Jack and Capucine... Two for the price of... none

Films/DVD Asylum

Movies from comedy to drama to your favorite Hollyweird Star.

Caught two films on cable last night.
The first one was North to Alaska. A pleasant and incredibly silly story featuring John Wayne (that would be hardly sufficient to make me stick with it...) AND... Capucine.
The 29 years old super-bombshell lady shines in this one, showing reasonable amount ot acting talent and, of course!!!!, tons of her usual beauty.
Without her the movie would be just the normal light Hollywood trashy fare, but she brings in enough spark to make it worthwhile.
Greatest disappointment - John's inept wooden acting. He is usually OK as long as the rifle is in his hand, doing the usual tough man duties, but here he was asked to play some feelings, I mean - with no hands, just face... and man, does he fall flat in his attemps at acting! I think they should have cut the scenes with his facial shots, and just stay with the story... and the LADY.
She still had 30 years of life left in her... such a regrettable loss of a goddess.
The second one - Hoffa - in High Definition.
While the image quality was in itself reason enough to stay glued, Jack's performance is nothing short of spectacular, one of his finest. I saw it years ago, and this was a nice refresher.
I also enjoyed Danny DaVito tremendously - I always love watch him act, as act he can and he is always natural. Here he sparkles as an actor, but demonstrates he simply doesn't have it in him what it takes to be an interesting director.
The movie has all the traditional fingerprints of a Hollywood production - it is incredibly professional in all respects... and it is also boring. Danny just couldn't bring in directing zest, something that would make the movie more than just a story. So it remained a perfectly edited series of professionally shot but mostly trivial and all-too-familiar images, something any pro Hollywood director should be able to do with his eyes closed and after a night of heavy partying.
But this - as regrettable as it might be, given my respect for Danny - doesn't make the movie any less worthy of viewing - OK, it does look like a made-for-TV docu-drama, but the two great actors give more than enough to enjoy and remember.
For all those who have grown annoyed of Jack's mimics, this should be like a tropical paradise vacation. He keeps great control of his face, and only in a few shots you can see his old hedonistic lecher's eyes suddenly pop through the mask...

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Topic - Jack and Capucine... Two for the price of... none - Victor Khomenko 06:08:49 05/27/04 (11)

Re: DeVito's direction of "Hoffa" - Gee LP 13:15:26 05/27/04 (0)

John's Wooden Acting.... - AudioHead 11:20:05 05/27/04 (3)

Hmmmm.... - Victor Khomenko 11:51:57 05/27/04 (2)

Re: Hmmmm....Tom Cruise - Gee LP 20:37:05 05/28/04 (1)

Don Knotts? nt - AudioHead 07:37:50 05/29/04 (0)

The Duke got better as he got older - mvwine 09:05:48 05/27/04 (3)

Agree with The Shootist - grinagog 17:05:43 05/27/04 (0)

Re: The Duke got better as he got older - rico 09:13:52 05/27/04 (1)

I wouldn't disagree too much... - mvwine 12:02:28 05/27/04 (0)

Re: "Hoffa" - rico 08:06:01 05/27/04 (0)

Re: Jack and Capucine... Two for the price of... none - patrickU 06:44:35 05/27/04 (0)

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