Movie Review: Beast

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

A well-made but overly familiar sports film. 

In this film an ex-fighter who has been out of the ring for ten years agrees to go back and do one more fight when he has another child on the way and needs the money. 

If the storyline sound familiar to you that is because there is nothing here that has not been done a million times before. Everything about this movie feels very familiar to the point that when watching it you forget you haven't actually seen it before. 

That doesn't mean the film is bad though. There is quite a bit to recommend it. The fighting scenes are incredibly well done getting across the brutality of the sport without ever going overboard with the gore. These scenes are also very well filmed and paced. While not complex, the main character is likable, and you want to see him win. The villain on the other hand is the type that you love to hiss which makes us root for our main character even more. Daniel MacPherson is fantastic as the main character bringing some real charisma to a very simple character. The story unfolds at a fast pace and is never once boring.

The main problem with this film though is that the supporting characters are as bland as they can be. Most of these characters feel more like plot points than actual characters. Their existence here is simply little more than tools to move the story forward. This unfortunately can cut into the emotional impact of certain scenes. When characters feel so artificial, plot points that center on them also feel artificial. Of these supporting characters, the fighter's old trainer fares the best since he is played Russell Crowe. However, even a great actor can only do so much with such a bland character. 

This isn't a bad movie, but you will probably forget all about it a few weeks after you see it. 

 

Movie Review: The Yeti

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An enjoyable but forgettable monster flick. 

In this movie, a team goes out to search for a group of explorers that have gone missing. Unfortunately, they also come across a killer yeti. 

There is some good fun to be had here. The characters, while not complex, do their jobs. We like the characters we are supposed to like and hate the ones we are supposed to hate. The cast does a great job adding to what are very simple characters with some pretty good performances. There is a real sense of atmosphere that gives this film a fun adventurous feel. Some of the suspense scenes are quite well done, actually creating some good tension. 

Like many movie monsters, the yeti is more frightening when he is kept offscreen than when we actually see him. When we actually see him fully onscreen, he is frankly less scary than the animatronic on the Matterhorn Bobsled ride at Disneyland. 

Mostly though the problem with this movie is that most everything about it is just okay and nothing more. When a storyline is this familiar, it needs to do at least one thing very well to stay in your mind. But since everything is done decently and nothing more, it becomes hard for you to remember it long after you watch it. 

This is one of those movies that you will enjoy while you are watching but completely forget about not long after you watch it. 

Video Link: Jean-Luc Godard Interview with Dick Cavett (1980)

 

Jobyna Ralston From the Tennessee Hills

 Jobyna Ralston is a name that should be familiar to many fans of silent comedy. She was the leading lady in seven of Harold Lloyd's classic feature length movies (including The Freshman (1925), Why Worry (1923) and The Kid Brother (1927)). While her work with Harold is her greatest claim to fame, she had a much more varied career than this. She even had a decent role in the first movie to win Best Picture, Wings (1927). She worked with another legendary screen comedian with Max Linder in The Three Must-Get-Theres (1922). Jobyna was directed by Frank Capra in The Power of the Press (1928). She even worked in early talkies with such films as The College Coquette (1929) and Sheer Luck (1931). 

Like many silent film stars she had a career on stage before acting in movies. At the age of 21 she made her Broadway debut with Two Little Girls in Blue (May 03, 1921 - Aug 27, 1921). (Source for dates: https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jobyna-ralston-424259).

Here is an article about Jobyna Ralston from an issue of Motion Picture Classic (dated May 1926). If you have trouble reading the following pages, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

Now enjoy Shoot Straight (1923), a short silent comedy featuring Jobyna.

Here is one of the silent features where Jobyna was the leading lady for Harold Lloyd, Hot Water (1924). 

Movie Review: A Great Awakening

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A superb historical drama. 

This movie tells the true story of the friendship between Benjamin Franklin and the preacher George Whitefield. This unlikely friendship between a deeply devout Christian and a man who has always been critical of religion and skeptical of God's existence is the heart of the film. The way these two very different men come to care for and respect each other is quite touching. Through this movie, you even get to see how the two clearly influenced one another. The way this relationship folds out and develops makes it so that we are fully capable of seeing what each saw in each other. Though they do argue about their theological and moral differences even in these scenes you can see how much they love each other. John Paul Sneed and Jonathan Blair's performances add very much to this. John Paul Sneed is one of the best Benjamin Franklins I have ever seen in a movie. He is so incredibly convincing that sometimes you almost forgot that he is not the real historical figure. George Whitefield is a very difficult character for any actor. To play this character you must be loud and boisterous (while never being over the top), while also being gentle and tender. That Jonathan Blair pulls this off perfectly is no small feat. This is a truly incredibly performance. The two actors also have fantastic chemistry with each other. They work extremely well together whether in scenes where they are gently ribbing each other or in the powerful scene later on when they are having a particularly heated argument. The film's concluding scene could have come off as a forced sermon but because of how we have seen this relationship unfold it feels like an earned emotional moment. 

Despite some poor special effects in one scene, this is a very handsome movie filled with the type of beautiful period look that audiences have grown to expect from this type of film. 

This is a truly great film that I hope finds a big audience.  

Filming Beau Geste

 After a recent restoration, screenings at the TCM and Cinecon Classic Film Festivals and a Blu-ray release, the silent version of Beau Geste (1926) has been receiving much attention lately. Because of this many are discovering what a good movie it is. That makes it the perfect time to share this vintage article with you.  

This article is from a June 1926 issue of Motion Picture Classic. If you have any trouble reading the following pages, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.

How the Keystone Kops Happened

 Have you ever wondered just "How the Keystone Kops Happened?" Well, you might want to keep wondering as there is probably not a whole lot of truth to the following article. If you have read the book, CHASE! A Tribute to the Keystone Cops (which is an essential read for any silent comedy fan), you know that the exact origin of the Kops is not very easy to pinpoint and is definitely more complex than is presented here. That the author of this article was in charge of publicity for the Keystone Studio casts an even greater sense of doubt over this article as this is obviously the story that Mack Sennett (the head of the Keystone Studio) wanted you to read. Still this is a very entertaining and fun read that should delight fans of silent comedy. 

This following article is from an issue of Motion Picture Classic dated June 1926. If you have any trouble reading, click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

Here is a delightful film featuring the Kops, A Hash House Fraud (1915).