k-boughton Reviews

Uptight (1968)

The stages of grief

[6/10 · 5 May 2021]

The film opening up with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr brings the viewer automatically into the pain that was felt during this time. The helplessness that was brought on by his assassination that lead to a much deeper need for black people to protect themselves from the white man and the policed who were out to get them. The pain that Tank health throughout the whole film was evident as he went through the stages of grief starting in the beginning when he was kicked out of the militia. The fact that Tank was so willing to not only turn in Johnny but also to place the blame on Clarence just shows how truly lost and broken he is. What is truly heartbreaking is the amount of people in the film who see the good in tank and cannot imagine being betrayed by him so much so that they would defend him to the point of lying for him to protect him from the the reality of what he had done. The stages of grief are felt throughout the film by many characters, they are all beyond what they can handle. Although Tank escapes death towards the of the film he is forced to live with his choices and his grief and his hatred for not only himself but what he did which may be an even greater punishment. One that he could not handle which is why he chose to end his life on his own terms, with the help of those who wanted him dead.

Easy Rider (1969)

An overall bad trip

[5/10 · 5 May 2021]

This film was a bad trip in every sense of the term. The film started out with the hippy lifestyle which although not accepted by a lot of America, was filled with peace and love to all. As the film continued so did the physical trip that Wyatt and Billy embarked on, as their trip continued away from the hippies the peace and love also went away slowly. The last decent person they encountered was George, the typical American man who was raised by strict parents and used alcohol to cope with the real world he was forced to be a part of. Georges character represented the transition from the happy part of the film to the negative half of the film. His death represented the fact that certain parts of America were not ready for the changes the late 1960's had brought to the country. After the murder of George the film was basically a drug trip almost trying to distract the viewer from what had happened. The drug trip even took the viewers along for the ride, we were able to see the actors act it out and hear the dialogue while experiencing the recklessness that the actors were experiencing in their minds. The deaths at the end although shocking were not completely unexpected, their trip had ended in the drug sense but also in their traveling, they had made it to New Orleans and their trip was over.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Genuine Love Throughout

[10/10 · 5 May 2021]

I have nothing but good things to say about this film although it was probably not an accurate representation of life during this time it portrayed something that should be accepted by all. This film was filled with love from every member of John and Joey's family. Although there were members of their families that may not have been too supportive but it was never due to racism, it was due to the fear of what John and Joey would go through because of racist individuals they may come across. The parents were my favorite parts of the film. The love that the parents had for their child showed immensely throughout the film, there was no judgement of their child's choices. There was actually the opposite, the parents had respect for their choices and were proud of the individuals they raised. Although there were negative people in the film such as Tillie and Hilary, they represented two different ends of the spectrum. Tillie, a black woman, represented the reaction of a black person who may not feel as though an interracial marriage could happen and was judgmental of the idea of a black man marrying into a wealthy white family and getting the same respect that she would give the white people she worked for. Where as Hilary represented the racism that was occurring at that time. Hilary never accepted the possibility that the interracial couple could be accepted, her only explanation for what was going on was that something was wrong with Joey and that she was in danger. Joey's mother not only shot down the idea that there was something wrong with her daughter but also removed Hilary from the families life which also removed the racism from the film. Although this may not be an accurate representation of what many happen in this time I found it to be refreshing to have a black man portrayed as a doctor rather than someone who cleans for a white person and to have white people look at a black man as an equal and eventually as part of their family.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Loving yet Toxic?

[4/10 · 5 May 2021]

One would think that this would be an easy film to follow considering this film only had 4 characters, but the unstable personalities and the "games" that George and Martha play throughout make the film incredibly hard to understand. There was no clarity from the truth or lies the characters told, until the end where some of the lies were revealed to be a part of a game or alternate reality they created within their marriage. The only thing I could interpret was the toxic love that George and Martha shared for one another, as well as their need to bring others down to their level. Although, I use the word love genuinely unsure of if they actually had any love for one another or just a mutual love of bringing emotional pain to others. They were both horrifyingly unstable and forced others to endure their insanity, making the couple with them believe they were opening up and just an older couple who truly couldn't stand each other. This made those around them open up in ways they never would have, giving George and Martha the negative insight into Nick and Honey's marriage. They fed off of each others and outsiders fear and pain in a way that was almost sadistic because it was clear they did it to bring themselves enjoyment because they may not get it from their own lives. This film felt so toxic and like you were being forced to watch a couple fight for 2 hours, it was incredibly uncomfortable to watch.

Psycho (1960)

A timeless horror classic

[10/10 · 20 April 2021]

Psycho is a horror film that defined the genre and to this day is a film that stands the test of time. Norman Bates is a character that is originally shown as a good man who cares for his mother and to the outside world that's all he was. Although deep down he was mentally ill and had brutally murdered multiple people and kept the body of his mother in his basement, taking on her identity as part of his mental illness. On the other hand when the viewer meets Marion Crane she is seen as a woman in a hotel room with a man and stealing money from her boss. The viewer sees her as the criminal but really she was a good person who made a mistake that she was prepared to make right. Psycho does a great job at examining the human psyche while giving the viewer a look into the the thoughts of the main characters and to see the world through their eyes for a moment.

Psycho is a movie unlike any other and I think something that I appreciate is although this film is a horror film also brought mental illness to mainstream media by explaining why he did the things he did at the end of the film.

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Looking Beneath the Surface.

[10/10 · 20 April 2021]

Everything about this movie from start to finish is beautifully done and a movie that is one that will stand up in any generation. I truly do not have one negative thing to say about this film. The use of Lina Lamont to show the negatives of Hollywood, between her diva attitude and the belief that because they are famous anyone and everything belongs to them. The use of Kathy Selden to show the innocence in Hollywood, she was the want to be actress who sees the good in everyone and has a love for the art before knowing the darkness behind the work. Lastly Don Lockwood, he and his friend Cosmo Brown are the good within the industry. Beneath the amazing singing and fantastic choreography is a main message which is not to believe everything you see. Everyone was fooled by Don and Lina's on screen chemistry and by Kathy doing voice overs for Lina. Overall this film was outstanding and a beautiful example of what a musical should be.

A Star Is Born (1954)

A love story in every way

[9/10 · 19 April 2021]

A Star is Born is an absolutely fantastic film that portrayed the many faces of love. Of course the love that stands out is that of Ester/Vicki and Norman but there are many different loves within their relationship. There is Vicki's love for her career, Norman's love of alcohol and attention. Also of course there is the immediate infatuation they have with one another that one could only explain as love at first sight, but the love that stands out the most is the unconditional love they have for one another. Vicki knew Norman deeper than anyone else, she was able to see through the drinking and the public embarrassment because she truly loved him for the person he was. Norman loved Vicki the same but where he was different was that he longed for his first love which was his career, when he lost that the love for alcohol grew stronger but never stronger than his love for Vicki. In the end they both did what their love was telling them to do. Vicki was going to quit acting to be there for Norman and to bring back the man that he was not just a shell of. Norman on the other hand was willing to give up everything for Vicki to be happy, he in his lowest moments of his life felt that the only way for him to insure her happiness was for him to be gone from her life permanently. In the end they both made sacrifices for love, although it may seem that Norman paid the ultimate price it was really Vicki who did. Without him she was broken emotionally, the only way in which she could recover was to reintroduce herself as Mrs. Norman Maine and with that for the first time in a long time people had respect for his name again which is all they both wanted.

Saboteur (1942)

Finding innocence in strange places

[7/10 · 31 March 2021]

The opening the film is all the viewer needs to see to get hooked on this wonderfully done film. Barry Kane's journey to prove his innocence and lead the police to Fry introduces him to many characters. Along his journey Kane is helped by a truck driver, a blind man with his niece and members of a traveling circus. The people who Barry met were vary much outcasts in society, other than Pat Martin, the blind man (Philip's) niece. All of the people he met that are considered outcasts were quick to believe Barry and not only trust him but help him avoid police. I feel a huge message in this film is not to place judgement so quickly. When Pat, a model and very much the opposite of an outcast, met Barry and saw his handcuffs she immediately passed judgement on him and was ready to hand him over to the police. Pat saw only what was superficial much like her modeling career. Before Barry was proved to be innocent by the police he was considered innocent by the truly good people who met him, his who journey proved his innocence. The ones who trusted Barry saw who he was on the inside rather than what was immediately in front of them. This could be due to the fact that they are constantly judged due to their appearance, job or disability. The film ending proved that Barry was a truly good person through the end when he tried to save Fry even though he was the saboteur who caused everything bad that had happened to Barry and killed his friend.

The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

Suspenseful but Lacking.

[4/10 · 31 March 2021]

The element of suspense is truly what carried this moving, although I feel as though the first few minutes of the film were the most promising parts of it. What this film lacked was the element of surprise at the end which is found in most Noir films when the killer is typically revealed. The viewer of course knows in the beginning who the killer is and the only element that carried the suspense to the end of the film was if the two fishermen would survive the remainder of the film. Although the friendship between Roy and Gilbert was story and it was clear that as long as they remained together they would survive the film. I found the addition of Spanish throughout the film to be helpful in building the suspense because without subtitles it was unclear what was being said at times.

Mildred Pierce (1945)

Too much of a good thing

[10/10 · 31 March 2021]

Before I go into my review I have to compliment Joan Crawford in this film is outstanding and quite honestly one of the most believable acting performances I have ever seen in a film from this time.

Mildred Pierce was a woman who's children always came first, before herself and her marriage. All she ever wanted was for her children to be happy and have everything they could have ever wanted. Mildred only identified as a mother, even when Kay died the one thing Mildred took from her death was that Kays last word was calling out for her mother. She knew that she did her job when it came to Kay. Although the amount that Mildred provided to Veda destroyed her, Veda was a monster fueled by the money her mother gave her. Veda was the perfect example of too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Veda was given everything she wanted because all her mother wanted was her to be happy, but in return she stole her mothers husband, betrayed her mother and verbally abused her throughout the film. Veda was selfish and spoiled, in the end she killed Monte because for the first time in her life she did not get what she wanted. Although Mildred was heart broken, there was nothing that Veda could do to make Mildred turn against her, no matter what all Mildred wanted was to be a good mother with happy children.

Casablanca (1942)

From Selfish to Selfless.

[7/10 · 31 March 2021]

Casablanca is an incredible film, the lighting, script, acting everything together just made this movie a classic like no other. What stood out the most to me was the use of music in this film. Sams voice of course was a highlight for me, his performances set this film above others in this time. Especially the use of the song "as time goes by" the song is so prominent in the film and there are so many different emotions that accompany it throughout the film. The song showed the evolution of Sam and Ilsa's relationship, there were the moments were the song was filled with anger and what was lost and the moments of them in love and finding each other again. With the movie being so fast pace there are a lot of moments that can be missed or misunderstood but the feelings the actors portrayed when "as time goes by" played made the feelings in those moments easy to comprehend. Also Rick of course was a stand out character and evolved greatly throughout the film. Rick was one person to Ilsa and one person to everyone else who knew him at the Cafe. After Rick lost Ilsa he became selfish and full of anger, but as the film went on he stripped away his hard exterior and ultimately gave up everything he ever wanted so Ilsa could have the life he knew she deserved. Ricks selflessness at the end of the film showed just how strong his love for Ilsa was, he chose her happiness over his.

Wuthering Heights (1939)

A beautifully toxic love story

[10/10 · 11 March 2021]

This film was an absolutely beautiful love story while being filled with tragedy and heart break. Both Cathy and Heathcliff were enamored with emotional trauma throughout their lives. It is obvious to the viewer that the only thing that will heal Heathcliff's pain is a life with Cathy. Although Cathy needed more than just love. Cathy was so fixated on money and living a wealthy life of comfort, Heathcliff would never be enough for her just the way he was. She went as far as to send him away to find wealth and come back to her, but Cathy could not wait for Heathcliff. The life Cathy dreamed of was not one of love, it was one filled with wealth, but even when she had the money she was still unhappy. Cathy was selfish and did everything within her power to ensure that Heathcliff did not have a happy life, so much so that her life and his were intertwined as was their happiness. When they were apart from each other their lives were miserable, the only happiness they found was within each other no matter how toxic their relationship was. The toxicity is clear in the monologue Healthcliff provides after Cathy's death the words "I cannot live without my life" show that Heathcliff put every part of himself into Cathy and without her he was nothing. This is a film that I think I could watch multiple times and still feel the deep emotions that the characters in this film convey.

My Man Godfrey (1936)

Don't judge a book by its cover

[7/10 · 11 March 2021]

When the characters and viewers meet Godfrey he is an aggressive homeless man who seemingly has nothing. Throughout the film the we find out that Godfrey is a wealthy man who gave up so much because he didn't like the person money turned him into. Although the second he was working for the Bullock family he had walked right back into the exact life he had left behind. The Bullocks, a family of wildly eccentric characters, who look at money like it is nothing and have no care or sympathy for anyone other than themselves. They could not care any less about how Godfrey felt about being aggressively fawned over by Irene Bullock or verbally assaulted by Angelica Bullock, who for most of the film despised Godfrey, but he cared about their feelings and about his job as their butler. The whole family treated Godfrey as a doll for them to play with as they wished although he did not give in to them. The family only looked at him as a human at the end of the film when they learned he had saved them from themselves by recovering the families finances they had wasted away. Godfrey was a good man who saved not only the Bullocks but created shelter and jobs for the homeless men he once lived with. He was a good man before the viewers and characters knew of his wealth and he was a good man after, for most of the film he is looked at as less than when in reality he was a kinder person than everyone in the Bullock family combined. This movie literally has everything a movie could offer romance, drama, comedy. The timeless comedy could entertain viewers of any generation.

Stagecoach (1939)

Kindness Always Wins

[5/10 · 10 March 2021]

This film was filled with judgement and assumptions made by the wealthy characters. The kindest characters in the film were Dallas, Ringo Kid, Doc Boon and Hatfield. All of these characters were looked down on and talked negatively about throughout the whole film even though they were the first people to go out of their way to help the people who were talking negatively about them. Mrs. Mallory never once gave gave Dallas a chance even when she took care of her new born baby so Mrs. Mallory could rest. Even after Dallas kept Mrs. Mallory's baby safe during the shoot out, she still refused to be kind to Dallas. When the two women left each other near the end of the film Mrs. Mallory could not even finish her sentence offering to help Dallas if she ever needed her, because she knew she would not be there for someone like Dallas. Although she was treated with nothing but disrespect Dallas was understanding, it is almost like she felt that she deserved to be treated the way almost everyone treated her. The only person who saw Dallas for who she truly was was Ringo Kid. In the end kindness won, Dallas and Ringo Kid were allowed to go to Ringo's cabin to begin their lives together despite Ringo being a wanted criminal. This movie was very well done and the character of Dallas was performed perfectly, she was a woman who no one could stand to even speak about and yet she had a heart of gold and cared for everyone in her path. Overall every main character in this film had so much more of a story to tell as we met them all at the beginning of one small journey in their lives.

Imitation of Life (1934)

A mothers love knows no bounds

[9/10 · 22 February 2021]

This film on the outside looks like two women who work together over many years to create a successful company. Though if you take a deeper look it is about to mothers who will do anything to make sure their daughters are able to live good lives. This film beautifully showed the lengths a mother is willing to go to insure their daughters happiness. Bea left the man she loved and planned to marry because he daughter Jesse had developed feelings for him. Delilah, a black woman who's daughter Peola had the ability to pass for a white girl, took emotional beatings from her daughter who was furious that she was indeed a black girl. Peola did everything she could to make her mother feel unwanted and even went to the extent to disown her mother so she could live a life as a white woman and not have to worry about anyone finding out that she was black. All Delilah wanted was for her daughter to be happy and although it killed her Delilah knew that letting Peola go was what she needed to do. Both of these mothers grew so close raising their children together and they both had a passion for motherhood that took them on every journey they endured together. Overall this movie was wonderful and I enjoyed watching a film from the 1930's where the starring cast members were both female and one was a woman of color.

The Invisible Man (1933)

The invisible man just wanted to be seen

[10/10 · 17 February 2021]

Dr. Jack Griffin, the scientist who became the invisible man was mostly sane when he arrived at the inn. Though the longer he was invisible and alone the more insane he went. Jack could have kept to himself and found a way for is body to become visible again but instead he chose violence because it was the only way anyone would see him. Over the course of the film Jack takes many lives and feels no remorse for it until the end when he knows he is about to been seen by the woman he loves. Jacks invisibility is literal in the sense that the viewers and the characters in the film cannot see him but it is also an metaphor that no one but Flora truly knows who he is. Whenever we see Flora she is concerned about Jack, constantly worried about him and the moment she is able to help him she rushes to his side. Flora was the only person who could truly see Jack for the person he was which is why at the end of his life she's the person he has by his side.

Frankenstein (1931)

More Than One Monster

[3/10 · 16 February 2021]

In the beginning of the film scientist Henry Frankenstein had good intentions of creating a new scientific discovery by creating life. Although it was clear the idea of playing god was driving him insane, he was able to bring his creation to life. Although the creation was calm and curious when it came to life that part of its personality was short lived. After being taunted by Frankenstein's assistant Fritz the creation becomes a monster, killing Fritz, killing little Maria and injuring multiple people throughout the film. The argument I'm presenting is that "The Monster" was unaware of what he was doing every time he injured or killed someone, he was unaware of everything he did in his "life". Therefore is someone a monster when they are unaware that they are causing harm. Fritz on the other hand was aware every time he approached the monster with fire he was upsetting him. Henry Frankenstein was aware that he was creating something not of this world, he did nothing to protect others from his creation once he knew it was capable of committing murder. In this film there is more than one monster, who the monster is to you just depends on your definition of the word.

I also have to touch on the lack of music in the film. Music in a horror film is what builds suspense, leads the viewer to know that a scary moment is coming. The lack of music in this film made the intense or scary moments seem as though they came out of nowhere. Although the scary moments were shocking I wouldn't be able to describe them as scary.

The Public Enemy (1931)

The life of the family behind a mobster

[7/10 · 7 February 2021]

Tom Powers was a man who demanded instant gratification and was willing to throw out any part of his life that no longer satisfied him. Though his family was the opposite, this filmed showed the unconditional love that can only be provided by a family, meaning Toms mother and brother Mike. Tom was by no means a good person his job was to threaten, cheat and kill but his mother always thought the best of her son and did not want to hear otherwise. Throughout the film as Tom dives deeper into the world of organized crime the life around him began to unravel and his plan to go out on his own to seek revenge for his friend Matt's death lands him in the hospital near death. The only people who showed up for him when he was at his worse was his family, full of love, forgiveness and hope for a better life for Tom, though it does not end they way they hope. The ending quote of the movie shows that one man cannot be all that is wrong with the world because no matter how bad one man is there's a society around them that is more deadly than any one man could be even with a loving supporting family there when they fall.

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

James Allen was his own prisoner

[5/10 · 7 February 2021]

This filmed showcased not only the reality of a man in the southern prison system but the reality of a veteran coming back from war. James Allen throughout the film was always imprisoned though not always in the literal sense of the term. After returning from the war his family expected him to return the same man and continue his former job, but that was no longer the life James wanted for himself but he was stuck in the fact that his family only saw one way of life for him, so he escaped. James of course then tried to make ends meet doing odd jobs in construction only to end up poor and in the wrong place at the wrong time leading to him becoming a prisoner on the chain gang. Once again James escaped leading only to a life of constantly looking behind his back and being imprisoned by the fear of getting caught. Though it seemed he could achieve his original goal of being an engineer, and he did, he was forced into a loveless marriage by a woman who was willing to turn him in and she did. James of course ended up back in the chain gang only to escape and spend his life on the run living a life of crime. James did everything he could to be happy even though everything he did is the reason why he ended up so unhappy. James created a life of imprisonment for himself by chasing a dream that even when he achieved it never brought him happiness. This movie shows in the clearest way that the choices you make lead to real life consequences and if choose to run from your consequences they will find you or you will live in fear of what will come next.

Safety Last! (1923)

What one man was willing to do for love

[5/10 · 31 January 2021]

First off I have to point out how beautifully this film used foreshadowing to lead you to the end of the story. The film starts with Harold behind bars with a noose looking rope hanging. Of course in that moment Harold was fine. It was all set up to foreshadow the ending with Harolds friend running from the cop and Harold being forced to climb the building as he deals with something more and more life threatening the higher he climbed. This film also showed how far a man was willing to go for the woman he loved. Harold throughout the film told lie after lie and spending every cent he had to keep the woman he loved believing he was doing well financially. Harold would go to any length to keep this facade up no matter how idiotic or dangerous his stunts became. Truthfully although this film is a comedy I think it showed the deep insecurities men felt during that time due to how difficult it was to not only be employed but to provide the best life for the ones they loved.