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tomgoodman1
Reviews
The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944)
Stumbled Upon It and Tripped
I stumbled upon this film while surfing TCM in the wee hours of the morning. All I can say is, they don't make movies like this anymore, thank goodness.
The acting is wooden, the sentimentality overwhelming and inappropriate to its main subject and the stereotypes embarrassing. Though not familiar with many of the details of Twain's life, those with which I was familiar are often portrayed inaccurately here.
No one acquits him or herself particularly well here and period constraints (when the movie was made rather than the historical period)are insufficient reason to excuse the liberties taken.
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000)
Bittersweeet
A profoundly moving documentary of the evacuation of 10,000 children, predominantly Jewish, from Europe on the eve of the outbreak of WWII. The children were evacuated from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and other areas already under Nazi domination and transported to England, that most unlikely of havens. Most of these children lost their entire families in the Holocaust. A few were reunited with their parents after the war. All suffered profound dislocation; yet, those who are interviewed here clearly prevailed. This film is at once a testament to man's inhumanity and to his/her indomitable spirit.
Charley Varrick (1973)
Neglected superb thriller
One of the most underrated thrillers ever created this film no doubt has been neglected because one expects a comedy from the leading actor, Walter Matthau. Too bad. Everyone is superb here with Joe Don Baker playing one of the most sinister and disturbing roles ever portrayed. Matthau has many "serious" roles to his credit but his comic genius overshadows them. Not here. Anyone who writes about this film should resist revealing too much - it is that thrilling and surprising.
C'era una volta il West (1968)
Extraordinarily overrated
Sergio Leone understood mannerism better than any director who ever lived and employed it to extraordinary effect in his spaghetti westerns. In addition, his superb use of sound, detail and the closeup were rarely equaled in the history of the cinema. That said, his Once Upon a Time in The West is by and large a dismal, overblown failure of equally titanic proportions. The acting is self-conscious not mannered, the details other than the opening sequence at the train station (brilliant in absolutely every regard, he should have quit when Charles Bronson says, "You've brought two too many.")are largely uninspired and the music is nothing short of grating. Both of Leone's Once Upon a Time films (in America and in the West) were creative and box office failures as he bit off far more than he could chew.
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Gilbert, Sullivan and the Musical Theater
A brilliant study not only of Gilbert & Sullivan -- their relationship to each other as well as their loved ones, households, performers, and theater management -- but of the musical theater itself. Focusing on the Mikado, the movie takes us through its genesis, rehearsals and performances. It has been noted that for the individual singing roles director Mike Leigh chose actors who could sing rather than singers or who act. Well, to this listeners ear many of their performances in the Mikado are among the finest recorded.
The movie is not without its minor flaws such as the scene between Gilbert and his father, but this is a minor quibble. Mike Leigh has developed an ensemble of actors on whom he relies and they have once again assumed new, unaccustomed roles with great insight and depth. Who would have ever guessed that the Timothy Spalling of Secrets and Lies (among other roles in Mike Leigh films) could handle the singing role of the Mikado so convincingly?