Hi all, this tumblr mainly exists as a way of tracking all the movies I've been watching and some of the initial thoughts, and general feelings, I've had about them.
5/5 - Fantastic movies; movies which need to be seen and enjoyed by everyone.
4/5 - Movies which are very good but don’t have that spark which compels you to make others watch them as well.
3/5 - Average movies; watchable and enjoyable, but nothing which elevates them higher. The baseline all movies are given before watching.
2/5 - Can be watched but really bland and forgettable.
1/5 - Minimal to no reason to watch these films. It may have some redeeming factors e.g. it’s so bad it’s good or there’s one character that’s awesome enough to make it not a total waste of time.
0/5- Total waste of time. Nothing redeemable about these films.
As with every review blog/site, this is all my own personal opinion so feel free to take everything with a grain of salt.
Also I'm Scottish so all reviews will be in UK English. Get used to theatre, colour and words ending in -ised.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
#130 Arsenic and Old Lace
A newly married theatre critic (Cary Grant) stops by his aunt’s house before heading off on his honeymoon. There he discovers his aunts (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair) have killed a man with poisoned wine, and that this is not the first time they’ve done so. Can he blame the crimes on his insane old uncle who thinks he’s President Theodore Roosevelt (John Alexander)? Will he be able to convince them what they are doing is wrong? and what of his criminal brother (Raymond Massey) and partner (Peter Lorre) who have now come back to hide in the house after killing a man themselves?
This is one of the funnier black comedies from the 1940’s. It’s full of mistaken intents, surprise twist and near discoveries which makes it all very entertaining.
This was right in the middle of Grant’s more comedic roles before joining up with Hitchcock. His actions and expressions, while a little cartoonish and extreme, mirror quite well how a person would reaction in all the crazy scenarios he’s thrust into.
Hull and Adair provide great comedy as the two aged aunts committing all the murders. They truly believe what they are doing is an act of charity for lonely old men with nothing left in the world. There insistence that Grant’s character is just being fussy as they play their parts completely straight makes it all the more funny. Alexander as Teddy Roosevelt is just hilarious. Every time he goes up the stairs yelling “CHARGE!!” just gets funnier and funnier as the film progresses.
It goes on a little long and has a couple of rather pointless side characters/plots but overall it’s a great older comedy you could watch if your just looking for some simpler entertainment. 4/5
