Reviews

This was a Danny Kaye movie I'd never seen, I don't know how I missed it. It's so different from most of the movies of his I've seen. He's so so good at comedy, you don't realize how good he is at drama, too. He doesn't play the coronet in this film, the man he portrays (Red Nichols) does. I had to look Red up and read all about him and because I watched this movie on Amazon,I was able to switch screens and look things up as they happened (I'm curious that way). They do a good job mirroring his life, the movie drags a bit (SPOILER) when he leaves music for his daughter, and gets a bit maudlin, but other than that it's great music (I have the sound track now) great fun and another win for Danny Kaye. Danny and Sachmo together are worth the price of admission. Fantastic, the chemistry, the voices the musicality - loved it!

(spoilers abound) My daughter read the first book after I had read all three and we went to the movie yesterday. I don't know where to start with how disappointed I was. There was little to no character development. You don't understand the bond between Katniss and Peeta - you don't like Josh Hutcherson - terrible terrible casting there. I was excited with Cinna's casting, but they don't show what an important part of her life he becomes in a short time or even the three who make her over. The arena scene was limp ...all the gripping emotional struggles she goes through, are virtually left out. Things that are important are changed...the Mockingjay pin's origin, for instance. The (spoiler)animals at the end with the horrible eyes of the dead. The Mockingjays don't SING they whistle. The thing about Mockingjays is they talk in the voice of the speaker. They would have sung Rue's song. From the initial shaky camera work to the casting, to the last scene...I did NOT like this movie. Terrible disappointment as far as I'm concerned. If you love the books, you'll go see the movie, just be prepared to dislike it. In fact, parts of it at the beginning, well, practically the first hour and a half are terribly slow and boring.

You forget what a great actor Tony Franciosa was, after all the hokey TV stuff he did.

In this movie, adapted from a Tennessee Williams play, you get a great picture of two marriages, one just beginning on a false precept and one almost ending on a false precept.

This movie unfolds very naturally and isn't forced. If it's tender or comedic it's because that's how the characters are at the moment, not because of "one liners." I have not seen a Tennessee Williams movie that was not a drama. Streetcar, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, etc. He's actually such a great character developer that this movie works outside of what I consider his norm.

What also amazed me is the very adult subjects that get discussed. Used to be you could discuss these things without being vulgar...imagine that.

It's a wonderful little movie and worth a view.

OK, this show never dissembled to the masses. In the episode I just watched Lorne says "bon mot" come on...how many shows let their characters use words/phrases 90% of the population has never heard? They make fun of themselves and refer to prior events - even as far back as Buffy. I love that sense of continuity. But the best, the very best part of this show is the dialogue. It's quick, intelligent and delivered by skilled words-men. Now, for the best scene ever in any show on TV, it is in Not Fade Away the very last episode and it takes place between Wesley and Fred/Illyria. It had me sobbing and even had my tough grown son tearing up - on his second or third viewing. It's really wonderful! If you are looking for entertainment, to be captured by characters, to have your imagination tweaked (but not your intelligence insulted), to spend an hour and not see the time go by...Angel is it. Rent it from year one to year five and you will not be sorry - except that it ended. (then go do the same with Firefly...you'll be outraged it ended in it's first season!) Have fun!

Gratuitous sex – I can understand from character development how much a couple loves each other without seeing Viggo Mortensen's head between Maria Bello's legs. I can understand a woman struggling with confusion about who she is, who her husband is, what all this means without seeing a physical fight turn into sex on the stairs. No woman, of the strength of character we are supposed to believe Maria Bello's character has is going to have found out that her husband is no one she knows, has spent half his life horribly killing people for fun and money, have a fist fight with him during which he holds her up against the wall by her neck and then dissolve into sex with him on the stairs.

Completely ridiculous violence – I am to believe that the mob guys believe he is Joey Cusack, an incredibly dangerous man who has just threatened them, and yet the one guy will still step in close enough to him to be disarmed? I am to believe that while he is punching that same guy's nose up through his brain – say hitting him 10 times or so – that the other large ARMED man does not just shoot him, but instead waits for him to punch the guy and take his gun and shoot him first….sure. And I saw the son killing Ed Harris a MILE off – so how come Ed Harris couldn't? (and side note, I don't care if you did just shoot a guy, you wouldn't hug your dad with large chunks of said guy all over the front of him) Oh and let's not forget that Tom/Joey has been living in rural Indiana for 16+ years (based on Jack's age) being a dad, husband and diner owner and suddenly he's got cat like speed and reflexes, never misses a step.

Dark dreary filming – Filming is supposed to set mood, not overpower it. If I'm noticing the texture and the lighting over the content of the film, something's not working. It's splendidly beautiful fall weather in Indiana and that could have been used as a wonderful contrast to heighten the mood of the movie, but even that was dampened under the heavy-handed "mood." (except for one incredibly brilliant fiery red maple that could not be quenched) The whole movie plodded along, plod plod. Mortensen was wooden. I thought the best acting in the movie was the kid, Jack. I just wanted the movie to end and then when it did, I was completely surprised, I said out loud "Is that the end of the movie?" and someone behind me said " Thank God" …everyone walking out of the movie was commenting on what an awful movie it was. So, I'm not sure just how this movie got a 7.7 in the ratings, but in my humble opinion, it didn't deserve it.

Oh my word, I laughed out loud at the truly wonderfully campily bad crocodile, the blatantly obvious plot and the dialogue...I hate to say I laughed out loud at people being eaten, but it was sooooo funny! CHOMP CHOMP ...hahahaha...the one girl practically has to bend down and squnch herself into the crocodile's mouth...and when it opens and closes it's mouth ...ho ho ho...clap on clap off - the clapper...and at the end when the 8 inch egg opens up and the baby alligator is put into the mouth of its mama (ahhhh) the baby is suddenly like three feet long! If you like B movies, if you want to laugh out loud and you really and truly don't have ANYTHING else to do (I was coloring my hair) then sit back and laugh at this movie.

>>>>>spoilers<<<<<< this is a church movie - it got national release but this is a church movie geared to church going audiences. So, I'm not going to comment on any of that. The thing that disturbed me the most was the "revenge" of Helen upon her completely helpless husband. The depths she had to sink to to do that to a completely helpless person without remorse is astonishing. She left him completely immobile unable to do anything for himself, including drink water for 2 days and when she got back did she feel remorse for what she had done or even slight dismay at her own behavior - no she then proceeds to dump him in a tub, which quite frankly if done the way she did it - he would have broken his neck. Then she virtually lets him think she is going to let him drown and then eats in front of him to punish him when he hasn't eaten for 2 days...she is somehow the heroine at this point? I'm sorry, he was a horrid jerk and abusive - but she topped him, she was depraved in her behavior and it alarms me that it is breezed over as if it meant nothing. She could have walked out on his abusive behind anytime she wanted to on her good two legs and fended for herself - he couldn't move enough to get himself a drink of water. Quite frankly the rest of the movie did not redeem that portion of it.

That is my opinion - to which you are more than welcome to disagree but the "message" in the movie to me was lost after that. Especially since she truly did not show the abject remorse she should have felt for what she did.

"I had a woman kiss me that way...didn't make her my wife"