weghalbert Reviews

The Ten Commandments (1956)

The Good, The Bad , The Ugly....

[9/10 · 7 April 2007]

OK If you have seen this giant epic, you know it has a cast of thousands, a star filled principle cast in the main leads, that for the most part does alright... The biggest problem with this dated epic is the director, old Cecil B DeMille had done these type of films for over 30 years and most of his other huge films are a lot more stiff than this one, but he did save some his best work here for last. (Cecil only lived 4 more years, his work finished) I think DeMille's best work was his 2nd to last film "The Greatest Show on Earth" , but that's just me. Blame DeMille for endless posing by Heston, Brynner. Both turn in great performances here, and should not be penalized by the constant distractions by Demille's heavy handed direction. Having seen this film at least 30 or more times since I was a child (Im only 2 years younger than the film) and being a film buff, I am very familiar with all the other work done by the cast. So here goes,,,,

The Good...

Heston, Brynner, Martha Scott, Yvonne DeCarlo, John Carradine,Henry Wilcoxon , Nina Foch ,Judith Anderson, Debra Paget, all turn in very good to decent performances here,,,, ,,,If you bear in mind they are limited by the script here (more on that later) The costumes are great..Edith Head with the help of many others did a wonderful job here. The sets are nothing short of magnificent,, and the special effects were state of the art for the time. The Parting of the Red Sea is still impressive. Original Music by Elmer Bernstein adds to the movie. The art direction is very well done, and the Cinematography by Loyal Griggs is quite good.

All of these elements still hold up today...

and its a lot of fun trying to spot all the other notable actors and actresses in bit parts in this film, such as Woody Strode, Clint Walker, Robert Vaughn, Mike Conners ,Gail Kope, Onslow Stevens, Michael Ansara, Richard Farnsworth ( as a Chariot driver) Kathy Garver (Cissy on Family Affair), Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer (Yes that Alfalfa from "Our Gang" ,who was shot to death at the ripe old age of 31 during a disagreement over payment for a hunting dog!!!,,,and in a strange twist of fate died the exact same day as director Cecile B. DeMille, Jan 21, 1959...go figure who got the front page headlines the next day...not Alfalfa) and last but not least Herb Albert as Drummer on Mt. Sinai ,,,no trumpets back then,,,

The Bad...

The Script ,,,, I see where there were no less than four people who wrote this screen play this, and this element adds to the bloated feel of this film , along with DeMilles Direction. Perhaps if they had called in some real talent to work the script (Joseph L. Mankiewicz comes to mind) it would have added to this film , not detracted from it,,which this script does in abundance at times...

DeMille,, He meant well, and was totally committed to bring this to the big screen using all his talents (but this sword cuts both ways) Some of his scenes work beautifully,mainly the ones were fewer actors/actresses are involved, but as the big crowd scenes get bigger and bigger, his direction becomes more and more stagy to the point of camp.

John Derek,,,( Who could'nt act his way out of a wet paper bag) shows us once again he is great to look at for the ladies, but has the depth of a kiddie pool.... (Replacing him with someone like Jack Palance would have done wonders to the role of Joshua)

Anne Baxter,,,Poor Anne, she is total camp here.she had the talent (see "All About Eve) but she seems to be in on the joke, as her version of Nefertiri is laughable. (Ava Gardner or Rita Hayworth would have been a better fit for this role)

Vincent Price,,,woefully miscast here as Baka,,,,(Someone like Lee Marvin or Richard Boone would have added some nice spice to this sadistic heavy)

Cedric Hardwicke,,,,Oh he looks the part,,but is so boring as Sethi...(insert Fredric March )

Edward G. Robinson,,,Everyone likes to pile on here. Yes . Edward does come across as a leftover gangster here, and seems to be in on the joke with Anne Baxter. (I can see George Sanders being perfect for this role, and why not as DeMille had used him before in "Samson and Delilah".

The Ugly...

With all the good intentions here, there are blatant false story lines as pointed out by many other reviewers,,,,at least get the story straight.

The Bigger the crowds, the more action, Demille gets more and more stagy here. As many bad actors shout out their one line on cue without any flow whatsoever.,,,but then again that's just DeMille for ya>>>

Cecil B. DeMille ...Narrator....just does not work (please send in Orson Welles or John Huston)

All in All , I still enjoy watching this film,,the good points vastly outweigh the rest...a Classic,, and a one of a kind epic...

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Vulnerable (2002) Season 4, Episode 3

Jane Powell Shines

[12 March 2007]

Wow was I surprised about this episode.

Jane Powell is great as the poor women who has been abused but has problems remembering the torture. One of the best roles Jane has ever done.Confused and bewildered, and very touching. I have seen many of Jane's early roles. She was trapped in the lighter roles in her youth.

Not given a chance to tackled the heavy stuff. But she is after all an actress. No one could have been any better than Jane. A disturbing story lineand role.

About a family of abuse.

A rare dramatic turn. She is great!!!! Who knew?...

Tarzan: The Golden Runaway (1967) Season 1, Episode 21

Gia Scala on the downside

[3/10 · 26 February 2007]

This episode is notable for having Gia Scala. One only has to see how badly her looks and talent had eroded in her 3rd to last acting role in this TV show "Tarzan" with Ron Ely. Toward the end of the show,she has scenes where she is not even looking toward the camera,perhaps having to do a voice over,(unable to remember her lines)or perhaps reading her lines from a paper on the ground. and the ending is very strange ,like she did not even show up for filming and they had to patch together a ending to the show, with no Gia on the set. (Gia died of a overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills suicide in 1972 after unsuccessful attempts in 1958, when her Mother died, and 1971 ,after learning her ex husband married Barbara Anderson less than a year after their divorce ) A sad end to a very promising career. Sean McClory is good (as he always is) in his role.

The Garment Jungle (1957)

Good cast with good tale

[6 January 2007]

This is a over looked little gem here. The cast is excellent from top to bottom, even the weak link here Kerwin Mathews is better than most of his other roles in films. Lee J. Cobb tackles his role with gusto and scores a home run as the tough hardheaded father/boss.The always excellent Richard Boone shines as the ruthless mob enforcer. Lots of Broadway stage talent on display here. Robert Loggia makes the most of his role in his film debut, Joseph Wiseman's character reminds one of his role as Charley Gennini in Detective Story. Valerie French who did as many Broadway plays as movies is effective in her minor role. The always reliable Harold J. Stone as the shop foreman (Harold grew up in Yiddish theatre and made his Broadway debut in 1939). Even the smaller roles have nice surprises. The wonderful character actor Willis Bouchey (a stable of John Ford in his films, best remembered for his president of the court-martial in Sergeant Rutledge )as a union president. Celia Lovsky (the ex wife of Peter Lorre, and character actress in over 200 TV shows, 40 films),is wasted as the Grandmother. Don't blink or you will miss Joanna Barnes (only one year away from playing the memorable WASP Gloria Upson in Auntie Mame) in her film debut. She only has two lines,but she is so close she is almost kissing the camera. And some very familiar acting thugs doing their nasty business with flair.... And last but not least we come to Gia Scala as the feisty Italian Theresa Renata (Gia was half Sicilian from her father and 1/2 Irish , who left Italy for New york City to eventually study with Stella Adler and the Actors Studio) Gia shows so much promise here. Everyone knows her for Anna in The Guns of Navarone, and she was very good in a handful of other roles in the 50s. Sadly Gia took to the bottle after her The Guns of Navarone role and her career nosedived quickly. ( Well after all she was half Irish) One only has to see how badly her looks and talent had eroded in her 3rd to last acting role in the TV show "Tarzan" with Ron Ely. Toward the end of the show,she has scenes where she is not even looking toward the camera,perhaps having to do a voice over,(unable to remember her lines) and the ending is strange ,like she did not even show up for filming and they had to patch together a ending to the show, with no Gia on the set. (Gia died of a overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills suicide in 1972 after unsuccessful attempts in 1958, when her Mother died, and 1971 ,after learning her ex husband married Barbara Anderson less than a year after their divorce ) A sad end to a very promising career. Speaking of Tarzan, that's Eve Brent as the Receptionist, the future Jane in two Gordon Scott "Tarzan" films.

The Garment Jungle is rare film , but well worth the effort to track it down.

Incident on a Dark Street (1973 TV Movie)

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

[4/10 · 24 December 2006]

Well I watched "Incident on a Dark Street" and I see why it was a failed TV pilot...

The Good,, The Bad,, and The Ugly,,,,

The BAD The three leads James Olson (Never have liked him much although he was quite good in "The Andromeda Strain" due more to Robert's Wise's wonderful direction and a great script), David Canary ( He was quickly back in soap operas again after this) and Robert Pine ( He was in the TV show "Chips" after this gig) ,anyways the three leads are all milquetoast in this made for TV movie...

The Good But this guilty pleasure does have a few things going for it...1st of all its Shatner playing the a total slime ball ( I can not recall him playing such a lowlife in any other role, but your the expert in that dept)... No one emotes despair quite like Bill in his ridiculous mustache, lamb chop sideburns and bad oily hairpiece. Be sure to check out the sexy 70s outfit Bill's goodtime girl is sporting...

The Ugly,,,, And there's Richard Castellano, you know him from the "Godfather"...there has never been a more miserable character who exudes uncomfort and misery as Richard here, the Mob lowlife turned snitch...Smoking cigs down to the filter,,, sweating and panting after taking 3 steps,,,He almost busts his ass a few times when he has to do some physical things on film... I think this is more of a Richard really being this character than acting... He garners so much screen time in this , so you might as well enjoy his performance,,, kinda like watching Curly Howard in a wool suit two sizes too small.. Be sure to check out his life and death chase scene from a Street Sweeper!!!

and lots of familiar faces in lesser roles adding to the 70s feel of this flick..John Kerr,Gilbert Rowland,Wesley Lau...There's pre "Charlies Angels" David Doyle ( who once again proves he couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag)..Murray Hamilton (playing a lowlife so well as he had to all of his acting life,,,Did Murray do a guest shot on every TV show in the 60s???, it sure seemed like it)....Kathy Lloyd (who fares OK in a small role),,, and last but not least there is Jennifer Kulik as Ann , which proves Director Buzz Kulik was not above casting his own daughter in the film...

For Shatner's and Castellano's performances,,, this is worth a look...

Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)

Hail Hail Caligula (Jay Robinson)

[9/10 · 16 October 2006]

OK lets face it, this is not the Robe, but its a lot of fun. More action than the Robe and with the wonderful Anne Bancroft, and Ernie Borgnine in small but wonderful roles, it does have a lot going for it.William Marshall is wonderful (as always), as Glycon. Susan Hayward is aloof as the royal slut who woos Big Vic and you can see her coming a mile away. Susan was overrated, she rarely gave a great performance despite some great roles. The biggest treat is Jay Robinson, who gets more screen time in this flick and is even better than in the 1st film. Of all of the Demented leaders of Rome, Love his performance or hate it, he will not be ignored. I think he was prefect for the mad, over the top Caligula. The guy just chews the scenery, and there is a ton of it! Its too bad drugs ruined Jay's acting career, as he had been on Broadway with both Boris Karloff and Kate Hepburn before this role, and he was only 24 here...

The Robe (1953)

Good uneven movie

[8/10 · 16 October 2006]

I was about 9 or 10 when I first saw "The Robe" and Jay Robinson scared me. Unstable,crazy, over the top and he steals every scene he is in. Maybe other reviewers find him insufferable but he hit the nail on the head with the crazy Caligula.Its too bad drugs robbed Jay of a better acting career. Jean Simmons performance still holds up well, as does most of the other players.Victor Mature was never better. The one weak link is ole Richard Burton. Who can be wonderful in his roles, but not really here. This was Richard's 3rd US made film and his 1st giant movie with a huge cast. Burton did not hit his stride until the 60s. The Movie has great sets,storyline and for the most part is very wonderful to watch. The Sequel was fun as well, I saw them back to back one Saturday...lucky me...

Jack & Sarah (1995)

a nice little film

[8/10 · 17 May 2006]

I saw this film today, mainly to see Judi Dench,Ian McKellan and Elieen Atkins ( all 3 acting greats) in the same film. Ian and Elieen were in a off Broadway play (along with Ian McShane) in 1969. It ran 3 months. So its safe to say, Ian and Eileen are good friends from way back. I liked this film very much. I did wish Judi,Ian and Elieen had bigger parts. All three are cast well in their roles. Ian is a hoot. he is usually cast in more serious roles. A light fluffy bit of fun.The entire cast is good. The actor in the lead is quite good.The girl is good as well. Not a bad film at all.A nice way to spend 2 hours. Go check it out.

Rented Lips (1987)

strange film

[4 May 2006]

This film is so weird, but it does have its "Moments"..although very few in between such long dull stretches. Kenneth Mars, and Downey have a few good moments,as well as Dick Shawn. I could not believe June Lockhart was in this mess, but she was slumming.But the entire movie as a whole is a waste of time.. The plot is great. A Nazi porno movie, but it went so wrong. I think a better director/writer could have had a field day with this premise, but Martin Mull is a minor talent one his small level. A bizarre film and end/swan song to a great talent like Dick Shawn. He deserved better.But in way, he was a really different type of talent, so there you go.

Rhythm and Weep (1946)

Ruth White, and the Three Stooges

[1 February 2006]

This is a fair short, with Curly Howard having a good week, despite his health problems during this time. The highlight of this is Ruth White in her first feature. Her dancing is good and she proved to be a good asset to three stooges shorts. Ruth got to work with Curly , Shemp and Joe Besser. She is in the best short that Joe did with the Stooges " A Merry Mixup". Ruth became a well respected character actress on Broadway before her untimely death of cancer in 1969. Ruth was quite a talent and she shined brightly in the Stooges shorts she did with the boys ( given the material she had to work with ) And she went on to display her talents in films as well.