A Sailor-Made Man.

Review #889: A Sailor-Made Man.

Cast: 
Harold Lloyd (The Boy), Mildred Davis (The Girl), Noah Young (The Rowdy Element), and Dick Sutherland (Maharajah of Khairpura-Bhandanna) Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer (#667 - The Freshman, #674 - Grandma's Boy, #758 - Safety Last!, and #864 - Hot Water)

Review: 
Given that this film was released on December 25, 1921, it only makes sense to honor the film on its 95th anniversary. This was Harold Lloyd' first feature film, though it came purely by accident. The excessive amount of gags written for the film meant a length not seen for shorts (also known as two-reelers) of the time, which amounted to a cut that lasted 47 minutes. Lloyd decided to preview this film to audiences (custom at the time), and the positive reception to the film led to its length being kept as is. With a cast like this (and a film length like this), it certainly makes for a passable film up to the standards that other Lloyd films had, with enough entertaining gags. Lloyd is affable as ever, always managing to do an everyman task like this with his own edge of charm. Davis is servicable as the love interest, and Young is fairly entertaining in his rowdiness. On the whole, it's not the best Lloyd film in terms of story or gags, but it is still a fine piece of entertainment that is readily available for people curious about Lloyd or yearning for more fun.

On a side note, Happy Hanukkah (which began yesterday), Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and Boxing Day (beginning tomorrow), but most of all, have a Happy New Year.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Grandma's Boy.

Review #674: Grandma's Boy.

Cast
Harold Lloyd (Grandma's Boy/ Grandfather), Mildred Davis (His Girl), Anna Townsend (Grandma), Dick Sutherland (The Rolling Stone), Charles Stevenson (His Rival / Union General), and Noah Young (Sheriff) Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer (#667 - The Freshman)

Review
Yes, I am aware of the 8 day delay between reviews and that the month has had only two reviews. I'm doing a pretty terrible job on quantity, but I just hope the quality is at least good enough. Enjoy. Oh hey, another Harold Lloyd film, this being his second feature film (The first being A Sailor-Made Man), out of the 18 (or so, if you count compilation) films he did. The movie's structure is simple, but effective enough, the trope of the wimpy hero who overcomes his weaknesses is standard nowadays, but back then it was probably like Silly Putty, a fad that keeps going (and stops being a fad, I suppose) and going. The gags are pretty good; I like Lloyd and his character's look, it just seems like Lloyd could make a gag work even with just shoes and a cat. The movie is well-paced for 60 minutes, and it manages to be enjoyable, especially the last 20 minutes, which manage to be laughter-inducing, especially with the facial expressions by Lloyd and Sutherland. The movie built itself on gags and a pinch of story development, which make for a fine film.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.