beckstrom7 Reviews

Midnight (1939)

one of the top 10 studio-era romantic comedies of all time

[10/10 · 27 May 2006]

along with "it happened one night", "the thin man", "my man godfrey", "easy living", "the awful truth", "bringing up baby", "the philadelphia story", "the lady eve", and "the palm beach story", "midnight" is indispensable.

one of those seamless Hollywood films that achieves undeniable art for art's sake. it's better than anything with loftier intentions that received more praise in 1939- "wuthering heights", "gone with the wind", etc.

claudette colbert, at her best, proves how smart, funny, and dazzling American female stars could be in this era. it's a shame that after world war 2, women in movies just weren't as exciting as they were before. i guess too much independence was considered a threat to America's "values". we all lost something when women had to go back to the kitchen.

Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)

early Tuesday Weld steals the show

[6/10 · 11 November 2005]

when she realizes she likes boys, she just doesn't like Dwayne Hickman, it's sheer truth and delight! the rest of the cast is forced...Joanne Woodward is strident. Paul Newman is slumming, Joan Collins is adequate. Jack Carson is Carson. Dwayne Hickman deserves Weld's scorn. bad comedy, except for Weld's self-recognition. these 50's films try to be smart, but aren't. once in a while a performer can rise above the material. here it's only a young, precocious teenager who mesmerizes.

Weld was given praise by none other than Pauline Kael. in her review of Weld's classic '68, "Pretty Poison", she suggested Weld didn't have the career she deserved, "and maybe it isn't just her unlucky name...maybe she's the kind of actress who doesn't let you know she's acting, like Geraldine Page or Estelle Parsons do. how else can an actress give the kind of performances Tuesday Weld has given in "Rally 'round the Flag, Boys!", "Soldier in the Rain", "The Cincinatti Kid", and "Lord Love a Duck", and still not being taken seriously?"

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)

testament

[10/10 · 21 October 2004]

this is one of my all-time favorite films.

jane fonda's 'gloria beatty' is one of the best heroines in movie history (along with "klute"'s 'bree daniels', her other foray into genius).

sydney pollack's direction, particularly in the 'sprint' sequences, is terrific, probably the best of his career (save, perhaps, "tootsie", its emotional opposite).

i once got a bartender in a gay biker club to play this on the monitors behind the music. the film is so wonderfully shot and edited that any rock or soul or pop song played superbly to its images alone. the patrons stopped their conversations (among other activities) and watched, transfixed, until it was over, whereupon applause rang out and my drinks were free.

if that isn't a testament to the power of "they shoot horses, don't they?" i'd like to hear of a better one.