Movie Review - The Great Gabbo

The Great Gabbo

1929

The Cast

This is a strange little number because it's a pretty dark subject matter, which at times is pretty chilling to watch, but then they throw in lots of songs.  I'm not too sure what the Directors were going for when they filmed this.  I say this because it's evident, at times, that quite a few scenes were added later... and I cannot figure out why.

I really like the idea of the mad ventriloquist.  In this stories concept, he is in love with his assistant, Mary (Compson), though finds it hard to fully converse with her.  As The Great Gabbo (Erich von Stroheim), as he sees himself, he's nasty, offensive,  and disagreeable.  However, when he speaks through the dummy he can be loving and charming.  It's this fissure that eventually leads to his mental breakdown.

I know that the musical moments are there because it's set in the vaudeville and theatre life, though for most of the time these feel more like padding - filling out time.  I think this could be remade and be an actually powerful movie.  Reduce the musical side and expand on the breakdown.  There are times in this movie where chills ran down my spine.  The part where Mary walks out on The Great Gabbo and the Dummy calls her softly back, only to be reprimanded by Gabbo is both heartbreaking and creepy as hell.

The film, in general, is entertaining, though I have to say I found the number of musical intermissions too much.  These are also 1920's musicals so are not so relevant today.  Also, the dancing isn't up to par with bigger productions.  Though I have to say the scene where Mary throws herself off a giant spiders web to be caught inches from the ground is breathtaking.  I would say, for all creepy doll fans and those who like a psychological edge to their dramas, it's worth a watch.

I give this a mouth-full-shut 5.25 out of 10. 

The Trailer (Fan Made)

Movie Review - A Christmas Promise

A Christmas Promise

AKA:  A Horse Tail

2015

The Cast

I have to admit the reason I watched this little film was for Charisma Carpenter - I've been a fan since she was in Buffy and especially when her character was allowed to grow in Angel. I thought that we may have seen more of her than we have. So every time I see she's in a movie I give a look see... and I wasn't disappointed here.

It's Christmastime and the stables are suffering. Less and less people are coming for riding lessons and the ones that do who are too poor to pay get them free. The riders who stable their horses are being tempted away. Things are looking bleak, so they bring in an accountant to try and help them out of the hole, which has started to grow after the death of the mother and wife. Enter Michael (Muldoon) and his troubled daughter Chloe (Carlson). Michael is the accountant come to help the family out, however, he is soon butting heads with Samantha (Carpenter) who is a strong single minded woman who has stepped in to run the stables while her father gets better after his fall.

Though you know where the relationship is going it's nice to have a little friction between them to spice up the story and add conflicts. This romance is on bumpy ground right from the start... and that is a nice thing as it's more realistic.

One thing that lets the story down is the ending; I really do dislike coincidental happenings that make everything okay - this is not too realistic or believable. As for the acting, Samantha is supposed to be hard-nosed though I thought she wasn't powerful enough in getting her messages across, she was meant to be a fearsome woman but it just didn't quite come across right. As for Muldoon, I've never been too much of a fan of his. For me he's a little two dimensional at times, which weakens the characters he's portraying. The strongest actors and actresses in the cast are Carlson who plays Chloe, Lewison who plays Jackson, Swain who plays Sydney, and though he's not on screen that often, Tilk who plays Ben. It's because they portray the family so well that it adds to the strength and enjoyability of the film.

This is worth a watch, though it may be a few years before I look at it again... if at all.  I give this a high in the saddle and average 5.75 out of 10

The Trailer

Movie Review - A Star Crossed Christmas

A Star-Crossed Christmas

AKA: The Spruces And The Pines

2017

The Cast

This is a seasonal take on the Romeo and Juliet story, though without the tragic ending - oh come on it's a Christmas film, you cannot call that a spoiler - though I for one would think a tragic ending would be more interesting... but hey, I have a dark side.

So there are two families who own Christmas Tree farms next to each other and due to a fire that took out seven years worth of crops they've been at each other's throats for as long as the kids can remember. It's been a year after Julie Pine's (Walsh) mother's death and she's decided to come home for the Christmas period to help her father in his busiest time... and it is the first Christmas without his wife.

It doesn't take long to find out the feud is still going strong and appears to have gotten a little harsher in the time she's been away. On her first day home, she is asked by the local baker to drop off Dave Spruce's order, while there she helps a man to tie a tree to a car roof. Unbeknown to her, he is actually Rick Spruce, Dave's nephew. There is a chemistry between them right from the start and Rick decides to chase her with the intention of courtship. It's not until later that his true identity is revealed, though by that time Julie has fallen for him.

There are some good lighthearted and heartwarming moments in the film and the relationship between Julie and Rick is engrossing and entertaining to watch. Add to this the character of the bear of a man Josh, perfectly portrayed by John MacGregor and the sweet, sassy, and beautiful Holly, nicely acted by Sarah Fischer, then you have strong character base to keep you interested. The writers have also given all of these some of the more wittier lines and it works well to keep the viewers entertained.

The only drawback I had with this story was the climax of the feud. This should have been thought out a little better and made stronger and more believable. There wasn't enough emotion when showing how the wife and mother's passing had really affected her family, especially her husband - this would have added to the climax. I know that this is primarily a love story but it would have been so much better to have a stronger resolve and make it a two-story film.

This is another one to cuddle up with your loved one beside a fire on a cold night.  I give this film a warming and joyous 6.25 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - A Christmas Wedding Tail

A Christmas Wedding Tail

2011

The Cast

Damn this movie is BAD... and I don't mean good... in any way.

So picture this, dogs that talk (well kinda telepathically, as their mouths don't move - way too much money for that special effect), a couple of lovers who don't know that the other has kids, and then the kids. This should have been rife with slapstick, witty gags, teenage angst, and morals galore. However, what we get is direness of the n'th degree.

Firstly, there's no real story. We open on the wedding day to find that the story is being narrated by the dogs, Rusty (Jay Mohr) and Cheri (Nikki Cox) and that we should go back to when it all started. So this is how it goes (no spoilers here because it's pretty self-explanatory in the title), boy, Jake (Rowe), meets girl, Susan (Garth) when dogs run to each other at the dog park. A boy asks the girl out to his winery, a girl says yes. When at the winery they go for dinner when both blurt out that they have kids... both are fine with the fact. Everybody gets together and everything is good... By this time you're waiting for something to happen. Then you realise that this really is as good as it's going to get. Then when the writers and director try to add some humour it falls as flat as a whoopie cushion with a leak.

Then there's the direction, there is nothing new or original in this film. The director uses stock footage, bad locations - the part where Susan is going for a job interview and has a phone call while stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway, is simply ludicrous - this looks so fake to me and I'm English, I'd hate to think how bad it looks to Americans, it did make me laugh though. He even uses montages and slow-motion incorrectly. Since nothing interesting has actually happened, only the basic steps of the story - there really is no need for these, just more time filler. I'm not even sure this is originally set at Christmastime as there's a feeling of parts being added after the fact to make it a Christmas release (wish they'd kept it locked up).

Lastly, there's the acting. To be honest, with some of the lines they had to work with the cast, for the most time, do not do a bad job. Except for Rowe, it would have been better had they used a cardboard cutout and had Mohr read his lines. There might have been more realism and better chemistry between the lead roles. Even "Mr Christmas" David O'Donnell who plays Frank seems a little upset to be in this film - how he or Mohr was overlooked for the lead I don't know. Hell, even Tom Arnold, who always appears to play Tom Arnold, would have made a better lead.

The worst line in the movie is when Jake and Susan's non-talking, still grieving and psychologically scarred by his father's death, son Ryan has a one-to-one as he won't get out of the car for the cake tasting. Jake tries to empathise with him by telling him that he knows about loss, because like Ryan he too has lost somebody close to him... his wife... and he knows how scared he is as his daughters have the same thoughts, but he has to realise that he isn't going anywhere, and he promises he won't. To which Ryan finally speaks, "He promised that too!" Of course, he did, he didn't know he was going to die. Bet he wishes he had Jake's crystal ball or fortune teller (he's got locked up in the basement) or his rabbit's foot holding a four-leaf clover from the emerald isle itself... You cannot promise a kid this as you're asking to get hit by a bus or contract a deadly disease... but hey it's only a film...

This is one turkey to miss - treat yourself to a five-bird roast, it's more flavoursome.  I give this a meagre but deserved 1.25 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Recipe For A Perfect Christmas

Recipe For A Perfect Christmas

AKA Smothered

2005

The Cast

  

Even though this is a story about a romance between a Food Critic and a Chef the alternate title for the movie is a better choice to describe the film (and then it's not the best) for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, though the romance is okay and it does add to the heartwarming atmosphere of the film it takes second place to the relationship between Mother (Baranski) and Food Critic daughter (Pope).  I really did enjoy the cracked and broken relationship they have formed after the death of the husband and father and neither one knew how to cope with his passing.  The only trouble being that it doesn't quite feel right and lacks in believability. Though each of the actresses is great in their portrayals of a happy fun loving Mom and a no-nonsense career-minded daughter; when the reason for their separation is revealed even their characterisations can't sustain the believability.

Secondly, the romance isn't really believable. When the chef asks for a review from the food critic she manipulates him into taking her mother out on dates, so as to keep her out of her hair so she can complete her column before the deadline.  He takes Mommy out on a few dates and he likes her.  Though the writer and director try to sideline the audience into thinking they could be a couple, they add a couple of scenes that show the Chef's slight (and it is only slight) interest in the daughter.  What the story needed were a few more similar scenes where their relationship blossoms and blooms.  Unfortunately, this doesn't happen and it makes the story and film feel awkward at times.  This could have been a better movie.

This is one to watch if there's nothing else on or your snowed in during a blizzard and have caught up on everything else.  Be aware that this is a Romance Movie set around Christmastime and not really a Christmas Movie.

I give this romance a not so soppy 5.75 out of 10.

The Film Clip

Movie Review - A Nanny For Christmas

 A Nanny For Christmas

2010

The Cast

This is an above average Christmas film to make you feel happy and full of the joy of the season.  It tells the story of Ally (Vaugier), an advertising executive who loses her job just weeks before Christmas.  Unable to pay the bills and mortgage she asks her friend, Tina (Thompson) for a lending hand, as her sister works for a top Advertising Agency.  Unfortunately, there's some confusion in what positions she's applying for and instead of getting a job in the company Ally is hired to Nanny the bosses kids.

One of the saving graces of the film is that the kids are not nasty.  So many of these types of film have the children being shown that it's better to be nice than naughty, so as to avoid Santa's naughty list.  So what we have is a heartwarming tale of a family pulled apart by ambition and career finding their way back to the right track and getting their priorities straight.

The acting, on the whole, is pretty decent, though there are a few moments where Cain does a good job of hamming it up.  I'm not too sure if this is intentional, though, for me, the film would have been stronger if his character had been straight and not over the top - as the comedic value was lost to the film.

Overall, this is a nice Christmas film that I would recommend to all who love this time of year.  It's also a nice family drama and romance, so if you enjoy them then grab a hot chocolate and put your feet up this winter and enjoy. 

I give this a nice and cosy 6.25 out of 10.

Trailer

Movie Review - London Road

London Road

2015

BBC Films / Cuba Pictures

BBC Two

5.25 / 10

This musical is based on the National Theatre stage production which is based on actual events that took place in London Road Ipswich.

In 2006, London Road had a problem with prostitutes who had moved into their street.  Not only were the working girls touting for business but they were having sex in view of the residents.  Then five of the women's bodies were found and one of their neighbours was charged and convicted of the offence.  This is the story of the residents' thoughts and feelings during the incident and their attempt to recover from the stigmatism which was caused.

Musicals aren't my favourite type of movie though I did like the classics.  Though the music and songs are more contemporary in this film.  Unfortunately, it's that same music and songs that injure the film.  I liked the idea of the songs encompassing and including the tenants' actual comments, however, there just isn't enough of them and the lyrics end up being repeated too much.  This repetition is very annoying and nearly had me turning it off a couple of times.  It would have been nice if Adam Cork, who composed the music, had spread his wings a little more as most of the songs are very similar and add to the monotonous feel.

Luckily the filming by director Rufus Norris is interesting and well crafted to suit the music and songs, as well as the narrative when you have the residents speaking.  It's also these acting sequences that hold the film together as the are very well skilled at their craft.  It's these elements and not the musical ones that make you relate to the characters and understand just what they were going through.

If it hadn't been a musical then I believe this would have been a much greater film.

If you like contemporary musicals this may be for you.  If you're thinking about watching this for members of the cast - Olivia Coleman or Tom Hardy, be aware that they are not in this film for long.  In fact, none of the cast is, and I like the movie more because of this.  Each actors playing the residents appear to have the same screen time.  Though, if you're a studying filmmaker or you're just interested in well-made and shot movies then I'd recommend this for you.