Curtain Call

Rating:
Summary: Curtain Call
Review: A delightful romantic comedy with the talented James Spader, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, and even Sam Sheppard, it is set in Manhattan, with a lovely old home furnished in fabulous antiques, including two ghosts who were famous theatrical personalities in life. Spader inspires giggles with another of his always surprising comedic presentations, especially in his "fright" when the ghosts appear. The music is warm and the characters are rich. The dialogue is bright. The film offers a beautiful fantasy escape to upper class New York and a look into the publishing business - enjoy it with a glass or two of wine, and it will seem very believable.

Rating:
Summary: Beetlejuice it isn't but still funny in a sophisticated way
Review: I have watched this movie many times. Michael Caine and Maggie Smith are wonderful, I wish they would do another one like the Topper series. James Spader is great also, sort of Cary Grant similar. I don't remeber Polly Walker very well, the weak link? You also get Buck Henry and Sam Shepard! The music is wonderful also, very beautiful movie. I am delighted with many small production company movies, Kill the Man was a strained comedy but at least it was a true comedy instead of some of the movies big production companies try to pass off as comedies.

Rating:
Summary: Beetlejuice it isn't but still funny in a sophisticated way
Review: I have watched this movie many times. Michael Caine and Maggie Smith are wonderful, I wish they would do another one like the Topper series. James Spader is great also, sort of Cary Grant similar. I don't remeber Polly Walker very well, the weak link? You also get Buck Henry and Sam Shepard! The music is wonderful also, very beautiful movie. I am delighted with many small production company movies, Kill the Man was a strained comedy but at least it was a true comedy instead of some of the movies big production companies try to pass off as comedies.

Rating:
Summary: Great Cast, Mediocre Film
Review: I wanted so much to love this film. Maggie Smith & Michael Caine together again (first time: "California Suite")was a big reason I sought this one out. The story idea is pleasasnt enough, but too often the scenes seem to just ramble on. There are bright spots, usually when Smith and Caine are around. The dialogue needed much more sparkle to make this film more memorable. A bit of better editing might have also improved the whole piece. An enjoyable, but rather disappointing experience.

Rating:
Summary: Great Cast, Mediocre Film
Review: I wanted so much to love this film. Maggie Smith & Michael Caine together again (first time: "California Suite")was a big reason I sought this one out. The story idea is pleasasnt enough, but too often the scenes seem to just ramble on. There are bright spots, usually when Smith and Caine are around. The dialogue needed much more sparkle to make this film more memorable. A bit of better editing might have also improved the whole piece. An enjoyable, but rather disappointing experience.

Rating:
Summary: Great Cast, Mediocre Film
Review: I wanted so much to love this film. Maggie Smith & Michael Caine together again (first time: "California Suite")was a big reason I sought this one out. The story idea is pleasasnt enough, but too often the scenes seem to just ramble on. There are bright spots, usually when Smith and Caine are around. The dialogue needed much more sparkle to make this film more memorable. A bit of better editing might have also improved the whole piece. An enjoyable, but rather disappointing experience.

Rating:
Summary: Whimsical but well done fable !
Review: Peter Yates `s career has had too much peaks and some lows . From his famous thriller Bullit in the far sixties to the Dresser ( his masterpiece to my mind) . His concerns have always turned around the inner dragons hidden in the intimacy of the most of the human beings .
In this time he recreates a funny situation in which New York ` s dressy guy will be haunted for two old specters in the New Year `s 1927 . Obviously he will be the one who watches them . Since the plot has many intersections with previous films , the masterful hand of Yates and this splendid cast gets to lead this film to a happy land .
Michael Caine , Maggie Smith , Marcia Gay Harden and James Spader and my dear reader as you well know I have not seen any film accepted by Mr. Caine fairly mediocre . So considering all the cards in your hand , how can you lose with this clever and easy going picture ?



Rating:
Summary: NICE STORY, TOO BAD IT'S UNINTERESTING
Review: The premise sounds interesting for a romantic comedy: successful commitment-phobic man loses successful girlfriend after saying the wrong thing once too often, man discovers house he just bought is haunted by a former husband-and-wife vaudeville team who constantly bicker, man asks the ghosts for help in repairing his relationship, and everything wraps up nice and neat within 94 minutes. Unfortunately, it's boring to the point where you just don't care. I really wanted to like this movie, but it just didn't happen. What was probably a good idea on paper didn't translate well to the screen. The acting is good, and some of the dialogue (especially between the bickering ghosts) is funny, but the whole thing lacks energy and seems forced at times. This is the second video from Square Dog Pictures that I've suffered through, the first being a very unfunny low-budget comedy titled "Kill The Man". Based on what I've seen so far (and the quality of the previews for their other films), it's best to leave their productions on the shelves. Definitely not worth purchasing unless you enjoy making yourself miserable. Maybe worth a rental if there's really nothing else available.

Rating:
Summary: A well-acted comedy romance
Review: There are actually two romances going on here, although the younger couple, which consists of Stevenson Lowe (James Spader), a young and successful 4th generation publisher, and his girlfriend Julia have quite a time of it just trying to come together! She wants him to marry her, but the old home he has just purchased has a few resident ghosts whom he needs to deal with first. Because to some degree they have contributed to his rift with Julia, (she says several times "I just don't want this" in confronting Stevenson's seeming inability to commit himself) the ghost couple also go to great lengths to bring the two of them together. However, there is another woman in the picture, one which Stevenson likes but not romantically and, well, things gets good and complicated down this path. Meanwhile, the ghosts, Max and Lily Gale, stage performers in their previous lives, dead as they are, have much to work on in mending their own age old romance. The acting is superb. The customes are posh if adequate. The story is original and thoughtful, and warm, it feels real, in spite of the infighting spirits. And -- a big plus -- the language is clean. It's a feel good movie. It's a great movie, bound to become a classic.

Rating:
Summary: A well-acted comedy romance
Review: There are actually two romances going on here, although the younger couple, which consists of Stevenson Lowe (James Spader), a young and successful 4th generation publisher, and his girlfriend Julia have quite a time of it just trying to come together! She wants him to marry her, but the old home he has just purchased has a few resident ghosts whom he needs to deal with first. Because to some degree they have contributed to his rift with Julia, (she says several times "I just don't want this" in confronting Stevenson's seeming inability to commit himself) the ghost couple also go to great lengths to bring the two of them together. However, there is another woman in the picture, one which Stevenson likes but not romantically and, well, things gets good and complicated down this path. Meanwhile, the ghosts, Max and Lily Gale, stage performers in their previous lives, dead as they are, have much to work on in mending their own age old romance. The acting is superb. The customes are posh if adequate. The story is original and thoughtful, and warm, it feels real, in spite of the infighting spirits. And -- a big plus -- the language is clean. It's a feel good movie. It's a great movie, bound to become a classic.