Movie Reviews
Titles starting with B
Beyond the Sea
Bobby Darin was never really my cup of tea. I liked “Splish Splash,” and then he made the choice to leave rock ‘n roll to become what he’d always wanted to be: a nightclub singer. I associate him with Wildroot Creme Oil, glitzy tuxedos, and dry martinis. Back then, before rock came to dominate the world, it was a classy act, following in the steps of people like Sinatra. But he could never ... Read more »
The BFG
I’m sorry, this is ridiculous, but I’m afraid there’s just no way I will ever be able to look at the titles of this film and not see it as The Big Fucking Giant. I know it’s The Big Friendly Giant … but somehow I like my title better. I guess I just have a nasty mind, because when I see the initials BFF I never think Best Friend ... Read more »
Bicycle Thieves
DIRECTED by Vittorio de Sica
PRODUCED by Guiseppe Amato & Vittorio de Sica
WRITTEN by Cesare Zavattini, Oreste Biancoli, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Vittorio De Sica, Adolfo Franci & Gerardo Guerrieri
BASED ON THE NOVEL by Luigi Bartolini
ORIGINAL MUSIC by Alessandro Cicognini
CINEMATOGRAPHY by Carlo Montuori
ART DIRECTION by Antonio ...
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The Big Bus
Before there was Airplane! there was The Big Bus. Before Speed there was The Big Bus. After Airport there was The Big Bus. As far as I can tell, this was the first spoof of those overblown disaster movies that plagued us all ... Read more »
Big Business
Laurel and Hardy in their fourth-to-last silent two-reeler. They are Christmas tree salesmen, and encounter a hard sell in the great James Finlayson. An argument that begins with things like slicing off a necktie quickly escalates in their patented tit-for-tat schtick, with the boys destroying his house and him destroying their car. One of their best.
The Big Chill
When this came out, there were some who complained about its resemblance to a John Sayles movie with a much lower budget and no big-name stars, Return of the Secaucus 7, which also deals with a reunion of former semi-radical students. It’s a good film, but this one is better. In the case of The Big Chill, the occasion for the gathering ... Read more »
Big Deal on Madonna Street
Online translation renders the Italian title as The Unknown Habits. (Habitual criminals? All these people are.) Alternate titles are Big Deal (USA), Persons Unknown (UK), and The Usual Unidentified Thieves. I might suggest The Usual Suspects … though ... Read more »
The Big Easy
Because of recent events we both felt we should see this again, even though we’d both seen it half a dozen times. It’s worth it for all sorts of reasons, including recalling what New Orleans looked like before most of it was underwater. Seldom has a movie captured the spirit of a city, good and bad, as this one. And, of course, there are few cities in the world that are more uniquely ... Read more »
Big Fish
Sometimes a director makes a movie where it is obvious it came from the heart. Francis Ford Coppola even called his One From the Heart. It bombed; it just didn’t seem to connect with anyone but him. For Barry Levinson it was Toys, which just plain didn’t work. Martin Scorsese had been planning Gangs of New ... Read more »