The Thin Man (1934)

A laugh tops every thrilling moment!


Directed by: W.S. Van Dyke
Written by: Dashiell Hammett (novel), Albert Hackett (screenplay), Frances Goodrich (screenplay)
Produced by: Hunt Stromberg
Starring: William Powell as Nick Charles, Myrna Loy as Nora Charles, Maureen O'Sullivan as Dorothy Wynant, Natalie Moorehead as Julia Wolf, Edward Ellis as Wynant/The Thin Man, Porter Hall as Herbert MacCaulay, Harold Huber as Arthur Nunheim, Nat Pendleton as Lieutenant Guild, and Minna Gombell as Mimi Jorgenson
Music by: Dr. William Axt

Movies such as this just aren't made anymore. I don't care how many funny cop couplings or romantic mix ups you throw at me - you'll never match the Charles' team. Retired detective Nick Charles and his wife Nora are on vacation and trying to avoid anything more exciting than walking their dog, Asta, or the next great dry martini. But when one of Nick's old friends goes missing and people who were close to him start dying - Nora convinces Nick to jump on the case.

I know I use the word "chemistry" a lot - and for that reason I won't use it to describe what happens between Powell and Loy. Besides, it's more like electricity. The two fit together like a trenchcoat and gumshoe and the banter between them will keep you falling off your seat - while the mystery will keep you attempting to cling to the edge. I love the fact that neither of the Charles' could be considered the typical bumbling detective - no matter what you've heard. Both involve themselves in questionable capers as well as find trouble when they aren't looking for it. But it's done with such smooth and good-natured responses that it always seems like they might have planned it.

This movie (from a book) spawned an entire series of films starring Powell and Loy, and all were enormous hits. Ironically, the Thin Man mentioned in the title is the missing person in the first movie and doesn't appear in any of the following ones. But so many fans thought the Thin Man referred to Nick - that the studio kept the moniker.

I strongly encourage that you watch, if not the entire six film series, then at least this first one. There's comedy, action, alcohol, crooks, murders, the latest in 1930's forensic technology, and not to mention one of the greatest detectives of the last century. Nick and Nora get five dry martinis out of a possible five (5/5).

Ushpizin (The Guests) (2004)

When you really need a miracle...

Directed by: Gidi Dar
Written by: Shuli Rand
Produced by: Gidi Dar and Rafi Bukai
Starring: Shuli Rand as Moshe, Michal Batsheva Rand as Malli, Shaul Mizrahi as Eliyahu Scorpio, and Ilan Ganani as Yossef
Music by: Adi Ran

This foreign film was nominated for three Israeli Film Academy Awards - their version of the Oscars - including Best Picture. The film is Israeli in origin, and the actors are all Jewish. The story follows Moshe and Malli Bellanga during the week of Sukkoth - a holiday where Jews construct a house made of wood and palms to live in and they pray while offering the four species: a date palm branch, a willow branch, a myrtle bough, and a citron (lemon). Moshe and Malli are broke when Moshe is denied a stipend they were depending on. They have no money to buy the things required to celebrate Sukkoth, much less survive. They both begin to pray for a miracle, including for a son. And when God begins to bless them, He also sends two visitors from Moshe's shady past which will come to seem more like trials than blessings.

I added this film to my netflix list on a whim after watching the preview. I somewhat expected a comedy - but this film is more a drama than anything else. This is not to say there aren't some very funny parts. The story itself flows evenly from despairing to joyous, painfully embarrassing to triumphant. The plot is even, and while sometimes I didn't know what was going on since I am not Jewish nor do I speak Hebrew, that didn't keep me from being encouraged by this tale of blessing and trial, faith and reward.

The acting is incredible - Shuli Rand and his real life wife Michal bring a spark to the screen together as a leading couple to be reckoned with. Moshe's friend Ben Baruch contributes a lightheartedness and the rebbe brings wisdom. There isn't just one lesson here to be learned from these characters, there are many.

Another stellar part of this film is the soundtrack. Hasidic musical artist Adi Ran's music is integrated to perfection in times of praise and trial. They bring another aspect of Hasidic life into focus for us outside of the Yeshiva. "Ushpizin" brings a wonderful chance to see a couple's prayers answered in ways only God could contrive of and the opportunity to observe an entirely different culture from the one we have here in the U.S. I highly recommend this film and award it a five diamond citrons out of a possible five (5/5).

Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

Directed by: George Sidney
Written by: Michael Stewart (play), Irving Brecher (screenplay)
Starring: Dick Van Dyke as Albert F. Peterson, Janet Leigh as Rosie DeLeon, Ann-Margaret as Kim McAfee, Maureen Stapleton as Mamma Mae Peterson, Bobby Rydell as Hugo Peabody, Jesse Pearson as Conrad Birdie, and Paul Lynde as Harry McAfee
Music by: Lee Adams (Lyrics) and Charles Strouse (music)

This film is an adaptation of the Tony Award winning musical of the same name. There are significant changes from the play to the film, although Dick Van Dyke and Paul Lynde both were a part of the original stage cast.

The premise is as follows: down and out songwriter Albert F Peterson is in a tough spot. His star singer, Conrad Birdie, has just been drafted into the military, his mother runs his life, and he's too afraid of Mamma to tell her about his fiancee - Rose. In an attempt to save Albert, Rosie sets up a deal for Birdie to give out a kiss on the Ed Sullivan show to one lucky member of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club. The kiss will represent a last symbolic kiss to all his fans. Then, he can sing Albert's new song "One Last Kiss." The song will become an instant smash and Albert will be financially secure enough to break off from his mother. A name is drawn and the group sets off for Sweet Apple, Ohio to meet up with the winner - Kim McAfee. Kim, obviously, is overjoyed, but things get out of hand when rock star meets small town. Kim's boyfriend is disastrously jealous, her father is obsessed with appearing on the Ed Sullivan show alongside her, and Albert's mother shows up to break up Albert and Rosie.

One thing I can say about this movie is the majority of the musical numbers are wonderful. They're creative and humorous - my favorite is "Put On a Happy Face" - which is the only thing I had ever heard from the musical or movie before watching it. Van Dyke and Leigh have wonderful chemistry, but Van Dyke can capture that with almost anyone. Yet, I do think the filmmakers could have utilized dance choreography more than just camera tricks for a few of the songs. They did such a great job in "Happy Face" and "Honestly Sincere" but kind of fell apart in "The Telephone Hour."

Maureen Stapleton does a superb job as Mrs. Peterson - she's excellently nosy and overdramatic, overbearing and ridiculous. Janet Leigh does a wonderful job opposite Van Dyke, and although she seems to overact a little at times - she more than makes up for it with her screen presence. Paul Lynde is simply hilarious as Harry McAfee, even painfully hilarious - so awkward and well-meaning but at the same time self-serving and confused.

However, I did not enjoy Ann-Margaret in the role of Kim. She grated on me. I disliked her singing voice, speaking voice, and her acting abilities. It's beyond me to see how this role propelled her into stardom (if that's what you call acting with Elvis Presley). I also didn't particularly like Birdie or Pearson's portrayal of him. He was hardly developed at all and I think the screenwriters could have utilized his character a lot more. Granted - I don't think you were supposed to enjoy Birdie...

Overall, I didn't enjoy watching this movie; too many of the actors or characters were annoying. I think if I saw the stage production which inspired this film, I probably would have loved it. But the film was too kitschy, too campy, too...teeny bopper for me to really enjoy it. I'd give it two speedy turtles out of a possible five (2/5).

The Apartment (1960)

Movie-wise, there has never been anything like "The Apartment" - love-wise, laugh-wise, or otherwise-wise!

Directed by: Billy Wilder
Written by: Billy Wilder and I.A.L Diamond
Starring: Jack Lemmon as C.C. Baxter, Shirley MacLaine as Fran Kubelik, Fred MacMurray as Jeff Sheldrake, Jack Kruschen as Dr. Dreyfuss, Ray Walston as Joe Dobisch, and Edie Adams as Miss Olsen

I could have enjoyed this movie a lot more had I not been told it was a comedy. I was stunned at the basis for the plot (esp for 1960) - C.C. Baxter - a man who lets his bosses use his apartments for their romantic trysts (despite them all being married) in exchange for putting in a good word for him at work. He finds himself more and more taken advantage of as his superiors put more pressure on him to make room for them in his schedule. And when Baxer finally gets promoted, the head man of the company realizes what's been going on and puts himself on the schedule. And to make matters worse, Supervisor Sheldrake's paramour is the woman Baxter himself is trying to pursue.

I can understand how this might be portrayed as a dramedy in today's world. But to promote it as a comedy forty years ago is just ridiculous. I suppose the situation could be construed as humorous...yet..the movie is more sad than funny in most ways. The morality is horrendous, and things continually spiral out of control, finally ending with an attempted suicide and a divorce. From a Christian standpoint, there isn't really any good part to this film other than everyone getting what's coming to them.

Yet if I had started this movie knowing it wasn't supposed to be funny, I probably would have enjoyed it tremendously. Jack Lemmon is a wonderful actor as usual, and this side of Shirley MacLaine isn't one I see very often. She usually plays vivacious comedic women as opposed to introspective and withdrawn ones. And it was a real jolt for me to see Fred MacMurray, Disney's wholesome dad, as the antagonist in a movie. He was just downright creepy and slimy and...well, let's just say if the role were cast today, Patrick Swayze would probably fit the bill. Or David Hasselhoff. You get the picture.

So despite this not being a comedy as it's advertised and with some of the tough issues it deals with, looking back, I enjoyed it and can see why it was nominated for a ton of Oscars and won best picture. I'd give this movie a four creepy office managers out of a possible five (4/5).

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)

It's Daring! It's Delightful - And as Spicy as It's Speedy!

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Written by: Norman Krasna
Starring: Carole Lombard as Ann Krausheimer Smith, Robert Montgomery as David Smith, and Gene Raymond as Jefferson Custer


I had no idea what to expect from this film - a horror director dabbling in a romantic comedy? And unfortunately - he should have just left well enough alone. David Smith is mostly happily married to his wife Ann - except for all the rules she likes to make and follow. After a morning including a spat, David finds out that - through a fluke of small town policy - he and Ann's marriage is not valid. Ann finds out soon afterwards and when David fails to tell her right away, she decides she's no longer married to him and begins to pursue an independent single woman's lifestyle. David is kicked out of the house and scorned by all his former household employees. Things get even worse as the two compete to be the most "happy" as a single person and culminate when David's business partner and childhood friend, Jefferson Custer, tries to woo Ann for himself.

This film is just so...awkward. Lombard's character is incredibly annoying and Montgomery makes David Smith out to be a bumbling idiot with an ego problem - something that doesn't really work. There are a few random scenes (such as the scene with the screwy pipes) which I believe are supposed to be funny but leave you going "what was the point of that?" Half the time you wonder why these two should even be trying to get back together. Overall, the acting is overdone, the comedic timing is off, and the plot just wanders until it suddenly decides to conclude abruptly for no apparent reason.

The one good point in this film is the music. I can't find any reference to who composed/arranged it but I thought it was one of the only entertaining faces of the film. It's quirky and the melody is employed in so many different ways it's surprising. Unfortunately, I can't really think of anything else to praise. The only way I would recommend this movie is if you have a goal to watch every single one of Alfred Hitchcock's films. "Smith" gets one bloody nose out of a possible five (1/5).

The Five Pennies (1959)

Written by: Robert Smith, Jack Rose, Melville Shavelson
Produced by: Jack Rose
Starring: Danny Kaye as Red Nichols, Barbara Bel Geddes as Bobbie Meredith, Harry Guardino as Tony Valani, Bob Crosby as Wil Paradise, Susan Gordon and Tuesday Weld as Dorothy, and Louis Armstrong as himself
Music by: Sylvia Fine


This is the biography of one of the greatest cornet players in American history - Red Nichols. Nichols worked his way up from small time to leading one of the greatest Dixieland bands in history until his daughter contracted polio and Nichols dropped his dreams of music and found a nine-to-five job so his family would have stability.

"The Five Pennies" is one of my all time favorite classic films. I love it because I love Danny Kaye's acting. I love it because it is both funny and moving. And I love it for the outstanding musical score. We get to hear Louis Armstrong on several occasions and Kaye singing as well. Be sure to watch for the darling duet sung between Nichols and his daughter, Dorothy. Danny Kaye's real life wife, Sylvia Fine, wrote many of the songs - and whenever you see Red Nichols the character playing, you can bet the real Red Nichols recorded it. But you wouldn't know it to watch Kaye as he maneuvers a cornet.

That being said, if you watch any amount of good classic movies, you'll know what an incredible actor Kaye is. This film not only includes the incomparable humor Kaye can produce, but shows us he can be a darker actor as well. He captures the depression of a father who feel guilty for his daughter's suffering and who has had his dreams stomped on by serious reality. Barbara Bel Geddes is the perfect companion for Kaye in "Pennies," her talents including singing beautifully, playing the witty towngirl, the caring mother, the smart business partner, and an overall understanding female for Kaye's emotional turmoil.

The only flaw in this film is the vague definition of how time passes. This may be intentional, but personally I don't think it works if it was intentional. Dorothy grows from baby to child and child to teen in one scene each. Not to mention the end of the film makes you believe that the concert is Nichols' first in his return instead of the last ditch effort. But despite this, and as you probably expected, I give this film five pennies out of a possible five (5/5).

Rebecca (1940)

The shadow of this woman darkened their love.


Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Written by: Daphne du Maurier (novel), Philip MacDonald (adaptation), Michael Hogan (adaptation), Robert E. Sherwood (screenplay), Joan Harrison (screenplay)
Produced by: David O. Selznick
Starring: Laurence Olivier as Maxim de Winter, Joan Fontaine as Edith de Winter, Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, George Sanders as Favell, and Leonard Carey as Ben
Music by: the incomparable Franz Waxman

Now before you begin reading the opinionated part of my review, you have to know that I've read the book this movie is based on and it's one of my favorite novels of all time. In fact, only HP Lovecraft gave du Maurier a run for her money in creepy factor. So if I was judging this movie all by itself just as a movie, I would probably rate it higher. But since I've read the book, I can't really get away without comparing the two.

This is the first of Alfred Hitchcock's American films. In it, Edith, a paid companion of a nosy old rich woman, falls in love with a widower while both are in Monte Carlo. Maxim de Winter, who seems haunted by his past, marries Edith and whisks her off to his lavish estate of Manderley. At the instant of her arrival, Edith feels threatened and unwanted - mostly due to the lingering and seemingly malicious presence of Maxim's first wife - the incomparable Rebecca. This problem is exacerbated by Mrs. Danvers, the head housekeeper of Manderley. Mrs. Danvers was completely devoted to Rebecca and even now after her death keeps her bedroom as a shrine. Edith is constantly reminded by Danvers just how short she falls when compared to the beautiful and poised Rebecca de Winter. It also doesn't help that there seems to be some mystery concerning Rebecca's death and that Maxim refuses to talk to her about it, instead flying into rages when the topic of Rebecca is brought up.

This movie was intentionally made in black and white so it would be creepier - however, I think they could have done much more with colors, especially since Manderley was such a vibrant place up to the end. I felt like something was lacking. And although the actors and actresses did a stellar job in their respective roles - I just couldn't find Mrs. Danvers all that disturbing. Maybe it's because in the novel you always wonder if Danvers is waiting, wraithlike, in the shadows of whatever room the plot is taking place in. In the movie, visually, you can often see that she's not. The book provides more of a horror suspense aspect, while the movie provides more a psychological suspense story. I just kept feeling more and more sorry for Edith as opposed to more and more afraid of Danvers. There was also a distinct lack of character development for Ben - he plays a much larger role in the book than he does in the film.

My biggest complaint with this movie is the changing of the ending.

*spoilers*
Maxim becomes infinitely more accessible when you find out he hasn't killed his wife - and without that aspect you have no reason for his ensuing insanity after the discovery of Rebecca's body and the burning of Manderley.
*end spoilers*

However, other than the end and the different tone of the movie from the book, everything else is exactly as du Maurier wrote it. I just felt that a vital aspect of the true novel was missing from this movie. I can't figure out what it is, whether it's in the acting, the plotline, or even the music. I'd give this a 3 creepy housekeepers out of a possible five (3/5).

Keeping Mum (2005)

*updated*

Some family secrets are best kept...buried.
alt: They took her in. Now she's taking them out.

Directed by: Niall Johnson
Written by: Richard Russo and Niall Johnson
Starring: Rowan Atkinson as Reverend Walter Goodfellow, Kristin Scott Thomas as Gloria Goodfellow, Maggie Smith as Rosie/Grace Hawkins, Patrick Swayze as Lance, and Tamsin Egerton as Holly Goodfellow
Music by: Dickon Hinchliffe

Rogue...

We decided to list this movie on our classics site mainly because it's a wonderful Brit film which was a smash over the pond but hasn't seen much publicity here in the States. This dark comedy focuses on the Goodfellow family - a rector, his wife, and their two children - and how their lives are altered when the new housekeeper shows up and turns out to be a serial killer. Maggie Smith does an absolutely stellar job as Grace Hawkins - who kills anyone who gets in her way. It's a role you don't expect to see her pull off - yet she does it with such humor and natural expression, you wonder why you haven't seen her in a role like this before.

The other characters are also superbly developed. The rector is oblivious to everything going on in his family - his daughter's promiscuous lifestyle, his son's problem with bullies, and his wife's impending affair with her golf instructor, Lance. Rowan Atkinson is funny in a way completely opposite his usual style with Mr. Bean. He manages to mock the clergy without insulting them, and even my husband (who is a pastor's son) could relate to some of the issues Rev. Goodfellow had to deal with. Gloria was sufficiently neurotic and Holly was the perfect rebellious daughter. I have a question though - when did Patrick Swayze start fitting the typecast for the pervy older man?

Another aspect of this movie I absolutely must praise is the soundtrack. It's quirky and heartfelt all in the same notes, and brings every scene in the movie together flawlessly. I'm tempted to buy it - but I am pretty sure I'd have to import it. I also want to congratulate the directors of this movie for keeping every death scene off screen. We are there at the moment of death, but we never have to see someone's head getting bashed in or a body dismembered.

However, that being said, there are some fairly graphic scenes in this movie. It is rated R. The daughter goes topless several times throughout the film, and there is a large amount of swearing. Plus, you have to see Patrick Swayze in a thong - which just about scarred me for life. The Brits are a little more lax with nudity and language than we are here in America. Just as we are a bit more lenient when it comes to violence than they are (which, I suspect, is why the death scenes are off camera).

Hopefully, my husband will be posting his thoughts later, so you may want to check back. But as for me, I give this movie a five corpses out of a possible five (5/5).

thatoneguy...

Rogue covered most of the info you need in order to make a viewing decision, here - "Keeping Mum" is a charming, darkly funny family tale that's filled with some really fun performances. There's depth here, too, even if it does seem a little heavy handed on the surface. A family falling apart, until "Grace" comes into their lives and changes them all for the better. In most cases, this would be horrifically cheesy. However, when the "Grace" in question is a charming old lady (played to perfection by Maggie Smith) who has absolutely no qualms about killing people who are inconvenient? Well, that helps make things a little less saccharine. In fact, it's the performances that sell this movie. (Rowan Atkinson, in particular, turns in a performance that shows that he has a range far greater than any of his Mr Bean roles.) True, Patrick Swayze goes way over the top, but the rest of the performances provide a surprising and welcome amount of levity and depth to this quaint, dark comedy.

As Rogue said, there's no violence here - everything happens off camera. The language and the nudity may be a dealbreaker for most, but rest assured - this isn't a Tarentino film. It's also not the sort of "cool language" that you find in most American films - I can personally vouch that this is exactly the way people in Britain talk. (I'll never forget the time I heard a Pastor's wife drop the f-bomb during a casual lunch-and-tea meal. Funny, funny stuff.)

"Keeping Mum" isn't a film that will change your life, and it's not a film that will leave you speechless. However. You will laugh, and smile, and when the film finishes you'll most likely feel happier than you did when you started it. No "guilty pleasure" here - this is a wonderfully solid film. Highly recommended - a 4 shovel-wielding-Maggie Smiths out of 5. (4/5)