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It's a Wonderful Life, a review by Antares

It's a Wonderful Life





Year: 1946
Film Studio: Republic Pictures, Liberty Films
Genre: Drama, Family, Classic
Length: 130 Min.

Director
Frank Capra (1897)

Writing
Frances Goodrich (1890)...Screenwriter
Albert Hackett (1900)...Screenwriter
Frank Capra (1897)...Screenwriter
Philip Van Doren Stern (1900)...Story By

Producer
Frank Capra (1897)

Cinematographer
Joseph F. Biroc (1903)
Joseph Walker (1892)

Music


Stars
James Stewart (1908) as George Bailey
Donna Reed (1921) as Mary Hatch
Lionel Barrymore (1878) as Mr. Potter
Thomas Mitchell (1892) as Uncle Billy
Henry Travers (1874) as Clarence
Beulah Bondi (1888) as Mrs. Bailey
Frank Faylen (1905) as Ernie
Ward Bond (1903) as Bert

Review
       At the time of its release, Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life was derided by critics as being out of touch with mainstream life in America, and an antiquated form of filmmaking. In the aftermath of World War II and the atrocities of which were just coming to light, this films message seemed out of date with the general movie public. Although most people in this country would hark back to the simpler times portrayed in this film, the overall response for this movie was lukewarm at best. The results would be a poor showing at the box office and the tag of affixed to this films legacy.

      Forty years later with the advent of cable television and the films entry into the public domain, it was once again derided for its overexposure to mainstream audiences. I myself had relegated it to a position of obscurity in my collection by purchasing it on DVD and for two years never viewing it. Then one night in a moment of inner turmoil, as I was thumbing through my collection to find the film that would help me escape, I selected this film. It was a most fortunate choice, for it would re-awaken me to the fact that this is one of the truly great films in the history of cinema.

      Four years of making patriotic propaganda films for the government had left Frank Capra with a desire to turn back the hands of time, and remind the country of the moral values which had forged our nation and for which some of our countrymen had made the ultimate sacrifice. It's now sad to think that this message is deemed as archaic by the cynical and media blitzed public of today.

       We may never be able to go back to the times and values portrayed in this film, but we can still dream and hope. For when a country fails to dream of better times and loses its desire to hope for a light at the end of the tunnel, it ceases to be. We all can learn from the message in this film.


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

(From It's a Wonderful Life (1946) on November 5th, 2010)

Catch Me If You Can, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Catch Me If You Can: Widescreen
Year: 2002
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Length: 141 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: DTS: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio
Tom Hanks
Christopher Walken
Martin Sheen
Nathalie Baye
Amy Adams

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Featurettes
Gallery
Production Notes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
Here we have another movie I enjoyed a lot. I liked all the characters... and the story was more then interesting. It surprises me that this is based on a true story.That kid definitely had some guts. I thought that both Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio did a fine job in this one. I also enjoyed Christopher Walken. If you ever find yourself looking for an entertaining true story... you could definitely do worse then this one. I would recommend checking it out.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched DVDs on August 7th, 2010)

Life on Mars Marathon (US Version), a review by addicted2dvd

1. Out Here in the Fields
After an accident, NYPD detective Sam Tyler inexplicably finds himself back in 1973, where he must help solve a murder that is eerily similar to a case he was investigating in 2008.

Guest Stars:
Lisa Bonet as Maya Daniels
Clarke Peters as Captain Fletcher Bellow
Phyllis Somerville as Mrs. Raimes
Mike Starr as Nelson

My Thoughts:
I know this series is an American version of a series from the UK... but I never seen the original UK version so I can not compare this one to that. What I can do is tell you about this show as it stands on it's own. This pilot epiosde is a very good introduction to the characters. It has a very good, entertaining story that keeps your intrest throughout the entire episode. I like that his 2008 partner is played by Lisa Bonet (Denise on The Cosby Show)... and they made it clear how important she is to him. I also like how they do not make it clear if he is crazy, in the hospital in a coma dreaming it all or if he really somehow traveled through time. Even though the evidence points in a certain way you don't know for sure. This is the first time I seen this show since it originally aired in 2008... so it is fun watching this again now... as there is so much I forgotten about this show since then!

My Rating:

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2. The Real Adventures of the Unreal Sam Tyler
Sam is in 1973. 2008 only exists as flashes of Sam's memory, assisted by a mysterious robot. A suspect in a series of deadly armed robberies of check cashing stores, Trent, is picked up but let loose for lack of evidence. Trent then attempts another robbery, gets killed by Hunt, but not before Trent shoots June the precinct secretary, at the scene. When a witness states that Trent was escorted by uniformed police going into the store being robbed, it becomes a corruption issue.

Guest Stars:
Lisa Bonet as Maya Daniels
Tanya Fischer as Windy
Heather Matarazzo as June
Sylvia Miles as Mrs. Salvaggio

My Thoughts:
This is another good episode. I really enjoyed the story. Sam is no closer to figuring out how or why he is there. In this episode the actress that played June (Heather Matarazzo) looked very familiar to me but I just couldn't place where I seen her. After the episode I looked her up and it turns out that she played the best friend Lilly on the movie The Princess Diaries. Which I watched not that long ago.

My Rating:

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3. My Maharishi is Bigger Than Your Maharishi
When a decorated Vietnam War vet is beaten to death, Sam's precinct is pushed to the brink to find his killers, but not everyone may be happy with the results they find.

Guest Stars:
Tanya Fischer as Windy
Susan Misner as Carol Ann Reeves
Timothy Adams as John Philip Fisher
Brian Avers as Sticker

My Thoughts:
Another good episode! Watching this show makes me think we came a long way in the past 30 some odd years. This show makes you think the cops back then didn't think twice about roughing up a suspect with no more reason then they felt like it. And how if they thought less of some people (gays in the case of this episode) they wouldn't try as hard to solve the crimes. But this was turning around by the end of the episode. Of course Sam is still trying to figure out how to get back to his own time.

My Rating:

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4. Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadows?
Sam busts a guy for accosting his mother, only to find out he's a loan shark and she's into him for a thousand dollars. When his mother doesn't want to prosecute, she, unknowingly, leads Sam down a road that puts him on the outs with Annie.

Guest Stars:
Jennifer Ferrin as Rose Tyler
Tanya Fischer as Windy
Robert Klein as Elliot Casso
Lenny Venito as Nick Profaci

My Thoughts:
So far this one has to be my least favorited of the series. I just found the episode to be a little too much on the slow side for my taste. Though it did have some good scenes... and the story itself was interesting. It just didn't feel like it kept up with what it could/should have been.

My Rating:

(From Life on Mars Marathon (US Version) on December 31st, 2009)