larry-stauch-1 Reviews

Let Me In (I) (2010)

This movie casts a spell that endures

[9/10 · 12 October 2010]

A life as a companion and living on the run is better than living without love. This is a film for the bullied and unwanted children in our world. The roles portrayed were executed with honesty by all actors involved. The director was clever in not showing the mother's face for very long and we never see the father. The poor lad is left pretty much alone to face the cold, wintry world without a single friend. Then comes the new girl. She seems as utterly sad and alone as he..... and she is. It was refreshing to see how their chemistry blended and bloomed. The only fault I found was the CG attack scenes. That was unbelievable for me. I would have portrayed a vampire as having total control and with slow, deliberate moves. Imagine a fiend that would regard his next meal with detached urgency. That would be much more scary. After all is said I believe that this film will be regarded on it's own as a good love story although with some mayhem and gore that makes a fine cocktail to patiently consider as a film thats heads's above many other horror films .

It's in the Bag! (1945)

A rare treat

[9/10 · 4 December 2009]

The plot is so goofy that there is no need to make sense out of it. The self-deprecating humor that many of these performers show is one of the qualities that makes makes this film work. It's refreshing to see what real comedy was like before the present day comics started screaming filth at the public. Jack Benny was so funny. He had a way of laughing that makes me laugh just thinking about it. Nobody does that today. This little window to the past shows amazing wit. The delivery of the actors lines are quick and designed to leave the viewer in stitches from one scene to the next. Warner Oland was perfect as the inspector without the Charlie Chan guise which allowed him some very funny lines. John Carradine is fantastic as the crooked lawyer as well. This one is a personal favorite.

Brüno (2009)

Supreme Satire

[10/10 · 13 July 2009]

What got me really laughing during this film was the total flaming character that Bruno depicts. Here is a guy that is so self-absorbed and committed to creating another ridiculous sexual situation for himself that the other characters in the story are there just to feed his appetite for the absurd and bizarre. Borat has been deemed more acceptable in comparison by many reviewers. I suspect this is because Borat is from Khazakstan and westerners have little to feel guilty about when they laugh at that character's backwardness. A sexual sociopath like Bruno never is seen as representative of the group he really represents. There are millions of Brunos today that fit Cohen's depiction in many ways. Many movie goers won't like this film because there is much truth revealed about how much we are willing to accept in our daily lives but not in a movie. I was laughing to keep from crying.