Risselada Blog

Under discussion:

Some Like It Hot  (1959)

The Kids in the Hall [TV Series]  (1989)

This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”.  To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.

Some Like It Hot

So this is what many people call the funniest movie of all time?  AFI voted it as #1 on their list of the funniest American movies.  Maybe it shows that comedy isn't as universal as drama or it's just further reinforcement that I'm generally irritated by the mainstream, but this movie was far from the perfect comedy experience for me.

For one Marilyn Monroe is significantly annoying.  I'd never seen her in anything before, although to be honest I never had high hopes.

Also, men dressing in drag just isn't inherently funny to me, at least not in the way this movie seems to think it is.  The boys from The Kids in the Hall dress up as woman all the time, not because men dressing up as women is so hilarious but because the characters these guys are able to play as women are hilarious.  I guess the distinction isn't that simple, but there seemed like something all too simple about the comedy in Some Like it Hot.  There wasn't much too innovative or subversive about it other than the men dressing up like women.  Maybe it was more outlandish in the 50's but it doesn't do a great deal for me.

I'm not saying it was altogether not enjoyable.  I'm just reviewing it against it's iconic status.

Rating: 6/10

Under discussion:

The Great Escape  (1963)

Great Escape: The Untold Story

There's no Spout link for this movie.  It's a television documentary/recreation of the more accurate events that most people are familiar with through the movie The Great Escape.  Pretty great as a bonus feature on the movie's DVD and if you are a history buff.

Rating: 8/10

Under discussion:

Cape Fear  (1962)

Cape Fear  (1991)

This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”.  To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.

Cape Fear

This movie certainly deserves the adjective "Hitchcockian."  You can tell the filmmakers had him in mind during every step of the process.  The music was even done by Bernard Herrmann!  They did it right though, as this film rivals almost any authentic Hitchcock film I've seen.

Robert Mitchum plays one of cinema's great creep performances.  I know when putting the movie together they tried two give the two lead male roles equal time, but Mitchum just steals it all in every scene he's in.  Gregory Peck knew this too, but as one of the producers (I think) he just let Mitchum go at it because he knew what the movie needed.

I haven't seen Scorsese's version of Cape Fear yet, but I can totally picture DeNiro in the role as well.  Although it's difficult to imagine if it can come close to the original.  I'll seek it out eventually.

Rating: 9/10