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The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, a review by Antares

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre





Year: 1948
Film Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, First National Pictures
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Length: 126 Min.

Director
John Huston (1906)

Writing
John Huston (1906)...Screenplay
B. Traven (1882)...Novel

Producer
Henry Blanke (1901)
Jack L. Warner (1892)

Cinematographer
Ted D. McCord (1900)

Music
Max Steiner (1888)...Music By

StarsReview
       The film Casablanca may have made Humphrey Bogart a star but to me his role as Fred C. Dobbs, the down on his luck drifter who agrees to go in search of gold in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, is his greatest performance. In this one role we get to witness the versatility of his acting prowess as he portrays Dobbs as a troubled individual with a chameleon personality whose mood and mannerisms change like the wind. One moment he is in good cheer as he recounts for his partners how finding gold will not change him personally and the next he is a rambling, quivering mass of paranoia as he believes everyone is out to rob him blind. Bogart walks this fine line with the agility of a skilled tightrope walker, never going so far as to make his character appear a caricature.

       This would be the second time that Bogart worked with director John Huston, and the arrangement must have suited Bogart well as they would make two more classic films together with Key Largo & The African QueenThe African Queen. Yet, one upshot of his role in this film would be the laying of groundwork for his portrayal of another paranoid and delusional character in The Caine Mutiny, Captain Queeg.  

       If you are un-familiar with the film history of Humphrey Bogart, most people will tell you start by watching Casablanca, but The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is all that and more. It could arguably be placed in the top ten films of all time.


Ratings Criterion
5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.

(From The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) on December 17th, 2009)

Marion Bridge, a review by goodguy

Marion Bridge (CA 2002) Written by: Daniel McIvor Directed by: Wiebke von Carolsfeld Starring: Molly Parker, Rebecca Jenkins, Stacy Smith DVD: R1-US Film Movement (2005) My rating:

Cover blurb: In the midst of struggling to overcome her self-destructive behavior, the youngest of three sisters, Agnes (Molly Parker), returns to her hometown in Nova Scotia determined to confront the past. Her arrival sets in motion a chain of events that allows a family of women to each in their own way re-connect with the world and each other. The film speaks volumes about siblings and parental relationships with a beautiful realized tale of loss, healing and humor.

The basic story of Marion Bridge is a bit like in those Lifetime movies of the week, but it is done right here. In fact, Carolsfeld's approach is so subtle and low-key that you might mistake it for boring, but it has the most startling effect in a confrontation near the end. Molly Parker is one of my favorite actresses, and she is great here as always. As a bonus, a very young Ellen Page can be seen here in a small but crucial role.

(From goodguy's Watch Log on August 31st, 2008)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: By destroying Brainiac with the kryptonian knife, Clark opened the portal for Zod. Zod has taken over Lex's body and is now trying to conquer the world by removing its technology. And there's no one who can stop him, because Clark was banished to the Phantom Zone.

My Opinion: This was a great conclusion to the cliffhanger, although once again it could have lasted longer. I see the problem that if Clark would have remained longer in the Phantom Zone, Zod would have caused more havoc and probably more people would have seen him, which would be devastating for Lex. But still, two or three episodes would have been cool.
I find it funny that Aaron Ashmore is playing Jimmy Olsen, while his identical twin brother Shawn has been a recurring FotW in the early seasons, yet no one seems to see the resemblance.

Synopsis: Clark vigorously tries to repair the damage that has been caused by Zod. But even he gets exhausted at one point and his immune system was weakened due to his stay in the Phantom Zone. Clark has catched the "common" cold and now sneezes barn doors halfway across the county.
Meanhwile Lex gets abducted because some people want to find out how he has done the things he has done while he was being possessed by Zod.

My Opinion: They skipped that episode in the last season, probably because there aren't many abilities left and also probably because he has been human during a few episodes. When I first watched this episode I thought Oliver Queen would just be another adversary of Lex's, just as Victoria Hardwick or Jason Teague. How wrong I was.

BTW: When Justin Hartley (Oliver) smiles, don't you think that he has a striking resemblance to the young Ben Affleck?

Synopsis: Someone - or something - is killing a young woman near a make-out-zone and her friend has mysteriously vanished.  But then is found, but he dies at the hospital because a plant is growing out of his stomach. And this plant can hurt even Clark.

My Opinion: Instead of FotWs we will see beings from the Phantom Zone in this season. While I found this episode to be entertaining, I still think that Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan was the more interesting plant.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on June 15th, 2008)