Stream it now Modern Times Reset Status Want to Watch Already Watched Don't Want to Watch

Comments pending.

Yes, I finally saw a Chaplin. Was a bit surprised at the amount of social criticism on poverty and such. I'd have to say the jokes aged pretty well, too bad some of them dragged on for too long.
High 7 though.

EDIT: Saw Dog's life and The Kid as well.

This Chaplin film which I have heard is his best, just isn't! After seeing the Great Dictator right before this it was even harder for me to like it. Chaplin is of course good in it and so is the story. It was a movie that would mean a lot to people at the time during the depression. So I can see why it's so talked about. It also has a very good ending. The only problem is that you have probably already seen it. Because I had seen it numerous times on clip shows and other things. Overall this movie is worth seeing. However, watch The Goldrush or Great Dictator first.

Charlie Chaplin is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. Ever since I saw City Lights his work has fascinated me, bringing about laughter as well as genuinely touching and moving me from frame 1. This film had the highest of expectations from me being well known as one of Chaplin's best. I was not let down by this film although City Lights is still the best Chaplin I've seen.

This is the story of a man who is trying to find his place. His escapades searching for a job, in jail, and in the factory are what truly show his comedic genius. Also at some point his life becomes intertwined with a poor girl who does what she has to in order to survive. Soon they dream big of a house even during the time of economic depression.

His simple movement is like some sort of beautifully hilarious dance, walking with so much grace that just to see him is funny in and of itself. I suppose that is why his comedies pack such an emotional punch because his body language is not only funny but makes us realize we're not laughing at the character but with him. He seems to always play the lovable loser with a good heart. Which is the type of character that perfectly fits the touching yet humorous category of his films.

The main reason I find Chaplin's silent films to be truly great is because of the things that words cannot communicate. Spoken laughs could never achieve the level of hilarity that Modern Times achieved to me. Also the touching moments in many sound films get bogged down with words and often don't carry the weight because of it.

INCREDIBLY BRILLIANT. WHAT ELSE CAN BE SAID? CHAPLIN IS A GENIUS!!!!

Not Chaplin's best but that doesn't matter. Funny and interesting at a fasted pace.

****/****

The Color Purple - Man, Whoopi and Oprah were really good! I was surprised, and to think that it's this movie that made the world see Whoopi is pretty weird. I would have thought it was a comedy that did it. The story is really interesting as well. And if I'd seen the film without knowing who directed it, I'd never ever ever have guessed it was Steven Speilberg. He did make an great film though, it's just so different that the rest of his stuff.

Buffalo '66 - Why do people think Gallo is such a genius? Eh? Hmmm. Well, this was certainly an interesting film. Gallo's fucking wierd, man. I wonder if he's as big an asshole has Billy is. I think so. And that whole relationship would never, ever work. And the movie had some of the shittiest dialogue ever recoreded. And some really crappy editing work. But even so, I liked the film. Some of the editing worked well, and film has a really awesome, desaturated look. Christina Ricci is good, too, but the film has this really "arty" feel and look. And I really hate that word, but there's not really another way to describe it.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape - A really neat little film. A great story and acting, and pretty engrossing.

Modern Times - Not as good as City Lights, but still funny, and a classic. Chaplin's a genius, and I plan on watching every film of his (feature anyway) as soon as I can.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape - I was surprised at how good this film is. Maybe I shouldn't have been, but I was. The entire cast was great. I loved the story. And I guess that's about it.

The Princess Diaries - I'd already seen this. It's a cute, funny little film. It's not as clever as I remember it being, but I still enjoyed it.

It had been a long time. Obviously this is a great film. Finally got around to seeing it again. City Lights is next.

ratings

Alright, for the sake of expediency I'm going to do a series of small reviews in list format of the remaining movies on my I.O.U. list so that I can clear up the backlog and get on to review some of my more recent movies.
Ronin: Ronin is incredibly excellent. I didn't know what to expect from this movie. I suppose in retrospect that this lack of expectations probably heightened the experience/enjoyment. The strongest feature of the movie is the incredibly intense atmosphere that is established within the first moments and maintained to the last. From the outset one gets the feeling of having fallen within a foggy maze with bad guys lurking around every corner all the while not knowing what's really going on. With each step of the movie we follow a trail of precious bread-crumb like clues and rejoice as the story is ever so slowly revealed. That being the case I'm not going to spoil the fun by describing the plot ;-) Between the compelling performances, great car-chases, and the mastefully designed plot this movie is a definite must-see. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: For anyone who has ever watched a Jacques Cousteau special on T.V. as a kid I think this movie will hold special significance. The movie oozes with in-jokes, the most obvious being the ship, that make it a delight to fans. As a pure comedy it's pretty good but not nearly as fun as one would have hoped. The plotting seems awkward and uneven at times (not in a planned sort of way) and there's a specific plot twist towards the end that made absolutely no sense to me and seems entirely superflous to boot but I'll let you figure out what I'm talking about when you see the movie. Nevertheless, this movie about reevaluation and I suppose a touch of redemption does have some very enjoyable wierdly funny parts that make the time worthwhile and Steve Zissou sympathetic in the end.
Meet the Fockers: As sequels go I was agreeably surprised by Meet the Fockers. The movie was painfully funny. Any young engaged persons who dread the first introduction of the parents should take heart in the fact that it can't be that bad and if it is they might have the next Hollywood or reality TV blockbuster on their hands. Dustin Hoffman and DeNiro have excellent chemistry as well as great comic timing. The predicament of the families draws in the audience enough to offset the periodic glitches in the flow and story. The biggest beef for me is that the ending seemed a tad forced and quite contrite but there are enough laughs along the way to make it a pleasant comedy to see.
Modern Times: This movie is a must-see for all true fans of film, particularly comedies. Charlie Chaplin is every inch the genius that he is reported. Modern Times is thought-provoking, relevant, heart-pulling, and hilarious all at the same time as it follows the life of one man trying to get along during the Depression. The range of emotion that Chaplin and his costars bring out with their faces and body is breathtaking. I challenge anyone who feels that old-movies are beyond our empathy or understanding to watch this movie and tell me that it didn't get under their skin.
The Gold Rush: Now, there are a couple different versions of this movie with Charlie Chaplin and I'm honestly not sure which version I saw. Someday I would like to see all the versions so I can come to an accurate conclusion about each one. In any case, the one I saw started slow but warmed up into a very funny movie though it lacked the social conscious of Modern Times. I do recommend this movie to anyone who likes a really good laugh out loud comedy because The Gold Rush is definitely that and then some but compared to Modern Times it isn't that sophisticated of a story.