Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

JohnHowardReid Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy (themselves), Edgar Kennedy (the cop), Dorothy Coburn (the nurse), Sam Lufkin (the home owner).Director: CLYDE BRUCKMAN. Supervising director: Leo McCarey. Titles: H.M. Walker. Photography: George Stevens. Film editor: Richard Currier. Producer: Hal Roach.Copyright 25 February 1928 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp. A Hal Roach Studios Production. U.S. release: 25 February 1928. 2 reels. COMMENT: Yes, a delightfully entertaining if not exactly over-original Laurel and Hardy entry, which finds the boys playing incompetent house-builders who contrive to swallow (as well as tread on) nails and other sundries, as well as to naturally fall off planks and ladders at every opportunity. However, all the gags and "unintentional" horseplay are, as usual, very cleverly built up, and the delightful slapstick mayhem is cleverly accentuated by the casting of the diminutively attractive Dorothy Coburn as the feisty nurse.

JohnWelles "The Finishing Touch" (1928), a Laurel and Hardy short made in their last full year of silents, is a damn well near perfect comedy two-reeler, one of their best silents, only bettered by their "The Battle of the Century" (1927) and "Big Business" (1929).The plot is simple enough: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are hired to put "the finishing touch" to a newly constructed house. But around this simple story, the duo perform a series of brilliant slapstick gags that show why they were the best comedy double act ever. The end, with the destruction of the house after a fight with a policeman played by Edgar Kennedy, one of the most memorable of the Laurel and Hardy supporting cast who also had a small (if important) role in the Marx Brother's "Duck Soup" (1933), no doubt inspired the obliteration of the boat at the end of Laurel and Hardy's "Towed in a Hole" (1932)."The Finishing Touch" (1928) is a brilliant silent short that will be enjoyed as much by Laurel and Hardy enthusiasts as by connoisseurs of great comedy.

Michael_Elliott Finishing Touch, The (1928) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Laurel and Hardy play finishers who are offered an extra $500 if they can finish a house in one day. The boys set out to make the extra money but soon a nurse (Dorothy Coburn) and a cop (Edgar Kennedy) start getting in their way. This silent short is a rather mixed bag as it features a lot of funny moments but the comedy isn't really ever hysterical but instead just mild laughs. The majority of the film goes for slapstick comedy, which includes Hardy stepping on nails, Laurel tripping over boards and that type of stuff. The cop of course plays the rival to the boys who keeps getting caught up in their madness and taking most of the abuse. Kennedy is quite good in his role but it's actually Coburn who steals the film when she decides to beat up the boys because of how much noise they're making.

Boba_Fett1138 "The Finishing Touch" is a mostly at one location set movie. Because of this the movie hasn't got to concentrate on the story but can concentrate on the slapstick moments and humor instead.This time the boys are building an house. But of course everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. And instead of constructors they are are more slowly turning into demolition men.This is a silent movie, so the movie entirely focuses and relies on its slapstick moments, rather than the dialog or storyline. So fans of simple slapstick humor will find plenty to enjoy in this Laurel & Hardy short.I for one, however do not regard this movie as a totally successful one. Not all of the comical moments work out hilarious, at least not in the way they could have had and because of that the movie is entirely set on one location, the humor is just too much of the same at times.Does have its moments but definitely not the best- and one of the more forgettable Laurel & Hardy silent shorts.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/