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Reviews
I Led 3 Lives (1953)
Lucy led 3 lives
Lucille Ball was a citizen, comedian, and a communist. Did she led 3 lives too?
"In 1953, Ball was subpoenaed by the House Committee on Un-American Activities because she had registered to vote in the Communist party primary election in 1936" (from Wikipedia)
"I Led 3 Lives" was part of the early 1950s, right wing extremism that gave us Joe McCarthy, John Birchers and HUAC (House Un-American Activies Committee).
Someone once described the Eisenhower years (1950s) as 'Washington Sept Here'
Thank you JFK for getting us back on track and thank you Lucy for your tremendous contributions to our culture.
Ricky/Desi (commenting on these charges) was right:
"The only thing red about Lucy is her hair, and even that's not legitimate."
Neither is "I Led 3 Lives" Skip this show, except as historical reference for the politics of that time.
The Rebel (1959)
Best Western
In the 50s, as a kid, I watched Gunsmoke, Maverick, Have Gun Will Travel and the others.
When Johnny Yuma, 'The Rebel' came along, there was no need to watch the others. When it went off the air in two short years, I never watched Westerns again. This series said it all, the only one I thought projected the West as it might have been, the only one worth looking back at 50 years later.
It had decent scripts and all the technical trappings, but Nick Adams was a rebel from the first episode to the last.
I never cared for much Nick did before or after 'Rebel' but James Dean would have been proud of what his friend did in bringing a 'Rebel Without a Cause' to the west. I think Nick wanted it this way
Moulin Rouge (1952)
Hollywood's oldest tradition, sleeping your way to the top. Huston hired a prostitute, to play a prostitute! How else could unknown Zsa Zsa be in this film?
I can't believe a director as talented as John Huston, following up "African Queen" and other successes, would pick such an inexperienced, untested, untrained actress(?) as Zsa Zsa Gabor for this major role. Zsa Zsa through out her career, was just an interesting character, popular more for her accent then her acting ability.
Others have stated that Huston was unkind, if not abusive to her on the set, so why didn't he just replace her?
Zsa Zsa has no other film credit of any note before or since. She could have gone on "What's My Line" before 1952 with a not blindfolded panel and no one would dare guess what her line was, because the word couldn't be mentioned on the air. What a stupid way to say I think she was a prostitute before she was an actress or in other words, Huston hired a prostitute, to play a prostitute.
I do give her credit, she made more out of a sexy voice, etc., than almost anyone in Hollywood.
Jose Ferrer received an Oscar nomination for literally stumbling thru his role as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Not unlike George Clooney's nomination for his uneven performance this past year (2007) for "Michael Clayton".
I loved "Moulin Rouge when I was 12 and it first came out in 1952. I can't stand it now.
I agree with most of the other comments, especially that the costume and set decorations (both received Oscars) still give you the feeling of a bawdy Paris nightclub at the turn of the century. The dance sequences are excellent on every level
The filming and technical accomplishments (camera angles) and the hazed look to the nightclub, show Huston at his best, and in some respects, this is a break thru for the film industry for 1952.
I would guess that Huston rushed this film to completion and release on Dec 23, 1952 so that it would qualify for Oscar nominations that year. There can be almost no other excuse for the horrible lip sync problems especially with Zsa Zsa. You might think they were trying to sync her up saying her lines in Hungarian, with the English equivalents. Its sad that several other Hollywood films have fallen victim to this rush to release and terrible dubbing.
Like so many movies that must draw you into the film, this one does not translate well to the small screen.
Still haunting to listen too after all these years is the title song performed by Felicia Sanders with the Percy Faith orchestra, which is not in the movie.
I hope I can post this without assigning a value, because at some times in my life and at some points of this uneven film its a "10" while at others its a "2"
The above are just my opinions, that I know no one will agree with, however that's the only reason I write on IMDb, to be disagreeable.
You have to realize I am a split personality, one crazy, the other just rude and insensitive. Why else would I see both Michael Clayton (theatre) and later Moulin Rouge (TV) on the same day and feel the need to comment on both.
It is 1/26/09 and I am aware of Zsa Zsa loses at the hands of Bernard Madoff, which I find truly tragic and unfair to her. Since my opinions above maybe also viewed as unfair, unkind and untrue, I withdrawn them, but I'm not going to erase them. If I erase them no one will know "I'm Still Crazy After All These Years"
The Country Girl (1954)
Does not age well
I didn't like this movie when my mother drug me too it in 1954, but thought as an adult it might have some reason to watch it. Wrong, my feelings as a 14 year old were correct.
If they made a list of the top ten most over rated, over praised films, this would make the list.
The subject of co-dependency may have been break thru in 1954, but no longer has much appeal, in fact is ho-hum today.
A cliché story line, is burdened with a forlorn Bing, an amateurish Grace Kelly and William Holden, who stoically endures it all. Bing can't act his way out of a paper bag, much less a bottle. At best type casting, and sadly no notable songs for one of the best crooners of the day to showcase his real talents. I hate lip syncing, and can not understand why someone with as much experience singing live as Bing had, must be reduced to this format.
To give Grace Kelly an Oscar, instead of Judy Garland, was my first realization that talent and a fine performance sometimes do not determine who wins.
The pace of the film is fine. I don't like cut to black editing, but otherwise the film is technically sound.
Stage plays, other than musicals, don't often transfer to the screen well, and this is no exception.
Someone describe 'Country Girl' as a forgotten classic. There's a reason for this. At least no one has remade this one.
Unless you are a fan of the 3 stars, skip this one
Hendrix (2000)
Avoid this at all costs
Perhaps the worst rock 'n' roll movie ever. It doesn't matter if you liked Hendrix or not, this is a first class stinker.
The theme seems to be good boy goes bad, at least a bad ass American rock icon. I don't buy it. OK he is a rock icon, but never as goody, goody as this movie paints his early life. There is no explanation for the changes, the metaphorsis just happens.
The script is bad, especially in the beginning and the acting not much better.
The movie picks up a little speed, as the counter cultural Hendrix emerges, but the horrible script just takes it down again.
The music that is used is OK with me, at least it has the Hendrix flavor, but of course Hendrix originals would helped.
The flash back technique of story telling is annoying, but not as annoying as the lousy script. The supposed last day interview, used as the flash back vehicle, doesn't work. Hate to harp on it, but I can't see Hendrix ever behaving or talking this way.
How he changed and influenced rock music, is simply being disrespected by this piece of low budget garbage.
Having little budget is no excuse, great films have been made for peanuts. "My Own Private Idaho" cost 2 1/2 million and works because Van Sant paid attention to details. This "epic" not only misses the details, but many important major points. His song writing is ignored, his innovative technique with guitar not recognized or explained, there are simply no insights of any kind here.
The constant zooming of the camera is pointless, we're not watching a porno here.
I haven't even mentioned that the handling of his death is so incomplete, that all I can figure is that they ran out of money and had to stop, and bring off the conclusion as cheaply as possible.
Wood Harris tries to over come this embarrassing situation and shows talent, but he needs the talent to recognize trash. Can you ever image Hendrix saying the words "dig it". If I were Harris, I would have demanded all clichés be eliminate before I say the words. The rewrite would have taken years and we would have all been spared.
NOT FOR ANYONE!!!
Bicentennial Man (1999)
ROBIN flies like an eagle
ANDREW MARTIN: CREATED April 3, 2005
( Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset . . . )
BICENTENNIAL MAN: A PROFOUND MOTION PICTURE by Chris Columbus, starring Robin Williams
(Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play?)
MORE THAN A SIMPLE FAIRY TALE the subtle inferences and nuances are everywhere, look again.
(I don't remember growing older, When did they?)
GROWING OLDER IS NOT A CHOICE even fairy tales play that way or so the story goes.
(When did she get to be a beauty? When did he grow to be so tall? Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?)
I WISH I WERE 18 AGAIN, but you only go around once and making wrong choices is better than making none.
(Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset, Swiftly flow the days, Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, Blossoming even as they gaze . . .)
THE LESSONS HERE SPAN THE GENERATIONS and although cliché, love and persistence triumph.
(Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset! Swiftly fly the years, One season following another, Laden with happiness and tears . . .)
CHANGE BEFALLS US ALL but prejudice endures.
(One season following another, Laden with happiness and tears . . .)
THE FLAW IS only in the movies does prejudice lose.
( Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset . . . )
ANDREW MARTIN: DIED April 3, 2205 this planet should last so long...
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998)
"Fools" hits some high notes, but most are sour
Director Gregory Nava misunderstands the complex, drug-addicted Frankie Lymon getting some of it right and much of it wrong.
His fatal mistake from beginning to end is playing Frankie as a late teen instead of the 13 teen year old he was. This deprives one and all of seeing the simple true source of Frankie's problems. Too much fame, too fast and too young. Larenz Tate struggles with the role where he sometimes looks more like a young Sammy Davis than Frankie. The singing and dancing sequences are acceptable and Tate brings the music off adequately.
The racial issues, which the film deals with, have some truth, but the details are inaccurate. In 1957 audiences in some venues were segregated, but in others were mixed and not a problem. The idea that this music helped end segregation is mentioned, but not really seen, except for the incredible scene of Frankie dancing with a white girl on 'The Big Beat'. This big surprise is very effectively handled and has major impact.
I don't think Nava understands doo-wop or the relationship of the lead singer to the backups. There is a big difference between the Platters, essentially a white pop adultish Ink Spots type group and the Teenagers who were rock 'n' roll, appealing to those under 21. This just never comes across.
Nava does do some clever things, pointed out in the director's cut (not recommended, way too 'Goody, Goody') as he uses a continuous roll camera to suck you in and wrap you around the scene he is filming.
The attempts to stylize 'Fools' mostly works. The theme of creating the four main characters as Earth (Lela Rochon as Emira Eagle), Fire (Halle Berry as Zola Taylor), Water (Vivca Fox as Elizabeth Waters) as the 3 wives to play off Wind (Tate-Frankie) is clever and consistent. The use of scatchy 8MM flash backs is a bit over done, but gets the point of flashbacks across.
All three of the parts of the wives suffer from being overly dramatic (and over acted)with the need to fit truth to the story, rather than the other way around.
Most disturbing is the handling of Frankie's music. Its hard to tell his solo work from his Teenagers stuff and the sequencing of the music is out of order. At least Nava makes it clear Frankie was not a 'One hit wonder' and he had four years of outstanding singles and (not mentioned at all) some super albums, mostly as a solo. As one of the wives mentions, above all "he could sing my panties off". If you don't think so, play Frankie's version of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" followed by the weak, sad Diana Ross version.
Next time Mr. Gregory Nava when doing an autobiography spend as much time keeping your facts straight and in order, as you do with clever stylization.
Not recommended unless your a fan of any of the elements involved. Wanna a good music bio from more or less the same period and effectively dealing with drug addiction, watch "Ray" the magnificent Ray Charles story.