Brief Movie Reviews- 4/7/10

Brief Movie Reviews- 4/7/10

Adams Rib (1949)

- This movie was known as one of the great Tracy/Hepburn comedies. Why, I have no idea. The movie is about a married couple that also happens to be lawyers. They both end up taking the same case but on opposite sides. The case deals with a woman who attempts to kill her husband. Tracy is defending the husband while Hepburn is defending the wife. As the case goes so does the marriage. Which is to say not very well. Now you might be asking yourself, how does one defend a woman for attempted murder when she shot her husband? The answer is simple, women’s rights. Yes according to this movie women should have the right to attempt to murder their husband if they are cheating on them. I don’t have a law degree but that just doesn’t seem legal to me. Besides having one of the worst plots in movie history it wasn’t funny at all, the acting quite frankly wasn’t that good, and the title of the movie makes no sense.

- Director: George Cukor

- Starring: Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, and Judy Holiday

- Grade: F

Spellbound (2002)

- This documentary follows 8 kids as they make their way to the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. The first half of the movie spends time getting to know each individual and their families. The second half of the movie shows highlights from the National Spelling Bee of that year. I learned a lot about what the spelling bee is, what all goes into preparing for the spelling bee, and the different personalities of the contestants. I found it very interesting overall. The movie was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary in 2002.

- Director: Jeffrey Blitz

- Grade: B

Iraq In Fragments (2006)

- This documentary shows the lives of different Iraqis soon after Saddam is taken out of power by America. There isn’t much to say about the movie but that there is a lot of chaos and anti-American sentiment. The movie has no narrative, which makes it really hard to follow. I really found no point to this movie at all. What was it trying to say? You should be able to make an interesting documentary on Iraq, but this is not the one. This movie was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary for 2006.

- Director: James Longley

- Grade: F

Casablanca (1942)

- I consider myself a movie buff even though I have to admit I hadn’t seen this iconic movie until last week. I know sad right? This movie, if you don’t know, takes place in Casablanca, Africa during Nazi occupation in World War II. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick, an American who defected to Casablanca working as a bar owner. Ingrid Bergman plays Ilsa, his long lost love that just happens to show up at Rick’s bar on a political mission. Conflicted by the past Rick is forced to make a tough choice between what’s best for him or what’s best for his ex-lover. The movie is considered a classic, which makes it hard for me to review it. I wouldn’t say it’s quite as good as the hype but it’s not a bad movie either. It’s overly dramatic throughout and drags quite a bit towards the end. The movie is somewhat complicated and I really didn’t understand what was going on most of the time. The performances were quite good, especially Claude Rains as a Nazi Captain who is also a friend of Ricks. I think they did a great job portraying what it’s like to be bitter about someone you loved dearly and who left you (believe me I come from experience). In flash backs Rick and Ilsa are shown doing different activities in Paris being totally in love. Rick looks so happy, cherry, and optimistic in these scenes. Throughout the rest of the movie Rick never smiles, is cynical, and is overall a miserable character. It just goes to show what the power of love can do to a person. Won Oscars for best picture, best director, and best screenplay.

- Director: Michael Curtiz

- Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains

- Grade: C

The Nun’s Story (1959)

- This movie stars Audrey Hepburn as Gabriella, a young lady who inspires to be a nun. The movie follows her as she first enters the convent all the way to her mission field as a nurse in the Congo. We see the struggles a nun has to go through to be totally submitted to God’s will. Many times the character has to sacrifice her own wants to follow the orders of her superiors. Peter Finch is great as a doctor in the Congo who believes Gabriella is too independent to be a nun and encourages her to leave the convent. Her greatest struggle is within herself, does she have what it takes to be a good nun, or is she cheating herself and her faith by pretending to be something she is not. The movie would have been very good if it just wasn’t so long (running at 2 hours and 45 minutes). A movie solely based on what it’s like being a nun isn’t the most interesting story line but Audrey Hepburn gives a good enough performance to keep me interested. This movie asks oneself who makes a hotter nun: Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, or Whoopie Goldberg? I’m going for Audrey Hepburn on this one. This movie was nominated for an Oscar for best picture in 1959.

- Director: Fred Zinnemann

- Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch, Edith Evans, and Peggy Ashcroft

- Grade: C