Review of Out of the Past (1947) by Mike W — 12 Jan 2005

Well, kiddies, the list of things gone wrong continues to grow, by leaps and bounds every day.

I'm Sick, The suspension on my car is going screwy, WWIII is taking place on the roof of Full Sail 3, Sprint is the worst phone company in the history of time, and feel that I should pay for service I never recieved; This computer's power cord has been frayed, and therefore the battery life is all that is left until friday when I can manage a new power cord, but it means I can't work on Nicholas or Shipwrecked or anything else until the weekend, I have a lighting test tomorrow that could very well be a bad experience and a failure situation, and on top of all that, I'm generally growing frustrated and angry with both the way America continues to handle it's political and world situations and the damn money people, at full sail, abroad, and to me personally...

With that in mind, I've been watching a lot of movies, the ratings for which are above! Out of the Past is a wonderful film noir, but I say the best is still Double Indemnity, and the "look" of "black film" was really created by Citizen Kane just as much as it was by The Maltese Falcon. However, Out of the Past has some great performances, good direction, and is very entertaining, and the lighting and set design in this film are utterly breath taking! Still, other films of the same period and genre have kept me far more entertained and on the edge of my seat for longer periods of time...8/10.

Juliet of the Spirits: Wonderful Rota music, but the film itself is just a tad bit too trippy. The criterion DVD rocks, but the titles are white on white, and often difficult to read. Fellini's wife is wonderful in this film, and it contains some of his finest dream sequences, but the entire idea is a bit flawed from the beginning. Still, a very entertaining film. Like most Fellini, I watch it and keep watching it, but I have no idea WHY the film holds my interests. It does though, and the music totally rocks, and the performances are good-- so, 7/10.

Ed Wood: This is a film I've seen countless times in the past 5 or 6 years, but the new DVD makes it an all new experience. The film itself is just so wonderful: as said in the commentaries, it really is a heartfelt, loving look at who these people were and what they did...Plus, Martin Landau's Best Supporting Actor Oscar-Winning performance as Bela Lugosi is worth the price of admission alone, and Stefan Chopsky's lighting is brilliant. Ed Wood himself is portrayed by Johnny Depp in one of (to me) his finest performances outside Fear & Loathing and Finding Neverland. We shall see if Mr. Depp can uphold the Chocolate Factory on his own-- or rather, with the help of Tim Burton, yet again...what a great movie Ed Wood is! Gosh! It was Perfect!

It Happened One Night: It did indeed. Perhaps one of the funniest moments I've seen in a film is the ending of this Frank Capra picture. Clark Gable is very good, and Colbear (don't know how to spell her name, don't bother correcting me) is excellent. The walls of Jericho are, indeed, tumbling down! Check it out! It's well worth it!

Until next time, dear readers...

Off the record, on the QT, and very...Hush...Hush.

Quote: "(Little in spanish-- pico??)- What's that mean?-- Little-- Mucho."- Out of the Past.

Lyric: "Who's got trouble? We've got trouble! How much trouble? too much trouble! Don't you frown, just bunker down and knock on wood!"- Dooley Wilson as Sam in Casablanca.

Song of the Day: Los Angeles, The Refreshments...

STAY AWAY FROM LOS ANGELES IF...WHAT YOU WANNA FIND THERE IS LOVIN'!