mcnab-54953 Reviews

Big Sky River (2022 TV Movie)

One of the Better Ones

[9/10 · 8 August 2022]

Watched this with my wife and it is a very good film. The leads do a fine job and the kids are actually good actors. Not sappy. The previous reviewer was upset that a birth mother would desert her daughter and only watched two minutes of the film. She is not her birth mother and states that right at the beginning. I suggest they try watching again and will find the film very rewarding.

Funny Farm (1988)

Funny!

[10/10 · 14 July 2022]

Just Chevy Chase sitting down to write his first novel, and types the word "The" and falls asleep. Sets the tone for this hysterical movie. There are so many funny scenes. My other favorite is "What About Bob?"

So You Said Yes (2015 TV Movie)

Age Comments

[10/10 · 29 April 2022]

Actually Jennifer Dale IS old enough to be Kellie Martin's mother. Don't understand all of the nasty comments. Kellie looks just fine and is a great, natural actress.

The Girl (2012 TV Movie)

Alfie's Tippi

[7/10 · 17 March 2022]

Overall a decent film but lots of mistakes. All of the major scenes from The Birds only show one camera being used in one take. The phone booth scene, the attic scene for instance. One scene shows Hedren entering the upstairs bedroom already bloodied before she is attacked. The scene where she arrives at Mitch's with the Lovebirds is highly exaggerated. In the film, the ladder is maybe two or three rungs. In The Girl it is like climbing the Empire State Building. The first scene in Marnie at the railroad station was filmed in San Jose not on a soundstage. No biggie. Overall an okay film but could have been better. Now, in regards to Tippi Hedren's allegations. So many people are angry with her for daring to accuse the mighty Hitchcock of sexual harassment. For stabbing him in the back after all that he did for her. For being the only actress who had problems with him. For waiting so long to "come out" with her accusations. Back in 1985 I had a phone conversation with Diane Baker (Hedren's co-star in Marnie) on radio station KGO in San Francisco. Curious about her experience's working with Hitchcock I asked her what it was like. She immediately spent about ten minutes talking about Hitchcock's mistreatment of Tippi Hedren during the filming. She pulled no punches. I had no reason not to believe her. She was there. She saw it. In recent interviews she goes so far as to say she did not like Hitchcock at all. Those who accuse Hedren of being a liar need to add Diane Baker to their list. I believe them both.

Tea with Grandma (2001)

Brilliant Performances

[10/10 · 9 January 2022]

Tippi Hedren won the New York International Independent Film and Video Best Actress 2002 Award for Best Actress and Jennie Fan won for Supporting Actress. Both are brilliant in this Hitchcockian black comedy. They play off of each other so well. Grandma just isn't as sweet as she appears and neither is Granddaughter. Jonathan Fahn also won for best director. It's a great little film that can be viewed on You Tube. So good!

Rebecca (I) (2020)

WHY THE CHANGES?

[3/10 · 22 October 2020]

Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca is a masterpiece. David O. Selznick knew that when people came to see his version directed by Alfred Hitchcock, they would want to see the book. He did the same with Gone With the Wind. Even Hitchcock wanted to change some things but Selznick stuck to his guns and the movie was a huge success and won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1940. So 80 years later, this remake comes to the screen. It started out okay. quoting the classic first line of the book, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." I decided I would not compare it to the Hitchcock movie but rather the novel on which it is based. They stayed fairly true to the book with occasional weird moments added in. Then it all fell apart. I won't spoil anything, but where there was so much suspense in the book, here it became rather bland and unemotional. The ending was completely changed and the last scene was total sleaze. I assume it was meant to be politically correct but are you kidding me? Anyway, thought Lily James did well in the role until her 'transformation" but that was more the directors fault than hers. Mr. Hammer is wooden and dull. Maxim de Winter is not a very likeable character in the book but he is played here like a Casper Milktoast. Ms. Scott-Thomas does well as Mrs. Danvers. Overall, could have been so much better. I agree with Mr. Selznick. People want to see the book.

A Star Is Born (1976)

Contrived Silliness

[2/10 · 1 January 2020]

I have never watched this movie and after last night I decided I hadn't missed much. Very contrived and fake. The problem with Streisand's performance is she looks like she was acting throughout. I do like her, but not in this. Kristofferson faired much better in my humble opinion. There were too many unbelievable scenes to make it credible. When she finds her hubby in bed with a sleazy doper, her rage is short lived and the "I love you/I hate you" scene is downright laughable. And the end! That song she sings is longer than Gone With the Wind. And her dancing is embarrassing. Again, I like Streisand most of the time, but this was a misfire.

The Spruces and the Pines (2017 TV Movie)

Really?

[1/10 · 9 November 2019]

This has got to be the worst Christmas movie in the history of mankind. Don't get me wrong, my wife and I love Christmas movies. But this is terrible. The acting is laughable, the scenes are predictable, and the ending was so corny and sappy. Sorry, but a horrible film.

Yentl (1983)

Tootsie On the Roof

[3/10 · 9 July 2019]

I think Barbra Streisand is one of the most talented performers ever. Great singer, good actress, director, etc. So I have no personal vendetta against her whatsoever. And those comments about her looks are unforgivable. I find her extremely attractive and fascinating to look at. Plus, I wish those people who condemn her looks would post pictures of themselves so we could see how beautiful they are. Anyway, enough rambling. I have viewed Yentl about four times and quite frankly do not care for it. Beautifully photographed and overall well acted but awkward. Streisand never looks/acts like a boy. She looks like a girl with a hat on. The songs all sound the same and are dull and unmelodic (if that's a word). And, is Yentl from Brooklyn? She talks like it. Just sayin'. I keep thinking that just maybe I am going to like this movie each time I watch it but so far, no cigar. Again, it is beautiful to look at, but I just don't get it. Not my favorite Streisand film.

War & Peace (2016)

Sad

[2/10 · 24 June 2019]

First off. This adaptation is not family friendly. Pierre has a wet dream and there is a rough sex scene on a dining room table. Why? Though pretty to look at, takes way too many liberties with Tolstoy's masterpiece. In no way does it compare to the 1968 Russian Oscar winning version (which Criterion is releasing on Blu Ray on June 25th, 2019). The Anthony Hopkins version is also great and even the 2007 Italian version far surpasses this mess. Just my humble opinion.