I've often thought to myself, "there's not a single Billy Wilder movie that I dislike." Even the lessor known films I've really loved, like THE SECRET LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, BUDDY BUDDY, LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON, AVANTI, and ONE TWO THREE. This director has created some of my favorite films---SOME LIKE IT HOT, STALAG 17, SUNSET BOULEVARD, THE APARTMENT, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, SEVEN YEAR ITCH, WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, etc.... So it is with some dismay that I have to declare that I really disliked a Billy Wilder movie called KISS ME STUPID(1964), even though it was written w/ I.A.L Diamond, has songs by George and Ira Gershwin, and features the normally talented Kim Novak, Ray Walston and Dean Martin (!) The movie made me wince, again, and again. It was smarmy, silly without much wit, and nearly unbelievable. Somewhere down there was a clever idea, but it was played so broadly that it made me want to turn it off.....
Fortunately, the good film of the week is Disney's newest THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, which was delightful in many ways, especially because the lead character is BLACK! although you might not know it from looking at the ads in the paper. And unfortunately, she is turned into a green frog for more than half the movie. Still, small steps are better than no steps (leaps?).
This week I also saw some clunkers that will open in January (the worst being WHEN IN ROME, and also EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES--better, but...) so will write more (or less) about them when they open. Fortunately, they were offset with the funny but flawed new Meryl Streep film IT'S COMPLICATED which opens on Christmas Day! Can Meryl do no wrong? Thankfully not.
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