Magnificent Obsession (1954) Film Review - Rock Hudson, Jane Wyman

Plot Summary - Soap Opera about a spoiled and reckless multi-millionaire/playboy named Bob Merrick (Rock Hudson), a handsome daredevil who likes to break speed records in his boat until one day he wrecks the boat and is rescued using a local doctor's resuscitator machine. By a bad stroke of luck the doctor, Wayne Phillips, has an attack at the same time and dies without use of his machine. Helen (Jane Wyman), his wife of only six-months is sadly left a widow - the doctor, a beloved figure for his secret generosity to many, is well missed. Bob Merrick meets Helen by chance and immediately starts putting the moves on her - unaware of who she is, or the story of his inadvertent part in the death of Phillips. When Merrick hears the story he becomes haunted with Dr. Phillips and with Helen, and he becomes inspired to try a new way of life to help square things with her. POSSIBLE SPOILER: unfortunately, things just keep getting worse - in his rather high pressure pursuit to help her in spite of her strong dislike for him, she is hit by a car and blinded. Then our guy decide to go all out to help her, secretly funding her bank account disguised as insurance settlement, and meeting up with her in the little beach cove where she likes to sit in her sunglasses - um, he pretends he is someone else and she believes him (or does she) - romance to follow.

Review - This is an entertaining love story, shot in Technicolor with pretty on-location scenery, and backed by a tearjerker orchestral score and lots of high melodrama! This wasn't the sort of film to bring tears to my eyes - but I did enjoy it, I do kind of like to indulge sometimes in far-fetched soap opera. Agnes Moorehead appears as a family friend/nurse at the hospital; the young actress who plays the little girl who is Helen's tomboy beach pal, Judy, steals some scenes. Not a whole lot of chemistry between Hudson and Wyman, I might add, which keeps this from being as romantic as I would want it to be. And one thing I wonder about - it occurred to me to be a bit off that Wyman's character doesn't immediately recognize Merrick's voice when she first meets him on the beach after she has become blind - then again, it may be implied that she does, but keeps quiet about it - hmmm. Rating - 8/10 stars

Swing Vote (2008) Film Review - Kevin Costner

Plot Summary - In the small town of Texico, New Mexico, a sort of beer drinking, ne'er-do-well slacker named Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner) is busy being raised by his precocious eleven-year-old-ish daughter Molly who basically orders him out of bed to take her to school and get himself to work each day - she pretty much has to run the roost herself. Come election day for U.S. President, Molly is gung-ho for dad to vote - but he gets laid off from his factory job packing eggs, then gets drunk at the local beer hall and forgets to show up at the voting place. Molly decides to sneak in after closing and place a vote on his behalf (and forge dad's signature!) - but when the lights go out, his ballet is stuck in the machine and not counted. Now here's the meat of this sort of surreal tale - the vote for President comes down to New Mexico and a single vote standing between the democratic candidate (Dennis Hopper) and the republican current President (Kelsey Grammer). Guess whose? Yeah, Bud becomes famous as the man who is going to place the vote and decide the country's future. Now each candidate's side tries to swing his vote their way - and they are not past changing their party policy issues in an effort to win Bud over!

Review - I thought this was a pretty good film with an interesting story and good cast, though it was definitely a bit long and dragged through the middle. Madeline Carroll, the young actress who plays Molly was quite good, and very likable to boot. Worth a watch. Rating - 8/10 stars

Brideshead Revisited (2008) Film Review

Plot Summary - Lavish period film, based on the classic novel by Evelyn Waugh. The story takes place between the 1920s and into WWII, centering around young Oxford student Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) and the bond and close friendship with homosexual undertones that quickly forms between himself and a handsome, rather unusual fellow student named Lord Sebastian Flyte. One day Sebastian brings Charles home to his luxurious family estate at Brideshead, and Charles soon becomes embroiled in the goings-on of the Marchmain clan, Sebastian's very religious Catholic family. Charles becomes infatuated with Brideshead, and especially with Sebastian's beautiful sister Julia. When the three venture on a trip to Venice, Italy to visit Sebastian's father, Charles and Julia share a passionate kiss witnessed by Sebastian leading him into jealousy and alcoholism. More problems ensue caused by conflict between Charles self-proclaimed atheism and the family's strong religious beliefs, the way lead by Sebastian and Julia's powerful, overbearing mother, Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson).

Review - This is a wonderful film that I thoroughly enjoyed - such an escape into a time and place that I didn't want to leave, helped along with lush on-location scenery filmed in Oxford, Venice, Morocco, and the gorgeous English castle - Castle Howard - used as Brideshead (the same place as used in the early 80s mini-series of this story). I know the story of Brideshead Revisited pretty well from both the novel and the fabulous 1981 mini-series with Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews - which I love, love, love, by the way - miss the wonderful voice-over narration the earlier version features which includes Evelyn Waugh's words straight from the book. But this new version is great in it's own way, I loved every minute of this film - the orchestral score is a terrific accompaniment, by the way, matched well to each scene and setting. Of course, the story as told in the novel and earlier mini-series is much more complete, but I thought a pretty good job was done in condensing this into a feature-length film (okay, I would liked to have seen more of some of the characters like Anthony Blanche and what about Aloysius the teddy bear - barely seen in this). Well done. Rating - 10/10 stars

Appaloosa (2008) Film Review - Ed Harris, Jeremy Irons

Plot Summary - There's trouble brewing in the old west town of Appaloosa, New Mexico where a rancher/bad man named Bragg (Jeremy Irons) and his pack of desperadoes keep ridin' into town and taking "advantage" (harassing women, buying food and goods without paying, peeing on the saloon floor, shooting people, you know). Two expert gun men /pal-lookalikes get hired by the town as peacekeepers - as new city Marshal and deputy, Virgil (Ed Harris) and Everett (Viggo Mortensen) are given a free hand at taking over and setting the laws of the town. When a young cowpoke comes to town and points the finger at Bragg as the murderer of a former town marshal, Bragg is thrown in jail, then put on trial - but our marshal and deputy have quite a bit of trouble in their efforts to get this guy tried, convicted, and hopefully hung. The marshal also gets a bit sidetracked by new gal in town, widow Mrs. French (Renee Zellweger), who makes a play for him - and other men too.

Review - Set in 1882, this atmospheric, character-driven western really sets a time and mood in it's old west town setting, where wind blows the dust off the dirt main street through town, cowboys on horseback roam, and lawmen and lawbreakers confront each other in the streets and saloon at gunpoint. The film is really done in the style of an old-fashioned, classic western. The story was entertaining, the film went by real fast - it did seem like a story that had a lot more to say, and it is made from a novel so I guess that's true - I really would have liked this one to be about an hour longer to really put a bit more meat into the relationships between the characters. Jeremy Irons is real good in this, as usual (yes, I'm a fan). I am a sucker for a good western - I liked this a lot. Rating - 9/10 stars

Towelhead (2007) and Pineapple Express (2008) Film Reviews

Catching up with my reviews here - watched these two last week and I didn't get too much written up, but here's what I've got. I've got a couple of Netflix rentals for this week I am quite looking forward too - woo hoo!

Towelhead Plot Summary - Coming-of-age story of an innocent and pretty thirteen year-old girl, Jasira (Summer Bishil), who goes to live with her strict and overbearing Lebanese father in Houston after her mom's live-in boyfriend helps her shave - um - I'm not even going to go there. We now get into a rather sexual tale of a young girl with a neighbor man (Aaron Eckhart) who lusts after her (and more), a black young man at school who she begins to see against her racist father's wishes, and a helpful neighbor lady (Toni Collette) who befriends and tries to protect her. This young girl certainly attracts a lot of attention and she doesn't come across as innocent as she appears.

Towelhead Review - Well, this is an interesting watch, the men are pretty pervy in this though - and the dad is sort of over-the-top with some of his rules (which daughter usually defies), he also hits her. Aaron Eckhart is appropriately slimy in this. The film is set in the early 90s. Rating - 8/10 stars

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Pineapple Express Review and Rating - Silly comedy, has moments but not that good - about a pot head who witnesses a murder and the criminal head drug dealer connects him as the witness via the "Pineapple Express" (exclusive pot) roach he dropped on the street. Our guy goes on the lam with his own dealer, lots of violence to follow. 6/10 stars

Too Many Husbands (1940) Film Review - Jean Arthur

Plot Summary - Screwball comedy about a woman with, you got it, one too many husbands! First husband Bill (Fred MacMurray), washed up on an island after some sort of small boat adventure, is rescued a year later and heads back to New York to be reunited with his wife Vicky (Jean Arthur) - unfortunately for him, he has already been declared dead and Vicky is now married to someone else, his best friend/business partner Henry (Melvyn Douglas) no less. Self-described "lonely widow" while her first man was gone, this gal only waited six months to marry the other fellow! Now Vicky has two husbands - what to do? Indecisive (apparently both men are exactly the same in her eyes), she puts the two to sleep in twin beds in the guest room while she tries to make up her mind. They try to win her over, and she is busy getting a big kick out of the new attention she's getting from these two, formerly not-so-attentive husbands. The two "grown men" get into childish competitions to win her, like leaping over chairs, spelling hard words, and drawing lots for her. And she basically acts like she really would like to keep them both!

Review - Okay, this is a fun, goofy movie with three great stars to help keep things going. The plot is, yes, sort of familiar (like "My Favorite Wife") but is it's own too. The story does drag just a bit in the middle, the indecisiveness of Jean Arthur's character starts to get a bit old - but I do just love Jean Arthur. Rating - 7/10 stars

Executive Suite (1954) - Barbara Stanwyck, William Holden

Plot Summary - An executive meeting has been called at the Tredway furniture manufacturing corporation, located in a Wall Street tower - unfortunately, no one knows that the president, Bullard, has just dropped dead on the street outside the building. When word finally comes of his death, six executives and the daughter (Barbara Stanwyck) of Tredway, the deceased company founder, are to vote for a new president. A power struggle is soon in the works for this position, mainly between Shaw (Fredric March), a man always looking to increase profits even if it means selling shoddy furniture - and Walling (William Holden), a young designer with new ideas and lots of ambition.

Review - This is an absorbing tale, boosted up by top-notch performances by an all-star cast. In addition to the male executives played by March and Holden, plus also Walter Pidgeon, Louis Calhern, etc. - - several top female stars also dig in here and manage to steal some scenes - Shelley Winters in a fairly small part as a secretary who is having an affair with one man, June Allyson as Bill Holden's usually supportive wife, and especially Barbara Stanwyck as Miss Tredway, the seemingly suicidal mistress of the dead president. Filmed in black and white with no score, most of the scenes taking place in the executive suites of the building - this film gets more interesting as it goes along and as the story reaches it's peak, the vote for president. Rating - 8/10 stars

Burn After Reading (2008) Film Review

Watched this one on Monday.

Plot Summary - Dark comedy about a just-fired CIA agent, Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich), who begins to write his "memoirs", loses the disc at local gym "Hardbodies", which is then found by gym employees. Employee Linda (Frances McDormand) is a middle-aged woman busy doing Internet dating and "re-inventing" her life - she needs money for several plastic surgeries she's gung-ho to get. Employee Chad (Brad Pitt) is a musclehead gym boy with not a lot of brain power. Linda and Chad decide to try to get a reward from Cox for the return of what they believe to be secret and important CIA documents. Everything seems to backfire on them though, as they progress to trying to get money from the Russians for the disc, stuff like that. Meanwhile a marshal named Harry (George Clooney) is having an affair with Cox wife, but that doesn't stop him from meeting women on the Internet.

Review - All the different characters and stories seem to mix together in this film in a way you would think would be confusing, but actually was easy to follow. Quite good, I found John Malkovich to be pretty amusing in this. Rating - 8.5/10 stars

Savage Grace (2007) Film Review - Julianne Moore

Plot Summary - Telling the true-life tale of wealthy socialite Barbara Daly (Julianne Moore), married to the grandson (rather dashing, as played by Stephen Dillane) of the man who invented Bakelite. POSSIBLE SPOILERS: The film begins in 1946 when their son, Tony, is a baby and follows his growing-up years all leading to the murder in 1972 of Barbara by her own son. A dysfunctional family from the start it appears - - Barbara is into socializing with the rich and famous, dad seems stand-offish and as the years go by we into some really serious dysfunction here - ya know, dad runs away with Tony's twentyish girlfriend, Mom slits her wrists, Tony dabbles in homosexuality but still has time to get into incest with mom.

Review - A visually appealing film, shot in several locations around the world showcasing the families jet-setting lifestyle - the film features many facial close-ups, adding to the complex, odd relationships between each character. This film kept me interested - really, quite good. Rating - 9/10 stars

The Women (2008) Film Review - Meg Ryan

Catching up on my reviews - I actually watched this on December 27th, over a week ago!

Plot Summary - Meg Ryan stars as Mary Haines, living in a big house in Connecticut, married to Stephen, a successful Wall Street businessman, mom to preteen Molly, and drudge at her dad's fashion company. Things begin to change for Mary when her best gal pal Sylvie Fowler (Annette Bening) becomes aware of some gossip about Stephen, revealed to her by a very gossipy manicurist - Stephen is having an affair with one Crystal Allen, sleazy younger woman who works behind the perfume counter. Soon Mary's life is coming apart - her own father fires her from his business, and Mary finds out herself - from that same manicurist, no less - about the affair. Soon on the outs with pal Sylvie, who then sort of becomes a second mom to young Molly, while Mary throws Stephen and all his stuff out of the house and files for divorce. How will Mary turn around her life now?! Well, becoming her own woman seems to be her first step, and she opens up her own fashion design company. Will she go back with that louse, will her clothing company become a success, will she make friends again with her old pal? Hmmm.

Review - Okay, this is a loose remake of the 1939 classic film "The Women", actually one of my faves from the thirties, which I have seen a number of times. Of course, the comparisons between the two versions are going to be made - and it's hard to not make a comparison between Joan Crawford, who is just great as Crystal Allen in the older version, and Eva Mendes who plays her here okay, but without quite the spark that Crawford brings to the role. But if you look at this film on it's own, without thinking about the thirties film, it's not really so bad - I did find it pretty entertaining and I know that this new version received loads of terrible reviews. Meg Ryan and Annette Bening are both very good in their parts - in the older version Norma Shearer and Rosalind Russell appear in those same parts, and are great, of course. I haven't seen Meg Ryan in a film in awhile, she's still that same bubbly and cute blonde I remember from things like "Sleepless in Seattle". In this newer version, the women are seen pursuing various careers - in the old film, being the thirties, the women don't work. One thing I like that they kept the same in both versions - there are no males in the cast at all, not even as extras. This film features a number of scenes in department stores and on the streets of NYC, not a man to be seen! They even manage to fit in a restaurant scene by making them dine at a lesbian club (one of the group of gal pals seen in this is a lesbian). The circle of girlfriends in this appears a bit smaller than in the older version, but provides entertaining scenes (except the birth scene at the end - ugh, too much screaming). Bette Midler is good here, in an all too brief part though. Rating - 7/10 stars