Just before the corona virus shut down movie theatres, I managed to view nine new releases, and since then I've started viewing a lot of stuff on DVD. Here we go.
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE-----This austere French language film is set on a nearly uninhabited island in a grand house nearly one hundred years ago, where a female artist has been employed to paint a portrait of a soon to be married young woman. Her mother is setting up this marriage, sight unseen, and wants to send the painting to the bridegroom to impress him of her daughter's physical beauty. The artist cannot let the daughter know she is painting her, so pretending to be a companion, she must return to her room in the evening and paint her by memory. The hostile bride to be soon warms to her new friend and slowly an intimate relationship grows between them, inspired, no doubt, by the painter's efforts to memorize her face and to interpret the bride's manners. The film creates tension and mystery as the two leads befriend the servant girl with her own problems, and their relationship becomes structured by the time frame (less than two weeks) and the painful realization that their sexual encounters will end after the painting is done. There is not a lot of plot here, but beautiful scenery and sexual tension and a splendid final scene, along with committed performances by all concerned make this film memorable and personally involving. GRADE------------A-
EMMA.--Yet another version of the Jane Austin novel, with a period after her name in the title--I don't know why. The story gets off to a slow start, albeit with a startling scene of the leading man in the nude, and being dressed by his dresser, which according to an article by the debut Autumn de Wilde director, was to objectify the male form. Whatever. The film does begin to gain interest and power as it stylishly progresses, leading to the climatic scene where Emma innocently (?) insults one of her oldest and most faithful friends. Fortunately, the film has some lively and amusing moments, inspired by a strong cast of British actors, including Bill Nighy, Rupert Graves, Miranda Hart , Josh O'Conner, and lead newcomers, Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn.
GRADE-- B+
THE WAY BACK---I wasn't too excited to see another film of a slacker basketball high school team come from the bottom league to the top of the ratings, but fortunately, the film focuses instead on the comeback of the has been star basketball player from 20 years earlier--a man with a lot of sorrow in his adult life which we slowly get to realize in flashback/back story. He has since lost his family and many friends and become a sorry alcoholic, which brings him to a low point in his life. Miraculously, he is offered the basketball coaching job at his alma mater, but his low self esteem threatens his new found career. I felt this was a personal story of actor Ben Afflect's life of late--the gossip magazines have story after story of his drinking and drug problems, and his divorce from Jennifer Garner. I think this story hits close to the bone for him, and for me as a viewer, and I appreciated the rawness of emotion he brings to the role. By the end I was quite affected. GRADE---------B+
THE INVISIBLE MAN--This is a modern remake of the old science fiction story, but updated and switched to feature the point of view of an abused wife, who begins to suspect that her recently deceased tech genius husband who committed suicide may have found a way to harass her from the grave. The suspense is palpable, and Elisabeth Moss is a convincing and effective presence who grabs our sympathies, even during some shocking and disturbing moments. GRADE---B
SEBERG---2019----Kristin Stewart shines in this bio-pic of Jean Seberg, who made her name as a French new age actress in films like BREATHLESS, ST.JOAN, LILITH and PAINT YOUR WAGON but when she moved to the USA she became the subject of an FBI investigation because of her political, personal and financial relationship to the Black Panthers. The investigation caused her some major psychological damage, and she lost a baby, which upset her even more. The film is low key and subtle when it might benefit from some glamour and/or sensationalism, but it is a solid effort, especially for those who know nothing of her as an actor. Also featuring Vince Vaughn, Jack O'Connell and Anthony Mackie. GRADE---------B
HOPE GAP---The last film I saw before theatres closed, this small British drama features Bill Nighy, Annette Benning and Josh O'Conner in what seemed like a filmed theatrical production. I'm not sure I could recommend this to just any one, but the story of a couple who've been together for 30 years and are now divorcing, putting their son in the middle of their conflict has some sharp lines of dialogue and some striking moments. Benning gets to play the betrayed wife in a shrewish manner, and she doesn't get much sympathy--you can understand why Nighy has left, and O'Conner does his best to balance his position as middle man. GRADE----B
THE GENTLEMEN--Written and directed by Guy Ritchie in his usual stylish and brutal manner, and featuring an impressive cast including Matthew McConaughy, Hugh Grant, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farrell, Henry Golding and Jeremy Strong, this story of modern day gangsters in London fighting over a cannabis empire is mostly a joy to watch even though we've seen this type of story before. GRADE-------B-
THE PHOTOGRAPH--The film lurches back and forth in time to tell the slightly convoluted story of a female photographer who refuses to marry and takes her young daughter to New York City to make her own way. The daughter's story as an adult is to figure out why this all happened, and the truth is not as interesting as her adult relationship is, but that isn't much, either. Sort of dull. GRADE--------------C+
HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY--(also known as BIRDS OF PREY: THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) This film changed the title several times from production to opening week, but I think this is the main one at this time. The chaotic cartoonish film tells of the ex-girlfriend of the Joker who decides to be a bad girl--she runs around consorting with gangsters, cops and some nice people, trying to make money for herself, whether legal or not. Unfortunately not much makes sense and there is a lot of fighting, running, shooting and shouting, and I'm guessing about 50 scenes of men being kicked in the testicles by Quinn-and others-after the first half dozen the novelty is lost. At times a tiresome film but I wasn't completely bored as sometimes the action or the actors provided some laughs. These actors include Margot Robbie as Quinn, Rosie Perez, Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Chris Messina. GRADE----------------------------C+
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Viewed on DVD or TV/Netflix, Prime, etc.
TIME LOCK--1957----Here's a nifty, small b/w film noir British feature about a bank employee's young son who is accidentally locked into a bank vault with only a few hours of oxygen and the desperate attempt to break into the vault to save him. Directed by Gerald Thomas who made 30 of the CARRY ON films, and featuring a young Sean Connery in a small early role as a man who tries to open the safe with a torch. GRADE--------B+
INTERRUPTED JOURNEY--1949--A man running off with his mistress changes his mind, pulls the emergency brake on a train and returns home. The train is later involved in a crash and his mistress dies, but it is later discovered that she had been murdered prior to the crash, and he is the prime suspect. The clever suspenseful story is sadly marred by an unbelievable, bad ending. Richard Todd and Valerie Hobson star, in b/w British film. GRADE-------B+
TIME IS MY ENEMY--1954-- A small time crook (Brit Dennis Price), thought dead for years, returns to blackmail his wife, now married to another man. This clever b/w film builds some suspense when murder enters the plot. GRADE----------------B
SORRY, WRONG NUMBER--1948--This stylish b/w film noir features a strong role for Barbara Stanwyck as a handicapped woman unable to walk, who overhears on the phone a murder plot, and she tries to alert various police, doctors, friends about what she heard before the murder can take place, but she has no names or information. Her husband is out of town and she can't reach him either. She ends up reaching an old friend who was competing with her for her husband many years ago, and is told of a suspicious plot involving her husband. There is a lot of backstory and plotting for what was originally a radio and stage story, and the flashbacks make her very anxious. I thought I'd seen this movie before, but I remembered nothing from it and was held captive through the whole film. The film builds suspense, and has a shocking but not unexpected ending. GRADE-----------------B+
LAST SUNSET--1961--This western from director Robert Aldrich, stars Rock Hudson trying to bring a murderer to justice, Kirk Douglas as the killer who long ago dated Dorothy Malone and tries to woo her again, and Joseph Cotten as Malone's meek husband. They all end up on a cattle drive, beset by thieves and Indians, and of course Malone and Cotten have a lovely daughter who looks a lot like her mother, and Douglas may not care who he ends up with. It's a decent, suspenseful, colorful film, with a surprise (but not to me) ending. GRADE-------B
A HOME OF OUR OWN--1993--Single spunky, poor mom Kathy Bates has 5 children from man who died young. She takes off from California to start again, and ends up in a small Idaho town, and moves into an unfinished shack, owned by a lonely widower, who helps her get started with a new life. The film is tougher, more hard edged than you might think--she accepts NO charity, and won't put up with any cheating or abuse from the many men who come around, and treats her own children harshly at times. But I think Bates is a resourceful, creative actor, and she makes this film well worth seeing. GRADE------------B
CLUELESS--1995--After seeing EMMA. (above) we watched this modern comic remake of the same story, with Alicia Silverspoon in the Emma role-a rich high school girl who tries to do matchmaking, but is not very good at making the right connections. The wonderful cast includes the remarkable Brittany Murphy (who died too young), Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Dan Hedaya, Wallace Shawn and many others. GRADE-------------B
JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN-2018--This silly, idiotic spy thriller comedy spoof features Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, Emma Thompson and Olga Kurylenco and all I can say is I laughed myself silly through most of the film, even though some jokes don't stick. At least they tried. I went in with zero expectations and had the best time in a long time watching this idiotic slapstick feature---I give it my guilty pleasure award of the month (or maybe year at this rate.)
GRADE--------------B-
KOSH BOY--1953--This minor but effective b/w British film noir is about a group of teenage delinquents, who rob old women on the street. They are sentenced to a boys club, but use the club as a base for other more criminal operations, including robbery, rape and attempted murder. The leader feels threatened when his single mother wants to marry a civic leader. Joan Collins has an early role as a young pregnant girl. GRADE---------------B-
VICIOUS CIRCLE--1957--John Mills plays a doctor who finds a dead woman in his apartment, and must solve this mystery his self when the police seem unable to help. Willfrid Hyde-Whie and Lionel Jeffries also star in this b/w British film noir, that becomes increasingly convoluted as it goes along, but there are some surprises. GRADE-------------------B-
The five British Noir II above, were featured in this box set from KINO Classics.
LADY OF BURLESQUE---1943--This rather lame comedy/mystery features Barbara Stanwyck as a burlesque player teamed up with Michael O'Shea who plays a clown, but someone is killing off strippers with their own g-string! Based on a book by well known strip tease artist Gypsy Rose Lee and directed by William Wellman this wierd film seems an odd choice for Stanwyck, who at this point in her career was one of the highest paid actresses around, and had been nominated for Oacars in 1937's Stella Dallas and 1941's Ball of Fire. She does have her moments with some snappy dialogue and smart, if tiresome repartee with O'Shea, but otherwise this slow film doesn't generate much heat, mystery or laughs. Several dull scenes involved the several dozen characters gathering in a room in the theater with police while they discuss where everyone was during the murders. Disappointing. Available on YOU -TUBE or PRIME. GRADE -------C+
THE PALE HORSE---2019----This film based on a popular Agatha Christie novel (but apparently changed quite dramatically) left me cold. The film is a supernatural story dealing with witches, dreams, fantasy, weird customs, creepy towns people--stuff I don't really like in my murder mysteries. There are some creepy moments, but for me the supernatural element is a cheat for the mystery aspect. Available on Amazon Prime and streaming. GRADE------------------C+
CAUSE FOR ALARM--1951--This modest b/w thriller features Loretta Young as a young wife whose invalid husband (Barry Sullivan) thinks she is out to kill him. He mails out a false claim letter to the district attorney, then suddenly dies, leaving the anxious wife desparate to get back the recently mailed letter. It's a simple setup, and Young is effective in the role, generating enough sympathy to keep us involved. Still, it's a minor film, soon forgotten. GRADE----C+
THE GOLDEN BLADE--1953- This splashy colorful adventure features Rock Hudson and Piper Laurie in a mixture of 1000 Arabian Nights and Sword in the Stone and is early Hudson. Easy to watch but not too memorable, as Hudson finds a magic sword only he can wield.
GRADE-----------C+
DON'T MAKE WAVES--1967--I remembered some positive reviews for this beach movie, but the only two scenes that I though were any good were the opening scene where Tony Curtis loses all his belongings and his car because Claudia Cardinale is a klutz, and the final scene which features a spectacular beach house on a cliff slowly sliding and rolling down to the beach during a heavy rain storm filled with a half dozen main characters. Otherwise the comedy is lame and forced, but it was interesting seeing the Muscle Beach where the film is set, and the cast features Robert Webber, Joanna Barnes, bodybuilder David Draper and introduces Sharon Tate, who was killed 2 years later by the Charles Manson gang. She is a show stopper in this film. GRADE-----C
SPIRIAL ROAD---1962--The film starts off well--Rock Hudson plays an idealistic Dutch doctor
who travels to the jungles of Java to meet his idol, a doctor played by Burl Ives, but resists the Christianity that Ives endorses as he helps and fights heathens, lepers, poverty and voodoo. Gena Rowlands plays his faithful wife. Unfortunately, the film is about one hour too long, and moves at a snails pace, and becomes too involved with the mysteries of voodoo. The director Robert Mulligan also released his hightly acclaimed drama TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD the same year--the irony being that his best film and worst filmed competed with each other, with MOCKINGBIRD winning all the awards, thankfully and obviously. This film has become forgotten, and for good reason. The production values are good, as are the actors, but I never want to sit through this again. GRADE----------------C
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