In honor of the Oscars tomorrow night, I decided to watch a past Best Picture winner. Somehow, I picked this one. Well, I was a little stoned. Still am.
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH has the reputation in some quarters of being the worst film ever to win "Best Picture of the Year." I presume the people who say that have never seen BROADWAY MELODY, or CAVALCADE, or even GOING MY WAY, among others. Not defending GREATEST; it's not a…
A French gay teenager (and his family) are traumatized by the death of the father. As a gay man whose father died when he was young, this movie impacted me perhaps more than it might other viewers.
Paul Kirchner is sensitive as the "winter boy" of the title (which is not a direct translation of the French, which I believe is more like "The High School Student"). Juliet Binoche as the widowed mother is a wonder. I was hooked into…
Sweet film for those who can't handle the grittiness of HEARTSTOPPER.
The poster is hilarious, as RKO tried to reposition HOLIDAY AFFAIR as a noir after its Christmassy release flopped. Frankly, I understand the audience's disenchantment. We're supposed to think Janet Leigh belongs with Mitchum because he's Mitchum, I guess, a big star. But to get there, the couple has to run roughshod over the honorable intentions of another, rather decent suitor played by Wendell Corey, so the "holiday affair" leaves a sour taste. Leigh's son in the movie, with his saccharine acting and random preference for Mitchum, doesn't help. (NB. When I wrote this review, LETTERBOXD was using a different poster as its tag.)
I'M STILL HERE has moments and scenes of great tension and sadness. Unfortunately, the narrative drifts away once it jumps ahead in time; given the sad reality of the story, it probably could not have been any other way. Fernanda Torres is a remarkable presence although I wish there had been a way to give her one more powerhouse scene where she could tear loose.
