The Front Page

Here we have the third (out of four) film version of the classic play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, and the second-best of the bunch. It’s a good movie, but there is just no way anyone is ever going to touch the Cary Grant, Roz Russell, Howard Hawks second version, re-titled His Girl Friday. In that one Hildy Johnson, the love-struck reporter trying to ... Read more »

Frost/Nixon

I’ll admit, I wasn’t looking forward to this one. No matter how many critics praised it, the prospect of watching two hours of Richard Nixon was not an appealing one. I grew up in a Democratic household, and have disliked Tricky Dick for as long as I’ve had political opinions about anything. The only reason I rented it is a desire for completeness, for seeing all ... Read more »

Frozen

Kristen Bell voices and sings the part of Anna, the younger sister of Elsa, wonderfully sung by the great Adele Mazim. (Oh, wait, that was actually Idina Menzel. Oh, John Travolta, is your face red!) Both are princesses, with Elsa the older. Elsa is also afflicted with the magical, or paranormal, power to freeze things. Whatever it is, it’s a big nuisance, ... Read more »

Frozen River

I wish there were a lot more movies like this, but it’s sort of a downer, and people tend not to like downers. By that, I mean movies that show what a reasonable approximation of “real life” is like to all too many people. Most non-historical movies (and even most of them) are fantasies of one sort or another. They take place in exotic locations, or are about people we’d like to be, or ... Read more »

FTA

You heard it here first, friends! There are those who will tell you the initials stand for Free The Army. Some of the more adventurous reviewers will allow that the title is actually F— The Army, or if they’re especially bold, F- -k the Army. But we here at Varley.net don’t mince words. I mean, what’s ... Read more »

Fuck

The fucking DVD box and the fucking posters say F*CK or F**K. Nobody can fucking decide how to spell a word you can’t fucking say. Of course, you can say it now, but fuckheads like Pat Boone and Michael fucking Medved (both of whom appear here, to present the fucked-up side of the censorship argument, along with many others on the right side) will look down their fucking noses at you ... Read more »

Full Circle With Michael Palin

Look in the dictionary under peripatetic and you’ll see a picture of Michael Palin. Or at least you should. Lee and I have faithfully followed him around the world, from the North to the South Pole, around the Sahara and through the Himalayas. This is his longest journey by far, around the Pacific Rim, covering over 50,000 miles (he zigzagged a lot), and (I’m pretty sure) 245 days. I think ... Read more »

Full Frame Documentary Shorts, Volume 2

We saw Volume One of this series, but it must have been before I started writing these reviews, because I can’t find it. We both enjoy documentary short subjects, a category sadly neglected since multiplexes began showing nothing but one feature, some trailers, and lately a few commercials. Maybe the Internet will give them a new outlet.

“Crowfilm” (Edward ... Read more »

The Full Monty

Still the champion underdog movie. Like just about everybody else, we loved it.