Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

Really want to see Bigger Than Life and just more from Ray in general. Haven't seen any in a while for the record or i would've commented.

Director: Elia Kazan
Writers: Tess Slesinger& Frank Davis (screenplay), Betty Smith (novel)
Cast: Peggy Ann Garner, Dorothy McGuire, James Dunn, Joan Blondell
Genre: Drama, Romance

About: A coming of age story about an idealistic young girl growing up in poverty in a Brooklyn tenement, in the early 1900s. Her dreams are encouraged by her idealistic, but luckless father who dreams more than he works.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was a real treat for me. It had been a while since I seen it too. I wanted to pay attention to the director type stuff (compositions, scene length, stuff like that) but the film quickly swept me up in it's story and the lives of the family.

A few times I did manage to force myself to think about how the film was shot, and I was totally impressed. The opening scene of any movie is important as it establishes the themes for the movie. That's why it's also called the establishing scene.

The first thing we see is the crowded streets of turn-of-the century Brooklyn and the children gathering rags to make a few pennies.....But there's so much joy in their hearts, as they race around finding scraps, that we can see that even though they're poor, they're indeed rich in life's experiences. And that's what the film is about and that's a theme that resonated with me.


I loved the father daughter relationship, it was heartfelt and done well. James Dunn won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, he deserved it too. He played the father with a loving quality that's hard to get on the screen. But what got me was the real pain you could see in his eyes when he knew he couldn't provide all the things he wanted to give his family, especially his daughter.

Peggy Ann Garner was one heck of a child actor. She really conveyed a deep love for her dad and for the dreams that make life worth living, she seemed wise beyond her years and yet still a kid.


I loved the way Elia Kazan decked out the streets of Brooklyn. I assume he filmed on a studio back lot, but he really loads in the details and makes it look real.

The shot of the apartment courtyard where all the women are clankering at the man who's fixing their laundry poll, was a thing of beauty, very cool crane shot. I don't usually think of Elia Kazan as a visual director, but more of a social-humanist director....but here he captured the spirit of the poor, but lively lives of second generation immigrants so well.





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Whoops, sorry I missed these post... I don't know about the football thing, I'm not a sports fan, and I'm guessing maybe James Mason wasn't either? You know what I like was freeze framing scenes and studing the inside of their house. They had a very cool refrigerator! (that's a running joke with me, I always notice the refrigerator in old movies)

Yup, I need to check out more of his stuff too. I've really liked what I've seen so far.
In a Lonely Place(1950) won the 1st Film Noir Hof. Everyone was impressed with that film too. Both for Bogart's acting and for Nicholas Ray's directing.

read a couple of the recent reviews; will need to see Bigger Than Life at some point but even more so, after reading your review, I am very curious about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn which I had previously knew little of and would have gone on, thinking it wouldn't matter otherwise.
But it does, so will be adding this to my watchlist. Thanks CR!!

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

Ed, I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, that was my second time seeing it too. It was Raul's choice for the Director Dissection with Seanc and Rauldc thread, all three of us did reviews of it:

Raul's A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Sean's A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

thanks for the links!!
Well, I am completely and utterly sold now lol

Good! Oh, and be prepared for 4 more Elia Kazan movie reviews (when I get the time)

looking forward to them! Be very curious to see which ones you review. . .
Loved Streetcar Named Desire, Baby Doll and On the Waterfront and heard a lot of great things about A Face In The Crowd during the 50's countdown but still haven't seen it. Pinky and Man on a Tightrope are both supposed to be pretty good as well.

You have good taste, Ed! I've seen all of those, loved too, but so far have only reviewed
A Face In The Crowd
I haven't seen Man on a Tightrope, not yet....I hardly remember Pinky, so either it didn't make an impact on me or I was tired that night, (I was probably tired!), either way I'm do for a rewatch.

Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Writers: Jocelyn Moorhouse (screenplay), Rosalie Ham (novel)
Cast: Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth
Genre: Dark Comedy, Drama

About: A glamorous social outcast who returns to the rural Australian town in which she grew up...and was accused of murder 25 years ago when she was a 10 years old.

The year is 1951 and Tilly (Kate Winslet) returns from her high-fashion dressmaking career in Paris, to her hometown of Dungatar, a dreary, sheep town, where her ill mother lives...The small town is full of gossip and consider Tilly, a bad omen.

Armed with her sewing machine and a furious sense of determination, Tilly transforms the ragamuffin women of this dirty sheep town into haute couture style, with the latest in Paris fashions.

But the town won't forgive her for her and they make her life hell...she pays them back, double.


Review: The Dressmaker is based on Rosalie Ham's best selling novel of the same name. Director & writer Jocelyn Moorhouse serves up a stylish revenge comedy-drama film that she describes as, "Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven with a sewing machine."

This 2015 Australian film, was critically acclaimed, and it should be as it's one very unique movie. The set designer had the town built in a remote region and created an American style 19th century western town with Australian characters.

The film is R rated and it's not a touchy-feel good movie. It's comedy is a bit on the dark side at times, but never goes to far or too dark. I thought Kate Winslet and all the actors in this colorful film were, well colorful! I enjoyed it, it's original, it has high fashion among the sheep dung and dust. It's funny and looks fabulous.

+

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Glad you reviewed that, I had forgotten about it. Going to try and watch it soon, sounds good.

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I don't know why I hadn't heard of The Dressmaker before. It's like if Tarantino was a woman director and made a western/fashion/dark comedy-revenge movie...this would be it!

Nice, now I want to see it more. I heard about it on a podcast and wanted to check it out then forgot about it. I love Winslet and Westerns, can't lose.

Yeah, but how do you feel about haute couture fashions

We will see.

@seanc

Hey, I watched one of your favorite movies last night. I'll see if I can review it real quick.

Intrigued

Director: Woody Allen
Writers: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts
Genre: Comedy Romance

About: A neurotic New York intellectual, comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) meets and falls in love with a ditzy, aspiring singer, Annie Hall (Diane Keaton).

Review: I really liked this, even more than I thought I would. Once I had said, 'I didn't like Woody Allen movies', and I was challenged to watch a few more of his films....And I'm still watching his movies!

What I found is: most of his films revolve around the Woody persona....which is a reoccurring character in his films. Personally, I like it when Woody is in the movie as no one can play Woody like Woody can!

There are three things I really appreciate about Annie Hall.

The dialogue, wow! it's clever, it flows...Woody is witty with his biting comments and self deprecating humor. I feel like I'm on the streets of New York ease dropping on Woody as he lives his conflicted life. The movie is jam packed with funny-witty lines that flow quick and easy....I wonder if Woody in real life talks like this, it sounded like real dialogue to me.

One of my favorite scenes was the standing in line for a movie, with a know-it-all movie critic spouting off. It's totally funny and believable what Woody tells Annie. I even like how he steps out of line and breaks the fourth wall.


The fourth wall, Annie Hall goes where not many films had gone before in 1977...while staying in character Woody as Alvy Singer talks directly to us. He even comments on his younger self in the hilarious school room scene.


Pacing, Woody gets pacing right, he never rushes us, never spoon feeds us emotions. There's no heavy handed music score to cue our heart strings, no fancy camera work to wow us...and yet he's a genius with a camera, as he makes us feel like a fly on the wall. His movies look real because he has a naturalistic style of film making.

Annie Hall, gives us a voyeuristic view of Woody's strange life. The scenes of his past relationships, (Carol Kane, Shelly Duvall), the beginning and end of his life with Annie, and all points in between are fascinating...and fun to see.

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Very pleased Citizen. I have grown to love Woody but for me Annie Hall is the best of everything he does well. Totally a clinic on writing and jokes in film. Just the best.

I wrote a review a while back. See what you think.