Movies watched recently 19

Notorious: This Hitchcock movie was very different from what I expected. It's good, but flawed. The scrip is strong, with depth and thought-provoking material about relationships, love and sexuality (a bit like Vertigo,but not as good), but a bit slow paced at times. The acting was the low point of the movie: the main players weren't always good. The direction is fantastic: Hitchcock adds visual tricks that get you into the mind of the characters. The cinematography, filled with glossy darkness and light and courageous tracking shots is perfect and the music or lack of it work perfectly. This is an interesting, though-provoking film.


Some Like It Hot: This was an excellent comedy. I just couldn't stop laughing. The screenplay is witty, intelligent and romantic, with great characters and remarkable scenes. It also features a handful of legendary lines. The acting is fabulous: Marilyn Monroe has a unique screen presence, Tony Curtis is fantastic doing all the impersonations and Jack Lemmon is just hilarious. The supporting cast is also excellent. The pace of the movie is perfect, cracking joke after joke, and the music is very good.

Bee Movie: This is an amusing, though forgettable comedy. The script is quite good, with an interesting plot (though it gets a bit messy) and plenty of creatively funny ideas. The dialog is the best thing about the movie. The animation is not the best, though, specially when compared to other 3-D animated movies, such as Ratatouille. It's way too simplistic and it lacks identity. The soundtrack is entertaining and the pace of the movie is involving enough.

Sunset Blvd.: This is a haunting dark drama. The screenplay is perfect: the depressing story has many layers, the characters are complex and deeply flawed, the twists and turns of the story keep you hooked and the dialog is legendary. It's really an example of great screen-writing. The acting is also amazing: Gloria Swanson,William Holden and Erich von Stroheim had great chemistry and were all expressive. But Gloria Swanson steals the show, with her portrayal of madness and humanity. The direction is great, with iconic, meaningful shots. The sinister sets, dramatic music, grim cinematography and thrilling editing make this even better. It's a dark, haunting film classic.