regina989 Reviews

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

Bette and Errol: a strange matchup that works

[24 September 2001]

Bette Davis and Errol Flynn, the Queen and King of Warner Bros. in the late '30s and early '40s, only worked together a couple of times. "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" is their major effort, and it's a very good one. Warners pulled out all the stops for this Technicolor extravaganza, and Curtiz directs with a sure hand. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's music is wonderful. The real star of the show, though, is Ms. Davis as Queen Elizabeth. With all the on-screen Elizabeths to choose from, you won't forget hers. I had just watched "The Sea Hawk" where Errol faces another great Elizabeth, Dame Flora Robson (even though they only have a couple of scenes together, but Errol seems much more at ease in that picture).

Bette made no secret of her dislike for the freewheeling, womanizing, undisciplined Flynn, and criticized his performance opposite her for years afterwards (although if memory serves she eventually relented and admitted he wasn't bad). Some may take issue with the pacing of the movie, but Bette's so good, Errol's so handsome, and the dialogue so adult and refreshing (and don't forget the reliable villain Henry Daniell), you can't help but like it.

The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

Just get this movie

[14 January 2001]

This is my 10th or 11th Mel Gibson movie in the last 3 weeks...yikes! Well, I'm happy to get to this one because it might be Mel's best movie. (And I'm a big fan of the "Lethal Weapon" franchise.) I liked this movie when it first came out, and I like it even better now. You do get to catch some lines and nuances on repeated viewing. Mel and Sigourney, wow, are they hot...that scene at the party...! Mel admitted recently in a TV interview that he had had an on-set affair early in his career (but not since). You gotta wonder if it was with Sig...I would believe it. The real standout in the movie though is indeed the great Linda Hunt, well-deserving of her Academy Award. Where is Linda? We haven't seen her lately. Let me also mention Maurice Jarre's compelling musical score. He wrote several scores for Peter Weir...check them (and the films) out. Anyway, if you've never seen this movie, don't just sit there. Go get it...and get it in DVD so you won't have to deal with the awful pan-and-scan video.

Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

OK (and hopefully final) sequel

[7 January 2001]

I've just watched all Lethal Weapon movies on video in the last 2 weeks. I liked #4 better on video than in the theaters in 1998, because I was caught up on the stories and the characters. Still, it's the weakest of the series. As someone already said, Riggs is too "settled." He and Lorna make a good couple and there's real chemistry there, but Riggs with the short hair and looking a little heavy, and with a girlfriend and a baby on the way, etc., well, he just isn't real "Lethal" anymore. And a big part of the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh (the core relationship, always) is their differences. Now they're just about the same. Plus Leo Getz wore out his welcome and shouldn't have been in this one. #4 has its moments, and I really liked Jet Li, but the whole enterprise lacks the snap of the previous entries. So Mel, Danny, Joe, Renee, and Chris, thanks for the memories, but please don't make another one. Mel has been saying recently that there won't be another one; hope he sticks to it.

Mrs. Soffel (1984)

Diane and Mel mix it up

[4 January 2001]

Continuing my survey/reevaluation of Mel Gibson movies (well, somebody has to do it), I give this one 3 stars out of 4. If I were giving stars. Anyway...beautifully photographed, nicely-directed film of warden's wife (Diane Keaton) in 1901 Pittsburgh, in contact with death-row inmate brothers (Mel and Matthew Modine). Diane's in static marriage with warden Edward Herrmann and four kids; goes to death row to read Bible passages to cons...one in particular...! Mel's waiting' on a hangin' while the darling of local starry-eyed schoolgirls lamenting the handsome con's apparent fate. Diane and Mel strike sparks in this period romance. Film is slow-moving in first half, but stick with it.

Tequila Sunrise (1988)

It just doesn't work

[25 December 2000]

This seems to be one of those films where people either really like it or really don't. I fall into the latter category. The script is convoluted, contrived. The direction is too self-conscious. Towne tries way too hard to do "Chinatown II." But he doesn't have an insouciant character like Jake Gittes here. Kurt Russell could have done it, should have done it, but he isn't allowed to cut loose here, really. Mel, Michelle and Kurt don't strike sparks, in any combination. It's too hard to buy Mel as a drug dealer; he might be able to take on that sort of part now, but back then when he was around 32, young and beautiful, we are supposed to believe this guy spent 15 years dealing drugs. Everybody's just too gosh-darn restrained. Michelle seems to be sleepwalking most of the time. Even the sex scene doesn't work. The film's "Hollywood" ending plays as tacked-on. J.T. Walsh and Raul Julia were good, though. I'm a fan of all three leads; I think they could do a good movie together; this movie wasn't it.

Tim (1979)

Mel and Piper are convincing

[29 October 2000]

I thought this was a good movie. Not a great movie, but Mel does a credible job as a slightly slow labourer who comes to depend on a middle-aged woman (Piper) he works for. The growing affection between them seems genuine. I think this film could have been longer. Not necessarily at the end, but in the middle. I would have liked to see more of Mel's family and what they're about, particularly the sister and her husband. Also, there are too many unanswered questions about Piper's character. Still, I enjoyed it, and the fact that I got to watch a young, gorgeous Mel in tight clothing most of the time was absolutely not a bad thing. A good little movie, worth checking out if you're a Mel fan, to see him pre-superstardom.

What Lies Beneath (2000)

Forgettable Hitchcock homage

[17 July 2000]

Those who know their Hitchcock, particularly "Rear Window" and "Psycho" can spend their time pointing out the homages (ripoffs?) during the slow stretches of this thriller. Harrison Ford, in great shape but looking his 58 years, costars with Michelle Pfeiffer as a Vermont couple who, well, start to have problems in their beautiful lakeside home. You see, Michelle, perhaps suffering from empty-nest syndrome (she's just packed off their only child to college), is starting to hear things...and becoming suspicious of the new neighbors...and Harrison's a hard-working research scientist who never seems to be around when the creepy things happen. Is she losing her mind...?

There's a lot (I do mean a lot) of cheap scares in this movie, along with some genuinely tense moments. You do have to sit through some long stretches until the last couple of reels when things rev up considerably. The ending, however, isn't too surprising. Plus the music and sound effects are way too loud - does every sound (even a drawer closing) have to boom? Soundtrack composer Alan Silvestri, one of the lesser talents of the major film composers, tries to do Bernard Herrmann Jr. and it's obvious. He's listened to that "Psycho" music one too many times.

All in all, a throwaway summer movie, competently directed by Robert Zemeckis, OK if you like the genre but far from its best example. For that, watch the Hitchcock movies on AMC on Sunday nights.

The World of Henry Orient (1964)

Fun nostalgia trip for early '60s teens

[7/10 · 3 July 2000]

I just watched this film again today after not having seen it for many years. I grew up in 1960's New York and was reminded of a lot of the good times there and feelings I had as an adolescent girl, struggling to grow up and figure out what it all meant. Since I love classical music, it's always fun to watch a movie where it plays even a peripheral part. Someone here said the film portrays a New York that never really existed. I don't think that's true - it did, and perhaps still does, exist for a young girl full of hopes and dreams, imagining all the possibilities of a future that lies ahead. Yes, "The World of Henry Orient" is basically an innocent movie. Well, what's wrong with that? It's also charming and funny and aware. Be sure to get a copy for your young daughter or niece, and watch it with her!

Somewhere in Time (1980)

The movie works

[29 May 2000]

I just watched this movie on cable today (May 2000). I had never seen it before, although I had heard the music because I like to listen to film soundtracks and I'm a particular fan of John Barry's. I'm not a particular fan of overly romantic movies, which is probably why I had avoided this one for so long. I would give it a 7 out of 10. It sits in the middle as far as time travel movies ("Time After Time" is better). The romance works, and everyone seems to agree that Jane Seymour is beautiful and the setting is spectacular. I want to go to that island! I've seen Christopher Reeve in several movies and he isn't any more than adequate. His looks take him a long way but not far enough. I'm glad I finally saw "Somewhere in Time" but frankly it's not something I'll rush to sit through again. It's going to be one of those "watch every 10 years" type of movie.

Return to Me (2000)

David Duchovny finally moves past "Mulder"!

[7/10 · 17 February 2000]

"Return to me" is a charming, funny film. Yes, I was surprised by my reaction, since I attended a preview of the film expecting not to like it very much. Let's face it, the premise is at best farfetched (widower falls in love with a woman who had a heart transplant, and coincidentally, received the heart of his dead wife). I don't normally like Minnie Driver (I think her best work was in "Circle of Friends"), but I liked her here. She's a good match for David Duchovny, who finally moves past his "Mulder" role on The X-Files. I was crossing my fingers for him after "Playing God" tanked so badly (and deservedly so) a couple of years ago. He acquits himself quite well here in this romantic comedy. It was fun to see Carroll O'Connor and Robert Loggia enjoying themselves in supporting roles. Bonnie Hunt directed and also has a supporting role in the film. Her touches are all over this movie, which is a good thing. She manages to have a few poignant moments balanced out by a good number of laugh-out-loud scenes. I always liked her and I'm looking forward to more of her output.