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Charlie Chaplin's classic silent comedy was made at a time when synchronized sound (or "Talkies" as they were called then) was being used by every filmaker in the world. This was Chaplin's attempt to buck the trend. The result is a film regarded by many as his masterpiece. Once again, the Little Tramp (Chaplin) finds himself in unusual circumstances. Much of the film deals with his relationships with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) and a millionaire (Harry Myers), who seems to be his friend only when they get drunk and party together.Some truly memorable moments come out of this. My personal favorites: The boxing match, in which Chaplin attempts to psych-out his opponent, using every physical trick he has; The last scene, which is one of the most moving scenes in the history of cinema. Chaplin would make better films comic wise, but never again would he make a more dramatic impact then in this film.
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The last great silent comedy, Charlie Chaplin finally retired the Little Tramp here. The Tramp (Chaplin) is trying to find work, which leads to the usual assortment of hilarious complications. This time, he has a young vagabond in tow (Paulette Goddard, Chaplin's wife at the time), who wants nothing more then to lead the good life. Chaplin on the other hand, is quite content with his homeless existence. But because he loves Goddard so much, he decides to try and make a living, so that they can afford a comfortable home.One of Chaplin's brilliant comedies, he provides scene after memorable scene. The technical wizardry in this (including the sets and a few sound effects) are the best ever to be seen in a Chaplin film. The best scenes are the factory sequences, where Chaplin wreaks havoc on the gigantic mechanical works of the factories. Don't forget to see that final poignant shot. In Chaplin's last silent film, he found a way to continue the adventures of the Little Tramp and still make him seem fresh and unique, without having his character speak one word of sound (except for a nonsense song "Smile", which doesn't count since he sings it). Truly a great classic.
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One of the biggest box-office champs ever, this successful comedy revolves around a young seven-year old (Macaulay Culkin, in a star-making performance) left home by accident while his extremely large family is on vacation in France. He has to fend for himself, which doesn't seem hard for him since he's a naturally bright kid. He must also defend his home against two inept burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern), by using a series of elaborate traps that the crooks just can't seem to avoid (providing the film with it's best scenes).Despite the fact that it was attacked by parents and critics alike for it's heavy cartoon violence, this provides loads and loads of laughs. Yes, the Tom-and-Jerry climax is a little extreme. However, you will have to admit, it is pretty hysterical. Culkin also provides a great charismatic performance (about the only one of his entire career). It's not a perfect comedy, but it has plenty of good moments to keep it afloat.
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For a film that has been promoted as a comedy, it has way too many serious undertones that get in the way of the humor. Friends' David Schwimmer stars as a young loser, who is asked to be a pallbearer at the funeral of a man he doesn't remember. Apparently they were high school buddies, but on this particular memory Schwimmer's mind is a blank. He then gets romantically involved with his best friend's mother (Barbara Hershey), who is constantly mourning her son's death. He also gets involved (not so romantically at first) with a girl (Gwyneth Paltrow) he had a crush on in high school. Things become complicated as he's trying to juggle the two relationships with Hershey and Paltrow.This tepid comedy barely has any funny scenes in it. Schwimmer is fine, but is basically playing the same character he plays on Friends. Paltrow and Hershey are given absolutely nothing to do, and the story is almost a complete rip-off of The Graduate, a far superior movie. However, Michael Rappaport (always good for a laugh) is very funny as Schwimmer's slightly odd buddy. If you want to relive the experience of The Graduate, then rent the original movie.
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This highly entertaining black comedy stars Peter O'Toole as a man who believes he's Jesus Christ. He has recently inherited the title of Lordship in the English Parliament, after his father (Harry Andrews) is killed in a strange ritual, that Andrews apparently practiced for many years. O'Toole causes many problems among his rich, boisterous household, who cannot believe that they have been robbed of their chances for the family fortune. They evolve a plan to try and restore O'Toole's sanity, so that O'Toole doesn't use up the family fortune with his saintly activities.This film keeps getting funnier every single time I see it. The film has three major performances that hold the whole thing together, though much of the cast is quite good. O'Toole has rarely been better as the lunatic Lordship. Arthur Lowe is side-splitting as the family butler, who constantly tells the family what he really thinks of them (a precursor to Robert Guillaume's character Benson). And Alistar Sim provides one of his best comic figures as the local Bishop, who just can't seem to take all the nonsense that goes on in O'Toole's family. There are also some funny scenes, which involve people bursting into song for no apparent reason. And that's just one of the many zany ideas that keep this going at a breathless pace. And once seen, Andrews, as the previous (and extremely loony) lordship will never be forgotten, like it or not.
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Possibly the Marx Brothers finest film, this involves the brothers entering the world of the New York opera. As they try and promote an unknown singer (Allan Jones) to the peak of stardom, they cause many mishaps at the Opera. Sig Rumann makes a perfect comic foil to the brothers as the head of an opera comedy. Chico and Harpo provide the physical work, while Groucho (the best of the brothers) provides some hilariously funny dialogue, using plenty of puns, innuendos and outright bluntness.The movie provides one memorable scene on top of another. The most famous is the stateroom scene, where The Marx Brothers try to fit a large assortment of workmen, stewards and service women into one tiny room. After nearly sixty years, the Marx Brothers will still make you roll on the floor with laughter. The climatic scene at the Opera is one of their best finales ever.
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