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The Kid from Brooklyn, a review by GSyren

Title	The Kid from Brooklyn (Disc ID: 4315-C93A-675A-77AE)
Director	Norman Z. McLeod
Actors	Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen , Steve Cochran, Eve Arden
Produced	1946 in United States
Runtime	113 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles	None
Overview
My thoughts	A lightweight comedy marred by some unnecessary musical numbers. The script is weak but the cast is strong. Virginia Mayo is as lovely as ever. Vera-Ellen is fine but underused. Gravely voiced Lionel Stander repeats his role from The Milky Way (1936), of which this is a remake. Now, I have nothing against musicals. In fact, I like them a lot. Providing the musical numbers are there to help the story along. I don't like them when the numbers seem inserted without any better reason than being time fillers. And that's what they mostly feel like to me in this movie. The story is amusing, but way too predictable to be great. This movie is worthwhile if you like Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo. If not, you'll probably get bored quite soon.
My rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on April 15th, 2014)

Strangers on a Train, a review by Dragonfire

Strangers on a Train Strange thing about this trip. So much occurs in pairs. Tennis star Guy (Farley Granger) hates his unfaithful wife. Mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) hates his father. How perfect for a playful proposal: I'll kill yours, you kill mine. Now look at how Alfred Hitchcock reinforces the duality of human nature. The more you watch, the more you'll see. "Isn't it a fascinating design?" the Master of Suspense often asked. Actually, it's doubly fascinating. For Hitchcock left behind two versions of 'Strangers on a Train'. The original version (SIDE A) is an all-time thriller classic. A recently found longer prerelease British print (SIDE B) offers "a startling amplification of Bruno's flamboyance, his homoerotic attraction to Guy and his psychotic personality" (Bill Desowitz, 'Film Comment'). The laying bare of Bruno's hidden nature, along with great set pieces (head-turning tennis match, disintegrating carousel) and suspense as only Hitchcock can deliver, makes for a first-class trip. My Thoughts This was the first time I saw this one.  I picked it up after I found it on sale at Amazon last November...even though I was horribly behind in this marathon at the time.  Even though I haven't seen the movie before, I have seen other versions of the story in other movies and different tv shows.  Just this past year, The Simpsons and Castle used a version of the story.  Things start off showing Bruno and Guy meeting for the first time and talking.  Bruno seems to be missing a few marbles right from the start with how he tries to act like Guy's best friend and talking about murder.  When Miriam is shown, she is a horrible woman, and it is easy to see why Guy wanted out of the marriage.  The movie has a slow build of tension and suspense that works wonderfully.  I think this is one of the most suspenseful movies I've ever seen.  During the climax, something does seem a bit ...extreme, but it still works - though (click to show/hide) what kind of police officer shoots into a group of people on a merry go round?? Guy has started a relationship with another woman who is the total opposite of Miriam.  He is mostly likable, though he does some questionable things.  Farley Granger is wonderful in the part that is so different from the one he had in Rope when he was the one embracing murder.  Bruno is a wonderful villain and Robert Walker is great in the part.  The rest of the cast is good too, though they don't stand out as much.  Hitchcock's daughter has a decent sized role as Barbara. Overall, this is a wonderful Hitchcock movie. I did post a review on Epinions a few days ago. Strangers on a Train

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on June 23rd, 2010)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: A FotW who should be in Belle Reve reappears in Smallville and claims to be healed. Unfortunately she can't remember anything since the time she became infected. Chloe doesn't see that as a story but as a means to "cure" her, too. But the doctor isn't who he appears to be.

My Opinion: Great appearance of Dean Cain who was Clark Kent/Superman in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, a show that I also watched until it was cancelled.
What I didn't like was the fact that the Martian Manhunter has become Clark's "waste disposal". The writers have found an easy way out of any kind of plot without needing to think about it.

Synopsis: The "Warrior Angel" movie is being made in Smallville. But someone seems to have a grudge against the lead actress and tries to kill her. Why? Because "if you're destined to save the world, you're destined to be alone". But when Clark saves her (again) he's being watched and now Lana becomes the target for that very reason.

My Opinion: I really liked the talk about the world of Hollywood and the world of comics and how they differ regarding happy ends. But Smallville and other shows like Buffy have shown that happy ends are no automatism anymore. And sometimes I wished for more happy ends again.

Synopsis: Kara is looking for the crystal that was in her spaceship and she nearly crashes with a plane over Washington. But she gets caught by a government agent who knows her weakness because he analyzed the ship prior to its self-destruction. Now she's forced to relive some forgotten memories about her father and her aunt Lara - Kal-El's biological mother.

My Opinion: Now it gets soap-y. Zor-El (Kal-El's uncle and father of Kara) loves Lara and makes his daughter forget about it... And how fast she's learned to break into high security government computers. Impressive. Not.

Synopsis: A "lightning accident" gives Lana Clark's powers without taking his. Now she can experience what he is able to do. And she uses it to "procure" incriminating evidence against Lex and she brings it directly to the "Daily Planet". When they deny to print the story, she tries to finish Lex off once and for all but - surprise! - is stopped by Clark.

My Opinion: Lana is slipping over to the dark side of the force. But I really don't think that Clark is the one to blame. Sure, he lied to her over a long time, but he never betrayed her and he never did anything to hurt her (although sometimes he managed to do it anyway). These dark traits have either been there forever or she has picked them up during her time with Lex. But I liked to see that Chloe is watching out for him and that she gave Lana an upfront warning about it.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on June 22nd, 2008)