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Ticket to Paradise (2022)

Ticket to Paradise is a 2022 romantic comedy film directed by Ol Parker. The film stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts as a divorced couple who choose to destroy their daughter’s (Kaitlyn Dever) wedding. Billie Lourd, Maxime Bouttier, and Lucas Bravo also star. 

Two divorced parents, David and Georgia Cotton, travel to Bali after learning that their daughter, Lily, is planning to a man who is named Gede, whom she just met. They choose to work together to destroy the wedding to stop Lily from making the same mistake they made twenty-five years ago. 

This is definitely a chick-flick with all the cheesiness they ususally come with. Parts of this movie are laugh out funny, but most of the time, it is overly cheesy, awakward and predictable. You’d think with two award winning stars, this film would be really good, but it just wasn’t and makes me wonder if this is the kind of work they will being from now on. This one is really a disappointment. The story has been done to death. The best thing about this movie is the Bali scenery, the beautiful clothes, the few laugh out loud moments, and the romance. 

Roberts and Clooney who are normally fantastic actors, should be ashamed theat they chose to be in this film. I mean I’m sure they had a blast filming it, but with the unoriginal plot and basic rom-com humor, it seems like their award winning is behind them. Julia Roberts, who normally wows in her acting, was almost as bad as Kaitlyn Dever. George Clooney performed the best and was far funnier than any of the other actors and actresses. 

I found myself slightly bored at times and other times, rolling my eyes at the cheesy scenes. Being a hopeless romantic, I was hoping for a lot more romance and the most lovey-dovey parts, came towards and at the end. Even watching this movie with a lover, wouldn’t have made it more entertaining, it was cute at best. 

Kaitlyn Dever’s (Lily) and Maxime Bouttier’s (Gede) characters were underwritten, which makes no sense, as the film is suppose to about them as well and instead it focused on Clooney’s and Robert’s characters more. It should have been written to focus equally on all four. Also, Wren (Billie Lourd), Lily’s best friend is ignored by her for the majority of the film and that’s unfair, especially after Wren goes back to the U.S. 

Paul (Lucas Bravo) is a short-lived character in the movie. He is a much younger airplane pilot, from France, who is dating Georgia for most of the runtime. Bravo is not a very good actor and his character is sweet, but mostly he is just eye candy. The banter between David and Georgia is rather hilarious, so that does make the movie a little more engaging. 

Wren, who like Lily, were just looking for a vacation after graduating college. Neither expected to find love and the moment Lily did, it was like Wren wasn’t there anymore and you end up feeling sorry for her who spends the majority of her vaction drinking and flirting, but never hooks up. Lily is a bad friend. The only good thing about Lily is she’s cute and smart, because her personality is blah. 

This movie isn’t exactly terrible, it’s cute and funny at times, but mostly just another lackluster romantic comedy, whith nothing new to give. The location and handsome men are pretty much the best thing about this one.  13+ 2/5

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Blonde (2022)

Blonde is a 2022 American fictionalized biographical drama film written and directed by Andrew Dominik, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. The film is a fictionalized take on the life and career of American actress Marilyn Monroe, played by Ana de Armas. The cast also includes Adrien Bordy, Bobby Connavale, Xavier Samuel and Julianne Nicholson. 

As a young girl, Norma Jeane Mortenson grows up raised by her mentally deranged mother Gladys. On her seventh birthday in 1933, she is given a framed picture of a man Gladys claims is her father. Later that night, a fire breaks out in the Hollywood Hills, and Gladys drives Norma Jean back up there, claiming that her father lives there, but is forced to go back home at the demand of the police. A fuming Gladys tries to drown Norma Jean in the bathtub when she asks about her father, but lets her go. Norma escapes naked and runs to a neighbor’s house, Miss Flynn, who promises she will be fine. A few days later, Norma Jean is sent to an orphanage while Gladys is admitted to a mental hospital, having been declared unfit to be a mother. 

In the 1940’s, Norma Jeane becomes a pin-up girl under the stage name “Marilyn Monroe,” appearing on magazine covers and calendars. While trying to break into the acting industry, she is raped by film sutido president Mr. Z. In 1951, she auditions for the role of Nell in Don’t Bother to Knock. The audition goes badly after she breaks down and leaves in tears, but she impresses the casting director enough to give her the part. As her acting career starts to take off, she meets Charles “Cass” Chaplin Jr. and Edward G. “Eddy” Robinson Jr., with whom she begins a polyamorous relationship. She lands her breakout role in 1953 with Niagra, but after she is seen in public with Cass and Eddy, she is told by her agent to limit her public displays with them. 

Norma Jeane becomes pregant with Cass’ child, much to her delight, but eventually decides to have an abortion out of fear that the child might inherit Gladys’ mental issues. Cass supports her decision. On the day of the appointment, she changes her mind, but it is too late. Following the abortion, she breaks things off with Cass and Eddy and. She later meets Joe DiMaggio, a retired baseball player. As she films Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she recieves a letter from a man claiming to be her father. She feel disconnected to her onscreen performance at the film’s premiere, saying it wasn’t her. She goes back to her hotel room, having been told that someone is waiting for her. Expecting it to be her father, she insteads find Jow, who asks to marry her, which she accepts. 

Norma Jeane and Joe’s marriage gets bad when Cass and Eddy give Joe some nude pictures of her, which infuriates Joe so much, that he beats her demands that she refuse to do The Seven Year Itch out of principle. However, she still goes through with the filming, doing the famous scene with the white dress. When she gets home, a drunken Joe screams and gets physically violent with her. She divorces him soon after. 

In 1955, Norma Jeane auditions for the Broadway play Magda, written by renowned playwright Arthur Miller. During a read-through, her performance inpresses everyone but Arthur. He eventually warms up to her when she gives him inspirational character analysis. They marry and move to Maine, where she lives a happy life with him and become pregnant. However, ehen walking on the beach one day with a platter of food, she trips and miscarries. Devastated, she returns to acting soon after. 

While filming Some Like It Hot, Norma Jean becomes more uncontrollavle and mentally unstable. She is overwhelmed by the constant press attention, feels that she is becoming a joke, has frequent outbursts on set, especially toward director Billy Wilder, and grows more and more distant from Arthur. To cope with her stress she begins taking pills. 

By 1962, she has become dependant on drugs and alcohol. Secret Service agents pick up intoxicated Norma Jeane and take her to a hotel to meet the president, who forces her to fellate him, before raping her. 

Most of this story is fictionalized, so it should not be taken as all facts. Historical events seemed to be changed up for entertainment a lot from Quintin Taratino’s take on the Manson Murders in Once Upon Time in Hollywood, to the Tony award winning musical Hamilton, to this movie and the book it is based off of.  It is both a good and bad thing, good, for entertaimnet, bad, because you aren’t learning the real story. 

The real story of Marilyn Monroe does start with her growing up with her single mentally ill and abusive mother and Norma getting sent to an orphanage and her mother a mental hospital. But Marilyn never had such a relationship with Charlie Chaplin Jr. or Edward G. Robinson Jr. Joe DiMaggio was an alcoholic and abusive to Norma and she did have an abortion and miscarriages. Norma pursued Arthur Miller, not the other way. But there is no concrete evidence that Monroe and JFK had an affair like most think. 

The film is really slow at times and some scenes like the one where Norma has a threesome with Chaplin Jr. and Robinson Jr. are far too drawn out. That scene in particular, with it being drawn out makes it seem like a 1950’s pornography film. The acting, costumes and scenery is superb. 

The casting of Ana de Armas was both good and bad. Good, beging that she got accent and mannersims down, but bad, because she is Cuban and more olive skinned than really fair like Marilyn, also bad, because her bra size is smaller than Monroe’s was and you see de Aramas topless a lot in this movie, so that isn’t true to the real icon. 

Adrien Brody is fantastic as Arthur Miller, looking, sounding and acting nearly Identical to him. Bobby Connavale is great as Joe DiMaggio. Xavier Samuel is good as Cass Chaplin. Evan Williams is also good as Eddy Robinson Jr. and Julianne Nicholson is outstanding as Gladys. 

Had this been an actual biographical film, they hadn’t cast someone controversial to play Monroe and it hadn’t been so long and drawn out, it would have been more enjoyable. But overall, I found myself rather bored at times and fairly surprised at other moments. The acting and costumes and makeup were really the best thing about this film. –  Adults only. 2.5/5

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See How They Run (2022)

See How They Run is a 2022 mystery comedy film directed by Tom George. It stars Saoirse Ronan, Sam Rockwell, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith, Harris Dickinson and David Oyelowo. 

In 1953 London, Agatha Christie’s play The Mousetrap celebrates its 100th performance, and the sleazy American director Leo Kopernick tries to convince the producer John Woolf to allow him to direct the film adaptation. After Kopernick’s drunken behavior toward’s the female lead Shelia Slim leads to a fight with her husband and co-star Richard Attenborough, Kopernick is killed backstage by an unknown assailant. 

Inspector Stoppard investigates the murder with inexperienced Constable Stalker. Everyone at the theater is declared a suspect and a potential victim, including the play’s producer Petula Spencer and Woolf’s wife Edana Romney. Stoppard tries to close the theater until the murder is solved, but the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Harold Scott, steps in, assigning Stalker to assist in the investigation. 

This film is pretty slow for much of its runtime, but the acting is really good and there are several laugh out loud moments. The plot is clever. There is murder, humor, tragedy and a tiny bit of romance in this movie. Three of the characters break the fourth wall, making the film more humorous, but only making it a little more entertaining. 

Sam Rockwell is outstanding as alcoholic Inspector Soppard, Saoirse Ronan is great as Constable Stalker. Adrien Brody, though his role is cut short is very good as Leo Kopernick. Ruth Wilson is great as well as Petula Spencer. Reece Shearsmith does a fine job as John Woolf. Harris Dickinson is good, not great as Richard Attenborough and David Oyelowo is excellent as Mervyn Cocker-Norris. 

Some may find the storyline of this film offsensive, as it a comedic murder mystery. It has the feel of a typical Agatha Christie story, but with added humor and clever bits. Though the acting is superb, the film lacks in entertainment value. The trailer makes the film look wildly entertaining and funny and it is only a tad engaging and only few times did actually laugh out loud. With a great cast and plotline, I was expecting so much more, instead I found myself very much bored for a good portion of this movie. I love a good murder mystery and comedy, so I thought this was going to be a winner, but I was let down. 

Several of the charaters are fictionalized versions of real people, like Richard Attenborough was a real actor, John Woolf was a real film producer who really did produce The African Queen, and Agatha Christie we all know is was the queen (still is) of murder mystery books. 

Of course this film is filled with violence, as well as adult humor, foul language, drinking and smoking. So this is not a family film. If you’re looking for a an entertaining whodunit, this isn’t it.  Though you’ll get a few gasps and laughs out of it, for the most part, you’ll probably be rather bored. 

The film is mostly slow, but comedic at times, then ends abruptly. The best things about this one are the acting, costumes, scenery and plot. Overall, it is a pretty much an  unhurried, yet comical at times, mediocre movie. If you want a better, funny murder mystery type film, try Clue from 1985 or Arsenic and Old Lace from 1944. I can’t imagine this as a stage production, it would be probably be even more less amusing. 13+ 3/5 

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Greatest Summertime Movies of All Time

  1. The Seven Year itch – 1955
  2. Vicky Christina Barcelona – 2008
  3. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – 2005
  4. Mamma Mia! – 2008
  5. Stand by Me – 1986
  6. Little Miss Sunshine – 2006
  7. The Notebook – 2004
  8. Crooklyn – 1994
  9. Real Women Have Curves – 2002
  10. Caddyshack – 1980
  11. National Lampoon’s Vacation – 1983
  12. Grease – 1978
  13. The Graduate – 1967
  14. Jaws – 1975
  15. Beaches – 1988
  16. Do the Right Thing – 1989
  17. The River Wild – 1994
  18. The Parent Trap – 1961
  19. The Parent Trap – 1998
  20. The Bridges of Madison County – 1995
  21. Summertime – 1955
  22. Summer Stock – 1950
  23. 500 Days of Summer – 2009
  24. Speed – 1994
  25. Thelma & Louise – 1991
  26. E.T. – 1982
  27. Clueless – 1995
  28. Dirty Dancing – 1987
  29. Point Break – 1991
  30. American Graffiti – 1973
  31. The Goonies – 1985
  32. What About Bob? – 1991
  33. Dazed and Confused – 1993
  34. The Endless Summer – 1966
  35. The Sandlot – 1993
  36. In the Heights – 2021
  37. Palm Springs – 2020
  38. King Richard – 2021
  39. The Talented Mr. Ripley – 1999
  40. Dope – 2015
  41. Lilo & Stitch – 2002
  42. Adventureland – 2009
  43. Sylvie’s Love – 2020
  44. Tomboy – 2011
  45. Moonrise Kingdom – 2012
  46. Everybody Wants Some! – 2016
  47. Luca – 2021
  48. Crazy Rich Asians – 2018
  49. Something’s Gotta Give – 2003
  50. Mystic Pizza – 1988
  51. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar – 2021
  52. The Way Way Back – 2013
  53. Summer of ’42 – 1971
  54. Pauline at the Beach – 1983
  55. Breaking Away – 1979
  56. Moana – 2016
  57. Soul Surfer – 2011
  58. Muppet Treasure Island – 1996
  59. Finding Nemo – 2003
  60. Charlotte’s Web – 1973
  61. Say Anything… – 1989
  62. The Kings of Summer – 2013
  63. Miss Juneteenth – 2020
  64. From Here to Eternity – 1953
  65. Shirkers – 2019
  66. Before Sunrise – 1995
  67. Weekend at Bernie’s – 1989
  68. Monsoon Wedding – 2001
  69. My Summer of Love – 2004
  70. In the Good Old Summertime – 1949
  71. Porgy and Bess – 1959
  72. Beach Rats – 2017
  73. The Florida Project – 2017
  74. Kiss Me Kate – 1953
  75. The Little Mermaid – 1989
  76. Anything Goes – 1956
  77. Damn Yankees – 1958
  78. The Music Man – 1962
  79. Carousel – 1956
  80. An Affair to Remember – 1957
  81. King Creole – 1958
  82. The Long Hot Summer – 1958
  83. Suddenly Last Summer – 1959
  84. A Summer Place – 1959
  85. Gidget – 1959
  86. The Whales of August – 1987
  87. A League of Their Own – 1992
  88. Howard’s End – 1992
  89. Cha Cha Real Smooth – 2022
  90. Dog Day Afternoon – 1975
  91. Roman Holiday – 1953
  92. Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte – 1964
  93. On Golden Pond – 1981
  94. Summer With Monika – 1953
  95. Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday – 1953
  96. Smiles of a Summer Night – 1955
  97. The Talk of the Town – 1942
  98. Early Summer – 1951
  99. Almost Famous – 2000
  100. Summer Interlude – 1951
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Nope (2022)

Nope is a 2022 American science fiction film directed by Jordan Peele and stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, and Brandon Perea

In 1998 , on the soundstage for the sitcom Gordy’s Home, the titular chimpanzee animal actor attacks and kills its human co-stars after being startled by the pop of a balloon. Child actor Ricky “Jupe” Park hides under the table and is unharmed, though scared. The chimp finds Jupe and extends a hand before being shot dead by authorites. 

In the present day, ranch owner Otis Haywood Sr. trains and handles horses for film productions. When he is killed by a nickel through the eye that falls unexplainably, his children Otis Jr. and Emerald inherit the ranch. O.J. tries to keep the business going and to uphold his father’s legacy, while Em looks for fame and fortune in Hollywood. The Haywoods claim that unnamed jockey in “Plate 626” from Eadweard Muybridge’s Animal Locomotion series of photographs was their ancestor. 

Six months later while, while filming a commercial with well known cinematographer Antlers Holst, a horse reacts violently when the crew startles it and the Haywoods are fired from the project. The ranch’s financial problems have forced OJ to sell horses to a grown up Jupe, who owns and operates the nearby Jupiter’s Claim, a smal western theme park, where he uses the story of Gordy’s Home killing for profit. Jupe offers to buy the Haywoods’ ranch, which Em encourages OJ to accept. That night Haywoods notice their electricity flickering and their horses disappearing and reacting brutally to an unknown presence. They discover that a UFO shaped like flying saucer has been sucking up their horses and spitting out any unwanted debris, which caused their father’s death. 

Seeking wealth and fame, OJ and Em decide to document the evidence of the UFO’s existence and they obtain Fry’s Electronics employee Angel Torresto set up surveillance cameras as they bait it with a pretend horse. Jupe introduces a live show at Jupiter’s Claim and plans to have a horse as bait to coax the UFO to come out, having fed it the horses he bought from the Haywoods, in front of a paying audience. This UFO is not a spaceship but predatory creature that eats anthing that looks directly at it.  

This film has a Spielbergian feel too it, much like his film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but not nearly as good. To me this is one of Peele’s weaker films. Most of the movie is spent on the creature in the sky, waiting for it, watching it, escaping from it and only a portion is actually spent on the horses and the human characters. The creature goes from looking like a giant UFO, to a giant kite, to a ginormous kaleioscope, which is neat, but entire scenes of it, is a waste of time. We get it,  we’re amazed, move on. 

The acting is great from Daniel Kaluuya (OJ) and Steve Yeun (Jupe), Keke Palmer was given a bad role, as she is really good actress and deserves better, but her character Emerald was nothing more than an annoying stereotype of a young African American tomboy wanting fame and fortune. 

This film had little flow and made little sense and you never learn why the sky creature was after that town. It is very intense but also focuses way too much on the creature and very little on the human characters, although a good bit is focused on the horses. I like science fiction and thriller films but they both must have what films need a begining, middle and end. This one has a begining, but the middle and end are combined. Had the middle and end been seperated, I would have enjoyed it more. This took Spielberg style sci-fi and just made it worse. The last about hlaf the film was spent trying to get away from this UFO looking alien creature thing and not about learning anything about it and why it wants to destroy that town eat certain living things.They just want it come out and then run from it, which makes no sense and they are just wanting it to suck them up. 

This movie is really fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat and because of these things, it is better to see it in theater. The intensity, violence and language in this movie are not appropiate for yound kids. Just the creature alone would give them nightmares. 

I am disappointed I spent over two hours of my life watching this movie that had very little story to it other than horses, but the alien thing is never explained about at all, not why they’re on earth, where they came from, why that town? Nothing. Jordan Peele has said that the creature represents Hollywood and the main (human) characters are Hollywood stars and the alien going after the Haywoods and Jupe represents how Hollywood mistreats African Americans and Asians. Which upon learning that, it made me like this movie a little bit more, but still not a whole lot more. 

The cinematography, scenery and special effects are amazing, i just wish there had been less alien or whatever that thing is more about the characters and their lives. It might as well have been callled Jordan Peele’s Alien. But all of those good qualities dont make the film that much better, just more entertaining. 18+ 3.5/5 

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Beast (2022)

Beast is a 2022 American survival thriller film directed by Balasar Kormakor. The films stars Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Sharlto Copley. 

A recently widowed husband returns to South Africa where he first met his wife, on a trip with his daughters to a game reserve managed by an old family friend and wildlife biologist. Soon a vicious wild lion, wanting human flesh, begins attacking them and killing everyone it finds. 

This film’s plot is simple, yet this movie is extremely intense and at times, quite disturbing. You see characters get attacked, shot at, stabbed, and even killed. Violence comes mostly from the ferocious lion that wants to kill every human human he finds, as he thinks they are all out kill his pride and other animals, or as we call them poachers. You do see some poachers shoot and kill several wild animals and drag off their bodies, which is disturbing (and illegal), and poaching is still an ongoing problem in the world. Young viewers will be too disturbed for the movie. 

Idris Elba does a great job as Dr. Nate Samuels, though his American could use some work on, as it fades to American to barely British (his real accent). Sharlto Copley does a good, not great job as Martin Battles. The film doesn’t have much of a before story, not telling much about the daughters’ mother’s death, or their parents’ marriage, except that they had divorced or seperated and first met in South Africa. The movie jumps right into the poaching and trying to survive from the lion and that’s pretty much the rest of the film, which though intense, it wasn’t that interesting and needed a lot more story, because alone, it is so one dimensional. Also this film is rather short at an hour and thirty-three minutes and I was expecting a film like this one to be at least two hours long. 

Had this one more of a storyline, it would have been more interesting and not just plain gory and nail-bitingly distressful. Although the acting is really good and the scenery is beautiful, that doesn’t make up for the weakness of this movie. I found myself on the edge of my seat nearly the wole time, but also wanting more and thinking at the end of this one, “That’s it?” 

Would I watch this one again? Maybe if it came on TV and there was nothing else on, but it would never be a first choice that’s for sure. This one is thrilling for sure, but that’s it. So much more plot is needed to make this an outstanding film. Don’t waste your time or money on this movie in theater. It leaves to too much out to make you scratch your head in the end. 18+ 2.5/5 

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Classic of the Week: Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Bringing Up Baby is a 1938 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, and starring Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. The film tells the story of a paleontologist in numerous quandries involving an absentminded heiress and a leopard named Baby. 

David Huxley (Cary Grant) is a benevolent paleontologist. For the past few years, he has been trying to assemble the skeleton of a Brontosaurus but is missing a bone. Adding to his stress, is his approaching marriage to the morose Alice Swallow (Virginia Walker) and the need to impress Elizabeth Random (Mary Robson), who is considering a million-dollar donation to his museum. 

The day before his wedding, David meets Susan Vance (Katherine Hepburn) by chance on a golf course when she hits his ball. She is a scatterbrained, eccentric young lady. These qualities soon entangle Davis in sever agonizing incidents. 

Susan’s brother Mark has sent her a leopard named Baby from Brazil. Its tameness is helped by the song “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” Susan thinks Davis is a zoologists and manipulates David into helping her take baby to her farm in Connecticut. Troubles arise when Susan falls in love with him and tries to keep him at her house as long as possible. 

David’s bone arrives, but Susan’s aunt’s dog George takes it and buries it somewhere. Davis founds out that the aunt is donor Elizabeth Random and that the leopard is for her, as she always wanted one. Baby and George run off and the zoo is called to help capture Baby. Susan and David run to find Baby before the zoo, mistaking a dangerous leopard from a nearby circus for Baby, they let it out of the cage. After being jailed let go after comfirming their idenities, they get Baby back to the safety of the farm. 

This a funny, cute movie that both animal and romance lovers would enjoy. It’s plot is simple enough that both older children and adults can enjoy it too. It’s equal parts, funny and romantic and has a little bit of intensity. There is some adult humor that will go over kids’ heads, but it is very mild and not to be really concerned about, unlike the fairly intense scenes involving Baby, especially the scene where Baby and George fight violently. Just because there is no blood seen, it still may frighten young children. 

This film was a commercial flop upon relaease and only made a small profit after its re-release in the 1940s. It fact, it was panned by both audiences and critics. Today it is celebrated as one of the greatest not just comedy film, but greatest films of all time. It has quite a bit of adult humor. Like a scene where Susan takes all of David’s clothes and he has nothing to wear but her negligee and her aunt walks in and sees him and asks why he is wearing it and he replies: “I just went gay all of the sudden!” Not only does this play on the two meanings of the word gay, it was the first time that gay was ever used to refer to homosexuality, even if it was being masked by the other meaning of the word. 

There are many other scenes where the literal and figurative meaning of words are used, like in the dinner with David, Mr. Applegate, Susan and Mrs. Random, Mr. Applegate is trying to get David to open up about himself, but he won’t and Mr. Applegate says: “Well at least I got a rise out of him.” Mr. Applegate was trying to get a rise out of david using the figuative meaning, but David rose out of his seat and left, using the literal meaning. This kind of play on words in the dialogue is so fast, you may miss it if you don’t pay attention, but enjoy it so much if you do. 

While this kind of writing has been around for centuries, this tounge-in-cheek kind of dialouge had limitations put on screenwriters when it came out in 1930 with the Motion Picture Production Code, which limited references to anything sexual, either audilbly, or visually in script. All of the talented writers in Hollywood had to create their dialogue to exclude sexual innuendos. Consequently, the screwball comedy was born, also known as “sex comedy without sex,” full of innuendos to cheat the code limitations and make the audience happy. Much of the punny script in this film will only appeal to adults, as young kids will not understand it. 

The acting is superb in this movie from all of the main cast, including Nissa who played Baby the leopard. It makes no sense why this film was originally panned, as it great and very entertaining from begining to end. Maybe audiences and critics were hoping for something more action packed and/or romantic. Well, to me it is the right amount of both. 

Animal lovers will likely love this movie, if they just put aside the animal abuse that ocurred. Whips and chains were used as the American Humane Association wasn’t enforced to monitor the use of animals in movies until several years later. Katherine Hepburn was pretty much fearless around the leopard, except for one time when the animal made a lunge for her and the trainer had to use a whip to calm it down. Cary Grant was less warm to the big cat and a double was used where his character and the leopard had to come in contact. 

This is not your typical rom-com, it’s not mushy gushy and laugh out loud funny throughout, which make it much more entertaining if you ask me. Had this movie been just stomach hurting funny and schmaltzy, it would have been very unenjoyable and I very likely would have turned it off or walked out of the theater had I been alive (and old enough) in 1938. 

Despite the few negatives associated with this film, it is still proably the greatest not just screwball comedies, not just comedies, but greatest movies of all time. This story feels like the screenwriter wasn’t happy with the original plot and threw it in a blender, turned it on, and decided to go with the end result, which is this chaotic masterpiece, that shouldn’t dare be remade. Sorry Peter Bagdanovich, but What’s Up Doc? is no Bringing Up Baby. 10+ 4.5/5 

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Classic of the Week: The Children’s Hour (1961)

The Children’s Hour is a 1961 American drama film directed by William Wyler, based on the 1934 play of the same name by Lillian Hellman. The film stars Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner and Fay Bainter. 

In the early 1960s, former college classmates Martha Dobie and Karen Wright open a private boarding school for girls. After being egaged to doctor Joe Cardin for two years, Karen finally agrees to a wedding date. Joe is related to the well known Amelia Tilford, whose granddaughter Mary is a student at the school. Mary is a spoiled, manipulative child that bullies her classmates. 

While Mary is being punished for telling a lie, one of her roommates overhears an argument between Martha and her Auny Lily. Lily accuses Martha of being jealous and having an unnatural relationship with Karen. When hearing this, Mary tells her grandmaother and Amelia spreads it around to the parents of the school. 

Karen learns of this and aproaches Amelia about Mary accusing Martha and Karen of being lovers. Mary is hindered at convincing others that she personally saw the interactions between Martha and Karen. Knowing that her roommate Rosalie has stolen items from several people, Mary forces Rosalie to back up her story. 

The two women file a suit of libel and slander against Mrs. Tilford. A few months later Martha and Karen are alone at the school, having lost all of the students and ruined their reputation after the lawsuit. Karen calls off her engagement to Joe when he asks if what was said Martha was true. When she finds out, Martha points out that other female couples have survived after being found out, because of the strength of their love, then admits that she has been in love with Karen for years. Karen says that Martha is just confused about her feelings, but Martha insists it really is love, breaking down in tears. 

When this story first came out in 1934, it was on Broadway and was controversial for its lesbian content and when the play started touring the U.S., some theater owners refused to allow it to be performed. The same thing happened when the film version came out in 1961, some movie theaters refused to show it. Despite this, both the play and film versions were critically acclaimed. 

The film deals with themes of sexuality, romance, theft, lying, spreading rumors and discipline. Lesbianism is the speculative “evil” that pervades the movie sailing between a lie and the heartbreaking truth deep within the lie. When the miserable and tortured teacher Martha Dobie (MacLaine) yells out, “I have loved you the way most people say I have!,” finally confessing her love to heterosexual Karen Wright (Hepburn), it is heartbreaking and painful to watch. She has to endure torture from the spreading of the gossip from Mary and Amelia Tilford. 

The movie draws Martha Dobie as a mistake of nature. She is talked about as being unnatural and unhealthy and sinful. She has had to pretend to be heterosexual to save herself from misery, until one student eavesdrops one night and catches an earful of a  private conversation between Martha and her Aunt Lily and the girl tells her friend and grandmother. Rather than be accepting of Matha as she really is, the parents of the students are so closed minded, religious and conservative that they believe same-sex relationships are a sin and withdraw their daughters from the school, prompting Martha and Karen to have to close down the school. 

Martha never gets to be her true self until the end of the film, but the mystery leading up to that answer is extremely well done and when you finally find out, you are schocked. This film is very dark, despite not being scary. Karen is pretty good-natured, but stern at times, Martha is hardworking and almost too nice at times. Doctor Joe Cardin is romantic and can be sweet, but can also be tough. Mary Tilford is a spoiled brat, bully and liar. She makes you want to jump into the movie and lay her across your lap and spank, whether you believe in spanking or not. She is such a bad child. She ruins the reputations of Martha, Karen and the school. She also puts both teachers out of work. 

There is nothing happy about this film, the entire picture is dark, depressing and very slow. I found myself quite bored many times throughout the movie. If I weren’t such a big fan of Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn, I would’ve turned it off. The film centers more on Martha’s secret and Mary and Amelia spreading the rumor, than Karen and her relationships with Doctor Cardin and Martha. This movie should’ve been called either Mary Spreads Gossip or Mary and Martha, as very little time is spent on the other characters. 

The acting is outstanding from the lead cast, but that didon’t make the film that much more entertaining, in fact, I found this one to be quite uninteresting and being a big Shirley and Hepburn fan like I said, I was expecting more. This is the most boring movie of them I have ever seen. But I guess there’s only so mcuh you can do with a story like this. 

The theme of same-sex love will turn religious conservatives off and may confuse younger children. Also the character Mary may freighten and/or teach children to lie, steal and bully. There’s really no violence other than a scene where Doctor Cardin spanks Mary, which was a common disciplining method back then and frequently seen in movies and on television, but it may make some people uncomfortable. There’s no foul language, drinking, smoking, or sex. There are a few kisses in the film, but they are brief. There is also a suicide scene and though it is not shown on screen, it is implied and will either confuse or distress kids. Movies don’t get much darker, duller or disheartening than this one. 11+ 2/5

Posted on by chloetalksfilm

Persuasion (2022)

Persuasion is a 2022 American romantic drama film directed by Carrie Cracknel and based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen. It stars Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Nikki Amuka Bird, Mia McKenna Bruce, Richard E. Grant and Henry Golding. 

The story follows Anne Elliot when Frederick Wentworth – the one who got away – comes back into her life, she most choose between putting her past behind her or going with her heart for a second chance. 

Anne Elliot, an Englishwoman of 27, who family moves to lower their payments and lower their debt by renting their home to an admiral and his wife. The Captain Frederick Wentworth, was engaged to Anne in 1806, but their engagement was broken when Anne was convinced by family and friends to end the relationship. Ane and Captain  Wentworth, both single meet again after seven years of seperation, setting the scene for a second chance at love and mariage and many humorous meetings. 

Sometimes changing up well known stories works and sometimes it doesn’t. This film follows the story to extent but adds so much unnecessary stuff that it is hard to watch for the majority of the movie. It add humor and no Austen story is that humorous. There is also lots of drinking of red wine, lying around in bed and crying in the tub. She breaks the fouth in a “Fleabag” sort of style, making the character that was written as shy and introverted seem more talkative and extroverted. 

Dakota Johnson’s Anne Elliot is for prettier than character is supposed to be as Austen had written that Anne was once beautiful but at 27, her beauty is fading and she is nothing but plain at best. Dakota is anything but plain. Also many of the costumes are not 19th century British-esque, nor are many of the hairstyles. Much of this film feels rather satirical than a serious romantic drama. 

I’m not racist by any means and I understand that the director, casting director and producers didn’t want to come off as racist and such, but that just goes against everything Austen wrote and untrue to actual history. There were no black or half black, Asian or half Asian characters in any of her books and maybe she was racist (who knows), also her books were written as romantic dramas with very little humor. 

Captain Wentworth tries to win Anne back many times and she rebuffs him until he gives up until the end. Charles Mugrove Jr., heir to the Musgrove estate, first proposes to Anne and the tells him she doesn’t truly love him. He ends up marrying Anne’s sister Mary. After learning that Anne turned Charles down, Wentworth tries to win her over again. 

Mia McKenna Bruce is great as Anne’s dull and vain sister Mary. Newcomer Nia Towle brings a liveliness to the role to Anne’s sister in law Louisa, making the film seem more like a really long episode of Bridgerton than an adaptation of a Jane Austen novel. Henry Golding does a really good job as Mr. William Elliot, though it’s hard to get past the fact he’s Malaysian-British and hard to get past his good looks. Cosmo Jarvis is excellent as Captain Wentworth and probably the only realistic portrayal in the whole film. 

This like a  “Bridgerton” and “Fleabag” style retelling of an Austen work. It also feels like Shonda Rhimes wrote and directed it after reading just the Cliff Notes of the book. There is far too many differences from the real story and  too much comedy and drinking. The film is far too focused on romance and not enough on the lives of the character like in book. The movie also has a very sexual feel, though there is no sex, closest thing being kissing, one character grabbing a female character by her waist and quite a bit of flirting. 

Overall, this is not only the worst adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, but also a fiasco of a film that should’ve never been made. It is boring, hardly romantic and not the least bit funny. It seems like Netflix will greenlight just about anything these days. 10+ 2.5/5