/tv/ - Movies and Television

Last thread stopped bumping.

Previous thread:
>>331158

>The Amusement Park
This is basically an extended PSA about the struggles of the elderly. I'd seen a few quotes from critics raving about it, but I don't think it's some kind of rediscovered masterpiece the way it's apparently been made out to be. It really boils down to the protagonist going through a series of misfortunes. On the plus side, I think it's pretty effective at creating an atmosphere of despair. I definitely appreciated the low-rent '70s production values, which I think help add to that feeling. I liked some of the library music too. There was one piece that I think I remember from Dawn of the Dead. I also liked the beginning and end with Lincoln Maazel doing double duty in the white room.

My verdict is that it's worth watching if you're a curious George Romero fan who wants to see some more of his older work, but I don't think it's something I would encourage anyone else to watch.
>Sleeper
This movie is a bit unique as far as flicks with dystopian sci-fi settings go in that that it's a full-blown comedy with a Dixieland jazz soundtrack. Most of the comedy sadly didn't appeal to me. It takes inspiration from the old-school slapstick of the '20s, but contrary to the critics for whatever reason I didn't find the gags to be anywhere as good as those of the old guys. There's definitely more of a verbal element to the humor too. It doesn't emphasize clever sight gags the way the acclaimed silent comedians tended to do. This is actually the first Woody Allen movie I've ever seen (I'm not counting watching Antz once as a kid), I think I understand that Orson Welles rant about Woody Allen now. In spite of his self-deprecating persona, he comes across like he can't get enough of himself and his own cleverness. There were some parts I did find amusing. The more Jew-themed parts in particular, like the robot tailors with prominent noses and thick Yiddish accents. Speaking of Jews, Woody Allen's character competes for the romantic interest of Diane Keaton's with a more attractive character named Erno, and of course he had to make a remark about his romantic rival's "Aryan" traits.

That last part rubbed me the wrong way, but as a whole I still found the movie watchable. I liked the retrofuturistic '70s dystopianism (I thought the technologically advanced society filled with seemingly incompetent people was an interesting touch that reminds me of where society today seems to be headed) and the unique choice of musical accompaniment for the setting. I just don't believe it's some great comedy classic like a lot of people seem to think.
>The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
I liked this one despite not being too keen on Danny Kaye's comedic style at all. This is the only Danny Kaye movie I've seen so far and can't speak to his approach in his other work, but I typically don't care for a certain type of comedian that does a lot of exaggerated gestures and facial expressions and wacky voices (although I actually can find impressions entertaining). Think Jim Carrey or Robin Williams. Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor is also one of the least funny comedies I can ever remember seeing. Danny Kaye clearly exhibited a lot of talent, particular in his patter songs, but I just don't find them very amusing. On the positive side, the "I hate women" moment gave me a sensible chuckle, and the rest of the humor I tended to find unobtrusive enough that it didn't negatively affect my enjoyment of the film.

As someone who liked daydream sequences in cartoons as a kid, what really attracted me to the movie was the premise involving a hapless, timid daydreamer with a rich fantasy life. I appreciated the Harold-Lloyd-like character arc. Walter Mitty is reminiscent of the unassertive characters Lloyd played in movies like Girl Shy or Grandma's Boy who end up overcoming their character flaws. The bits on the edge of the office building I even found a bit reminiscent of Safety Last!, although it doesn't emphasize suspense the way that does or anything.

While I think I'd take my favorite Harold Lloyd movies over The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, I still found it a good watch for what it is.
>Invasion of the Saucer Men
This is another case where the poster is cooler than the actual movie. Strongly so here. The movie features a similar alien design to what you see in the artwork, but the creatures look much more worse moving in live action. The fact that they spend a lot of time lurking in the shadows was probably just an effort to mitigate how low budget it looks. I'll give credit where credit is due: The disembodied hand that creeps around is actually kind of neat given what they had to work with. In contrast to a lot of these types of movies, Invasion of the Saucer Men features a pretty comedic tone. Once again, that might have been related to how cheap of a production it was. It's easier to try and pass off something this silly as a comedy than it is to make a completely serious science fiction or horror movie out of it. Unfortunately, the humor can come across as pretty forced at times. A pre-Batman Frank Gorshin also appears in it but doesn't do too much. The pacing isn't very good either. The movie is a little over an hour long but still feels slow moving.

I'd recommend skipping this one.

RIP Bob Burns, by the way.
>She
This is a pretty serious case of wasted potential. For all the work that went into the costumes and architecture of Kor with the intention of shooting it in color, the budget was slashed at the last minute and they were forced to shoot in black and white (yeah, Legend Films colorized it like 20 years ago, but it's not the same). It's not like a German Expressionist movie or a Universal horror movie that are designed specifically with black and white in mind and benefit from it. Or, given the nature of the production and who was involved, King Kong. But it's more comparable to Son of Kong in how compromised the end product was. Like Son of Kong, it had some cool-sounding Willis O'Brien animation that was never filmed due to budgetary constraints (a scene with the explorers getting attacked by mammoths). In this case, there are no animated varmints at all. The only critter you get is a frozen saber-toothed tiger shown via a Mario Larrinaga matte painting. Helen Mack and Noble Johnson were also in both movies.

Speaking of casting, I thought Helen Gahagan was pretty decently cast as the literal ice queen of Kor. Cary Grant's boyfriend Randolph Scott, however, comes across as wooden as the leading man caught between his affections for Helen Mack's character and the unforeseen romantic interests of She. The movie also feels very slow moving, and the every end of the film you're subjected to a tacky message about the power of love.

As for Max Steiner's score, I disliked how he seemed to have based the main theme from the one he wrote for King Kong. It's like he was pilfering his own work, which is something I remember reading that he was known to do. The more ethereal tone is nicely distinctive and a nice change of pace though.

My final verdict is that it can be worth watching if it's something you're personally curious about, like I was, but it's nothing worth raving about. I wouldn't really encourage anyone else to check it out. Merian C. Cooper even apparently said it was the worst movie he'd ever made.