Helpfan65 Reviews

Georgia Rule (2007)

Fonda was good, everyone else sucked

[2/10 · 12 February 2024]

Only Garry Marshall seems to think human trafficking ( formerly known as prostitution) and sexual abuse are great topics for comedy movies. Lohan's character was a total obnoxious skank- was the audience supposed to her sympathetic? Giving that poor guy a blow job was akin to a porn movie. The only character who had any redeeming qualities was Jane Fonda's grandmother. And frankly, why was Felicity Huffman's character such a mess with Jane Fonda as a mother? And what happened to the first husband/father? If it hadn't been for Jane I would've turned this movie off. And do we really expect Lindsay Lohan to marry a Mormon when he finishes his mission? Stupid movie.

Middle of the Night (1959)

And they lived unhappily ever after

[3/10 · 12 December 2023]

The overall theme of this movie is loneliness, despair, fear. Back in the day when a man in his 50s was considered Methuselah, Frederick March is 50 something man desperate for female companionship. He becomes interested in Kim Novak who is emotionally immature, insecure, and incapable of figuring out what she wants out of life. One minute she says she loves him, the next she's telling her best friend she doesn't think she can go through with the marriage. When her ex husband shows up she goes ahead and sleeps with him, even though she knows all he wants from her is sex and she tells him she needs more out of a marriage. Meanwhile March becomes paranoid, jealous, constantly accusing Novak of eyeing younger men. The thing is none of this emotional baggage between the two of them gets resolved, so by the end of the movie when they reunite out of desperation, you know the same accusations and insults will continue. I don't see this couple being happy at all, and frankly I was hoping the movie would end with them both realizing it's not going to work.

The Man I Love (1946)

Ida should've ended up with Robert Alda

[7/10 · 5 August 2023]

This plot was all over the place. Three sisters, a brother, and the couple next door with twins for Pete's sake. I thought this movie was strictly going to be a love story between Ida Lupino and Rober Alda, but no, it was about the whole menagerie, and finally Bruce Benett. Frankly, Lupino and Alda had more chemistry and I kept hoping he'd have a change of heart and end up with Lupino, but no. Oh wells, it was still pretty entertaining. I kept watching just to see how it would end up because there were so many characters. I liked Bruce in Mildred Pierce, and was glad he reunited with Joan in that movie, but I thought he had zero chemistry with Ida Lupino.

Journey for Margaret (1942)

I Thought Kids In Those Days Were Brought Up With Manners

[1/10 · 16 December 2022]

I'm always hearing Baby boomers grouse about today's kids, how they're spoiled, entitled, etc., with the most common complaint being how rude they are and their lack of manners. Well the two kids in this 1942 film were just about the rudest kids I've seen in a movie. I felt so sorry for the old couple who wanted to take them in and bought them those nice toys. Margaret OBrien and the other boy just turned their noses up at them and were down right rude. And Robert Young was worthy of any modern parent and did nothing to correct their manners. Maybe today's kids are really no different after all.

Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

James Stewart Section Was Horrible

[3/10 · 13 October 2022]

Was Ford on drugs when he thought that scene with Jimmy Stewart added value to the movie? When I saw he was cast as Wyatt Earp, I was curious because Henry Fonda was outstanding in that role in My Darlin Clementine and I thought Ford would channel that vibe. Basically I was expecting Anthony Mann version of Stewart, that tough, abrasive gritty personal he carried off so well. I guess Ford doesn't see Stewart like that, instead we get that folksy, aw shucks act, which we saw in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. A persona I hate in Stewart by the way. The scene was horrible, pointless and insulting to the actual theme of the movie.

I have other comments about the film, but I'm just focusing on what I hated the most about it.

Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

Lea Thompson is Sex?

[2/10 · 28 May 2022]

Who wrote this screenplay? What daughter says this at the breakfast table in front of her parents? And infers her brother will never screw Lea? But my big problem is the casting. I don't think Lea Thompson is anything special, she's actually insipid looking so it's hard to take the movie seriously when everyone goes on about how fantastic she is. Eric Stolz is hotter even. Now if they had cast Phoebe Cates or Mia Sara, then I could buy the plot.

On Golden Pond (1981)

Fonda was great, but I wish he made it Bette

[8/10 · 28 March 2022]

Given that Bette Davis and Henry Fonda were terrific in Jezebel, I wish he could've made this film with her. Frankly she would've been terrific as Ethel. I'm a Davis fan and it's too bad that Katherine Hepburn seems to get all the accolades. But this was a nice film, I enjoyed it.

The Fountainhead (1949)

Give Me John Doe and Mr Deeds Anytime

[1/10 · 31 January 2022]

Ok, those Capra movies some what corny, but at least the values they speak to are decent and good . And the dialogue is down to earth and reflects how people spoke in everyday language. The Fountainhead in contrast is diametrically opposite of the values of those movies. Also the script is a ponderous load off pretentious verbage that Ayn Rand seemed to think appropriate for the "individual " , and who cares what the collective group understands because they are a bunch of ignorant schnooks. Who the hell acts like these characters in real life unless they are sociopaths? Pretentious, narcissistic crap. I can't believe Jack Warner thought this would make money for the studio.

Baptiste (2019–2021)

8 Episodes for a single Who Done It?

[1/10 · 17 November 2021]

This story could be told in 2 parts, maybe 3. Instead it drags on and on like a bad soap opera. And the English mother gets a F in motherhood and brains. 3 times she lets the perpetrators escape! 3 times, really??

Giant (1956)

Rock and Liz's Best Roles Ever

[10/10 · 18 September 2021]

Rock Hudson truly earned his Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the Texas patriarch Bick Benedict. And Elizabeth Taylor is so believable as the compassionate, level headed wife who refuses to be dominated by Rock's chauvinistic Texas attitude. She made such an impression on me in this role the first time I saw this movie, I thought she was like that in real life. George Stevens did a good job with the both of them. I think this is a great movie, it's the saga of a family and the personal growth of the two parents as they raise their family. The fact that a movie made in the 50s deals with the racIsm against Mexicans is remarkable. James Dean was great too!

When Ladies Meet (1941)

Joan at her most fake and contrived

[1/10 · 31 July 2021]

Don't get me wrong, when Joan Crawford drops the artifice, she' s good. Strange Cargo is probably her best film IMO. But I couldn't stand watching her in this frothy piece with her fake upperclass accent and this contrived script. She had zero chemistry with Robert Taylor. And I couldn't help but wonder what Bette Davis's frequent co-star Herbert Marshall thought of Joan. The only time the screen lit up was when Greer Garson appeared. Of course given the Hayes code you know how the movie will end. A dud of a movie on just about every level.

Atlantic Crossing (2020)

8 Hours, Really?

[1/10 · 26 May 2021]

I can't believe they stretched this storyline into an eight episode series. This should've been 4 hours at the very maximum ( and I'm being generous here). For eight hours we should've got more side plots about the other characters And what did we get? Bogus scenes every episode with Olaf getting drunk in the pub, nauseating scenes with Martha and Franklin canoodling in his car. Jeepers creepers I was watching this thinking "Can FDR just kick it so we can get to the end of this ".

Coming 2 America (2021)

WTH Happened to Lisa's Character?

[2/10 · 10 March 2021]

Ok this movie sucks for various reasons already mentioned by other reviewers, but my biggest complaint is what they did with the Lisa McDowell character. In the original movie she was bright, intelligent, lovely, and upbeat. Of course Akeem fell for her and you got the feeling she was going to breath new life into Zamunda as his wife, i.e. no more of that rose petal crap etc..

But instead, in this movie Lisa does nothing but roam around the palace wearing her tiara 24/7 and looking down at everyone with a perpetual frown and haughty attitude. The fact that she only shows any happiness is when she gets plastered with the Leslie Jones character is pretty pathetic. This is the Lisa who made that speech about the children being the future causing Akeem to fall for her? The character has been turned into a complete mindless doormat.

The Terry Kath Experience (2016)

Much better than the More Than Ever Chicago doc

[8/10 · 7 January 2021]

Insightful film, very telling that Peter Cetera and James Guercio appeared in this film and not in the Chicago documentary Now More Than Ever

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

The Best Version was the 1980 version however this one was nice

[9/10 · 20 November 2020]

All the reviewers are going on about the 1995 version but I thought it was terrible. If you want a true interpretation of Pride and Prejudice check out the 1980 version with Elizabeth Garvey and David Rintoul. That version has both humor and charm which I found lacking in the 1995 edition. Having said that, this film reminds me of the 1940 version in the sense that it's an adaptation for it time i.e. 21st century audience. Yes it's a looser interpretation of Austen but I still enjoyed it. But Mary Boland from the 1940 movie is my favorite version of the mother

Sombrero (1953)

Basically Three Coins in a Fountain filmed in Beautiful Mexico

[10/10 · 17 August 2020]

Gave this a a 10 just because it was worth it to see how beautiful Mexico was. And let's face it, for Hollywood to film on location in Mexico the 50s is a rarity . The fact that Metro even bankrolled a movie set in Mexico is a wonder. Also this is probably the only film to my knowledge where Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban actually portrayed a Mexican instead of the what Hollywood considered the "acceptable" Latin lover, eg. an Argentinian polo player I.e. European.

Judy (II) (2019)

Can't believe she won the Oscar for this

[2/10 · 12 March 2020]

Her portrayal of Judy Garland was a cartoonish attempt, like those lame Bette Davis impersonations. And who said Zellweger could sing? This movie was all hype; but once one sits down to watch there is nothing! So many times I kept thinking "This is not Judy Garland". Can't believe Zellweger won best actress for this ridiculous impersonation

The Dollmaker (1984 TV Movie)

Jane's Best Work Ever

[9/10 · 31 January 2020]

So why does she make drek films like Book Club, This is Where I Leave You, and Monster In Law?

Anyway heart warming story, I wish Jane Fonda would forget about her beauty image and concentrate on roles with substance

Fort Apache (1948)

Did Not Like Fonda in Such an Unsympathetic Role

[3/10 · 4 January 2020]

It was difficult to watch this and see Fonda play such as jerk. Plus the plot was somewhat weak, Temple and Agar's was storyline was uninteresting to say the least and the usual antics of McLaglen were repetitive of so many of his movies. To be fair the Apache's were treated as victims of the white man, justified in their actions, and it was surprising to see Wayne as their advocate. However I did not like the ending, it came across as a cover up placing false glory on a treacherous act. But I guess that was Ford's message, the image of the military must be protected, and that did not sit well with me.

Crimes of the Heart (1986)

No Plot

[2/10 · 17 December 2019]

I'm a fan of all three of the actresses in this movie but I was hard pressed to keep watching this. There was no discernible plot that I could see except that each of these women was screwed up in her own way. I think whoever wrote the screenplay should've done a better job tying these characters and their issues together so it would come together. Mystic Pizza is a good example of bringing the story of three women together and coming up with a conclusion that makes for entertaining movie watching

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)

Who Approved that Inane Music Score?

[3/10 · 14 December 2019]

Peter was quite good as Chips, and I can see the value of changing the time period, but they should have kept it a straight drama, The songs were so lame, unmemorable and quite dumb. I couldn't imagine any private boy's school having such a corny school song as was written for the fictional school. And because the songs were insipid, the movie dragged , especially towards the end. Also, one of the plot points in the original movie dealt with Chip's former student grown and now a soldier in WWI, coming to Chips for help. That would've been more interesting to see in a WWII setting than Petula Clark singing yet again another mediocre song.

Audrey Hepburn would've been a perfect cast as Mrs. Chips, sweet, lovely, and full of charm.

King of Kings (1961)

Hunter gives a great portrayal of Jesus

[9/10 · 8 December 2019]

I gave this movie a high ranking for Jeffrey Hunter's rendition of Jesus. Contrary to what critics at the time said, I feel he gives a meaningful performance of Jesus. For me the the movie is flawed because of others have said the movie has too many sub plots going on, when the movies should be about Jesus. But I think Hunter got a bad rap from the critics; he was great

Made in Paris (I) (1966)

Recycled Script From the 30s

[1/10 · 26 October 2019]

This would've been a fun movie to watch if it had been made in MGMs glory days: Joan Crawford as the up and coming buyer trying to prove herself, Clark Cable as the department store heir, William Powell as the newspaper reporter, and of course Franchot Tone as the designer, Fun to watch in the 30s, but boring and stodgy for the 60s. This type of comedy had seen its day. Also, as other reviewers have mentioned; the sets were recycled , and the lighting might've worked for black and white or technicolor, but by the 60s a more realistic approach is warranted, the sets just look like a cheap set for a TV sitcom. And why put Ann Margaret in an those clothes that were suitable for old ladies? This was the height of the youth culture of the 60s and she's dressed in clothes fit for an old MGM matron. Helen Rose was no Givenchy that's for sure.

Cry Wolf (1947)

Flynn and Stanwyck: Who can resist?

[7/10 · 22 August 2019]

Barbara Stanwyck and Errol Flynn are two of the most dynamic screen personalities of their time, so I had to watch this one. And I wasn't disappointed, I was glued to the screen to see if Flynn was really up to no good. I found their chemistry intriguing to say the least. My only complaint about the film was the ending was too rushed. But all in all, I found this to be quite entertaining

The Aftermath (2019)

The Germans were the victims, who new?

[1/10 · 17 August 2019]

Sorry, but this was a total whitewash of what Germany allowed the Nazis to do. The scene where the Germans are protesting, WTH? They were silent while the Jews were being removed, but they have the courage to protest the British occupation? GMAFB. And the British are portrayed as the ugly enemy, occupying the home of an honorable, innocent, wealthy German whose family no doubt made money from the war. Only in today's rise of white nationalism would this movie get made. Fortunately the ending was redeeming