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This Happy Breed, a review by Antares

This Happy Breed (1944) 75/100 - One of David Lean's early efforts as a director. The story spans about twenty years, and chronicles the day to day life of a middle class British family between the two World Wars. A bit of tragedy, smidgens of comedy and a lot of family squabbles that don't make for a riveting drama, but more of a curiosity in regards to Lean's early work. Celia Johnson, as usual, is fantastic as the matriarch of the family. Every emotion her character is feeling is effortlessly shown across what appears to be a weathered face. I mention her appearance because throughout the film, she looks rather haggard. Which is surprising when one looks at her in Lean's next film, Brief Encounter, playing a woman who is exuberant in an extramarital dalliance, and she just radiates. I don't know if it was good make up work or the fact that Johnson was one of the all time great actresses. One last thing, towards the end of the film, Robert Newton's character makes a statement about what happens to a house, when a family who has lived there for many years, moves out. How it retains the memories of that family forever. And it got me wondering about the home I now live in. My wife and I built this home 13 years ago, so we are the first to inhabit it. When we're both dead and gone, what will the family that purchases my home, be like? Will they be a happy family or will domestic strife be commonplace in their lives? Very rarely does a line of dialog make me ponder my own life, or what will be after I'm gone, but that bit of dialog did.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on April 20th, 2014)

Dead Man, a review by RossRoy

WHAT THEY SAY

Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow, The Astronaut's Wife) delivers a remarkable performance in this highly acclaimed tale of adventure and intrigue in the wild, wild West! A young man in search of a fresh start, William Blake (Depp), embarks on an exciting journey to a new town…never realizing the danger that lies ahead. But when a heated love triangle ends in double murder, Blake finds himself a wanted man, running scared - until a mysterious loner (Gary Farmer) teaches him to face the dangers that follow a "dead man." With an outstanding supporting cast including Gabriel Byrne (End Of Days, Stigmata) and Robert Mitchum (Cape Fear), and a sizzling soundtrack by Neil Young, Dead Man is another motion picture triumph from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch.

MY THOUGHTS

Oh boy. Talk about boring. The pace is slow. The speech is slow. They even manage to make the travel slow and painful! Actually, I never even finished it. We stopped it after 70 minutes because it was just dreadful. I think Plan 9 From Outer Space is better than this! Yes, I said it. Something is worse the Plan 9

RATING

(From RossRoy's Random Viewings on July 1st, 2010)

Doctor Who Marathon, a review by Tom

Doctor Who
Series 1.11 Boom Town
Writer: Russell T Davies (Writer)
Director: Joe Ahearne
Cast: Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), William Thomas (Mr Cleaver), Annette Badland (Margaret), John Barrowman (Captain Jack), Noel Clarke (Mickey), Mali Harries (Cathy), Aled Pedrick (Idris Hopper), Alan Ruscoe (Slitheen)

The storyline is nothing special, but there are some nice character moments in this episode. It handles how Mickey feels that Rose is travelling with the doctor and there are some fun scenes with Captain Jack.




(From Doctor Who Marathon on February 10th, 2014)