Movies I Own

In a way, one can only appreciate this knowing that it is the last film the Marx Brothers ever made together. It gives a touch of poignancy to the sentimental weariness of the Brothers. Chico is touching, perhaps for the only time, waxing nostalgic. It isn't much of a good comedy, but Harpo's turn as the sad clown is beautifully bittersweet. Playing it all out on his harp for the last time in cinema, he tugs at the heartstrings.

A rollicking fun romp by Lester, definitely one of the most fun filmmakers. It's got everything: sight gags, swordplay, Charlton Heston in a devil-beard, dogs acting as chess pieces, a fat guy running around in a bear suit - and, to top it all off, a catfight between Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway! What more could you ask for?

One of the most joyous, vibrant expressions in the history of cinema. It's a masterpiece, an explosion of giddy surrealism. Clair and Picabia astoundingly pack a vast array of imagination and motion into just 22 minutes. There's so much on display here. All film lovers should experience this.

I find it rather fascinating that the DVD release of this film comes within close range of two recent cultural/societal phenomena: Harry Potter and Virginia Tech. And over the course of 'If....' you'll probably be reminded of both. One could produce a lot of connections and insightful conclusions from all that. I have to know this film better in order to do that, but right now I'll say that 'If....' is important viewing for thoughtful people who are up for a challenging, unconventional film.

Be patient. This is a film that works its magic on you not so much while you watch it as it does in the days... weeks... months... afterward. Its potency grows as it lingers in your memory. 'Kwaidan' isn't a horror film in the standard sense, but a hauntingly beautiful work of art, with some of the most exquisitely composed images I've seen. The sequence in which spirits slowly manifest themselves when a boy sings to them is absolutely sublime.

I have never seen anything quite like it. One of the most absorbing stories of the supernatural in all of film. It draws you into a world too haunting and compelling to forget.

Fascinating and often brutal portrait of a man gradually destroying himself by failing to get a grip on his own emotions. What a face Richard Harris has! You can spend the whole movie exploring its contours. If you've only seen him in the Harry Potter movies, you must watch him in his prime. He was a beast. Here he oozes primal brute force, perhaps comparable to Brando in 'A Streetcar Named Desire,' except more desperate, more needy. His outbursts are shocking. Rachel Roberts shows a vulnerable side that you can't really see in other movies like 'Picnic at Hanging Rock.' The relationship between the two of them is so infused with emotion and heartache. And those rugby scenes are quite vivid and intense, with the dirt and grime and blood and, oh, that thundrous sound!

Great fun! Swordplay and swashbuckling are wonderful, but quite another dimension is added to those great things when they are done by animals. A big southern-accented bear and a giant Scottish chicken beating the crap out of a bunch of rhinos. A suave fox crossing swords with a gravel-voiced alligator. A bumbling vulture getting a big pie thrown in his face by a vixen. The aforementioned bear getting about seven pies in the face during a smashing chase scene. And, of course, a fat badger doing battle with a fat slob of a wolf. Terry-Thomas as the bad guy's snake sidekick. Roger Miller as the country-singing rooster narrator. And Phil Harris (what a wonderful voice) as Little John the bear. Who gets to dance with the chicken. Oo-de-lally!

Agatha Christie's classic mystery is reimagined stylishly under the deft hand of director Rene Clair. The result is a damn good suspense film laced with impeccable dark comedy. The cast is superb, and there are also some interesting camera angles and framing to be found here.

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