Rating: Summary: An unseen gem Review: The fish-out-of-water concept of '20's journalist Johnny Twennies blissfully unaware of being in a jaded '90's world is never explained, and it doesn't really need to be! The coarse language is a bit of a drag, as it could've otherwise been a movie for all ages. But even so, it's a delight. A cameo by Frank "The Riddler" Gorshin is shockingly hilarious, and stage actress Susan Egan is marvellous as always, playing Johnny's frustrated girlfriend.
Rating: Summary: A swell picture! Review: The guys who made this highly entertaining film obviously love the fast-talking, wise-cracking movies of the early 1930s, and they know their subject well. Gibson Frazier, the co-writer and star, has the look, the mannerisms, and the verbal wit and agility down perfectly. This guy really seems to have stepped off the Warner's lot in 1931 right into 1999. And it's beautifully photographed in wonderful, rich black-and-white.
Rating: Summary: A sick joke.. Review: This film has disappointment written all over it. Despite the pretentious beginning, the well-meaning film becomes pointlessly obscure (like the dialogue) and the plot is non-existant. The mood is captured early on, but the outcome is as bare as a one-legged dancer. With good reason in deed, the film carries an R rating because of constant profanity.
Rating: Summary: Frazier rips culture a new one Review: This film is a study in contrast on levels beyond the photography: a man of the (20th) century matches wits with modern characters and comes out on top.E.g. a couple of sailor-mouthed, leather-clad, gun-wielding goons are sent to menace the anachronistic newspaper reporter and strong-arm him into writing a bogus story. He brushes them off like pieces of lint. Every frame of this gem is silly, sweet, beautifully photographed, and barrels of fun. There are plenty of references to old-time photography tricks, implausible story mechanisms - even breakdowns in continuity - but they don't seem to bring me out of the moment or detract from the fun. It's like listening to a life-of-the-party type of fellow going on a tangent from a joke that's as funny as the joke itself. I saw this for the first time a week ago, and I've already put it on my all-time favorites list. First rate.
Rating: Summary: Technically proficient novelty flick, beautiful and curious. Review: This is a beautifully done black & white film about a man stuck in the late 1920s (he mentioned "Lindy", so it's post-1927). It's an oddity of a film, one that isn't clear about its own rules. Some other characters also live in the 1920s, and both "moderns" and "Twenties" people easily intermingle with each other. Yet mainly it's just Johnny who's perceived as odd by "moderns," not the record store owner or "speak-easy" folk. The acting, dialogue, cinematography, and art direction are all sublime. It's only drawback is that it's a "one-joke" film (or perhaps a "one-concept" film). It's short, about an hour and 15 minutes not including credits, yet I was getting bored halfway into the film. It's a pleasure to watch, but once you "get it," that's all there is. The characters have a shallow cartoonish feel. Interesting to watch and listen to, but there's no emotional depth to them. None of them grow or change or learn. But that's okay, as this is not a film with a serious intent -- the plot itself is tossed aside at the film's end, as everyone joins in a 1930s song & dance number. This film is aimed at the mind, rather than the heart or the guts. You see it, and admire its clever premise and execution. I enjoyed it for what it was.
Rating: Summary: Ridiculous, hilarious, campy fun Review: This is a beautifully done black & white film about a man stuck in the late 1920s (he mentioned "Lindy", so it's post-1927). It's an oddity of a film, one that isn't clear about its own rules. Some other characters also live in the 1920s, and both "moderns" and "Twenties" people easily intermingle with each other. Yet mainly it's just Johnny who's perceived as odd by "moderns," not the record store owner or "speak-easy" folk. The acting, dialogue, cinematography, and art direction are all sublime. It's only drawback is that it's a "one-joke" film (or perhaps a "one-concept" film). It's short, about an hour and 15 minutes not including credits, yet I was getting bored halfway into the film. It's a pleasure to watch, but once you "get it," that's all there is. The characters have a shallow cartoonish feel. Interesting to watch and listen to, but there's no emotional depth to them. None of them grow or change or learn. But that's okay, as this is not a film with a serious intent -- the plot itself is tossed aside at the film's end, as everyone joins in a 1930s song & dance number. This film is aimed at the mind, rather than the heart or the guts. You see it, and admire its clever premise and execution. I enjoyed it for what it was.
Rating: Summary: Technically proficient novelty flick, beautiful and curious. Review: This is a beautifully done black & white film about a man stuck in the late 1920s (he mentioned "Lindy", so it's post-1927). It's an oddity of a film, one that isn't clear about its own rules. Some other characters also live in the 1920s, and both "moderns" and "Twenties" people easily intermingle with each other. Yet mainly it's just Johnny who's perceived as odd by "moderns," not the record store owner or "speak-easy" folk. The acting, dialogue, cinematography, and art direction are all sublime. It's only drawback is that it's a "one-joke" film (or perhaps a "one-concept" film). It's short, about an hour and 15 minutes not including credits, yet I was getting bored halfway into the film. It's a pleasure to watch, but once you "get it," that's all there is. The characters have a shallow cartoonish feel. Interesting to watch and listen to, but there's no emotional depth to them. None of them grow or change or learn. But that's okay, as this is not a film with a serious intent -- the plot itself is tossed aside at the film's end, as everyone joins in a 1930s song & dance number. This film is aimed at the mind, rather than the heart or the guts. You see it, and admire its clever premise and execution. I enjoyed it for what it was.
Rating: Summary: may be someday used for low budget movie 101 Review: This is a classic. Considering that this is a low budget movie and has technical limitation - this movie will just keep you mesmerized. The plot is very simple - a certain time span in the life of a newspaper journalist. This journalist lives a life of early 1920s even though his physical existence is in the current world. The dialogues are perfectly selected to point this difference and you will love it. The blending of 1920s and 1990s is perfect. Some of the music selections are quite entertaining. I will definitely buy this movie.
Rating: Summary: Hilarious, Funny, Mirthful and Lots of Laughs Review: This is a potential classic: Living anachronism, Johnnie Twennies is a reporter living in the present-day Big Apple, writing a mundane column for a marginal newspaper on an old manual typewriter. He wears '20's suits, hats and utters pure '20's-speak while rescuing young women in distress from muggers, resisting threats from gangsters, visiting mom (who wants to marry him with the New York Social Register), dances the Charleston with his modern sweetie and resists compromising her virtue. While the world around him abounds in chaos, he makes his way optomistically searching for righteousness, in a Parsifalian way, getting his girl, evading his ma's mindless preppie pick, beating up the bad guys upon occasion, playing '20s post-ragtime jazz on the piano, exposing and capturing the evil villain while embracing virtue at every turn...and, does this all in good humor. Everything works. The acting, the photography, the business. The only name I recognized was Gorshin, playing Roman Navarro, an Italian impresario-imposter into leather S&M. Check out the reviews. The overwhelming verdict is very, very positive. This goofy plot works amazingly well, from the first scratchy roll of the credits to the song-laden end. This has all the necessary elements of a cult classic. Get it. See it. Share it. Believe me, Toots. You'll be glad you did.
Rating: Summary: Excellent flick..... Review: This is one of those movies that leaves you thinking, "Why didn't I think of that???" The premise is so simple, yet it's an ingenius movie. It brings in a lot of the elements of the older films and sets them in modern day New York. The result is a refreshing, creative, imaginitive film that will make you laugh...... Plus, the budget must have been rather low. Lots of bang for your buck here. This has to be one of the most under-rated films ever.
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