The producers of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR are on to a good thing, and they have been since the first CAPTAIN AMERICA film--namely Chris Evans as the lead, an all-American (white) look with plenty of old fashioned values of loyalty, country and apple pie. This version is expanded by including most of the Marvel cartoon characters including Iron Man, Black Widow, Falcon, Hawkeye, Vision and others, and adding some newer characters, including Ant Man, and Scarlet Witch both have just recently been added in films from last year. (Robert Downey Jr. Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Olsen, respectively.) But two new characters are introduced in this film: Chadwich Boseman plays Black Panther and Tom Holland plays a newly rebooted Spider Man, and both are quite impressive, both as characters and actors. The death and destruction caused by these superheros has caused world outrage, and a majority of countries want to reign in their activities, which divides the Avengers somewhat equally for and against the world resolution. When a nefarious evil plot is discovered by Captain America, but not believed by Iron Man, there is a wild, violent and funny fight between the two factions. At least this fighting was logical (and somewhat amusing.) In the earlier film this spring BATMAN VS SUPERMAN, there is little believability in their hostility and the film becomes a boring slug fest. Even though Capt. America is nearly 2 1/2 hours, the time seems to fly by, with much humor, action, and some diverting thought provoking dilemmas. GRADE----------B+
VIEWED ON DVD-----------------------
ELMER GANTRY--1960--Burt Lancaster is such a powerhouse in ELMER GANTRY that it is hard to get that character out of your mind. I hadn't seen this for 30 years or more, and thought I remembered it well, but the drama plays out in ways I'd forgotten. What I hadn't forgotten was the grinning hustling forceful character that Lancaster plays, and he won his only Oscar for that role, although he was nominated three more times (FROM HERE TO ETERNITY 1953, BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ 1962 and ATLANTIC CITY 1980) Also effective is the cheery, sexy, sympathetic prostitute portrayed by Shirley Jones, who won the supporting Oscar that year, beating out Janet Leigh in PSYCHO! The story of a fast talking con man who tries to convince Jean Simmons that he can effectively preach her religion to warm up the revival-tent crowds, is a stinging portrayal of religious fervor, and has many remarkable scenes. The film also won for best screenplay based on another medium. GRADE-----------A-
BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ--1962--I remembered watching this on TV with my grandfather in the late 1960's, and being fascinated by the story of a man imprisoned for life who finds friendship and purpose with caring for birds that come into his solitary cell. What I forgot is that all his bird activities were in the prison in Leavenworth Kansas, and by the time he is transferred to Alcatraz, birds (and indeed other pets) were no longer allowed for prisoners. That fact in NO WAY diminishes the engaging story or the stunningly low key portrayal of the murderer Burt Lancaster plays. Of course, after watching the film I did some research on the real Robert Stroud, and realized that the script was softened somewhat--since the real Stroud was a pimp who murders a man for interfering with one of his girls, and one of the main reasons for continual solitary confinement was that he was "a violent, aggressive homosexual" who was always in trouble with other inmates. Still Burt Lancaster was/is an amazing actor who has a long series of fine films to his credit, including LOCAL HERO 1983, AIRPORT 1970, SWIMMER 1968, THE PROFESSIONALS 1966, JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG 1961, SEPARATE TABLES 1958, CRIMSON PIRATE 1952, ETC........ Incredibly, some of the films that he TURNED DOWN were RED RIVER 1948, BEN HUR 1959, THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD 1965, PATTON 1970, the DIRTY HARRY series 1971, and most incredibly, STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE 1951!!!!!!!! He lobbied for THE GODFATHER (1974) with no luck, and held rights to KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN 1985 but a heart attack prevented him from playing the role William Hurt won his Oscar for. GRADE-------B+
SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Screenings May 9th--12th
SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU--USA--Surprisingly charming story of what might have happened on the first date that Barack Obama had with his future wife Michelle, 17 years before they became President and First Lady. Crowd pleaser, and not politically partisan in the slightest. GRADE----A-
MIDSUMMER IN NEWTOWN--USA--Documentary about group of theatre professionals who come to Sandy Hook town of Newtown one year after the "event" where two dozen children and teachers were killed, to put on a musical version of Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMERS NIGHT DREAM. Interviews with parents, kids, teachers are interspersed with scenes of the play, where most of the roles are preformed by actual students. Expect happy tears through most of this moving, hopeful. exhilarating film........ GRADE-------A-
SONITA--Iran-- A young teen is being forced to marry (for money so her brother can afford to marry his girl) by her mother. The Afghan teen is living in Iran, and the film maker is trying to film her attempt to become a rapper, and she asks the director to pay off her mother so she doesn't have to be married! When she makes a popular protest rap song condemning forced marriages, she gets an opportunity of a scholarship, but can she get back to Afghanistan to get her legal birth certificate, a passport and a visa, without her mother "kidnapping her" into marriage!!!!!! This documentary has a lot of built in tension, and it also raises a lot of questions, but it is always engrossing. GRADE-----B+
THE IF PROJECT--USA-- A compassionate police woman becomes involved in a writing program for female inmates, specifically, what IF things had been different in their lives before being arrested. Locally filmed in Northwest Washington, the film profiles several offenders and follows their efforts to change their lives. (Think ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK without the bitchiness, violence and sex.) GRADE--------B
SUNSET SONG--U.K.--Set in rural Scotland before WWI, film follows young woman trying to escape the dreary farming life and her abusive father. Filled with beautiful, sparse photography, and lovely acting, the leisurely film gets a bit long in the tooth, but thankfully has subtitles so that we can hear all the dialogue. GRADE--------B
TANNA--Australia-- Beautifully photographed film, set on the island nation of Vanuatu, this is a simple story--a remake of ROMEO AND JULIET set amongst two tribes in the jungle.
MICROBE AND GASOLINE--France--New Michel Gondry film (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF SPOTLESS MIND 2004 and SCIENCE OF SLEEP 2006) is charming if inconsequential story of friendship between two young teen boys who set out on a road trip through France. GRADE------B-
CLOSET MONSTER--Canada--Young teen into monster make up and photography has teen girl best friend, and questions his sexuality. Film suffers in comparison to SLASH (see last week) which is much much more effective and funny. This film is a nice try, but busy camera and editing distract from the emotional involvement, and a steel rod is a gruesome, bloody symbol of sodomy in several scenes. GRADE----------B-
THE VIOLIN TEACHER--Brazil--Brilliant violinist loses his nerve when he tries out for national symphony, and takes a job teaching poor kids in the ghetto of Sao Paulo, changing his life and that of his students. The film is technically well made and full of music, but we have seen this scenario dozens of times before--the exotic setting of Brazil helps but the story is predictable. GRADE-----B-
THE LURE--Poland--Horror, fantasy, musical film about deadly mermaids who come ashore looking for love and feasting on humans. The first 30 minutes works best as the set up becomes bizarrely creepy and sexy, but soon the plot becomes chaotic and dull, and you are left with a giant empty feeling of W.T.F did I just watch. GRADE-------C+
THE OLIVE TREE---Spain/Germany--Spoiled, selfish young woman in major self-denial, lies to her uncle and (ex?) boyfriend to "borrow" a truck to travel from Italy to German to pick up a giant olive tree that the family sold years before because she thinks it will help her ailing grandfather's health. This film starts with a lie, and she builds on the lies through most of the film. I hate movies where the whole plot is based on a lie. She needs to be horsewhipped, but film takes a sentimental, idiotic, maddening (for me) approach. Many seemed to like this, so I was in the minority on this one. GRADE----------C
ZOOM--Canada/Brazil--Fantasy film, partly animated, but totally stupid, has human model maker obsessed with the smallness of her breasts, getting stupidly involved in drug smuggling, while cartoon actor/director discovers his penis has shrunk (no, really) causing him to lose his artistic edge, plus other illogical and dull story tangents, all intertwined only to discover that........it's all only a (nightmare) dream. Who ever wrote this P.O.S probably was on an alcoholic bender for the week. Last time that happened to me was in college, and the next morning I read what I wrote and burned it. Perhaps the film can be recommended to 13 year old boys, but surely there are better films for them. (Those that liked this film agreed with me on the last three sentences!) GRADE-----D
I'd recommend any of the above films rated B- or better. Please see SIFF.NET or paper booklets for schedule information.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Sunday, May 8, 2016
SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (SIFF) Press Screenings have begun. Highlights so far......HOW MOST THINGS WORK, SLASH, PRESENTING PRINCESS SHAW, and INDIGNATION
Since I'll be seeing three press screenings a day in general plus more when the festival begins, I'm going to start blogging twice a week through the end of SIFF. I might not have a lot to say about each film, but will try to say more throughout the year as they open in the Seattle area. Here's what I saw May 4-6, in order of preference. Check SIFF.net or the catalogue for showtimes.
INDIGNATION--USA--Writer and/or producer of many Ang Lee films (including CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, THE HULK, EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN, THE WEDDING BANQUET) and other independent productions, James Schamus has now jumped into the director chair, as well as written the screenplay based on the Philip Roth novel INDIGNATION. There are at least three or more extended sequences (about 20 minutes each in length) that are as breathlessly lucid as anything you will see at the movies this year. This is an incredibly well made, well written, well acted film--so intense, funny, sad. It follows a very independent-minded college student during his first year at college in the early 1950's, and it deals very directly with guilt----sexual, Jewish, parental, intellectual , religious GUILT. GRADE-------A
PRESENTING PRINCESS SHAW--USA/ISRAEL- It may not have the technical skill that some documentaries possess, but this is the ultimate CROWD PLEASER--a true life fairy tale about a poor black woman from New Orleans whose YouTube films with singing and talking are discovered by a talented Israeli music producer, who remakes these songs into popular cult status. GRADE----B+
SLASH--USA--A fifteen year old high school boy discovers online erotic fan fiction with the help of an older girl. The film is funny and perceptive. The 15 year old looks and acts just like "SAM" on the reality TV show PROJECT RUNWAY, who was recently kicked off after making the top 4. The girl looks uncannily like British pop singer KATE BUSH looked in the early 1980's with her long straight dark hair, bangs, and big dark eyes. Both actors are very fascinating. Michael Johnston and Hannah Marks are the leads, and Michael Ian Black has a crucial role later in the film. This one was a big, pleasing surprise. GRADE-----B+
HOW MOST THINGS WORK--ARGENTINA--Dream like and symbolic and lyrical, this film follows a young woman who sets out on a sales road trip after her father dies, in the hopes of making enough money to travel to Italy to visit her estranged mother. Great final scene. GRADE-----B+
CONCERTO--BEETHOVEN JOURNEY--U.K.--Crammed with music from beginning to end, this one features pianist Leif Ove Andsnes talking about the life of Beethoven and his piano concertos and inter cuts them with performances that he took on the road for four years. The photography is rather static, but his observations are enlightening and the soundtrack plays parts of Beethoven's piano concertos gloriously. GRADE-------B
HORIZONS--CUBA, SWITZERLAND--Not much dialogue in this ballet film set in Cuba, with some fascinating shots of society and architect, which follows a young want to be ballerina, a 20-something ballerina on the brink of super stardom, and a 94 year old diva who continues to teach and dance, even after loosing her eyesight! Highly recommended for ballet fans. GRADE------B-
THE LAST KING--NORWAY--Stylish, busy, bloody action film set in the 11th century, about protecting an infant, whose king father has just died, and some want the child killed for political gain. Lots of chasing through the snow on horses, sleighs and SKIS!!!!!! Serviceable film, but nothing too special. GRADE----B-
VIOLATORS--U.K.--British teen age girl in dismal housing project struggles to keep her two brothers fed and schooled amid much sexual propositioning and scamming. This is a film in desperate need of SUBTITLES---most people I talked to couldn't understand half the dialogue, and the final ending is muted because we aren't exactly sure what was said and/or resolved. GRADE-----C+
TRUMAN--SPAIN, ARGENTINA--It may have won five Goya Awards including Best Picture, but I can only assume it was a slow year for Spanish films. This leisurely, talky film is about two friends who discuss the dying wishes of one of them---money, medicine, family, doctors, what to do about the dog, etc. I'm not normally opposed to themes of death, but EVERY SINGLE TIRESOME, SENTIMENTAL SCENE features death and dying discussions. Seen it all before in better films. GRADE-----C+
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I highly recommend any film rated "B+" or better. Films rated "B" or "B-" are usually pretty good, and worth seeing if interested.
VIEWED ON DVD---------
PAINTED LADY--1997--BBC TV film (over three hours) featuring the mighty Helen Mirren in a role that allows her portray a faded 60's rock star, a private detective, a sophisticated art dealer, an obscure countess from Poland, and a connoisseur and historian of fine art!---sometimes all of these characters in a single scene. I must say in spite of some illogical moments, she pulls it off with panache, and I found the film to be fascinating in a convoluted manner. (Think Nazi's, stolen art, fake paintings, sex, undiscovered masterworks and murder all mixed up together, plus MUSIC!) I didn't realize that the film wasn't over at the end of 95 minutes---the end of the first half is terrifying and disturbing, and I sat there stunned to think that this was a grotesque version of a serial killer plot where people are randomly murdered. Fortunately the second half started about one minute later while I sat there in disbelief. I couldn't go to bed, so I watched the whole thing until 145am. This film definitely got under my skin in spite of some holes in the plot. GRADE-------B+
INDIGNATION--USA--Writer and/or producer of many Ang Lee films (including CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, THE HULK, EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN, THE WEDDING BANQUET) and other independent productions, James Schamus has now jumped into the director chair, as well as written the screenplay based on the Philip Roth novel INDIGNATION. There are at least three or more extended sequences (about 20 minutes each in length) that are as breathlessly lucid as anything you will see at the movies this year. This is an incredibly well made, well written, well acted film--so intense, funny, sad. It follows a very independent-minded college student during his first year at college in the early 1950's, and it deals very directly with guilt----sexual, Jewish, parental, intellectual , religious GUILT. GRADE-------A
PRESENTING PRINCESS SHAW--USA/ISRAEL- It may not have the technical skill that some documentaries possess, but this is the ultimate CROWD PLEASER--a true life fairy tale about a poor black woman from New Orleans whose YouTube films with singing and talking are discovered by a talented Israeli music producer, who remakes these songs into popular cult status. GRADE----B+
SLASH--USA--A fifteen year old high school boy discovers online erotic fan fiction with the help of an older girl. The film is funny and perceptive. The 15 year old looks and acts just like "SAM" on the reality TV show PROJECT RUNWAY, who was recently kicked off after making the top 4. The girl looks uncannily like British pop singer KATE BUSH looked in the early 1980's with her long straight dark hair, bangs, and big dark eyes. Both actors are very fascinating. Michael Johnston and Hannah Marks are the leads, and Michael Ian Black has a crucial role later in the film. This one was a big, pleasing surprise. GRADE-----B+
HOW MOST THINGS WORK--ARGENTINA--Dream like and symbolic and lyrical, this film follows a young woman who sets out on a sales road trip after her father dies, in the hopes of making enough money to travel to Italy to visit her estranged mother. Great final scene. GRADE-----B+
CONCERTO--BEETHOVEN JOURNEY--U.K.--Crammed with music from beginning to end, this one features pianist Leif Ove Andsnes talking about the life of Beethoven and his piano concertos and inter cuts them with performances that he took on the road for four years. The photography is rather static, but his observations are enlightening and the soundtrack plays parts of Beethoven's piano concertos gloriously. GRADE-------B
HORIZONS--CUBA, SWITZERLAND--Not much dialogue in this ballet film set in Cuba, with some fascinating shots of society and architect, which follows a young want to be ballerina, a 20-something ballerina on the brink of super stardom, and a 94 year old diva who continues to teach and dance, even after loosing her eyesight! Highly recommended for ballet fans. GRADE------B-
THE LAST KING--NORWAY--Stylish, busy, bloody action film set in the 11th century, about protecting an infant, whose king father has just died, and some want the child killed for political gain. Lots of chasing through the snow on horses, sleighs and SKIS!!!!!! Serviceable film, but nothing too special. GRADE----B-
VIOLATORS--U.K.--British teen age girl in dismal housing project struggles to keep her two brothers fed and schooled amid much sexual propositioning and scamming. This is a film in desperate need of SUBTITLES---most people I talked to couldn't understand half the dialogue, and the final ending is muted because we aren't exactly sure what was said and/or resolved. GRADE-----C+
TRUMAN--SPAIN, ARGENTINA--It may have won five Goya Awards including Best Picture, but I can only assume it was a slow year for Spanish films. This leisurely, talky film is about two friends who discuss the dying wishes of one of them---money, medicine, family, doctors, what to do about the dog, etc. I'm not normally opposed to themes of death, but EVERY SINGLE TIRESOME, SENTIMENTAL SCENE features death and dying discussions. Seen it all before in better films. GRADE-----C+
-----------------
I highly recommend any film rated "B+" or better. Films rated "B" or "B-" are usually pretty good, and worth seeing if interested.
VIEWED ON DVD---------
PAINTED LADY--1997--BBC TV film (over three hours) featuring the mighty Helen Mirren in a role that allows her portray a faded 60's rock star, a private detective, a sophisticated art dealer, an obscure countess from Poland, and a connoisseur and historian of fine art!---sometimes all of these characters in a single scene. I must say in spite of some illogical moments, she pulls it off with panache, and I found the film to be fascinating in a convoluted manner. (Think Nazi's, stolen art, fake paintings, sex, undiscovered masterworks and murder all mixed up together, plus MUSIC!) I didn't realize that the film wasn't over at the end of 95 minutes---the end of the first half is terrifying and disturbing, and I sat there stunned to think that this was a grotesque version of a serial killer plot where people are randomly murdered. Fortunately the second half started about one minute later while I sat there in disbelief. I couldn't go to bed, so I watched the whole thing until 145am. This film definitely got under my skin in spite of some holes in the plot. GRADE-------B+
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
SING STREET, THE BOSS, HOLOGRAM FOR A KING, EVERYBODY WANTS SOME, plus DOLORES CLAIBORNE, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, OLD AQUAINTANCE (Bette Davis), and I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW)-yawn!
SING STREET--For those who loved Irish director John Carney's last two musical efforts ONCE (2007) and BEGIN AGAIN (2013), then his newest SING STREET will be very satisfying indeed. Set in Ireland in the 1980's, this low budget, realistic film has the young high school kid trying to impress the beautiful mysterious girl loitering outside his school by claiming he needs her for the making of a video to accompany the music his band is recording. Trouble is, he doesn't have a band, YET. The film is musical and dramatic and very funny, and captures the teen age milieu with great sensitivity and humor. (His parents are splitting and his older brother wants to live vicariously through his musical efforts.) The ending, though a bit fantastic, is very moving, and the screening I saw had prolonged, warm applause. I enjoyed this comedy drama even more than ONCE and BEGIN AGAIN, which both had authentic and sincere musical and romantic moments. GRADE-------A-
HOLOGRAM FOR A KING--German director Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN, "3", CLOUD ATLAS, PERFUME: STORY OF A MURDERER) came into my radar in 1997 at a late 930pm SIFF screening when I was very tired and wanted to just go home to sleep, but that film WINTER SLEEPERS grabbed my attention like a potent cup of espresso. His international hit RUN LOLA RUN (1998) electrified audiences a year later, and every film since has had his creative stamp and energy to recommend it. He also creates most of the music score, giving even his oddest films a hypnotic tension. In HOLOGRAM, Tom Hanks plays a sales man in Saudi Arabia--a fish out of water, and most of the film is about his attempt to acclimate to this strange society. There's not a lot of plot, but the undercurrent of anticipation, his emotional upheavals, and his transformation makes for another hypnotic, satisfying experience. GRADE-------B+
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!--New film from Richard Linklater (last year's BOYHOOD director) comes "a spiritual sequel to (his) DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993)" reads the poster--and I wasn't so sure that was a recommendation for me, nor were the trailers. For the first 15 minutes I regretted watching what starts off as a stoner/drunken/sexist comedy drama about a group of college guys sharing a house because they are all jocks of the school's baseball team. But suddenly I got it!! Linklater directs with a light as a feather touch, as the guys interact, connect with each other, party, philosophize, play jokes, swear, try to out macho each other, and drink and smoke weed for the weekend before classes begin, and I began to laugh and connect with each character. I'm not sure each character can really be so eloquent in their speech as Linklater writes, but there was a certain brilliance in the effort that cannot be ignored. GRADE-----------B+
THE BOSS----The new gross out comedy with Melissa McCarthy just proves that she is the queen of mean if she wants to be, and still be pretty funny. Unlike some R rated comedies of late, at least McCarthy nails the laugh or joke, and in spite of a script that falls apart by the end (co-written and directed by her husband Ben Falcone) THE BOSS is mildly entertaining if you can stomach the vulgarities. GRADE------B-
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The following films were viewed on DVD
DOLORES CLAIBORNE 1995------One of my favorite guilty pleasures of the 1990's, this film holds up remarkably well as a classic melodrama mystery. with a sterling cast including Kathy Bates at her peak, Jennifer Jason Leigh at her peak, and director Taylor Hackford matching his fine efforts of OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (1982), AGAINST ALL ODDS (1984) and RAY (2004). The photography is especially fine, including a sequence of startling beauty and terror as the film recreates a total eclipse of the sun in a memorable climactic scene. Based on a story by Stephen King, DOLORES CLAIBORNE is especially memorable for the sharp and sarcastic dialogue that the main characters spit out with humorous venom. One of my favorites: Dolores is being released from jail after an interrogation for murder in a small town, when two kids on bikes ride by taunting "Hey Miss Claiborne, kill anybody else today?" She snaps back "Not yet but if I change my mind I know exactly where I'm going to start...." Another favorite is repeated a couple times by different female characters: "Sometimes being a bitch is the only thing a woman has to hold on to." The plot may be an old chestnut of an abusive husband and his long suffering family, but the film is lucidly compelling entertainment. GRADE----A
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS 1974----A classy film adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel, this smart mystery earned 6 Oscar nominations, winning one for the memorably mousy characterization achieved by Ingrid Bergman. I clearly remember the "who did it", but it's always a pleasure to see it all spelled out in it's twisted, complicated manner. Featuring an unrecognizable Albert Finney as detective Poirot, the talented cast includes Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, John Gielgud, Lauren Bacall, Wendy Hiller and others. It may not have any suspenseful chills, but sometimes professionalism goes a long way. GRADE----B
HEAVEN KNOWS, MR ALLISON 1957--A tough marine (Robert Mitchum) and a Catholic Nun (Deborah Kerr) find themselves stranded on a deserted island in the south Pacific during WWII in this charming, intense character study directed by John Huston. Like Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in THE AFRICAN QUEEN, this film contrasts the temperments of each character, but in this case the division between them is vocational, with Mitchum falling in love, and Kerr staying true to her "marriage" to Jesus Christ. It may be light weight comparatively, but the film has plenty of action, suspense, humor and tragedy. GRADE-------B
PAUL 2011----This cheerful, wacky comedy about an alien traveling with two sci-fi geeks on a road trip has enough nasty gags and pratfalls to satisfy most viewers, British actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have come from England to Arizona for a convention, and end up meeting alien played with sarcastic humor by Seth Rogan. Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig and Sigourney Weaver are also delightfully included in the cast. GRADE--------B
LINCOLN LAWYER 2011---This role and his next in MUD (2012) led to an Oscar for Mathew McConaughey in THE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013). It's a twisty, clever courtroom thriller, although we may have seen it all before. The fine cast includes Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe and William H. Macy and others. GRADE-----------B
OLD ACQUAINTANCE 1943--This potboiler is not one of Bette's best, but she and Miriam Hopkins manage to hold our attention in this drama of best friend's torn apart when both become successful writers. The Hopkins character is played so broadly as to be unbelievable, while the Davis character is played with restraint and logic--two vastly different acting styles. Makes me wonder why these two are/were friends in the first place. GRADE----B-
JAMAICA INN 1939--I'd never seen this Alfred Hitchcock film, generally considered one of his least successful, but last month I saw a BBC version, which I thought very little of, so I was curious. This version changes the story considerably--at the time it was threatened with censorship if the clergy was involved with murder and other crimes, so Hitchcock changed the villain to the police captain. Charles Laughton was fascinating to watch--he often is, and Maureen O'Hara in her first American lead (she came from Ireland) was also beguiling. The story, based on a novel by Daphne DuMaurier, is obviously a tough one to visualize--the characters kill and rob ships that they have lured onto the beach to be wrecked, and the aunt and uncle of the girl are so evil and unpleasant that there is little to sympathize with. Still, this Hitchcock version has some visual thrills. GRADE-----B-
BONNEVILLE 2006--Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Joan Allen play Mormon woman on a road trip to deliver the ashes of Lange's recently deceased husband to her step daughter. Unfortunately the story is slim and predictable, and moves at a snail's pace. The charms of the three women can't quite compensate for slack direction. GRADE------C+
ALEX CROSS 2012--Tyler Perry is a detective/psychologist (!) tracking down a sadistic serial killer (an effective Matthew Fox) in this brutal, creepy film. GRADE------C+
THE BLACK TOWER 1985--This BBC mini series of the P.D.James mystery novel is straight forward stuff, and although it was more coherent than some mysteries I've seen, there was very little thrill to it. In a rare plot conclusion, Detective Dalgliesh DOES NOT solve the mystery, and seems shocked when the killer suddenly confesses!!! GRADE------C+
MURDER ON THE HOME FRONT 2013---Another British PBS mystery that I watched for nearly an hour before realizing we'd seen it before--apparently nothing was too memorable about it the first time, although set in London during the blitz, this mystery thriller features some grotesque shots of naked cadavers during autopsies. GRADE------C+
DOUBLE 2014--Jesse Eisenberg works in a grim, depressing job, and wants to meet up with co worker Mia Wasikowska. One day his doppelganger joins the firm--they look alike but this version is lively and animated--his exact opposite. The slow film is strong on gloomy, quirky set design--it felt like a protracted combination of a Twilight Zone episode with a little BRAZIL style thrown in--and an update of the Bartleby story. Would I watch it again? I would prefer not to. GRADE-------C+
TEN LITTLE INDIANS 1965---An awkward attempt to make this Agatha Christie novel AND THEN THERE WERE NONE fit into the swinging 60's, with jazzy music, and a jazzed pop song sung by actor/singer FABIAN who stars as one of the guests murdered one by one. Fortunately his death comes very early!!!!! The film is competent, but hardly thrilling or unique. GRADE-----C
I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW) 1967---Lots and lots of talk talk talk about (Swedish) politics, social politics, Martin Luther King, philosophy and sex. One of the early films to feature scenes of full frontal nudity by both male and female protagonists, but hardly deserving of the scandal that the film generated in the late 1960's. Yawn. GRADE-------C-
ONE FOR THE MONEY 2012--Katherine Heigl's talents are wasted in this predictable, by the numbers thriller that has her improbably getting a job as a recovery agent for a bail bonding company. It was also confusing and illogical. GRADE-----D+
HOLOGRAM FOR A KING--German director Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN, "3", CLOUD ATLAS, PERFUME: STORY OF A MURDERER) came into my radar in 1997 at a late 930pm SIFF screening when I was very tired and wanted to just go home to sleep, but that film WINTER SLEEPERS grabbed my attention like a potent cup of espresso. His international hit RUN LOLA RUN (1998) electrified audiences a year later, and every film since has had his creative stamp and energy to recommend it. He also creates most of the music score, giving even his oddest films a hypnotic tension. In HOLOGRAM, Tom Hanks plays a sales man in Saudi Arabia--a fish out of water, and most of the film is about his attempt to acclimate to this strange society. There's not a lot of plot, but the undercurrent of anticipation, his emotional upheavals, and his transformation makes for another hypnotic, satisfying experience. GRADE-------B+
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!--New film from Richard Linklater (last year's BOYHOOD director) comes "a spiritual sequel to (his) DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993)" reads the poster--and I wasn't so sure that was a recommendation for me, nor were the trailers. For the first 15 minutes I regretted watching what starts off as a stoner/drunken/sexist comedy drama about a group of college guys sharing a house because they are all jocks of the school's baseball team. But suddenly I got it!! Linklater directs with a light as a feather touch, as the guys interact, connect with each other, party, philosophize, play jokes, swear, try to out macho each other, and drink and smoke weed for the weekend before classes begin, and I began to laugh and connect with each character. I'm not sure each character can really be so eloquent in their speech as Linklater writes, but there was a certain brilliance in the effort that cannot be ignored. GRADE-----------B+
THE BOSS----The new gross out comedy with Melissa McCarthy just proves that she is the queen of mean if she wants to be, and still be pretty funny. Unlike some R rated comedies of late, at least McCarthy nails the laugh or joke, and in spite of a script that falls apart by the end (co-written and directed by her husband Ben Falcone) THE BOSS is mildly entertaining if you can stomach the vulgarities. GRADE------B-
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The following films were viewed on DVD
DOLORES CLAIBORNE 1995------One of my favorite guilty pleasures of the 1990's, this film holds up remarkably well as a classic melodrama mystery. with a sterling cast including Kathy Bates at her peak, Jennifer Jason Leigh at her peak, and director Taylor Hackford matching his fine efforts of OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (1982), AGAINST ALL ODDS (1984) and RAY (2004). The photography is especially fine, including a sequence of startling beauty and terror as the film recreates a total eclipse of the sun in a memorable climactic scene. Based on a story by Stephen King, DOLORES CLAIBORNE is especially memorable for the sharp and sarcastic dialogue that the main characters spit out with humorous venom. One of my favorites: Dolores is being released from jail after an interrogation for murder in a small town, when two kids on bikes ride by taunting "Hey Miss Claiborne, kill anybody else today?" She snaps back "Not yet but if I change my mind I know exactly where I'm going to start...." Another favorite is repeated a couple times by different female characters: "Sometimes being a bitch is the only thing a woman has to hold on to." The plot may be an old chestnut of an abusive husband and his long suffering family, but the film is lucidly compelling entertainment. GRADE----A
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS 1974----A classy film adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel, this smart mystery earned 6 Oscar nominations, winning one for the memorably mousy characterization achieved by Ingrid Bergman. I clearly remember the "who did it", but it's always a pleasure to see it all spelled out in it's twisted, complicated manner. Featuring an unrecognizable Albert Finney as detective Poirot, the talented cast includes Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, John Gielgud, Lauren Bacall, Wendy Hiller and others. It may not have any suspenseful chills, but sometimes professionalism goes a long way. GRADE----B
HEAVEN KNOWS, MR ALLISON 1957--A tough marine (Robert Mitchum) and a Catholic Nun (Deborah Kerr) find themselves stranded on a deserted island in the south Pacific during WWII in this charming, intense character study directed by John Huston. Like Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in THE AFRICAN QUEEN, this film contrasts the temperments of each character, but in this case the division between them is vocational, with Mitchum falling in love, and Kerr staying true to her "marriage" to Jesus Christ. It may be light weight comparatively, but the film has plenty of action, suspense, humor and tragedy. GRADE-------B
PAUL 2011----This cheerful, wacky comedy about an alien traveling with two sci-fi geeks on a road trip has enough nasty gags and pratfalls to satisfy most viewers, British actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have come from England to Arizona for a convention, and end up meeting alien played with sarcastic humor by Seth Rogan. Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig and Sigourney Weaver are also delightfully included in the cast. GRADE--------B
LINCOLN LAWYER 2011---This role and his next in MUD (2012) led to an Oscar for Mathew McConaughey in THE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013). It's a twisty, clever courtroom thriller, although we may have seen it all before. The fine cast includes Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe and William H. Macy and others. GRADE-----------B
OLD ACQUAINTANCE 1943--This potboiler is not one of Bette's best, but she and Miriam Hopkins manage to hold our attention in this drama of best friend's torn apart when both become successful writers. The Hopkins character is played so broadly as to be unbelievable, while the Davis character is played with restraint and logic--two vastly different acting styles. Makes me wonder why these two are/were friends in the first place. GRADE----B-
JAMAICA INN 1939--I'd never seen this Alfred Hitchcock film, generally considered one of his least successful, but last month I saw a BBC version, which I thought very little of, so I was curious. This version changes the story considerably--at the time it was threatened with censorship if the clergy was involved with murder and other crimes, so Hitchcock changed the villain to the police captain. Charles Laughton was fascinating to watch--he often is, and Maureen O'Hara in her first American lead (she came from Ireland) was also beguiling. The story, based on a novel by Daphne DuMaurier, is obviously a tough one to visualize--the characters kill and rob ships that they have lured onto the beach to be wrecked, and the aunt and uncle of the girl are so evil and unpleasant that there is little to sympathize with. Still, this Hitchcock version has some visual thrills. GRADE-----B-
BONNEVILLE 2006--Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Joan Allen play Mormon woman on a road trip to deliver the ashes of Lange's recently deceased husband to her step daughter. Unfortunately the story is slim and predictable, and moves at a snail's pace. The charms of the three women can't quite compensate for slack direction. GRADE------C+
ALEX CROSS 2012--Tyler Perry is a detective/psychologist (!) tracking down a sadistic serial killer (an effective Matthew Fox) in this brutal, creepy film. GRADE------C+
THE BLACK TOWER 1985--This BBC mini series of the P.D.James mystery novel is straight forward stuff, and although it was more coherent than some mysteries I've seen, there was very little thrill to it. In a rare plot conclusion, Detective Dalgliesh DOES NOT solve the mystery, and seems shocked when the killer suddenly confesses!!! GRADE------C+
MURDER ON THE HOME FRONT 2013---Another British PBS mystery that I watched for nearly an hour before realizing we'd seen it before--apparently nothing was too memorable about it the first time, although set in London during the blitz, this mystery thriller features some grotesque shots of naked cadavers during autopsies. GRADE------C+
DOUBLE 2014--Jesse Eisenberg works in a grim, depressing job, and wants to meet up with co worker Mia Wasikowska. One day his doppelganger joins the firm--they look alike but this version is lively and animated--his exact opposite. The slow film is strong on gloomy, quirky set design--it felt like a protracted combination of a Twilight Zone episode with a little BRAZIL style thrown in--and an update of the Bartleby story. Would I watch it again? I would prefer not to. GRADE-------C+
TEN LITTLE INDIANS 1965---An awkward attempt to make this Agatha Christie novel AND THEN THERE WERE NONE fit into the swinging 60's, with jazzy music, and a jazzed pop song sung by actor/singer FABIAN who stars as one of the guests murdered one by one. Fortunately his death comes very early!!!!! The film is competent, but hardly thrilling or unique. GRADE-----C
I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW) 1967---Lots and lots of talk talk talk about (Swedish) politics, social politics, Martin Luther King, philosophy and sex. One of the early films to feature scenes of full frontal nudity by both male and female protagonists, but hardly deserving of the scandal that the film generated in the late 1960's. Yawn. GRADE-------C-
ONE FOR THE MONEY 2012--Katherine Heigl's talents are wasted in this predictable, by the numbers thriller that has her improbably getting a job as a recovery agent for a bail bonding company. It was also confusing and illogical. GRADE-----D+
Monday, April 11, 2016
EYE IN THE SKY, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2, BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, plus GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, DARK VICTORY, POINT BLANK, BARNEY'S VERSION and Helen Mirren's AGE OF CONSENT
A timely, suspenseful military thriller starring Helen Mirren in top form, EYE IN THE SKY tells the story of a potential capture of a British traitor who has defected to ISIS in Kenya, but as the story unfolds thanks to secret cameras, the film shows that this situation has expanded from a capture to a "kill" because now the camera revels that a suicide mission is imminent. As the action to kill commences, a young girl wanders into the kill zone, compromising the mission, and several military and political issues threaten to sabotage the action. Drone action becomes discussed and argued and the tension rises to intense levels. The actors are all very effective, especially the recently deceased Alan Rickman, who is distracted trying to buy a doll for his daughter. Among many good lines, the closing one rings deepest. "You don't have to tell a soldier what the cost of war is." GRADE--------B+
From the writer/director of two very unique and special films from the last couple years--TAKE SHELTER (2011) and MUD (2012) comes Jeff Nichols newest film MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, which works like the best parts of E.T., CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, and a fine episode of T.V.'s X-FILES, smoothly mixed together, about a gifted child with special powers who may not be of this earth, and he needs to get "home". The fine actors, including child actor Jaeden Lieberher (seen last year in the Bill Murray comedy ST. VINCENT) along with Kirsten Durst, Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton and Adam Driver give intriguing depth and quirkiness to their roles. I also look forward to his next film due this fall called LOVING, based on the story of the interracial couple of Richard and Mildred Loving who are sent sent to prison in 1958 for getting married. GRADE-------------B+
I went into the new comedy MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 with low expectations, but this new film, written by and featuring Nia Vardalos, and following the way of the earlier film 14 years ago, is charming in it's own way. I especially enjoyed the fact that her parents, portrayed by Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan, are the featured characters (it's their wedding, legalized after 50 years) and they carry the film in a low key, amusing way. The characters are lovable and funny, and the film has an easy going manner. It may not win any awards, but I had a continuous grin and many chuckles while watching. GRADE--------B-
AGE OF CONSENT (1969)--James Mason plays an Australian artist living in New York, but he travels back to a small island off the Great Barrier reef to find inspiration for his painting. He finds his muse in the form of the young Helen Mirren, although their relationship is non-sexual. She was working for the Royal Shakespeare Company in England at the time, and this was her first starring role. She poses nude many times for him, and there is uninhibited joy for both of them, but her grandmother finds out and threatens to turn him in because she is underaged. Mason and Mirren are both quite natural and good. Unfortuntely many of the supporting characters over act in silly desperate ways, making the film sort of a bipolar experience---silly comedy or touching love story. It was interesting to see the two Helen Mirren films back to back (see EYE IN SKY above)--her first and her most recent. I don't believe this film was ever released in the US, and this was viewed on DVD. GRADE----B-
I was not exactly bored, but the new super hero film BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is done with such seriousness and heavy handed "darkness" (both visually and spiritually) that the film becomes somewhat of a drag to get through. It is also confusing. How exactly do these superheros become so antagonistic towards each other? Don't they have enough intelligence to know that the evil Lex Luther is playing them for chumps? At least Jesse Eisenberg, who seems overly stimulated as Luther, appears to be having fun. Amy Adams as Lois Lane is sprightly and positive, and Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Batman's man servant/assistant shows some sarcastic life. Unfortunately, Ben Afflect and Harry Cavill (I feel both are well cast) have to play it "straight" so to speak, and come across as dolts in a number of scenes. And that bizarre "kryptonite monster" at the end seems unbelievable. And what's with the new character Wonder Woman? We aren't given much information about her at all. And how can she survive all the explosions and fire balls with so much of her skin exposed???? Supposedly all will be explained in the next Superman or Batman film..... Still, there's more questions than answers in this version, and the film never quite takes off. GRADE----------C
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Viewed on DVD
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014) ----One of my favorite films from that year, Wes Anderson's masterpiece of slapstick, double entrandes, romanticism, and imagination holds up well as a curious history full of vibrant wit and silly shenanigans. Ralph Fiennes is so funny as the lead of a vast and smart supporting cast including F. Murray Abraham, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton , newcomer Tony Revolori, and dozens of others. The art and set direction are splendid, and the camera work and editing are very sharp. GRADE------A
DARK VICTORY (1939)---Somehow I've managed to miss this Bette Davis classic, but as usual she is magnificent (another Oscar nomination) as a fun loving spoiled rich girl who discovers she has a brain tumor. She scorns the love of her horse trainer (Humphrey Bogart), falling for her brain surgeon (George Brent), who keeps the diagnosis from her with the help of her best friend, an intriguing first US film by Irish actor Geraldine Page. It's a three hanky melodrama at its most entertaining. When she accidentally finds out that she's going to die, she throws a snit at a fancy restaurant. "I think I'll have a large order of PROGNOSIS NEGATIVE!" GRADE---------B+
A LITTLE CHAOS (2015)---Story of an independent woman hired to build one of the impressive gardens of Versailles--sort of an outdoor ballroom, and her relationship with the head of the king' s landscaping architect team. The relationship builds slowly and carefully, and she is not intimidated by the "court" which makes her stand out among them. The cast is mostly very successful in keeping our interest, and the grounds, gardens, and set design are fascinating. But in the end, the film doesn't quite pop dramatically the way it should. Still, a fine directorial effort from the late Alan Rickman, who also appears as King Louis XIV. GRADE----------B
POINT BLANK (1967)---Early film by director John Boorman (DELIVERANCE 1972, EXCALIBUR 1981, HOPE & GLORY 1987) has Lee Marvin double crossed after a robbery and left for dead, but he recovers and catatonically spends the rest of the film seeking violent revenge, and trying to get his money back. He succeeds in leaving a trail of dead bodies. There are some striking scenes, including one where a sexy Angie Dickenson is nearly raped, a money exchange ends with several surprise deaths, and a twisted manipulator is exposed towards the end. Viseral and engaging. GRADE------------B
BARNEY'S VERSION (2011)--Messy version (just like real life) of Mordecai Richler's novel tells story of Barney (Paul Giamatti) and his three wives and the relationship with his father (Dustin Hoffman) . He first marries a world traveling hippie because she's pregnant, but when the baby turns out not be be his, he rejects her, and she commits suicide. This second wife is a rich Jewish princess who talks constantly, played by Minnie Driver, and on that wedding day he meets (and persues!) the woman who will become his third wife (Rosamond Pike) and mother of his children. The film is longish and rambling, but is held together by an interesting cast, especially Giamatti as Barney, who despite being an unpleasant and unlikeable schmuck, becomes, in our eyes, something of a tragic hero. Comic, tragic, melodramatic, mostly fascinating. GRADE---------B
ODD MAN OUT (1947)---Irish film by Carol Reed--one of the first to deal with the political conflict with Great Britian, but in an obscure manner. When a robbery goes wrong, James Mason is shot, and spends the rest of the film trying to escape police detection, while his girlfriend (Kathleen Ryan) tries to find him and help him escape. Filmed in norish black and white, the film feels static at times, and fascinating at other times, as he comes across people who want to either help him or hurt him, or just want something from him. At times Mason's character is so dumb I wanted to scream at the screen. No matter what your politics you have to admit he makes a lot of stupid decisions. GRADE------------B
DARLING COMPANION(2011)---Diane Keaton adopts and bonds with an abandoned dog, but becomes angry with her distracted doctor husband Kevin Kline when the dog runs off under his watch. She enlists some relatives to help with the 3 day search. This feels like a film based on a single sentence idea, and the film is often dull and protracted, but the cast, which includes Mark Duplass, Richard Jenkins, Diane Wiest and Sam Shepard have their moments. Director Lawrence Kasdan did fine films back in the 1980's with BODY HEAT, THE BIG CHILL, and THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, but lately he's been a writer of many of the recent STAR WARS films including the latest FORCE AWAKENS (2015). DARLING COMPANION is not a come back for him in the director's chair. GRADE----------C
JAMAICA INN (2014)---This three hour BBC version of the Daphne duMauier novel is sinister and awkward and very dark, and features Jessica Brown Findlay as the young girl who goes to live with her aunt and uncle at a remote inn, only to discover sinister evil and threatening characters who want to harm her or make her do awful things. Findlay was killed off in DOWNTON ABBEY for this?!?! She played Lady Sybil, but this version of J. I. feels slow, morbid and static. GRADE--------C
THE VIRGINIAN (1946)---Lack luster version, filmed many times, of cowboy in Wyoming Old west trying to stop the cattle rustling that goes on in a small town. He also tries to seduce the new school teacher played by Barbara Britton, who is really dull and forgettable in the role. Star Joel McCrea is not much better. GRADE----- C
AMOR DE HOMBRE (1997)---Spanish film about relationship between gay man and his best female friend. When he finally becomes involved with a lover, she becomes left out of the friendship causing much drama, although the film does have comic moments. Still, we've seen it all before.
GRADE---------C
From the writer/director of two very unique and special films from the last couple years--TAKE SHELTER (2011) and MUD (2012) comes Jeff Nichols newest film MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, which works like the best parts of E.T., CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, and a fine episode of T.V.'s X-FILES, smoothly mixed together, about a gifted child with special powers who may not be of this earth, and he needs to get "home". The fine actors, including child actor Jaeden Lieberher (seen last year in the Bill Murray comedy ST. VINCENT) along with Kirsten Durst, Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton and Adam Driver give intriguing depth and quirkiness to their roles. I also look forward to his next film due this fall called LOVING, based on the story of the interracial couple of Richard and Mildred Loving who are sent sent to prison in 1958 for getting married. GRADE-------------B+
I went into the new comedy MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 with low expectations, but this new film, written by and featuring Nia Vardalos, and following the way of the earlier film 14 years ago, is charming in it's own way. I especially enjoyed the fact that her parents, portrayed by Michael Constantine and Lainie Kazan, are the featured characters (it's their wedding, legalized after 50 years) and they carry the film in a low key, amusing way. The characters are lovable and funny, and the film has an easy going manner. It may not win any awards, but I had a continuous grin and many chuckles while watching. GRADE--------B-
AGE OF CONSENT (1969)--James Mason plays an Australian artist living in New York, but he travels back to a small island off the Great Barrier reef to find inspiration for his painting. He finds his muse in the form of the young Helen Mirren, although their relationship is non-sexual. She was working for the Royal Shakespeare Company in England at the time, and this was her first starring role. She poses nude many times for him, and there is uninhibited joy for both of them, but her grandmother finds out and threatens to turn him in because she is underaged. Mason and Mirren are both quite natural and good. Unfortuntely many of the supporting characters over act in silly desperate ways, making the film sort of a bipolar experience---silly comedy or touching love story. It was interesting to see the two Helen Mirren films back to back (see EYE IN SKY above)--her first and her most recent. I don't believe this film was ever released in the US, and this was viewed on DVD. GRADE----B-
I was not exactly bored, but the new super hero film BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is done with such seriousness and heavy handed "darkness" (both visually and spiritually) that the film becomes somewhat of a drag to get through. It is also confusing. How exactly do these superheros become so antagonistic towards each other? Don't they have enough intelligence to know that the evil Lex Luther is playing them for chumps? At least Jesse Eisenberg, who seems overly stimulated as Luther, appears to be having fun. Amy Adams as Lois Lane is sprightly and positive, and Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Batman's man servant/assistant shows some sarcastic life. Unfortunately, Ben Afflect and Harry Cavill (I feel both are well cast) have to play it "straight" so to speak, and come across as dolts in a number of scenes. And that bizarre "kryptonite monster" at the end seems unbelievable. And what's with the new character Wonder Woman? We aren't given much information about her at all. And how can she survive all the explosions and fire balls with so much of her skin exposed???? Supposedly all will be explained in the next Superman or Batman film..... Still, there's more questions than answers in this version, and the film never quite takes off. GRADE----------C
_____________________________________
Viewed on DVD
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014) ----One of my favorite films from that year, Wes Anderson's masterpiece of slapstick, double entrandes, romanticism, and imagination holds up well as a curious history full of vibrant wit and silly shenanigans. Ralph Fiennes is so funny as the lead of a vast and smart supporting cast including F. Murray Abraham, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton , newcomer Tony Revolori, and dozens of others. The art and set direction are splendid, and the camera work and editing are very sharp. GRADE------A
DARK VICTORY (1939)---Somehow I've managed to miss this Bette Davis classic, but as usual she is magnificent (another Oscar nomination) as a fun loving spoiled rich girl who discovers she has a brain tumor. She scorns the love of her horse trainer (Humphrey Bogart), falling for her brain surgeon (George Brent), who keeps the diagnosis from her with the help of her best friend, an intriguing first US film by Irish actor Geraldine Page. It's a three hanky melodrama at its most entertaining. When she accidentally finds out that she's going to die, she throws a snit at a fancy restaurant. "I think I'll have a large order of PROGNOSIS NEGATIVE!" GRADE---------B+
A LITTLE CHAOS (2015)---Story of an independent woman hired to build one of the impressive gardens of Versailles--sort of an outdoor ballroom, and her relationship with the head of the king' s landscaping architect team. The relationship builds slowly and carefully, and she is not intimidated by the "court" which makes her stand out among them. The cast is mostly very successful in keeping our interest, and the grounds, gardens, and set design are fascinating. But in the end, the film doesn't quite pop dramatically the way it should. Still, a fine directorial effort from the late Alan Rickman, who also appears as King Louis XIV. GRADE----------B
POINT BLANK (1967)---Early film by director John Boorman (DELIVERANCE 1972, EXCALIBUR 1981, HOPE & GLORY 1987) has Lee Marvin double crossed after a robbery and left for dead, but he recovers and catatonically spends the rest of the film seeking violent revenge, and trying to get his money back. He succeeds in leaving a trail of dead bodies. There are some striking scenes, including one where a sexy Angie Dickenson is nearly raped, a money exchange ends with several surprise deaths, and a twisted manipulator is exposed towards the end. Viseral and engaging. GRADE------------B
BARNEY'S VERSION (2011)--Messy version (just like real life) of Mordecai Richler's novel tells story of Barney (Paul Giamatti) and his three wives and the relationship with his father (Dustin Hoffman) . He first marries a world traveling hippie because she's pregnant, but when the baby turns out not be be his, he rejects her, and she commits suicide. This second wife is a rich Jewish princess who talks constantly, played by Minnie Driver, and on that wedding day he meets (and persues!) the woman who will become his third wife (Rosamond Pike) and mother of his children. The film is longish and rambling, but is held together by an interesting cast, especially Giamatti as Barney, who despite being an unpleasant and unlikeable schmuck, becomes, in our eyes, something of a tragic hero. Comic, tragic, melodramatic, mostly fascinating. GRADE---------B
ODD MAN OUT (1947)---Irish film by Carol Reed--one of the first to deal with the political conflict with Great Britian, but in an obscure manner. When a robbery goes wrong, James Mason is shot, and spends the rest of the film trying to escape police detection, while his girlfriend (Kathleen Ryan) tries to find him and help him escape. Filmed in norish black and white, the film feels static at times, and fascinating at other times, as he comes across people who want to either help him or hurt him, or just want something from him. At times Mason's character is so dumb I wanted to scream at the screen. No matter what your politics you have to admit he makes a lot of stupid decisions. GRADE------------B
DARLING COMPANION(2011)---Diane Keaton adopts and bonds with an abandoned dog, but becomes angry with her distracted doctor husband Kevin Kline when the dog runs off under his watch. She enlists some relatives to help with the 3 day search. This feels like a film based on a single sentence idea, and the film is often dull and protracted, but the cast, which includes Mark Duplass, Richard Jenkins, Diane Wiest and Sam Shepard have their moments. Director Lawrence Kasdan did fine films back in the 1980's with BODY HEAT, THE BIG CHILL, and THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, but lately he's been a writer of many of the recent STAR WARS films including the latest FORCE AWAKENS (2015). DARLING COMPANION is not a come back for him in the director's chair. GRADE----------C
JAMAICA INN (2014)---This three hour BBC version of the Daphne duMauier novel is sinister and awkward and very dark, and features Jessica Brown Findlay as the young girl who goes to live with her aunt and uncle at a remote inn, only to discover sinister evil and threatening characters who want to harm her or make her do awful things. Findlay was killed off in DOWNTON ABBEY for this?!?! She played Lady Sybil, but this version of J. I. feels slow, morbid and static. GRADE--------C
THE VIRGINIAN (1946)---Lack luster version, filmed many times, of cowboy in Wyoming Old west trying to stop the cattle rustling that goes on in a small town. He also tries to seduce the new school teacher played by Barbara Britton, who is really dull and forgettable in the role. Star Joel McCrea is not much better. GRADE----- C
AMOR DE HOMBRE (1997)---Spanish film about relationship between gay man and his best female friend. When he finally becomes involved with a lover, she becomes left out of the friendship causing much drama, although the film does have comic moments. Still, we've seen it all before.
GRADE---------C
Thursday, March 24, 2016
ZOOTOPIA, HELLO MY NAME IS ALICE, WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT, HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY 2, plus early Perry Mason movies, and George Sanders as THE GAY FALCON in detective series
Starting the new year off right is the new animated Disney production called ZOOTOPIA, about a perky but small rabbit who becomes the first rabbit to become a police officer in a city inhabited only by all kinds (and sizes) of animals. She tries to solve the mysterious disappearance of several different animals (of the predator species) with the help of a wily fox who might just as easily try to eat her. What a creative, amusing, clever world we the viewer are thrust into--there's not a wasted or dull moment (at least for adults) as we laugh at the delightful sequences that unfold. I don't often see some of the popular animated features (oops--I've missed FROZEN and the recent INSIDE OUT), but this one has got to be one of the year's best efforts. GRADE-----------A-
I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a big Sally Field fan. She's got that likable, comic, yet vulnerable routine down pat, and it works to great satisfaction in her new film HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS, sort of a May-December romance in reverse--almost like a remake of HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971) but not as bizarre and extreme. The comedy/drama starts with the funeral of her elderly mother with whom she has lived for many years. They both appear to have become eccentric hoarders of mid-century/retro items and clothing, which Fields wears to fine, amusing effect. At work, the new young art director guy is very polite to her, and she mistakes this for romantic attention. We know that this is going to end poorly for her, but the film has some fun with the twists and plotting of the long list of supporting characters, including co-workers, family and best friends including Tyne Daly, who gets off some choice lines. But the real shining star here is Sally Field, and she hoists HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS sky high. GRADE--------B
Another film lifted up by the lead is WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT (aka WTF or What the Fuck) based on a somewhat true story of a naive TV news woman who volunteers to fly over to cover the war in Afghanistan. She's a fish out of water, and most of the humor comes from her learning the hard way about the intense and dangerous position she's in. (She packs her stuff in a bright orange back pack, making her a vivid target for snipers.) She learns to party like the best of them, and stumbles into an affair with a fellow reporter (Martin Freeman from TV's SHERLOCK and THE HOBBITT). Her best female friend is played by Margot Robbie, and Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton have fine smaller roles. But again, it's Tina Fey who makes us laugh at her desperate attempts to fit into a violent life she's never known, and as the film gets more serious, she keeps us involved in the tragedy of the war time situation. (And trust me when I say this film is 100% better than Tina Fey's film from Christmas time called SISTERS, which I really disliked.) GRADE---------B
Here's a case of diminishing returns. I enjoyed the first two HUNGER GAMES films-- the first one from 2012 for it's gripping and shocking tale of the exploitation of children in a murderous society and also HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013) which shatters the game tradition. Then came HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY Part 1 (2014), which although it was watchable, it was not very satisfying--it felt like a prolonged two hour preview for the movie about the assault on Snow's headquarters. I completely disengaged from HG: MOCKINGJAY Part 2, which indeed is the assault on Snow's headquarters, since it is all action all the time. The creatures from the underground felt like something from another (1950's) movie--illogical and pointless, and the ending is projected from the half way point. I was bored, and wished this last installment would be over asap. GRADE-------------C-
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JEZEBEL (1938)--When she didn't get the part of Scarlett O'Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) , Bette Davis jumped at the chance to star in this William Wyler directed costume drama of a haughty Southern belle in New Orleans just prior to the Civil War, and won the Oscar for her efforts. She plays a selfish, stubborn woman who loses the man she loves (Henry Fonda) because of it--she dares to wear a RED dress to the Olympus ball when everyone knows unmarried woman only wear white. The next year, Vivian Leigh, who won the lead in GWTW, won her first Oscar for playing the same type of character. Ironically, Bette Davis was nominated again that same next year for DARK VICTORY (1939), and apparently lost the Oscar by the closest of margins--just a couple of votes. I enjoyed JEZEBEL quite a bit, especially because Davis is so marvelously evil, but the film itself moves along in rapid melodramatic fashion, with clever, witty lines delineating the differences between the North and South sensibilities, and it is lavishly equipped with sumptuous costumes and sets, and the actors are all fascinating. Fay Bainter won a best supporting Oscar for her role as the auntie who tries to reason with her headstrong niece (Davis). GRADE---------A-
OLIVE KITTERIDGE (2014)--This is a four hour HBO mini-series that I watched in one sitting, much like a film. Based on a novel by Elizabeth Strout, the film features the interesting actor Frances McDormand as Olive, a witty yet acerbic middle school teacher and her relationship with her mild mannered husband pharmacist played by Richard Jenkins over the course of nearly 30 years. Olive's demeanor is moralistic and at times very severe, yet at other times she can be nurturing and loving. Ironies abound. She has an affair with a fellow educator, she's sarcastic towards her son's first wife, at times she seems depressed and melancholic--at other times she's chatty and flippant. It is suggested she has bipolar issues, yet despite her intelligence she seems to want to ignore any type of mental/medical help. She's an interesting character, and watching her keeps you on your toes. It constantly amazed me that her husband had the patience to put up with her, which makes you wonder about him too. Fascinating character study with excellent actors. GRADE--------B+
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)---Typical of many Asian films to represent fighting and various types of martial arts to include near flying chases and spectacular sword play, this film by director Ang Lee introduced American (and other international) audiences to the pleasures of these exotic fighters. The plot, centering on an older couple who love each other, but social restraints keep them from marrying, and their search for a sword stolen by a young female martial arts champion, who is also involved for the first time with a desert male bandit. Visually the film is sumptuous and exotic, and the action scenes are mesmerizing, although the plot seems a bit far fetched and lacks some cohesion. GRADE-------B+
MERRILY WE GO TO HELL (1932)--One of the PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION, this film plays like an early version of THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (1962). A young man with a drinking problem (Fredric March) destroys his marriage to his true love (Sylvia Sidney) because he can't stop drinking, even though she's understanding and tries to accommodate him. The film includes themes of open marriage, most scandalous at the time it was made. The director, Dorothy Arzner, was a very prolific film maker at the time, and considered one of the nation's finest (and one of the first woman) directors. She worked her way up from the bottom, starting as a script reader, then script girl, editor, writer and finally the first woman director of the sound era. For many years she was the only woman of the Directors Guild of America. On her first sound film THE WILD PARTY (1929) she found that a stationary mike was too limiting, so she had it attached to a fishing pole and sound engineers held it over head, allowing the actors to move around the stage, inventing what became known as the first boom mike. GRADE--------B
THE CHEAT (1931)--An early Tallulah Bankhead film (I didn't recognize her at all....) where she plays a compulsive gambler who seeks the help of a sleazy business man to pay off her debt, behind her husband's back. SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Of course the sleaze wants more than money!!! from Tallulah, and literly brands her chest like cow. I was even shocked by that scene. GRADE--------B-
STAR! (1968)---In many ways this musical biography of Gertrude Lawrence's career was ahead of it's time. Director Robert Wise signed up superstar Julie Andrews before she was finished with SOUND OF MUSIC (1965). This new vehicle allowed her to display her acting, dancing and singing skills in a serious film that flashed forward and backward in time, mixing black and white with color photography, and tying in songs to illustrate the highs and lows of Lawrence's life. There is precious little humor, much drama, many song and dance numbers, and the film doesn't sugar coat the lows or the difficult personality and indecision of Gertrude's personality. Andrews does it all in this film, and there is effective support from Daniel Massey as her close friend Noel Coward, and Richard Crenna and Michael Craig as two of her husbands. Not a great film, but an interesting tale of Lawrence that makes you want to explore her life in more detail. GRADE-------B-
DEATH OF AN EXPERT WITNESS (1983)----Based on a novel by British writer P.D. James, this nearly 6 hour TV mini series was shown on BBC and eventually on PBS Mystery series. I listened to the book on tape during a long car trip last summer, so I was curious about seeing it visualized. Unfortunately, the film is rather flat, and the acting is only adequate. Roy Marsden plays detective Adam Dalgliesh, and it also features Barry Foster and a very young and thin Brenda Blethyn. In spite of being quite faithful to the plot, the climax feels less than satisfactory in this version. GRADE---------B-
MURDER AT THE VANITIES (1934)--This film is part of a package of films called PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION which features 6 movies made before the 1935 code went into effect that disallowed sex, violence, nudity and "loose" morals. While a sexy musical revue appears at the Vanities theatre, a murder takes place, back stage, and then another. The police investigate while the chorus girls sing and dance on stage. There are many scenes with nearly naked women waving fans or holding something quite strategical in front of them. Today it would be PG-13, but back then it was probably quite scandalous. At least the murder mystery was entertaining. GRADE----B-
CASE OF THE HOWLING DOG (1934)------GRADE-----B-
CASE OF THE CURIOUS BRIDE (1935)-----GRADE-----B-
CASE OF THE LUCKY LEGS (1935)----------GRADE----B-
CASE OF THE VELVET CLAWS (1936)------GRADE----C
These are the first four films in a series of six movies that featured famed lawyer Perry Mason. Portrayed by Warren Williams, a popular leading man in the early 1930's, he is effective in the role although the films themselves play more like quality "B" movies. He died at age 54 of multiple myeloma. HOWLING DOG deals with a woman accused of killing her husband, although it appears she may have TWO! CURIOUS BRIDE features one of the first films to feature Earl Flynn, who plays the murdered man. LUCKY LEGS has a man conning women of their winnings in a beautiful legs contest. In VELVET CLAWS, Perry Mason marries this assistant Della, but on their wedding night a woman with a gun insists Mason come to her aid. Amusing, although after four we were done watching.
THE GAY FALCON (1941)----------GRADE---C+
DATE WITH THE FALCON (1942)--GRADE--C+
THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942)--GRADE--B-
THE FALCON'S BROTHER (1942)--GRADE--B-
These are the first four films in a series (of twelve films) of the gentleman detective series, which featured British actor George Sanders for the first four, and then in BROTHER, the Falcon's brother Tom comes to town and takes over the case started by Sanders involving a political assassination. The brother is played by Tom Conway, who in spite of the fact that he made dozens of comedies, musicals, dramas, and two Tarzan films, is best known as George Sanders real brother. Both are dapper, attractive and fit the bill. Apparently Sanders was tired of making these short (most are less than 70 minute) "B" movies. Tom finally went to Hollywood and changed his name to Tim Conway because there was another Tom Conway. As the roles dried up, he turned to drink and died at age 64 of illnesses caused by alcohol.
DEEP BLUE SEA (2011)--Based on a play by playwright Terrance Rattigan, this film was reworked by director Terence Davies, who says on an interview on this DVD that he changed the point of view to the woman, deleted some scenes, and got rid of many supporting characters. The film seemed unnaturally ponderous to me, with dialogue spoken carefully and sparsely, and not much happens. A young woman married to an older judge has a tragic affair with a younger pilot after World War II. That's it. All three characters live unhappily ever after, I'm sure. I've seen many of Rattigan's screenplays, including the other three play to movies WINSLOW BOY, SEPARATE TABLES and BROWNING VERSION, and he wrote screenplays for several films that I have a special fondness for---BRIGHTON ROCK (1947), THE V.I.P. s (1963), THE YELLOW ROLLS-ROYCE (1964) and an underrated version of GOODBYE MR CHIPS (1969) with a masterly performance by Peter O'Toole. So I feel very disappointed with this film version of DEEP BLUE SEA. There is another version out there that I will try to catch someday. He died at age 66 of bone cancer in 1977, having never found much fame in the US, but he's considered a British master writer. GRADE--------C
CASE OF THE FRIGHTENED LADY (1940)--This British murder mystery set in a dark old castle, and featuring some quirky butlers, was written by a popular writer of the times, but I had a problem with hearing the dialogue--the sound was not good and the accents were strong. There was some over acting and hand wringing, although I liked the surprise ending. The print I saw was inferior. GRADE-------C-
I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a big Sally Field fan. She's got that likable, comic, yet vulnerable routine down pat, and it works to great satisfaction in her new film HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS, sort of a May-December romance in reverse--almost like a remake of HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971) but not as bizarre and extreme. The comedy/drama starts with the funeral of her elderly mother with whom she has lived for many years. They both appear to have become eccentric hoarders of mid-century/retro items and clothing, which Fields wears to fine, amusing effect. At work, the new young art director guy is very polite to her, and she mistakes this for romantic attention. We know that this is going to end poorly for her, but the film has some fun with the twists and plotting of the long list of supporting characters, including co-workers, family and best friends including Tyne Daly, who gets off some choice lines. But the real shining star here is Sally Field, and she hoists HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS sky high. GRADE--------B
Another film lifted up by the lead is WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT (aka WTF or What the Fuck) based on a somewhat true story of a naive TV news woman who volunteers to fly over to cover the war in Afghanistan. She's a fish out of water, and most of the humor comes from her learning the hard way about the intense and dangerous position she's in. (She packs her stuff in a bright orange back pack, making her a vivid target for snipers.) She learns to party like the best of them, and stumbles into an affair with a fellow reporter (Martin Freeman from TV's SHERLOCK and THE HOBBITT). Her best female friend is played by Margot Robbie, and Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton have fine smaller roles. But again, it's Tina Fey who makes us laugh at her desperate attempts to fit into a violent life she's never known, and as the film gets more serious, she keeps us involved in the tragedy of the war time situation. (And trust me when I say this film is 100% better than Tina Fey's film from Christmas time called SISTERS, which I really disliked.) GRADE---------B
Here's a case of diminishing returns. I enjoyed the first two HUNGER GAMES films-- the first one from 2012 for it's gripping and shocking tale of the exploitation of children in a murderous society and also HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013) which shatters the game tradition. Then came HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY Part 1 (2014), which although it was watchable, it was not very satisfying--it felt like a prolonged two hour preview for the movie about the assault on Snow's headquarters. I completely disengaged from HG: MOCKINGJAY Part 2, which indeed is the assault on Snow's headquarters, since it is all action all the time. The creatures from the underground felt like something from another (1950's) movie--illogical and pointless, and the ending is projected from the half way point. I was bored, and wished this last installment would be over asap. GRADE-------------C-
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-------_______-------Viewed on DVD/TV--------______--------
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JEZEBEL (1938)--When she didn't get the part of Scarlett O'Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) , Bette Davis jumped at the chance to star in this William Wyler directed costume drama of a haughty Southern belle in New Orleans just prior to the Civil War, and won the Oscar for her efforts. She plays a selfish, stubborn woman who loses the man she loves (Henry Fonda) because of it--she dares to wear a RED dress to the Olympus ball when everyone knows unmarried woman only wear white. The next year, Vivian Leigh, who won the lead in GWTW, won her first Oscar for playing the same type of character. Ironically, Bette Davis was nominated again that same next year for DARK VICTORY (1939), and apparently lost the Oscar by the closest of margins--just a couple of votes. I enjoyed JEZEBEL quite a bit, especially because Davis is so marvelously evil, but the film itself moves along in rapid melodramatic fashion, with clever, witty lines delineating the differences between the North and South sensibilities, and it is lavishly equipped with sumptuous costumes and sets, and the actors are all fascinating. Fay Bainter won a best supporting Oscar for her role as the auntie who tries to reason with her headstrong niece (Davis). GRADE---------A-
OLIVE KITTERIDGE (2014)--This is a four hour HBO mini-series that I watched in one sitting, much like a film. Based on a novel by Elizabeth Strout, the film features the interesting actor Frances McDormand as Olive, a witty yet acerbic middle school teacher and her relationship with her mild mannered husband pharmacist played by Richard Jenkins over the course of nearly 30 years. Olive's demeanor is moralistic and at times very severe, yet at other times she can be nurturing and loving. Ironies abound. She has an affair with a fellow educator, she's sarcastic towards her son's first wife, at times she seems depressed and melancholic--at other times she's chatty and flippant. It is suggested she has bipolar issues, yet despite her intelligence she seems to want to ignore any type of mental/medical help. She's an interesting character, and watching her keeps you on your toes. It constantly amazed me that her husband had the patience to put up with her, which makes you wonder about him too. Fascinating character study with excellent actors. GRADE--------B+
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)---Typical of many Asian films to represent fighting and various types of martial arts to include near flying chases and spectacular sword play, this film by director Ang Lee introduced American (and other international) audiences to the pleasures of these exotic fighters. The plot, centering on an older couple who love each other, but social restraints keep them from marrying, and their search for a sword stolen by a young female martial arts champion, who is also involved for the first time with a desert male bandit. Visually the film is sumptuous and exotic, and the action scenes are mesmerizing, although the plot seems a bit far fetched and lacks some cohesion. GRADE-------B+
MERRILY WE GO TO HELL (1932)--One of the PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION, this film plays like an early version of THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (1962). A young man with a drinking problem (Fredric March) destroys his marriage to his true love (Sylvia Sidney) because he can't stop drinking, even though she's understanding and tries to accommodate him. The film includes themes of open marriage, most scandalous at the time it was made. The director, Dorothy Arzner, was a very prolific film maker at the time, and considered one of the nation's finest (and one of the first woman) directors. She worked her way up from the bottom, starting as a script reader, then script girl, editor, writer and finally the first woman director of the sound era. For many years she was the only woman of the Directors Guild of America. On her first sound film THE WILD PARTY (1929) she found that a stationary mike was too limiting, so she had it attached to a fishing pole and sound engineers held it over head, allowing the actors to move around the stage, inventing what became known as the first boom mike. GRADE--------B
THE CHEAT (1931)--An early Tallulah Bankhead film (I didn't recognize her at all....) where she plays a compulsive gambler who seeks the help of a sleazy business man to pay off her debt, behind her husband's back. SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Of course the sleaze wants more than money!!! from Tallulah, and literly brands her chest like cow. I was even shocked by that scene. GRADE--------B-
STAR! (1968)---In many ways this musical biography of Gertrude Lawrence's career was ahead of it's time. Director Robert Wise signed up superstar Julie Andrews before she was finished with SOUND OF MUSIC (1965). This new vehicle allowed her to display her acting, dancing and singing skills in a serious film that flashed forward and backward in time, mixing black and white with color photography, and tying in songs to illustrate the highs and lows of Lawrence's life. There is precious little humor, much drama, many song and dance numbers, and the film doesn't sugar coat the lows or the difficult personality and indecision of Gertrude's personality. Andrews does it all in this film, and there is effective support from Daniel Massey as her close friend Noel Coward, and Richard Crenna and Michael Craig as two of her husbands. Not a great film, but an interesting tale of Lawrence that makes you want to explore her life in more detail. GRADE-------B-
DEATH OF AN EXPERT WITNESS (1983)----Based on a novel by British writer P.D. James, this nearly 6 hour TV mini series was shown on BBC and eventually on PBS Mystery series. I listened to the book on tape during a long car trip last summer, so I was curious about seeing it visualized. Unfortunately, the film is rather flat, and the acting is only adequate. Roy Marsden plays detective Adam Dalgliesh, and it also features Barry Foster and a very young and thin Brenda Blethyn. In spite of being quite faithful to the plot, the climax feels less than satisfactory in this version. GRADE---------B-
MURDER AT THE VANITIES (1934)--This film is part of a package of films called PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION which features 6 movies made before the 1935 code went into effect that disallowed sex, violence, nudity and "loose" morals. While a sexy musical revue appears at the Vanities theatre, a murder takes place, back stage, and then another. The police investigate while the chorus girls sing and dance on stage. There are many scenes with nearly naked women waving fans or holding something quite strategical in front of them. Today it would be PG-13, but back then it was probably quite scandalous. At least the murder mystery was entertaining. GRADE----B-
CASE OF THE HOWLING DOG (1934)------GRADE-----B-
CASE OF THE CURIOUS BRIDE (1935)-----GRADE-----B-
CASE OF THE LUCKY LEGS (1935)----------GRADE----B-
CASE OF THE VELVET CLAWS (1936)------GRADE----C
These are the first four films in a series of six movies that featured famed lawyer Perry Mason. Portrayed by Warren Williams, a popular leading man in the early 1930's, he is effective in the role although the films themselves play more like quality "B" movies. He died at age 54 of multiple myeloma. HOWLING DOG deals with a woman accused of killing her husband, although it appears she may have TWO! CURIOUS BRIDE features one of the first films to feature Earl Flynn, who plays the murdered man. LUCKY LEGS has a man conning women of their winnings in a beautiful legs contest. In VELVET CLAWS, Perry Mason marries this assistant Della, but on their wedding night a woman with a gun insists Mason come to her aid. Amusing, although after four we were done watching.
THE GAY FALCON (1941)----------GRADE---C+
DATE WITH THE FALCON (1942)--GRADE--C+
THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942)--GRADE--B-
THE FALCON'S BROTHER (1942)--GRADE--B-
These are the first four films in a series (of twelve films) of the gentleman detective series, which featured British actor George Sanders for the first four, and then in BROTHER, the Falcon's brother Tom comes to town and takes over the case started by Sanders involving a political assassination. The brother is played by Tom Conway, who in spite of the fact that he made dozens of comedies, musicals, dramas, and two Tarzan films, is best known as George Sanders real brother. Both are dapper, attractive and fit the bill. Apparently Sanders was tired of making these short (most are less than 70 minute) "B" movies. Tom finally went to Hollywood and changed his name to Tim Conway because there was another Tom Conway. As the roles dried up, he turned to drink and died at age 64 of illnesses caused by alcohol.
DEEP BLUE SEA (2011)--Based on a play by playwright Terrance Rattigan, this film was reworked by director Terence Davies, who says on an interview on this DVD that he changed the point of view to the woman, deleted some scenes, and got rid of many supporting characters. The film seemed unnaturally ponderous to me, with dialogue spoken carefully and sparsely, and not much happens. A young woman married to an older judge has a tragic affair with a younger pilot after World War II. That's it. All three characters live unhappily ever after, I'm sure. I've seen many of Rattigan's screenplays, including the other three play to movies WINSLOW BOY, SEPARATE TABLES and BROWNING VERSION, and he wrote screenplays for several films that I have a special fondness for---BRIGHTON ROCK (1947), THE V.I.P. s (1963), THE YELLOW ROLLS-ROYCE (1964) and an underrated version of GOODBYE MR CHIPS (1969) with a masterly performance by Peter O'Toole. So I feel very disappointed with this film version of DEEP BLUE SEA. There is another version out there that I will try to catch someday. He died at age 66 of bone cancer in 1977, having never found much fame in the US, but he's considered a British master writer. GRADE--------C
CASE OF THE FRIGHTENED LADY (1940)--This British murder mystery set in a dark old castle, and featuring some quirky butlers, was written by a popular writer of the times, but I had a problem with hearing the dialogue--the sound was not good and the accents were strong. There was some over acting and hand wringing, although I liked the surprise ending. The print I saw was inferior. GRADE-------C-
Sunday, February 28, 2016
STAR WARS : THE FORCE AWAKENS, THE REVENANT, LADY IN A VAN, WHERE TO INVADE NEXT, HAIL CAESAR!, ANAMOLISA, DEAD POOL, RACE, plus TOP FILMS of 2015 and OSCAR comments........
This is a transitional movie going month for me, where I see the left over films from 2015, and start seeing new 2016 films (DEAD POOL, RACE, HAIL CAESAR!). I also note my FAVORITE FILMS OF 2015 and comment on the OSCAR nominations below.
I put off seeing the new STARS WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS for two months due to low or at least ho-hum expectations, but I'm happy to report that this new film is terrific, help immeasurably by a great script and snappy direction by J.J. Abrams, and an exciting new cast led by Daisey Ridley and John Boyega, a young independent white woman and a smart young black man. They give this new modern update a much needed contemporary feel. Also, welcome back to the wonderful characters Hans Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca (played by the original Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher) and the film is a real treat. Finally I'm looking forward to the inevitable sequel that will likely feature the return of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, seen briefly at the end of this film.) Can't wait. GRADE------------A-
Last year's Oscar winning director for BIRDMAN--Alejandro G. Inarnitu is back with another strong film, brimming with existential realism and powerful but depressing images of horrific survival. Fueled by a commanding performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, who is nearly silent through much of the film, THE REVENANT is fascinating, horrific viewing, which means you cannot stop watching no matter what is happening on the screen. In a stunning sequence early in the film, the trapper DiCaprio is violently attached by a bear (a remarkably shot episode), then left for dead by his partner played by Tom Hardy. He spends the rest of the film trying to get out of the cold, barren wilderness alive, with revenge on his mind. The plot isn't terribly original, but the film making is of the highest quality, with the sound, music, cinematography, editing and direction most superior. May be too brutal for some viewers, but it's an impressive film and I loved how it incorporated the spirit of the Native People with the cruelties of nature. GRADE----------B+
THE LADY IN THE VAN is based on a true story that happened to writer Alan Bennett, who let a homeless woman park her van in his driveway for a few weeks, and she stayed for 14 years. The film is not too likable, because the woman, played by the indomitable Maggie Smith, is cantankerous and stubborn, yet you can't help admiring the commitment to the role that Maggie Smith commands. Winner of two Oscars (PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE 1969 and CALIFORNIA SUITE, 1978) and nominated for several more, this is perhaps her greatest, most difficult role, and one wishes she was nominated for this one too, as a career topper. GRADE-----B
Michael Moore is up to his tricks in the decidedly positive and funny WHERE TO INVADE NEXT. He visits other countries and picks up the good for society issues that he thinks America could really use, such as the great school system in Finland, considered the best in the world. WHY? Because the kids have NO HOMEWORK. In Norway, the prisoners are treated humanly, without locks on the doors! and in Portugal, drug use is treated as a sickness, not illegal, so the prisons are not used for drug abuse, and druggies are NOT arrested. There are a number of other astoundingly brilliant ideas that he espouses, many profound, some funny, and most just plain common sense! My only complaint----he spreads out so many ideas that he can't really go into a lot of detail. It feels like a bunch of episodes from 60 Minutes. GRADE-------B
A smart, snappy comedy with a bit too much intelligence that distracts from the goofy song and dance numbers, HAIL, CAESAR! is an insider's comedy about the Hollywood studios in the 1950's that features a big cast which includes a goofy George Clooney, a cutie pie Scarlett Johansson, a haggard studio boss Josh Brolin, a stuffy director Ralph Fiennes, a flamboyant dancer Channing Tatum and many many more. It is clearly a Coen brothers film, loaded with political diatribe that cuts down on the laughs, perhaps concentrating more on satire. I wanted more laughs and goofiness. GRADE---------B
Based on the true story of Olympian racer and winner of four gold medals during Hitler's 1936 reign, RACE tells the Jesse Owen's story in a straight forward, if uninspired telling in a compelling, competent manner. As one of the first black athletes in track and field, he was under pressure to boycott the Olympics due to the poor treatment of Jews and others minorities in pre WW2 Germany. Well acted by newcomer Stephan James and easy to watch, I was uneasy in the almost heroic portrayal of film maker Leni Riefenstahl in the "good guy" role who supposedly defies Goering's demands to not film Owen's achievements. I also felt Owen's college coach, as played by comedian Jason Sudeikis, had no gravitas---I really disliked his performance. Still, it's an interesting piece of history, and an eye opener in many ways. GRADE-----B-
Charlie Kaufman's newest film is a stop action animated film with an introspective theme about a lonely depressed man on a business trip who stumbles into an affair with a stranger who he suddenly sees with different eyes and ears, as all the other characters have the voice of a man except his new lover. The film, ANAMOLISA, is not always easy to watch, and it doesn't always work in a new way (the plot depends on the mid life crisis of a middle aged man) although the look is provocative and at times intimate. But the idea is there, and you have to give him kudos for the creativity. GRADE-----------B-
The latest Marvel comics film DEADPOOL features a sarcastic anti hero in a red suit where you can't see his face at all---his mouth is covered in red, and the eyes are blanked out white. This is because the character has been badly burned and scarred by an insane doctor doing experimental treatments in a very unsanitary looking warehouse. Ryan Reynolds plays the character with enough vulgar, rude sarcasm to appeal to the basest Donald Trump supporter, and the film has so much nasty violence that I needed a bath after viewing. I was modestly amused, but have no desire to see another installment. GRADE------B-
Viewed on DVD------------------------
SHORT CUTS (1993)---Robert Altman masterpiece based on several Raymond Carver stories all set in Los Angeles, and featuring an all star cast including Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Lori Singer, Annie Ross, Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Jack Lemmon, Lili Taylor, Robert Downey Jr., Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Lyle Lovett, Fred Ward and many others. The main story line features Tomlin as a waitress who hits a small boy in her car. The boy says he is ok, and goes home to his parents MacDowell and Davison, but later falls into a coma, unbeknowst to Tomlin and her boy friend, the alcoholic Waits. In the meantime, fisherman buddies find a dead woman in at their fishing hole that they have hiked into and leave her there until returning home several days later to report it then. This angers Ward's wife, who is trying to make new friend of artist Moore. Every character gets some big scenes, and stories interweave masterfully, with the usual sound overlapping that Altman is known for. GRADE--------A-
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY (1936)--Superior telling of classic tale has an American child (Freddie Bartholomew) sent to live with his cranky grandfather in England because he is the missing heir. His mother is ignored by this rich old man. Or course, he melts the heart of the old man, and his friends come to England to help him out when a false heir appears. I recognized the tall, distinguished character actor with the stiff upper lip who plays the grandfather so well, as C. Aubrey Smith (1863-1948). I've recently seen him in ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939), REBECCA (1940), BILL OF DIVORCEMENT (1940) and AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945). GRADE-------A-
MURDER SHE SAID (1961)--Two films made from books by Agatha Christie and featuring the
MURDER MOST FOUL (1964)--delightful Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple, who solves murders by being a charming snoop. MURDER SHE SAID is based on the book 4:50 FROM PADDINGTON, where Miss Marple sees a murder through the window of a passing train. The police can't find any body, so they don't believe her, so she sets out to search the area herself, finding the likely body was thrown off the train at a large estate, where she takes a job as a maid. MURDER MOST FOUL has an amateur actress murdered, so Miss Marple takes a position as an actress in the company where the woman most recently was associated. It's based on the novel MRS. McGINTY'S DEAD. There were two more films made with Rutherford, who in my opinion was the funniest Miss Marple ever, and I plan to revisit them soon, as all four are minor classics to me. GRADE-----------each film is B+
COME LIVE WITH ME (1941)--Comedy/drama featuring a very young Jimmy Stewart as a down on his luck writer who gets picked up by the alluring Hedy Lamarr as a woman needing to marry to stay in the USA so she can marry a rich man she assumes will divorce his wife to marry her. This is a familiar story today, but back then it must have been rather provocative. Lamarr marries Stewart in a financial agreement while she pursues her married man. It's is easy to predict the ending, but there are some lovely moments as she finds her affections being redirected. GRADE-------B
ST VINCENT (2014)--Reviewed this comedy featuring Melissa McCarthy and Bill Murray, who plays his familiar crusty character, a cynical veteran with an alcohol and gambling issue, who becomes a child sitter to McCarthy's young boy. Naomi Watts plays his eastern European prostitute friend. Murray is a national treasure with his pessimistic sarcasm that always gets a laugh. GRADE-----------B
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (2005)--An ambitious and serious sea faring epic that played on the BBC in England--it's a three part, four and a half hour series about a young man (Benedict Cumberbatch) on his way to Australia for a government position in the early 1800's, who during the nearly year long voyage experiences other characters and different life styles that change and challenge his philosophy of life. He seduces a woman he thinks is the daughter of an older couple, but finds they are only a manage-a-trios. The chaplain is humiliated by the captain, becomes drunk and becomes involved in a sexual situation with (apparently multiple) crew members. A rebellious older friend injures his leg, then marries another woman teacher, testing the hero's faith. And Cumberbatch himself falls for a visiting young woman, only to have her ship sail away the next day. There are also the usual doldrums, storms, suicides, lost at sea situations, funerals, fires, illnesses, etc. GRADE-------B
MAGIC MIKE (2012)--Based on some situations from Channing Tatum's past male stripper life, this laid back film tells of Tatum's friendship and training of a new young kid into the stripping life. The kid is immature and doesn't know how to handle life or money and soon becomes out of control. Directed by Steven Soderberg in an easy, likable manner. GRADE-----------B-
CHILD 44 (2015)--Mystery thriller set in Stalin era Russia about a security officer (Tom Hardy) who discovers a serial murderer, of children, but according to his superiors, no such activity can exist in a perfect Stalin state, so he is demoted with his wife (Noomi Rapace), but he continues to work on the crime when a murder takes place where he has been sent to. His new commander (Gary Oldman) helps him a little. The film is grim and relentlessly dark. It looks effective, the actors are fine, and the sets are appropriately depressing. The mystery fells muted, however, and the result is not too dramatic. For a mystery thriller, there's hardly any thrill. GRADE----------------C
BIRD OF PARADISE (1932)--A young sailor (a very very young Joel McCrea) on a pleasure cruise jumps ship because he is taken by a local Polynesian maid, who happens to be the chief's daughter.
She is played by the exotic Delores del Rio, who jabbers in Polynesian (?) and gestures a lot with her hands, while amazingly her only top, a modest lei, stays securely in place, even while swimming and running! I read she had a "meteorite" career in films until sound became popular, and then started working again in Mexico because her English was not so good, although she did look exotic in this film. More campy than tragic--glad I saw it, but never again. GRADE------- C
MAYBE BABY (2000)--British BBC comedy with cast including Hugh Laurie, Joelly Richardson,
Rowan Atkinson, Joanna Lumley and others, about a couple trying to conceive. I found this film to be insulting to infertile couples (or any couple, actually) and completely unfunny, with scene after dull scene full of cliches. I know why this never played in theatres in the US. Don't waste your time.
GRADE-----------D
----------------*********************---------------*********************------------------
TOP FILMS OF 2015
1. Spotlight
2. Brooklyn
3. The Revenant
4. Carol
5. Mad Max: Fury Road
6. Tom at the Farm
7. Room
8. Dark Horse
9. Mistress America
10. Star Wars: Force Awakens
11. 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets (docu)
12. Best of Enemies (docu)
13. The Big Short
14. Truth
15. Bridge of Spies
16. Spy
17. Trainwreck
18. Sicario
19. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
20. Tangerine
BEST GUILTY PLEASURES----TANGERINE, SHAUN THE SHEEP, ANT MAN, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, THE MARTIAN, TAB HUNTER: CONFIDENTIAL, KINGSMAN:SECRET SERVICE, THE OVERNIGHT, AMERICAN ULTRA, SAN ANDREAS, GUIDANCE. PITCH PERFECT 2, and 7 CHINESE BROTHERS.
DECENT RUNNERS UP FOR TOP FILMS---------MR HOLMES, LOVE AND MERCY, JOY, FURIOUS 7, ODE TO MY FATHER, EX MACHINA, TRUMBO, INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, DANISH GIRL, LADY IN THE VAN, DAIRY OF A TEENAGE
GIRL, MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., GRANDMA, BLACK MASS, SPECTRE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE:ROGUE NATION, JURASSIC WORLD, WHILE WE'RE YOUNG, CINDERELLA, 2ND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, FAR FROM MADDING CROWD, PEOPLE PLACES THINGS, BLACK MASS, EVEREST, CRIMSON PEAK, PEANUTS MOVIE, TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
GREAT ACTORS---CASTS OF SPOTLIGHT, ROOM, CAROL, BIG SHORT, REVENANT, LOVE AND MERCY, BROOKLYN, SICARIO, MR HOLMES, TRUTH, INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, DAIRY OF TEENAGE GIRL, PEOPLE PLACES THINGS, GRANDMA, END OF TOUR, RICKI AND THE FLASH, WALK IN THE WOODS, ROCK THE KASBAH, TRUMBO, I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS, LEARNING TO DRIVE, THE DANISH GIRL, LADY IN THE VAN, JOY, TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
BAD, DISAPPOINTING FILMS---- SISTERS, SELF/LESS, KUNIKO: TREASURE HUNTER, SAINT LAURENT, TAKEN 3
Heart in the right place, but I wish they were better----Stonewall, Our Brand is Crises, Black Sea, In the Heart of the Sea, Secret in Their Eyes, Sleeping with Other People, Manglehorn
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OSCARS are presented on SUNDAY 28th FEBRUARY at 4pm.
Here are some of my predictions.
Best Picture.....Spotlight and Revenant seem to be in a neck to neck race. I like them both for very different reasons, but I'd really be thrilled if Brooklyn pulled off a shocker win.
Best Director-----Usually goes to the Best Picture winner, so expect either the above to win.
Best Actor-----No contest here----Leonardo Di Caprio is the big favorite, and why not.
Best Actress--Brie Larsen for Room is strong choice, but Cate Blanchet for Carol and Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn could pull off a surprise. I loved them all.
Supporting Actor--Sylvester Stallone for Creed is the popular choice, but I liked Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies and Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight.
Supporting Actress--Toughest category. I think Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl has had a strong year (see also Ex Machina and Testament of Youth) but Kate Winslett has gotten raves for Steve Jobs (missed that one) and Rooney Mara for Carol is also super.
Inside Out should win in the Best Animation feature category
Son of Saul is on a winning streak for Foreign film, but Mustang and A War are coming on strong.
Best Original Script---Spotlight
Best Adapted Script---could be a 4 way tie for Room, Carol, Brooklyn and Big Short, which will probably be it's only award so that has the edge. All are worthy.
Best musical score--Probably long time favorite who's never won before--Ennio Morricone for Hateful Eight.
Technical awards--most will go to the thrilling action picture Mad Max : Fury Road, although Star Wars may sneak out one or two.
I put off seeing the new STARS WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS for two months due to low or at least ho-hum expectations, but I'm happy to report that this new film is terrific, help immeasurably by a great script and snappy direction by J.J. Abrams, and an exciting new cast led by Daisey Ridley and John Boyega, a young independent white woman and a smart young black man. They give this new modern update a much needed contemporary feel. Also, welcome back to the wonderful characters Hans Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca (played by the original Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher) and the film is a real treat. Finally I'm looking forward to the inevitable sequel that will likely feature the return of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, seen briefly at the end of this film.) Can't wait. GRADE------------A-
Last year's Oscar winning director for BIRDMAN--Alejandro G. Inarnitu is back with another strong film, brimming with existential realism and powerful but depressing images of horrific survival. Fueled by a commanding performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, who is nearly silent through much of the film, THE REVENANT is fascinating, horrific viewing, which means you cannot stop watching no matter what is happening on the screen. In a stunning sequence early in the film, the trapper DiCaprio is violently attached by a bear (a remarkably shot episode), then left for dead by his partner played by Tom Hardy. He spends the rest of the film trying to get out of the cold, barren wilderness alive, with revenge on his mind. The plot isn't terribly original, but the film making is of the highest quality, with the sound, music, cinematography, editing and direction most superior. May be too brutal for some viewers, but it's an impressive film and I loved how it incorporated the spirit of the Native People with the cruelties of nature. GRADE----------B+
THE LADY IN THE VAN is based on a true story that happened to writer Alan Bennett, who let a homeless woman park her van in his driveway for a few weeks, and she stayed for 14 years. The film is not too likable, because the woman, played by the indomitable Maggie Smith, is cantankerous and stubborn, yet you can't help admiring the commitment to the role that Maggie Smith commands. Winner of two Oscars (PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE 1969 and CALIFORNIA SUITE, 1978) and nominated for several more, this is perhaps her greatest, most difficult role, and one wishes she was nominated for this one too, as a career topper. GRADE-----B
Michael Moore is up to his tricks in the decidedly positive and funny WHERE TO INVADE NEXT. He visits other countries and picks up the good for society issues that he thinks America could really use, such as the great school system in Finland, considered the best in the world. WHY? Because the kids have NO HOMEWORK. In Norway, the prisoners are treated humanly, without locks on the doors! and in Portugal, drug use is treated as a sickness, not illegal, so the prisons are not used for drug abuse, and druggies are NOT arrested. There are a number of other astoundingly brilliant ideas that he espouses, many profound, some funny, and most just plain common sense! My only complaint----he spreads out so many ideas that he can't really go into a lot of detail. It feels like a bunch of episodes from 60 Minutes. GRADE-------B
A smart, snappy comedy with a bit too much intelligence that distracts from the goofy song and dance numbers, HAIL, CAESAR! is an insider's comedy about the Hollywood studios in the 1950's that features a big cast which includes a goofy George Clooney, a cutie pie Scarlett Johansson, a haggard studio boss Josh Brolin, a stuffy director Ralph Fiennes, a flamboyant dancer Channing Tatum and many many more. It is clearly a Coen brothers film, loaded with political diatribe that cuts down on the laughs, perhaps concentrating more on satire. I wanted more laughs and goofiness. GRADE---------B
Based on the true story of Olympian racer and winner of four gold medals during Hitler's 1936 reign, RACE tells the Jesse Owen's story in a straight forward, if uninspired telling in a compelling, competent manner. As one of the first black athletes in track and field, he was under pressure to boycott the Olympics due to the poor treatment of Jews and others minorities in pre WW2 Germany. Well acted by newcomer Stephan James and easy to watch, I was uneasy in the almost heroic portrayal of film maker Leni Riefenstahl in the "good guy" role who supposedly defies Goering's demands to not film Owen's achievements. I also felt Owen's college coach, as played by comedian Jason Sudeikis, had no gravitas---I really disliked his performance. Still, it's an interesting piece of history, and an eye opener in many ways. GRADE-----B-
Charlie Kaufman's newest film is a stop action animated film with an introspective theme about a lonely depressed man on a business trip who stumbles into an affair with a stranger who he suddenly sees with different eyes and ears, as all the other characters have the voice of a man except his new lover. The film, ANAMOLISA, is not always easy to watch, and it doesn't always work in a new way (the plot depends on the mid life crisis of a middle aged man) although the look is provocative and at times intimate. But the idea is there, and you have to give him kudos for the creativity. GRADE-----------B-
The latest Marvel comics film DEADPOOL features a sarcastic anti hero in a red suit where you can't see his face at all---his mouth is covered in red, and the eyes are blanked out white. This is because the character has been badly burned and scarred by an insane doctor doing experimental treatments in a very unsanitary looking warehouse. Ryan Reynolds plays the character with enough vulgar, rude sarcasm to appeal to the basest Donald Trump supporter, and the film has so much nasty violence that I needed a bath after viewing. I was modestly amused, but have no desire to see another installment. GRADE------B-
Viewed on DVD------------------------
SHORT CUTS (1993)---Robert Altman masterpiece based on several Raymond Carver stories all set in Los Angeles, and featuring an all star cast including Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Lori Singer, Annie Ross, Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Jack Lemmon, Lili Taylor, Robert Downey Jr., Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Lyle Lovett, Fred Ward and many others. The main story line features Tomlin as a waitress who hits a small boy in her car. The boy says he is ok, and goes home to his parents MacDowell and Davison, but later falls into a coma, unbeknowst to Tomlin and her boy friend, the alcoholic Waits. In the meantime, fisherman buddies find a dead woman in at their fishing hole that they have hiked into and leave her there until returning home several days later to report it then. This angers Ward's wife, who is trying to make new friend of artist Moore. Every character gets some big scenes, and stories interweave masterfully, with the usual sound overlapping that Altman is known for. GRADE--------A-
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY (1936)--Superior telling of classic tale has an American child (Freddie Bartholomew) sent to live with his cranky grandfather in England because he is the missing heir. His mother is ignored by this rich old man. Or course, he melts the heart of the old man, and his friends come to England to help him out when a false heir appears. I recognized the tall, distinguished character actor with the stiff upper lip who plays the grandfather so well, as C. Aubrey Smith (1863-1948). I've recently seen him in ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939), REBECCA (1940), BILL OF DIVORCEMENT (1940) and AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945). GRADE-------A-
MURDER SHE SAID (1961)--Two films made from books by Agatha Christie and featuring the
MURDER MOST FOUL (1964)--delightful Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple, who solves murders by being a charming snoop. MURDER SHE SAID is based on the book 4:50 FROM PADDINGTON, where Miss Marple sees a murder through the window of a passing train. The police can't find any body, so they don't believe her, so she sets out to search the area herself, finding the likely body was thrown off the train at a large estate, where she takes a job as a maid. MURDER MOST FOUL has an amateur actress murdered, so Miss Marple takes a position as an actress in the company where the woman most recently was associated. It's based on the novel MRS. McGINTY'S DEAD. There were two more films made with Rutherford, who in my opinion was the funniest Miss Marple ever, and I plan to revisit them soon, as all four are minor classics to me. GRADE-----------each film is B+
COME LIVE WITH ME (1941)--Comedy/drama featuring a very young Jimmy Stewart as a down on his luck writer who gets picked up by the alluring Hedy Lamarr as a woman needing to marry to stay in the USA so she can marry a rich man she assumes will divorce his wife to marry her. This is a familiar story today, but back then it must have been rather provocative. Lamarr marries Stewart in a financial agreement while she pursues her married man. It's is easy to predict the ending, but there are some lovely moments as she finds her affections being redirected. GRADE-------B
ST VINCENT (2014)--Reviewed this comedy featuring Melissa McCarthy and Bill Murray, who plays his familiar crusty character, a cynical veteran with an alcohol and gambling issue, who becomes a child sitter to McCarthy's young boy. Naomi Watts plays his eastern European prostitute friend. Murray is a national treasure with his pessimistic sarcasm that always gets a laugh. GRADE-----------B
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (2005)--An ambitious and serious sea faring epic that played on the BBC in England--it's a three part, four and a half hour series about a young man (Benedict Cumberbatch) on his way to Australia for a government position in the early 1800's, who during the nearly year long voyage experiences other characters and different life styles that change and challenge his philosophy of life. He seduces a woman he thinks is the daughter of an older couple, but finds they are only a manage-a-trios. The chaplain is humiliated by the captain, becomes drunk and becomes involved in a sexual situation with (apparently multiple) crew members. A rebellious older friend injures his leg, then marries another woman teacher, testing the hero's faith. And Cumberbatch himself falls for a visiting young woman, only to have her ship sail away the next day. There are also the usual doldrums, storms, suicides, lost at sea situations, funerals, fires, illnesses, etc. GRADE-------B
MAGIC MIKE (2012)--Based on some situations from Channing Tatum's past male stripper life, this laid back film tells of Tatum's friendship and training of a new young kid into the stripping life. The kid is immature and doesn't know how to handle life or money and soon becomes out of control. Directed by Steven Soderberg in an easy, likable manner. GRADE-----------B-
CHILD 44 (2015)--Mystery thriller set in Stalin era Russia about a security officer (Tom Hardy) who discovers a serial murderer, of children, but according to his superiors, no such activity can exist in a perfect Stalin state, so he is demoted with his wife (Noomi Rapace), but he continues to work on the crime when a murder takes place where he has been sent to. His new commander (Gary Oldman) helps him a little. The film is grim and relentlessly dark. It looks effective, the actors are fine, and the sets are appropriately depressing. The mystery fells muted, however, and the result is not too dramatic. For a mystery thriller, there's hardly any thrill. GRADE----------------C
BIRD OF PARADISE (1932)--A young sailor (a very very young Joel McCrea) on a pleasure cruise jumps ship because he is taken by a local Polynesian maid, who happens to be the chief's daughter.
She is played by the exotic Delores del Rio, who jabbers in Polynesian (?) and gestures a lot with her hands, while amazingly her only top, a modest lei, stays securely in place, even while swimming and running! I read she had a "meteorite" career in films until sound became popular, and then started working again in Mexico because her English was not so good, although she did look exotic in this film. More campy than tragic--glad I saw it, but never again. GRADE------- C
MAYBE BABY (2000)--British BBC comedy with cast including Hugh Laurie, Joelly Richardson,
Rowan Atkinson, Joanna Lumley and others, about a couple trying to conceive. I found this film to be insulting to infertile couples (or any couple, actually) and completely unfunny, with scene after dull scene full of cliches. I know why this never played in theatres in the US. Don't waste your time.
GRADE-----------D
----------------*********************---------------*********************------------------
TOP FILMS OF 2015
1. Spotlight
2. Brooklyn
3. The Revenant
4. Carol
5. Mad Max: Fury Road
6. Tom at the Farm
7. Room
8. Dark Horse
9. Mistress America
10. Star Wars: Force Awakens
11. 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets (docu)
12. Best of Enemies (docu)
13. The Big Short
14. Truth
15. Bridge of Spies
16. Spy
17. Trainwreck
18. Sicario
19. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
20. Tangerine
BEST GUILTY PLEASURES----TANGERINE, SHAUN THE SHEEP, ANT MAN, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, THE MARTIAN, TAB HUNTER: CONFIDENTIAL, KINGSMAN:SECRET SERVICE, THE OVERNIGHT, AMERICAN ULTRA, SAN ANDREAS, GUIDANCE. PITCH PERFECT 2, and 7 CHINESE BROTHERS.
DECENT RUNNERS UP FOR TOP FILMS---------MR HOLMES, LOVE AND MERCY, JOY, FURIOUS 7, ODE TO MY FATHER, EX MACHINA, TRUMBO, INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, DANISH GIRL, LADY IN THE VAN, DAIRY OF A TEENAGE
GIRL, MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., GRANDMA, BLACK MASS, SPECTRE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE:ROGUE NATION, JURASSIC WORLD, WHILE WE'RE YOUNG, CINDERELLA, 2ND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, FAR FROM MADDING CROWD, PEOPLE PLACES THINGS, BLACK MASS, EVEREST, CRIMSON PEAK, PEANUTS MOVIE, TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
GREAT ACTORS---CASTS OF SPOTLIGHT, ROOM, CAROL, BIG SHORT, REVENANT, LOVE AND MERCY, BROOKLYN, SICARIO, MR HOLMES, TRUTH, INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, DAIRY OF TEENAGE GIRL, PEOPLE PLACES THINGS, GRANDMA, END OF TOUR, RICKI AND THE FLASH, WALK IN THE WOODS, ROCK THE KASBAH, TRUMBO, I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS, LEARNING TO DRIVE, THE DANISH GIRL, LADY IN THE VAN, JOY, TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
BAD, DISAPPOINTING FILMS---- SISTERS, SELF/LESS, KUNIKO: TREASURE HUNTER, SAINT LAURENT, TAKEN 3
Heart in the right place, but I wish they were better----Stonewall, Our Brand is Crises, Black Sea, In the Heart of the Sea, Secret in Their Eyes, Sleeping with Other People, Manglehorn
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OSCARS are presented on SUNDAY 28th FEBRUARY at 4pm.
Here are some of my predictions.
Best Picture.....Spotlight and Revenant seem to be in a neck to neck race. I like them both for very different reasons, but I'd really be thrilled if Brooklyn pulled off a shocker win.
Best Director-----Usually goes to the Best Picture winner, so expect either the above to win.
Best Actor-----No contest here----Leonardo Di Caprio is the big favorite, and why not.
Best Actress--Brie Larsen for Room is strong choice, but Cate Blanchet for Carol and Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn could pull off a surprise. I loved them all.
Supporting Actor--Sylvester Stallone for Creed is the popular choice, but I liked Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies and Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight.
Supporting Actress--Toughest category. I think Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl has had a strong year (see also Ex Machina and Testament of Youth) but Kate Winslett has gotten raves for Steve Jobs (missed that one) and Rooney Mara for Carol is also super.
Inside Out should win in the Best Animation feature category
Son of Saul is on a winning streak for Foreign film, but Mustang and A War are coming on strong.
Best Original Script---Spotlight
Best Adapted Script---could be a 4 way tie for Room, Carol, Brooklyn and Big Short, which will probably be it's only award so that has the edge. All are worthy.
Best musical score--Probably long time favorite who's never won before--Ennio Morricone for Hateful Eight.
Technical awards--most will go to the thrilling action picture Mad Max : Fury Road, although Star Wars may sneak out one or two.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
ROOM, CAROL,THE BIG SHORT (three year end favorites), JOY plus all 8 HARRY POTTER films plus Hitchcock's REBECCA and STAGE FRIGHT and other goodies.....
Several films from the year end rush provide some much need gravitas to the year's quality column. A little film based on a novel, ROOM does wonders with it's small scale and intimate setting, bringing intense and revelatory drama to the situation without sensationalizing it. A young woman has been kidnapped and kept in a small storage shed for many years, conceiving a baby, now a five year old boy, a result of the abusive sexual relationship with her captor. She struggles to keep her child away from him, and to finally escape her small prison room by creating a vivid imagination for her son. When they do finally escape, the relationship with her son is crucial to her own healing process. Aside from being beautifully acted (Brie Lawson and an amazing Jacob Tremblay play mother and son--she is an Oscar nominee this year) and directed ( by Oscar nominee Lenny Abrahamson) and written (by book and script writer Emma Donoghue, also Oscar nominated), this little masterpiece has been nominated for best picture of the year, and it certainly seems like the little film that could. It skillfully creates drama, tension, love, symbolism, pain, forgiveness, humor and wonderment. GRADE-------------A-
Another small but wonderful film is the new movie by Todd Haynes (FAR FROM HEAVEN 2003) set in the 1950's about the attraction between two very different women. CAROL, played by Cate Blanchett, is a socialite wife and mother, and Rooney Mara is a department store clerk, and their relationship triggers consequences that neither knows just how to handle. The writing and original score are both outstanding, and both Oscar nominated, as are the two leads. The direction is very sharp and thoughtful. CAROL is based on the novel THE PRICE OF SALT by Patricia Highsmith. GRADE--------A-
Possibly the most tragic, depressing film of the year is THE BIG SHORT, being called a "comedy" by many critics, but the cynical, sarcastic film plays more like a nightmare geared to create fear in the hearts of the average man. Supposedly telling the story of the housing and banking crisis that started in 2007, the story follows the several groups of men in the banking/financial/money market/financial advisor fields that would either take advantage of the banking bust, or be wiped out by it. The film shows all involved to be motivated by greed and/or corruption and/or dishonesty and/or incompetence, and usually three of the four options. I'm not saying the film is dishonest or incorrect or boring. It is certainly lively and for the most part entertaining, in the way that watching in slow motion a train wreck is "entertaining." Most effective in the large cast for me were Steve Carell as an obnoxious workaholic who realizes all the ramifications of what might happen when the bubble bursts, and Christian Bale as one of the eccentric masterminds of "betting against the US government." My favorite line among many gems: "I have a feeling in a few years people are going to be doing what they always do then the economy tanks. They will be blaming immigrants and poor people." Bottom line is, the film makes me sad, probably because if feels so true. GRADE--------B+
David O. Russell's newest film, called JOY, is the best film you'll ever see about a woman who creates and markets a new type of floor mop, and must face great personal and financial and business tribulations to do it. There were at least four different types of trailers for this film, each one intriguing but none really telling anything about the mop business. This is typical of Russell's genre defying other films, too, like AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013), SILVER LINING PLAYBOOK (2012), THE FIGHTER (2010), 3 KINGS (1999), FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (1996) and his break out film SPANKING THE MONKEY (1994). Each film well made and acted, and involving the dysfunctional family unit, but with enough laughs to temper any problem. Fortunately for JOY, he is blessed with some outstanding character actors including Robert DeNiro, Virginia Madsen, Edgar Ramirez, Bradley Cooper, Diane Ladd, Isabella Rossellini, and they are led by another powerhouse performance from Jennifer Lawrence--her third straight lead in a Russell film. She's nominated for another Oscar for this one, and she may not win, but this is a defining film for her. GRADE---B+
_____________________________________
THE FOLLOWING FILMS were viewed on Blu Ray DVD or on TCM- a big screen TV.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE (2001)
CHAMBERS OF SECRETS (2002)
PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004)
GOBLET OF FIRE (2005)
ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007)
HALF BLOOD PRINCE (2009)
DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 1 (2010)
DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 2 (2011)
.....I watched all eight films in order over the period of two weeks, and what a revelation. I'd seen all these films at a theatre each year they came out, and I had enjoyed them for the science fiction fantasy that they were---rating each film a "B" or better every year. I have NOT read the books. But for some reason, the first three films were even more delightful than I'd recalled. It helps to view them on a wide screen (55 inches) and in eye popping Blu Ray. It also helped immensely that I had the closed captions (English) subtitles on because at times the British dialect is strong and hard to understand. Then a very curious thing occurred with GOBLET OF FIRE. I watched the whole film and felt that in spite of such spectacular sequences like the encounter with the deadly dragon, the amusing bath with Moaning Myrtle, the underwater battle with fierce and scary water demons, the enchanted maze, and the first encounter with V.......THAT I'D NEVER SEEN THIS FILM BEFORE. My wife assured me that we had indeed seen this film together 10 years ago, but I could not remember a single delicious scene! To me this was the strongest, most entertaining film thus far in the series. The next two films, ORDER and HALF BLOOD were films that I only faintly remembered seeing--just a scene or two came to mind. Perhaps because DEATHLY HALLOWS 1 and 2 were so recent that they were very familiar to me, but my pleasure in watching them was highly increased because they were so much a whole. The characters were fresher in my mind, and the story subplots and tangents were so much easier to follow than before. Over all, watching them all together is an activity that I handily endorse. It is hard to rate these films independently, but overall I'd give this series a solid A- for it's creativity, skill, imagination, charm, horror and entertainment value. GRADE----------A-
REBECCA (1940)--Alfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar for direction in spite of being nominated 5 times, including this film, LIFEBOAT (1945), SPELLBOUND (1946), REAR WINDOW (1955) and PSYCHO (1961) and creating more than a dozen masterworks that are today still widely admired. Watching REBECCA (and reading the Daphne du Maurier novel) I was taken that the film feels more like a producer David Selzneck film than a Hitchcock directed one. This one felt lush, romantic and mysterious, without the usual edgy tension that Hitch managed in most of his other films. That, plus the fact this was his first USA made film since coming from Great Britian, and he was trying to please Selzneck, who had just won best film the previous year for GONE WITH THE WIND. Still, the film is very appealing and has many fascinating scenes that follow the plotting of du Maurier pretty closely. In fact, the only place where the film changes the plot (and improves it) is the ending.
GRADE--------------A-
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)--Carrying the film high on his shoulders, Oscar winner James Cagney sings, dances, and acts in this biographical musical drama about George M. Cohen. Some of the flag waving patriotism gets pretty obnoxious, but the exuberant Cagney succeeds in every possible way through out. Joan Leslie shines as his girlfriend/wife, and she gets to sing a bit too. GRADE---------A-
BILLY BUDD (1962)--Young and innocent Billy is well liked by his fellow sailors, but crosses swords with the evil Master of Arms played by an angry Robert Ryan, with tragic results. Terrance Stamp was Oscar nominated for this his first major role. It's a powerfully tense film, and I loved the last shocking thing that comes out of Budd's mouth. GRADE---------A-
STAGE FRIGHT (1950)--A young actress (Jane Wyman) tries to help clear her friend (Richard Todd) when his older lover (Marlene Dietrich) tries to frame him for murder. She turns to her separated parents for help (Alistair Sim and Dame Sybil Thorndike, both humorously excellent), but falls in love with the detective trying to solve the murder (Michael Wilding). This might be minor Hitchcock, but it is a lot of fun to watch, and offers several thrills and twists. GRADE------B+
STAGE DOOR (1937)--Early Katherine Hepburn film has her sharing living quarters with a dozen other aspiring actresses, including Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden and Ann Miller, with Adolphe Menjou. The dialogue is incredibly bitchy AND funny, and even though I'd seen this a few years ago, and it was late, I stayed up to watch the whole thing again. GRADE----B+
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (2011)--Smooth, pleasant film about older Brits who move to an inexpensive hotel in India for what is promised to be a heavenly experience. The excellent cast (including Maggie Smith, Judy Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Tom Wilkinson) are all different, and much humor and conflict are the basis for the plotting. GRADE--B+
BOYS TOWN (1938)--Spencer Tracy plays the intercity priest who believes that there is no such thing as a bad boy, and vows to give every homeless boy a loving home, even if it means living in an orphanage situation. Mickey Rooney is a challenging delinquent who temps Tracy's philosophy.
I read that the director and producer had to really "sit" on Rooney to keep him from over acting. They almost succeeded. I enjoyed this true to life story which won Tracy his second best actor Oscar. GRADE----B
CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT(1945)--Charming Barbara Stanwick film has her forced to entertain a returning vet from the war and her boss in her country home, for a country Christmas dinner and weekend with her family. Trouble is, she's a cooking editor and writer who doesn't know how to cook, nor is she even married. Especially love Dennis Morgan as the G.I. and Sydney Greenstreet as her boss. This has slowly become a favorite holiday classic, and for a farce, it's fairly smart. GRADE-------B
CHILDREN'S HOUR (1961)--Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn stars as best friends who run a girl's school. One of the girl's starts a false rumor, ruining the school because of the scandal, and causing tension between Hepburn and her fiance James Garner. Director William Wyler directed from a play by Lillian Hellman. This was one of the earliest films that hinted at a sexual relationship between the women. See next film THESE THREE. GRADE---B
THESE THREE (1936)--Director William Wyler filmed a version of Lillian Hellman's play THE CHILDREN'S HOUR (see above) that shares much of the same dialogue as his later version, but instead of the lesbian theme, the scandal becomes infidelity, and it still works very well. The nasty child is quite effective, and received an Oscar nomination for her efforts. I saw them both back to back on TCM and I have to say that both films are remarkably intelligent, sensitive and effective, and quite different. GRADE------B
THE GHOST AND MRS MUIR (1947)--Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison star in this gentle romantic haunted fantasy. Tierney moves into haunted house with her daughter (a very young Natalie Wood ) by the sea and soon runs into ghost Harrison, who convinces her to write a novel based on his life. She falls for him, but realizes that will be no good, so becomes attracted to another novelist of children's books, played by the smoother operator George Sanders--a role similar to the one he played in REBECCA, above. The ending is the strongest part of the film, haunting, sad, emotional, but very romantic. GRADE--------B
THE THIN MAN (1934)
AFTER THE THIN MAN (1936)
ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939)--Viewed back to back on TCM, these films have a certain delightful sarcastic dialogue between husband and wife Nick and Nora as they quibble about life, liqueur and detective work. There are some easy laughs, but the mystery is not often satisfying. The first ends with a big dinner party where all the suspects are gathered around the table. The second features Nora's rich family, and stars a young Jimmy Stewart in a featured role. The third has them with a baby, and there is even an amusing scene where a dozen babies gather for a birthday party, and naturally, one baby is misplaced, but that one was the least of the three. A case of diminishing returns, but I have 3 more sequels to see. GRADE----B, B-, C+
THE HARD WAY (1943)--Ida Lupino is older, pushy sister to Joan Leslie's attempt to leave the small town and try to make it big on Broadway. Dennis Morgan is a love interest who is interested, at different times, to both sisters. This is familiar stuff, but the actors are gung ho, and Joan Leslie gets to sing and dance, which makes this soap opera drama easy to watch. GRADE-----B-
THE WORLD WAS HIS JURY (1958)---This incredibly low budget film starts off poorly, with a deadly fire aboard a cruise ship where people die, but the sets are fake, the fire is a bad special effect, and the rescue mission is obviously some stock footage. Add to that some very weak actors, and I nearly turned it off. Finally about 15 minutes into it, crack lawyer Edmond O'Brien appears and lifts our interest immensely. The new cruise captain is being accused of the fire and poor attempt to save lives (actually, the film's director should have been accused.) With nothing to go on (!) O'Brien goes to trial and manages, somehow, to save the captain a fate of life imprisonment or death. Not too convincing, but O'Brien is such an interesting actor that that alone gives this film a barely passing grade. GRADE---------C+
LITTLE DARLIN'S (1980)--At summer camp, bets are made--which girl can loose their virginity first? Tatum O'Neal is the rich girl who decides to zero in on the older swim coach Armand Assante, and Kristy McNichol is the poor white trash girl trying for a young Matt Dillon. Both come to realize that sex can not be a competition, and the film becomes well meaning but dull. A very young Cynthia Nixon plays a hippie teen a decade before she hit the big time with Sex in the City TV series.
GRADE-------C
THE SKY'S THE LIMIT (1943)--This Fred Astaire comedy musical drove me to bed early. He plays a soldier who wanders away from his unit (!) and then finds he is in love with a girl (Joan Leslie--yes it was Joan Leslie night on TCM) and follows her all over town for several days, including moving into her apartment building right across the hall (!) and all the while she's trying to get rid of him, or help him get a job. I call it STALKING. In any other time he'd be arrested for causing a nuisance. There is a very bizarre scene where he's induced to do a dance routine on a small round table for a G.I. while pretending to be a snake--sort of a slithering, homosexual table dance. I just thought it was embarrassing for Astaire. GRADE-------C-
Another small but wonderful film is the new movie by Todd Haynes (FAR FROM HEAVEN 2003) set in the 1950's about the attraction between two very different women. CAROL, played by Cate Blanchett, is a socialite wife and mother, and Rooney Mara is a department store clerk, and their relationship triggers consequences that neither knows just how to handle. The writing and original score are both outstanding, and both Oscar nominated, as are the two leads. The direction is very sharp and thoughtful. CAROL is based on the novel THE PRICE OF SALT by Patricia Highsmith. GRADE--------A-
Possibly the most tragic, depressing film of the year is THE BIG SHORT, being called a "comedy" by many critics, but the cynical, sarcastic film plays more like a nightmare geared to create fear in the hearts of the average man. Supposedly telling the story of the housing and banking crisis that started in 2007, the story follows the several groups of men in the banking/financial/money market/financial advisor fields that would either take advantage of the banking bust, or be wiped out by it. The film shows all involved to be motivated by greed and/or corruption and/or dishonesty and/or incompetence, and usually three of the four options. I'm not saying the film is dishonest or incorrect or boring. It is certainly lively and for the most part entertaining, in the way that watching in slow motion a train wreck is "entertaining." Most effective in the large cast for me were Steve Carell as an obnoxious workaholic who realizes all the ramifications of what might happen when the bubble bursts, and Christian Bale as one of the eccentric masterminds of "betting against the US government." My favorite line among many gems: "I have a feeling in a few years people are going to be doing what they always do then the economy tanks. They will be blaming immigrants and poor people." Bottom line is, the film makes me sad, probably because if feels so true. GRADE--------B+
David O. Russell's newest film, called JOY, is the best film you'll ever see about a woman who creates and markets a new type of floor mop, and must face great personal and financial and business tribulations to do it. There were at least four different types of trailers for this film, each one intriguing but none really telling anything about the mop business. This is typical of Russell's genre defying other films, too, like AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013), SILVER LINING PLAYBOOK (2012), THE FIGHTER (2010), 3 KINGS (1999), FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (1996) and his break out film SPANKING THE MONKEY (1994). Each film well made and acted, and involving the dysfunctional family unit, but with enough laughs to temper any problem. Fortunately for JOY, he is blessed with some outstanding character actors including Robert DeNiro, Virginia Madsen, Edgar Ramirez, Bradley Cooper, Diane Ladd, Isabella Rossellini, and they are led by another powerhouse performance from Jennifer Lawrence--her third straight lead in a Russell film. She's nominated for another Oscar for this one, and she may not win, but this is a defining film for her. GRADE---B+
_____________________________________
THE FOLLOWING FILMS were viewed on Blu Ray DVD or on TCM- a big screen TV.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE (2001)
CHAMBERS OF SECRETS (2002)
PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004)
GOBLET OF FIRE (2005)
ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007)
HALF BLOOD PRINCE (2009)
DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 1 (2010)
DEATHLY HALLOWS Part 2 (2011)
.....I watched all eight films in order over the period of two weeks, and what a revelation. I'd seen all these films at a theatre each year they came out, and I had enjoyed them for the science fiction fantasy that they were---rating each film a "B" or better every year. I have NOT read the books. But for some reason, the first three films were even more delightful than I'd recalled. It helps to view them on a wide screen (55 inches) and in eye popping Blu Ray. It also helped immensely that I had the closed captions (English) subtitles on because at times the British dialect is strong and hard to understand. Then a very curious thing occurred with GOBLET OF FIRE. I watched the whole film and felt that in spite of such spectacular sequences like the encounter with the deadly dragon, the amusing bath with Moaning Myrtle, the underwater battle with fierce and scary water demons, the enchanted maze, and the first encounter with V.......THAT I'D NEVER SEEN THIS FILM BEFORE. My wife assured me that we had indeed seen this film together 10 years ago, but I could not remember a single delicious scene! To me this was the strongest, most entertaining film thus far in the series. The next two films, ORDER and HALF BLOOD were films that I only faintly remembered seeing--just a scene or two came to mind. Perhaps because DEATHLY HALLOWS 1 and 2 were so recent that they were very familiar to me, but my pleasure in watching them was highly increased because they were so much a whole. The characters were fresher in my mind, and the story subplots and tangents were so much easier to follow than before. Over all, watching them all together is an activity that I handily endorse. It is hard to rate these films independently, but overall I'd give this series a solid A- for it's creativity, skill, imagination, charm, horror and entertainment value. GRADE----------A-
REBECCA (1940)--Alfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar for direction in spite of being nominated 5 times, including this film, LIFEBOAT (1945), SPELLBOUND (1946), REAR WINDOW (1955) and PSYCHO (1961) and creating more than a dozen masterworks that are today still widely admired. Watching REBECCA (and reading the Daphne du Maurier novel) I was taken that the film feels more like a producer David Selzneck film than a Hitchcock directed one. This one felt lush, romantic and mysterious, without the usual edgy tension that Hitch managed in most of his other films. That, plus the fact this was his first USA made film since coming from Great Britian, and he was trying to please Selzneck, who had just won best film the previous year for GONE WITH THE WIND. Still, the film is very appealing and has many fascinating scenes that follow the plotting of du Maurier pretty closely. In fact, the only place where the film changes the plot (and improves it) is the ending.
GRADE--------------A-
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)--Carrying the film high on his shoulders, Oscar winner James Cagney sings, dances, and acts in this biographical musical drama about George M. Cohen. Some of the flag waving patriotism gets pretty obnoxious, but the exuberant Cagney succeeds in every possible way through out. Joan Leslie shines as his girlfriend/wife, and she gets to sing a bit too. GRADE---------A-
BILLY BUDD (1962)--Young and innocent Billy is well liked by his fellow sailors, but crosses swords with the evil Master of Arms played by an angry Robert Ryan, with tragic results. Terrance Stamp was Oscar nominated for this his first major role. It's a powerfully tense film, and I loved the last shocking thing that comes out of Budd's mouth. GRADE---------A-
STAGE FRIGHT (1950)--A young actress (Jane Wyman) tries to help clear her friend (Richard Todd) when his older lover (Marlene Dietrich) tries to frame him for murder. She turns to her separated parents for help (Alistair Sim and Dame Sybil Thorndike, both humorously excellent), but falls in love with the detective trying to solve the murder (Michael Wilding). This might be minor Hitchcock, but it is a lot of fun to watch, and offers several thrills and twists. GRADE------B+
STAGE DOOR (1937)--Early Katherine Hepburn film has her sharing living quarters with a dozen other aspiring actresses, including Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden and Ann Miller, with Adolphe Menjou. The dialogue is incredibly bitchy AND funny, and even though I'd seen this a few years ago, and it was late, I stayed up to watch the whole thing again. GRADE----B+
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (2011)--Smooth, pleasant film about older Brits who move to an inexpensive hotel in India for what is promised to be a heavenly experience. The excellent cast (including Maggie Smith, Judy Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Tom Wilkinson) are all different, and much humor and conflict are the basis for the plotting. GRADE--B+
BOYS TOWN (1938)--Spencer Tracy plays the intercity priest who believes that there is no such thing as a bad boy, and vows to give every homeless boy a loving home, even if it means living in an orphanage situation. Mickey Rooney is a challenging delinquent who temps Tracy's philosophy.
I read that the director and producer had to really "sit" on Rooney to keep him from over acting. They almost succeeded. I enjoyed this true to life story which won Tracy his second best actor Oscar. GRADE----B
CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT(1945)--Charming Barbara Stanwick film has her forced to entertain a returning vet from the war and her boss in her country home, for a country Christmas dinner and weekend with her family. Trouble is, she's a cooking editor and writer who doesn't know how to cook, nor is she even married. Especially love Dennis Morgan as the G.I. and Sydney Greenstreet as her boss. This has slowly become a favorite holiday classic, and for a farce, it's fairly smart. GRADE-------B
CHILDREN'S HOUR (1961)--Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn stars as best friends who run a girl's school. One of the girl's starts a false rumor, ruining the school because of the scandal, and causing tension between Hepburn and her fiance James Garner. Director William Wyler directed from a play by Lillian Hellman. This was one of the earliest films that hinted at a sexual relationship between the women. See next film THESE THREE. GRADE---B
THESE THREE (1936)--Director William Wyler filmed a version of Lillian Hellman's play THE CHILDREN'S HOUR (see above) that shares much of the same dialogue as his later version, but instead of the lesbian theme, the scandal becomes infidelity, and it still works very well. The nasty child is quite effective, and received an Oscar nomination for her efforts. I saw them both back to back on TCM and I have to say that both films are remarkably intelligent, sensitive and effective, and quite different. GRADE------B
THE GHOST AND MRS MUIR (1947)--Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison star in this gentle romantic haunted fantasy. Tierney moves into haunted house with her daughter (a very young Natalie Wood ) by the sea and soon runs into ghost Harrison, who convinces her to write a novel based on his life. She falls for him, but realizes that will be no good, so becomes attracted to another novelist of children's books, played by the smoother operator George Sanders--a role similar to the one he played in REBECCA, above. The ending is the strongest part of the film, haunting, sad, emotional, but very romantic. GRADE--------B
THE THIN MAN (1934)
AFTER THE THIN MAN (1936)
ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939)--Viewed back to back on TCM, these films have a certain delightful sarcastic dialogue between husband and wife Nick and Nora as they quibble about life, liqueur and detective work. There are some easy laughs, but the mystery is not often satisfying. The first ends with a big dinner party where all the suspects are gathered around the table. The second features Nora's rich family, and stars a young Jimmy Stewart in a featured role. The third has them with a baby, and there is even an amusing scene where a dozen babies gather for a birthday party, and naturally, one baby is misplaced, but that one was the least of the three. A case of diminishing returns, but I have 3 more sequels to see. GRADE----B, B-, C+
THE HARD WAY (1943)--Ida Lupino is older, pushy sister to Joan Leslie's attempt to leave the small town and try to make it big on Broadway. Dennis Morgan is a love interest who is interested, at different times, to both sisters. This is familiar stuff, but the actors are gung ho, and Joan Leslie gets to sing and dance, which makes this soap opera drama easy to watch. GRADE-----B-
THE WORLD WAS HIS JURY (1958)---This incredibly low budget film starts off poorly, with a deadly fire aboard a cruise ship where people die, but the sets are fake, the fire is a bad special effect, and the rescue mission is obviously some stock footage. Add to that some very weak actors, and I nearly turned it off. Finally about 15 minutes into it, crack lawyer Edmond O'Brien appears and lifts our interest immensely. The new cruise captain is being accused of the fire and poor attempt to save lives (actually, the film's director should have been accused.) With nothing to go on (!) O'Brien goes to trial and manages, somehow, to save the captain a fate of life imprisonment or death. Not too convincing, but O'Brien is such an interesting actor that that alone gives this film a barely passing grade. GRADE---------C+
LITTLE DARLIN'S (1980)--At summer camp, bets are made--which girl can loose their virginity first? Tatum O'Neal is the rich girl who decides to zero in on the older swim coach Armand Assante, and Kristy McNichol is the poor white trash girl trying for a young Matt Dillon. Both come to realize that sex can not be a competition, and the film becomes well meaning but dull. A very young Cynthia Nixon plays a hippie teen a decade before she hit the big time with Sex in the City TV series.
GRADE-------C
THE SKY'S THE LIMIT (1943)--This Fred Astaire comedy musical drove me to bed early. He plays a soldier who wanders away from his unit (!) and then finds he is in love with a girl (Joan Leslie--yes it was Joan Leslie night on TCM) and follows her all over town for several days, including moving into her apartment building right across the hall (!) and all the while she's trying to get rid of him, or help him get a job. I call it STALKING. In any other time he'd be arrested for causing a nuisance. There is a very bizarre scene where he's induced to do a dance routine on a small round table for a G.I. while pretending to be a snake--sort of a slithering, homosexual table dance. I just thought it was embarrassing for Astaire. GRADE-------C-
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