paulccarroll-65937 Reviews

The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)

Two films in one, don't fit

[6/10 · 21 August 2023]

This film is entertaining but the first half seems somewhat at odds with the second half. The first is a thrilling adventure where stunt pilot Waldo and His girlfriends brother are trying to develop a new type of airplane after WWI. The second half is more of a character study of war pilots suffering from PTSD malaise, to the point of suicide. They don't really go together well. Two unexpected deaths in the middle of the film are a jarring slap in the face. Some reviewers have mentioned how the actors did plane stunt work themselves, but I think it was mostly very careful editing. Almost every time that the actors were shot at close range, so you could clearly see their face, it was shot from below them, where you couldn't tell how high they were off the ground, or if they were off the ground at all. When they were shown from farther away, where their faces weren't clearly visible, I think those were stunt performers, who were obviously high above the ground. Very well done with exciting dogfight scenes, but a disappointing story overall.

The Offer (2022)

Its an Offer I cant refuse

[9/10 · 14 June 2023]

I loved this series! Like many people Ive seen The Godfather innumerable times, and Ive heard many stories about its production. Although I haven't heard much about how accurate Al Ruddy's version of events making the movie is, it is very entertaining and seemingly enlightening. It was interesting to me how they didn't show scenes from the movie. They showed the setup for scenes, and discussions with the actors about scenes, and you would see the film makers reaction to watching the scenes, but not the scenes themselves. Which is great. We all know the movie and what they're filming, just hearing it is sufficient to imagine what we've seen many times. Whether its the Don being shot in the street, or Michael in the restaurant changing the course of His life, or Sonny beating up His brother-in-law, we know the film, we don't have to actually see it. If they had tried to show the actual scenes it wouldn't have meshed with the real thing, that we know so well. Also fascinating is how much the Mafia was involved in the whole production, how without their approval it wouldn't have been possible to complete the film. Really well done!

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (2011– )

Without a script most actors are not interesting

[5/10 · 5 May 2023]

There are several problems with this show. First it should be just 30 minutes, not stretched out over an hour. The only really interesting part is what the chosen antiques sell for at auction, which is usually only the last 15 min of the show. Second, like a lot of so called celebrity shows, most of the stars are not A listers, but a bunch of has been/never were TV presenters etc. Without a script most actors/ celebrities are not funny or interesting, just watch them on talk shows where they have little to talk about except where they went on vacation(yawn). If they cannot go to the trouble to come up with an interesting anecdote from their latest project, why come on a talk show? To push their latest book/ movie/ show, but come on, think a little bit about something interesting before you get there. So... this show has way too much of unknown and uninteresting celebrities before finally getting to the auctions. There are many other more interesting auction shows than this.

Key Largo (1948)

Enjoyable, Was that Joel McCreas' photo?

[7/10 · 2 April 2023]

Other than a few scenes outside of the hotel this is mostly a one set play in the hotel. A whole lot of talk with very little real action. This is a character study, and all the actors get their turn to fill in their characters personalities. So not a lot happens, but it's fun watching the tensions building to a satisfactory climax. Maybe I'm imagining things, or was the photo of George, the soldier who died a hero in Italy, actually a picture of actor Joel McCrea? It sure did look like Him. Just wondering if this wasn't some inside joke by director John Huston. This isn't Bogie and Becalls best film by a long shot, but it's still worth watching every once in a while.

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Great for Anglophiles, otherwise maybe not your cup of tea

[8/10 · 20 February 2023]

I am annoyed by how many reviewers here gripe about this being a Best movie winner at the academy awards. We all know that the Oscars often do not award the statue to the better nominated films. They often give awards to people who should have won in previous years, and did not. They also often award films that are conservative, middle of the road dramas. This film is a entertaining film if probably not the best in its field. I am also disappointed by the reviewers here who consider this boring. This film does not try to be a deep biography of these two racers, but it does present these two as men dedicated to winning with different personal motives, that does keep us involved. Its beautiful to look at, and Ian Holm is wonderful, as usual. It is also a film about the English culture and class system, after the First World War had broken down many old barriers. Or had they? This film has a lot of scenes about English pop culture, like the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas. 150 year old popular music that is still relevant, like in The Simpsons, and 1999s Topsy-Turvy. So enjoy it for what it is, which is great!

Pushover (1954)

Of course, It all goes wrong

[8/10 · 24 January 2023]

Hubris! Hoisted by your own petard! If we only knew when to stop,when to call it quits, and do not throw good money after bad. Like the gambler that gets in too deep to stop when all is lost. You reach a certain point where you have swum too far out to go back to shore. It is either keep swimming till you drown, or you reach another beach, that you cannot even see. Unlike in most film noirs, in Pushover Paul is not seduced into breaking bad by a femme fatale. He willingly gets in over His head, and should have known that when things start going wrong, it is time to cut your losses, and get out before it is too late. But Paul is a miserable sad sack who wants out of His sorry life, and keeps going, because its all or nothing. The girl and the money or complete failure. In Double Indemnity, Fred MacMurray was a young, clever, smartalec who was determined to prove that he could outsmart His father figure boss. In Pushover He is ten years down the road and He sees what life has done to Him and His police colleagues, who are just putting in their time till they can get their pension, and quietly die. When it all goes sideways He cannot stop, and it is too late when it all falls apart. It is a car wreck from which we cannot avert our eyes. Very nice! Kim Novak is also sexy as hell! But that is not what motivates Paul. He said himself, It is all about money.

The Sweeney: Thou Shalt Not Kill! (1975) Season 2, Episode 13

Where is Monk

[7/10 · 15 January 2023]

Its interesting how different hostage standoffs are now from back in the 1970s. No SWAT team in riot gear, just a bunch of cops in suits and ties with snub nose revolvers, which would have had very short range of fire. A pretty interesting episode, but what happened to Monk. Hes last seen cradling his partner in crime, and crying that He was killed. Then we dont see Him captured, or getting away, or taking His own life. Hes just gone, as Regan arrives with His gun out. Was part of this episode edited for some technical or political reason. I read that this episode had been delayed in being broadcast because of a bank robbery that happened just before it originally was scheduled to be shown. It left a fairly big plot hole just as credits rolled. Just wondering.

The Hit (1984)

I guess Willie isnt a mastermind crook after all

[7/10 · 1 January 2023]

In many police procedural crime stories police have repeatedly said Thank God They're Stupid. Because often times crooks are only caught because of their own stupid hubris. Thats certainly the case in this story. In this film Willie seems to be playing a long game where He knows something that will ultimately save him from his kidnappers. But that never materializes, and He is ultimately just shot in the back. Why they didnt just do that from the get go I dont know. It seems the point was to bring him back to face the people that he ratted on, but that did not happen either. This film has interesting characters, and are well played, but the story is nonsensical, and it just seems to peter out in a unsatisfactory way. If they had just grabbed Willie and put Him in the trunk and drove, with out all the philosophical discussion, it would have been a job accomplished professionally. So why didnt they do that? I guess it would have been a very short movie. Padding the story out just made it stupid and unrealistic.

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

Well, It's No Citizen Kane

[5/10 · 4 December 2022]

Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels is a 1975 drama film by Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman. It is a slice of life portrayal of the life of a householder. It offers a lingering, unvarnished, and perhaps mesmerizing look at one woman's existence. I just wish it was more interesting, and didn't linger so long when absolutely nothing is happening. At least we didn't have to watch them sleeping in real time! After WWII much of Europe had a long slow climb out of poverty. So life could be very difficult and plain. The film 84 Charing Cross Road is much more interesting in telling a story about working class people during this period of time. To me this film had no plot, until the murder at the end, then it ended! This could have been just as effective looking into how many people live quiet desperate lives, and still have been edited down to about 2 hours running length. So, slightly interesting, but very long and boring.

Vengeance (II) (2022)

Texas, Our Texas!

[8/10 · 28 September 2022]

I found this film to be very entertaining, funny, and thought provoking. There was much more to it than I expected. Discussions on why people make up wild theories, just because the truth is too boring, etc. You kind of expect a city person to be much less empathetic with people who live so differently, and have a different understanding about life. But B. J. Novak walks a thin line between seeing humor about peoples lives, and making fun of them. Very well done!

I live in the Dallas area, and have all my life, over 60 years, and I've visited Far West Texas, which is depicted here by New Mexico for tax break reasons, and I know there are millions of people who are like the characters in this film. But please don't think they represent a majority of Texans. One person in the film claims Dallas and other urban areas aren't the real Texas, but the truth is there isn't just one real Texas. It's very big and very diverse. More than half of the state isn't dry, flat, empty desert. Hopefully films like this one entertains and helps people understand that we all need to get along, despite differences.

The Hidden Room (1949)

What? No Cricket discussion?

[7/10 · 12 September 2022]

I went over all these reviews, and everything has been thoroughly covered. Except, it's hard to believe that no mentioned that the Scotland Yard detective was played by one half of the Charters and Caldicott duo, From Hitchcocks "The Lady Vanishes", Naunton Wayne. Wayne , along with Basil Radford played Charters and Caldicott in over 10 films and Radio plays after originating the characters in Hitchcocks 1938 film. They continually played the duo till Radford died in the middle of a radio play in 1950, from a heart attack, and Naunton had to finish without Him. The best part of this film is the back and forth jousting between the detective and the failed murderer. It's quite pleasant fun!