Casablanca

Pros: Everything!
Cons: That would be a no!

26 November 1942, a day that probably means nothing to no-one (unless of course you happen to have been born on that particular day, but it will mean nothing to most other people) yet it's a day that should go down in history as the birth of a ...

Pros: Only the most important things: story and acting.
Cons: The hype might keep you away from it as long as it did me.

Casablanca is one of the usual suspects. You know what I mean. The Battleship Potemkin, Metropolis, Citizen Kane, Seven Samurai, North by Northwest, 2001: A Space Odyssey. You know the type, the films ...

Pros: Too many to mention here
Cons: If you find one, let me know

"Casablanca" is one of the most beloved films in the history of cinema. Every key player in this Oscar-winning picture of 1943 is remembered for their part in this unforgettable film. Some people have seen this film so many times, they know every word...

Pros: Everything.
Cons: Nothing...not even that costuming gaffe.

(To the reader: This review is about the original MGM DVD release and NOT about the 2-disc edition released by Warner Home Video in 2003.) Casablanca! The very name conjures up an exotic mix of adventure, intrigue, heroism, selfless sacrifice, and ...

Pros: great lines, tight direction, great performances, compelling story
Cons: melodrama, one flashback too many

Captain Renault: What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca? Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters. Captain Renault: The waters? What waters? We're in the desert. Rick: I was misinformed. Major Strasser: Are you one of ...

Pros: An absolute gem!
Cons: None

A film which many critics consider the finest in history is Director Michael Curtiz' "Casablanca". I happen to think it is right on up there, although I've never pinned myself down to a formal ranking of my very, very favorites. The ...

Pros: Everything, especially the marvelous screenplay and the timeless tune
Cons: Umm...don't watch the colorized version?

Maybe not the best film ever made, but definitely in the top five (according to yours truly), Michael Curtiz's wartime masterpiece satisfies on all level and clicks on all cylinders. It is a film often overlooked for its suspense while the focus...

Pros: It has nearly everything most people want in a movie.
Cons: It hurts a little, but it's a good hurt.

It is fairly easy to pick the worst movie ever made; a lot of people are in agreement that this egregious honor goes to Plan 9 from Outer Space. A task much harder is to pick the best movie ever made. There are many contenders ...

Pros: Considered one of the cinematic greats...
Cons: ...but to 2004 eyes it'll be ever so dated.

Continuing the tireless struggle of Catching Up With Movies I Should Have Seen By 21, I snuggled up with my paramour (if one's teddy bear can be considered a paramour and why not I say) to sit down and watch the DVD of Casablanca. Directed by ...

Pros: A mythical classic, a movie which comes up often in conversations
Cons: Lower your expectations dramatically, and you might like it!

Until last week, I was one of the few Americans who had not seen the cult movie "Casablanca". Well, I had seen some famous scenes here and there, but never the whole thing. This time I decided to rent the DVD and try to figure out what makes this movie ...

Pros: As close to perfect as Hollywood gets, everything came together like a dream on this movie: direction, writing, music, cinematography and--of course--a first-rate cast
Cons: One or two lines of sappy dialogue--but ONLY one or two!

On January 6, 1942, screenwriter Robert Buckner sent a memo to Hal Wallis, the legendary producer at Warner Brothers studios regarding a play he’d just read: “Dear Hal, I don’t believe the story or the characters. Its main situations and the basic...

Pros: Direction, Script, Cinematography, Editing, Music, Cast.
Cons: None.

Among considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, Casablanca is always mentioned in the list of great films. The story of an American expatriate who is torn in helping the woman he loves while wanting to free her Resistance leader ...

Pros: beautiful lighting, movie's ending is very satisfying
Cons: Nazi's could have been made to look more evil.

Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest movies of all time. Currently ranked #2 on the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies. (Citizen Kane, produced one year earlier in 1941, is ranked at the top of the...

Pros: This is simply one of Hollywood's greatest achievements. Ever.
Cons: Not much (aside from Lauren Bacall's face in the documentary. YIKES.)

Rick: Who are you really, and what were you before? What did you do, and what did you think, huh?

Ilsa: We said no questions.

Rick: Here’s looking at you, kid.



The other night I was feeling a bit...

Pros: Excellent acting, Interesting characters, Decent plot, Exceptional sense of time and place.
Cons: Hard to find any, actually, none.

I'm not a fan or old movies. In fact, I have an antipathy toward most old movies. It's not the lack of technology or even the lack of sophistication of cinematography that gets to me. Usually, it's the writing. There are a lot of terrible movies from the ...