miles_to_go_before Reviews

The Deep Six (1958)

Fun to watch just to play guess the actor.

[3/10 · 29 May 2011]

This movie was really quite bad. No action, the conflicts were not well dramatized. Alan Ladd did not seem to be giving much of an effort here at all. He looked about 15 years older than his 45 years. However, there are a lot of famous actors in it and only fun part of this was in guessing their names. "Hey, that was Jerry(the beaver) Mathers!" From beginning to end this movie never really got off the ground. The pacing seemed very slow and if I'm not mistaken it was done with a small budget. At one point the destroyer they were on changed to an aircraft carrier during a Japanese strafing run. All the action scenes and scenes were rushed and seemed uninteresting. William Bendix was probably the best of the bunch at the time. The story lines of the side characters were never developed to a point where anyone could care about them.

Watch on the Rhine (1943)

I guess it's just me.

[7/10 · 17 January 2009]

Loved the movie. I even liked most of the actors in it. But, for me Ms. Davis' very poor attempt at an accent, and her stiff acting really makes an otherwise compelling movie very hard to watch. Seriously if any other modern actor played the same role with the same style as Ms. Davis they would be laughed off the screen.

I really think she 'phoned this one in'. Now if it had Myrna Loy or Ingrid Bergman playing the part of the wife I would have enjoyed it much more.

I guess I just don't 'get' Bette Davis. I've always thought of her as an actor that 'plays herself' no matter what role she's in. The possible exception is Now Voyager.

I'm sure many of the other reviewers will explain in careful (and I hope civil) detail how I am totally wrong on this. But, I'll continue to watch the movies she's in because I like the stories/writing/supporting casts, but, I'll always be thinking, of different actresses that could have done a better job.

Dads (1997 TV Movie)

Television Previews a marketing scam of some kind.

[1/10 · 2 July 2008]

I'm not sure where the Television Preview folks got this show. But, it was horrible. I went to the 'free preview' of it thinking 'scam' but, since I had nothing else to do that night I went to see what it was.

It is a marketing scam. My scamdar went off the scale as soon as they said "National TV" If it had been a real preview, they would have mentioned the network or the production company. At first they asked you to fill out your name and address in the product prize booklet. If you win they deliver to your door. Well, I wasn't fool enough to fill out my address. Then the show came on some disjointed POS called Soulmates. Then we filled out the survey after about 3 minutes into 'Dads' I realized the lead actress was the girl from Herman's Head and Ross' first wife from friends.Also in the cast was Rue Mclanahan. Both looked younger than when I saw them on their hit shows. The 'comedy Dad's really not funny. The marketers made the mistake of leaving a door open in the room and I bolted. Seems its a marketing scam for hair and toothbrush products. The shows themselves? Wow they were awful. Probably the worst two TV shows I've seen in a long time. And I've sat through "Full House".

On the Beach (1959)

Best saddest movie ever.

[10/10 · 28 February 2008]

This is probably one of my favourite movies. I've read recently that the author Neville Shutte was very unhappy with the fact that in the movie the two lead characters Dwight and Moira consummated their relationship. In the novel they did not. To me Both Kramer and Shutte are both correct. The movie would not have been nearly so powerful without that wonderful scene in the cabin with the tenor singing in the background. Dwight surrendering to Moira is sad. By giving in he is admitting that his wife is gone. His children are gone.

In the novel a consummation of their relationship can not possibly have had the same emotional effect. Therefore it is totally correct to have Dwight remain 'faithful' to his deceased wife.

An important movie for it's time. Wonderful novel, wonderful movie. Wonderful memories.

Julia (1968–1971)

Good Memories of this TV Show

[29 September 2007]

I understand all the 'ground breaking' that this show accomplished. For me it is a warm memory of a different albeit somewhat ironic nature. It is the first TV show I ever watched on our new first time ever colour TV set. This show was in colour and it blew us away. We were pretty much 'the first on our block' to get a colour TV. Man, life was a lot simpler then. I remember Julia and Lloyd Nolan but, have forgotten pretty much everything else about this show. But, at the time we loved it. Of course we also loved the smarties commercials too.

At the time we couldn't care less if the characters were black or white. As I think about it now though. That simple fact that a black woman was portrayed as a person. Not black not white. Was probably a very notable thing to do. Whenever I see Lloyd Nolan in an old TCB movie I always remember him as the doctor on the TV Show Julia.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Beautiful but useless

[4/10 · 9 April 2006]

I suppose this is what passes for epics these days. Perhaps I've grown too old and too cynical, but, I was never caught up by all the dramatic monologues that plague this film. Visually overwhelming just doesn't cut for me anymore. The story was common. Common as dirt. From the start you knew what was going to happen and how. Lucy cries when someone died yet you just wanted to pick her up and shake her for crying about 'death'. It seemed obvious to everyone that death in Narnia is not permanent and therefore not need be mourned. I kept waiting for the end.

This movie is not for anyone under 12 and not for anyone over 40. I hope others find it interesting.

S.

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