“Perhaps I should be kinder and grade this hokum, C-list television movie for what it is, but I canāt muster up that sympathy. Satanās Triangle is nothing you havenāt seen before, better, scarier, more believably played elsewhere, anywhere else, honestly. A little bit of the occult, a little bi” read more
“After 1960, Kim Novak lost interest in being a movie star and her film appearances became sporadic. By 1973 she hadnāt made a movie in four years. Then she appeared in Tales That Witness Madness and this film, her television debut. While her performance was self-conscious and monotone (essentially” read more
“An anthology of horrors, Tales That Witness Madness is minor to the point of anemia with one-note, passive performances, predictable stories, and yet itās still entertaining in its limited way. Thereās a few moments of deadpan humor in here, but this strength is frustratingly underdeveloped, lik” read more
“An alleged western comedy, well, thatās not an entirely fair description. Itās very much a western, but debatable as a comedy. An effective comedy requires a bit of energy, and The Great Bank Robbery is distinctly lacking. This is a shame since thereās an enviable roster of solid comedy actors” read more
“Can a movie be a must-see viewing experience without actually being good in any demonstrable level? Yes, and this phenomenon is practically the reason we have midnight movies and cult classics. I present you with The Legend of Lylah Clare, a hodge-podge narrative of corrosive Hollywood dreams. Ā ” read more
The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders
“If you kept most of the individual elements of The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders and just tweaked the script, youād have something. Iām not sure if it would be very good, but I know it would be better than this. Moll Flanders comes out with heaving bosoms and ribald humor, then quickly set” read more
“No one could ever incorrectly accuse Billy Wilder of being cynical, but given the jaundiced nature of his outlook and work, thereās still something bracing about Kiss Me, Stupidās acerbic quality. Not only does Wilder put female exploitation and fragile masculinity through the wringer, but marri” read more
“Occasionally a remake will wind up as the superior version, look at Judy Garlandās A Star is Born or John Hustonās debut The Maltese Falcon, that particular property was the third go at Dashiell Hammettās stellar novel. This 1964 version of M. Somerset Maughamās tale does not join those exem” read more
“These cosmopolitan, chic 1960s sex farces/bedroom comedies are much harder to realize then their artifice would lead you to believe. Just because Doris Day and Rock Hudson flirting in Pillow Talk is a tart, tasty dessert doesnāt mean the whole genre is so wonderfully pretty. Boysā Night Out is e” read more
“The pedigree is strong with The Notorious Landlady, but the final product doesnāt add up to much of anything. The pacing is lacking, the production values are strangely muted, and the star power is either miscast or gone to waste. Ā Director Richard Quineās 1950s comedy output was never lacki” read more
“Richard Quine is an odd choice for a marital infidelity soap opera. This material feels better suited to numerous other directors, not Quineās more comedic strengths. Instead of bringing any energy into the material, Quine plays everything straight, and Strangers When We Meet is a bit of a pretty-” read more
“If you want to know what staring at cinematic nirvana looks like, thereās a few films I could recommend: Jean Cocteauās Beauty and the Beast, Orson Wellesā Chimes at Midnight, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburgerās The Red Shoes, and this warped tale of romantic obsession from Alfred Hitchc” read more
“A typical biography of a popular musician in the studio era was all scrubbed clean, high-gloss, highly-fictional biographical bits in-between popular stars belting out the greatest hits of the artist(s) depicted. It can make for entertaining spectacle, and several great musical stars gave their grea” read more
“The Man with the Golden Arm has seen its reputation mellow in comparison to other addiction dramas from the era, namely The Lost Weekend. I suppose falling into the public domain and an avalanche of poor home video releases can do that to a movie. Shame as The Man with the Golden Arm has a lot to of” read more
“Comedies of remarriage are a backbone of the screwball genre, and thereās several classics to be mined from the material (The Philadelphia Story and The Awful Truth come to mind immediately). Phffft is not one of these films, as it takes a couple amusing gags, strong comedic actors, and then stick” read more
“In 1954, Kim Novak made her debut onscreen in this forgettable minor noir. The running time is short, but the story still feels bloated and stretched out, and none of the beats feel shocking or anything more than routine. Itās fine, but thereās nothing here worth a repeat visit. Ā Pushover pl” read more
Lady Day at Emersonās Bar & Grill
“Lady Day at Emersonās Bar & Grill is a five star performance in a three star vehicle. Audra McDonald, the reigning grand dame of American theater, gets to reprise her history making role, and her work is wondrous. Electrifying, terrifying, defiant, wounded, broken, and heartbreakingly fragile,” read more
“Political Animals wants to act like a distaff West Wing, a thinly veiled account of Hillary Clintonās failed 2008 presidential bid. A great foundation for a juicy story about politics, journalism, and family legacies in the public sector is laid, but then it veers off course. Wildly off course, in” read more
“Positively lovely to look at, blissfully quiet for long stretches, and wonderfully feminist, Princess Arete should have been a slam dunk, an underrated classic just waiting for rediscovery. It was not to be, as the pacing drags all over the place, like a theme park ride that comes to a screaming hal” read more
“Borrowing liberally from the Disney Renaissance template, Anastasia plays as fast and loose with historical figures and events as the Mouse Houseās own Pocahontas or Mulan. Thereās the basics of names, a few historically accurate trivia tidbits thrown in, some musical numbers, and cutesy sidekic” read more
“Whereas 1966ās How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a model of pacing and narrative economy in adapting a piece of childrenās literature, Horton Hears a Who is a slightly bloated affair. Too many songs slow things down, and perhaps there just wasnāt enough story here to justify a full twenty-five” read more
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
“This is twenty-five minutes of absolute perfection. A hugely successful artistic marriage between the adapter and source material, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is as much of a mighty, towering classic as the beloved Dr. Seuss book. Ā For me, this is perennial viewing. Christmas is never quite c” read more
“Hereās an underrated and barely known quantity in Chuck Jonesā career. His lone feature-length film, The Phantom Tollbooth is his second dip into Norton Justerās work, but with less explosive results than the adventurous āThe Dot and the Line.ā Itās still a very enjoyable and enjoyably s” read more
“Despite growing up during the 80s resurgence of the Chipmunks, I was never much of a fan of their helium voiced harmonies and sitcom-level shenanigans. I didnāt hate them (I still donāt, although I donāt recognize the grotesqueries theyāve been turned into by the modern live-action films), b” read more
The Pogo Special Birthday Special
“The creative tension and falling out between comic strip creator Walt Kelly and Chuck Jones mares The Pogo Special Birthday Special. Itās like listening to an orchestra playing while being ever-so-slightly off key the entire time. The individual pieces are all there, but theyāre just not assembl” read more
“Even by the already lax standards of a musical, the narrative of Stormy Weather is a wispy thing. A mere formality to string together a series of revue numbers from an all-black group of entertainers. Donāt come around here if you want typical dramatic stakes like character arcs, emotional develop” read more
The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile
“The narrative stakes in these Raggedy Ann and Andy specials are just bizarre. Strange things in which they are impossibly low, but lacking in a certain sparkle of interest that you begin to pay closer attention to the fact that none of it makes sense. And thatās taking into account that youāve a” read more
“Itās a bit hard to review this mess as thereās not much there to speak about. The plot makes zero sense, even going by the wide margins of which we accommodate Christmas specials tied to merchandised characters, and the whole thing consists of only a handful of scenes with little in the way of w” read more
“Lilting is best in the quiet moments, of which there are many, where we patiently observe character interactions and how theyāre processing their grief. Itās delicate and quiet, carefully choosing what needs to be communicated aloud and what shall remain subterranean. At times, this choice makes” read more
“For his final dip into Kiplingās work, Jones decided to tackle the biggest character, and the first story, in The Jungle Book, Mowgli. Nothing against Disneyās film version, but Jonesā television specials are the clearly superior versions. Thereās no need to describe the story, as youāre a” read more