Li'l Duce's Reviews Palace

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The Enemy Below (1957) First time I saw it, in the '80's, was on a small screen and, I'm sure, in B&W. I thought it was good, a 7/10. Now, on a big screen and in colour, it gets 8/10. It would get more were it not for the hollywoodish inserts of moronic nazi reading Mein Kampf in a sub (nobody in Germany read Mein Kamp, figure it out in a sub under attack) and similar idiocies. Still it doesn't portray the Germans as Idiots and Americans as geniuses, actually I didn't even remember the finale, which is quite acceptable. So it gets 8/10. BTW there's a musical moment which can profitably be compared to the one in Casablanca we discussed a few days ago.   

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The Enemy Below (1957) First time I saw it, in the '80's, was on a small screen and, I'm sure, in B&W. I thought it was good, a 7/10. Now, on a big screen and in colour, it gets 8/10. It would get more were it not for the hollywoodish inserts of moronic nazi reading Mein Kampf in a sub (nobody in Germany read Mein Kamp, figure it out in a sub under attack) and similar idiocies. Still it doesn't portray the Germans as Idiots and Americans as geniuses, actually I didn't even remember the finale, which is quite acceptable. So it gets 8/10. BTW there's a musical moment which can profitably be compared to the one in Casablanca we discussed a few days ago.   

Agree I liked this one too. 8/10

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Superman III (1983) Not the best in the series, but not that bad either. Still the plot is interesting only at the start, but after the kryptonite makes its appearance it is too childish. BTW, during the class reunion, we can hear the Beatles singing Chuck Berry and Earth Angel. BTTF was made two years after this one: do I have to assume that these songs are mandatory for such occasions?

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Mafioso (1962) Though I had watched it only once and eons ago I remembered much of this one. Impossible to forget. I see that at the time of the re-release in USA it grossed more than $300.000,00. At IMDB the lower rating is 7/10. So I wonder why in Italy it wasn't a bigger hit and doesn't come to mind of most when talking about Sordi's achievements. Probably because it is so disturbing. Sordi is his usual huge, though toward the end he is forced to play some false note because of plot reasons (impossible he doesn't get hip sooner to what the game is about). I wanted  to give it 8/10 because of it, but when I saw him left by the truck on the road  carrying a rabbit and something else (a pheasant?) in his hands I raised it again to 9/10.     

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Alice's Restaurant (1969) The first thing that hit me about this movie was the poster, which I saw many years before I saw the movie itself. It remains the only thing worth keeping about the whole enterprise (including listening to the self-calling song which inspired it) because I can't find a single reason to watch this movie. Which amazes me because I remembered it as a good one. As a '60's archeological artifact gets a 5/10.

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 The Spiral Staircase (1945) Probably the movie that terrified me most, considering the age I was when first saw it. it is still a good thriller, perfect as to direction and pace, though there are some plot holes (the murderer would let himself be caught if he killed the housekeeper, and some). 7/10

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Miller's Crossing (1990) Boring as hell, it could last the double or half lenght and it wouldn't make a difference. the characters are just the same from start to finish and they just have to adjust to the uselessy intricated plot to make ends meet. 4/10

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Point Break (1991) Why I bought it I can't remember. Anyway, it has good action scenes and the joke of the ex-presidents. Too long and repetitive, though, and too filled up with bum reflections on surfing. 6/10

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Vivre sa vie (1962) This has got to do with prostitution as much as Inside Llewyn Davis with music. A pity because at the start it seemed that Godard wanted to make a movie. The story it's interesting until the girl gets herself a pimp: from the on it's all a waste of time. Michel Legrand signed probably his worst OST. I give it 6/10 because of the exteriors of Paris.  

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La sua giornata di gloria (1969)  See the review at IMDB. But the rating there is too generous. 1/10

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Centochiodi (2007) Olmi is a director, his images are always well concived. But the story is thin and weak, almost embarrassing. 3/10

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The Man of La Mancha (1972) Much better than I thought, in spite of the poor musical score with the exception of the famous song I knew as sung by Elvis and Le Grand Jacques. But it's a song as mimed by O'Toole that really moves me. O'Toole delivers a memorable performance, it might even be his best one (according to some at IMDB). Loren is perfect and the rest of the cast same. I might even re-watch it. As a movie it gets 8/10 but considering the mediocrity of the score gets 7/10.

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Desire (1943) Crappy melodrama. 0/10

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Telefon (1977) Run-of-the-mill thriller which I remembered as better. Probably is the technology that looks terribly inadequate, but even more striking is the moronic premise. The finale though is tense, so I give it 7/10.

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Whiplash (2014) Yes, a whiplash on your intelligence.  I watched it through only because a musician told me to do it . A collection of all (not one left off) formulaic tropes of Hollywood plots. The only originality is, as usual, in the choice of the talent of the protagonist. What irritated me most though was that Simmons got the Oscar that should have gone to Anton Walbrook or whoever else  for the same role. 4/10