Saturday was a crazy day of moviegoing. Not only did I watch four Noir City feature films at the Castro, but I also caught four Laurel and Hardy shorts on the other side of the bay. And the crazy thing is I had previously seen seven of the eight films. With some of them, I … Continue reading Saturday at Noir City…plus Laurel and Hardy
Category: Comedy
Stan & Ollie: The time two clowns cried
B- Biopic Written by Jeff Pope Directed by Jon S. Baird This is absolutely the least funny Laurel and Hardy movie I have ever seen. Of course, it's not a real Laurel and Hardy movie. It's certainly not a comedy, although it has many laughs. Stan & Ollie is a mostly sad story about the … Continue reading Stan & Ollie: The time two clowns cried
You know what you’re getting when Swimming with Men
B Comedy Written by Aschlin Ditta Directed by Oliver Parker Note: I saw this British comedy at last year's Mill Valley Film Festival. I incorrectly assumed it would get an American theatrical release, and therefore, I wrote the review below. I have recently discovered that it's streaming on Vudu, Google Play. and Amazon Prime. So … Continue reading You know what you’re getting when Swimming with Men
Chaplin Diary, Part 20: We end with A Countess from Hong Kong
And so we come to the end of our survey of Charlie Chaplin's work as a director. His last movie, A Countess from Hong Kong, made in 1966 and released in 1967, is easily his worst. Countess stands out among Chaplin's films in several ways. It's his only color film, and the only one financed … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 20: We end with A Countess from Hong Kong
Some Like It Hot: The Criterion Blu-ray
I'm not sure if Some Like It Hot really is, as the American Film Institute declared in 2000, the best American film comedy of all time. It certainly belongs in the top 10. There are comedies with a higher laugh-to-minute ratio, and others that have more to say about the human condition. But I doubt you could find … Continue reading Some Like It Hot: The Criterion Blu-ray
Chaplin Diary, Part 19: A King in New York
With his last starring film, A King in New York (1957), Charlie Chaplin finally remembered that he was first and foremost a clown. For the first time since The Great Dictator, he's made a movie that is more than sporadically funny. And yet he manages to give it a serious side as well. Which isn't … Continue reading Chaplin Diary, Part 19: A King in New York
The Big Lebowski on Blu-ray…and 4K
When I saw the Coen Brothers' Big Lebowski at the BAMPFA in 2014, I loved the movie but hated the horrible DCP. This exceptional comedy clearly needed a better digital transfer. I'm glad to say it now has one. More on that below. The Big Lebowski is a Raymond Chandler-type film noir story, except that the … Continue reading The Big Lebowski on Blu-ray…and 4K
