Paul-Anderson Movie Reviews

Like "The Yellow Rolls Royce", "Tales of Manhattan" is a movie about a single object owned by many different people over time, and how the object plays a role in the lives of those owners, in this case, a formal tailcoat. "Tales of Manhattan" is a virtual Syms clothing store of a movie, chock full of "names you must know": Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda, Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth, Charles Laughton, Edward G. Robinson, Cesar Romero, and WC Fields. I think it is about one tale too long--the WC Fields one--and that's why I bobbed this tail down to 3 stars instead of 4. His skit is way too long and frankly rather boring. Otherwise, there's a melodrama, a few get-out-your-hankie pieces, and a comedic romp. Really an omnibus, with something for everyone. Unless you're into WC Fields, fast forward when you get to that one, and you'll be okay.

I became aware of this masterpiece through reading about W.C. Fields and his involvement. Always fascinated by stories of "lost" or "deleted" footage from classic stars (i.e. many Laurel and Hardy segments, Elvis Presley's 1955 movie short, the Three Stooges alternate version of "Malice in the Palice" with a cameo by Curly three years after he retired, etc.), I purchased this tape immediately after discovering that Field's originally removed segment, described as a fairly long, verbal sequence coming at a time when his film career was decidedly in decline, was included in this release.
I was not at all disappointed in the "temperance lecture" scene beautifully executed by the master. (It's somewhat understandable that the bit was cut, as the movie was very long. Too bad that the material could not have been fashioned into a one or two-reeler at the time, as slightly outdated as they were by '42).
Other memorable performances come from Edward G. Robinson (at a class reunion), and Ethel Waters, who is brilliant despite the stereotypical Southern scene.

Tales of Manhattan is a star-studded movie that featured 46 supporting players as well as a main cast including Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda, Charles Laughton, Edward G. Robinson, W.C. Fields, Paul Robeson, Ethel Waters, and Eddie Rochester Anderson. A film like this could never be made today because each star would demand so much money that the budget would be so high.

The film begins when a tailor and his assistants bring a tailcoat to the apartment of stage actor Paul Orman (Charles Boyer). They then inform him that the cutter put a curse on the suit, but he assures Mr. Orman¡Çs that it will bring him happiness.

Paul¡Çs next play is a smash hit, but he leaves as soon as he takes his bow. He tells Luther (Eugene Pallette), his servant, to drive him to Ethel Halloway¡Çs (Rita Hayworth) home. He is in love with her, but she is married to John (Thomas Mitchell). He is supposed to go hunting tomorrow in Canada, so the two lovers plan to meet in town. At Ethel¡Çs home, they discuss the plan, but the inquisitive John is always near. He decides to clean his gun when he begins to talk to Paul. While Ethel watches in horror, Paul is shot. But he gives a performance pretending he was missed. Paul manages to get out to Luther, who takes him the St. Luke¡Çs Hospital.

Now that Paul doesn¡Çt need the tailcoat any more, Luther brings it to his friend Edgar (Rolland Young). He is the butler for Harry (Cesar Romero) who is marrying Diane (Ginger Rogers) that evening. While in her own apartment, Ellen (Gail Patrick), Diane¡Çs friend comes and tells her that when she was looking in her husband¡Çs tailcoat, she found a comb with red hair. She knows her own husband has been cheating on her. They both go off the Harry¡Çs together.

While waiting for him to get up, they find his tailcoat just lying on the back of a chair. Ellen coaxes Diane into looking through it. In the last pocket she looks in, she finds a love letter from ¡ÈSquirrel.¡É They read it out loud, and Harry hears them. He runs to the kitchen and calls his friend George (Henry Fonda) to come and get him out of the fix. George comes and says that he accidentally left his own tailcoat at the apartment last night when he came for a party and he gives Harry Paul Orman¡Çs tailcoat saying its his.

There is also a big break for a musician (Charles Laughton) and another vignette in which Edward G. Robinson is transformed from a bum to a classy lawyer attending his college re-union. There is also a great segment with W.C. Fields. It was not included in the original release, but it is included in the new home video version. Finally, the coat falls on a poor sharecropper community with some stolen money in it. It provides the townspeople with a wonderful Christmas! The coat ends up as a scarecrow on the farm, a far way from the tailcoat of a wealthy actor!

This movie has something for everybody. My Dad¡Çs favorite vignette was the Edward G. Robinson episode. He liked it because it was very deep, talky, and ironic. My mom disliked that version because of the very same reason. Her favorite was the episode with Charles Laughton because it was heartwarming and charming. My favorite was the Ginger Rogers/Henry Fonda version because it went so smoothly and all the actors were at their best! All in all, it was a fantastic film, and everyone, not just film buffs, should enjoy it!

Wait !

STOP - No, it's not an Olivia Newton John video !

It's a bad made for TV movie !

What can I say?

I'm a sucker for movies so bad that they come back around to good again.

This is one of those.

Originally, I watched it on television because it features Alexandra Paul ( of "Baywatch" and "American Flyers" fame ) and I'm a fan, but I must admit that I BOUGHT it because I enjoyed it so much - I just love watching it.

It's about an out of shape ( yeah, first imagine Alexandra Paul, now put her in a bulky sweatshirt, that's what they call out of shape ) woman who finds herself in body building.

There's a whole cooked up story around a competition and her coach/sponsor ( played by Sandahl Bergman, looking very fine, I might add ) but mostly it's just cheesy fun to watch stuff.

It's even a little inspiring.

Good eye candy and if you like Alexandra Paul, you have to see it.

Oh, and for you real Women's Body Building fans, it features Rachel McLish and Lisa Lyons - two greats from the beginning of the sport ( sorry, no Cory Everson ).

Best Regards, turtlex.

This is one for those who appreciate a barefoot lady. The contest scene at the climax of the film has about 40 remarkably attractive female bodybuilders on stage, all in bikinis and barefoot. I just wish I could get on stage and give all those lovely pairs of feet some attention! Please release this on dvd soon!

I've always been a fan of Ed Begley Jr. Me and all my pals in Langwarrin tend to have Ed Begley Jr. movie marathons, and this movie tends to be everyone's favorite. (A close second would be "Transylvania 6-5000"). I've always enjoyed a mystery, and this one's a doozy.

This movie is great! It keeps you guessing until the end! Harry Anderson plays a guy who may or may not be a secret agent on a mission from the President. Just when you think you have it figured out, it twists on you. Incredibly entertaining, though you'll see the ending coming well before it gets there. Was hard to get for a long time, but I'm glad to see it's back!

Actually, I wanted to make a minor correction to my review below.
What I don't think I clearly conveyed is that the film has a "parallel universe" feel to it, where the film, apparently being so effectively squelched by the makers because of it's "nontraditional" quality, that it also doesn't even seem to fit into the film histories of it's distinguished participants, both in front of and behind the camera. So, since it will never play on the Sunday Afternoon Movie, "you shouldn't even be watching it". At least that's how it seems to me.
Now if you happen to enjoy that sort of phenomena(and I certainly do), you might want to check it out.
Also, apparently the film was "doctored" by the late screenwriter Philip Yordan(JOHNNY GUITAR, THE BIG COMBO), particularly the scenes with Broderick Crawford and Robert("Inspector Henderson") Shayne.
(If you'd like to read Burgess Meredith's version of what happened to the film, and his reaction to it, check out his autobiography). Now I feel better.

Obviously intended as the pilot for a series, this little TV-movie offers a charming take on "dropping out and finding yourself." When college student Jeff Bridges decides to do just that, his parents & grandmother accompany him in a rebuilt school bus (pre-Partridge Family). What's interesting about the story is that his father (Carl Betz), initially skeptical about the whole idea, soon endorses it heartily. Clearly the father has as many questions about who he is & where his life has brought him as his son does, making this an intelligent midlife story as well as the first step of Bridges' journey towards wholeness.

If the storyline offers certain cliches & is forced to conform to the restrictions of network TV, it makes the most of it. Both generations are viewed sympathetically, yet with an eye for its own flaws & self-delusions; both generations will grow & learn from each other on this journey. A pity it wasn't made into a series, as the concept was quite promising.

Still, we have this short film, which serves as a reminder of a time when it was thought important & vital to take some time off from everyday life, and to get a new perspective on where you were & where you might be going. Current culture may dismiss such ideas with a disdainful laugh, but it's still just as important. So hop on the bus & check it out!

This is a excellent film. It seemed corny at first with the family of Jeff Bridges being "squares" in the classic middle class family way, but wait till they take off in the bus to meet some of son Jeff Bridges friends at a hippie rock concert. There they meet Tyne Daly of "Cagney&Lacy fame as a knocked up hippie chick who wants to do natural childbirth in their cardboard box house they built. Sal Mineo many good lines as a good hearted hippie with an attitude in his open vest and motorcycle, he gets the great honor of saying "She has a black belt in mouth karate" and at the close of this great gem Sal gives the immortal "Peace sign" to the newly enlightened family of squares as they leave hippie land and down the road to their next adventure.
I fell into an intense fondness for this film after about 20 mintues into it. I recommened it highly. This film made me feel young again.

Actually, I wanted to make a minor correction to my review below.
What I don't think I clearly conveyed is that the film has a "parallel universe" feel to it, where the film, apparently being so effectively squelched by the makers because of it's "nontraditional" quality, that it also doesn't even seem to fit into the film histories of it's distinguished participants, both in front of and behind the camera. So, since it will never play on the Sunday Afternoon Movie, "you shouldn't even be watching it". At least that's how it seems to me.
Now if you happen to enjoy that sort of phenomena(and I certainly do), you might want to check it out.
Also, apparently the film was "doctored" by the late screenwriter Philip Yordan(JOHNNY GUITAR, THE BIG COMBO), particularly the scenes with Broderick Crawford and Robert("Inspector Henderson") Shayne.
(If you'd like to read Burgess Meredith's version of what happened to the film, and his reaction to it, check out his autobiography). Now I feel better.

Obviously intended as the pilot for a series, this little TV-movie offers a charming take on "dropping out and finding yourself." When college student Jeff Bridges decides to do just that, his parents & grandmother accompany him in a rebuilt school bus (pre-Partridge Family). What's interesting about the story is that his father (Carl Betz), initially skeptical about the whole idea, soon endorses it heartily. Clearly the father has as many questions about who he is & where his life has brought him as his son does, making this an intelligent midlife story as well as the first step of Bridges' journey towards wholeness.

If the storyline offers certain cliches & is forced to conform to the restrictions of network TV, it makes the most of it. Both generations are viewed sympathetically, yet with an eye for its own flaws & self-delusions; both generations will grow & learn from each other on this journey. A pity it wasn't made into a series, as the concept was quite promising.

Still, we have this short film, which serves as a reminder of a time when it was thought important & vital to take some time off from everyday life, and to get a new perspective on where you were & where you might be going. Current culture may dismiss such ideas with a disdainful laugh, but it's still just as important. So hop on the bus & check it out!

This is a excellent film. It seemed corny at first with the family of Jeff Bridges being "squares" in the classic middle class family way, but wait till they take off in the bus to meet some of son Jeff Bridges friends at a hippie rock concert. There they meet Tyne Daly of "Cagney&Lacy fame as a knocked up hippie chick who wants to do natural childbirth in their cardboard box house they built. Sal Mineo many good lines as a good hearted hippie with an attitude in his open vest and motorcycle, he gets the great honor of saying "She has a black belt in mouth karate" and at the close of this great gem Sal gives the immortal "Peace sign" to the newly enlightened family of squares as they leave hippie land and down the road to their next adventure.
I fell into an intense fondness for this film after about 20 mintues into it. I recommened it highly. This film made me feel young again.

The action is non-stop and Jeff Wincott and Cynthia Rothrock fit the bill. I always enjoy their films. Well worth renting!

if you want to see a good martial art film with cynthia rothrock in it. I highly recommend to watch this film.

This movie is worth a look due its action and professional martial artists. Jeff Wincott (The Killing Man) and Cynthia Rothrock (LadyDragon) are in top form, making every blow to the bad guys seem like a walk in the park. There is even a small role with Billy Drago (LadyDragon II also with Ms. Rothrock) B-movie's best bad guy and veteran of many martial art films. Money well spent for a kicking good time.

Resident Evil undoubtedly works far better on the small screen than it did at the cinema. There is no way any director (no matter how experienced) can bring a video game to life without sacrificing art in the process. Anderson has been here before with Mortal Kombat but injected into both movies enough competency and style to make them respectable in their own right.

With Resident Evil he has given us a decent story with a touch of complication and a fair amount of suspense. My main gripe is the fact that the movie looks far too slick to be as truly disturbing as the grainy and filthy Zombie movies of the '70s. Plus the violence isn't all that graphic but there is still plenty of fun to be had in watching a bunch of office workers turn into the living dead and it's scary how cheaply their lives are considered by the Umbrella Corp. they work for. I'm certainly not going to work in an office for a company like that if that's what they're going to do to me.

The characters are thin but not entirely one-dimensional. You do end up siding with some of them and feel urgency in their futile escape from the underground skyscraper (shouldn't that be 'Groundscraper' then?). Milla Jovovich is cuter here than she was in Fifth Element or Zoolander but Michelle Rodriguez just plain annoys me. All I've ever seen her play is a moody Latino who frowns all the time. It's time for here to try and expand her range a bit and I wish someone else played her character.

Video games will never make for classic movies. They can be mind-numbingly terrible (Super Mario Brothers, Double Dragon) or competent, such as this. Just turn a blind eye to the really, really bad FX at the end when a CGI monster goes on the rampage. My old Commodore 64 was capable of better graphics.

The DVD is in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and a choice of Dolby 5.1 or DTS 5.1 soundtracks which sound great but, as a result, also serve to highlight he meaningless and clichéd Marco Beltrami/Marylin Manson 'score'.

A decent translation of the Playstation game onto the silver screen. Good acting, good special effects, and compelling story move this film along.

Recommended.

I am an avid player of the Resident Evil games. I went into the theatre with low expectations, expecting yet another horrible video game-to movie translation. The moment the film starts though, you can tell it is nothing like the anything that has come before it.

Plot:
It takes less than a minute for all heck to break loose as the virus is released upon "The hive"(an underground facility where the film takes place). The poor workers are trapped and we witness an intense and very sad series of scenes. Cut to above the complex where we meet out star, a beautiful young woman who can't remember who or where she is. In come the S.T.A.R.S members(the good guys) to save the day. They are here to see what went wrong at the Hive. All of this happens in only minutes...just hinting at how fast-paced this film is going to be. We meet many people, majority very likeable as they go deep into the Hive. The beauty of the film really comes out here. The film started so quickly and left so many things un-explained that we feel exactly like the lead. Everything is a mystery and every second of the film is part of the mystery unfolding.

What I think:
Now I won't give anymore away....the film does any amazing job of setting everything up, and slowly building up until the really scary stuff starts. Some of the acting at the start is a little off, but later the acting is great. You really start to care about the people, and when people die the way the characters react really gets to you. To top it off, this film has some of the best writing I've seen in a long time. I'm a writer so I'm usually very picky, but I was very happy with this films ability to surprise the audience. I see every horror movie, so I can always say what will happen next. In Resident Evil though, I had no idea what would happen. From opening scene to the completly amazing ending, I was susprirsed. There is even one specific scene that is so surprising, even after it happens you are still in dis-belief. By the time the film was over, everyone in our audience looked exhausted. I know I was. And if that still isn't enough, the movie fits perfectly in with the video games. Must you play the games to understand? No. People I saw it with have never played the games, but they still understood everything. However, if you have played the games, you will definitly appreciate the movie even more, if that's possible.

Resident Evil undoubtedly works far better on the small screen than it did at the cinema. There is no way any director (no matter how experienced) can bring a video game to life without sacrificing art in the process. Anderson has been here before with Mortal Kombat but injected into both movies enough competency and style to make them respectable in their own right.

With Resident Evil he has given us a decent story with a touch of complication and a fair amount of suspense. My main gripe is the fact that the movie looks far too slick to be as truly disturbing as the grainy and filthy Zombie movies of the '70s. Plus the violence isn't all that graphic but there is still plenty of fun to be had in watching a bunch of office workers turn into the living dead and it's scary how cheaply their lives are considered by the Umbrella Corp. they work for. I'm certainly not going to work in an office for a company like that if that's what they're going to do to me.

The characters are thin but not entirely one-dimensional. You do end up siding with some of them and feel urgency in their futile escape from the underground skyscraper (shouldn't that be 'Groundscraper' then?). Milla Jovovich is cuter here than she was in Fifth Element or Zoolander but Michelle Rodriguez just plain annoys me. All I've ever seen her play is a moody Latino who frowns all the time. It's time for here to try and expand her range a bit and I wish someone else played her character.

Video games will never make for classic movies. They can be mind-numbingly terrible (Super Mario Brothers, Double Dragon) or competent, such as this. Just turn a blind eye to the really, really bad FX at the end when a CGI monster goes on the rampage. My old Commodore 64 was capable of better graphics.

The DVD is in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and a choice of Dolby 5.1 or DTS 5.1 soundtracks which sound great but, as a result, also serve to highlight he meaningless and clichéd Marco Beltrami/Marylin Manson 'score'.

A decent translation of the Playstation game onto the silver screen. Good acting, good special effects, and compelling story move this film along.

Recommended.

I am an avid player of the Resident Evil games. I went into the theatre with low expectations, expecting yet another horrible video game-to movie translation. The moment the film starts though, you can tell it is nothing like the anything that has come before it.

Plot:
It takes less than a minute for all heck to break loose as the virus is released upon "The hive"(an underground facility where the film takes place). The poor workers are trapped and we witness an intense and very sad series of scenes. Cut to above the complex where we meet out star, a beautiful young woman who can't remember who or where she is. In come the S.T.A.R.S members(the good guys) to save the day. They are here to see what went wrong at the Hive. All of this happens in only minutes...just hinting at how fast-paced this film is going to be. We meet many people, majority very likeable as they go deep into the Hive. The beauty of the film really comes out here. The film started so quickly and left so many things un-explained that we feel exactly like the lead. Everything is a mystery and every second of the film is part of the mystery unfolding.

What I think:
Now I won't give anymore away....the film does any amazing job of setting everything up, and slowly building up until the really scary stuff starts. Some of the acting at the start is a little off, but later the acting is great. You really start to care about the people, and when people die the way the characters react really gets to you. To top it off, this film has some of the best writing I've seen in a long time. I'm a writer so I'm usually very picky, but I was very happy with this films ability to surprise the audience. I see every horror movie, so I can always say what will happen next. In Resident Evil though, I had no idea what would happen. From opening scene to the completly amazing ending, I was susprirsed. There is even one specific scene that is so surprising, even after it happens you are still in dis-belief. By the time the film was over, everyone in our audience looked exhausted. I know I was. And if that still isn't enough, the movie fits perfectly in with the video games. Must you play the games to understand? No. People I saw it with have never played the games, but they still understood everything. However, if you have played the games, you will definitly appreciate the movie even more, if that's possible.

Despite its length (3 hours+), despite its complex web of characters and despite the pressure of trying to release another film on the heels of the artistic success of "Boogie Nights", Magnolia is quite simply a brilliant masterpiece of modern cinema.

Paul Thomas Anderson presents us with a powerful drama that becomes (among other things) a meditation upon the long-term consequences of the choices and decisions that we make in our lives and the effect that it has upon those we know and love.

Experiencing the raw emotional honesty of the characters (such as the grown-up child celebrity professing his unrequited love to a young male bartender, or the successful infomercial guru expressing his pent-up rage to his dying father) is a truly gut-wrenching experience. I've rarely seen such powerful and emotionally vulnerable performances. The cast is truly remarkable.

At yet a more abstract level, Magnolia is more than an interesting character study. It depicts the intricate nature of human relationships and the way in which relationships weave their way into the fabric of our individual existences.

Please experience this film....anyone who has lived long enough to have made significant choices that have changed the course of their life will find this film to be a powerful journey.

What a follow up to "Boogie Nights"! Amazing film making. PTA uses his signature stalker sequences, and beautiful crane shots in his third film, and his best, "Magnolia". It's great to see him maturing as a filmmaker, and to also see him still writing about life situations/plots. I love this film so much, and it's on my X-mas list for 2003.
It contains a "refugee" cast from "Boogie Nights". Macey, C. Reilly, Moore, Hoffman, Baker Hall, and Guzman. With a few new faces....Tom Cruise, and "Buck" from "Kill Bill", don't know his real name, just refer to him as "Buck".
This is the true definition of a five star film.

This is one of the greatest movies ever! Paul Thomas Anderson is a rare talent. His 3rd film was in my opinion his best so far. It's not surprising stars like Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore wouldn't hesitate to work in this movie. All of the characters were so well realized, that there wasn't a single storyline that left me bored. It's hard to describe Anderson's genius in words, but all it takes is one look at his work to see it. Look at this, Boogie Nights and Punch Drunk Love in particular for a unique movie making style. I wish he'd churn out movies more frequently; there was a 3 year gap between Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love. My 2 favorite performances were by Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore. They both should have won Oscars for their work. Melora Walters and John C. Reily also stood out greatly for me. The whole part leading up to the "frog scene" with all of the actors singing along to the similarly great and under rated talent, Aimee Mann, just had me mesmerized. "Wise Up"? Indeed I did after seeing this movie.
The DVD is really great too. There is a great movie making diary and some other wonderful features on the 2 disc set. I only wish PT Anderson had done a commentary track, so I could get inside of his head at least a little, and figure out how someone could write and make a movie of this caliber on only their 3rd outting. I guess the same could be said for Sophia Coppola.

Despite its length (3 hours+), despite its complex web of characters and despite the pressure of trying to release another film on the heels of the artistic success of "Boogie Nights", Magnolia is quite simply a brilliant masterpiece of modern cinema.

Paul Thomas Anderson presents us with a powerful drama that becomes (among other things) a meditation upon the long-term consequences of the choices and decisions that we make in our lives and the effect that it has upon those we know and love.

Experiencing the raw emotional honesty of the characters (such as the grown-up child celebrity professing his unrequited love to a young male bartender, or the successful infomercial guru expressing his pent-up rage to his dying father) is a truly gut-wrenching experience. I've rarely seen such powerful and emotionally vulnerable performances. The cast is truly remarkable.

At yet a more abstract level, Magnolia is more than an interesting character study. It depicts the intricate nature of human relationships and the way in which relationships weave their way into the fabric of our individual existences.

Please experience this film....anyone who has lived long enough to have made significant choices that have changed the course of their life will find this film to be a powerful journey.

What a follow up to "Boogie Nights"! Amazing film making. PTA uses his signature stalker sequences, and beautiful crane shots in his third film, and his best, "Magnolia". It's great to see him maturing as a filmmaker, and to also see him still writing about life situations/plots. I love this film so much, and it's on my X-mas list for 2003.
It contains a "refugee" cast from "Boogie Nights". Macey, C. Reilly, Moore, Hoffman, Baker Hall, and Guzman. With a few new faces....Tom Cruise, and "Buck" from "Kill Bill", don't know his real name, just refer to him as "Buck".
This is the true definition of a five star film.

This is one of the greatest movies ever! Paul Thomas Anderson is a rare talent. His 3rd film was in my opinion his best so far. It's not surprising stars like Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore wouldn't hesitate to work in this movie. All of the characters were so well realized, that there wasn't a single storyline that left me bored. It's hard to describe Anderson's genius in words, but all it takes is one look at his work to see it. Look at this, Boogie Nights and Punch Drunk Love in particular for a unique movie making style. I wish he'd churn out movies more frequently; there was a 3 year gap between Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love. My 2 favorite performances were by Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore. They both should have won Oscars for their work. Melora Walters and John C. Reily also stood out greatly for me. The whole part leading up to the "frog scene" with all of the actors singing along to the similarly great and under rated talent, Aimee Mann, just had me mesmerized. "Wise Up"? Indeed I did after seeing this movie.
The DVD is really great too. There is a great movie making diary and some other wonderful features on the 2 disc set. I only wish PT Anderson had done a commentary track, so I could get inside of his head at least a little, and figure out how someone could write and make a movie of this caliber on only their 3rd outting. I guess the same could be said for Sophia Coppola.