timothymcclenaghan Reviews

Storm Over Lisbon (1944)

The Lady Can Bance

[5/10 · 20 August 2023]

This isn't the only Casablanca knock-off ever made. Republic Pictures was known for its cowboy movies (Autry, Rogers, et al) but once and awhile ventured into better pictures, especially those of John Wayne. I'm not saying this was a good movie, just that it came from a source with little experiernce of making a good movie.

I've seen several movies with Vera Ralston in the cast. I think a mention should be made of her dancing in this one. After Sonja Henie introduced dancing into women's figure skaing, every other skater took dancing lessons. Ralston was perhaps one of them.

I don't think a double was used for Ralston's dancing. If you watch it carefully (I did 3 times), watch her turns. She turns like a skater, not a dancer. Dancers don't usually pull their forearms in to turn or tuck their forearms to the chest, as Ralston did in this dance.

D.O.A. (1949)

WHAT'S THE POISON?

[21 September 2018]

This isn't really a review, but rather an answer to the question of identifying the poison. The question is mentioned in several reviews as well as various forums on the Internet. Well, the answer is in the film's dialogue. In the scene where the lead character goes to question the widow of the man who committed suicide, the suicide's brother is in the apartment, Upon leaving, the brother discusses the "stolen iridium" which was part of what was mentioned in the document notarized by the lead character, who obviously became a witness to a crime.. So the poison in the plot is the element iridium, but which for the purposes of the plot, more specifically had to be radioisotope iridium-192--a radioactive substance which can cause radiation poisoning.

Flight (I) (2012)

Denzel With Dirty Fingernails....Again

[20 May 2013]

I haven't seen every Denzel Washington film, but in every one of his films I have seen, Washington has dirty fingernails. Does the man not own a nail file or nail brush? I can't believe neither the cinematographer nor the director doesn't comment on this when filming takes place. Pay careful attention when a close-up of his hands is done and you'll see. And don't give me any bunk about them using hand models for close-ups.

Putting that side, this movie absolutely crawls to an ending. The pace is so, so slow. Was the director trying to make a long movie? Was he paid by the foot of the film? The extraneous scenes did nothing to develop the plot. I fault the script writers for that.

This entire story could have effectively been done in an hour. Picking up the pace of the dialog and dropping the non-essential scenes would have made a much better film.

Priorities on Parade (1942)

Ann Miller Gets Top Billling at Paramount Pictures

[7/10 · 10 November 2012]

Here is top-billed Ann Miller with blonde hair. I really studied her in this film, and I don't think it's a wig.It must have taken gallons of peroxide to get her black hair blonde. Miller provides her usual snazzy tap dancing.

This film has peppy music, although none of it memorable enough to be included with "standards", or even memorable enough to have survived into present day, even though the composers were top-notch talent. Miller, Johnnie Johnstone and Betty Rhodes provide the vocals, with a little bit of Jerry Colonna's nonsense.

Vera Vague, the character created by Barbara Jo Allen, is listed in the credits under the character's name. Vague is the ditzy man-hungry ugly duckling, as the girlfriend of leading lady Rhodes.

The plot is topical for 1942 World War II: patriotism, war-effort, swing music, and with the usual boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl in the end story included. Is it a "B" picture? Maybe, although it's a big too long for that category, but with lesser talents making up the cast, perhaps not an "A" picture, either. It would be an interesting project to research old newspaper advertisements to see how it was presented.

Eadie Was a Lady (1945)

Another Ann Miller Film From Columbia

[7/10 · 10 November 2012]

This film is another entry in the "B" movie group of movies starring Ann Miller produced by Columbia Pictures. Despite that status, there were very talented members of the crew who became prominent later on in Hollywood. Choreographer Jack Cole makes an early career appearance showing his distinctive, original style in the film's production numbers. Cole went on to do choreography for A pictures at both Columbia and 20th Century Fox, notably Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Marilyn Monroe. Also, Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne provide original music. They were evidently staff composers for Columbia, also composing original music for many other films at that studio. Cahn became one of Frank Sinatra's favorite composers.

LIke most of the other Columbia Miller films, the flimsy plot is just an excuse to sing and dance. Miller fans will be pleased to see the tap dancing production numbers, as well as her song performances. Joe Besser provides comedy, which may have been funny in the day, but now seems very dated. Jeff Donnell plays the airhead girlfriend, the same type of role she played in many other films. So even though it's formulaic, it has enough pleasant moments to make watching it worthwhile. It's not the best Ann Miller film, but not the worst either.

Time Out for Rhythm (1941)

Good News For Ann Miller Fans

[24 September 2012]

When Sony/Columbia announced they were going to put their library on DVD, I thought it would probably be a cold day in you-know-where before they issued any of Ann Miller's films. But they have indeed released this film, and not only that, it's digitally remastered so the quality is pristine. No more bootleg copies made from wonky TV broadcasts.

This is the film Miller made for Columbia before she got her long-term contract with that studio and it was her performance here that assured the outcome. She got top billing over veterans Rudy Vallee and Rosemary Lane, which must indicate that Columbia already thought highly of her.

In this film, Miller dances more than in any of her other Columbia films. So if you're a Miller fan, you will be satisfied with acquiring a copy.

Doll Face (1945)

Why did 20th Century-Fox Bother?

[3/10 · 20 September 2012]

This film wastes the talents of Vivian Blaine and Carmen Miranda. Evidently produced right after the end of World War II, Fox didn't care to spend the money on Technicolor, and "cherry blonde" Blaine and flamboyant Miranda should have never been photographed in black and white.

The score is ho-hum. The composers did a much better job on the previous film "Nob Hill" also produced in 1945 in Technicolor and also starring Blaine, with two superb ballads, even though the songs are nearly forgotten today.

Miranda is given only one performance, with the typical tropical theme, a boring song, again losing a lot without Technicolor.

So why did Fox bother? I suppose when you have people under contract, one has to use them somehow in something. Perhaps if the burlesque subject matter had been played up and more burlesque comedy used this film might have ended up a better product.

Great Guy (1936)

Cagney Can't Save A Stupid Movie

[1/10 · 24 July 2012]

This film has a stupid plot--merchant corruption policed by the Bureau of Weights & Measures, with related political corruption. If they wanted a movie about fighting corruption, there were plenty of other more interesting areas to explore.

The script writers didn't give Cagney much to work with. He plays his stereotypical Irishman, and does his usual knocking people around.

Did anyone else notice that Mae Clarke gets a little revenge against Cagney for his shoving a grapefruit in her face in Public Enemy? This time she plays a p-whipping shrew fiancée, with Cagney playing submissive and caving in to her.

This movie may not have been officially a "B" movie since it probably didn't play second to another feature at the time, but it sure falls into that category in terms of quality.

The Wasp Woman (1959)

Noticing The Cheap Production Values

[2/10 · 20 July 2012]

I came across the DVD of this film at the library, and thought it might be fun to watch an oldie.

Cheap production values showed up immediately. It starts with the opening titles, showing bees in a honeycomb. I thought this movie was about wasps.

The place of the company in the plot is Manhattan--time: present date 1959. Producer Corman buys stock street scene footage of New York City with 1920s-1940s autos. Later street scene footage using actors in a car is obviously filmed in Los Angeles, because I saw palm trees.

When the mad scientist injects the wasp potion into guinea pigs to demonstrate the rejuvenation, they turn into rats. Maybe they should have had him inject rats and then showed mice.

In the mad scientist's laboratory are more bees in honeycombs. Perhaps because wasps aren't available from a prop rental company.

Now we all know Corman made movies on a shoestring, and this film is definitely a prime example.

Don't bother with it unless you don't care about wasting 1 hour and 12 minutes of your life.

Never Let Me Go (2010)

A Terrible Things To Do To Perfectly Innocent Film

[1/10 · 25 June 2012]

This is a film that didn't need to be made, as evidenced by the fact it didn't even break even at the box office. That would tend to indicate that word of mouth quickly killed off this film.

The plot moves at a snail's pace, without any suspense. I was lead to believe that this was a sci-fi picture, but the only "sci" was surgery, yet there was plenty of "fi", meaning an unbelievable story.

The script is terrible, allowing the actors to show all of the emotions from A to B. I don't think the leading lady's facial expression changed throughout the entire film.

The novel upon which the script is based must have lost something in the translation from Japanese to English. Maybe it's due to the differing tastes of our cultures.

Nothing Sacred (1937)

Methinks it's not in Technicolor

[7/10 · 25 June 2012]

First, a little background, this taken from information on Wikipedia: Technicolor was perfected by 1935. Selznick Int'l was formed in the same year with the intention of producing a limited number of films yearly, of the highest quality, all to be filmed in Technicolor.

If you look at The Garden of Allah, released in 1936, one year prior to Nothing Sacred, there is a film credit of "Filmed in Technicolor" below the title. There is also a separate credit for Natalie Kalmus as Technicolor supervisor.

However, the notation below Nothing Sacred's title, only says "In Color" and there is NO Technicolor credit of any kind in the credits. Had it been filmed in Technicolor, there would definitely have been a Technicolor credit, since the only way to film in Technicolor, was to rent the cameras from the Technicolor corporation. There were competing color processes around so who knows why Selznick deviated from its policy.

It's probably not Cinecolor. According to the information on Wikipedia, Cinecolor wasn't used for anything other than animation in the time period Nothing Sacred was produced.

I viewed a DVD borrowed from the library, which said "Digitally Remastered" on the jacket. What a joke! It was the worst quality print imaginable--faded color and scratches galore.

This lack of quality is likely from the copyright holder's failure to renew the copyright, putting the film in the public domain, and anybody could make a DVD copy. According to Wikipedia, Disney has the original negatives. The University of Texas, Austin, has all of Selznick International's papers, so perhaps someone there could see whether there are surviving production notes about what color process was used to produce this film.

I give the film a 7 for content and performance, but I wonder if there exists a decent DVD copy around for us to view.

Terra Nova (I) (2011)

So Trite, So Recycled, So What

[1 October 2011]

I'm glad that Spielberg saved the sets from Jurassic Park, and the leftover CGI, so that this could be a "green" production by recycling.

Within 15 minutes of the start, I knew that the teenagers would be encountering raging dinosaurs--ooh, such suspense, I'm so scared. Plus, there's a dissenting group of settlers in another camp to make war on Terra Nova. That was last used in the TV flop "Jericho".

The best dialog that the scriptwriters could create is for the Dad to say to the kids is "Stay here; everything's going to be OK". The lines are so old that they have mold.

The series will appeal to 10 year-olds and stunted adults who like dinosaurs. There's a word for this series, but it's not polite to say it in print.

Shutter Island (2010)

Way Too Long and Done Before

[2/10 · 6 August 2010]

This film is just another twist on an already told tale. I think a similar plot was used in an old Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock TV series show, except they were able to tell the story in less than 30 minutes. This movie is just way too long. If they edited out all of the scenery shots, it could have been pared down to under 90 minutes.

Am I the only one who has questioned the vital statistics of the actors listed in IMDb? In an early scene, actors Lynch (guard), Di Caprio (lead) and Ruffalo (supporting) are walking together. Lynch (listed at 6'3") is half a head at least taller than Di Caprio (listed at 6'), while Ruffalo (listed at 5'9") stands at least half a head shorter than Di Caprio. Methinks IMDb would do well to stop using vitals provided by actors' press agents. The only actor's height I believe is Lynch's.

The Book of Eli (2010)

Subtle Proselytizing

[2/10 · 31 July 2010]

I'm convinced that Denzel Washington's personal beliefs played a part in creating this mess, since he is the son of a conservative minister and one of the producers of this film. Having gone on camera in Man on Fire and Manchurian Candidate with dirty fingernails, at least this time, his dirty fingernails were justified.

Fortunately for me, I never go the movies. I always wait to watch the DVD. Although there are now two hours of my life I'll never get back, at least I didn't pay $12 to see a lousy movie.

The longer I live, the more I am convinced that all of the movies that need to be made, have already been made, and everyone can just close up shop.

The Fatal Hour (1940)

Formulaic Fun

[5/10 · 6 April 2010]

The Mr. Wong series borrows somewhat from the Torchy Blane series at Warner Bros., i.e. feisty female reporter annoying the police officer/boyfriend, but also key to solving the crime. A comment was made elsewhere about that character here having a "Lois Lane" moment. Torchy Blane was allegedly the inspiration for the Lois Lane character of Superman comics.

A humorous, but probably unintentional, mistake shows up early in the film when Boris Karloff's darkening makeup is forgotten on his neck, giving him a two-tone head.

Although one can disparage Karloff for these films, keep in mind that film actors then, as now, need and want work. There are plenty of other well-experienced actors appearing in the Mr. Wong films, whom you can see in better films at better studios in the 1930s, or even in later films.

Although Karloff was making "B" films at Monogram and Columbia around this time, at least he had an "up" blip in his career when he played a major role in "Arsenic and Old Lace" on Broadway from 1941 to 1944.

This film is no worse than the formulaic TV series we have now, both comedy and drama, TV now being today's equivalent of the "B" movies of yesterday.

The Gay Caballero (1940)

OK Way To Pass The Time

[5/10 · 23 February 2008]

Straying far from the original character of O. Henry's Cisco Kid, this movie has Cesar Romero portraying the title character as more of a rogue bandido/Robin Hood with a touch of whimsy. Blame the scriptwriters for that, since it was only the name "Cisco Kid" that appealed to them, as they turned the originally Anglo Kid into a Mexican.

Having been in films for a number of years, Cesar Romero might have thought that his assignment to B movies to be a demotion, but after all, contract players had to do what they were told. He would soon be playing opposite 20th Century-Fox's biggest female stars, Betty Grable and Alice Faye, in those Technicolor extravaganzas.

The remainder of the cast is comprised of veteran character actors, plus Sheila Ryan (another 20th contract player) as "the girl" (you know there always has to be a "girl"). You also get to see an early Robert Sterling, as the boy who gets the girl.

Since the film runs only about an hour, one can't expect too much substance. There are the typical Western plot elements—greedy landowner, robbery, holdups, guys in jail—all the goodies crammed in to make the formula work. Nevertheless, there are worse ways to spend an hour.

They Met in Argentina (1941)

They Shouldn't Have Met in Argentina or Anywhere Else

[1/10 · 19 October 2007]

This musical is a real snore. How could the famous songwriting team of Rodgers and Hart write such insipid music? One would expect at least one song to rise to the level of American standard, but nothing here even comes close. The entire score isn't even tuneful—just blah.

The love story never gets developed. How do the lead characters fall in love when they spend so little time with each other in the film? No love scenes, only one short kiss at the end of the movie.

James Ellison sings one song, but Maureen O'Hara isn't used once. She actually could sing herself. She is used briefly in the production number, dancing with a partner, but she could actually dance. Her talents were wasted in this film.

The entire production suffers from lack of Technicolor. The sets, costumes, and even the horses would have benefited. Yes, I know it was very expensive then. Oh well, even if it had been used, it couldn't have saved the dismal scriptwriting and lousy music.

Carolina Blues (1944)

Typical Kyser Fare With Added Bonus of Ann Miller

[6/10 · 26 August 2007]

Kay Kyser had many top-selling recordings, but his Kollege of Musical Knowledge show, both live and on the radio, was more of a floor show than the performances of other swing bands and orchestras. His show is, of course, incorporated into this film. So in that respect, the film bears resemblance to other films in which Kyser appeared.

The extra bonus is the addition of sweet and lovely Ann Miller to the cast. Unfortunately, her one and only dance performance is butchered by cutaway shots and editing, so that about half is gone. You can only faintly hear the singing and tapping in the background.

What's left, however, is still pure Miller magic. Nobody else was such a machine-gun on feet.

Jam Session (1944)

Musical Performers of Bygone Era

[8/10 · 25 August 2007]

Copying the format used in Ann Miller's previous film, "Reveille With Beverly", once again the plot is an excuse to piece together musical performances by popular recording artists of the day.

Nevertheless, it's an opportunity to enjoy the lovely Miller, who was only in her early 20s at the time of filming. I read that Dorothy Parker was once quoted as saying Miller "was the most statuesque broad in Hollywood".

While she dances only once, it's a nice production number with a World War II theme. She remarked in her autobiography that her Columbia films were intended as entertainment of the troops.

Greenwich Village (1944)

For Fans of Technicolor Fox Musicals

[8/10 · 11 July 2007]

It amazes me that other postings about films are so critical of movies intended to be entertaining fluff, for being fluff.

And trite? What movie today isn't a rehash of something already done over and over again?

Musicals of the time weren't intended to be "South Pacific" or "Oklahoma". The plots were devised to be excuses to have music or dance performances or comedy bits. You probably noticed that the plots are mostly "backstage" stories and the characters portrayed are singers or dancers.

Technicolor is always pleasing to the eye, and so are the performances of Vivian Blaine and Carmen Miranda in this film.

So just sit back and enjoy.

Jive Junction (1943)

Dreck Junction

[1/10 · 28 June 2007]

This film was produced by Producers Releasing Corp. (PRC), among the so-called "Poverty Row" film studios of the 1930s and 40s. So you can imagine how little money was spent making it.

The music is forgettable. Cast member Gerra Young does exhibit an operatic-quality voice, but is sort of a discount Deanna Durbin. The IMDb database doesn't show any other film appearances for her, so let's hope she was able to move on to some kind of position in Grand Opera.

The opening credits for the print recently broadcast by Turner Classic Movies indicates this film has been preserved by the National Film Museum. This immediately begs the question—WHY?

Are their resources so plentiful that they can afford to preserve junk? Some low-budget or B musicals of that era have redeeming features which make them worthwhile. This film has none.

In my opinion, skip this movie. It REALLY wastes an hour of your time.

The Strange One (1957)

A Flawed Film

[1/10 · 22 June 2007]

Most of the actors in this film were in their late 20s or 30s when the movie was made. Therefore, they are not convincing as college-age students. Ben Gazzara, who was about 27 at the time, and always looked older than his age, looks 35.

Notwithstanding the fact that Gazzara was re-creating his stage role for this movie, and may have been a sensation at the time, we have to keep in mind that the stage is very forgiving of age. Actors on the stage are constantly portraying characters younger than their own years.

But when you are looking at someone on stage, you cannot see every line, crease, wrinkle sag and jowl, which are exaggerated when a movie camera is stuck in your face.

In an early scene, all of the characters are in their pajamas, and Gazzara is wearing his military hat. Who wears a hat in their pajamas? Well, this is a common theatrical trick to make the actor appear to be taller.

The IMDb biography of Gazzara states he is 5' 10" tall. That statistic must have come from Gazzara's publicist because Gazzara is 5'5" at best. He is positively dwarfed by George Peppard who is legitimately over 6' tall.

Can we really believe that the shortest man on campus is the biggest bully? It's sure not convincing to me.

So, we're left with unconvincing actors stuck in a boring plot. We can't blame the actors for this. The blame lies with the producer and the script writer.

My advice is skip this movie.

Pan-Americana (1945)

Just Doesn't Cut It

[2/10 · 2 May 2007]

Perhaps this film was an attempt to hitch onto the Pan-American goodwill efforts of the 1940s. The contrived plot is a boy-meets-girl story, interrupted by musical performances of Latin American artists, some of which were Carmen Miranda wannabees, and none of which were memorable or even particularly good.

Leading man, Phillip Terry, just doesn't seem to have much screen charisma. Supporting cast members, Robert Benchley and Eve Arden, play the same characters that they did in countless other movies, so even their presence doesn't help this film. But don't blame the actors for what amounts to a bad script.

If there had been a notable musical performance, or some clever comedy in this movie, there might be a reason to watch it—but there isn't. What's worse is that the print recently broadcast by Turner Classic Movies wasn't in very good condition.

Bird of Paradise (1932)

An Enjoyable Way to Spend An Hour

[8/10 · 6 April 2007]

While the plot of this film may seem trite to us today, it was fresh and original in 1932 when it was made. This may well have been the first "throw the girl into the volcano" movie. Considering the technical limitations of film-making in 1932, the photography and special effects are quite good: the whirlpool, the erupting volcano and the river of lava.

Contradicting other postings to this website, I did not see a "rape" scene. What I saw was the male lead chase the female lead after she had been teasing him, then he wrestled her and pinned her down to introduce her to Western-style kissing. A rapist doesn't kiss his victim, and a rape victim would not want her attacker to continue kissing her.

The action of the plot moves quickly and is never bogged down by the dialog. This is an entertaining film, which you could view as you would any antique: it's charming for the era in which it was created.

On the Isle of Samoa (1950)

A Really Low B Grade Film

[1/10 · 22 March 2007]

This B picture has low, low, really low production values. The plot would have us believe there was an island in the South Pacific that was totally untouched by Western civilization, let alone by the Pacific Theater in World War II, where the Japanese and Americans were looking for each other in every nook and cranny.

Much of the film footage is lifted from other films. In the scenes of the islanders' celebrations, one portion looked like it was from a silent film; another showed characters who were obviously supposed to be African, then segued back to Polynesian-looking people.

The main character steals an airplane, which crashes on an island in the Samoan chain during a hurricane. An unintentionally funny part of the film is caused by the borrowing of all the film footage. The aircraft keeps changing. On the ground before take-off, it's a DC-3. Then when airborne, it becomes an odd type of 1930s aircraft I can't identify with a double-decker tail. Then, it becomes a Lockheed Electra when flying in the sunshine above the clouds, then changes back to the odd aircraft when flying in a dark storm. When the plane begins to dive, it's back to the Lockheed again, but then back to the odd aircraft when crashing down into the jungle.

I thought that odd aircraft looked familiar, then I remembered having seen it in RKO's 1939 film, "Five Came Back". I viewed that film to confirm that the footage was taken directly from that film.

What would a South Sea island movie be without an erupting volcano? At least the plot didn't have a virgin to be thrown into it. The volcano footage looks suspiciously like that in United Artists' "One Million B.C." (1940) with a little film trickery added.

Fortunately, this film is only about one hour long. Don't blame the actors for the quality of this film. Blame the producer and the scriptwriters. If you absolutely have nothing better to do, you might be able to stand watching this film.