Sullivan’s Travels

broderic on June 1, 2007

Ants in Your Pants of 1939 sounds like a fantastic movie. If it was real. It’s one of the funny films directed by John L Sullivan. It’s such a great money maker for his studio that the execs want him to direct another comedy, perhaps Ants in Your Pants of 1941. Sullivan doesn’t want to. He wants to direct a movie with pathos and gravitas like a Capra film. And maybe with a little sex in it. But he doesn’t have the life experience to direct such a movie. What does he know? So he outfits himself as a hobo and goes in search for that American experience. Hilarity ensues. That’s the film in a nutshell. The film he wanted to make was “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Needless to say it doesn’t get made because of the epiphany he experiences in his search for hobo gold.

Sullivan’s Travels was Preston Sturges’s film after The Lady Eve. It’s one of several films he wrote and directed during the 1940’s which was a very creative and fruitful period for him. I bought his box set that not only had both The Lady Eve and Sullivan’s Travels but five other good films. Each one hilarious in their own right.

If you like movies with some really good dialogue, you can’t do better than one of these Preston Sturges flicks.

4 of 5 stars.

Adventures From My Netflix Queue: Alien Autopsy, Fact or Fiction

broderic on May 27, 2007

The problem I had with this “expose” was that they talked about the film, but only show several minutes throughout the entire show. If it was a real film they would’ve filmed the entire autopsy from beginning to end.

Also, what was purported to be film looked like grainy video. Couldn’t they at least shown it as film?

It’s all fake.

1 of 5 stars

Waitress

broderic on May 27, 2007

I am always down for a Kerri Russell flick.

In this small, quirky film (it debuted at Sundance) she plays a waitress in a small town pie diner stuck in a bad marriage. She bakes pies, gets pregnant, and has an affair with her OB-GYN. And she looks as cute as ever.

But back to the film. It fits as one of those Sundance films. I haven’t been this charmed by one of these types of films since Ruby in Paradise. It may seem overly trying at times, but the sweetness of it wins you over. Kerri Russell was winnning as the main character. She bring back Felicity who’s been sorely missed. The supporting cast worked well.

4 of 5 stars.

Colnel Mustard in the Library

broderic on May 26, 2007

It’s gonna be the biggest thing this summer. No, not any of the lame third editions of movies, but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow. It’s gonna be big. Real big. And you’ll just have to go along with the hype.

To get you started, here’s some fancy speculation about some plot points for the finale.

It’s ludicrous, but somewhat believable. Yet, most everything you can say about the Potter series can come true. I’ve been known to dabble. In fact, I think that it will be Harry who dies with Hermione very saddened.

A Barbara 5

broderic on May 25, 2007

As you know, I’m on a Barbara Stanwyck jag. It’s been her movies which I just want to see. My Netflix queue has several. My DVD collection has expanded because of her. My Amazon shopping cart is crammed with her films. Anyway here’s the post which got me started on this cinematic journey.

Movies 2.0

broderic on May 25, 2007

This New York Times article is certainly laughable. It’s arguing that the future of movies is in the third dimension. 3-D!

That’s no punchline.

Yet, to predict that 3-D is the next big thing in movies is to miss out on the resurgance of virtual reality. VR movies will supplant the lame 3-D technology of today. You can’t get more into a movie than virtually walking through the sets.

Take that to the bank.

A Hobo’s Life for Me

broderic on May 24, 2007

I love pirates. Sometimes I fancy myself as one. But pretty soon searching for pirate booty will be replaced by a yearning for the freedom of the rails. And every one will want to be a hobo.

Don’t believe me?

It’s starting to appear every where thanks to John Hodgeman’s book and his reading of 700 hobo names. Soon there’ll be a hobo day and it’ll seep into the blogosphere memes. You’ll be wanting to know what your hobo name is.

I’m just feeling it because of watching Sullivan’s Travels last night. Good movie. Veronica Lake is short. Yet, it made me want to be a hobo too. Or at least a bum.

28 Weeks Later

broderic on May 22, 2007

Contrary to what Marge says, I wanted to write up my review, or thoughts on, 28 weeks Later…

In most horror films, there is the jerk. The character that does things against the grain in service of selfish ideas rather than in service of the survivors, like Burke in Aliens or Ed in Shaun of the Dead. It’s the character you want most to die, and to be there when it happens in the most gruesome of way. In 28 Weeks Later, I felt that the two kids where that character. If not for their own selfish reasons, this movie would’ve been over in half the time. They were the prime motivators for killing off the human race, but they shouldn’t have survived. They should’ve died the gruesome death of the jerk onscreen for us to cheer. I would’ve liked the movie that way. I couldn’t like this movie when the characters I really wanted to live didn’t.

Plus, there were plot points that made no sense. Why did it take hours to find the children in a deserted London? Why is the US Military incometent? How on an island can you let zombies escape? WTF?

The movie is badly plotted. And the twist, which I thought wasn’t going to happen, happened. And I called it when I did not want to believe it. That’s what killed it for me.

2 of 5 stars.