Review: White Heat, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, The Asphalt Jungle, and the Posieden Adventures

The Poseiden Adventure: Wow. That's mostly what I got: wow! Basic Plot: A boat in the middle of the ocean gets hit by a huge tidal wave, which appropriately tips it over. This is the story of the survivors. A stellar cast with so many names in it that I can't really begin. Everyone - the names, the no-names are all wonderful! I can't even begin to imagine how this was shot - and my appreciation goes to every single person in this cast and crew.
Strangely enough, I love disaster films. They all follow a basic plot line (unless based on true events) and most of the time, everything comes out in the end. You've got the mix of people, the tension of disaster, the fight for survival, and of course, danger, adventure, and above all, hope. One thing this film has taught me is that if you are going to survive a disaster film, you have to have sporatic to no use. Think about it as you watch it. Once a person has served their purpose, they are more than likely going to die. It is inevitable. And I don't say that to be mean, it is just how it is. I cried, no I bawled at a couple of the death scenes. It's not so much the actual death as it is the effect the death has on those left behind - now THERE is where most of the drama lies. My only problem with this film is that it ends so abruptly. They're out, the end. Wait! I want to know what happens to them - are they going to be all right? What will come of this event? How (other than the obvious) has it changed their lives?
Stellar movie - 4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars!
The Asphalt Jungle: A pretty good heist film - except that nobody gets away with anything, and I'm pretty sure that is the message it wanted to send. Kind of like if Ocean's Eleven were to happen in real life. It's a pretty gritty world - trust no one and keep your nose clean or you'll regret it. This is a pretty typical look at 1950s crime films. It's entertaining enough. Doesn't blow you away, but it keeps you interested. Acting is pretty fair - including a role for a young Marilyn Monroe playing the girl toy of a "rich" lawyer. Sad, that she usually never leaves that persona. Even typical is the speech at the end - you know, the hard city filled with crime bit by the commissioner - pretty sure this is the epitome of that. Interesting enough, you don't really care for the commissioner or the coppers - you're routing for the criminals - except for those who double cross the team. They don't want to kill anyone, so they're completely sympathetic. One man just wants to support the family, one dreams of returning home, one is an old man looking for funds to "retire" in Mexico, and one is a crooked back man who owns a diner and is always there for his friends. A very likeable lot. It makes you wonder why people make films like this. Why do we like to like criminals??
An average 3 out of 5 stars.

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit: I should have liked this film. I love Gregory Peck, I love when things work out in the ending, and I love good stories, but I did not like this film. I don't exactly know why. Acting was not brilliant, but it was good. Peck as the father figure (which is what almost all of his roles are - whether he is playing a father or not.) Jones (as his wife) did a good job - and even the children (who were little snots) played their roles well. I will say that the set decorator did a marvelous job on the first house. It was so plain - it perfectly fit a family like theirs, so Cudos!

What I think really drove me away from this picture is the overall depressing feeling it gives. Like I said, it is a story that ends happily, but from the get-go there is a feeling of let-down, of trouble, of inability and marred circumstances. And it pervades the whole picture. You're sympathetic to almost everyone in the picture, but its too much. You never get over feeling sorry for this man. It's a terrible view of the post-war, corporate world. Working business man oppression. Having to watch everything you do so the Big Boss will approve. And materialism. The kids drove me crazy - it wasn't that they were bad so to speak, but they ignored their father. They shut almost everything out - and no one but that darn nanny would disapline them for it. And most everything got worse and worse as the film went on. By the time things were straightened out (somewhat) you were too exhausted with the weariness of it all that you didn't care if it turned out okay.

I'm sorry, but 2 out of 5 stars.

White Heat: "Made it Ma! Top of the World!" James Cagney at his very best. I don't know why this movie isn't more acclaimed than it is - and it is somewhat acclaimed within its own genre.

Basic Plot: Somewhat psychotic gangster (Cagney) who has a mother fascination admits himself into the Illinois State Pen. for a false crime to get away with a bigger crime. While inside the shit hits the fan so to speak, and Cagney goes crazy. To tell you more would be to ruin it, so I will stop.
Cagney is BRILLIANT. He plays his character so well. He really seems insane. The moment he gets some bad news in the prison, he goes crazy. And it's terrible to watch, but its so pawerful! You feel for him, even though he is a cold-blooded character. Not to long after you see him shoot up a guy in the trunk of a car and laugh about it. His performance is so strong, so intense. You know, I take it back, he is not completely cold-blooded because you can see it when he finds out he has been tricked by a guy he trusted. He laughs, but you can hear the disbelief in his voice as well as maybe a tear or two.

Cagney kind of outshines everyone else in the picture, but if nothing else, they hold their own. Mayo as his wife is so perfect - and Hutchinson (as the mother) is pretty great. The man playing Hank is also very well ept to his role (both of them!)

It's a great film noir/gangster picture with an ending that will blow you away!

4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars!

Review: "Yankee Doodle Dandy"

#98 on the American Film Insititute's top 100 Films (the newer list) Also on the original list as well, I think as #100. It is also honored by being on AFI's Top 100 Songs list, their 100 Musicals list, their 100 quotes list, and 100 Cheers list. It also was nominated for 9 Oscars, winning for Best Actor (Cagney), Best Music, and Best Sound. It has also been selected for preservation by the US National Film Registry
Starring the ever-brilliant James Cagney. A semi-autobiographical look at the life of George M. Cohan - Broadway's greatest patriotic song and dance man. Can I gush a little? I love this film! I love the man it is about and I love Cagney in it. I'm an old-Broadway fan, so this film is a wonderful nostalgic revelrie for me. It also is a nice lift as there really isn't too much batting against Cohan in the film. A little rough starting out, but his family is always there, always loving, and there never seems to be any real trouble. Some would see this as problem, but I couldn't agree less. In a time when all we had were troubles, this was an uplifting relief.
If you think you don't know this Cohan character, you do - everyone in American knows him. Ever hear of 'Yankee Doodle Dandy?" "Give My Regards to Broadway?" "You're a Grand Old Flag?" "Over There?" All of those songs are his creations - and they have become American standards.
If you can, get the 2 disc special edition and watch Warner Night at the movies. It gives you a good perspective on the time when this movie was opened - and how much it meant. While watching the newsreels I couldn't help but shed a tear or two and let the pride of how we all banded together wash over me. This whole movie has this effect on me. There's a beautiful sentiment mixed in with all the flag waving and patriotism.
Cagney is brilliant in this movie. His energy, his style, all accurtely portray the vision of the Broadway legend. Second only to the man himself. There is a brashness, a cockiness, and a confidence to his performance. It is even more amazing when you think about who Cagney is. He was known for his gangster/tough guy roles - with some exceptions. And this is a far cry from anything like that. The most interesting thing is that is where he got his start - doing work on vaudville. Great training for an any actor. His dancing is not the same as we think of in today's terms, or even the classics of Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire, its from a completely different time and different style. It's not smooth and effortless, but raucous and while he doesn't make it look easy, it shows as second nature, hard work - and as always, a joy to do.
The other thing to consider is that this film went into production just after Cagney was cleared by Martin Dies of charges claiming he was a communist (can you imagine? Cagney a communist? Seriously, what were they thinking?). On top of that, the film was in production when Pearl Harbor happened, and was relased in the next year. So all things considered, this film had perfect timing, and it meant a lot to the people of the US. It was a dose of patriotism that was well needed.
Apparently the real George Cohan didn't think too much of it, but told the studio that if his wife liked it, he would allow them to release it (yes, it is unheard of, but this whole movie was made based on the fact that Mr. Cohan had the final say on everything.) Thank God, Mrs. Cohan loved, or we would never have been able to see this movie!
5 out of 5 stars n' stripes!

"The Petrified Forest"

, Be It's a little melodramatic and very dated, but I LOVE this movie! I adore the fact that it was a play before it was made into the movie. I like the setting, the way it was shot, and pretty much everything. I don't think it is lessened by its melodramatic elements.
Leslie Howard plays a wandering intellectual who finds himself in the middle of nowhere, Arizona. Bette Davis plays a girl longing to get out of the desert. Humphrey Bogart plays the gangster who takes everyone hostage. Yes, it is one of those pictures: a group of ransom people forced to be together in a small space. Like Lifeboat except in the desert with gangsters. Again, sounds corny, I guess, but it is amazing - I guess I am a sucker for this kind of story. Bogart is amazing in this movie. He is so studied in his character - he has a distinctinve walk, talk, look. He is so morose in this movie that you can't hate him. You're scared of him, but you're drawn to him. Howard is a little grand, but the character fits into that acting style so well. Bette Davis gravitates between appropriate and a little melodramatic. There is one scene where she practically yells her line, and I have to think that she forgot that she was not onstage. But in a way, her character is full of that drive, so it seems to be half-intentional.
I really want to get ahold of this script. Desperately.
Four and a half out of five stars.

Why can't we bring that back?

As you might have seen, I have been on a classic movie kick lately. Well, give a girl time, a library card and ... time, and that is what you get.
One major thing that strikes me as I watch these glorious films is the ... class, for lack of a better word. I mean, I know it is Hollywood, and that is mostly not real, but there is something about that golden age that strikes me.
The fedora for example - will we never see that the same way again? A man needs a hat - a good hat with character. And have you ever seen anything as suave and elegant as a man sporting a fedora?
Fashion today in general just doesn't compete with then. Back in the days where men wore suits with pants that more than covered their butts. The way clothing was built back then - there is just something about it. And of course, the ladies. Now there is class! Sophistication without trying to scandal. Pure clothing elegance. It also did somethind to how they carried themselves back then. Pride was apart of it, but also just a sense of confidence and comfort within themselves and the clothes. It accentuated them - in both personality and style.
I'm not knocking everything about today's fashions - I do like some of the clothing we wear. And fashion is only a small part of it really. More than anything fashion has to do with anything is the class of it all. Gentlemen could be both rugged and tough without forgeting their tenderness and heart. Ladies could be sensual and sexy without losing their class, brains, strength, and sophistication. I know that Hollywood glamorizes everything, but you can't fake some of these things, and there was a certain something about those few decades. Respect. Or maybe I am dreaming.
What the studio system in those days did was sell not only movies, but the dream. The press, the studios, the stars, the movies, they all sold a dream, no matter how real they tried to be, or aimed to be. Press didn't break down the celebrities, they built them up. In favor of sophistication, they forgot scandal, mostly. It was no perfect world then, and it is no perfect world now, but they handled it with a lot more grace than we do today. Stars were something to look up at and admire. Now, I don't think there are many of those anymore. They are human, and there is nothing wrong with that, and maybe there is nothing really wrong with seeing them that way, but I kinda liked the time when they were a little more like dreams.
I don't know, maybe I am crazy. Maybe it is better now than it was, but sometimes that is a little too hard to see.

Reviews

Dark Passage: Bacall n' Bogie. Ummmm. Never realized I loved Bogart so much, but thinking about it, yep - he's dandy. The story is a little strange. A man breaks out of prison where he has been serving time for a crime he did not commit. A girl helps him. He runs, but he can't run far enough. It's not a surprising story, but then again it is, in the fact that nothing ever gets solved really. The first half is rather odd because it is almost all from a character's view shot. After a while, that gets old. A good deal of the film feels like a Nip/Tuck episode - only trust me, Bogart does it better.
3 out of 5 stars.

Lifeboat: Hitchcock classic. Brilliant. Utterly brilliant. Plot basic: a group of people who survived a Uboat torpedo sinking their ship find themselves stranded in a lifeboat. Most of the entire thing takes place in the lifeboat, only leaving it 2 time, or something like that. You would think that would leave an incredibly cramped feeling to the picture, but it doesn't. Hitchcock finds space somehow, but also juxtaposes that with the closeness of the people and of course tensions. The incredible tensions. It is a good story. Brilliant photography, the suspense, it is all screams Hitchcock. I can't imagine how it must have been to shoot the film. Acting was brilliant on all sides. There was not one wink link, in any aspect.
Four out of five stars.

I Was a Male War Bride: with Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan, directed by Howard Hawks.

First reaction: "that was cute" That pretty much sums it up - Acting was nice, but there was nothing too special about it. Story was funny and entertaining, but again, there was nothing special. It is a perfectly nice film. Plot: A French and an American officer are asked to team up again for an assignment. They don't particularly get along, but as always, that is just a front for thier love. The come to realize this, and the decide to get married. And rest of the movie is about the Red Tape. Like I said, it is a perfectly nice film, and it is worth a watch every now and again, but there was not much to it.

3 out of 5 stars.