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Reviews
A Star Is Born (1954)
Too long... and Judy Garland's voice is beginning to grate
Recently my Wife and I (I'm 40 and she's 31) have been watching Classic movies in HD on Sky Movies. We've watched some really good films of late, and I was keen to watch a James Mason film. Coming from the same county as James Mason, and having already seen a selection of his movies I was looking forward to this film.
We watched what must have been the version where missing scenes were supplemented by publicity stills, and the original audio. After the first hour all was going well, and we both accepted the 50's plodding momentum of the film, but stuck with it. Not really commenting on the movie, we continued for another hour or so, until I said, "I've gotta take a break from this film"... my Wife said "me too, her voice is doing my head in"...
We are both educated adults, and understand the definition of a musical, but this film is just too long, and if I had to listen to Judy Garland sing again, I'd have thrown my drink into the surround sound to stop it once and for all.
It was a massive shame that we couldn't stick with it... but each to their own... if you love this film then that's great, but I'm afraid our fickle 2010 minds couldn't hang in there.
Bus Stop (1956)
Love in a mental hospital!!
I'm 36 years old, educated, living in the UK, and maybe I was missing something, but this film was just plain bizarre. OK I understand that as the years pass, fashions change, attitudes change, and some things that perhaps were funny fifty years ago, today are less so, but this film just doesn't make sense.
Bo is played as if he's fresh out of the mental hospital, and he appears to have forgotten to bring his medication with him. Cherie is seemingly equally stupid. I just find the whole film disturbing and uncomfortable to watch. I'm lead to believe that it is a comedy, but I didn't laugh once. It's not simply because of the age of the movie that I don't find it amusing. I love Laurel and Hardy movies, old Bilco shows, even I Love Lucy... but where is the humour in this film.
It is the first Marilyn Monroe film I've watched, and I was staggered by her acting skills. Yes I know the style of acting has changed over the years, but it just seems like a poor performance. She looks awful... was she constantly powdered with talc during the filming? she is so white! I know this is fiction, and of course it's not a documentary of everyday life in 1956, but surely even back then someone had acted like Bo... he would've been arrested (or repeatedly punched in the face by passing strangers).
This is probably the worst film I've seen in a long time. How anyone can rate this film over three stars is beyond me.
Anyway watch it for yourself, you may have to scoop out most of your brain with a spoon, or have very low expectations but you may enjoy it.
Supervolcano (2005)
Not bad for a BBC TV Movie
Not a bad story, very much along the lines of "The Day After Tomorrow" and considering it was financed by the BBC and some other European countries throwing in cash, the effects are pretty good. Having just watched it on BBC HD the quality of the picture is outstanding. Very strange though why the bulk of the actors are Canadian... perhaps US actors wanted too much money :-) who knows. Would guess it was shot in Canada for cheapness, with a few location shots of Yellowstone thrown in to add to the illusion. The Canadians did a good job playing Americans, and only let slip the odd "oot" sound for "out" :-) Good effort BBC.