neithernor2000 Reviews

Frank's Place: Pilot (1987) Season 1, Episode 1

Extraordinary Show

[4 October 2011]

I have no humility about having a very high IQ but whenever people said "Paul, you are so smart" I can disprove them in a thirty seconds "Then why didn't I make tapes of FRANK'S PLACE?" The show could not last on network TV because it was too damn intelligent but with a basically all black cast. Nothing against the Huxtables but the variety of characters at the Gumbo Restaurant was extraordinary, even the white character including Shorty, a short order cook. At least once a month, ten-fifteen years after Frank's Place, I laugh at the scene where he meets his love interest's husband to be: the famous astronaut with the canary-sounding voice. PRICELESS!!!! Why the hell can't I find any videos of this which, though light years different from the Larry Sanders Show, was put together with the same degree of intelligence.

Charlie Is My Darling (1966)

outstanding visual experience...

[20 January 2011]

I viewed a bootleg copy of "Charlie Is My Darling" forty five years after it was originally filmed. As much as Brian Epstein was the fifth Beatle, Andrew Loog Oldham was the sixth Stone. Andrew Loog, in 1965 liner notes heralded this music as "New groovies...abound to the sound of the Rolling Stones." Whereas fifth Beatle Brian Epstein was, brilliant/erudite/invisible, sixth Stone Andrew was a pure jabberwocky genius. "Charlie Is My Darling" is the anti-Christing of "Hard Day's Night." Pardon my excessive numeralizing, but, in 1966, Andrew Loog prominently featured First Stone Brian Jones when he/Charlie/Bill/Keith/Mick –collectively the Rolling Stones–were mere Rolling Pebbles. For any Stone fan who was their from that infancy...This rockumentary is a must see!

A Yank at Oxford (1938)

The Mocking of a Long Distance Runner

[8/10 · 15 September 2010]

In 1938, when the Great Depression had ended and a World War was about to begin, it was easy for elitist British college students to make fun of a transplanted American athlete. But the romantic counterpoint to the culture clash works very well thanks to the great chemistry between Robert Taylor and Maureen O'Sullivan.

A memorable quote from this enjoyable period piece needs to be acknowledged. In a morning after scene, Robert Taylor says to Maureen O'Sullivan: "Don't wipe the sleep from your eyes. It's a beautiful sleep." The scriptwriter responsible for that line was F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Mad City (1997)

Madnificent!

[10/10 · 5 August 2010]

I think infinity is the number to which I approach...listing reasons to like this movie. Before I forget the "likeable, trustworthy" Alan Anchor Alda is equal to Walter Cronkite after the oil slick. The evolution of the little girl assistant to Dustin Hoffman...at end wearing red lipstick to match Dustin's blood...if you were to subtract from film all unnecessary dialog/footage you would equal absolute zero. Robert Proskey was born into such roles...The first 2 two kids released were terrified of the assaulting media but loved the man with the gun...When all the kids are released>>>one walks back and says "Thank you SAM"...the stupid ass roof shooters shooting up "Big Indian Bob" in the middle of a great story being told by the man with the gun...Arguably, the best actor of the last 50 years, Dustin Hoffman is pure gold dust but Travolta shines magnificently and...a happy ending was impossible...The ultimate hostage taker is the media!

Monster (2003)

Charlize Theron was a monster!

[10/10 · 26 September 2009]

Hollywood certainly got it right by awarding Charlize Theron the Best Actress Oscar but they should have gone one better by giving Christina Ricci Best Supporting Actress. The youthful innocence of her character magnified the monstrosity of the serial-killer prostitute. But now it is confession time. Though it was released five years ago, I just watched MONSTER–moments ago–on Video on Demand and was spellbound.

However, I had never seen Charlize Theron before and anxiously awaited the ending so I could google the ugly actress who portrayed a serial killer. I looked at photos of Ms. Theron and swore that the stunning beauty was the not the same actress from MONSTER. The best precedent for this character transformation was when Robert DeNiro gained fifty pounds to become a bloated Jake Lamotta in "Raging Bull." But at least he ended up looking like a fat debauched version of Robert DeNiro.

Another great thing about MONSTER was the continuously effective V.O. Most movies use a voice over to introduce a movie and then, if you hear it again at all, it is merely an afterthought. But for Cherlize Theron's character, the intermittent V.O commentary was like an internal vomit check.

Very Annie Mary (2001)

Quirky and delightful

[9/10 · 24 June 2006]

You would think a movie featuring an inflatable Pavarotti impersonator, a seventy-year old woman in a Tina Turner costume belting out "What's Love Got To Do With It" and a scratch and sniff bible goes over the top with loud humor. That is not the case with VERY ANNIE MARY. It is a small film, quirky, tender, and funny in a mostly quiet way. Rachel Griffiths is excellent as a homely girl with a tyrant of a father who dresses her in her grandmother's clothes. The Scottish town they live in is determined to raise enough money to send a terminally ill teenager to Disneyland. I won't tell you anything more about it other than to rent the DVD or look for it on the Independent Film channel. You'll be very glad you did.

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Absolutely stunning

[10/10 · 18 January 2006]

In 1999, I didn't know a jar from a Jarmusch so when released, Ghostdog meant didly. I am now a Jarmuschaholic, having seen at least a half dozen of his minimalist masterpieces. Point by point: this is a mob movie. So are thousands of others almost all of which are empty clichés. However, Jarmusch's cast of a thousand thugs was fresh and original especially the blind guy with cane and exclamation marks in voice, the brilliant limping cigar smoker and Tony's eyes. I need qualify the next statement. Despite how it may sound, it is an extraordinary compliment. Please do not take out of context. As Ghostdog, Forrest Whitaker is a creep. Our best actors become so–-think DeNiro as Jake La Motta--because they creep into the skin and bones of a character so convincingly, we think that that is not an actor but a reality. I kept flashing to the gay character Whitaker portrayed in Pret a Petit (sp?), the Altman flick about the fashion industry. In that role Whitaker was all effeminate smile and tushy swagger. In GHOSTDOG, more than dialog, he reads Samurai scripture superimposed. His inflection is phenomenal. I am a second generation Italian American and if I dind't know better I woulda bet the house, that was an Italian voice behind the text. There was also something he did with his shoulder, subtly. I cannot watch the Academy Awards for reasons as simple as this: Forrest Whitaker did not win one for Ghost Dog. Two characters are counterweights, with Ghostdog as fulcrum and the mob at the other end. The French ice cream guy (wow!) and the girl with books in her lunchbox. She was of another world and I wanna go there. This is the only Jarmusch movie that isn't necessary to brief non-Jarmuschians to appreciate. The score in and of itself is reason to see it. I want to go on public record to THANK the Harrisonburg (Virginia) library for giving me in 2006 (not lending--giving me to keep for myself!!!) the videocassette version of GHOSTDOG. Further gratitude goes to Mr. Jarmusch. I want to eat the crumbs off his plate.

Broken Flowers (2005)

A major WOW for Jarmusch fans...and then some

[10/10 · 12 November 2005]

BROKEN FLOWERS is a bouquet of pleasure for members of the Jim Jarmusch fan club. Word of warning to Jarmusch-aholics: your internal laughter mechanism may require refueling after viewing this quiet gem, mine certainly did. The color pink never looked so good and the ending was vaguely but satisfyingly reminiscent of Down By Law.

Bill Murray is brilliant as an actor with no movable parts, (last scene notwithstanding). The total dialog for the lead character, an "over the hill Don Juan," could fill an over-sized Post-it but that is the modus operandi of minimal masterpieces. His Sam Spade-wannabe neighbor is his Jiminy Crickett in gumshoes. The casting–across the board–is superlative and wide-ranging but nobody chews up the scenery. I especially liked seeing Jessica Lange.

Anyone watching their first Jim Jarmusch film might require a second viewing to fully appreciate this indie genius but BROKEN FLOWERS is worth the price of re-admission.

America America (1963)

An unjustly forgotten volatile classic

[11 November 2005]

"America, America" deserves a modern audience but is almost impossible to find. I just viewed a VHS version obtained through the inter-library loan program. I live in Virginia and it was sent down from Alaska!

This film should be required viewing for anyone interested in understanding why the huddled masses flocked to America but it is highly personalized and focused on a young man from a middle class Greek family with a big dream that seems impossible to fulfill. Another reviewer correctly likened Stathis Giallelis to a young Brando for his overpowering individuality, determination, and (for Turkish society in 1900) swagger. But when his character Stavros grows a mustache, he becomes a young Omar Sharif. AA is brilliantly written and directed by Elia Kazan.

Royal Wedding (1951)

Astaironomically Brilliant!

[10/10 · 14 October 2005]

Fred Astaire's gravity-be-damned four-wall dance solo was imbued with choreographic wonder and sprinkled judiciously with humor. He did it all because of a woman!!! Tom Bowen is a male dancer who is pure male but the most important woman in his life is not the one who had him defying gravity. It is his sister, Ellen: his equal on the terpsichorean turf. Their Runyonesque number was pitch perfect with lyrical precision provided by Alan Jay Lerner, who obviously spent quality time (physically or spiritually) with Damon Runyon. For the script and acting per se–with Keenan Wynn as a stupendous "double agent" –A Royal Wedding is worth the price of admission. Fred Astaire and Jane Powell give award-winning performances but their dancing puts this film on the top shelf of cinematic history. The hat-rack dance, the turbulent ship dance and–of course–the ceiling dance owe a debt to Ernie Kovacs, the man who dovetailed comedy, art, and special effects before George Lucas was born. Too bad "Kovackian" is such a cumbersome word. A personal aside: I was once invited to Alan Jay Lerner's Park Avenue home. The invitation came from the furniture company whose products Mrs. Lerner had ordered. AJ wasn't home. So be it.

Beat the Devil (1953)

an extraordinary satire

[10/10 · 7 October 2005]

To not appreciate Beat The Devil is to not appreciate the English language. It's impossible to go one minute through the film without sterling quotable dialog (thank you Truman Capote). One of my favorite moments is when ex-Nazi "Ohara" (Peter Lorre) tirades Bogart and Lollabrigida. Bogie says "It smokes, it drinks, it philosophizes..."

The Italian representative of the malevolent quartet headed by Robert Morley was the role model for Roberto ("I love Bobby Frost") Begnini in Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law.

If you could elevate the dialog to a serious suspense film, you'd have a Hitchcock production. Unfortunately if the satire was remade today, it would be titled something like Who's Scammin' Who.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

A man who knew too little

[9/10 · 5 March 2005]

I am a man who knew too little about the DVD culture, having owned a DVD player for only the two most recent months of my 55 years of watching movies or television or just sleeping in a crib. One of the first DVD movies I purchased was done so not so much for cinematic fulfillment but for budgetary reasons. The choices were THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH with Alfred Hitchcock's name above the title and a couple of yuppies on the cover for $13 or the same movie title with a scar-faced Peter Lorre exuding evil on the jewel box cover. The latter jumped out at me from the budget bin. It is the original 1934 b&w version wherein Mr. Hitchcock's name appears in petite pica on the bottom line of the screen title card. I paid $2.87 for the original MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and believe that the then relatively unknown Mr. Hitchcock's paid slightly more than that for special effects, like when a skiing contestant in the Swiss Alps stumbles down a mountain to avoid a dog and the teenager who is chasing it. This is where Peter Lorre's character earns his scar tissue and, in this opening scene, one witnesses murder, wit and suspense as evolved in the mind of Alfred Hitchcock. "The Prime Minister of the Sinister" filled half the cast with his legislators of evil and the other half with Leslie Banks and Edna Best as the teenager's parents, who have their daughter forcibly removed from their lives by Germanic- sounding assassins. The conspirators are compared to the assassins of Archduke Ferdinand, which resulted in World War I. There is irony flavored with political prescience here: the original MWKTM was filmed in 1934 when Adolf Hitler was still referred to in small pica and none of the assassins are Aryan blonde–though totally plausible–but the courageous hero of the film is a blonde from England. Rather than heap ten more paragraphs of praise for this Hitchcock thriller that provided the firmament for a spectacular career, allow this viewer, who knew too little about a lot of things, to guarantee the reader that another legendary director, five years before making Citizen Kane, responded enthusiastically and inspirationally to this 1934 film. Though Orson Welles' The Third Man has a more obvious Hitchcock influence, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is where it all began. Luckily for him, I also guarantee that Orson Welles paid considerably less than I did to witness this stunning embryonic journey of a film-making genius. 

Mafia Princess (1986 TV Movie)

extraordinarily bloodless Mafia movie

[8 February 2004]

You watch this movie and cannot help but wonder why oh why is Tony Curtis not still making movies. He is granitely vulnerable, superbly father/bastard, a mafia don with no none bloodshed even when he gets smoked on his Daughter's 40th birthday. Susan Lucci is beyond perfection and NOT NOT a self-pitying character as the daughter of Italian Nobility. You gotta love Tony and I see him every morning, immemorialized on a Hollywood Freeway embankment. He exudes muscular authority, charisma, James Deaning it for the commuters. There is no Mafia movie in the same class as Mafia Princess. The Godfather is an utter classic but that would be comparing the left foot with the right hand.

A Mighty Wind (2003)

It's funny by being NOT funny

[5 July 2003]

All of the aged folkies in A MIGHTY WIND took themselves so seriously, you had to laugh...Their earnestness and sincerity provided a behind-their-back laughter that didn't make anyone fall out of their seat. Comedy doesn't require volume, which, unlike This is Spinal Tap, this mockumentary lacks but the laughter quietly mounted until Fred Willard multiplied it by chewing up scenery as a 300-watt lightbulb of a concert promoter. The flashbacks to folk music album covers from the sixties was precious.

Max (I) (2002)

Before Hitler was HITLER

[30 January 2003]

Can a movie that is very dark and disturbing be highly recommended? In the case of MAX, the answer is emphatically yes. John Cusack is very convincing as the decadent aristocrat and Noah Taylor, as art student, Adolph Hitler, is a chilling menace. To say this movie portrays a human side of Hitler is like saying Dracula portrays a vampire as a responsible adult. A friend of mine complained that this movie had a sudden ending but unfortunately history has written all the scenes that did not have to be put up on the screen. MAX has been in release for two months and I am only the fifth viewer to comment on it. Are people afraid to discuss this film because of the subject matter? They shouldn't be. As Cusack's Max said, "Guilt is a second-hand emotion." But a very costly one.