Lina Lamont should be shot ... and other good music and dance routines that are in no way related (or fit into the overall general plot) to this movie

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Adam’s rating: ★★★  (out of 5)

Director: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly

Rated: none. 103 min.

No. 10 on AFI 100

No. 5 on AFI 100 reissue

No. 78 on IMDB Top 250

Starring: Gene Kelly,
Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds

"Singin' in the Rain": No. 10 on AFI 100; No. 5 on AFI 100 (2007); No. 78 on IMDB Top 250

This was – and is – a tough film for me to review. While I typically despise musicals, I surprised even myself in liking this film the first time I watched it. However, after some careful reflection, I’m beginning to reconsider.

Leaving out the signature scene near the end of the movie when Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) figures out how to fix his trainwreck of a movie he’s making and some of the musical choices, the criticism I have for this film are plenty.

This film is a complete echo of “Sunset Boulevard” and knowing that it was made in 1952 – two years after Billy Wilder’s classic film noir -- makes this matter worse.

The concept of making a film about the start of the talkie in the history of Motion Pictures is half-ass unique. What’s interesting about this film is the portrayal of how the quick transition to sound affected Hollywood and the silent film stars. But, the long-term effect the transition to sound had in making young stars and starlets of the silent era obsolete is much more interesting in “Sunset Boulevard” – and, as Norma Desmond portrays in that film (which will get its review eventually), much more cryptic.

While there is something to be said for making a film about the immediate effect the advent of the talkie had on silent stars – and it is an idea with merit – it really boils down to what type of film you prefer? Would you rather watch an overtly bubbly, all problems get solved film like this, or a dark, cynical film noir from one of American cinema’s greatest writer/directors of all time?

My other love/hate beef with this film is the music. Initially – and I still feel this way – I love the music. About halfway through the film when Lockwood is recounting the tale of how he got big in Hollywood with Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) and once we get into the need to create Lockwood and Lamont’s next film into a talkie, that’s when the songs get interesting. I was particularly impressed with “Make ‘em Laugh” and “Moses Supposes” – as well as “Good Morning” and the dance sequences that accompany each song.

The biggest problem I have with the music is it doesn’t fit the movie. At all. And I didn’t really see this or become very cognizant of this fact until it was pointed out to me by a friend who was surprised when I said I liked this film based on the tongue-lashing I gave “Gone With the Wind” and she had to tolerate me bad-mouthing it.

Even the title song, “Singin’ in the Rain” and its iconic scene have nothing to do with the movie at all.

And frankly, that and the fact that this film is a more bubbly, happy-go-lucky version of what happened to the stars of the silent-era as the transition from silent to talkie hit is what’s wrong with this film.

Oh, and Lina Lamont’s voice.

Fake Criterion: The Kubrick Collection

One of the more coveted items for the Criterion Collection are Stanley Kubrick's collection of films. While early films like "Paths of Glory" and "Spartacus" have seen DVD and Blu-ray releases, the popular titles from the 1960s, 70s and even into the 80s have yet to see a DVD release on Criterion.

I even toyed with the idea of using the masqueraded and topless woman from "Eyes Wide Shut" for my design. But, much to my surprise, the photos were all pixelated and I decided to keep this somewhat family-friendly. I'd really like to take another shot at "2001" and "A Clockwork Orange." I feel I went to basic and mimicked the new designs on the remastered DVDs that came out a few years ago.

While these are some of the more popular Criterion fakes, it only felt natural to use these as my next installment of fake designs as some of these films are among my favorite films.

2001: A Space Odyssey

A Clockwork Orange

The Shining

Dr. Strangelove ...

Barry Lyndon

Eyes Wide Shut

Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson?

The Graduate (1967)

Adam’s rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)

Director: Mike Nichols

Rated: none. 106 min.

No. 7 on AFI 100

No. 17 on AFI 100 reissue

No. 164 on IMDB Top 250

Starring: Dustin Hoffman,
Anne Bancroft, Katherine Ross

"The Graduate": No. 7 on AFI 100;
No. 17 on AFI (2007); No. 164 on IMDB Top 250

Part of me wants to argue that this film is overrated, while the other part of me wants to laud this film for its accomplishments and achievement in American cinema. 


The cynic in me wants to fail to see what’s special about this film. A big part of me thinks that the reason this film is lauded is because of the amount of money it has grossed from its box office release in 1967 to its present day Blu-ray sales, not to mention how many people purchased the film on DVD, VHS, Laserdisc or watched it on TV.


The baby boomers wield a considerable amount of control with their dollars and the fact that this movie spoke to an entire generation as the pioneer film about angst and cynicism of the late-adolescence/early-adulthood set makes it a no-brainer that this film would be held in such high regard.


It's this part of the movie that makes me want to hate it.

However, when I first saw the film in my early 20s, it spoke to me. It made sense. I got it. I understood what Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) was going through -- that feeling of alienation and not knowing what to do with your life (either in college or post college). Within the film was a concept I could grasp – being bored, cynical, feeling uninspired and alienated from the rest of the world because you’re a young adult, doing your thing. Yeah, I get that feeling. Some days, I still have that feeling. This is a rapid changing world we live in. One in which the baby boomers are now in charge and -- thanks to economic setbacks -- won't be retiring any soon. What that means is a generation divide between those of us in Generation Y and X vs. the Boomers. There's even a major divide between Y and X, but the Boomers are trying to figure out how to communicate with Y and vice versa. To an extent, I still get it and I still get those feelings.

But frankly, now that I'm pushing 30, I'm starting to think that Benjamin Braddock is just down-right lazy. Because, really, who wouldn't want to lounge around the pool all day drinking beer and having a sexual relationship with the wife of one of your dad's wealthy business partners?


The things I really like about this film are some of the film techniques used, the acting and the pioneering spirit in which the story addresses angst, alienation and cynicism.


First, the techniques. The best of this is used when Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) finally gets down to business. The one I'm talking about is where the camera flashes a split-second to show Mrs. Robinson stripping, flashes back to a nervous Braddock, flashes back to Mrs. Robinson's midriff, back to Braddock, etc. Of course the iconic scene of seeing Braddock through the bend in her stocking-covered knee is exhilarating, but it's not as powerful as the split-second flashes. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. I feel that the technique accentuates the anxiety that Braddock feels as this is probably the first time he's either seen a woman in the nude or been this close to sex with a woman. It's very powerful and you can feel the anxiety he feels in this scene.


It goes without saying the acting in this movie is superb -- even if Hoffman gives us shades of early "Rain Man." Hoffman and Bancroft make the film feel real, like something the viewers can relate to. And really are the stars of the show. And rightfully so. They did receive top-billing...

Finally, there is something to be said for the fact that this might be the first film of its kind to tackle the issue of teenage angst/early adult cynicism. It certainly did a better job of portraying this feeling than "Rebel Without A Cause." I also applaud it for breaking social norms, mores and taboos concerning sex, especially an affair between a married woman and one of her daughter's peers. Bravo! For 1967, that was quite a powerful subject to be broaching and clearly this film put the final nail in the coffin of the Hayes Administration with its controversial (for that time) subject matter. It really paved the way for some of the gritty, realistic dramas that made history in the 1970s.

Long film, short review

Schindler’s List (1993)

Adam’s rating: ★★★★  (out of 5)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Rated: R. 195 min.

No. 9 on AFI 100

No. 8 on AFI 100 reissue

No. 6 on IMDB Top 250

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley,
Ralph Fiennes

"Schindler's List": No. 9 on AFI 100;
No. 8 on AFI 100 (2007); No. 6 on IMDB Top 250

Eighteen years later and a movie that pretty much everyone has seen, there’s not much I can say about this film. It’s my opinion that this is one of Steven Spielberg’s two masterpieces in filmmaking and a very important landmark culturally and historically as the film serves as a graphic and best portrayal of the atrocities the Nazis committed in World War II.

It’s a very somber and serious film that is extremely moving and stirs up several emotions in me when I watch it. The film can be very emotionally draining and is one that should not be taken lightly. And for that I applaud the film.

However, the only criticism I can come up with for this film is asking the question(s): Is this film held in such high regard because of its subject matter and the seriousness of the film? Is this film truly deserving of such praise and a high ranking on “the lists”? Because critically speaking, I feel that aspects of this film are overlooked because everyone has seen it; everyone has liked it; and it is held in such high regard because of its serious subject matter – and because it’s quite possibly the greatest depiction of genocide, which thankfully the vast majority of us have never been exposed to first-hand. 

While I believe this film is offered a free pass, to some extents, because of the subject matter it deals with and the seriousness of it all, I also feel strongly that this is one of the best, and most powerful films, I have ever seen. 

And, it’s one of the more important films made in American cinema and for that reason, it is a must see for everyone.

Best "B" movie of all time!

Stagecoach (1939)

Adam’s rating: ★★★★  (out of 5)

Director: John Ford

Rated: none. 96 min.

No. 63 on AFI 100

None on AFI 100 reissue

None on IMDB Top 250

Starring: Claire Trevor, John Wayne,
John Carradine

"Stagecoach": No. 63 on AFI 100

There’s not a whole lot to say about this film other than it’s the one that made it possible for John Ford to make more movies and I absolutely love it.

The story is exciting: Indians are raiding forts and a group of people are moving from town to town via stagecoach without the security of the cavalry. The film is predominantly shot inside a stagecoach and to make matters worse, one of the women passengers is pregnant and about to give birth at a moment’s notice.

While John Wayne doesn’t get top billing in this film and his acting is still suspect as he was often times typecast in his career, I really enjoy watching this movie and it makes it even better now that I own the Criterion remaster of the movie.

It’s just simple and to the point and driven by story and minimal action. One of the first major Westerns and an important landmark in its genre.