I never managed to put up a ranked list for my Marx Brothers and Tracy/Hepburn lists, so I'll close out 2013 by doing so now.

( Marx Brothers )

This weekend's movie: Brain DonorsThere is no question that the Marx Brothers were a major influence on comedy in general (slapstick, fast-talk, insult comedy, even spawning a certain type of comedy prop), but other than little homages, it's been very difficult to capture that same anarchic spirit ever since they retired/passed on. Only once, to my ( Read more... )

Our second film; Love Happy.

Something obviously happened to the Brothers between A Night in Casablanca and Love Happy. It was another three years before this movie was released, and not only did the brothers look older, they weren't interacting with each other as much anymore. Groucho in particular keeps his distance from the whole proceedings, ( Read more... )

Due to an unexpectedly busy weekend, I missed a film review. This means I'll be making up for it with a double post. To start with...A Night in Casablanca.

After The Big Store, the Brothers took a five year break, pretty much missing out on most of the war years. When they returned, they might have been starting to physically show their age, but ( Read more... )

Today's review: The Big Store.

I get the sense that the screenwriters decided to just throw everything and the kitchen sink into this movie. Things in this movie have a tendency to spiral out of control, even by Marx Brothers standards. But even though the randomness quotient in this movie is through the roof, I can't help but find it charming.

( Read the rest of the review here... )

This weekend's review: Go West.

I believe this was the first time the Marx Brothers decided to try their hands at mocking another movie genre. They may have slightly skewered Musical tropes in movies like A Night at the Opera or Room Service, but that could easily be seen as a product of their stage/vaudeville days. In Go West, the Brothers take on ( Read more... )

Today's review: At the Circus.

1939 comes through again. After the weak showing of Room Service, the Marx Brothers are in excellent form in At the Circus. Much like A Night at the Opera, the "showy" aspect of the circus setting works well with the Brothers' style, and makes for a good, entertaining film.

( Read the rest of the review here... )

This weekend's review: Room Service.

Up till now, even when I haven't liked a Marx Brothers film, at least I'm left with plenty to talk about. The Cocoanuts was bizarre and disjointed, and A Day at the Races had those bizarre musical numbers. Room Service, however, not only left me utterly cold, but hasn't given me a lot to talk about. As a result, ( Read more... )

Today's review: A Day At the Races.

The poster for this movie (besides having a bit of shocking innuendo) claimed that this was 1937's "BIG laugh, music, and girl show!" It's a tagline that sounds more fitting for a musical than a Marx Brothers comedy. However, it's also very fitting, because it's the musical bits that really stand out in this movie ( Read more... )

This weekend's review; A Night at the Opera.

A Night at the Opera is the first of the plot-driven Marx Brothers films. No longer would the plot barely tie in to the sketch routines, now the brothers would be directly involved in the action, affecting or being affected by the story. In short, things got more coherent, but no less funny. Indeed, some ( Read more... )