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Forgotten Film Gems: Arsenic and Old Lace
Frank Capra was sometimes criticized for creating films labeled as sappy. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It’s a Wonderful Life are prime examples of films that are superbly crafted while also dripping with sentimentality. Today I’m going to talk about one of Capra’s lesser-known films that is nothing like his others: 1944’s Arsenic and Old Lace.
Everything and everyone in this witty comedy is drenched in irony. A confirmed bachelor is getting married, his two sweet aunts are serial killers, and his serial-killer brother had plastic surgery to look like a famous actor even though he wants to keep a low profile. All of this is a perfect setup for whacky hijinks, and the film takes advantage of it completely.
So let’s brew up some trouble as we indulge in what makes Arsenic and Old Lace a forgotten film gem. Continue reading
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Posted in Forgotten Film Gems
Tagged comedy, films, frank capra, halloween, holiday, humor, movie review, movies
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Joke of the Week: Candidates
What happened when a lady tapped on the shoulder of a man she thought she knew and said, “Paul, who are you voting for?”
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8 Movies I Deeply Regret Watching
There are some movies I will never watch, such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That’s because I have learned a painful lesson: Some movies just aren’t worth it. If I strongly suspect a film of being terrible, I won’t waste my time on it. I don’t care to have truly horrific films burned into my memory forever.
Unfortunately, I didn’t always use my better judgment when deciding which films to see. When I was a young adult and I discovered the magical power of my local library system, I checked out dozens of films for free just because I could. Many of them turned out to be serious mistakes.
I’d like to get these regrets off my chest by sharing them with the whole world. Please don’t look up any of these films, especially the ones you’ve never heard of. Hopefully I can spare you the trouble of watching them by describing how utterly worthless they truly are. These movies are bad for many reasons. I love Mystery Science Theater 3000, and so it takes a lot for a movie to really unnerve me or make me wish I had never seen it.
I’m going to hold myself to just eight because writing about the other two would definitely go way past my tolerance level of awfulness. So prepare yourself for eight movies I deeply regret watching. Continue reading
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Joke of the Week: George Washington
Why was George Washington so concerned about everything he did in office?
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Posted in Joke of the Week
Tagged america, george washington, humor, jokes, politics, puns, united states
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Movie Matchups: The Dark Knight vs. Seven
I wonder if Morgan Freeman had déjà vu when he first read the script to The Dark Knight. In this film, an unidentifiable psychopath is going around killing people to teach twisted lessons about morality. He leaves clues for the police to follow, and he eventually turns himself in and demands the hero kill him. All of this probably sounded really familiar to Freeman because 13 years before he had starred in another film called Seven that used all of those elements and ended in almost the exact same way.
I’ve already compared Batman Begins to Sherlock Holmes and The Dark Knight Rises to Toy Story 3, so why not finish off Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy with one more comparison? I don’t mean to take anything away from his series by making these comparisons. Nolan pulled off an incredible feat by making these three amazing films and, in the process, gave us one of the best trilogies of all time, right up there with the original Star Wars films.
So let’s carefully dive into the mind of a psychopath and hopefully emerge on the other side unscathed as we examine The Dark Knight and Seven. Continue reading
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Posted in Movie Matchups
Tagged action movies, batman, comic books, films, joker, movie review, movies, the dark knight
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Joke of the Week: Gerald Ford
What did the newspaper headline say when Gerald Ford decided to keep the former president’s spending cuts?
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Posted in Joke of the Week
Tagged funny, humor, jokes, politics, puns, richard nixon
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Movies That Improve on Multiple Viewings: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
I have mixed feelings about the Harry Potter series. I first heard about it in 2000 when the retail store I worked at started carrying paraphernalia from the books. I had no idea what words like Quidditch, Muggle or Voldemort meant. But then the first book in the series was turned into a film in late 2001 and became a major blockbuster. That was enough to pique my interest, so I watched it when it came out on video. And I was thoroughly unimpressed.
The acting was wooden, the sets overpowered the actors, the story was oddly paced, and the climax left me underwhelmed and bewildered. This couldn’t be the story that started one of the most popular book series of all time, could it? It got worse with the second film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. That felt like a retread of the first film, but with an even more confusing climax.
I was ready to give up on Harry Potter entirely when the third film came out: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And suddenly I decided to give Harry another chance. That film was so thoroughly different from the first two and totally enjoyable that I finally gave in and started reading the books. The first three books were all right, but in my opinion the fourth one (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) is the best of the seven. It’s a pity the movie version didn’t do the book justice at all.
I stopped watching the films after the fourth one because I figured if the filmmakers couldn’t get the fourth one right there was no way they could do the others well. They’re just too long and complex to fit in such a short running time. Plus, I didn’t enjoy the fifth book, and I couldn’t stand to torture myself by slogging through that dreadful story again. The sixth and seventh books were decent, though I figured out the final Horcrux long before I started reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, so the ending wasn’t surprising.
In summary, I don’t much care for Harry Potter. So it was with some trepidation that I recently checked out Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone again. I hadn’t seen the movie in years, so I figured this would be a good test to see how it holds up after all these years. And, to my surprise, I found myself actually enjoying it this time around. Oh, it’s not perfect, and I still noticed plenty of flaws. But I had a lot more fun than I thought I would, and more often than not I was engrossed in the story and characters.
That’s why I’m going to share the things I changed my mind about on my most recent viewing of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and I’ll follow that up by adding a few things that still aren’t very good. So grab your magic wand and let’s see if Harry Potter spells good entertainment. Continue reading
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Posted in Movies That Improve
Tagged books, fantasy, films, harry potter, movie review, movies
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Joke of the Week: Political Polls
Why are political poll takers unbiased toward blue or red states?
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Posted in Joke of the Week
Tagged funny, humor, jokes, political party, politics, puns
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Movie Matchups: Dave vs. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Election season is in full swing across America, and political tensions are hotter than ever. You know what a pivotal moment like this calls for? A little drama and comedy to lighten the mood. Let’s look back at a gentler day and age when the Great Depression and Fascism were the only big worries, and when politicians made headlines for being unfaithful to their spouses rather than to the Constitution. I’m talking of course about the 1930s and 1990s, respectively, and today’s Movie Matchup of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Dave.
So let’s journey to the nation’s capital and see how these two enjoyable films compare.
Similarities
- A regular guy gets put into a high government office to replace someone who is either dead or dying.
- A manipulative person pulls the strings behind the scenes.
- A hardened woman slowly warms up to the main character.
- The main character tries to put an ambitious project into action.
- He spends all night coming up with a plan.
- He is charged with a crime he didn’t commit, thwarting his hopes of doing something meaningful.
- He thinks of giving up and skipping town.
- A showdown in Congress ends with the main character passing out. Continue reading
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Posted in Movie Matchups
Tagged comedy, films, government, movie review, movies, politics, romance, united states
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