arslupae Reviews

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Simplicity Itself

[10/10 · 12 June 2003]

The story, the setting, the wonderful characters, and the atmosphere entreats you and draws you into the world of Maycomb. There are no words for Mr. Peck's performance other than perfect and true. The world has become a much more complex and frightening place since this book was written and the movie filmed, but there is an eternal set of truths that survive and grow and nestle in our hearts. God Bless You, Gregory, you will be missed.

Funny Valentines (1999)

A Feast

[3 June 2003]

This movie is an incredible journey. The characters, especially Dearie B, are well-drawn, and so real. I have always admired Alfre Woodward, but this role brought a new dimension to my appreciation of her work. I was drawn in to the slow and romantic mood of this small town and this deeply tragic yet triumphant tale of growing up, leaving and not leaving home, and coming home again. It is lovely, lyrical and so resonant of the bittersweet taste of life.

The Mating Season (1951)

A Classic

[14 March 2003]

The other review of this movie got the plot wrong. Thelma Ritter is the MOTHER-IN-LAW of Gene Tierney, not her MOTHER. Ms. Ritter's son in the film, played by John Lund is the pretentious one. When his mother arrives to attend his wedding to the gently brought up Ms. Tierney, who is actually a sweetheart and a lady in the best sense of the word, he hands Thelma some cash to get a makeover, noting that she should especially purchase GLOVES, to hide her hands that have worked hard at a hamburger stand to put him through a fancy college. This guy is a real stinker!! Thelma ends up not going to the ceremony, fearful she will embarrass her jerk of a son. She then gets some jobs to buy a fantastic outfit so she can drop in on the newlyweds. When Ms. Ritter gets there, Gene Tierney thinks she is the cook she wanted, and latches on to her because Ms. Tierney is having her first dinner party, and she is in a state of panic and disaster. The plot revolves around the fact that Thelma stays on to help out, and swears her son to secrecy about who she is. There are absolutely SOLID GOLD performances by Miriam Hopkins, as Gene's snooty mother, and Larry Keating, as John Lund's down-to-earth boss. The best part of this movie is when Gene discovers the masquerade and tells her insensitive husband off, defending his mother as a wonderful, honorable woman. DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE !!

A Stranger Among Us (1992)

A beautiful glimpse of another world

[8/10 · 2 March 2002]

I must confess that I am at a loss to explain why this movie is not rated higher. It is an excellent story, the performances are solid. I have seldom seen as movingly filmed a scene as the preparation for and celebration of the Shabbos meal, it is absolutely lyrical. Melanie Griffith creates a many-sided, believable character as the detective, and Eric Thal is wonderful as the Rebbe's adopted son, he plays his role with passion and vulnerability, but also an inner strength. I purchased the movie to add to my collection, and it has become a favorite of many of my friends.

Till the End of Time (1946)

A quiet, lovely movie

[7/10 · 1 June 2001]

No, it does not have the acclaim of "The Best Years of Our Lives". What it does have are marvelously understated performances by Guy Madison and Dorothy Maguire, and a luminous supporting role for a young Robert Mitchum. This movie recreates the postwar world in a very hypnotic and appealing way;- a place where life was ceremonious, and gallantry and loyalty were the norm. In the deathless words inscribed on the Iwo Jima monument, "Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue".

We shall not see their like again. Open a fine bottle of wine, lean back on your sofa, and drift back...