Movie Review: No 73. The Great Dictator

Charlie Chaplin could talk! Who knew?

Yes, this 1940 masterpiece shows Chaplin in all his verbal glory. In fact, the film’s closing speech left me… well… speechless myself. I’d love to quote the whole thing to you but I’m afraid you’re just going to have to watch the entire film to the very end to see what I am talking about. After all, that’s where the true joy of this film lies and I’d hate to steal it from you before you’ve even seen it! Let’s just put it this way – he gives Churchill, Martin X and all the other great historical orators a run for their gut-stirring money.

So… while we’re waiting for you to get around to watching it yourself, I’ll mention a couple of other things…

Movie Review: No 77. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

If you’re an Australian aged 10 or over then you’ve probably, at least once in your life, employed the resources of a large sheet of cardboard, the prevailing reference source at the time (in my case, Encarta ’95) and a generous helping of glitter, to create a project on Australia’s Gold Rush. You may have even ventured to Ballarat (or similar) to try your hand at panning for the stuff.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll remember little about the Gold Rush itself. You were far too engrossed in creating the perfect bubble writing (which would take up at least one third of the sheet of cardboard, leaving you with far less space to fill with researched information).

Now, I’m not entirely sure what my point is, except that this movie transported me all the way back to those days. ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre’ tells the story of a band of prospectors quite successfully mining for gold during The Americas’ own Gold Rush.

The movie stars Humphrey Bogart, about whom I know very little except that he likes to smoke, wear hats, and look at kids…

Movie Review: No 49. M

This review is sponsored by the letter ‘M’ and the number ‘6’.

I was never going to rate this movie highly. How can you rate a movie highly when it’s about a kiddy murderer?

Movie Review: No 7. Schindler’s List

What do you say about Schindler’s List?

What can you say?

It is an epic and intensely depressing film. Although it displays many minor historical inaccuracies in what is otherwise a true story, no doubt its depressing nature stems from how closely it resembles the World War II reality in so many ways.

Movie Review: No 88. All About Eve

After a thoroughly male-dominated ‘Lawrence of Arabia‘, I was keen to watch something about women.

‘All About Eve’ fit the bill perfectly. After all, it holds the record for the greatest number of female Oscar nominations.

Margo Channing: Funny business, a woman’s career – the things you drop on your way up the ladder so you can move faster. You forget you’ll need them again when you get back to being a woman. That’s one career all females have in common, whether we like it or not: being a woman. Sooner or later, we’ve got to work at it, no matter how many other careers we’ve had or wanted. And in the last analysis, nothing’s any good unless you can look up just before dinner or turn around in bed, and there he is. Without that, you’re not a woman. You’re something with a French provincial office or a book full of clippings, but you’re not a woman. Slow curtain, the end.

Unfortunately, while I may not have been looking for a documentary on PMS, but that’s exactly what I found.

Movie Review: No 56. Double Indemnity

After watching this film I am reminded of that beloved Lano and Woodley scene (for those of you unfamiliar with Lano & Woodley, they’re like a modern day Abbot and Costello)…

Frank: You know, the actor guy! Oh, what is his name? See, the thing is… the thing is… the thing is that when I say his name, you’ll go, ‘YES! The actor guy, love him, adore him… ‘ But I can’t think of his name. It’s on the tip of my tongue. You know who I mean – he’s got the hair… the eyes… a bit of a nose… and a mouth and it’s all held together with… like a FACE!

That’s how I felt when I saw the lead actor in this film.

But, it wasn’t “The actor guy” (Gregory Peck). It was my old mate Fred MacMurray again! That guy is a chameleon I’m telling you.

ANYWAY, you’ll all be pleased to know that I’ve found yet another film that I actually enjoyed!

In fact, I knew I was going to like this film the minute the opening credits started rolling…

Movie Review: No 51. Paths of Glory

I’ve come to a sudden realisation. All this time while sitting through countless gangsters, wars and westerns I have thought “It’s not you, it’s me”.

“What is wrong with me that so many people enjoy these films and I’m left with eyes wide shut?” (Stanley Kubrik joke – I kill me!)

I have no problem with guts and gore… so it can’t be that. I often enjoy films with plenty of action… so it can’t be that.

Turns out this whole time there’s been one simple missing link that has held me back from enjoying these films…