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"TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Warner Archives Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
After being released from a sanitarium, has-been screen idol Jack Andrus (Kirk Douglas) takes a small part in a movie being shot in Rome. When the director of that film (Edward G. Robinson) cannot complete the project, Jack takes over. This is his last shot to redeem his fame and career – and also his personal life – but the bitter sting of movies can always catch you off guard.
WHAT I LIKED
With a release date of 1962, “Two Weeks In Another Town” fell in a time of change in Hollywood. The glory days of untouchably pure Hollywood royalty were quickly fading away. Soon to come would be the 70s and 80s, where celebrity status would soon become synonymous with problematic. In retrospect, a film like “Two Weeks In Another Town” shows that industry in that transition, an din that respect, it’s fascinating to watch.
There’s a lot of old-school Hollywood about this film that should appeal to the older generation. There’s a glitz and glamour of the celebrity high-life. You have a film packed with movie stars of a few years before – like Robinson and Douglas, but also Cyd Charisse. You also have some up-and-coming names like George Hamilton, who is only slightly recognizable with his voice and minor tan at this point.
There’s still a playful atmosphere of a film from the 50s, but it’s given a different taste with the darker edge from the 60s, showing celebrities with their careers on the ropes. In this respect, I found “Two Weeks In Another Town” most interesting for its symbol of the greater transition that Hollywood was going through at the time.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’ve said many times before that I can identify with films of almost every era, except for the 1960s. There’s something about their presentation and sensibilities that just don’t connect with me. So any disconnect I do feel with “Two Weeks In Another Town” is my own fault rather than the fault of the movie.
Because the widescreen format and the rich Metrocolor look of these movies were relatively new, they were often shot more theatrically, keeping a wide shot for much of the scene to allow the audience to enjoy the landscape and background as much as they do the action on screen. Before filmmakers really started to pick up the camera in the 1970s, this gave audiences some beautiful looks but did not always make for dynamic filmmaking.
And considering “Two Weeks In Another Town” was meant to show off locations as well as actors, this took me out of the film. (But that just might be my child of the 80s talking there.)
DVD FEATURES
No features, as is common with the Warner Archive releases.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone who might like a look at the darker side of filmmaking from the perspective of filmmakers.
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"BRASS BANCROFT OF THE SECRET SERVICE: MYSTERIES COLLECTION" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Warner Archives Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Back in 1939, on the even of America’s involvement of World War II, Warner Bros. pictures developed a series of patriotic films starring a relative newcomer known as Ronald Reagan. More than 40 years before he would be protected by the Secret Service, future President would portray Lt. “Brass” Bancroft, a Secret Service agent who went on dangerous missions in a series of short B-movies. Warner Archive has released four of these films – “Secret Service of the Air,” “Code of the Secret Service,” “Smashing the Money Ring” and “Murder In the Air” – for the first time on DVD.
WHAT I LIKED
Regardless of your political bent, it’s hard to not appreciate Ronald Reagan as an actor. Back in the 80s, a lot of people remembered his films. Not so much now that we’re more than 20 years after he vacated the Oval Office. People today identify Reagan as a politician more than they ever do as an actor, but his career of almost 30 years was really quite impressive.
For as old as these movies are (more than 70 years for all four of them), it’s neat to watch Reagan in action and see his on-screen charisma, and it’s also clear why he was a movie star. Before this, I had only seen one Ronald Reagan film, which was “Desperate Journey,” an old Errol Flynn flick from the “Errol Flynn Adventures” DVD set. The guy had charm, and he carries these short, hour-long B-films.
What makes these movies work is that they are, in fact, throw-away films that were set to support a larger feature. They weren’t out to change the world. They weren’t out to make fine art. They existed to entertain an audience for an hour before the main feature started. And in this respect, they are a heck of a lot of fun. Action-packed (as much as you can for the late 1930s, that is) and filled with tongue-in-cheek humor, these are fun and fluffy stories that still entertain today.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Not a whole lot, really. The Brass Bancroft films have the foibles of the day, including some pacing issues, sound issues, set issues and an obvious low budget, but looking at them almost three-quarters of a century later, that just adds to their charm.
DVD FEATURES
While there are no special features of the individual movies in this collection, it offers four individual films, which is a nice slice of American history in the films.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of 30s-era b-movie action and anyone who wants to see Ronald Reagan before long before he was president.
