincing than Old Scrawny Liam Neeson as a kickass character? Not really but I'm sure for some, she will be. They're both hilarious in my opinion but anyway.
The only big difference with Taken is that the editing in the action scene is incredibly choppy to allow for the old 90s tactics of editing close ups of Lopez in the fight scenes with her stunt double. Doesn't make for very fluid action.
Beyond that, same tripe as other protective parent will do anything violent to protect their kids. Zzzz
My favorite franchise in the MCU by far.
It never took itself seriously and still managed to create emotion and a genuine sense of kinship that is thoroughly lacking in other franchises.
Ironically though, the ending felt weak, which is odd considering the rest of the movie built on those aspects but I guess Gunn's leaving Marvel had a lot to do with that obviously rewritten (and reshot?) ending.
Rather pedestrian Canadian lesbian flick that's neither really convincing, nor very interesting. It does hit all the clichés on the Teenagers Star-crossed Lesbian Lovers bingo card though.
I wish I had liked it more. Some of the cast is really terrible but some of the cast is fantastic and feels quite wasted on the bad writing.
The movie feels at times genuine and at times like it's trying way too hard to be quirky to feel real so it's really hard to stay connected to the characters.
Worth the watch for Kathleen Turner and Frances Fisher if you can overlook the massive flaws
Beautiful cinematography. It's not hard to see why von Sternberg and Dietrich collaborated so many times.
Great acting, especially from Dietrich and Anna May Wong, with whom I wasn't familiar up to now, but that I will check out thoroughly.
The story, however? Meh. It seems like two half plots stitched together that don't really make a whole.
By the time The End came up, I was kinda sad to be leaving China and Hui Fei and Shanghai Lilly but kinda relieved it was over.
Worth the watch just for the first half hour, for Dietrich and also for a surprisingly authentic pre-code scene of a Muslim prayer, yes that's right, in a Hollywood movie.
Unfortunately way too much of the story relies on Cooper's charm, which he doesn't showcase in this movie, making the rather predictable end quite unbelievable.
Rather dreadful, unfortunately. Pointless dialogue going on and on. Nonsensical plot. Choppy editing.
Worst of all the main character, played by Hepburn in a rather embarrassing overacted performance (for which she won her first out of 4 Academy Awards), while she is supposed to be so charming she almost literally charm the socks off producers, playwrights and actors alike, is unlikable and annoying to the point I almost gave up on the movie halfway through;
I'm sorry to say I regret hanging in there as the second half of the movie feels even more lifeless and unrealistic as the first half
Very original heartfelt and deeply human script for the era. The performances from Beery and Cooper are first class and carry the movie through to the predictable but emotional ending.
One of those movies that are obvious producer-hatchet jobs on the original script.
Hawks bailed out early (most likely around the time Baer was cast and very little remained of Frances Marion's original script) and what's left behind is a jumbled mess of stunt casting and romcom meet boxing movie?
I guess they were thinking they could actually get the female and male audiences interested by hitting on all the genres without really committing to anything but it doesn't work.
There is little to latch on to after the initial 15-20 mn, and worse than the waste of Mirna Loy's firecracking talent is a truly horrific, and ridiculously pointless, musical number, smack in the middle for no other reason than making the movie longer and hitting on more popular genres I guess? Clocking at almost 8 minutes, it's a monument to bad taste and only highlights how bad an idea it was to cast Max Baer in the title role.
The movie never recovers and goes down for the count.
Some people will complain it's not "funny enough" to be a comedy but it's not meant to be a comedy, really. It's got funny moments, it's got awkwardness, some sadness, and a whole lot of love. Just like life.
Some will relate to the complex family dynamics, others will not (good for you) but ultimately it's a movie about self realization and finding your own wings in the world.
The movie just never quite works, despite the talented cast. Lubitsch and Hecht famously clashed during the making of the movie and the result is visible on screen.
The script lacks direction in a major way and the dialogue is just not up to Coward's wit.
As "daring" and even provocative as the movie seems for its time, even in pre-code days, the script never recovers from the straight-washed relationship between the two men. In the play, this love triangle has three sides and the movie doesn't manage to make the relationship between the three of them work.
Yet another almost pre-code movie who wanted to say something and got butchered by rewrites.
Good movie and great performances but an ultimately soft ending.
I love Noir movies. Especially classic Noir. This one seems to hit all the checkboxes of the genre, dutifully, mechanically, to a fault. But there's no soul, no atmosphere to it. Worst of all, there's no Marlowe.
Just some by the numbers approximation.
It's not a terrible watch if you have the 90mn and change. But like so many movies lately, it misses the mark of what it could have been, had they tried a little harder instead of just doing a half-baked impression.
A crucial turning point in the history of Hollywood film, Baby Face was released just prior to the famous Hays Code dictating what could and could not be shown in movies. The movie itself was actually edited down to pass state level censorship but rediscovered in its original form in the early 21st century.
There is definitely a touch of code morality in the last act. The central female protagonist, a woman the likes of which was not to be seen for another 25 years or so in Hollywood, changes in ways that are not entirely convincing to satisfy the "morale of the story" ending.
Still, the characterization up to that point is complex and fascinating, even by modern standards, and Stanwyck's layered performance is breathing life in the more dubious moments. And if you can stomach somewhat of a soft ending, it's a solid drama, especially if you think the Golden Age of Hollywood was prim and proper.
One of those movies that piled up awards, and makes you wonder why.
Mae West is her usual self and Grant is charming but the plot is just mediocre, by 1933 standards too and it's neither funny nor moving or even entertaining.
Coming to this one after seeing the West-Grant duo in I'm No Angel probably didn't help as the other movie is far superior in every way.
Early code movie that takes somewhat of a U-turn mid way through, most likely when the script was edited to fit the new code, making sure the wrongdoers get their just dessert in the end.
Still a good watch if you can excuse the contrived ending.
Quite typical of the movies of the period which sought both to offer glamour to the Great Depression audiences, while showing the "plight" of the rich and glamorous, because after all, money is not happiness, is it?
It's a great ensemble piece with a mix of interesting and complex characters, really good performances and quite poignant moments that doesn't let tragedy overtake the movie, thanks to the positive outlook of some characters but also to the dry humor and great sarcastic dialog.
Definitely a Cukor classic even though it's probably one of his lesser known movies.
Ambiance doesn't make a movie. Writing does.
Unfortunately, despite good performances, the script is a huge letdown.
The whole gothic setting and plot merely serves as a distraction to the rather pointless last minute twist.
It's the equivalent of a magnificent magic trick being pulled off by one hand, almost until the end, to hide the other hand giving you a slap in the face. It doesn't work.
Who told this guy he can act?
The script is weak enough with all the direction clichés you can think of but the over the top performance and ludicrous constant narration really drag it all to hell.
After two or three unsuccessful tries this Christmas to find a fun Christmas movie I hadn't seen 200 times, I chanced upon this one, totally by accident.
What a happy accident it was!
I had never heard about it. I wonder why when everything is hyped to death nowadays but I'm glad I came in completely fresh.
The cast is awesome, 89% of the movie is laugh-out-loud funny and there is just enough of a heart warmer to put a big smile on your face by the end.
Just what I was looking for. Thanks, Santa.
Excellent performances but the script fails to rise to the importance of the issues, somehow.
For all the heavy hitting scenes portraying the abuse and torture of an innocent man, the procedural side of the movie is too stilted and lacks passion in a way that's almost criminal considering the topic here.
Comments 26 - 50 of 368
Movie comment on Strange World
BadFluffy
There's bits and bobs from everything there and there's something endearing about the whole thing but the script feels like patchwork of drafts and "homages" with no real drive beyond... making a movie I guess.Beyond its rather hamfisted message, there's not much point to the whole adventure and it's not nearly as entertaining as it could have been.
Movie comment on Luther: The Fallen Sun
BadFluffy
Not so much dark as morbid really.The irony in all this is that the big crazy villain is a bad bad sadist guy who needs an audience to witness his perverted torture porn but as an audience we are left to witness the whole of it, without having signed off on the torture porn because the writer and director seem to be enjoying making us watch.
It's unnecessary scene after unnecessary scene. And we are made to watch all that disgusting parade of snuff... Wish I could erase it from my memory.
Movie comment on The Mother
BadFluffy
Nothing we haven't seen before 100 times.It's the typical Taken type of movie but with a female lead. Does that make it more interesting? Nope.
Does that make it worse? Nope.
Is Jennifer Lopez less convincing than Old Scrawny Liam Neeson as a kickass character? Not really but I'm sure for some, she will be. They're both hilarious in my opinion but anyway.
The only big difference with Taken is that the editing in the action scene is incredibly choppy to allow for the old 90s tactics of editing close ups of Lopez in the fight scenes with her stunt double. Doesn't make for very fluid action.
Beyond that, same tripe as other protective parent will do anything violent to protect their kids. Zzzz
Movie comment on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
BadFluffy
My favorite franchise in the MCU by far.It never took itself seriously and still managed to create emotion and a genuine sense of kinship that is thoroughly lacking in other franchises.
Ironically though, the ending felt weak, which is odd considering the rest of the movie built on those aspects but I guess Gunn's leaving Marvel had a lot to do with that obviously rewritten (and reshot?) ending.
Movie comment on You Can Live Forever
BadFluffy
Rather pedestrian Canadian lesbian flick that's neither really convincing, nor very interesting. It does hit all the clichés on the Teenagers Star-crossed Lesbian Lovers bingo card though.Movie comment on Another Kind of Wedding
BadFluffy
I wish I had liked it more. Some of the cast is really terrible but some of the cast is fantastic and feels quite wasted on the bad writing.The movie feels at times genuine and at times like it's trying way too hard to be quirky to feel real so it's really hard to stay connected to the characters.
Worth the watch for Kathleen Turner and Frances Fisher if you can overlook the massive flaws
Movie comment on Shanghai Express
BadFluffy
Beautiful cinematography. It's not hard to see why von Sternberg and Dietrich collaborated so many times.Great acting, especially from Dietrich and Anna May Wong, with whom I wasn't familiar up to now, but that I will check out thoroughly.
The story, however? Meh. It seems like two half plots stitched together that don't really make a whole.
By the time The End came up, I was kinda sad to be leaving China and Hui Fei and Shanghai Lilly but kinda relieved it was over.
Movie comment on Morocco
BadFluffy
Worth the watch just for the first half hour, for Dietrich and also for a surprisingly authentic pre-code scene of a Muslim prayer, yes that's right, in a Hollywood movie.Unfortunately way too much of the story relies on Cooper's charm, which he doesn't showcase in this movie, making the rather predictable end quite unbelievable.
Movie comment on Morning Glory
BadFluffy
Rather dreadful, unfortunately. Pointless dialogue going on and on. Nonsensical plot. Choppy editing.Worst of all the main character, played by Hepburn in a rather embarrassing overacted performance (for which she won her first out of 4 Academy Awards), while she is supposed to be so charming she almost literally charm the socks off producers, playwrights and actors alike, is unlikable and annoying to the point I almost gave up on the movie halfway through;
I'm sorry to say I regret hanging in there as the second half of the movie feels even more lifeless and unrealistic as the first half
Movie comment on The Champ
BadFluffy
Very original heartfelt and deeply human script for the era. The performances from Beery and Cooper are first class and carry the movie through to the predictable but emotional ending.Movie comment on The Prizefighter and the Lady
BadFluffy
One of those movies that are obvious producer-hatchet jobs on the original script.Hawks bailed out early (most likely around the time Baer was cast and very little remained of Frances Marion's original script) and what's left behind is a jumbled mess of stunt casting and romcom meet boxing movie?
I guess they were thinking they could actually get the female and male audiences interested by hitting on all the genres without really committing to anything but it doesn't work.
There is little to latch on to after the initial 15-20 mn, and worse than the waste of Mirna Loy's firecracking talent is a truly horrific, and ridiculously pointless, musical number, smack in the middle for no other reason than making the movie longer and hitting on more popular genres I guess? Clocking at almost 8 minutes, it's a monument to bad taste and only highlights how bad an idea it was to cast Max Baer in the title role.
The movie never recovers and goes down for the count.
Movie comment on Before You Know It
BadFluffy
Some people will complain it's not "funny enough" to be a comedy but it's not meant to be a comedy, really. It's got funny moments, it's got awkwardness, some sadness, and a whole lot of love. Just like life.Some will relate to the complex family dynamics, others will not (good for you) but ultimately it's a movie about self realization and finding your own wings in the world.
Movie comment on Design for Living
BadFluffy
The movie just never quite works, despite the talented cast. Lubitsch and Hecht famously clashed during the making of the movie and the result is visible on screen.The script lacks direction in a major way and the dialogue is just not up to Coward's wit.
As "daring" and even provocative as the movie seems for its time, even in pre-code days, the script never recovers from the straight-washed relationship between the two men. In the play, this love triangle has three sides and the movie doesn't manage to make the relationship between the three of them work.
Movie comment on Ex-Lady
BadFluffy
Yet another almost pre-code movie who wanted to say something and got butchered by rewrites.Good movie and great performances but an ultimately soft ending.
Movie comment on Sharper
BadFluffy
Not a bad watch if you like con movies.The writing and performances are solid enough to overlook the somewhat contrived ending.
Movie comment on Marlowe
BadFluffy
I love Noir movies. Especially classic Noir. This one seems to hit all the checkboxes of the genre, dutifully, mechanically, to a fault. But there's no soul, no atmosphere to it. Worst of all, there's no Marlowe.Just some by the numbers approximation.
It's not a terrible watch if you have the 90mn and change. But like so many movies lately, it misses the mark of what it could have been, had they tried a little harder instead of just doing a half-baked impression.
Movie comment on Baby Face
BadFluffy
A crucial turning point in the history of Hollywood film, Baby Face was released just prior to the famous Hays Code dictating what could and could not be shown in movies. The movie itself was actually edited down to pass state level censorship but rediscovered in its original form in the early 21st century.There is definitely a touch of code morality in the last act. The central female protagonist, a woman the likes of which was not to be seen for another 25 years or so in Hollywood, changes in ways that are not entirely convincing to satisfy the "morale of the story" ending.
Still, the characterization up to that point is complex and fascinating, even by modern standards, and Stanwyck's layered performance is breathing life in the more dubious moments. And if you can stomach somewhat of a soft ending, it's a solid drama, especially if you think the Golden Age of Hollywood was prim and proper.
Movie comment on She Done Him Wrong
BadFluffy
One of those movies that piled up awards, and makes you wonder why.Mae West is her usual self and Grant is charming but the plot is just mediocre, by 1933 standards too and it's neither funny nor moving or even entertaining.
Coming to this one after seeing the West-Grant duo in I'm No Angel probably didn't help as the other movie is far superior in every way.
Movie comment on Hold Your Man
BadFluffy
Early code movie that takes somewhat of a U-turn mid way through, most likely when the script was edited to fit the new code, making sure the wrongdoers get their just dessert in the end.Still a good watch if you can excuse the contrived ending.
Movie comment on Dinner at Eight
BadFluffy
Quite typical of the movies of the period which sought both to offer glamour to the Great Depression audiences, while showing the "plight" of the rich and glamorous, because after all, money is not happiness, is it?It's a great ensemble piece with a mix of interesting and complex characters, really good performances and quite poignant moments that doesn't let tragedy overtake the movie, thanks to the positive outlook of some characters but also to the dry humor and great sarcastic dialog.
Definitely a Cukor classic even though it's probably one of his lesser known movies.
Movie comment on The Pale Blue Eye
BadFluffy
Ambiance doesn't make a movie. Writing does.Unfortunately, despite good performances, the script is a huge letdown.
The whole gothic setting and plot merely serves as a distraction to the rather pointless last minute twist.
It's the equivalent of a magnificent magic trick being pulled off by one hand, almost until the end, to hide the other hand giving you a slap in the face. It doesn't work.
Movie comment on Bandit
BadFluffy
Who told this guy he can act?The script is weak enough with all the direction clichés you can think of but the over the top performance and ludicrous constant narration really drag it all to hell.
Movie comment on Arthur Christmas
BadFluffy
After two or three unsuccessful tries this Christmas to find a fun Christmas movie I hadn't seen 200 times, I chanced upon this one, totally by accident.What a happy accident it was!
I had never heard about it. I wonder why when everything is hyped to death nowadays but I'm glad I came in completely fresh.
The cast is awesome, 89% of the movie is laugh-out-loud funny and there is just enough of a heart warmer to put a big smile on your face by the end.
Just what I was looking for. Thanks, Santa.
Movie comment on The Bad Guys
BadFluffy
Meh. Zootopia rip-off with the exact same themes and basic plot only without the jokes.Movie comment on The Mauritanian
BadFluffy
Excellent performances but the script fails to rise to the importance of the issues, somehow.For all the heavy hitting scenes portraying the abuse and torture of an innocent man, the procedural side of the movie is too stilted and lacks passion in a way that's almost criminal considering the topic here.
Showing items 26 – 50 of 368