Rating: 
Summary: Terrific movie, wretched packaging
Review: I don't have to talk about how good this movie is. You already know that or you wouldn't be reading this. Too bad Warners doesn't dignify this movie (or any of their other titles) with decent DVD packaging. Instead of sturdy bookshelf clamshell boxes, you get a flimsy piece of cardboard in a plastic frame. It won't keep dust out, it won't prevent crushing and it won't protect your DVD. Adding insult to injury, the top adhesive seal is glued to the artwork, so that unless you slit the seal with a razor blade, you ruin the artwork beneath. Shame on you, WB!
Rating:
Summary: Sparkling in Ways Not Usually Mentioned
Review: The secret to the success of the "Thin Man" series isn't a mystery to anyone. Myrna Loy and William Powell as Nick and Nora Charles are the perfect married couple. Both charming, witty, rich and stylish. They banter back and forth hurling barbs and compliments at each other with equal ease. Their relationship defies every expectation for a movie couple. He drinks too much. Yet when she suspiciously asks how much he has been drinking, when he says five shots, rather than getting upset she tells the bartender to line up five shots neat so she can catch up. When Nora walks in on Nick in their bedroom holding a beautiful woman in her arms, rather than storm out hurt or shocked they begin making funny faces at each other. How can you not love this?
But there is something else in this movie that goes almost unnoticed in every commentary about this film. The gorgeous photography aided at every turn by the brilliant equally stylish character casting and costuming. There are rules artists use in laying out tones of black and white on dark grays and light grays to make an image really pop. Whomever was in charge of the cinematography understood these rules like a master. Every shot is gorgeous. Every turn of the camera is a jewel. You could do a screen capture of any frame and view it as a textbook study in use of diagonals, shadows, lighting, dynamic eyelines focusing the audience on the most important part of the image. Intellectualizing it isn't helpful because the net result is some of the most fun imagery ever captured. But if you do take the time to notice it you will marvel at how clever they were in making this movie.
The DVD is very good quality but only contains a minimum of extras. The only real extra is trailers for each of the "Thin Man" films. The most entertaining is the first for "The Thin Man" where William Powell has a conversation with himself as Nick Charles standing in the cover of a giant replica of the Dashell Hammet book. I am not going to gripe about the minimal extras as it wasn't very long ago you couldn't get a DVD at all for this movie. No doubt the included trailers are an encouraging sign Warner is planning to release all the Thin Man films to DVD soon.
Rating:
Summary: We're all like that on my father's side
Review: Nick and Nora Charles are definitely the couple my girlfriend and I aspire to be like. Witty, fun-loving and full of martinis. This movie is fun from beginning to end. The opening scene, where we meet Nora for the first time--arms full of Christmas presents as Asta strains at his leash, turning into a bar to find his beloved master....and then the witty dialogue after that:Nora: Who was she? Nick: Oh darling, I was hoping I wouldn't have to answer that. Nora: Go on.... Nick: Well, if you must know, she's my daughter. Nora: Your daughter? Nick: Well I was young and it was spring...we're all like that on my father's side. Nora: By the way, how is your father's side? Nick: Much better, thanks. The interaction between Powell and Loy make this film fun. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Thin Man
Review: I love the The Thin Man Series. The DVD was
surprisingly a crisp reproduction. I thoroughly
enjoyed the movie and I hope that the rest of the
Thin Man Series will be produced on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: One of the all time great comedies with a beautiful DVD
Review: Wow! I don't think I've enjoyed an old comedy so much since I saw the Lady Eve. At first I was fairly confused, I had absolutely no idea what the film was about going into watching it, no idea that it was a dectective/comedy. And since I wasn't familiar with the stars it took until the christmas eve party for me to figure out that it was the dectective and his wife that were the main characters, I also realized that this was a smash up comedy at this point (I'd laughed several times before however). There is so much that is great about this film that I can hardly think of cataloging them all, I don't think I've ever witnessed a more perfect balance of humor and suspense (well Raiders of the Lost Ark did outstanding with humor and action), everything from the reluctance of the detective to the eccentrically wonderful family, "has he met ALL the family yet? Yes father, and he still wants to marry me. Hmph, brave man," that you can't help but laugh at; to the very tense moments, such as when the tough comes at the dectective with a gun, or when he enters into the old man's lab near the end, brilliantly brilliantly done and kept me on the edge of my seat (mainly because I kept falling off from laughing so much). The humor is fast, sly and comes at a furious pace, so I can understand if some people wouldn't like it quite as much as I do (I laugh easily and long, and enjoy doing so), "I was only a GLEAM in my father's eye." This film is everything I had hoped to find in Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven, but was sorely disapointed, the ensemble preformance, anchored by the star team (and Asta!), the balance of humor and suspense are unmatched by any recent film I can think of (and the dinner party scene is as incredible to this film as the actual heist would be in a film such as Oceans Eleven, but immensely more entertaining).
Rating:
Summary: Powell is Humphrey Bogart without the attitude
Review: This is a great who dunnit? the final sceene is the classic sit all the suspects at the table and re act the events to figure out who the murderer is. Powell complete with booz,trench coat and smart comments to his wife is like a nice humphrey bogart. the movie has cops,thugs and plenty of dark wharehouses with hidden bodies , as well a a helpful dog who hides at the sign of trouble- this is a movie that hollywood should get back to, the movies today are ... and pointless, this is timeless and a work of enjoyable art
Rating: 
Summary: "I love you because you know such lovely people"
Review: Reporter: "Can't you tell us anything about the case?" Nick Charles: "Yes. It's putting me way behind in my drinking." "The Thin Man" is a film whose style makes a more lasting impression than its substance. William Powell and Powell and Myrna Loy plays Nick and Nora Charles, a husband and wife duo who enjoy two things in life: verbally sparring with each other and having another drink. Both Nick and Nora are quite content in their routine but matters change when former detective Nick is asked to come out of retirement. Apparently an inventor (Edward Ellis) has vanished and his daughter (Maureen O'Sullivan) is anxious to find him. The inventor's former wife (Minna Goimbell), her slimy current husband (Cesar Romero), the inventor's mistress (Natalie Moorhead), and other assorted lowlifes become the suspects in the disappearance. Charles dutifully investigates each of these characters in turn and exposes the culprit during an inspired dinner gathering sequence. However, the shining grace of "The Thin Man" is the interplay between Powell and Loy. Both performers excel at setting up the other for the quick and clever verbal comeback while also making sure to get in their fair share of quips. As the film unfolds, you actually find yourself more caught up in the war of words between the two leads rather than their efforts to solve the mystery at the center of the film. While amusing, this is the one factor that works against "The Thin Man". The back-and-forth between Powell and Loy is so strong that it completely overshadows the film's story. When you're finished watching, all you remember is the wonderful time you had with Mr. and Mrs. Charles - you would be hard pressed to recount most of the details of their investigation. Now this is not a bad thing because the film still is great entertainment, it just feels a little unbalanced. The bottom line is that "The Thin Man" is bubbling over with so much charm that it will still leave you giddy even with its shortcomings. Check it out and have a good time.
Rating:
Summary: He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.
Review: Simply one of the greatest mystery movies ever. William Powell and Myrna Loy make a great team in the film. The cinematography is wonderful, even for the time. The lighting is so well done... You could probably get better facts about the movie from reviews by Ebert or others here. Here are my opinions on the DVD: The image is top-notch. There is some scars such as scratches and lines, but that's it. The grain is faint, as if this DVD was mastered off an interpositive made off the original nitrate negative. The picture is razor sharp for its vintage, too. The sound is always clear so you can hear all the witty dialogue. Not a lot for extras, but you do get 6 trailers, one for each Thin Man film. All in pretty good quality. This is a must own, especially for amazon.com's low price.
Rating:
Summary: Jump-start for detective thrillers!
Review: The detective thriller had a highly successful jump-start for paying audiences with this witty comedy/mystery that introduced the world to the team of Nick and Nora Charles. William Powell and Myrna Loy would be paired together in many more films together (including the many Thin Man sequels), but they were never better than when they played the detective duo, a society couple with a nosy dog who decide to get to the bottom of a murder case when Maureen O'Sullivan asks them to help out her suspect father by convincing them that she is the really guilty one. The Charleses get involved for the fun of it, and you yourself will have a great time watching them do it.
Rating:
Summary: Please Release the rest
Review: By far the best series of movie sequels ever made. My VHS tapes are wearing out. I WANT DVD NOW !
|
