You’ve Got Mail

Here is Hollywood’s third take on the play Parfumerie by Miklós László, after The Shop Around the Corner and In the Good Old Summer Time. Brief recap: A man and a woman work together in a store, don’t like each other, but each is corresponding with an anonymous pen pal whom they adore. Turns out they are each other’s pen pal. They fall ... Read more »

You’re Darn Tootin’

Yet another “tit for tat” howler. The beginning isn’t too interesting, with the boys playing in a band. (Odd subject for a silent film, but remember, there was always a piano player in the pit.) But they finally get into a brawl tearing each other’s pants off, which soon escalates to involve everyone on the street.

You Were Never Lovlier

With Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. Not a shining example of the genre. Johnny Mercer’s songs are mediocre, the dancing is uninspired, the plot is more than usually silly. In a movie with great singing and dancing I can ignore that—the plot in a film like this is typically nothing but a rack to hang the musical numbers on—but this one just doesn’t cut it.

You Kill Me

I’ve enjoyed the films of John Dahl that I’ve seen so far. Red Rock West is delightfully evil, and The Last Seduction is simply one of the absolute best I’ve ever seen. Linda Fiorentino should have gotten an Oscar nomination—and won! This was by far the best performance of 1994, lots better than the winner, Jessica Lange, who I don’t ... Read more »

Yes Man

When Jim Carrey picks the right material he’s hard to beat. This script is pretty good, though it lacks something in the conflict department. The premise: He’s detached from life, in a dead-end job, his wife has left him, he’s always saying no to any invitation or opportunity life offers him. A self-help guru convinces him that what he has to do is say yes! He agrees to say yes! to ... Read more »

Yes

No.

I was almost hoping this movie would really, really suck, so I could just leave it at that: my shortest review! Sadly, it’s more complex than that, and I’m far too verbose and opinionated to leave this one without a few remarks.

The central fact of this movie is that it’s entirely in rhymed iambic pentameter. I kid you not. It is delivered so artfully ... Read more »

Y tu mamá también

(Rough translation: So’s your mother. Or even better: Yo mama!) On the surface this is a stoner road trip: Tenoch y Julio can a la playa. Two Mexican teens, one very rich and one middle class, get involved with a woman 10 years older and set out in an old car for the beach. There is much talk about sex, and she has sex with both of them. She has a secret. But there’s more going on here. ... Read more »