Reviews

This movie takes some concentration and mental work to keep up with all the story lines. It jumps from conversation to conversation in a Manhattan bar. It cycles back to all of them, so that each story continues. I didn't count how many story lines there were, but there may have been one too many or so. All I can say is that each story is intensely interesting. Call me a sucker for excellent writing because I am. Perhaps people resent a nontraditional structure or having to exercise their minds to keep up with a fast paced multiple plot. To me, it's like waking up to being alive. This is one of those films you want to see ten times because you don't want to miss a single nuance. Those who don't want to have their mind challenged by a film, there is no shortage of things to watch. Films like this one are rare and precious.

There are several films I consider perfect. Not all are brilliant. There are quite a few I consider brilliant, and only a few of those are perfect. Catch-22 is not only perfect, but if there is a stronger word than brilliant, it's that too. The camera shots, the editing, the sound, the pacing, the casting, the flawless acting, the incredibly complex staging of many scenes: all done to perfection. Mike Nichols directs films sparingly, but his list of titles reads like a who's who of the greatest classics. Catch-22 is his masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned. You may not know that he earned an Oscar (not for this), a Tony and an Emmy all as best director. He may be unique in this regard, but I don't know. The book was absolutely wonderful. No movie can be an exact depiction of the book--it just doesn't work that way. However, this movie delivers the story, spirit and theme, not to mention the egregious comedy of the book better than I ever would have imagined. I could write a whole book on what I like about this film, and I won't, but after all my sweeping superlatives I need to cite a few concrete examples. 1. The mess hall conversation with Martin Sheen and others: very complex, with overlapping dialog, wonderful facials and voice characterization by Sheen and a few timely cuts, not to mention the incredible rapid fire lines delivered by Arkin. 2. The runway scene with Doc and Yossarian in which the essence of catch-22 is explained: the sound--the roar of the engines that almost but not quite drown out the dialog in spots, the incredible inverted shot of Doc handing Yossarian his hat and responding, "it's (catch-22) the best there is!" Then, the incredible visual of the planes taking off--staying with the shot, showing the sheer beauty of it and pausing from the story for a minute, so we can catch out breath. I would say Nichols is Hitchcock's equal at providing incredible visuals and being innovative at doing it. 3. The scene about Nately's 60 shares of M&M Enterprises. The cut to the close up delivery of, "then they'll understand." Exquisitely chilling line. 4. The endless stream of priceless cameo scenes: Orson Welles - "Take that man out and shoot him." The movie is outrageously funny, the script and dialog are incredibly witty and intelligent, the acting is inspired, the theme is clear without touting itself at all. A final aside: for those of you who were not in the military, I wouldn't be surprised if you thought the whole military depiction was just silly beyond words, but I can assure you that it's only one or two degrees of hyperbole. I had my share of Yossarian-like experiences in the navy.

The documentary type directing and acting style is absolutely brilliant! Wood Moy is stunning in his low-key naturalistic acting. Almost all of the characters in the film make you believe that there is no possible way they are not real people.

Yes, the framework of the amateur investigation of the mystery provides incremental revelation of a truly fascinating subculture world. In toto, it shows the position and perspective of many different personalities in this world and how they relate to one another.

Jo's cataloging of the various characters' opinions of the missing Chan illustrates how everyone's personal experience colors their perceptions. No innovative philosophies are interposed, yet the subtle notions we all have some inkling of are artfully insinuated upon our consciousness.

This is truly an art film in the best sense of the term.

I knew this film was supposed to be so bad it was funny, so I went into it with that expectation. I just found it to be so bad it was murderously boring. The whiny theme song is funny for about 10 seconds, until you realize there is nothing clever about it except its intentionally irritating quality. Seeing things get splattered with tomatoes gets old in about 30 seconds. There is just nothing clever or funny about the film except for the premise. It could sustain a 3-4 minute comedy sketch maybe, but this is just not a feature film by any stretch of the imagination.

Monty Wooley, Jimmy Durante, and oh yeah, Bette Davis. For me, that could say it all, and that is not even to mention the priceless ensemble of supporting character actors. Okay, so Bette just didn't DO comedy. She was there for the "drama relief," and like the consummate professional she was, she competently kept a low profile to not bleed off any of the spotlight from the incredible Wooley. Where have all the character actors gone? Why are there no more B movies that are such a plain old rollicking good time? This is one of the finest examples of the wonderful screwball comedies of the 30's and 40's.

A man, Peter, joins a traveling show dominated by a middle-aged magician who uses his grown twin daughters in his act. Peter falls in love with one of the daughters. The other daughter meets an untimely end, and the father must then employ mirrors to continue to effect his illusions, and Peter must struggle with his internal doubts as to which daughter, in fact, is still living. No, the answer is not as patent as one might think.

I viewed this film (under the Double Deception title) once, on television, circa 1970, and I believe the English was dubbed in. I cannot speak to directing, acting and writing in any detail after such a long time, but the fact that the film stuck so strongly in my mind is an indication that it was very effective. I remember the somber tone and becoming engaged in Peter's agonizing quest, not only to determine the truth, but also to discover himself by virtue of his response to what he learns. I had sought in vain to find evidence of this film in Maltin's guide. I had nearly decided I had imagined it before finding it listed here. I see that it is so obscure that five persons have not yet voted on it. I feel it is well worthy of attention, and I do hope this film has not been lost to nonpreservation. This film should be resurrected for those of us who adore film noire. (Does anyone not?)

What is the nature of war? What makes people enemies? What makes a culture superior to another? This is a cerebral and sensitive look into some very sticky psychological and sociological issues. The formulaic 'heroes against all odds' war movie has been done to delirium. Intelligent films that address the nature of conflict are all too rare. This is a masterpiece.

I wanted to vote zero or lower. I loved the commentary. It IS the worst movie ever made and 'unendurable' is the perfect word for it, unless there is something worse that Roget never thought of. I am also at a loss to think of anything negative enough to accurately describe Bo Derek. The best that could be said of her is, she's consistent.

Anyone who voted below a 10 on this film simply cannot see a perfect film when it smacks them in the, er....slapstick. I cannot help but adore each and every cast member, and Brooks staked his place in film immortality with this one. Dying is easy; great comedy is miraculous.

This is a genre that today more often relies on head spinning special effects and action to grab attention. This one had awesome special effects for the time, but the classic sci-fi story line which works on many levels carries the film. Patricia Neal said she often had to stifle giggles to get her lines out, but you'd never know it from her wonderful performance. Sam Jaffe's character role was delicious too. 51 years later, Gort still scares the stuffing out of me! To this day, the only sci-fi film that compares with it is Blade Runner. This one is a shrine to the genre.

The scene where Roy Battey goes to visit Dr. Tyrell is very artfully depicted to evoke Frankenstein, from the Victorian style furnishings, to the scientist's smock type dressing gown Tyrell wears, to the misshapen assistant off to the side. It is the classic scene where the monster confronts his creator. Ridley Scott is a very cerebral, artistic director with the amazing visual acumen of Hitchcock. With the technology of human cloning a reality, this story is more relevant than ever.

Movies like The Hustler are a reminder that film CAN BE a true art form. The writing, direction and acting perfomances are flawless and inspired. There are about 15 films that I cannot resist watching each time they come on TV. This is one of them. It is simply one of the best movies ever made.