TCM TiVo ALERT
For
February
8–February 14
DAVID’S
BEST BETS:
ALL
THE KING'S MEN (February
11, 8:00 pm): I recommend this film once a year
simply because it is one of the 10 greatest films ever
made. It's in regular rotation on TCM, which is a great
thing because this 1949 film is to be viewed and enjoyed again and
again. I can't stress how outstanding it is and how those
who've never seen it, must do so. Broderick Crawford is
brilliant as Willie Stark, a do-gooder who fails as a politician
until he works the system, gets dirt on friends and foes, and becomes
a beloved populist governor. There are other incredible
performances, particularly John Ireland as Jack Burden, a journalist
who "discovers" Stark and helps him climb the political
ladder, stepping over anyone in the way; and Raymond Greenleaf as
Judge Monte Stanton, Burden's mentor and role model. As I had
previously written, if you love politics, this is the best movie on
the subject ever made. If you hate politics, you'll love this film as
it gives you plenty of reasons to confirm your belief on the subject.
LIBELED
LADY (February 14, 8:15 am): First, a few words
about the cast. You can't possibly make a bad movie with William
Powell, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow (the latter had top
billing). Well, I suppose you can, but it would be extremely
difficult. The chemistry between all four in this 1936 screwball
comedy is among the best you'll find in any movie. While Walter
Connolly is fine as Loy's father, the legendary Lionel Barrymore was
originally cast in the role. If that had come to pass, this would
rival Key Largo as the greatest ensemble-cast film
ever made. There are so many wonderful and genuinely funny scenes in
this film with these four great comedic actors. Powell and Harlow
were married at the time, but it was decided that Powell and Loy, one
of cinema's greatest on-screen couples, would fall in love though
Harlow got to do a wedding scene with Powell. Harlow died of renal
failure the year after this film was released. She was only 26. The
plot is wonderful with socialite Loy (who was such a beautiful woman)
suing a newspaper for $500,000 for falsely reporting she broke up a
marriage. Tracy is the paper's managing editor and Harlow is his
fiancée who he won't marry. Tracy hires Powell, a slick newspaperman
who is a smooth operator when it comes to women, to seduce Loy and
then purposely get caught in a compromising position by Harlow, who
would pretend to be his wife. Things don't turn out as planned with
Loy and Powell falling in love. It's a great movie with a fantastic
cast and a joy to watch. It's a wonderful movie for Valentine's
Day.
ED’S BEST BETS:
BATTLEGROUND (February 9, 3:00 pm): The first film depicting an actual World War II battle, released in 1949, when memories of the war were still fresh in the minds of the soldiers that fought in it. Employing an excellent ensemble cast, including James Whitmore, Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban, John Hodiak, and George Murphy, it’s the story of the 101st Airborne Division and its brave stand at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge as told by writer Robert Pirosh and director William Wellman. Seen as somewhat dated today when compared to the awe-inspiring realism of the Band of Brothers mini-series, the film was considered as cutting edge when first released in terms of realism and faithfulness to history. It’s still well worth your time and still retains its punch after all these years.
THE THIRD MAN (February 12, 9:30 pm): For the cinephile this is a no-brainer if there ever was one. Screenplay by Graham Greene; direction by Carol Reed; and starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten in perhaps their greatest teaming (yes, even better than Citizen Kane). This has been cited as the greatest British films of all time and it’s difficult, if not downright impossible, to argue with that assessment. Greene and Reed – along with the wonderful work of cinematographer Robert Krasker – capture perfectly the decay of postwar Vienna, once the jewel of European capitals. Cotten, as the nominal hero, is ineffective almost to the point where we in the audience become cynical and begin rooting for Harry Lime (Welles playing a great, complex villain) to get away with his crimes. Those familiar with the fiction of Graham Greene know that the dividing line between good and evil is always thin and blurred. The Third Man is a prime example of that philosophy.
WE DISAGREE ON . . . MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (February 11, 4:15 am)
ED:
B-. Mighty Joe Young is no classic by any
stretch of the imagination, but it is
quite watchable. My partner absolutely hates it, probably the
result from some trauma suffered in childhood where his parents broke
his crayons to make sure that he watched the movie. We should see the
film for what it is - the entertaining, friendlier version of King
Kong that Son of Kong tried, but failed, to
be for the studio. This time around, however, the film has a much
more pronounced subliminal message than did either two Kong films.
Willis O’Brien was an early version of today’s animal
activist, he believed that animals should be left alone, and further,
be free to be left alone. Joe Young was happy living in the wilds of
Africa until Robert Armstrong and his pals showed up to take both Joe
and his companion, Jill (Terry Moore), back to “civilization” as
part of a nightclub act. The poor ape is abused by drunken audiences
and placed in a cage between performances. Anyone who sees the scene
of Jill visiting Joe in his prison can’t help but be moved by
Joe’s plight. When Joe has a natural; reaction one night to
his audience abusers, he (no pun intended) goes ape and is ordered to
be shot by a judge. But Joe escapes, and to show what a good guy he
really is, rescues about a dozen orphans from a burning building. The
judge relents and Joe and Jill return to Africa to live happily ever
after. Unlike the earlier Kong movies, this film is quite obviously
aimed at the kiddies. Most of the budget went for O’Brien’s special
effects, and Armstrong was brought in to remind audiences of King
Kong. (In fact, this film often played on a double, or
triple, bill in some cities to cash in on its predecessors.) As such,
important things such as plot, direction, and star power went by the
wayside, which hurts the film. Disney remade Mighty Joe
Young in 1998, but steer well clear of that one, as one
would of all King Kong reboots.
DAVID:
D+. I'm not a fan of King Kong so you can
imagine how much I dislike this pathetic Kong rip-off. Ed
is partially correct about this film and trauma I suffered in
childhood, but it has nothing to do with crayons or at least I
don't think it does. My father was a huge Kong fan and
he loved this film so I've seen it about a dozen times. I freely
admit I haven't seen this film in about 30 years, but when
you've seen it as often as I did and loathe it, the memory of this
train-wreck of a movie stays with you for a very, very long time. The
plot reminds me of "Curious George" meets Santa in the
courtroom scene of Miracle on 34th Street.
There is barely a plot. There's a pathetic attempt to be some
sort of message movie though I don't understand what the
film's message is. Ed wrote the film has a more pronounced
subliminal message that the first two Kong films. The message must be
extraordinary subliminal because I don't get it at all, or maybe
I do and it hasn't reached my consciousness yet despite seeing
it so many torturous times. The acting is atrocious. The special
effects are a mixed bag, but not awful. However, Joe's changing
height is laughably bad. He's sometimes the height or a person
and then he's much taller in other scenes. At least the movie
doesn't take itself seriously, or it shouldn't take itself
seriously as it comes across as a cheap-looking attempt at slapstick
comedy. That's not saying much, but the all-too-few bright spots
save the movie from getting an F.
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