“I never had no great hankering to be awful rich and have a carriage and all.”
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Review: P.S. Click here to read Rice’s original novel online at Project Gutenberg. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“When you set out to clean up a mess, you don’t just sit around and wait for that mess to get bigger and bigger!”
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As a humble marksman — likely the fastest gun in the west — who is perpetually “on his way to Australia” (which he considers to be the “real frontier”), Garner is coolly unfazed by the chaos and violence surrounding him, including the town’s infamous baddy, Joe Danby (nicely played by the reliably psychotic Dern). In one of the film’s most humorous subplots, Garner manages not only to keep Danby in an unfinished prison by using simple psychological intimidation, but to get him to install the bars himself!
Some aspects of William Bowers’ screenplay are less successful than others: I’m unimpressed, for instance, by Joan Hackett’s character — the hot-headed daughter of Mayor Olly Perkins (Harry Morgan) — and her ongoing would-be romantic encounters with Garner; she comes across as needlessly shrill.
Yet there are enough genuinely corny laughs and fine performances to carry Support Your Local Sheriff through till its inevitable final shoot-out, and to recommend it for at least one-time viewing. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“You’re the one who told me I was gonna get a boyfriend at the mall.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: The other supporting performances in this episodic film (nobody’s really the primary protagonist, though Leigh comes close) are all fine as well — many of the young actors (most notably Leigh and Penn) went on to create big names for themselves. Indeed, Penn is in some ways the truly memorable “star” of this ensemble show: his turn as Jeff Spicoli — a perpetually stoned-out, bleary-eyed, happy-go-lucky surfer — is one of the most iconic performances in recent cinematic history; his “verbal duels” with his “sarcastic, rule-conscious” history teacher, Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), are both “hilarious” and perhaps (as Peary argues) “the major reason to see this film”. Meanwhile, one of the most sympathetic characters in the film, surprisingly enough, turns out to be Judge Reinhold as Stacy’s older brother, Brad, who’s experiencing work and love troubles of his own; his caring response when he discovers his sister needs some help is likely my favorite scene in the film, and offers proof that Fast Times — while far from perfect — is much more honest about the multi-faceted lives of teens than Peary, Ebert, and others would have you believe. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
“Nothing shocks me: I’m a scientist.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: As many have pointed out, Temple of Doom — which is high on action, low on character development — is actually more like the old-time serials it’s based on than Raiders; to that end Capshaw’s blonde floozy singer — a “heroine of a type that hasn’t been around since feminism hit Hollywood” — may be more authentic to the time period as well. Arguing in Capshaw’s defense, Peary notes that “if someone like Willie [Capshaw], who worries about broken nails, can become brave and tough in a crisis, then all women have the potential” — but I would argue right back that she never really exhibits either bravery or toughness. And while it’s true that the film has “great sets” and “exciting adventures”, each enjoyable moment is counterbalanced by one that it’s either unduly gross (such as the infamous “banquet scene” in the Maharajah’s palace) or falls flat (such as Indy and Willie’s aborted attempt to bed each other). Film fanatics should see Temple of Doom simply to be familiar with the franchise, but all things considered, it’s a major disappointment. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“Inside the Ark are treasures beyond your wildest aspirations — you want to see it opened as well as I.”
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
“For I say unto you, love your enemies; bless them who curse you; and pray for those who despise and persecute you! For if you love only those who love you, what reward shall you have?”
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Review: Ray and Yordan are at their best when humanizing iconic biblical events, such as the justly praised Sermon on the Mount sequence, and their intimate recreation of the Last Supper; less interesting are the massive battle scenes, which perhaps are expected fare in an epic drama but distract from the very real human story being told. Some have argued that too much time is spent showing the Romans’ reactions to Jesus’s growing popularity, but the actors in the key Roman roles — including Viveca Lindfors, Frank Thring, and Hurd Hatfield — are all enjoyable to watch, and their decadent lifestyle ultimately provides a nice contrast with that of the hard-working Jews. My favorite “Roman scene” shows the infamous Salome (played by Brigid Bazlen as a sexy teenage hussy) tempting her stepfather, King Harrod (Thring), into decapitating John the Baptist (a shaggy-headed Robert Ryan) and bringing her his head on a platter; while this vignette may not be substantiated by biblical scholars, it plays well on the screen! Ultimately, King of Kings will be of most interest either to Christians (who likely will be pleasantly surprised by how events are depicted) or fans of mid-century historical epics; for all-purpose film fanatics, it’s worth a look simply for its historical notoriety. Note: In 1980, Hunter was (perhaps unfairly) nominated by the Medved brothers as one of the worst actors to play Jesus Christ in a film — though he lost out on winning the Golden Turkey Award in this category to Ted Neeley in Jesus Christ Superstar. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“There’s much to be said for a woman — even an imperfect one — who lives, breathes, and exists only for the man she loves.”
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Unfortunately, while it’s clear that Peabody’s lust for Lenore is merely a symptom of his own male insecurity, his growing infatuation remains uncomfortable to watch — yet we’re stuck with nobody else to root for. While Ann Blyth does a nice job playing a character who must communicate exclusively through facial expressions and body language, she never emerges as a three-dimensional character, and Peabody’s wife (Irene Hervey) comes across as little more than a close-minded shrew. Meanwhile, an ongoing comedic riff about a morose investigator (Clinton Sundberg) who has recently given up both alcohol and cigarettes — and must deal with temptation everywhere he goes — is decidedly unfunny:
and Peabody’s biggest crisis — being double-crossed by Sundberg and eventually accused of murder — holds little interest. Ultimately, while Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid maintains a small coterie of devoted fans (click here to read a LOT more about this film’s inception — including the task of outfitting Blyth in her mermaid tail), it’s not must-see viewing. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“There is no poison in a green snake’s mouth as in a woman’s heart.”
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Review: Vincent Price’s unusual turn here as an “action hero” is less flamboyant than what fans are used to, but he’s perfectly suited for intoning the stilted lines in Robert Hill’s pulpy script (many of which sound like fortune cookie quips):
The campiest sequence by far, however, is voiced by Linda Ho as the film’s wily femme fatale, Ruby Low: while seducing Price, she alludes to sex as “swimming in the forbidden waters”, and tries to convince him that they are meant to be with each other by insisting:
Equally enjoyable is feisty Yvonne Moray (best known for her poorly acted role in The Terror of Tiny Town) as an aging “Chinese midget” who has given up hope of finding happiness outside the confines of her dungeon, but remains remarkably cheerful nonetheless; the decades seem to have mellowed Moray, and turned her into a more confident performer. The best aspect of Confessions, however, is its overall atmospheric ambiance: we really believe we’ve been submerged into the bowels of a unique form of hell, and wonder how — or if — Price’s character will be able to escape. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“In fighting the insect we have killed ourselves, polluted our water, poisoned our wildlife, permeated our own flesh with deadly toxins. The insect becomes immune, and we are poisoned. In fighting with superior intellect, we have out-smarted ourselves.”
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Review: With that said, Dr. Hellstrom’s narration is undeniably full of what Vincent Canby of the New York Times refers to as “asinine statements”; it’s impossible to take Hellstrom seriously when he begins by gravely informing us that “the world was created not with the sweetness of love, but with the violence of rape,” and later describes a black widow spider as “throbbing with obese sexuality”. Indeed, Hellstrom’s anthropomorphization of the insect world borders on sheer lunacy at times — did audience members at the time really buy his rhetoric? Would audiences today? While several legitimate research institutions (including Cal Tech and the Entomological Society of America) are cited in the film’s credits as having “provided assistance”, Hellstrom’s analysis (a synthesis of “contemporary opinions”) is — frustratingly — often simply wrong and/or dated. During the sequence in which he compares the mating rituals of humans with insects, for instance, he laments how “inefficient” our methods are, shaking his head in dismay: “For man, unless the setting is right, the perfume is right, the music is sweet, and at least one partner is loved by another, the reproductive act might never occur.” Yet it’s widely acknowledged by scientists today that humans’ strategic mating patterns perfectly suit our need to establish dedicated caretakers, given how long newborns and children require adult assistance to survive. Later, he bashes humans’ need for philosophical inquiry by noting:
According to Hellstrom, then, insects will ultimately outlive humans because they never stop to reflect — yet as Roger Ebert puts it in his review, “I don’t care how well the bees have got things organized, I wouldn’t want to be a bee. And not a May fly, either.” With that said, if one can ignore the blatant inaccuracies in Hellstrom’s narration — and simply laugh along with the faux gravity of his “dire warning” about insect domination — viewers are guaranteed a fascinating glimpse at a world we’re rarely able to view in such detail. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“I don’t want to be just a concert pianist… I want to use the piano as a stepping stone!”
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Review: With that said, those willing to forego historical accuracy in favor of a fabulous aural tour through Gershwin’s brief but luminous career won’t be disappointed. Rhapsody in Blue is jam-packed with Gershwin tunes, including a nearly full-length rendition of the title song itself (a fabulous sequence), and cameos by several well-known performers, including Hazel Scott, Anne Brown, and Al Jolson. The acting performances are all fine as well: Robert Alda (Alan’s dad) effectively portrays Gershwin’s drive to achieve at an early age (eerily foreshadowing his premature death), and it’s great fun to see Oscar Levant playing an extended cameo as himself — in one particularly amusing shot, he’s seen anxiously watching Alda-as-Gershwin “performing” “Rhapsody in Blue”, when it’s actually his playing we’re hearing dubbed. Rhapsody in Blue may not reveal much about who Gershwin really was as a person, but it does a stellar job evoking the magic and beauty of his inimitable musical style; for this reason alone, it’s worth a look. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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