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The Long Goodbye, a review by goodguy

The Long Goodbye (1973) Written by: Leigh Brackett, based on Raymond Chandler's novel Directed by: Robert Altman Starring: Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden DVD: R1-US MGM (2002) My rating: +

Cover blurb: Elliott Gould "gives one of his best performances" (Esquire) as a quirky, mischievous Philip Marlowe in Robert Altman's "fascinating and original" (Newsweek) send-up of Raymond Chandler's classic detective story. Co-starring Nina Van Pallandt and Sterling Hayden and written by Leigh Brackett (The Big Sleep), The Long Goodbye is "a gloriously inspired tribute to Hollywood" (The Hollywood Reporter) with an ending that's "as controversial as it is provocative." (Los Angeles Times)!

Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe (Gould) faces the most bizarre case of his life, when a friend's apparent suicide turns into a double murder involving a sexy blonde, a disturbed gangster and a suitcase full of drug money. But as Marlowe stumbles toward the truth, he soon finds himself lost in a maze of sex and deceit - only to discover that in L.A., if love is dangerous... friendship is murder.

Now that is more like it. Sorry Jon, but Altman's take on film noir is so much more interesting than the Coen's misguided attempt at, erm, uri-noir. It's also funnier. Just consider the opening sequence with Marlowe and the cat.

There are certainly parallels between the two movies. Both have protagonists that stumble quite clueless through the plot, but put the pieces together in the end. But the Dude is defined as a somewhat slow and clueless character right from the beginning, so it's not suprising that he doesn't get what's going on. Gould's Marlowe on the other hand looks like a cool and smart detective straight from a '40s noir, but doesn't quite act like it. That's irritating, but in a good way.

And the '40s hero, chainsmoking, with white shirt and wrinkled dark suit, is quite lost in the '70s world he has to navigate. He constantly talks to himself, and mumbles "That's okay with me" however strange his encounters with that world's inhabitants seem to him.

The entire movie has a dream-like quality, it is much more a mood piece than a crime story, which makes the occasional burst of violence all the more shocking.

And what a great ending. And I don't mean Marlowe's action itself, but the final shot afterwards.


(From goodguy's Watch Log on October 12th, 2008)

The Muppet Christmas Carol, a review by Dragonfire

Charles Dickens' classic holiday story sparkles with humor and whimsy in the hands of the always hilarious Muppets! Michael Caine stars as penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooged in a performance that's anything but "bah humbug!" Alone on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by ghosts who transport him to his past, present and future - and it's not a pretty sight! But along the way he comes upon poor, kind, humble Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog) and his family, including Tiny Tim who teaches Scrooge the true meaning of Christmas. Complete with original music and dazzling special effects, this heartfelt holiday movie is exceptional entertainment your family will enjoy for every Christmas to come.

My Thoughts

This is really one of the best versions of A Christmas Carol that I've ever seen.  The Muppet characters worked really well in the parts and Michael Caine was a great Scrooge.  Several songs were added - which is normal for a Muppet project - and they all worked really well.  They moved the story forward and weren't just there to have the Muppets sing.  There was a decent amount of humor, usually provided by the Muppet characters, but the movie kept the more serious moments from the original story as well.  This was the first major project for the Muppets after the death of Jim Henson and I think it was done very well.  Kermit's voice was different, but it was close to how Henson had performed the character.

 

(From 25 Days of Christmas on December 22nd, 2008)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Malcolm in the Middle


Pilot
Malcolm introduces us to his world, dominated by omnipresent schoolyard bully Spath and made worse by his enforced friendship with Stevie, an asthmatic wheelchair genius. When a battery of tests reveals that Malcolm has an IQ of 165, he is moved into Stevie's special accelerated class, despite his protests that "around here being intelligent is exactly the same as being radioactive." On the bright side, Malcolm discovers a practical application for intelligence when he and Stevie spontaneously hit on a solution to Spath's persistent tyranny.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun comedy. Though I do think it is a bit out there with the dysfunctional family thing. Much like the next one I am about to watch. But it definitely has some laughs in it... and worth checking out. Unfortunately there was only the first season that was ever released.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on March 25th, 2010)