beauzee Reviews

The Greg Gutfeld Show (2015–2021)

He's talented and sometimes is funny but ultimately another RNC shillpuppet

[2/10 · 29 April 2022]

I just did a Danny Thomas coffee spit out to read a posters statement cnn is factless and Fox News is factful. Any 9 year old can go to safari and ask for an article w a title such as "Fox News top 25 lies ".

Any 9 year old can go to politifact and get a long list of foxs lies and half lies .

And anyone can watch Greg and putins cabana boy from queens blush over each other in an embarrassing "one on one". Funny or not Greg was too cowardly to ask why the Ex knowingly spread the covid for 9 weeks and why he sent Hitler youth w a noose to raid the Capitol.

Flaming Star (1960)

No light tunes to break up the action ! It's the Acting Elvis

[8/10 · 4 January 2021]

He dominates a film originally intended for Brando . Too bad the box office was a little light

Stan & Ollie (2018)

Too many liberties taken . Though rich in detail and w a literate script .

[5/10 · 3 August 2020]

The story is very fanciful . Here they are in 1953/4, referring to a picture planned for 1947 which never was made , "Robin Hood".

By 1952/3/4 , they were there also to promote "atoll k" (aka "Robinson Crusoeland "), made 1950/1 in France .

The real story was that Stan was so sensitive to ollies well being , he cancelled the final tour , and decided to return to the states to set up their retirement !

He never would have screwed w his partners health to keep a tour going ! In fact , Stan was very cautious about launching an American tv series because of the team's health problems .

After Hardy passed , Stan retired .

There are some very fine scenes , terrific cinematography - apparently the production visited various locales in Europe the Boys actually visited .

So the storyline is very bogus , Stan (and the wives ) are greatly exaggerated and given very rough edges .

The Irishman (2019)

What did I miss ? In freakin 3 and 1/2 hours ? Something was wrong ..

[6/10 · 19 March 2020]

I surmise Scorsese and Deniro and pesce got together in a smoke filled room and finally decided to put an end to taxi drivers asking "when you guys gonna make another one?"

So they said , "this should settle everyone down : we'll thrown in everything but the kitchen sink and tommy 's mothers eggs and sausages!

Yes, all the actors are pretty terrific and what a rare chance to watch 'em cook again ! Except there's no ray liotta to cook up any tomato sauce !

Ray liotta shoulda coulda played the holy hell outta that union boss ! He even for C-sakes looked like him . But ....no. Al Pacino is fine , yes ....

I think this review is getting to be as long as the picture !

So I'll say , something's wrong with this thing ...can't really pinpoint how . Let's just say it moves like a soap opera and there's too much about Hoffa ! Is it the Sheeran story or the Hoffa story ?

Where was Lorraine Bracco?

Somebody PLEASE talk Marty into recutting it for 2 hours and 15 minutes and use the original 3.5 hr. theatre version for bonus material on the DVD. Or do the 2 hr 15 m version as "new directors cut ".

Girl Happy (1965)

A very tight , entertaining Beach movie . But Elvis....why?

[3/10 · 19 March 2020]

How I loved this when I was 14. Watched it about 10 years later ....elvis at 29 making this kind of fluff ? AND with mostly poor songs, poorly produced . (Soundtrack is horribly mixed ). The man who conquered Hollywood by age 23 , succeeding as a dramatic star in several pictures , one intended for Marlon Brando , was now grinding out silly formula flicks , with songs written by teams of writers forces with composing to fit the scenes ! Elvis and his co star, Shelley fabares , both were about 7 years too old to be doing this , though they look great together - and Shelley is a wonder - though her best acting came later in the sitcom Coach . The songs are , admittedly kinda catchy , but there's really say, 3 worth hearing more than once . There's a real rocker here , "the meanest girl in town ", also known as "she's evil " by Bill Haley and His Comets , it's pretty great . If you are a very casual elvis fan , not judging his Hollywood output against King Creole or flaming star or Follow that dream or Viva Las Vegas, you just might enjoy , on some Friday night , this comedy . The story is groovy , the premise funny . Dark Chicago to sunny Florida . Elvis is a struggling band leader told to look out for a mob guys daughter during spring break . Well......maybe it will make you "happy "er ! First buy a Six pack and six kfc wings .

At the Circus (1939)

Okay comedy - Hangs together - but light years away from Duck Soup

[5/10 · 19 March 2020]

If you are not a Marx afficionado , you might enjoy most of this as a better than average comedy of the period . But without great writers and a great director , Marxs don't succeed (check out Duck Soup , horse feathers , the cocoanuts , night at the opera , and see the difference , although DS was the sole Marx picture to have a great director ). Eve Arden is entertaining and "easy on the eyes". Great to see Margaret Dumont - fun to watch her do some slapstick .

Jitterbugs (1943)

Better than most 20th century fox L and H

[4/10 · 18 May 2019]

Not funny but the boys seem to enjoy this mess , as it has a lot of inventiveness . Cinematography pretty good, comedy cutting not bad. Vivian Blaine has some nice bits w the affable con man , and surprisingly okay tunes . Good scene w Stan in drag and Ollie as THE southern gentleman . Should have been done in color.

It Had to Be You (2000)

New York soap opera, not bad

[7/10 · 20 July 2015]

some agreeable light drama and comedy set in the big apple, making nice use of tourist spots like Tavern on the Green and the PLaza Hotel.

excellent acting job by Natasha as the woman getting married, flat and dull performance by Michael, as the guy getting married (to another); excellent acting by Olivia, although I was never sure who she was in the movie (numerous wig changes and "accent" inconsistencies) and why she was doing what she did! (the street smart chick shows up in a local watering hole and is surprised she is "picked up" up by an alchoholic!).

first half really holds together well ; second half gets draggy near the end (typical for this "genre"); good script but a good chunk could have been excised. too much wistful whisperin' to the stars.

the Rock singer Lorraine Mazzola plays "Mindy", though I have to go back and review her scene. about 30 years after "Captain of your Ship". no mini skirt, I know that! :)

we have nice, quiet, conflicted people right in the heart of the unforgiving, fast paced, cynical city. will they cave to convention and marry the "right one" or go for it and marry the "crazy one"? *you* find out! :)

Private Parts (1997)

surprisingly solid bio-comedy

[8/10 · 14 July 2015]

there are many who will say "nay, nay" to sitting through a bio on shock jock (the original!) Stern...if said "demo" can contain their revulsion to bathroom humour on steroids, they will enjoy this movie. they will find a fair amount of disgusting "private part" area humour and this actually gives the movie some credibility! it's a little twisted...but sit back and enjoy an excellent job of acting by.....believe it or not , Howard and by actor Paul Giamiti (now, of course, being lauded for an amazing job as Brian Wilson's Doctor/Caregiver in "Love and Mercy".

all Stern's on main air crew are featured..and not just in cameos..they have a lot of scenes! yes, finally a show biz biopic we can sit thru! I want to add that the timeline is handled beautifully, and the cinematography is wonderful. the run down, radio station shacks he suffered in...to the big time NY fully-fitted studios.

Love & Mercy (2014)

rock bio can't get much better...

[9/10 · 12 July 2015]

most rock biopics are ...pretty lame, wouldn't you say? terrible timeline, no analysis of the music > although I gotta say, other than the flashbacks, I had no idea what year or years we were in...and Cusack's "older" appearance did not help, all due respect to a fabulous actor.

another small "downer" 4 me: once again, we get a gender-adjusted screenplay, where the smart and sexy, 35-ish, woman scorned, "nurses", lifts, or restores the manchild , here genius Brian Wilson.

wonderful performance by the actor who played the semi-quack Doctor-Mentor...funny that I left the theatre not *hating* him. where were the Brothers? why did they apparently leave it all to him? with all their experience in sex, drugs, and rock and roll, why trust ANYONE who is allowed to "medicate" someone? I was reminded of Dr. Nick, Presley's doctor. anyone watch HIS *ss? the Wilson Doctor said he did manage to get a 300 pound mess of a man out of bed and down to a healthy weight. that was far from enough, of course. but it was something. And Wilson was a "druggie" long before this dude showed up. no excuses for his immoral over-reach ...not gonna play spoiler here but watch for the near-ending when his "evolved" relationship w Brian, became a purely financial one.

see this movie.

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963)

Burnette steals the show!

[8/10 · 14 June 2015]

funny, intelligent "black comedy" has Dino as a totally frustrated soap opera star > he plays a Doctor who , like Ben Casey at the time, had millions of fans trying to contact, should I say "connect", with him, because his portrayal of the learned, caring specialist is so convincing. his big problem is that the wives of his buddies also clamor for him, at the most inopportune times.

all the actors do just fine, esp., as I wrote above, Carol Burnett. she burns thru each scene and lifts the fairly hum drum plot line.

movie runs a tad long and gets a bit frantic at the end, but this is total entertainment.

interesting to note that just after this "sleeper" (sorry) all the leads got a TV show of their OWN!

Flashdance (1983)

Kind of "Made For TV" budget "Fame"...'80s nostalgia!

[31 May 2015]

Jennifer Beals kicks up her heals high, or as high as possible, in this slice of life from 1980s Manhattan, and the blue collar dreamers, incl., comfortable construction workers (Beal) who struggle to make in on Broadway.

She jumps into the sack on the first (Or second, I don't remember) date, with her Boss, who is about 14 years older than she. Sexy scene. I am assuming she was playing an 18 year old character (she looks about 16) because she works on a construction site.

Making great money, in a "non traditional job" (expression then for women working in a profession dominated by men), will not satisfy her soul! Her boss/lover/svengali has connections. Will he use them to help her? See the movie.

And enjoy esp. the performances of Ron Karabatsos, a Union City Policeman, turned actor, here as a Club owner; and Phil Bruns, of the old Jackie Gleason Show (American Scene Magazine) and too many movies and sitcoms, to list here. Note a short cameo by Anne Meara, wife of Seinfeld actor, Jerry Stiller.

THis movie made we wanna break out my VHS tapes of MTV!

Fame (1980)

"Girl version" of Rocky?

[8/10 · 26 May 2015]

Think of this as a very entertaining period piece and in the tradition of Rocky I, Saturday Nite Fever, Chorus Line, and...probably 7-8 I can't recall right now. It's got a real zest to it, enthused performances, compared to DANCING WITH THE STARS winners, decent dancing, and a fabulous soundtrack.

Speaking of the soundtrack, it's so cool that a '60s icon, Lesley Gore, along with her Brother, composed a true classic, in full modern style, "Out Here On My Own". (although, sad to realize that if Lesley had it out on a single/album, it might have had a cup of coffee on the Top 100, only).

Buy this DVD used or go to the Library. Or buy it "new".

I did see this flick in the movies!

Terrible Joe Moran (1984 TV Movie)

half Cagney better than most FULL actors, past or present

[8/10 · 24 April 2015]

a reviewer here says the producers had a chance to let the real Cagney voice come through > I hope he meant that SOME of JG's warbling penetrated! geeesh!! another reason for my less than "10" review is that no one apparently thought enough to write in some funny business between Cagney and Carney > something! even if Art did his hesitation bit (signing a document, you remember).

having said all that > we have a fine film here, especially a Made-For-TV movie, back in the days when a good one was not really expected! a good script really counts, as two loners - estranged relatives who battle (one in the ring) and one (with herself and psychologically with her erratic boyfriend)distant - find that two are better than "one!! great location shooting adds to the interest and enjoyment.

This Is Elvis (1981)

for the time, just fine

[7/10 · 3 April 2015]

the theatre and home video versions both have great, clean and clear cuts, and even today with the wonders of youtube (showing all kinds of stuff which shoulda coulda), they are awesome.

what makes me deliver a 7 and not 9 or 10, is the embarrassing "recreations" of fans in an Elvis fervor, and the ridiculous "from the grave" nonsense. plus all the bad singing imitations. bad.

I saw the movie in New York, in 1981, bought the BETAMAX tape, and then the extended version. I know this movie. Could have easily been great...in some ways, just another Elvis film just a tweak or two away from true greatness! :)

The Out of Towners (1970)

wild taxi ride veering from hilarious to humourless

[6/10 · 3 April 2015]

Jack Lemmon rescues this good comedy which shoulda been great > there are as many believable and funny scenes as there are unbelievable and just plain dumb scenes which should have hit the cutting room floor.

as a NJ-NYer from 1951 to 2009, I loved the location shots of New York in 1970 and the Director and EDitor know just how much time to spend on these classic backdrops.

of course, movie comedy is about exaggeration and we can go down of a list of "in reality, they could have easily....". but it's Neil Simon, probably the first American playwright who writes mostly based upon his own New York experiences and knows how to tickle the funnybone especially, of middle class easterners, earnest but constantly being kicked around; not as street savvy as they think they are.

I wrote above that Lemmon saves the project, as professional as it is, because, frankly, Sandy Dennis is uncharacteristically awful. And it's not her fault, I surmise > seems the Director does not know if she should just use her beautiful "English accent", throughout, or mix in some real Brooklynese. On the other hand, perhaps his concept of Mrs. Kellerman, is a kind of naïve, flaky kid, like Edith Bunker > always adoring - restrained but still capable of breaking out in a lecture, if needed.

another reason I chose a "6" rating is in the terrible denouement and finale scene. to use a contemporary expression to describe an old movie directorial/literary choice, "what were they thinking?".

good to see Meara and Billy Dee Williams, in early roles. (and all those 8 cylinder sedans!).

Walk the Line (2005)

superior bio-pic. > minor complaints

[9/10 · 29 March 2015]

Cash, a true Sun Records Legend, and the only one to have a decent, I mean great, film made about him. forget about the Jerry Lee and Elvis movies, entertaining but generally useless. Phoenix here gets into the *Soul* of Cash, even gets to "channel" him vocally...not bad RP! Reese Witherspoon is absolutely fantastic, what an actress and what a portrayal. my "complaint" is that she apparently was made into a proto feminist and not the person absolutely enchanted by, and ready to marry JC at the drop of a guitar pick.

nutha small issue or two: movie runs 10-12 minutes too long. and this Reviewer does not think that June was a solo on Johnny's show for years but a member of the touring Carter Family which INCLUDED Johnny Cash! back to the good stuff: script, direction, acting, editing, cinematography > and now viewers can get a much better perspective on those many, many youtube clips!

Hollywoodland (2006)

best movie of 2006?

[9/10 · 16 March 2015]

slightly overlong but compelling drama based upon a true story.

the obvious "companion" would be Stone's JFK > about an earnest, honest public servant who "knows" the facts and has developed a very credible explanation of a murder..but who cannot get his explanation beyond a headline or two. powers that be will let the scenario ride..unless it gets...too "close".

the story really is more about a private detective who gets obsessed with getting to the truth of the George reeves reported suicide. he goes full throttle at the case, leaving behind another client and his family.

beautiful, tasteful period cinematography, meticulously detailed attire, vehicles, music of 1959.

we get a real drama here plus a credible summation of an event which has pervaded our consciousness for decades.

minor demerits for length of movie and for the character of the investigator's girlfriend. her acting is fine but the character seems placed in the storyline to lend sympathy to the victimized wife. as if to say, he's wildly "rogue"...ultimately irresponsible.

see this movie!

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)

way over the top comedy succeeds on acting, writing.

[8/10 · 15 March 2015]

as relatable as this 2007 film is to "today", it does have a few issues in...what?...believability? would a raging heterosexual assume the role of "gay partner" to help out his buddy in his goal of assuring that if he passes (he and Adam are firefighters) his children will have a good parent, in Adam? (James lost his screen wife recently and he is preoccupied with her memory and the reality that he could die at work).

there's some discomfort with the handling of the subject of "gay marriage" as a ton of clichés do get thru in the wild horseplay. but the script is brilliant, and so is the acting and comedy editing.

I see Sandler here, as a combo of Jerry Lewis, Al Pacino, and ...Adam Sandler. Look, he's no "deep" artist...but he is great at what he does. Buy this comedy!

Billy Madison (1995)

can movie making getting any worse?

[2/10 · 1 February 2015]

Adam Sandler does a great Jerry Lewis..but in a 2 hr framework, not a 5 minute Saturday night live sketch, we sit befuddled by the bizarre, unprincipled shenanigans: Jerry himself could get draggy and self indulgent but he had the heart and you knew something hilarious and brilliant was just around the corner. Sandler shows nothing here but schizoid silliness. He gets in people's faces, says something stupid, and we are supposed to be enchanted.

the story, though, is okay...we know where it's going but the idea of a ridiculously rich kid on the brink of increasing his wealth as inheritor of a huge hotel chain, first going back to school, not college, but kindergarten, is pretty funny. But his childlike behavior amongst the toddlers is hard to deal with > is he really an overgrown child or is there "something wrong" someplace.

seems the suits just wanted another FRi. night flick slob story...they had a chance to make a pretty dam good movie....why not have the guy confidently go back to grammar school but find that the world has changed...man, school is *hard*! these kids are pretty sharp! this was made just before PCs took over for the teacher but a lot more could have been done with a "generation gap" developed over 7 years, or so? another very disturbing aspect is that so many child actors are used in this hyper-sexual enterprise.

Animal Crackers (1930)

some classic material but padded out with draggy, humorless nonsense

[6/10 · 28 January 2015]

I saw the re-opening in New York, in 1974, and was quite disappointed > after the first half hour, which contains some of the funniest stuff ever filmed for a feature > and a brilliant production number with a young Julius Marx kicking up his heels on HOORAY FOR CAPTAIN SPALDING > we sit slack jawed by long stretches which perhaps garnered a few guffaws at the Broadway opening > in a theatre, where formality is the key and adherence to the book is essential, Groucho's ad-libs must have been a hoot, offhand or not! But for an early "talkie", "left handed moths" and "hungerdungers" just won't fly.

If a new fan wants to watch the best of Paramount Marx (they shifted to MGM and made "sensible" movies), they should look for DUCK SOUP, THE COCOANUTS, and HORSE FEATHERS. Along with MONKEY BUSINESS, CRACKERS simply does not stay fresh.

Grown Ups 2 (2013)

review of what? there's no plot!

[5/10 · 28 January 2015]

Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade....that's about it and some of the craziest sight gags since The Three Stooges. All three are funny here and that's a reason to watch this movie (although after one hour, I freaked out).

It's something about a tightknit community which seems to produce high school graduates who desire to expand their horizons....not much further than their high school. They are in a state of prepetual reflection > back to particularly unremarkable scenes of teenhood in a very boring town. Sandler runs into an old school nemesis, while he's screwing around at the K-Mart. Somehow the schoolyard bully found out that Adam was saying bad things about him. This becomes a major plot point. (words gets around in that 4-block radius).

I'm sure the above three..took the big money and ran. I got my money's worth...watching an hour of it on cable.

Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)

Curtis-Lemon-Monroe would have sold it...recall?

[6/10 · 26 January 2015]

let me say at the outset: Dean (DINO) Martin fans will love it...DEan gets off a surprisingly nuanced and often very funny self-parody!

he has a great line when an unsuccessful songwriting team fling their best tune at him > he has been forced by a detour into a small town, where he has been manipulated to stay the night: "just what I need...another Italian love song!".

problem is that his self parody has a seriously "dark" side > he is not the wine-women-song man but a leering letch, anxious to jump on Ray Walston's wife (actually KIm Novak, the small town hottest barmaid, playing proxy - SEE THE MOVIE). what was needed was a lot of great one liners and ad-libs (it's been said Wilder was against that).

I did not particularly enjoy Walston's performance...and the black and white lighting gives him a crazed, sinister look, at times.

Felicia Farr does very well but the constraints of the storyline call for her to physically resemble her overnite replacement...it gets just a little weird.

and so...here it comes...shoulda been Curtis as the Top 40 phenom, Lemmon as the totally paranoid, jealous hubby and Monroe as the outrageously sexy lust interest. okay, that means this film should have been made in 1960-61.

some viewers may find some of the sexual stuff very disturbing..young viewers today, used to the oversexed sitcom, may find it amusing. at the time, it was considered a rather immoral exercise.

Plaza Suite (1971)

one draft short of a real play

[5/10 · 26 January 2015]

even Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows with Gale Storm in 1956...could not make this a first-class play > yes, there are 4-5 hilarious one liners and some pretty funny slapstick but what's the fuss about? on 2nd thought, we can look at this 3 act play as a Matthau tour de force...although the flat, tired, dragged out proceedings make it at the level of a watchable 1971 TV movie. and the names Eisler and HUbley, while seeking to betray the dignified upper ten really are about very nervous blue collar folks, wondering if the expensive wedding may turn into a very expensive lunch, only > will the pampered 21 year old, having 2nd thoughts cowering in a upscale powder room, emerge before the next party arrives? many opportunities to really sell a scene are ruined by offhand gibberish - again, suggesting that the author compulsively threw this thing together...on a limo ride to a wedding.

Malice in the Palace (1949)

a Shemp-Stooge classic

[7/10 · 12 January 2015]

this one hangs together pretty good, less emphasis on sadistic violence.

another terrific mix of slapstick and anachronism, as the boys find themselves in the land of the Casbah...and the worst restaurant on the planet...cuisine straight out of Times Square, New York! And Vernon DEnt gets another chance to do his thing with his usual adversaries.

however...any viewing of this above-average short is marred by the knowledge that Brother Curly was intended to have a small part, as a Chef, who leaves his kitchen....to go out to lunch! that is apparently why Larry takes on the role of culinary artist! proof of Curly's 2nd cameo? well...we see him in the Lobby Card for the flick and in a script fragment found in a STOOGES JOURNAL, NUMBER 6! interesting that the film was completed in mid-1948 but released late in 1949!

let's hope this deleted footage turns up!