Movie Night: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.

Review #409: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.

Cast
Richard Dreyfuss (Duddy Kravitz), Micheline Lanctôt (Yvette), Jack Warden (Max Kravitz), Randy Quaid (Virgil Roseboro and Lenny Kravitz), Joseph Wiseman (Benjy Kravitz), Denholm Elliott (Peter Friar), Henry Ramer (Dingleman), Joe Silver (Farber), and Zvee Scooler (Grandfather) Directed by Ted Kotcheff (#025 - First Blood)

Review
To close out Canada Day, I decided to review this film from 1974 (have decided that reviewing Prom Night [1980] would be nonsensical), with familiar actor Richard Dreyfuss as the main lead. I already have watched Dreyfuss in American Graffiti and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which were both good. This film is where Dreyfuss gets to shine even more, perfectly acting a character who (at least I hope) is perfectly unlikable (though ironically, he believed his performance was terrible), in someways a parallel to Goin' Down the Road, both films cover the spirit of people trying to succeed in a cold-hearted world, with its small benefits and its disasters. Lanctot is alright, but Randy Quaid (Who I last saw in Independence Day, which wasn't exactly good) is better, he manages to blend well into the film, not going over the top, a subdued but fine performances as two characters. The rest of the cast are good, and it is always nice to see Denholm Elliott, no matter what he does. This is a well-made film that manages to have really good scenery but even better filmmaking, a sad film that has biting comedy at times, but it does not veer from its course, keeping itself in check, and managing to be an excellent film.  

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

And that is the last film for Canada Day, I hope you enjoyed my attempt to give Canadian films some spotlight, because at least I did.

Original image: 

Movie Night: Dr. No.

Review #150: Dr. No.

Cast

Sean Connery (James Bond), Ursula Andress (Honey Ryder), Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No), Jack Lord (Felix Leiter), Bernard Lee (M), Anthony Dawson (Professor R.J. Dent), John Kitzmiller (Quarrel), Zena Marshall (Miss Taro), Eunice Gayson (Sylvia Trench), Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny), and Peter Burton (Major Boothroyd) Directed by Terence Young.

Review

On October 5, 1962, a spy film was released by United Artists. This was the first James Bond film released, the 1st of 23 as of May 2012, though Skyfall will be released in October. Sean Connery is great in this flick (In fact, his great charm starts when you first see him, particularly when he says his name.), with his suave personality and smooth delivery (That would be followed by 5 other actors - George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig) that make the movie a delight. The effects may be a bit laughable, but I ignore that considering this was made with only $1 million. The film is a bit slow at times, particularly when getting to No's island. The villain is...not exactly a great villain. He is simply a man with metal claws, not even showing up until the last 25 minutes (After being mentioned all throughout), but for the first villain in the film series, he is at least somewhat evil. The other actors are decent. Andress is certainly memorable, even though her voice was dubbed. This was the only time Lord played Felix Leiter (a role that has changed more times than Bond has), and he seems to have a good rapport with Bond. Lee and Maxwell would stay onto the series longer than even Connery and become mainstays right up until the 1980's. This film has excitement in its good parts that help keep you interested. The films after this do a bit better, as Connery would do 5 more films after this. And so this ends the 150th Review. Halfway over 100 and halfway under 200, this is still a worthy achievement.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.