Reviews by gypsyflair

I really enjoyed this little book. It's a children's book, but I think there is sufficient humor and twists and turns within it, to entertain certain young at heart adults. It's about a little girl who leads a miserable existence until she discovers a magical, secret world. She and her dog go on an adventure, where they encounter many different characters and there are life lessons to be learned. They have to save the world by destroying the evil witch. The usual fairy tale type characters feature, as well as normal, real life characters. It brings both a traditional fairy tale, adventure story and a more modern retelling into a very readable, flowing mix. It’s so enjoyable that I read through it in one go. I would further note that I will be re-reading it, not just for enjoyment, but to ensure I caught and understood all the little twists and turns, where characters re-appear and become other characters, all very interesting stuff. I also found it quite entertaining that there are lots of compendium pieces available. Hopefully there will be further stories to read in the future.

In his glorious Bringing Up Baby, Howard Hawks ratchets screwball comedy up to its tautest and springiest level. In clumsier hands, screwball all too often gallops into the frenetic, fraying the nerves; Hawks maintains a presto pace, but never lets the mixups and misunderstandings grow implausible he just glides serenely to something else. (And he makes it look easy, which it isn't.)

Charles Dickens would have stood up and applauded had he seen this fabulous 1935 version of his classic tale.

There are no words adequate enough to praise the fine performances in this film dealing with the French Revolution.

Ronald Colman is memorable as Sidney Carton, an alcoholic lawyer, who gave up his life to save the husband (Donald Woods) of the woman he loved. The woman, played by Elizabeth Allan, was strong in emotion and very appealing.

This is a pleasant, funny classic that shows it age only slightly, and that has a lot of scenes you can look forward to each time that you see it. Gable and Colbert each get roles that are nicely suited to them, and are well-remembered for their performances. The supporting cast also rounds out the picture with some good character acting.

Garson Kanin's best films are so bright, fast and funny, and have been plundered by so many pallid, feel-good imitators, that it's easy to overlook how courageously critical they can be, of prevailing social norms, for instance, what society takes to be normal - 'natural' - about crucial concepts like family, gender, marriage etc. In 'My Favorite wife', Kanin takes the idea that a particular social order is natural, and tears it apart, by putting civilisation on one side, nature on the other, and revealing that there's nothing remotely natural about civilisation, or our places in it; that these things are man-made, and so can be questioned, negotiated, even changed by man (or, as is more usual in Kanin's world, woman).

The excellent play by Phillip Barry, is the basis for the delightful transfer to the screen. The choice of George Cukor as its director seems to have been made in heaven. Indeed, Mr. Cukor clearly understood what was needed to make this film the classic it became. George Cukor's contribution, as well of the magnificent screenplay, by Donald Ogden Stewart, make this a timeless comedy that looks as fresh today as when it was originally released.

Cary Grant is at his most charming and gives a very amusing and, at times, very very touching performance as a new dad. When he gives his heart-rending speech to the child custody judge and begs to keep his adopted baby girl, it brings a lump to my throat every time I see it. Irene Dunne was a classy lady in anything she did, and can be as quietly funny as she can be dramatic, as she demonstrated in this film. She was a great "straight-man," too, to Cary Grant's more animated role. I truly love this film.

Mae West and W.C. Fields together for the first and only time - and how wonderfully they work together. They really fire off each other and they also look great - Mae's costumes are splendid. There are many memorable scenes - Mae gunning down scores of Indians from a train, W.C. cheating at cards etc. Mae tries to suggest things with those wonderful eyes, but you can see her being tied down by the censors till she can hardly move or talk. This film makes you sad ultimately when you think how prudishness ruined one of the most electric partnerships of all time. How truly great this film could have been. Margaret Hamilton plays a prude very well in the film.

Considered by many to be Mae West's finest film appearance, the legendary star of the stage and screen has rarely been in better form than in this seminal film. Based on her own stage hit. West and director Wesley Ruggles wisely keep the focus on the then-salty dialogue and the still hilarious word play. Although he doesn't make his first appearance until nearly two-third of the film is over, Cary Grant remains the ideal straight man to West's zany antics. The film moves at a brisk pace, and its concluding courtroom sequence is unarguably one of the funniest scenes in film comedy.

One of the seeming paradoxes of film-making is that historical period pieces age much better than movies set in the present or the future. That certainly is true of this classic comedy. Co-written by its star as a play called "Diamond Lil" about a turn-of-the-century chanteuse with no shame and her own standards of personal morals, She Done Him Wrong seamlessly blends the backdrop of turn-of-the-century New York politics with fast wisecracking patter and plot-lines that blend seamlessly. To me, it packs twice the action and four times the wit of one of today's comedies into about half the screen time. This was Mae West's second movie, and it established her as an immediate star. She commands every man's attention by her very presence. Cary Grant flashes star quality in each of his scenes as the ideal foil to West. Filled with clever double entendres and disarmingly bawdy situations, She Done Him Wrong is every thing a period comedy should aspire to be, and more.