Reviews
Clockwatchers (1997)
Been there - done that - impressive 1st flick
Watching this film was like reliving the jobs I had in my 20's - waiting for 5 o'clock, looking busy, trying to impress people who didn't give two hoots about you, and the dreams...ah, the dreams...
This is a very believable study of working life for the bottom rung female. How they band together, then fall apart. It's ultimately a sad story with some hope for 2 of the characters. But it's as close to life as it gets.
Wonderful performances by all 4 actresses. And small roles by some big character actors make this a good film.
The Stupids (1996)
Actually better the Second Time around
This is a stupid movie. When I saw it in a movie theater more than half the audience left before it was half over. I stayed to the bitter end. To show fortitude? I caught it again on television and it was much funnier. Still by no means a classic, or even consistently hilarious but the family kinda grew on me. I love Jessica Lundy anyway. If you've nothing better to do and it's free on t.v. you could do worse.
Now, Voyager (1942)
Bette Davis as a Butterfly
The transition of Bette Davis' Charlotte Vance from old maid to sophisticate is believable. We are rooting for Charlotte all through the film. And when she gives her old mother the what-for, you will want to cheer! The coincidence with Jerry's daughter is a little contrived but Janis Wilson who plays Tina is good (and why was she uncredited? She has a very significant role!). Of course, IMHO I believe that Jerry is too pale a character to stand up with the revived Charlotte and hope that in a sequel she finds true love with Claude Rains' doctor. (See "Deception" for another Davis-Rains-Henreid triangle.)
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1934)
Not a horror movie!
An intriguing film about a writer who discovers his ideas have been used to promote WWI, Claude Rains does his usual remarkable job. If you see it listed, try to catch it!
Crime Without Passion (1934)
Don't miss the beginning...or the end.
Beginning with an incredible sequence of the furies, this film about a successful attorney who believes he is far superior to the rest of mankind is a tour de force for the amazing Claude Rains. Very much an early 30's film with those wonderful Freudian overtones. (Margo, the dancer who plays Rains' mistress, was married to Eddie Albert, "Green Acres" and is the mother of Edward Albert, "Butterflies are Free".)
The Cracker Factory (1979)
Natalie Wood startingly good as an alcoholic
I had read the book by Joyce Burditt -- even wrote her a fan letter, so was prepared NOT to like this television movie. Boy, was I wrong. Natalie Wood plays a wise-cracking suburban mom with a severe alcohol addiction. She loses control in a supermarket and ends up on the seventh floor of a hospital where they put the addicts and mentally ill. She has a crush on her psychiatrist and a wonderfully warm relationship with the night supervisor played by Juliet Mills. She confronts the pain she puts her family through, especially the children. Despite the serious subject matter, she is so charming and witty you can laugh and then cry with her. Highly recommend.
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977)
A strong cast and a well-written script
Kathleen Quinlan plays Deborah, a very bright girl, who is institutionalized for three years in a psychiatric hospital. Though different from the book in some ways, this keeps the spirit of it quite well and with a much more satisfying ending than the book. Quinlan is a wonderful actress. Deborah, who is diagnosed as a schizophrenic (though she probably wouldn't be today), has a long, torturous journey through her illness. Quinlan makes us believe that she will succeed. In addition, there is a strong cast of mostly women of many ages. I saw this film first when I was a teenager and the problems Deborah faced also resonated with me (despite not being in a hospital). I have never forgotten this film, though it has been out of print on video for many years and can only view it when it occasionally makes it on television. Catch it if you can -- especially if you are a teenage girl or ever were.