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ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Dir: Lewis Milestone, 1930).
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Dir: Lewis Milestone, 1930).
A pre-code WWI drama adapted from German author Erich Maria Remarque's 1928 novel, All Quiet on the Western Front follows a group of students as they enlist in the army, detailing their transformation from idealistic boys to war weary soldiers, depicting the squalid living conditions and futility of the loss of young lives with a stark realism.
Told, unusually, from the perspective of German soldiers. At first the broad American accents are a little jarring and take some getting used to. But remember this is so early in the history of sound cinema that it is a miracle they are talking at all. Little else in the picture strikes a wrong note. Nowhere to be found are the static camera shots often associated with early talkies. With its inventive camera angels, practical special effects and hundreds of extras it presents a visual spectacle that more than holds its own against modern CGI aided blockbusters. The film is full of affecting imagery, from the sight of the rapt students stirred up by an impassioned indoctrination on the glory of serving the "Fatherland", to the poetic final frames of a butterfly on the battleground, fading to shot of a cemetery.
With the possible exception of Lewis Ayres, in the lead role of young soldier Paul, much of the cast is unrecognizable to modern audiences. This arguably lends the film more authority, as no preconceptions of star status are allowed to diminish the powerful performances. Director Milestone elicits sensitive, natural performances from the cast which compliments the brutally beautiful images that he and cinematographer Arthur Edeson have created.
Almost a century after its release All Quiet on the Western Front remains probably the most powerful indictment on the horrors of war ever put to celluloid. It was met with immense critical acclaim, receiving the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director in what was only the third year the ceremony was held. The movie is indisputably a landmark in cinema history and more than lives up to 90 years of hype. In short, it is a masterpiece.
A longer, more in-depth review of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is available my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME. Link below.
More Posts from Jingle-bones
THE BOSS BABY (Dir: Tom McGrath, 2017).
From DreamWorks Animation, The Boss Baby is loosely based on the picture book by Marla Frazee. Theodore Templeton (Alec Baldwin) is the Boss Baby, a suit and tie wearing, briefcase carrying infant. With his brother Tim, they must infiltrate their parents employer Puppy Co., the CEO of which has an evil plan to replace the babies of the world with puppies.
Read the full review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
FREAKY FRIDAY (Dir: Steve Carr, 2018)
Disney have certainly gotten their money’s worth out of Freaky Friday. This Disney Channel Original Movie is the studio’s fourth adaptation of Mary Rodgers’ novel and is itself based upon Disney Theatrical Productions 2016 stage musical, with music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey and book by Bridget Carpenter.
The now familiar tale of the mother and daughter at loggerheads who switch bodies for a day is tweaked and refreshed for a new generation of tweens. Here Cozi Zuehlsdorff is a teenager still grieving the death of her father five years earlier and Heidi Blickenstaff her stressed mother on the eve of remarrying. This time a magical hourglass is the catalyst for the swap. A scavenger hunt is shoehorned in, recalling another earlier Disney Production, the cult favourite Midnight Madness (David Wechter & Michael Nankin, 1980).
I have been a fan of the original Freaky Friday (Gary Nelson, 1976) and the 1972 Mary Rodgers novel upon which it is based almost all of my life. This most recent version deviates significantly from both movie and source. While the original is undoubtedly the best, this new Freaky Friday is a lot of fun. Kitt and Yorkey’s High School Musical-style soft rock is easy on the ear, although the vocals suffer from the same apparent ‘tweaking’ effect which Disney Channel musicals always seem to do. Steve Carr's direction doesn’t belie the movies TV roots, while Blickenstaff and Zuehlsdorff step into the legendary shoes of Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster with an appealing enthusiasm which is hard to resist. Come the inevitable climactic big song and dance number this tween movie had worked its warm-hearted magic of this middle age movie critic.
I must confess to having a soft spot for Disney Channel movies. No one would argue that they are cinematic masterpieces, but most offer 90 minutes of lightweight fun. If you are a fan you will know what to expect, if you’re not this won’t be the movie to change your mind. Freaky Friday won’t change the world but it should bring a smile to the faces of those looking for goodnatured, undemanding entertainment.
100+ movie reviews, including the original classic FREAKY FRIDAY, now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
CAREFREE (Dir: Mark Sandrich, 1938).
A frothy RKO romance; the 8th pairing of the incomparable Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
This one has Fred as a psychiatrist and Ginger as his patient and fiancee of his best pal (Ralph Bellamy). Things get complicated when she falls for him and he hypnotizes her to remain faithful to the groom. The movie's outcome is clearly signposted from early on, but there is considerable fun to be had on the journey, nonetheless.
With only four full-blown song and dance numbers Carefree is less a musical than a screwball comedy with the occasional break for a song. The Irving Berlin score is pleasant enough, but by the composer’s own high standards is not especially memorable. 'Change Partners' and 'I Used to Be Color Blind' are the possible exceptions; both are considerably enhanced by Ginger and Fred's fabulous footwork. The highlight is undoubtedly Astaire's solo 'Since They Turned Loch Lomand into Swing' in which he ditches Rogers to partner a golf-club, proving as adept on the fairway as he is the dance-floor.
Allan Scott and Ernest Pagnos screenplay, while implausible, does include a fair amount of humorous moments. While director Mark Sandrich, by now a veteran of the Astaire-Rogers movies, handles the comedy and the dance numbers with equal aplomb. It is all a lot of nonsense, but all is forgiven when Fred and Ginger take the dance floor. There was never a classier screen couple than Mr Astaire and Ms Rogers and support is offered by a particularly distinguished cast, notably Ralph Bellamy and Jack Carson. Unbilled and underused in one of her many domestic help roles is the great Hattie McDaniel.
As its title suggests, Carefree is lighthearted, featherweight stuff. Often regarded as the weakest of the Astaire-Rogers partnership, it does pale in comparison to classics such as Top Hat (Mark Sandrich, 1935) and Shall We Dance (Mark Sandrich, 1937). Still, at a little over 80 minutes, it doesn't outstay its welcome. The old adage "they don't make 'em like that anymore" certainly applies here; fluff it may be, but it is consummately produced fluff, expertly performed by its legendary cast.
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
LILO & STITCH (Dir: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders, 2002).
A heartwarming family drama/sci-fi hybrid from Walt Disney Animation Studios.
On the Hawaiian island of Kauai, misfit Lilo adopts an unwanted stray dog. Unfortunately, said dog, named Stitch by Lilo, is actually escaped extra-terrestrial genetic experiment #626, an invention of would be evil scientist Jumba. With Stitch causing havoc on the island, Jumba is dispatched to Earth with Terra-expert Pleakley to recapture the alien, but Lilo is not so eager to relinquish her pal.
Read the full review of LILO & STITCH on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
‘TWAS THE NIGHT (Dir: Nick Castle, 2001).
The following review and 100+ more reviews are available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
Made for TV Christmas movies have become inexplicably popular in the last two decades. Seemingly hundreds of them litter the television schedules from September to January every year. This entry in the genre, a Disney Channel Original Movie, has become something of a festival staple on the Disney Channel and can usually be found in their December lineup.
On Christmas Eve, heavily in debt conman Nick Wrigley (Bryan Cranston) escapes his gangland creditors by hiding out in the home of his brother. After mistaking Santa for an intruder he knocks the fat man out cold, ties him up and steals his high-tech sleigh. Taking advantage of his close relationship with nephew Danny (Josh Zuckerman), the pair go on a burglary spree. Unbeknownst to Danny who believes the pair are helping the concussed Santa by delivering Christmas gifts.
There is a certain amount of cynicism mixed in with the inevitable sentiment in ‘Twas the Night, lending the movie a somewhat uneven tone. Its self-centered wise guy characters are a little hard to warm to. Their redemption, when it comes (as is always certain), is neither empathetic or particularly heartwarming, suggesting that the ending is there merely to placate viewers expectations of family Christmas movies.
The visual effects are above the usual TV movie standard, although it never quite overcomes the feel of an extended Disney Channel sitcom. The screenplay by Jim Lincoln, Dan Studley and Jenny Trip has its funny moments, but little in the movie really rings true. It has all the glitz one would expect of a Christmas movie but is oddly lacking in heart.
Bryan Cranston is the standout among the cast. His amiable performance here is the best reason to watch this passably entertaining but unexceptional movie.
While ‘Twas the Night is not exactly unmissable festive fare, it should appeal to tweens and younger teens who feel they are above sentimental Christmas movies. Younger children, meanwhile, may be a little upset seeing Santa hit over the head with a shovel! Not a Christmas classic but you may find its worth a watch if you come across it while flicking through cable.
