Buddy Buddy (1981)

 

During a high profile Mafia testimony case in California's Riverside County, a hired killer checks into a hotel room near the courthouse, while his depressed next-door neighbor wants to commit suicide due to marital problems.

From memory: Although this remake of L'emmerdeur is directed by Billy Wilder and presents the otherwise always irrepressible Matthau/Lemmon team, it's a tired and disappointingly unfunny comedy; even Klaus Kinski in a supporting role as an unsympathetic doctor can't help enliven the story.

Halliwell (no star): "Painful remake of the French L'Emmerdeur...Lugubriously funny at times, but generally much less attractive than the original." 

Maltin***: "Modest black comedy...A simple farce, played to perfection by Lemmon and Matthau..."

Califormia Suite (1978)

 

Misadventures of four groups of guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

From memory: Similar to the previous Plaza Suite (1971), but set in L.A. instead of N.Y.C., this episodic comedy is fast-paced and witty, with some good performances, especially by Jane Fonda, but otherwise it's not much more than some simple entertainment.

Halliwell*: "Two hits, two misses; closer intercutting might have helped. No doubt that Maggie Smith and Michael Caine come off best, with bitcheries about the Academy Awards."

Maltin***: "Oscar-winning Smith and husband Caine...come off best; Pryor and Cosby...are the worst. Pleasant time-filler..." 

Plaza Suite (1971)

 

Three vignettes, each set in room 719 of New York's Plaza Hotel, make up this comedy.

From memory:​ I saw this movie for the first time at the Radio City Music Hall in NYC in 1971, complete with a Rockettes performance before the screening, days before we emigrated to Germany via ship. At the time I thought this comedy was hilarious and entertaining, However, years later, I saw it again, and the comedy was rather flat, the episodes continuously less funny and relying more and more on rough slapstick moments.

Halliwell*: "A highly theatrical entertainment which was bound to seem flattened on the screen, but emerges with at least some of its laughs intact."

Maltin***: "One of Neil Simon's funniest comedies well adapted to screen. Best one is the last [episode]..." 

 

Gangster Story (1959)

A bankrobber escapes from prison and then goes robbing banks.

Low-budget crime drama, Walter Matthau's only attempt at directing, is quite a lackluster affair with some quite wooden performances - with the exception of his own role.

Maltin*1/2: "Matthau's lone film as director is a low-quality, ultra-low-budget chronicle..."

Earthquake (1974)

Various stories of various people as an earthquake of un-imaginable magnitude hits Los Angeles.

Risible and bad disaster movie, the advertised "Sensurround" sound probably installed to drown out the ridiculous 'special effects'.

On renewed viewing: pretty bad, trashy entertainment.

Halliwell*: "Dreary drama with very variable special effects, gimmicked up by Sensurround. A box-office bonanza."

Maltin BOMB: "...hackneyed disaster epic..."

Mirage (1965)

A New York City man suffers amnesia. He soon learns that he's mixed up in a life-and-death situation, but what exactly is it?

Hitchcock-inspired mystery of identity loss has a silly plot, but is superbly staged with uncanny sense for mise-en-scène.

Halliwell**: "Striking puzzler, rather slowly developed but generally effective and with a strong sense of place and timing."

Maltin***: "Fine Hitchcock-like thriller...Matthau steals film as easygoing private-eye; interesting on-location footage in N.Y.C."

The Odd Couple (1968)

Two friends try sharing an apartment, but their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day.

A classic, if not perfect comedy,  an ideal showcase for the two stars, it's still highly entertaining as ever, and way superior to most present day comedies.

On rewatching: Always an entertaining viewing.

Halliwell**: "Straight filming of a funny play which sometimes seems lost on the wide screen, but the performances are fine."

Maltin***: "Lemmon's realistic performance makes character melancholy instead of funny; other surefire comic sequences remain intact."

The Fortune Cookie (1966)

A crooked lawyer persuades his brother-in-law to feign a serious injury.

Typically black Billy Wilder comedy outstays its welcome a bit, but the star duo Lemmon-Matthau is worth the watch.

Halliwell*: "Flat, stretched-out, only occasionally effective comedy which relies too much on mordant attitudes and a single star performance."

Maltin***: "Biting Wilder comedy...Matthau's Oscar-winning performance hits home."

The Odd Couple (1968)

Two friends try sharing an apartment, but their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day.

A classic, if not perfect comedy,  an ideal showcase for the two stars, it's still highly entertaining as ever, and way superior to most present day comedies.




On renewed viewing: still as enjoyable as I remember it.

Halliwell**: "Straight filming of a funny play which sometimes seems lost on the wide screen, but the performances are fine."

Maltin***: "Lemmon's realistic performance makes character melancholy instead of funny; other surefire comic sequences remain intact."

The Odd Couple (1968)

Two friends try sharing an apartment, but their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day.

A classic, if not perfect comedy,  an ideal showcase for the two stars, it's still highly entertaining as ever, and way superior to most present day comedies.

Halliwell**: "Straight filming of a funny play which sometimes seems lost on the wide screen, but the performances are fine."

Maltin***: "Lemmon's realistic performance makes character melancholy instead of funny; other surefire comic sequences remain intact."

A New Leaf (1971)

A playboy squanders his wealth and must seek out a new source to maintain his idle rich lifestyle, and the easy way is to find a rich woman, marry her, and murder her.

Likable light comedy with an - as always- excellent Walter Matthau, but leisurely paced and with a somewhat abrupt ending.

Halliwell*: "Agreeably mordant comedy which sparkles in patches rather than as a whole."

Maltin**1/2: "Amusing comedy...Many funny moments, and May is terrific, but it's wildly uneven."

Casey's Shadow (1978)

Casey is a young boy in a family that trains racehorses, and his best friend is a foal they call "Casey's Shadow".

I remember: this is a well-made family entertainment, if you like horses; and Walter Matthau is always worth the watch.

Halliwell (no star): "Shades of Maryland: an old-fashioned movie of the kind which absolutely nobody should want to revive, at least not so ineplty or at such length."

Maltin**1/2: "Generally satisfactory drama..."