What Else I Saw in November 2020--10 Mini Movie Reviews

[@marbanak]

It's great to spend an office break, enjoying into your Professional-Grade Reviews. Good to see you cover Man For All Seasons. I enjoy being reminded of its message. Back to work!

[@Weiselberry]

Thanks for stopping by! :)

[@rosezingleman5007]

A Man for All Seasons won eight American Academy Awards including Best Picture. I finally read several biographies of Thomas More including a history by his daughter Margaret. Ironically, Margaret herself was probably the best qualified linguist in all of Europe and More’s friend Erasmus encouraged her to undertake a translation of the Bible into proper English from the various Greek and Latin translations in use in the Roman Catholic Church. Margaret herself though did take “the oath” after her father’s martyrdom. Also, Alice was his second wife, the first having died young. Alice was a widow with several children and since young people died often, “adopted children” of deceased friends and relatives added at least five children to the More household. (I guess if there’s less, there’ll be More. I love puns.) Still need to binge watch all your reviews. Soon!

[@MrGreen-ci2mm]

Man I love that voice of yours, the low quality camera, the books behind you

[@CarlB_1962]

Maybe it’s because I’m British, but I love The Holly and the Ivy. Yes, it’s a little downbeat, but in its short running time it creates such a vivid picture of 1950s middle-class life and Christmas traditions, with relatable characters and a satisfying story and conclusion. Have you seen/reviewed the 1940 Christmas film, Beyond Christmas (aka Beyond Tomorrow)? This is another film I saw for the first time this year that has gone straight onto my “To be watched every Christmas” film list. Hope you have had a happy, peaceful holiday.

[@Weiselberry]

I've heard of but have not seen Beyond Tomorrow (that's the title I'm familiar with). It's always fun to discover something new to add to the Christmas movie favorites list, isn't it? I have, thank you! I hope you did as well! :)

[@rosezingleman5007]

@@WeiselberryBeyond Tomorrow is on KZbin now (Dec 2022).

[@feslenraster]

Casablanca, even I watched it before :). that's how famous that movie is hah. I usually only glance partially at older movies thanks to my mom, whom is an old movies file; but I often get bored or my mind wanders. This was a good one though! Nice movies as usual, J. and as I stated before, love how you make the old stuff interesting. I actually watched Hitchcock films when I caught them on the BBC thanks to your reviews of them :). I never saw the entirety of The Birds until then. Or Rear Window thanks.

[@Chase0420]

Thank You very much. I really enjoy these reviews. And your voice is very soothing.

[@Weiselberry]

Aw, thank *you*!

[@Navigator87110]

3:10 Thank you for saying this. It always irks me when modern filmmakers have historical characters with modern attitudes.

[@CarlB_1962]

I find The Holly and the Ivy a satisfying watch, an antidote to the more saccharine Christmas movies available. I think it appeals to the melancholic streak in me! Thanks for reviewing Time Without Pity, I will definitely be checking that out. Any movie with Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern and Peter Cushing in it has to be worth watching.

[@Weiselberry]

I can see the value in that. It's got a lot more reality to it than most Christmas movies, especially contemporary ones. You should see Time Without Pity! If you're a fan of those three actors, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[@rosezingleman5007]

Oh Jerome, I *love love* “The Browning Version.” I know you watch movies with your mom, and “The Holly & The Ivy” was one we watched together when I was in high school. One of the clowns shown in that still photo was the great Emmett Kelly who was actually world famous. He used to appear on many variety shows in the 1950s-70s. He was even on a Bette Midler television special, game shows and talk shows and never once broke character.

[@BackboneAgZ]

I’m glad to see this almost as soon as it’s uploaded. I haven’t seen any of these movies, but Ive heard of most of em. I was skeptical about Midway, but your review got me interested, so thanks!

[@caomhan84]

Honestly I think it got unfairly panned by critics. It's actually not half bad. It gives you necessary context leading up to the battle. It actually has some things that previous depictions of Midway have left out. My biggest gripe with it was that the battle itself is over a bit too quickly. And you really have to know what's going on to realize what a huge victory it was. I think they could have reworked the script a little too emphasize that. But otherwise it's a good movie. If you can look past the PlayStation-esque special effects, they did a better job than anyone expected.

[@williamblakehall5566]

Thank you for reminding me of A Man For All Seasons, been ages since I looked that up. Owl be seeing you.

[@Weiselberry]

You're welcome! My brother actually was the one who brought it up; I might not have watched it if he hadn't, so I guess he should get at least partial credit. :)

[@dennisjames6753]

Makes me want to watch my copy of Now Voyager. I wouldn't mind seeing the new Midway, but the CGI effects do look distracting. The Christmas film with Denholm Elliott looks quite interesting. Several movies here I haven't seen. Great video!

[@wiseguymaybe]

I have a suggestion for you, being new to your channel you might have already seen this movie but just in case I highly, highly recommend The Shawshank Redemption, it's a movie that really moves just about anyone who has seen it.

[@c3ll7j]

Thanks for reviewing The Holly and The Ivy; I'd like to watch it as it seems like a great change from the norm of chipper Christmas movies. My favorite Christmas drama is Joyeux Noel or maybe 3 Godfathers. Any chance you'll do a Christmas review or recommendations before the end of December so we could watch during the holiday? Either way, I hope you'll watch some good ones.

[@Weiselberry]

I enjoyed Joyeux Noel when I saw it back in 2017, and I saw 3 Godfathers for the first time last December. I've got mini reviews of both up here somewhere... I'm afraid I might not have time to do a Christmas movie video this year, what with a couple big projects I've got to get done. But we'll see. There is a favorite Christmas movies video I made a few years ago that's still pretty accurate, so you could check that out if you haven't seen it (kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6CxlH9mgphmrtU ). And the What Else I Saw in December videos tend to include some Christmas movies too. :)

[@winterburden]

Yet again you watched some pretty cool stuff and gave us the absolute coolest review! 🙆‍♀️

[@robertrodriguez7087]

There was a woman at the store where I work who came in looking for a copy of *Now, Voyager,* and she kept going on and on about how good it is. Maybe I should check it out. *Dos Monjes* looks interesting too.

[@Weiselberry]

Well, Now, Voyager does tend to be more liked by women than men, I think, it being a romance (some might call it a melodrama) with a makeover element. And I freely admit my reasons for loving it aren't all purely intellectual, ha. But the cast is superb and I never seem to get tired of it as a comfort rewatch.

[@robertrodriguez7087]

@@Weiselberry Haha, understood.

[@snoo333]

Always nice to see you again. thanks

[@MsBackstager]

Hi Jerry, did you ever review any eps from THE TWILIGHT ZONE - especially A PIANO IN THE HOUSE? ty.

[@Weiselberry]

I haven't reviewed any episodes individually; I only talked about the show in general in an older video titled "Why I Love The Twilight Zone."

[@glennsmusic]

I just watched The Tamarind Seed (1974) with Omar Sharif and Julie Andrews. I had no idea what to expect going in but I really enjoyed it. What are the 39 steps??

[@Laura_Stanford]

Well done, Miss Jerome :) I own a copy of "Dead Ringer" a fine performance by Bette Davis. Even my husband liked the movie.

[@Weiselberry]

Thank you!

[@glennsmusic]

Hey J., I highly recommend 12 Angry Men (1957) with Henry Fonda, Lee J Cobb and Martin Balsam. I first saw The Greatest Show On Earth when I was very young and Charlton Heston and James Stewart made a big impression on me. The climactic scene and the aftermath became a valuable life lesson.

[@Weiselberry]

I've seen 12 Angry Men a couple times. Great movie.

[@Paladin12572]

What a variety of films! Several of these are movies I have always intended to view, but for whatever reason I haven't gotten around to most of them. Your basically positive review of MIDWAY does make me want to give that one a chance, even though I was dubious of today's filmmakers being able to make a truly positive and suitably patriotic story about America in WW2. I've always felt the MIDWAY film from the 70s, starring Charlton Heston among many other notables, is a good but not great film that could have easily been better, so perhaps the newer film may give this powerful moment in American history its cinematic due. Speaking of Charlton Heston, one of my favorite actors, I really need to make it a point to see THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH before long. Maybe sometime over holiday break I can work it in. If there's one thing Cecil B. DeMille certainly knew how to do, it's put on a great, great show. Thanks for sharing yet another fine review, and I'll be looking forward to the next one.

[@Weiselberry]

I'm trying to tackle the things I've never gotten around to; it's a slow but steady process. :) I'd say give Midway a try, as it sounds like your feelings about the older film and your hopes for a newer one are similar to what mine were. And a Heston fan should definitely see The Greatest Show..., as it's a nice leading role for him from an early point in his career. His character is stern and businesslike, but always the good guy.

[@caomhan84]

"I don't want to see a WW2 movie that feels like 2019." THANK YOU....and this is what scares me most about the upcoming remake of The Winds of War. The press release from August noted that they will write a new script that "reframes the story through the current lens"...and I'm like...why? WHY? It's 1939. Why would you need to reframe 1939 with current attitudes? Sigh.... Luckily, Herman Wouk's son has a KZbin channel and I asked him directly about this, and he assured me that nothing will get made that he doesn't approve first.

[@Weiselberry]

Oh dear, I didn't know someone was remaking that. I'm not thrilled. Sure, it could turn out to be good, but it could just as easily be awful. :/

[@caomhan84]

@@Weiselberry Seth MacFarlane is doing it. Apparently it's been a passion project of his for years, and he recently got the rights to do it. They announced it in August, and I was immediately reticent, but once I read the line about them writing a new script, I was like "Nope!" Because there's no way to improve on a script that was written by the author himself. So hopefully Joseph Wouk has as much control over what's in the story as his father did

[@Jolar70]

I would offer only one recent good example for this, which was "JoJo Rabbit", where so much of the dialogue is steeped in our time, yet, it's such a moving film that nails down everything that was so harmful of that time.

[@sumo0172]

Midway, although imperfect, I really liked. I was a Navy brat growing up and i never grew out of it and this was a nice through back to those grand war epics. It could have used more polish and maybe the multiple director strategy of movies like Tora, Tora, Tora, and The Longest Day but overall an grand patriotic effort especially for 2019 Hollywood. The Greatest Show On Earth is one of those "I always have to sit an watch" movies. It's just so grand. Kind of like The Ten Commandments, which you know makes sense. Charlton Heston and Cecil B. DeMille go figure. Surprisingly these are the only two movies I have also seen. But that means this list full of great recommendations. Thank you

[@Weiselberry]

It's reassuring to see how many of my viewers felt pretty much the same way about Midway that my parents and I did. I wasn't sure what kind of response I'd get when I mentioned it here, but for the most part, you all aren't a cynical bunch. :) I know this might be considered film fan heresy, but I think I might have enjoyed The Greatest Show on Earth more than The Ten Commandments! I preferred Ben-Hur over The Ten Commandments too. But that's Wyler directing, not DeMille, so the comparison's not quite the same. They're all wonderfully epic, though. I'm glad you got some good suggestions from the video!

[@jlovebirch]

An excellent companion piece for "A Man for All Seasons" is the equally great "Beckett" (1964), a classy, literate historical drama with Peter O'Tool and Richard Burton at their best.

[@darkwolf9253]

I really loved Midway... Yes some of the effects are a bit low budget, but I think that was do to the fact that they had to finance the film independently. All in all though I feel it was pretty solid.

[@vgovger4373]

Please review the bells of St. Marys

[@chrisdigitalartist]

Mmm...Midway might be a good Christmas gift idea for my dad. I have yet to watch The Greatest Show On Earth!

[@sageantone7291]

3:23 👏👏👏 Preach, sister.

[@jjdvideo]

Ralph Richardson was only six years older than Celia Johnson, despite playing her father in The Holly & Ivory.

[@Weiselberry]

And he and Margaret Leighton played husband and wife in other films and on the stage! It's a funny business.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video, JW...👍

[@vgovger4373]

As far as Midway is concerned, I thought the way they did the sound was disappointing.

[@Weiselberry]

Hm, I didn't find the sound to be as bad as it has been in other, similar movies. I'm referring to a balance problem where the music and guns, etc. are WAY too loud while the dialogue is hard to understand. Is that the problem you had with it?

[@vgovger4373]

@@Weiselberry the 1976 version purposely had loud volume for effect, it's was part of the sales pitch at the theater. This movie turned down the sound of planes on the flight deck to favor dialog.

[@WolfGratz]

I am always glad to see George Macready having been fascinated by him ever since I first saw him as a pre-teenager when he appeared in Peyton Place as the wealthy and manipulative old timer Matthew Peyton but those two are new to me and I will be looking out for them. By the way you could have added Watch on the Rhine to Heinreid's freedom fighter roles but I expect there are loads more. Incidentally I also liked Time Without Pity a lot though it wasn't quite clear to me how the ending worked logically. A Man for All Seasons is one of my favourite films despite my historians doubts about More but what the heck it's great as a story. I'd just add a word for Nigel Davenport's thick but well meaning Norfolk "This isn't Spain you know. This is England"

[@Weiselberry]

In full disclosure (so you don't get your hopes up too high!), George Macready's parts in Dead Ringer and The Conspirators are quite small, but I also find him fascinating, so every time he pops up I try to mention it. :) Paul Lukas was the one in the freedom fighter role in Watch on the Rhine (opposite Bette Davis!), but to the larger point, yes, Paul Henreid played such characters a few times. It probably seemed a natural fit in the studio's eyes, and I think on a personal level this made up for the antagonist he played in 1940's Night Train to Munich. Makes you wonder what kind of stardom he might have found if there hadn't been a war going on in Europe.

[@WolfGratz]

@@Weiselberry Oh dear. Old age is taking its toll - I was sure in my own mind it was Paul Heinreid but you are of course right. Even worse I was moaning the other day that the guy who did the commentary on Made for Each Other couldn't remember what Lucille Watson won an Oscar for. Watch on the Rhine I was shouting. On the other hand he was a bit vague about Charles Coburn too

[@Weiselberry]

@@WolfGratz It's okay! I confuse things like that more often than I'd like to admit. I prefer to consider it an unfortunate byproduct of having SO much knowledge stored up in your brain that occasionally some of the files get a little mixed up. :)

[@MrGreen-ci2mm]

Where's the What Else I Saw in December 2020 - mini movie review ? :'(

[@tllaw]

Midway was one of those, 'Can we make a film pandering to the Chinese market whilst simultaneously trying to make it neither obvious nor dreadful?' The answer to which is, of course: no.

[@MrGreen-ci2mm]

Please watch peppermint Candy (1999) !

[@wawo66]

Very interesting movies. Try watching Zorba the Greek.

[@bartolomeuomacduibheamhnad6855]

The Greatest Show on Earth was on TV here yesterday and I rewatched it, I've seen it maybe three times, or two and a bit but keep forgetting James Stewart is in it and I'm a big fan of his, agree wholeheartedly about Now Voyager it is excellent, I need to watch a Man for All Seasons again, I don't remember loving it, maybe the period or maybe I was too young to appreciate it. Midway was another film I actually enjoyed, perhaps not being jaded helped, can't help but like a WW2 film. A Time Without Pity goes on my list, I'm going to try to find that one soon. I haven't seen Dos Monjes, Black Patch, The Holly and the Ivy, Dead Ringer or The Conspirators, I feel like I need to see the last two especially. Your admiration for Paul Henreid is amazing lol. Train station, Paul Henreid stands to the left of the platform, Alain Delon stands to the right, it's Casablanca but with a train instead of a plane, I wonder would Ilsa Weiselberry stay with Delon or go with Henreid lol . I also say Casablanca like you do, I believed the other way was common with most Americans, maybe the accent has something to do with it. Really terrific selection of films, each with a well thought out review. ~ Thank you Ms Weiselberry ~

[@Weiselberry]

Hey, it's been a while! I was just thinking about you the other day and wondering if things were going okay. Ha, I bet some people have watched The Greatest Show on Earth and completely missed Stewart, although that voice is pretty unmistakable. A Man for All Seasons does have a slow start; I wasn't sure how it was going to go at first, but I eventually settled into it. And, oh my goodness, your picture of Ilsa Weiselberry at the train station made me laugh too hard! :D

[@bartolomeuomacduibheamhnad6855]

Jerome Weiselberry It was very nice of you to think of me, I was good, I think, hard to tell because December went by in a blur lol, I thought of you recently also as I walked into a decor shop to collect something my sister had ordered i was greeted by all kinds of owl figurines, metal, crystal, wood carved, glass, resin, all shapes and sizes, you immediately popped into my head lol, I think it's a shop you may have liked. My Ilsa Weiselberry train tale has another possible ending I forgot to consider, Delon asks Henreid where Ilsa Weiselberry has gone and we cut to Ilsa walking away with Claude Rains saying the line " this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" lol. Oh!.. Herbert Lom then steps out of a shadow and follows close behind adding some of that Lom mystery and intrigue ...fade to black, ℱℐℕ, in the book adaptation we actually discover Delon and Henreid pull up in a convertible soon after and Ilsa hops in and they drive away lol, pity the title A Man for all Seasons was already taken lol, I will absolutely give that film another watch and yes Stewart's voice is unmistakable, it's strange whenever I attempt to do an impression of him it's usually lines from the Simpsons I say instead of lines he's actually said lol, kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZjMe4GhZaZojpI kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIfRpaKVbb1pp7s ~ Thank you again Ms Weiselberry :) ~

[@Weiselberry]

Ooh, that sounds like a lovely shop! Full of all kinds of breakable chachkies, ha. LOL, you know me so well! How's a woman to choose?! :D

[@bartolomeuomacduibheamhnad6855]

Jerome Weiselberry "breakable chachkies " lol, that would be a great name for an antique shop.

[@sageantone7291]

The Holly and the Ivy was just abhorrent. A "friend" recommended it to me years ago. We haven't spoken since.

[@Weiselberry]

That's too bad, given the film's message is about communication, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

[@sageantone7291]

@@WeiselberryHe's in prison now, for being a communist spy. His love of this film should have been a tell.

[@AlbertoFolres]

12:36 you could say White House 🤭

[@fredtheilig2710]

I've seen two on your list (The Greatest Show on Earth and The Holly and the Ivy) and found them both dull. Greatest Show is my nomination for the worst best picture winner (although Cavalcade is a contender). I may be a bit more jaded than you. However, Jojo Rabbit is fantastic.

[@WolfGratz]

Although I own a copy and am a big fan of Noel Coward I have never got round to actually watching Cavalcade. So you may be right. I must get round to investigating.

[@Weiselberry]

Yeah, in my video prep I saw The Greatest Show on Earth referred to many places as the worst best picture winner. The fact that it won best picture did surprise me, since it doesn't have great depths of storyline, characterization, or performance. But it does have spectacle and I enjoyed it (as did my mom, who had seen it several times before). Maybe it helped that I went into it NOT knowing it was a best picture winner, so I didn't spend the whole time evaluating the movie's worthiness. Did it deserve it, should another movie have won, should Singin' in the Rain have been nominated AND won, were there absurd Academy politics at play? I don't know. I just know I had a lot of fun watching it.