Porky's

Porky's (Bob Clark, 1981)

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Rating: Q=4, P=2 / Thanks But No Thanks

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=1, Scale 4=1

High School, Comedy, 1950s, Coming of Age

I had never actually watched Porky's until just recently--the film was always on my radar since it is basically a Coming of Age film featuring a group of young males in high school. Well, I finally watched and I'm not surprised that I didn't think much of it. It's definitely a one-viewing film, for me. The jokes are not that funny, to me, and while the shenanigans that take place are all based on real-life events that happened in the early 1950s, something just doesn't feel right. Too much of the 1980s is leaking into the story and filming, maybe. Anyway, glad I watched but probably won't again.

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Prince of Foxes

Prince of Foxes (Henry King, 1949)

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Rating: Q=7, P=5 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Action, War/Intrigue, Renaissance

A beautiful film set in 1500 Italy--done completely on location at the sites of the story. What a feat! The acting here is wonderful and somewhat overlooked, I feel--Orson Welles, Tyrone Power, Wanda Hendrix, and Everett Sloane. All had great performances with such an inspiring background to work in. This story of man caught in the world of Cesare Borgia is intense and full of intrigue and wickedness and redemption. Worth watching!

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The Sea Hawk

The Sea Hawk (1940)

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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Action, Swashbuckling, War/Intrigue, Late Renaissance

I'm not sure how I managed to go for so long without having seen this classic film. I have always loved Errol Flynn and the dashing hero character of the late 1930s through WWII that he helped create and popularize. Captain Thorpe is the seafaring Robin Hood and he simply oozes charm. His crew all love him from the moment they meet him and would happily die for him. The sets in The Sea Hawk are incredible and stunning, especially today when so many action films rely on CGI. I loved the adventure and intrigue of this story, the acting, and the time period. An inspiring film.

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