abadger Reviews

Penny Serenade (1941)

You won't find a better utterly shameless tear-jerker.

[6/10 · 10 January 1999]

Shameless, utterly shameless. After an on-cue earthquake renders Irene Dunne barren, she and spendthrift hubby Cary Grant try to adopt, which just begins the mawkish tear-grabbing. Granted, if you must sit through a weepie, there's no better company than Grant and the radiant, under-appreciated Dunne, with Edgar Buchanan fine as comic relief. Expertly done, but reprehensible nonetheless. The biggest shame of all -- Grant was Oscar-nominated for this, and for the even weepier "None but the Lonely Heart", but never for any of his immortal comedy performances.

Women in Love (1969)

The model for film adaptation of literature

[10/10 · 26 October 1998]

Film versions of great books are expected to be lesser beings than their inspirations, but Ken Russell's adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's masterpiece refuses to obey any rules. It's smaller than the book, of course, but compensates by working on multiple levels to create a striking density. The gaudy, almost baroque cinematography actually compliments the sincere and subtle performances (even Oliver Reed!) to create a web of cross-references; every moment connects with every other. Kudos especially to the fine cast, not least Eleanor Bron, who forever cemented her cult status here, and is no mean hand with a paperweight, either.

Lost in Space (1998)

"It can't get worse"... but it does.

[1/10 · 23 October 1998]

There's one obvious thing about "Lost in Space" -- nobody believed in it. Not the actors, most of whom have trouble delivering their idiotic lines (even the brilliant Gary Oldman seems at a loss); certainly not the "creative" personnel, who left the sets, costumes, and film editing as much a hastily cobbled mess as the script; and, sadly, not the special effects engineers. What should be a SFX extravaganza turns dull and lifeless when the computer-generated effects are this bad -- and there should be no mercy whatever for the creators of that phony CGI monkey-thing, named "Burp" or something similar, obviously inserted in the film to allow Marketing to have a plush doll. If there's any consolation to sitting through this refuse, it's the certainty that there will be no sequel; there will be no "Burp" doll; the figurines that were made will be in clearance bins by now; and "Lost in Space" will irrevokably harm the careers of all involved. More comfort than you'll get from "Independance Day"...

The Hidden Fortress (1958)

The lightest and funniest of Kurosawa's samurai epics

[10/10 · 19 October 1998]

Overshadowed by bigger efforts like "the Seven Samurai", its nature distorted by its status as the official "inspiration" for "Star Wars", "the Hidden Fortress" is a unique delight in the Kurosawa canon, balancing wry humor and deep empathy on the line between realism and fairy tale. The film opens and closes with the two bickering farmer/soldiers who inspired R2-D2 and C3P0, but they're nothing like their "Star Wars" descendants -- their swings from slapstick to base treachery make them so weird and un-Hollywood that Lucas' robots seem neutered by comparison. Mandatory viewing, for many reasons.

The Return of Doctor X (1939)

Silly B-picture, but mandatory viewing for one reason

[4/10 · 19 October 1998]

Fast, spry and completely forgettable except for one thing -- Humphrey Bogart, only months away from super-stardom, was assigned against his will to play the villain. His first appearance -- made up to look like a dime-store mannequin, cradling a rabbit in his arms -- is perhaps the most priceless entry in the huge gallery of star-embarrassments.