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Reviews
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
Entertaining
"The Thomas Crown Affair" is one of the few remakes that I like better than the original. It was quite entertaining, to say the least, and the music, oh, Bill Conti's fabulous piano music is wonderful. Complete with an overall tone that is quite lighthearted and fun little plot twists, "The Thomas Crown Affair" beats the original one because it doesn't take itself nearly as seriously as that one did, and because it's still relatively new, can't be labeled as horribly dated. One treat about this, along with this film having money sprinkled all over it like sand on a beach, was that the actors had actually been through puberty already. They were actually over forty and not playing a mother or father. Granted at times the situations were totally unrealistic and in there just... to be there (i.e. Rene Russo's dancing bit in the suggestive dress in a party she wasn't even invited to), the movie doesn't go too tacky or insult us on things that are vital to the plot's structure. A fun movie, especially if you're in the mood for entertainment and will allow for minor gaps.
Casino Royale (1967)
Quite Enjoyable
I have to wonder if there is something wrong with me for the fact that I was able to comprehend the movie, the first time I saw it, since it's such a "mess". I also have to wonder about that for the fact that I liked it so much.
That out of the way, I enjoyed "Casino Royale" quite a bit. Its overall surreal, off-the-wall, and goofy feeling contributes to that enjoyment, as well as Burt Bacharach's wonderful music. Peter Sellers was wonderful as usual. That not everything was spelled out was a treat, as well as the enormous budget that this had.
For people who expect for a direct James Bond parody won't be satisfied. It's not that. Someone complained that there are no dancing women and no bloody eye at the beginning. Boo hoo. Another reason why this movie worked for me is because I am not in love with Bond films. Someone else also told me (who shares my opinion of this movie) to see the movie as a collection of episodes that are linked, each episode assigned to a different director who has a different style of directing but yet the same cast to work with.
Sit back and relax. Enjoy it just for its off-the-wall feeling.
Why Me? (1990)
Quite enjoyable
"Why Me?" isn't a monumental achievement in film history, but its sure worth the rental. Like "The Drew Carey Show", it provides a lot of jokes from insults. Well, this derives a lot of them from the wonderfully bitter J.T. Walsh, who is great in this movie, as he is in most of his. He curses endly. In one scene, his assistant tells him to watch his language in his statement, that it might be on the six o'clock news, to which he replies "I don't give a f--k if they put it on the sides of milk cartons". Because of the fact that it doesn't carry a lot of weight, it works well as a lighthearted piece, accompanied by the bouncy-friendly score in it. Lambert is also a joy. A friend called it a "sweet" film, and it is. The bad people aren't really that bad. Quite goofy fun. Rent it if you get the chance.
All About Eve (1950)
All About a Masterpiece
"All About Eve" is nothing short of brilliant... a total masterpiece. The script is wonderfully flawless, the acting outstandingly entertaining, and the music is remarkable. One of two movies to get 14 Academy Award nominations (the other being "Titanic", 1997, except one is a good movie and the other is just about a large inconvenience for two teenagers). The whole movie has bite. As Maltin said, it has a "heaven-sent" script. It deserved its Best Picture Oscar, although it should have switched places on AFI's 100 list with the lesser "Sunset Boulevard" ("All About Eve" made 16; "Sunset Boulevard" made 12). Some parts, I must say, are out loud laughs, especially the "That's not a waiter- that's a butler" bit, and all of George Sanders' opening commentary. Also, at two hours and twenty minutes the film never seems long. Not one scene is unneeded. The music is excellent, first-rate, sweeping. It's large when it needs to be, somewhat sad when it needs to be (like a little reminder poking you), and perfect all the time. Glad it too won the Oscar. Timeless should be a word applied to this. As Celeste Holm's Karen said in it, "Don't run out of adjectives, dear." You needn't worry. The surprising element is, is that I have seen it quite a few times and haven't gotten tired of it yet. I hope I NEVER get tired of it. Watch it by yourself, alone, and you'll be surprised at all of the jabbing and witty comments you find.