BenHur59 Reviews

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

So many things wrong with it

[3/10 · 23 January 2024]

This story could be told far better in half the running time. Too much of it is the director trying repeatedly to hammer home his point of brutish, greedy white guys preying upon the noble and peaceful Osage.

This being a Scorsese film, the brutality must of course be graphic. The end of the film (yes, I got there) is particularly confusing and discordant, with Martin himself showing up to play a role... or was that DeNiro? They look alike in their old ages.

DeNiro and DiCaprio are too cartoonish to be believable as the villains, leaving essentially no one to like in the story. The actress who played Molly... sorry, she is just not that good - but of course she will probably win the oscar because her role is of the victim.

The Formula (1980)

Brando was the best thing about this film

[7/10 · 17 September 2023]

This is not to say it is a very good film. It isn't. And Brando only did it for the money and just tried to have fun with his character. But Brando acted rings around GC Scott in their scenes together. He sold his character's world view far better than Scott sold his character's world view. When Brando talked about the way the world is, he made sense. When Scott ranted about people being made to eat out of garbage cans, he just sounded stupid. Perhaps Scott simply got saddled with the hokey lines. It was fun to watch Scott seething about all the injustices while Brando just coasted along, kind of floating, and calmly fixing things his way at the end. This was very good going up against great.

Duel in the Sun (1946)

Kill the music and it's twice as good, or rather not half as bad

[2/10 · 28 July 2022]

Dimitri Tiomkin wrote some great music for a few films and some wretched scores for some others. This is among the latter group. Much of the success of film music comes from the judicious use of it at the right moments and leaving it out altogether at other important moments. (This was one of William Wyler's great strengths.)

Tiomkin's overwrought score is everywhere in this film, and it makes the film tedious to the point of wanting to get away. Particularly the last 5-10 minutes. The director and Selznick are responsible for this.

Endeavour: Terminus (2021) Season 8, Episode 3

Ep 8.3 - Sears DieHard battery makes appearance here

[3/10 · 5 July 2022]

You don't actually see it, but it must have been there.

When Morse goes to start the cold, cold hotel generator, which has not been started in eight years, and pours in maybe two gallons of gasoline, which again has been sitting there eight years, and then hits the starter button, this generator engine starts right up, having been cranked by said eight-year-old battery. It had to have been a DieHard.

Of course this goes right along with the hotel that has been closed the same eight years but looks like it was closed last week. And the great Morse never seemed to wonder about that.

All these reviewers mentioning Agatha Christie. I thought the same thing.

Very unlike the Endeavour I once enjoyed.

A Few Good Men (1992)

Verisimilitude sacrificed to give the stars a big scene

[1/10 · 26 May 2022]

The acting is good. But, I'm sorry, there is no way an experienced combat veteran Marine colonel would allow a snot-nose Lieutenant JG to badger him to the point of losing his cool and blurting out his guilt in court. There is also no way the prosecuting lawyer (Bacon) would let the badgering go on so long without objecting, and the judge would have sustained the objection, thus cutting off the JG's tirade.

The scene is utterly disconnected from anything that would happen in the real world. I saw the play on stage, and it has the same defect.

A far better, and more realistic, development would be for Jessup to tell Kendrick to say that he did it on his own, thus sacrificing himself to save Jessup. Then Kendrick, on the stand and under pressure from Kaffee, would decide to reveal that it was Jessup's order.

But of course that would give the big scene to Kiefer Sutherland and not to Jack Nicholson. And in H'wood, the star gets the big scene... even if it is ridiculous.

13 Assassins (2010)

Formulaic and boring

[3/10 · 27 March 2022]

There are three components to this formula. First, show in graphic detail just how evil this evil lord is. He is really really evil. Check. Then spend an hour getting ready for the assassination. This hour contains lots of Japanese tough-guy talk and team-building and includes a scene where the opposing samurai captains meet to compare notes and talk tough to each other - reminiscent of Pacino and DeNiro meeting over coffee in "Heat." Lines like, "I gotta do what I gotta do." And, "And I gotta stop you." Check. In the last 45 minutes we have the big battle, which, sorry to say, is no less boring than the rest of the film. It doesn't help to have these ridiculously huge barricades that nobody noticed before come sliding in on casters to block the defenders' escape. Who comes out alive is predictable very early on.

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

Cage's performance was exactly right

[9/10 · 1 March 2022]

Many critics at the time and many reviewers here have commented about Nicolas Cage's performance, saying it was "icky" and ridiculous. In my opinion, these folks are missing the point. The character of Charlie as a teenager is supposed to be that of an obnoxious, self-centered and yes, icky, jerk. The character Cage created was exactly that. If you felt put off by the character, then that is what the actor intended and what you were supposed to feel.

I thought Cage was great, every minute of the film, especially in the scene in the basement when they are having it out, she as the woman with the maturity to see that his dreams are going to be shattered and he as the boy coming apart from the dread of what is happening.

House of Wax (1953)

Took my kid to see it in 3D in the 1970s

[9/10 · 9 October 2021]

We had a local theater here in Houston that was rigged to show this film in 3D and presented it in the mid-1970s. I took my daughter, age 7-8 or thereabouts. The 3D effects were amazing, especially the paddle-ball man, and Bronson jumping up right in front of us and running into the scene was a shock. As mentioned elsewhere, it was better that they didn't saturate the viewer with 3D; just a nice effect now and then.

It bothered me a little that the aspect ratio was so narrow; they had to put both the stereoscopic images on one width of what would normally be a widescreen frame. Even so, the story as presented on the big screen had more impact than you would get at home.

My biggest disappointment was talking to my daughter afterward. I said, "Wasn't that awesome?" Her response was like, meh.

Nomadland (2020)

Not brilliant, not boring

[6/10 · 22 August 2021]

I was engaged and moderately surprised. I had expected it was going to be another America-sucks treatment of people down on their luck. It isn't that. It's unusual in that there are no car chases, no gunfights, no bad guys preying upon the nomads, nothing jumping out at you.

Realistic? I could not say. However, I think a corollary of the Heisenberg principle is in effect here: the presence of the observer alters what is observed, making an accurate description impossible.

Frances McDormand does well; she certainly has the look, which is devoid of any particle of glamour. And she is asked to portray activities that no actress who won an Oscar ever previously had to portray.

The Little Things (2021)

No plot development is too ridiculous as long as it supports the narrative

[4/10 · 21 June 2021]

Many reviews have commented on the absurd things that happen in the last half hour of this film. My contention is that these two cops are made to start behaving like the infamous Keystone Kops in order to advance the points the director/writer is trying to make, which BTW is completely in line with H'wood's political/social mindset.

The first point is that cops are not just incompetent. They are stupid to boot. Deacon breaks into Sparma's apartment after they have tried to lure Sparma away and then ends up crawling on the roof trying to keep from getting caught when Sparma turns the tables on him. Even if the characters have not noticed, we in the audience have long since realized that Sparma is way smarter than these cops are. Then we have Baxter getting into Sparma's car to be taken into the wilderness to dig holes where there is nothing to find. What kind of idiot cop would do that? Only a Keystone Kop, not one in real life.

The second point here is that cops are corrupt. They protect their own from the legal consequences of their incompetent or stupid, but deadly, mistakes. These two cops kill people, one innocent and one probably innocent, and they get away with it, with the collusion of two other corrupt members of law enforcement.

It is a very dark and depressing tale this. And the actors do a proficient job of presenting it.

An Enemy of the People (1978)

How many Ibsen plays have been made into successful films? None.

[5/10 · 21 June 2021]

I have seen this film. It was not Steve's performance. He was OK blabbering out Ibsen/Miller's lines. There simply never has been an actor that could have made this project a box-office or financial success. The problem was Steve's insistence on doing the film to try to bolster whatever acting chops he had. He didn't need to. He had talent, considering several of his earlier films, where he was quite good.

National Velvet (1944)

WTF: Horses falling over each other on the jumps; jockeys thrown?

[3/10 · 22 March 2021]

Just watched it again yesterday.

Been looking for some production notes on the filming of the climactic race at the end of this film, and I cannot find any. There were numerous shots of horses falling over the jumps, some on top of each other, some on top of jockeys, some with jockeys being thrown violently on the turf and clearly injured. Was this an actual race? If it was, how could there be some traveling shots, with the camera on a car moving along with the racing horses? Was it some kind of montage of shots of the real race combined with staged sections filmed on the same track?

However it was done, nobody seems to have wanted to talk or write about it. I don't care how "heartwarming" this film is supposed to be. It depicts injury to animals who were being hurt and injury to the men who were being thrown and crushed under them. These were not staged scenes; they were real. Such things should not be exhibited (for a ticket price) as entertainment.

Most of us are aware that in the golden days of Hollywood they didn't worry too much about this, but the film should have more than a few points off for it and not be celebrated so much.

The Iceman Cometh (1960 TV Movie)

Now I have finally seen both Robards and Marvin

[10/10 · 1 February 2021]

Years ago I purchased the DVD version of the American Film Theater presentation of The Iceman Cometh, directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Lee Marvin. I thought it was great and that Marvin, as well as the other actors, did a fine job. It is four hours long, and, like some of the other AFT films, has this gauzy diffused look to the picture, with muted colors.

Now I have just seen the 1960 TV production directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Jason Robards. This production is different in many ways. It is of course black-and-white with a TV aspect ratio. The sets are much grittier-looking. There are a few shots showing the shadow of the boom mic and some other technical issues that always arise from live productions, but I will say the sound was captured very well; you get all the dialog.

The main difference, the difference so often argued in reviews, is in the performances of the character of Hickey. Having seen the AFT version a couple of times, I did not see how any actor could do a better job than Marvin had. Now I see it. In Lee Marvin you see the anger and the resignation. In Jason Robards you see the anger and the torment, and it is very much more powerful. Lee Marvin brought to the role what he was able to bring to it, but as an actor he simply could not do what Jason Robards could do.

Another reason for the difference could be the direction. John Frankenheimer was a good director of some fine films, like The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May. Sidney Lumet was a great director of some great films.

A few more comments: Robert Ryan was brilliant as Slade, but so was Myron McCormick. Fredric March was brilliant as Harry Hope, but so was Farrell Pelly. As Don Parritt, Robert Redford was better than Jeff Bridges!

I got to see the 1960 version during my free trial of BroadwayHD via Amazon Prime.

Death of a Salesman (1951)

After many years finally saw it again; slightly disappointed

[7/10 · 4 January 2021]

Fredric March was one of the greatest film actors ever. He played some roles in his career that were meant to be "over the top" in their delivery. Among these were Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Inherit the Wind and The Iceman Cometh. In "Iceman" he was brilliant, but few people have seen this performance. I do not think the character of Willy Loman was meant to be so "over the top" as March portrays him in this film. He is overly loud and manic here IMO, and it does not entirely work. Cobb originated the role on Broadway, and I liked his performance (when it was done for TV) better than this one. But, do see this one if you are a student of the play. Mildred Dunnock is always worth watching.

The 12 Disasters of Christmas (2012 TV Movie)

Thank goodness for fast-forward

[1/10 · 24 December 2020]

I watched this movie in about ten minutes, mostly on fast-forward, going to regular speed just to see how bad the next not-special effect would be and of course the demise of the bad guy. They won't tell us what the budget for this landfill-worthy effort was, but it was way too much I am sure. Ed Wood's "Plan Nine from Outer Space" was far more entertaining and cost a lot less.

NCIS: Blood and Treasure (2020) Season 18, Episode 3

Finally, they are going to shoot a bad guy... Whaaat?

[5/10 · 12 December 2020]

There was a time on this show when a bad guy going for a gun received a fast double-tap to the chest from Gibbs and/or his team, which is I believe the standard acceptable response by REAL law enforcement officers. Evidently, the PC lords of TV have decided this can no longer be shown. They have to shoot him in the shoulder, like the Lone Ranger used to do. The Lone Ranger never killed anybody, and now maybe Gibbs & Co. won't be able to any more. Unless of course it's a super-evil bad guy, or he is killed by another bad guy.

Mystery Road (2018– )

When you run out of Bosch, go to Mystery Road

[9/10 · 29 October 2020]

Every season, after we finish all the episodes of Bosch (and we don't binge-watch), we say aw, there won't be anything this good again until the next season of Bosch. But this comes close. It's a story you want to stay with. (We are only three episodes in right now.) The characterizations are good, and so is the acting and direction. I have never been down under but I am convinced they really have captured the outback and the rough people who live and work there. I will say I am still trying to get used to Judy Davis in the role of the police officer, but it is growing on me as the characters' backstories unfold. I am very much enjoying this.

Becket (1964)

The play is just not that good

[6/10 · 29 August 2020]

In college I had the good fortune to play Henry II in the Lion In Winter. The next year, they were producing Becket. The director had already decided to cast another fellow as Henry (who was a younger character here), and he asked me to play Becket, and I agreed. I ended up hating it. Becket's speeches are tedious and kind of stupid in places, and really the whole play is. O'Toole and Burton and all the actors give it their best efforts, and the production is lavish, but the material of the play itself is simply unsatisfying. It is a translation of what was originally in French. Maybe something was lost there.

Apocalypto (2006)

Derivative

[5/10 · 4 May 2020]

Mel Gibson and Stephen Spielberg seem to share a zeal for the brutal, the violent, the ruthless, the pitiless, the bloody and the gory. They both have developed a certain skill in embedding their horror shows in wrappers of social conscience and/or cultural or religious history as a justification. There is no question that Apocalypto is lavishly produced with amazing make-up and costumes, and the acting is first-rate. But like several of Mel's other projects, the main point here is the violence and the gore. The story is so-so, and much of it is borrowed. Fully a third of Apocalypto is drawn straight from "The Naked Prey" starring Cornel Wilde from 1965. The rest is plain violence and hokey native wisdom, like, don't give in to fear. Plus, the little girl telling us how bad we are for ruining the environment. If you like graphic portrayals of violent murder, this is for you. But there is not much here of substance.

Hunters (2020–2023)

Can he play a Jew?

[3/10 · 20 March 2020]

This must have started out as a comic book. With every episode you keep saying "Huh" and "Whaaat?" more frequently. And the whole thing ends up being a big joke. On you. You will want those hours of your life back, and if there is a Season 2, you won't want to be there. the character of Agent Morris is so obnoxious and vulgar, you will keep hoping she gets killed, despite all the show's efforts to make her sympathetic. Of course if you really enjoy extended scenes of torture, mayhem and murder just on their own "merits" and don't mind a ridiculous storyline, bad script writing writing and amateur acting, then dive in. This is for you.

Richard Jewell (2019)

Clint was not wrong or unfair to anyone

[10/10 · 4 January 2020]

This is one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. The performances by Hauser and Rockwell are as good as any you are likely to see. And Clint tells the story directly and simply. But because of the Scruggs issue, Golden Globes has already snubbed this film, and the oscars may do so as well.

As for Scruggs, when the brouhaha first started up about this portrayal, before it got really intense, I did a lot of searching on this person, her life and her death, and I found sources that were people who worked with her at the newspaper. Their comments tend to corroborate the behaviors you see in this film. While no one that I read claimed that she slept with an FBI agent, there were people who said she "dated" police officers in Atlanta in order to stay close to breaking police beat news stories. She was a smoking, boozing, loud, vulgar and obnoxious broad whose ambition was to get the big scoop.

Now there are also people saying that, now being dead, she cannot defend herself. However, she lived a few years after the Jewell debacle was over, and she had plenty of time to defend herself. All she did was keep saying that she reported the facts. One source lists her cause of death as an opiod overdose; whether accidental or deliberate is unknown.

Don't let this issue keep you from seeing this great film.

How the West Was Won (1962)

A must-see part of film history, not without flaws

[7/10 · 23 November 2019]

I saw this during its roadshow run in 1963 at the Capri Cinerama theater in Dallas. That was when you bought a ticket in advance for a specific seat on a specific date and showtime. My seat was in the balcony, which made the screen appear a bit too small and curved downward at the edges, so the Cinerama impact was lessened a bit. It was neat to see the three projector booths all firing at the same time. It is mostly a great yarn and well told and worth seeing, but there are parts of it that I didn't care for. Music. Poor music choices have ruined many an otherwise great film. This film would have been fine without most of Alfred Newman's score and certainly without Ken Darby's choral additions, which made it sound like something akin to "Paint Your Wagon." Debbie Reynolds' "raise a ruckus" number was especially bad. John Wayne as Sherman and Harry Morgan as Grant would have been a lot better if Wayne had played Grant and Morgan had played Sherman. But of course John Wayne could never play a character who had doubts. The dialog between Richard Widmark and George Peppard after the stampede is plain rotten bad. The runaway river raft scene is just plain not thrilling at all and ends with one of the poorest special effects ever to appear in a major film, the raft "plunging" under the water. Even at age 15, I thought "Heck, that is so poor!" The best sequence in the film is the train robbery. Happily, there is no goofy music score playing underneath to ruin it. But, the stupid train whistle never stops blowing throughout almost all of it. The train is barreling through open country with a gunfight in progress; why is the engineer continually blowing the whistle? Somebody should have shot him. As for the rousing end, with the full orchestra and Ken Darby's singers going on about how the American West was won and has become so great, there are these aerial shots of freeways crowded with cars. I mean, really, freeways? The latest digital fixes on the film have made it look very good as a flat-screen movie. It's worth seeing.