NEW STUFF-HAMILTON, OLD GUARD, RADIOACTIVE plus classic films DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, WRITTEN ON THE WIND, BATTLEGROUND, THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR, plus lots of Rock Hudson films: STRANGE BEDFELOWS, BLINDFOLD, COME SEPTEMBER, TAZA SON OF COCHISE, CAPT. LIGHTFOOT, MAN'S FAVORITE SPORT and a unique Carrie Fisher double feature!

I've struggled for over one week to sign into a new and updated blogging system, finally it popped up for me, only to realize that my backspace key was broken on my keyboard.  Have you ever tried to type without it?  Madness.  So I'm a bit late getting out the July report, and I've more than two dozen films to review--mostly classics, because I don't like paying for the new films on Prime (they're never that good and I'm already paying $120 a month for mostly Prime/Netflix/Hulu/HBO etc.

HAMILTON--The month started out watching the Disney channel offering of the filmed Broadway play at a friend's home who had sprung the extra for the service.  Written and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film is a complex and involving version of the Ron Chernow biography with lots of pop, rap and ballads that memorably progress the story, and don't forget the dancing and choregraphy.  This is a history lesson for the masses, and the film moves like gangbusters.  Fortunately we all opted for English subtitles to help follow the dialogue and lyrics.  Still, as much as I enjoyed the experience, I look forward to seeing it again because there is much to enjoy, even if this is not really a cinematic experience.           GRADE----B+

OLD GUARD--Charlize Theron stars in this action fantasy film based on a graphic novel, about a tight knit of "revolutionary mercinaries" who travel the world doing good for democracy, and they cannot die--their bodies heal themselves.  A new young woman is discovered in the army and recruited to the team (she survives a slit throat!), and it is soon discovered that eternal life (such a drag!) is coming to an end for some of the older members.  A subplot romantically centers on two men who've lived together as lovers for centuries--perhaps a first for a superhero action movie.  The film clearly sets up a potential sequel for many adventure stories to come, and that's OK with me.             GRADE----------B

RADIOACTIVE 2019--From Amazon/Prime comes a biographical story of Madame Curie (Rosamond Pike)  and her life and husband (Sam Riley).  She  manages to poison herself (and her husband) with Uranium, but not before she collects two Nobel prizes for chemistry.  Despite good performances, the film seems rather dull and typical.                        GRADE----------------B-

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Nearly everything else I viewed was an older film (can't wait for theatres to reopen) viewed on DVD or on the Peacock network, which makes you watch 2 minutes of commercials at the start of the film you've chosen, but then is commercial free from beginning to end!

DESTRY RIDES AGAIN 1939--There are several prequels and sequels and remakes to this popular story, although I'd never seen any of them, but this version features James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich at their greatest.  Everything works so well in this classic western, which spoofs toxic masculinity with a gunless Stewart perfering milk to whiskey, and a knock out fight between two women that was apparently bruising for both women Dietrich and Una Merkel.  Dietrich gets to sing several bawdy songs including  "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have".  The late Madeline Kahn spoofs that performance so effectively in BLAZING SADDLES--just about the only thing I remember from that movie.                        GRADE--------------A 

THE LADY VANISHES 1939---One of Hitchcock's best British sound film--this has a better plot than the remake I saw earlier in the month even if they followed the book accurately.  Many of these characters have their tongue in cheek--I especially enjoy the banter with the two cricket fans trying to get back home for the final matches.                 GRADE---------A

WRITTEN ON THE WIND 1956--This classic Douglas Sirk directed melodrama is memorable for mainly two reasons--Dorothy Malone won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her slutty role as the frustrated daughter of a rich tycoon--she loves family friend Rock Hudson, but her alcohlic brother (Robert Stack) has snapped up in sudden marriage plain secretary Lauren Bacall (who plays so understatedly as to come across as a zombie) and that's who Rock wanted first!  and wants still!  The second reason that the film comes across so vividly is the snappy, sarcastic, pithy dialogue:  "I'll get you another towel--you're still wet behind the ears."   "Pardon me while I brush you out of my hair."  "I'm allergic to politeness."  "You've got an axe buried in Kyle's head and you're grinding it at the same time."   And this clever exchange between Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall----"To hell with the Hadleys!" "Well I'm a Hadley."  "To me you're not!"  "I respect MY marriage."  "So do I!"  In love but they cannot consumate--such passion!  As in last month's blog about Sirk's IMITATION OF LIFE, there's a riviting and intelligent thrust to these tortured character's lives.                      GRADE---------A-

BATTLEGROUND 1949--Here's a subtle {!} WW2 film that I put off watching for a couple years, so maybe my lower expectations elevated the film for me, but the story about a group of G.I.s involved in the Battle of the Bulge reminded me of the recent DUNKIRK and 1918 films in it's emphasis on character development and low key shocks that keep you in engaged.  Most of the fine actor are much younger than you may ever remember them being:  James Whitmore, Van Johnson, Ricardo Montaban, John Hodiak, Leon Ames, Richard Jaeckel, Jim Arness and others. The film was nominated for 6 Oscars (including Best Picture) and it won for best black and white cinematography (crisp and effective) and best story and script  GRADE----------------A-                                                                                                                                                             (concise and nuanced.)                      

 ------

NEVADA SMITH  1966--Steve McQueen plays an Indian half breed young man seeking revenge for the senseless murder of his mother and father.  At first he is driven by anger but taken under the wing of Brian Keith he learns to control and sharpen his skills, while others teach him forgiveness or try to take advantage of his naivety.  Fine cast includes Karl Malden, Arthur Kennedy, Suzanne Pleshete, Martin Landau and others.  Directed by Henry Hathaway, a longtime movie western master..                  --

GRADE----------B+

LOGAN LUCKY--2017--This quirky Southern  comedy directed by Steven Soderberg about a big time robbery of a Nascar race track features a delightful turn by Daniel Craig as a prisoner who escapes prison for just one day (don't ask) to help two brothers (Channing Tatum and Adam Driver) do the job.  There are a lot of holes and coincidences in the plot, but it's a fun "popcorn" watch.      GRADE-------B

WISTFUL DRINKING--2010--It was a stage play, and then a book, and then a filmed stage play based on the life of writer and actor Carrie Fisher.  She discusses her parents (Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds) and their divorcee, and Liz Taylor, and Paul Simon, and drugs, and STAR WARS times 5 (or 6) and other business from her life, and she's really funny and informative.  At one point she shows a large bulletin board with some two dozen famous faces to help you follow the crazy mixed up relationships that helped cause her addictions.  Very smart.           GRADE--------B

BRIGHT LIGHTS: STARRING CARRIE FISHER AND DEBBIE REYNOLDS--2016--This documentary makes a good double feature with WISTFUL DRINKING above.  It shows the dependence of Carrie and Debbie, and features other family members, memories, showbiz struggles, relationship mishaps, and is a fitting memorial to Debbie Reynolds and her career.  This was the last film that either woman made, and it ends with a Life Time Achievement Award given to Reynolds.  Both women are funny and interesting, especially to any movie buff.                   GRADE--------B

THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR 1942--One of Billy Wilder's earliest films as director, but he didn't write this one.  Ginger Rogers dresses as a 12 year old to save on train fare, and meets Major Ray Milland causing chaos when people think he's romantically involved with this young girl.  There are some laughs but it may be hard to believe that Rogers can be looking so  young and get away with it.                                GRADE---------------B

THE FRONT PAGE 1974--Billy Wilder's remake of this play from the 1931 and a remake of HIS GIRL FRIDAY, this play hits on many script one liners, and the cast is entertaining.  Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthew, Austin Pendleton, Carol Burnett, Susan Sarandon, and others were all very fine.                             Grade----------B

Rock Hudson made 8 films with Douglas Sirk.  I happened to buy a collection of Sirk films, three of them with Hudson.  At another time I bought a Hudson comedy collection with 6 titles, and another collection of Rock Hudson films of 2 comedies and 3 dramas, plus several years ago I bought the 3 pack of Hudson and Doris Day---so suddenly I had 17 Hudson starring titles.  And somewhere in my 2 thousand or so personal collection I probably have several other odd titles, hence a lot of Rock this month as I work to catch up on seeing them all. The following six entries are all Hudson films, and all are rated a solid "B" rating---most of them are slight but entertaining.

COME SEPTEMBER--1961 This  clever comedy has Rock as a rich executive who owns a modest castle in Italy where he comes with his mistress/girlfriend (Gina Lollobrigida) for the month of September to relax.  One year he arrives several weeks only to discover that his faithful friend and man servant cconverts this mini mansion to a bed and breakfast the rest of the year to help pay for upkeep and fixes. Walter Slezak is the sly managment, and Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee are part of the guests that keep this "hotel" full of tourist.  Hudson becomes a father figure to the young couple and Gina and Rock have some chemistry as the "older" couple who find themselves surrounded by 20 teens.              GRADE-----B

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS 1965--Rock and Gina Lollobridga (again) marry suddenly, but within a few weeks split up due to major differences.  Seven years later they meet to divorce, but realize a strong sexual connection, and try again.  There's an amusing subplot involving a new job potential and a conservative friend (Gig Young) and Gina looks great in a Lady Godiva outfit.  Modestly amusing.    GRADE---B

BLINDFOLD 1966--This time Rock meets Claudia Cardinale who is trying to find her brother, kidnaped by business spies for his secrets.  The mood here is lightweight but full of mystery and chases through a croc infested swamp.  Sometimes thats an odd mixture, but still fun to watch.           GRADE----B 

TAZA SON OF COCHISE 1954--This Douglas Sirk western has Rock trying to head a peaceful coexistence with the white man, but Geronimo has other plans.  Barbara Rush is the girl he wants to marry--but that is against her father's wishes.  His brother also causes trouble for Rock.  Unfortunately, the top four Indian roles are played by white actors--but it is to Sirk's credit that they do fairly well and believeably keep the action scenes moving.  Friends for many years after this film, the two leads would joke and call each other "Taza" and "Oona" when ever they met.        GRADE----B

CAPT. LIGHTFOOT--1955--A period costume swashbuckler directed by Douglas Sirk, Rock is dashing as a revolutionary Irishman, with Barbara Rush again as the love interest, and Jeff Morrow.  Beautifully filmed on location in Ireland.             GRADE---------B

MAN'S FAVORITE SPORT 1964--Perhaps my least favorite Hudson comedy, but the film looks good in vivid technicolor, and Paula Prentiss has some funny moments with her odd quirky dialogue, but the plot i an old chestnut of a popular sporting goods salesman who's an expert at fishing equipment and advice, but he' s never been fishing before in his life!   Now his company wants him to go to the big lake and fish in the competition.           GRADE---------B-

 THUNDER ON THE HILL 1951--A black and white mystery thriller from Douglas Sirk, this film features Claudette Colbert as a nun (who wears makeup because otherwise she would look so washed out with her face outlined in a great white habit!) who takes in a convicted murderer (Ann Blythe) on her way to  the gallows for poisoning her brother, but she, her party and half the small village are stranded in the church/nunnery due to local flooding.  From the moment she meets the murderer, she senses that an injustic has been done--the woman must be innocent, so she starts some snooping of her own, even though the entire church and fellow nuns and all the townspersons want her hung.  The story is a bit far fetched and coincedental, since all the doctors, lawyers, witnesses etc are also stranded.  (This was based on a stage play, and sometimes it feels like it. )  It does work with providing  suspense if you  suspend your  disbelief, and as usual Colbert is cool and convincing.              GRADE------B-

HEARTS AND SOUL 1993--I'll admit that when this romantic comedy/drama fantasy began, I was also playing Scrabble on my phone and I scoffed as the setup occurs in the first 30 minutes, since I knew nothing about this film, and had never seen it or remembered it from nearly 25 years ago.  Four strangers on a bus with various issues and unresolved problems find themselves killed when the bus careens out of control but they end up in a purgatory, like ghosts--and since they died at the same time a child is born in a car next to the bus, they become the care takers of this new life. After several years they realize the child is being mistaken for crazy since only he can see and hear them, so they make themselves invisible to him.  When he grows to become a young man (Robert Downey Jr.)  they find that they can resolve their unsolved problems only through him, in some cases inhabiting his body.  This protracted prologue which takes over 30 minutes was slow in coming, but I have to say that once this has been determined the film picks up speed and I started to find the resolutions satisfying, and deeply moving.  Think ALL OF ME an GHOST and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and half a dozen other "ghost" inspired dramas, with some comedy mixed in.  Elizabeth Shue plays the frustrated girlfriend, the four ghosts are played by Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore, and as the careless, perverse bus driver David Paymer.  B.B. King has a charming cameo.  But Downey really steals the show once he appears, and each ghost has some special moments (especially Woodard and Grodin), and I will admit that the sentiment overwhelmed me and left me in tears several times.  A pleasant surprise!         GRADE---------B-

SMALL, BEAUTIFUL MOVING PARTS 2011--Low budget independent film from Prime about a pregnant woman who seeks out her missing mother, long absent from her life, to confront her about unresolved issues.  The only cast member familiar to me was Andre Holland who plays her husband--he was the adult Kevin in MOONLIGHT.  This modest film could have used some oomph, but it was pleasant to watch.                 GRADE---------B-

THE AMAZING MR. BLANDON 1963--A low budget British film on Prime with Diana Dors in an unrecognizable role as a manic maid, and directed by Lionel Jeffries (a known British character actor.), this odd fantasy, geared towards a child audience , is interesting ghost story set in the 1860's.  It doesn't always work, but it is a curiosity.              GRADE-------B-

THE LADY VANISHES 2012--An uninspired remake of Hitchcock's classic, this film from the BBC apparently follows the book more accurately, but misses out on the humor and cleverness of the plot, and the leading actress trying to find her older friend on a moving train acts too much like an annoying maniac to enjoy her dilema.              GRADE---------C+

THE SPOILERS--1956--This remake for the same story in 1942 (which featured Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne) now stars Anne Baxter and Jeff Chandler and Rory Calhoun--certainly  the second string team , but the story has some excitement, as bad guys try to steal gold farms.                    GRADE----------C+

LADY ON A TRAIN--1945--My first Deanna Durbin film, and she's rather engaging, especially when she's singing.  She sings a splendid version of Silent Night (over the phone to her unseen father) that moved me.  Otherwise the plot of her seeing a murder from her train window, and then because no one will believe her she hunts down the guilty party all by her self, is pure poppy cock.    GRADE----C+

IF IT'S TUESDAY IT MUST BE BELGIUM  1967--Despite a large comedian cast (Suzanne Pleshete, Sandy Baron, Peggy Cass, Ian McShane, Murray Hamilton, Norman Fell, etc) there are only a few smirks and smiles, despite some nice visuals of various European cities as a group of Americans arrive to party.     It's as dull as I remember it from seeing it 40 years ago.                GRADE--------C

ALL NIGHT LONG---1982---This could be Barbara Striesand's worst film.  She plays it like a fake, slutty Marilyn Monroe, sleeping with her husband, a teenager (Dennis Quaid) , and the teen's father  (Gene Hackman).  Hackman is going through a mid life crisis, and now his son hates him for stealing his girlfriend.  For all the personal drama, the film is deadly dull and pointless.     GRADE-----C

HOW DO YOU KNOW? 2010--I sat through this whole film thinking it was all very familiar--at the end I realized I'd seen it 10 years ago and thought is was stupid and boring.  This is Director James Brooks worst comedy drama.  The attractive cast includes a lovely Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Jack Nicholson, but the story of a young, motivated athelete (Witherspoon) who's cut from her team and left hanging in the wind, falls in with a sometimes boyriend (Wilson)--then meets (Rudd) to whom she is better suited, but all they do is talk, talk, talk about it.  It's over two hours of frustrated talk.                    GRADE-----------C

SHERLOCK AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE--1962--Christopher Lee plays the famous detective but the plot about a stolen necklace is trite and forgettable.              GRADE--------C-

          

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THE HALF OF IT, EUROVISION SONG CONTEST:STORY OF FIRE SAGA, LOVE BIRDS, SECRET LOVE, NATALIE WOOD: WHAT REMAINS BEHIND, PAPER MAN, MY SPY, DA FIVE BLOODS, VAST OF NIGHT, plus older goodies IMATATION OF LIFE 1959, MY MAN GODFREY 1936, 10 RILLIGTON PLACE 1971, CHALK GARDEN 1964, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN 1935, etc.

New stuff on cable:

THE HALF OF IT is a new Netflix offering which reworks the CYRANO DE BERGERAC story, but set now in a modern small town high school.  A young teen is not very popular-- she works and lives with her dad running the local train station, but she is clever and willing to make extra money by writing essays for fellow students of lessor smarts.  One day a popular jock asks her to write a "love" letter he wants to send to a girl he likes, and of course the writer and reader get all complicated and all mixed up.  The film has a number of likeable characters played by charming actors and the story has some "modern" surprises for us, and this is one Netflix film that I really liked in a low key and amusing manner.
GRADE------------B+

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: STORY OF FIRE SAGA  is an awkwardly titled story about life in the glitzy world of European singing contests (a true contest that was sadly canceled this year due to Covid 19).  Fortunately, Will Ferrell wrote and produced this romantic comedy, which works as a loving farce of a young couple who have grown up musically since childhood, played with charming good humor by Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, who I haven't seen in any film for several years and didn't recognize her for several scenes.  Pierce Brosnan plays his father and Dan Stevens (DOWNTON ABBEY) plays a major competitor, and all the actors keep their characters from going WAY over the top.  Still, there are some pleasant (some old, some new) songs, some wild sight gags, some clever dialogue and some nicely protracted comedic sequences.  For Ferrell fans (BLADES OF GLORY, ELF, ANCHORMAN, TALLADEGA NIGHTS, STEPBROTHERS, etc} and others, this Netflix film is an epic comedy feast.          GRADE-----------B+

LOVE BIRDS is a quirky romantic comedy with a serious edge from Netflix.  This couple, played by Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani become involved in a murder on their way to a dinner party and spend most of the film running from the law and trying to solve the murder.  The plot fall apart a bit towards the end, but most of the dialogue is witty and the cast gives the film some oompfh.
            GRADE-----------------B 

SECRET LOVE is a Netflix documentary about an older couple of women who have lived together for several decades before recently coming out as a married couple.  The film focuses on their  struggles as a young Lesbian couple complete with a lot of video and pictures of them in their twenties and thirties, and their struggles as older people trying to adjust to old age and their search for senior living.  The film is of special interest for seniors trying to adjust to senior housing and illness.          GRADE----------B

NATALIE WOOD: WHAT REMAINS BEHIND is showing on HBO and is an interesting documentary about the life and films and death of Natalie Wood, especially through the eyes of her daughter and husband Robert Wagner.  Of special interest to film buffs and people who like biographies.               GRADE----------B

DA 5 BLOODS from Netflix is a mixed bag for me.  The senior actors are all fine if sometimes over baked, and the plot and action keeps you alert, but this ambitious Spike Lee film made me wince a few times as everything and the kitchen sink is thrown into the mix.  Lee tries to give the film a number of "teaching moments" where he literally "stops" the film to give background information on a certain hero or important event, and while this is admirable, it stops the action and flow of the unique story.  Four African American vets return to current day Vietnam to find the remains of their dynamic dead mate, and to reclaim a buried treasure, but of course thing don't go as planned--think TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.  Camera work is slick and effective, and good use is make of late 1960's music.              GRADE----------------B

MY SPY is a predictable story of tough rough CIA spy trying to teach a child how to be a spy, but she is already more savvy  than he is, and she's also trying to set him up with her single mother, who is under being spied on by his partner and himself.   Fortunately , Dave Bautista has some funny comic timing, and the 9 year old child is amusing and I found myself giggling through most of the film.  A pleasant diversion if you go in with low expectations.       GRADE-----------B-

VAST OF NIGHT Amazon Primes effort at a low budget science fiction thriller---part TWILIGHT ZONE, part retro B film and for the most part it works just fine, except it is so low key at times that if becomes unforgettable after seeing it in a few days.  Two teen friends in a small town hear odd noises that comes through a telephone operator's board, and she contacts her best male friend who is doing a local late night talk show and they air the odd noises, and they get local calls that suggest there is something sinister in the night sky.  There's some rapid fire dialogue, especially at the start of the film, and some stories told to them suggesting a sinister operation involving aliens, mostly involving a lot of talk.  Atmosphere is everything and if you aren't patient you may not get into the mood.    This is probably a first film, and bodes well for something more substantial in the future.              GRADE--------------C+


THE ABOVE FILMS WERE ALL FIRST RUN ON CABLE.  BELOW ARE OTHER FILMS FROM PAST DECADES, VIEWED ON DVD, ON DEMAND, OR OTHER FREE VENUES.


IMITATION OF LIFE 1959--When I was a teen, I took a short trip to the Worlds Fair in Spokane with my parents and sister.  About 9 pm IMITATION OF LIFE started and within 15 minutes everyone was asleep except me, and for two hours I was completely drawn to this glossy, moving melodrama, with a final half hour that left me weeping.  Douglas Sirk made the best melodramas in movie land, with sweeping themes of love, conflict, romance, sadness, such as MAGNIFICANT OBSESSION, ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS,  WRITTEN ON THE WIND, et al.  He inspired many directors including Fassbinder, who copied his style and Francois Ozon.  This film features Lana Turner who plays a single struggling actress trying to make in on Broadway and she has a daughter who grows up to be played by Sandra Dee, and early on she hires a single poor black woman Juanita Moore with a daughter who grows up to be played by Susan Kohner, and in spite of the fact that Moore is  basically playing "THE MAID," the relationship  becomes one of best friends.  Conflict comes when Kohner's character wants to pass as white (her father was white and she is quite pale) and turns against her mother.  The final 30 minutes is just as effectively sad as I remembered it to be.  I was especially moved by the Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner story. This was one of the first times that two black women characters have a giant share of plotline in a major Hollywood movie (not counting all the "black movies" from the 1930's and 1940's that  played to mostly black audiences.) It is worth noting that Susan Kohner is a white actress, but she plays her role without blackface.  I thought they also stole the movie from Turner, Dee and John Gavin as the potential boy friend of Turner.  Afterwards I looked up information and saw that both Moore and Kohner were nominated for best supporting actress Oscars, the only nominations for that film, although they both lost that year to Shelley Winters for THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.  BEN HUR was the big winner that year with 11wins from 14 nominations.  Watched on Peacock.                             GRADE-----------------A-

MY MAN GODFREY 1936--Here's a wacky, socially aware comedy about a poor man (William Powell) living in the city dump who is picked up by a silly rich woman (Carole Lombard) to help win her the top prize of a treasure hunt.  She decides to hire him as her personal butler in her dysfunction family, and starts to fall for him.  Godfrey meanwhile starts to come out of his depression and begins to recover from issues that put him in the dump in the first place, and does wonders for the family.  It's a true happy ending, with some bites and bumps along the way.              Watched on Peacock.                               GRADE-----------------B+

10 RILLINGTON PLACE 1971--Based on a true story of a serial killer named John Christie and his relationship with the young couple who rent the room upstairs.  The film is based on transcripts of the murder trial and is responsible for changing manditory hanging sentencing in Great Britian.  Richard Attenburough is very creepy as a rapist/murderer, and a youthful John Hurt and Judy Geeson play the young couple.  It is unpleasant but fascinating to watch, and there is no humor or sensationalism.   Watched on Peacock, I think.                         GRADE----------B 

THE INVISIBLE MAN 1933--This film by director James Whale (Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Old Dark House) started all the INVISIBLE MAN sequels (at least a dozen) and is the best one with the possible exception of the newest, modern version from this past February.  Claude Rains stars (although you don't see his handsome face until the last scene where you can finally understand why Gloria Stuart still loved him in spite of his madness....)  The special effects were rather special for the time and the film holds up even with some stiffness in  some actors.    Watched on Peacock.                            GRADE-----------B

THE WAR WAGON 1967--is a large tank like structure with metal walls and machine guns mounted on a stage coach  which makes runs across parts of the west filled with gold from miners.  John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Robert Walker and Keenan Wynn try to steal the gold on one run,  and Bruce Dern and Bruce Cabot and an army of others try to stop them.  The film, directed by western actor Burt Kennedy is very entertaining, filled with clever dialogue and humor and a few sight gags, too.  I saw this film 30 some years ago, and it holds up well.  Watched on Peacock.                       GRADE----------B


THE CHALK GARDEN 1964--Based on a British play and featuring young Haley Mills in one of her first adult roles. she plays a troubled young teen under the guardianship of her grandmother played amusingly by Dame Edith Evans in one of her first screen roles, coming from the theatre in London.  Her "nanny" is played with restraint by Deborah Kerr who arrives with only new clothes in her suitcase, and the butler is slyly played John Mills (Hayley's real father).  Although the film errors from caution, it's still an interesting psychological mystery into the mind of  a troubled teen.  Watched on Peacock.               GRADE--------------B

CAPE FEAR 1962--Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Polly Bergan star in this tense drama of an ex con (Mitchum) who starts stalking Peck and his wife Bergan with threats to revenge his time in prison caused by lawyer Peck.  Mitchum is excellent at simmering violence and evil, and the film score by Hitchcock favorite Bernard Hermann adds to the tension.   Watched on Peacock.                     GRADE--------------------B

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTIEN 1935--James Whale directed this sequel to FRANKENSTEIN against his better judgement, but many (me too) consider this film better than the original --I especially love Elsa Lanchester as the Bride.  Watched on Peacock.         GRADE-------------B

PAPER MAN 2009--This independent film is certainly creative.  Jeff Daniels is a man-child of a  writer with writer's block.  Lisa Kudrow is his wife running out of patience.   He goes to a cabin but brings along his only childhood friend--a make believe super hero embodied by Ryan Reynolds complete with tights and a cape.  There he meets a troubled teen, played by Emma Stone who you might not recognize at first.  The film doesn't always work but the actors have a great time.                GRADE-------------B

JOHNNY ENGLISH: REBORN 2011--Rowan Atkinson can be an aquired taste, but this British comedian really made me laugh while nearly choking while  eating a cheese sandwich during my first time I saw him in BEAN, and I've loved him ever since.  He's the closest thing to Charlie Chaplin these days with his faces, pratfalls and slapstick.  Not every joke lands, but when they do they are quite delightful.  The JOHNNY ENGLISH films has him spoofing James Bond--hard to imagine him being a super spy, but he makes it work and still has the gags flying.  This one features a fine supporting cast:  Rosamond Pike, Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, and Daniel Kaluuya .   Watched on Netflix.             GRADE-----------------B-

THE SPY NEXT DOOR 2010--Jackie Chan is a spy living next door to a single woman with 3 kids, and he wants to marry her.  He agrees to babysit them while she makes an emergency trip, but winning them over is harder than he thinks.  The  film is soft on violence and weak on plot, and the jokes are half ok and some fall flat, but Chan is charming, and watching him perform his own stunts is fun.  Watched on Peacock.                   GRADE---------------------C+

TAMMY AND THE BATCHLOR 1957-- This was the first of four TAMMY movies starring Debbie Reynolds and she's quite disarming.  Leslie Neilsen is quite dashing as the love interest, and Walter Brennen gets to slap his knee and utter "by golly" at least once in this film.

 GRADE---------------C+

THE BLACK DAHLIA 2006--Brian dePalma used to be one of my favorite directors, but this grim retelling of the gruesome death of a wanna be actress in Los Angeles in the 1940's felt confusing, lifeless and often distasteful, and except for one exciting sequence on a staircase in a large building complete with a chase, shadows, death and filmed with energy and style, it was mostly disappointing.  The cast tries hard:  Josh Hartnet. Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, Fiona Shaw and Hilary Swank, but the film felt heavily edited (nearly 30 minutes were trimmed) and still it felt too long.  Some of my favorite dePalma films include Obsession, Carrie, The Fury, Dressed to Kill, The Untouchables, Blow Out, Mission Impossible, and others, although I have hated for all time one of his most popular films--Scarface.            GRADE---------------C+



 


 

ALL ABOUT EVE, THE LADY EVE, THE RAT RACE, A LETTER TO THREE WIVES, DECEPTION, ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO, EDIE, PILLOW TALK, THE ANNIVERSARY, THE WILDE WEDDING, HEAVENS ABOVE, THE LAUNDROMAT, BAD EDUCATION (2019), TO PLEASE A LADY

Since the Seattle International Film Festival 2020 has been canceled and local movie theatres are closed due to the Corona virus, everything cinematic I've watched this past month has been from my own DVD collection or on Netflix or HBO on the TV, one of my least favorite ways to view film.  Still, it's been a good time to catch up on some classics I've not seen for a long while.

ALL ABOUT EVE 1950---Certainly one of Bette Davis' finest performances and one of the wittiest screenplays written is this backstage theatre comedy drama with some pithy lines and famous scenes, including the famous "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night"  Davis plays an "ageing" actress who is in danger of being aced out of being Broadway's top star by her young protege Eve, played slyly by a smooth Anne Baxter, with Celeste Holm as her faithful best friend (although in real life they had little liking for each other.)  George Sanders won his supporting Oscar playing a backstabbing cynical critic, Thelma Ritter steals her limited scenes, and the film features one of Marilyn Monroe's early successes as, what else, a dim sexy  young actress.  Nearly every scene works wonderfully and the sexual tension between Davis and Gary Merrill who plays her script writing husband is palpable--they met on this film and fell in love--both married to other people at the time, but soon they divorced their spouses and married in real life.  I used to think that the final 10 minute coda after the award show for Eve was a great, "what goes around comes around moment," but this time I feel that the film would have been better ended when Davis congratulates Baxter and says "You can always store your award where your heart should be."        I am currently reading a book called ALL ABOUT "ALL ABOUT EVE" by Sam Staggs, which is full of back stage stories about each actor, filming and history, which is nearly as fun as watching this wonderfully adult, sophisticated film.                          GRADE----------A

THE LADY EVE 1941--Director and writer Preston Sturges is running on all engines with this witty, charming film of a sheltered scientist just off a year in the Amazon collecting snakes (!)  who meets and falls for a beautiful, clever card shark who is traveling on the same cruise with her card shark father.  They have a whirlwind romance and agree to marry, but a misunderstanding  has them parting badly.  To seek revenge, she arranges to meet him a year later as a British royal with a similar name but in disguise, and to seduce him and then abandon him.  The first half of this film is the best, with funny lines, clever card playing, and the feeling that these two will be in love together forever.  It's amusing to see Henry Fonda playing so innocent and so much in lust/love and Barbara Stanwyck is his equal.  The second half isn't so magical because Stanwyck is so vicious in her playing, and Fonda has a more slapstick part, so awkward that you would wonder what she even saw in him on the ship.  But the film is romantically clever, and both characters so likeable, and there is fine support from William Demerest as Fonda's guardian and Charles Coburn is Stanwyck's wicked but amusing father.                        GRADE----------A-  

THE RAT RACE  2001--Here's a great, funny guilty pleasure of mine--this is the forth time I've seen it and I laugh out loud throughout most of this silly comedy, until I kid you not--water comes squirting out of my eyes.   It's basically an updated version of IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD and on the negative side it takes a good 20 minutes to warm you up to (nearly)  all dozen or so comic actors but they each have their very funny moments.  Classic favorites:  English speaking challenged Italian character Rowan Atkinson suddenly falls asleep at inoppertune times, a Jewish family headed by Jon Lovitz inadvertently visits a "Barbie" museum which celebrates alt-right Nazis (instead of the doll), Cuba Gooding Jr hijacks a full bus of .....Lucille Ball lookalikes, cow-tipping in an air balloon, desperate Whoopi Goldberg steals a rocket car--there are a dozen more riotous scenes.  John Cleese, Kathy Najamy, Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart, Seth Green,  Paul Rodriguez, Wayne Knight,  Dave Thomas and especially Kathy Bates all get opportunities to steal their scenes.                               GRADE----------------A-

A LETTER TO THREE WIVES 1949--A year before he wrote and directed ALL ABOUT EVE (above) Joseph L. Mankiewicz also won writing and directing Oscars for this comedy/drama of three women friends in a small town, who leave for the day on a boating excursion, but find a letter for them on board, stating that a fourth friend--a flirt--has left town with one of their husbands.  The film  is spent in flashback telling the story of each wife and husband and their relationship with the flirt.  Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Southern, Kirk Douglas, Jeffrey Lynn and Paul Douglas are the leads, with comic relief from Thelma Ritter, and the film, about trust, love and friendship, is amusingly witty and sad but honest.                  GRADE------------B+

ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO 1940--It's 19th century Paris, and  a surprisingly restrained governess Bette Davis has a chaste relationship with the father, a Nobleman Charles Boyer, but paranoid wife Barbara O'Neill suspects the worst causing a scandal to spread and tragic things to happen.  I thought O'Neil acted over the top (and she could have used a good spanking at times) but  she was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for this role.  She also had roles as Scarlet O'Hara's mother in GONE WITH THE WIND and THE NUN'S STORY.             GRADE-------------B+

 PILLOW TALK 1959--This Rock Hudson/Doris Day sex comedy won the best original screenplay Oscar and it's witty to be sure, especially with the help of Tony Randall and the ever reliable Thelma Ritter, who plays the usually drunken housekeeper to Day.  If these films are done right,  and if you can overlook the occasional sexist comment or two, these comedies can be a lively tonic to the grim realities of today.        GRADE-----------B+

EDIE 2017--British actor Sheila Hancock plays 83 year old EDIE, who decides to climb a Scottish mountain that she wasn't able to climb after getting married many years before.  A kind stranger Kevin Gutherie (currently featured in THE ENGLISH GAME mini series BBC) tries to help her but  she's quite stubborn.  Some of the scenes seemed a bit contrived (having climbed a few mountains myself years ago like Mt. Rainier and Mt St. Helens) but overall the actors are likeable and the progression is fairly logical (if unlikely) and you find yourself rooting for these characters.  Hancock has been in a lot of small British films and British  TV and was married to John Thaw (INSPECTOR MORSE) for many years until his death.              GRADE----B+

DECEPTION 1946--Here's another fine Bette Davis film, this one with Paul Henreid and Claude Rains.  She plays a piano teacher who looses the love of her life in Europe during the war and relocates to New York City.  Assuming he is dead, she takes up with a genius composer and musician, played well over the top by Claude Rains, who has a wild shock of grey hair (much like Einstein) and is temperamental and cruel, extravagant and jealous.  When she discovers her former lover (Henreid) by accident in NYC, she wants to marry him, much to the displeasure of Rains, and she tries to keep her past relationships separate from both men.  Obviously this is not a good idea, but creates a lot of tension from scene to scene.  Henreid seems to be the most clueless, since her eye popping apartment (which I remembered from seeing this film over a decade ago) and the art works and mink coats that stuff her closet are clear indications that some major "monkey business" has occurred between Davis and Rains.  The film was the first of dozens of Davis films to loose money for the studio, yet despite the fact that this film was based on a stage play, the film opens up nicely and creates a lot of suspense between  the well played characters.                  GRADE---------------B

THE ANNIVERSARY  1967--This low budget British film, based on a stage play, has a major bonus to it:  Bette Davis chews up the script like a bull dog, wearing an eye patch that changes color with her wardrobe, and demeaning her three grown sons (and their frightened spouses/girlfriends) while spouting out  insults and threats, all the while celebrating her wedding anniversary (though her spouse is long dead) and demanding loyalty and gifts from her weakling children.  It's a wild, campy, cruel performance, and while you may not like the film, you must agree that it is memorable in many ways.  Think Trump insult rants, Elizabeth Taylor in WHO"S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF, the child in THE BAD SEED, and you have this wicked black comedy.  It was interesting for me to see Sheila Hancock (see EDIE, above) as the daughter in law who tries to stand up to Davis.                            GRADE-----------B

HEAVENS ABOVE 1963--Minor British film features the amazing  Peter Sellers as an optimistic prison chaplain who is mistakenly assigned a newer bigger church, then tries to help out the poor community by distributing free food, causing chaos among the town businesses.  Unfortunately much of the plotting is drawn out and belabored, muting much of the humor, but Sellers in an early role is splendid. A small part by Brock Peters as his assistant is charming.                     GRADE------------------B-

THE WILDE WEDDING 2016--This made for TV Prime movie has a large and mostly impressive cast, including Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Patrick Stewart, Minnie Driver and over 20 other actors playing various family members--unfortunately that's way too many to keep track of in a less than 2 hour movie, and despite some likeable performances from the  top mentioned,  it's difficult to keep track of all the others.  While it's easy to watch, the final result is unmemorable due to overloaded plotting and characterizations.                                 GRADE-----------C+

BAD EDUCATION 2019--Based on a true story, this HBO TV film features some clever plotting and some fine acting, especially from Alison Janney and Hugh Jackman, and there are some pithy moments.  Janney is accused early in the film of absconding with school district money through fraud but it isn't long before the blame is shockingly widespread.  I appreciated the fact that this was a true story, but it felt a bit too pat and predictable and I wasn't too engaged in the characters to care.                  GRADE----------C+

THE LAUNDROMAT--2019--This Netflix movie, based on a true story, features the always interesting Meryl Streep who looses her husband in a boating accident, but finds the insurance company is a fraudulent shell business run by Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas in a tiresome campy manner.  There are some amusing scenes but I didn't care much about the characters.  Directed by Steven Sonderberg--it's one of his less memorable films.                     GRADE--------C+         

TWO WAY STRETCH 1960--This minor British film also features a great Peter Sellers, who plays a prison convict who abuses the system for perks, and becomes involved with Alfred Hyde White who from the outside plans the robbery of gems, although again, the plotting is distracted with so many unnecessary characters and devices that the humor is muted.            GRADE---------C+

TO PLEASE A LADY 1950--Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck were both well past their movie star prime in this modest car racing love story, although Stanwyck would find major success on TV starting with THE BIG VALLEY in 1965 and THE COLBYS in 1985.  Still, what pleasures there are (and there are few) come from the readings of these two pros who manage to find a few sexual sparks in this odd couple coupling, and managed to keep me awake mainly by the dignity they give their relationship.  Otherwise this story of a cracker jack gossipy news reporter who meets and is pursued by a possibly reckless race car driver (he drives "dwarf" cars which seemed more like bumper cars to me!) is forgettable.                            GRADE---------------C   


---------------------------

Bingeing this past month on some eight unseen Jane Marple/Agatha Christie thrillers that I somehow missed more than a decade ago.     

Also watched the entire 6 years of GLEE.  I must admit that even though some repetition occurs in the plotting (how many times can Sue make jokes about Will's hair, how many times can certain characters make up and break up and make up again and again, how many times can teacher Sue physically abuse and insult students walking down the hall and she never loses her job!!!!!! and how many Journey songs can be sung at state competitions,   ETC.)------- I will gladly admit that I love GLEE.  The mixture of classic dance, pop, rock, show tunes, movie tunes, new mixes, hip hop and current songs were usually delightful, and the young actors were all terrific---many of them have gone off to bigger and better roles as adults.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, EMMA., THE WAY BACK, THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020), SEBERG, HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY, THE GENTLEMEN, HOPE GAP, THE PHOTOGRAPH, plus British Film Noir from the 1950s, and films with Rock Hudson and Barbara Stanwyck

Just before the corona virus shut down movie theatres, I managed to view nine new releases, and since then I've started viewing a lot of stuff on DVD.  Here we go.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE-----This austere French language film is set on a nearly uninhabited island in a grand house nearly one hundred years ago, where a female artist has been employed to paint a portrait of a soon to be married young woman.  Her mother is setting up this marriage, sight unseen, and wants to send the painting to the bridegroom to impress him of her daughter's physical beauty.  The artist cannot let the daughter know she is painting her, so pretending to be a companion, she must return to her room in the evening and paint her by memory.  The hostile bride to be soon warms to her new friend and slowly an intimate relationship grows between them, inspired, no doubt, by the painter's efforts to memorize her face and to interpret the bride's manners.  The film creates tension and mystery as the two leads befriend the servant girl with her own problems, and  their relationship becomes structured by the time frame (less than two weeks) and the painful realization that their sexual encounters will end after the painting is done.  There is not a lot of plot here, but beautiful scenery and sexual tension and a splendid final scene, along with committed performances by all concerned make this film memorable and personally involving.                                     GRADE------------A-  

EMMA.--Yet another version of the Jane Austin novel, with a period after her name in the title--I don't know why.  The story gets off to a slow start, albeit with a startling scene of the leading man  in the nude, and being dressed by his dresser, which according to an article by the debut Autumn de Wilde director, was to objectify the male form.  Whatever.  The film does begin to gain interest and power as it stylishly progresses, leading to the climatic scene where Emma innocently (?) insults one of her oldest and most faithful  friends.  Fortunately, the film has some lively and amusing moments, inspired by a strong cast of British actors, including  Bill Nighy, Rupert Graves, Miranda Hart , Josh O'Conner, and lead newcomers, Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn.
                 GRADE--  B+   

THE WAY BACK---I wasn't too excited to see another film of a slacker basketball high school team come from the bottom league to the top of the ratings, but fortunately, the film focuses instead on the comeback of  the has been star basketball player from 20 years earlier--a man with a lot of sorrow in his adult life which we slowly get to realize in flashback/back story.  He has since lost his family and many friends and become a sorry alcoholic, which brings him to a low point in his life.  Miraculously, he is offered the basketball coaching job at his alma mater, but his low self esteem threatens his new found career.  I felt this was a personal story of actor Ben Afflect's life of late--the gossip magazines have story after story of his drinking and drug problems, and his divorce from Jennifer Garner.  I think this story hits close to the bone for him, and for me as a viewer, and I appreciated the rawness of emotion he brings to the role.    By the end I was quite affected.                        GRADE---------B+


THE INVISIBLE MAN--This is a modern remake of the old science fiction story, but updated and switched to feature the point of view of an abused wife, who begins to suspect that her recently deceased tech genius  husband who committed suicide may have found a way to harass her from the grave. The suspense is palpable, and Elisabeth Moss is a convincing and effective presence who grabs our sympathies, even during some shocking and disturbing moments.           GRADE---B

SEBERG---2019----Kristin Stewart shines in this bio-pic of  Jean Seberg, who made her name as a French new age actress in films like BREATHLESS, ST.JOAN, LILITH and PAINT YOUR WAGON but when she moved to the USA she became the subject of an  FBI investigation because of her political, personal and financial relationship to the Black Panthers.  The investigation caused her some major psychological damage, and she lost a baby, which upset her even more.  The film is low key and subtle when it might benefit from some glamour and/or sensationalism, but it is a solid effort, especially for those who know nothing of her as an actor.  Also featuring Vince Vaughn, Jack O'Connell and Anthony Mackie.            GRADE---------B

HOPE GAP---The last film I saw before theatres closed, this small British drama features Bill Nighy,  Annette Benning and Josh O'Conner in what seemed like a filmed theatrical production.  I'm not sure I could recommend this to just any one, but the story of a couple who've been together for 30 years and are now divorcing, putting their son in the middle of their conflict has some sharp lines of dialogue and some striking moments.  Benning gets to play the betrayed wife in a shrewish manner, and she doesn't get much sympathy--you can understand why Nighy has left, and O'Conner does his best to balance his position as middle man.                  GRADE----B

THE GENTLEMEN--Written and directed by Guy Ritchie in his usual stylish and brutal manner, and featuring an impressive cast including Matthew McConaughy, Hugh Grant, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farrell, Henry Golding and Jeremy Strong, this story of modern day gangsters in London fighting over a cannabis empire is mostly a joy to watch even though we've seen this type of story before.             GRADE-------B-

THE PHOTOGRAPH--The film lurches back and forth in time to tell the slightly convoluted story of a female photographer who refuses to marry and takes her young daughter to New York City to make her own way.  The daughter's story as an adult is to figure out why this all happened, and the truth is not as interesting as her adult relationship is, but that isn't much, either.  Sort of dull.                  GRADE--------------C+

HARLEY QUINN:  BIRDS OF PREY--(also known as BIRDS OF PREY:  THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) This film changed the title several times from production to opening week, but I think this is the main one at this time.  The chaotic cartoonish film tells of the ex-girlfriend of the Joker who decides to be a bad girl--she runs around consorting with gangsters, cops and some nice people, trying to make money for herself, whether legal or not.  Unfortunately not much makes sense and there is a lot of fighting, running, shooting and shouting, and I'm guessing about 50 scenes of men being kicked in the testicles by Quinn-and others-after the first half dozen the novelty is lost.  At times a tiresome film but I wasn't completely bored as sometimes the action or the actors provided some laughs.  These actors include Margot Robbie as Quinn, Rosie Perez, Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Chris Messina.                   GRADE----------------------------C+


----------------------------------------------------------
Viewed on DVD or TV/Netflix, Prime, etc.

TIME LOCK--1957----Here's a nifty, small b/w film noir British feature about a bank employee's young son who is accidentally locked into a bank vault with only a few hours of oxygen and the desperate attempt to break into the vault to save him.  Directed by Gerald Thomas who made 30 of the CARRY ON films, and featuring a young Sean Connery in a small early role as a man who tries to open the safe with a torch.          GRADE--------B+

INTERRUPTED JOURNEY--1949--A man running off with his mistress changes his mind, pulls the emergency brake on a train and returns home.  The train is later involved in a crash and his mistress dies, but it is later discovered that she had been murdered prior to the crash, and he is the prime suspect.  The clever suspenseful  story is sadly marred by an unbelievable, bad ending.  Richard Todd and Valerie Hobson star, in b/w British film.                 GRADE-------B+

TIME IS MY ENEMY--1954-- A small time crook (Brit Dennis Price), thought dead for years, returns to blackmail his wife, now married to another man.  This clever  b/w film builds some suspense when murder enters the plot.                  GRADE----------------B

SORRY, WRONG NUMBER--1948--This stylish b/w film noir features a strong role for Barbara Stanwyck as a handicapped woman unable to walk, who overhears on the phone a  murder plot, and she tries to alert various police, doctors, friends about what she heard before the murder can take place, but she has no names or information.  Her husband is out of town and she can't reach him either.  She ends up reaching an old friend who was competing with her for her husband many years ago, and is told of a suspicious plot involving her husband.  There is a lot of backstory and plotting for what was originally a radio and stage story, and the flashbacks make her very anxious.  I thought I'd seen this movie before, but I remembered nothing from it and was held captive through the whole film.  The film builds suspense, and has a shocking but not unexpected ending.                               GRADE-----------------B+ 

LAST SUNSET--1961--This western from director Robert Aldrich, stars Rock Hudson trying to bring a murderer to justice, Kirk Douglas as the killer who long ago dated Dorothy Malone and tries to woo her again, and Joseph Cotten as Malone's meek husband.  They all end up on a cattle drive, beset by thieves and Indians, and of course Malone and Cotten have a lovely daughter who looks a lot like her mother, and Douglas may not care who he ends up with.  It's a decent, suspenseful, colorful film, with a surprise (but not to me) ending.                     GRADE-------B

A HOME OF OUR OWN--1993--Single spunky, poor mom Kathy Bates has 5 children from man who died young.  She takes off from California to start again, and ends up in a small Idaho town, and moves into an unfinished shack, owned by a lonely widower, who helps her get started with a new life.   The film is tougher, more hard edged than you might think--she accepts NO charity, and won't put up with any cheating or abuse from the many men who come around, and treats her own children harshly at times.  But I think Bates is a resourceful, creative actor, and she makes this film well worth seeing.                              GRADE------------B

CLUELESS--1995--After seeing EMMA. (above) we watched this modern comic remake of the same story, with Alicia Silverspoon in the Emma role-a rich high school girl who tries to do matchmaking, but is not very good at making the right connections.  The wonderful cast includes the remarkable Brittany Murphy (who died too young), Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Dan Hedaya, Wallace Shawn and many others.                            GRADE-------------B

JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN-2018--This silly, idiotic spy thriller comedy spoof features Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, Emma Thompson and Olga Kurylenco  and all I can say is I laughed myself silly through most of the film, even though some jokes don't stick.  At least they tried.  I went in with zero expectations and had the best time in a long time watching this idiotic slapstick feature---I give it my guilty pleasure award of the month (or maybe year at this rate.)
                GRADE--------------B-

KOSH BOY--1953--This minor but effective b/w British film noir is about a group of teenage delinquents, who rob old women on the street. They are sentenced to a boys club, but use the club as a base for other more criminal operations, including robbery, rape and attempted murder.  The leader feels threatened when his single mother wants to marry a civic leader.  Joan Collins has an early role as a young pregnant girl.                     GRADE---------------B-

VICIOUS CIRCLE--1957--John Mills plays a doctor who finds a dead woman in his apartment, and must solve this mystery his self when the police seem unable to help.  Willfrid Hyde-Whie and Lionel Jeffries  also star in this b/w British film noir, that becomes increasingly convoluted as it goes along, but there are some surprises.                GRADE-------------------B-

The five British Noir II above, were featured in this box set from KINO Classics.

LADY OF BURLESQUE---1943--This rather lame comedy/mystery features Barbara Stanwyck as a burlesque player teamed up with Michael O'Shea who plays a clown, but someone is killing off strippers with their own g-string!  Based on a book by well known strip tease artist Gypsy Rose Lee and directed by William Wellman this wierd film seems an odd choice for Stanwyck, who at this point in her career was one of the highest paid actresses around, and had been nominated for Oacars in 1937's Stella Dallas and 1941's Ball of Fire.  She does have her moments with some snappy dialogue and smart, if tiresome repartee with O'Shea, but otherwise this slow film doesn't generate much heat, mystery or laughs.  Several dull scenes involved the several dozen characters gathering in a room in the theater with police while they discuss where everyone was during the murders.  Disappointing.  Available on YOU -TUBE  or PRIME.                                   GRADE -------C+

THE PALE HORSE---2019----This film based on a popular Agatha Christie novel (but apparently changed quite dramatically) left me cold.  The film is a supernatural story dealing with witches, dreams, fantasy, weird customs, creepy towns people--stuff I don't really like in my murder mysteries.  There are some creepy moments, but for me the supernatural element is a cheat for the mystery aspect.   Available on Amazon  Prime and streaming.                GRADE------------------C+

CAUSE FOR ALARM--1951--This modest b/w thriller features Loretta Young as a young wife whose invalid husband (Barry Sullivan)  thinks she is out to kill him.  He mails out a false claim letter to the district attorney, then suddenly dies, leaving the anxious wife desparate to get back the recently mailed letter.  It's a simple setup, and Young is effective in the role, generating enough sympathy to keep us involved.  Still, it's a minor film, soon forgotten.      GRADE----C+

THE GOLDEN BLADE--1953- This splashy colorful adventure features Rock Hudson and Piper Laurie in a mixture of 1000 Arabian Nights and Sword in the Stone and is early Hudson.  Easy to watch but not too memorable, as Hudson finds a magic sword only he can wield.
GRADE-----------C+

DON'T MAKE WAVES--1967--I remembered some positive reviews for this beach movie, but the only two scenes that I though were any good were the opening scene where Tony Curtis loses all his belongings and his car because Claudia Cardinale is a klutz, and the final scene which features a spectacular beach house on a cliff slowly sliding and rolling down to the beach during a heavy rain storm filled with a half dozen main characters.  Otherwise the comedy is lame and forced, but it was interesting seeing the Muscle Beach where the film is set, and the cast features Robert Webber, Joanna Barnes, bodybuilder David Draper and introduces Sharon Tate, who was killed 2 years later by the Charles Manson gang.  She is a show stopper in this film.                  GRADE-----C

SPIRIAL ROAD---1962--The film starts off well--Rock Hudson plays an idealistic Dutch doctor
who travels to the jungles of Java to meet his idol, a doctor played by Burl Ives, but resists the Christianity that Ives endorses as he helps and fights heathens, lepers, poverty and voodoo. Gena Rowlands plays his faithful wife.  Unfortunately, the film is about one hour too long, and moves at a snails pace, and becomes too involved with the mysteries of voodoo.  The director  Robert Mulligan also released his hightly acclaimed drama TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD the same year--the irony being that his best film and worst filmed competed with each other, with MOCKINGBIRD winning all the awards, thankfully and obviously.  This film has become forgotten, and for good reason.  The production values are good, as are the actors, but I never want to sit through this again.                     GRADE----------------C


 



 


 

 

TOP FILMS FROM 2019 plus OSCAR Show Sunday 9 FEBRUARY PLUS reviews of 1917, MARRIAGE STORY, A HIDDEN LIFE, RHYTHM SECTION, BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, DOOLITTLE, and oldies including WHAT A WAY TO GO!, HOMBRE, THREE FACES OF EVE, TARNISHED ANGELES, ANOTHER MAN'S POISON, w Rock Hudson in HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY GAL and A VERY SPECIAL FAVOR and Agatha Christie's MIRROR CRACK'D and EVIL UNDER THE SUN also THE VERDICT and PRIVATE LIFES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX and two by William Castle--THE OLD DARK HOUSE and HOMICIDAL

The 2020 Academy Awards Show occurs this Sunday 9 February starting about 5pm Pacific time with preshow  activities several hours earlier on E! channel.  My comments about Oscar this year come after reviewing some last minute watched culifying films near the bottom of this column.

1917--This film set during WWI and filmed in what seems like real time in one long take, jumped to the top of my favorite films of the year, with that conceit fascinating to watch, and the film is gripping and emotionally effective, as a young soldier is given the task to cross enemy lines to find his brother's regement and to stop a forward attack on the Germans that is really a trap that will kill nearly 1600 Allied soldiers.  Talk about a lot at stake, and the actions scenes keep the plot and tension alive for over 120 minutes.  Brilliant and thriling filmmaking on every level.          GRADE------------A

MARRIAGE STORY--I don't know why I put off watching this Netflix feature for over two months--it is certainly worth the wait.  There hasn't been such an incicive, funny, harrowing drama about the disolution of a marriage since KRAMER VS KRAMER and the main actors have all been nominated for acting awards, including Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and most likely winner in a supporting role--the popular Laura Dern.  Aside from being dramatically astute, I was surprised at the many humorus and light hearted moments of family and friends surrounding the couple.     The music (Randy Newman), script (Noah Baumbach who also directed) and  picture were also nominated.  Also well cast are Julie Hagarty, Ray Liotta and Alan Alda  and a special mention to the child actor Azhy Robertson, who is caught in the middle of the drama.             GRADE------A

A HIDDEN LIFE-- Set during the middle of WW2, this lovely to look at drama deals with a farm family torn apart when the father is sent off to war to fight for Hitler and quickly realizes that not only is war hell, but that Hitler is crazy, and refuses to do his fighting, resulting in his possible execution for treason.  The love for his family keeps his spirit alive.  Directed in a leisurely manner, as usual, by aueteur diretor Terrance Malick, the slow pacing will test the  patience of many film goers, but the cinematography (by Jorg Wilmer) and stunning music score (by James Newton Howard) give much compenstated pleasure to the viewer.         GRADE-----B


RHYTHM SECTION--Based on a best seller novel, this story of a woman who inadvertantly becomes a spy assassine because her family was killed by a terrorist planted bomb on an airplane and she seeks revenge, is intriguing although a bit hard to believe at times, because especially in the beginning she is a terrible spy making big mistakes.  Still, Blake Lively and Jude Law do fine in this low grade spy thriller.                         GRADE----------B-                     
   

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE--Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are OK as two cop friends on the cusp of retirement when an attack on Smith's life brings them back together (unbelievably) to solve the mystery of who wants Smith dead.  This is at best a popcorn movie, since not a lot of sense is made from the plot--the only problem is that I didn't have any popcorn to get me through the movie, so mostly I just waited for this silliness to be over.              GRADE--------------C+

DOOLITTLE--A top contender for WORST FILM OF 2020--this mess had characters introduced, then never seen again, coincidences  big enough to drive a truck through, characters showing up out of the blue without logic, and some lame jokes and dialogue so bad or boring that you couldn't even groan.  The special effects weren't very good, and the story made little sense.  I can't imagine a worst film being released to theatres this year.            GRADE------------D




VIEWED ON TV OR DVD older stuff------------------

HOMBRE--1967--Paul Newman plays a white man who was raised as an Indian, but when he inherits a boarding house he decides to sell and transform his life, but unfortunately Richard Boone and his croonies have some other plans and he ends up stranded in the desert with some other townspeople in danger of dying of hunger, thirst or a bullet.   The film is structured like the classic STAGECOACH western where secrets come out of the closet and townspeople must band together to fight against corruption and bandits.  Newman is stoic, much like Eastwood in the Man with No name series, but the film works well as the evil (and good) can come out of anyone.
GRADE-----------------B+ 

PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX--1939--Bette Davis is Queen Elizabeth and Errol Flynn plays her younger warrior lover Essex, but she is afraid he will steal her kingdom and change it for the worse.  I had a bit of a problem believing that he loved her like he said he did, espeially with every single maiden in the kingdom lusting after him, but the delimenna is compelling, and the fact that she couldn't  completely trust him gives the film much dramatic tension.   Davis acts with energy and quirks, Flynn is smooth and ingrationating.                      GRADE----------------B

A VERY SPECIAL FAVOR--1965--Rock Hudson stars with Charles Boyer and Leslie Caron in this sex comedy as a man is engaged by an older client to try to "loosen up" his virginal older "maiden" (nearly 30) daughter--it's that hoary old theme that women only need a sexy man to complete themselves, but it was still amusing to watch, and there were some great lines and pratfalls, and Rock does get his comuppence that is amusing, in one sequence.  It's pretty innocent stuff, and it plays like the Rock Hudson/Doris Day comedies made just prior to this period.                    GRADE----------------B 

3 FACES OF EVE-1957--Joanne Woodward won her Oscar for this drama of a simple woman who is discovered to have three distinct personalities inside her mind.  David Wayne plays her bewildered husband, and Lee J. Cobb is the doctor trying to help her.  Based on a true story.           GRADE------------B

THE VERDICT--1982--Paul Newman plays a broken lawyer who gets one last chance at a big case, but nearly blows it with his drinking and his pride.  Newman is good (and Oscar nominated) but even I sat there thinking--this guy is doing it all wrong if he wants a winning experience.  Charlotte Rampling has "the girl" part--her part is so disposible that I suddenly realized that she is the enemy here, and long before Newman does.  The final surprise witness feels like a cheap shot when compared to other jury films I've seen before and since.  I'd seen this film in 1982, but had forgotten much of the plotting and twists, except the angst of Newman's character.                GRADE-------------B

WHAT A WAY TO GO!--1964  Shirley MacClaine plays a five time widow who has five rich husbands who each die on her, leaving her richer (and lonelier) than before, in this clever, frothy comedy that has some big laughs, wit  and touching moments mixed in.  The husbands include Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Robert Cummings, Dean Martin, Dick Van Dyke, and it you are in the right mood you'll have an amusing experience.                               GRADE--------B

ANOTHER MAN'S POISON--1951--Bette Davis stars with her new real life husband Gary Merrill in this stage play that was turned into a film, but the stage roots are obvious.  I saw this maybe 7-8 years ago, and forgot I'd seen it until nearly half way through the mystery.  Davis is over the top here, but if you go with it, it is a pleasing experience.                         GRADE--------------       B-

THE MIRROR CRACK'D--1980----This Agatha Christie story features Angela Landsbury as Miss Marble, detective, who investigates the murder of a party guest in plain view of the other guests--and the all star cast includes Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Edward Fox and Geraldine Chaplin.  Not the best Christie film production I've ever seen, and if  you are paying attention you may be able to figure it out.  I think the best version are the PBS/A&E Christie stories featuring David Suchet as Belgian Poirot, detective.          GRADE------B- 

EVIL UNDER THE SUN--1982--Another Agatha Christie film featuring Peter Ustinov as Poirot but this story of a murdered actress on a private island features guest stars Maggie Smith, Diana Riggs, Roddy McDowell, James Mason, Nicholas Clay and Sylvia Miles.    GRADE------B-

TARNISHED ANGELS--1957--This Douglas Sirk directed film about air dare devils eeking out a meager salary features Rock Hudson, Robert  Stack, Dorthy Malone, and Jack Carson.  Apparently the novel has Hudson as an alcoholic, which would have made much more sense, and it plays that way in general.  The redemptive gestures would have had more impact for all the players.  Interesting but doesn't always work.                         GRADE---------------------B-

HOMICIDAL--1961--William Castle's take on Hitchcock's PSYCHO, but not nearly as effective.          GRADE-------------B-

HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY GAL--1952---Rock Hudson has a small part as the boy friend in this good natured but simple story of a small town family that comes into money that changes their life, but not for the better.  Some old fashioned songs sung and danced.          GRADE-------C+

OLD DARK HOUSE--1965--Another William Castle film--a comedy horror film that doesn't feel funny or scary, though I'd never seen Tom Poston in a starring role--he's not bad, but a better script is needed.              GRADE---------------C




TOP FILMS 2019


 1917

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ...HOLLYWOOD

LITTLE WOMEN

MARRIAGE STORY

PARASITE

THE GOLDFINCH

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO

THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD  (documentary)

QUEEN AND SLIM

US

FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

YESTERDAY

THE FAREWELL

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

ROLLING THUNDER REVIEW (documentary)


ALSO PRETTY GOOD

MAIDEN (documentary)
BIGGEST LITTLE FARM (documentary)
HONEYLAND
RICHARD JEWELL
DOWNTON ABBEY
JUST MERCY
KNIVES OUT
BOMBSHELL
HOTEL MUMBAI
FOR SAMA (documentary)


FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURES

CATS
BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON
FAST AND FURIOUS: HOBBS AND SHAW
DORA AND LOST CITY OF GOLD
JOHN WICK 3: PARABELLUM
DUMBO
COLD PURSUIT
ALITA BATTLE ANGEL
LAST CHRISTMAS
FIVE FEET APART
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
ROCKETMAN
THE LIGHTHOUSE




WORST FILMS

GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS
CRAWL
ZOMBIE DOUBLETAP
IT: CHAPTER 2
ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN
NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE
CHILD'S PLAY
PET CEMETARY 




OSCAR SHOW SUNDAY FEB 9 5PM Pacific time

My favorite for BEST PICTURE 1917, or Once upon a time in Hollywood, or Little Women

Best ACTOR--JUAQUIN PHOENIX for JOKER

Best ACTRESS--RENEE ZELLWEGER for JUDY

Supporting ACTOR--BRAD PITT for ONCE UPON TIME HOLLYWOOD

Support ACTRESS--LAURA DERN for MARRIAGE STORY or KATHY BATES for Richard Jewell

CINEMATOGRAPHY--1917

DIRECTING--1917

ORIGINAL SONG--Stand up--HARRIET

International film--PARASITE

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY--LITTLE WOMEN

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY--tossup--MARRIAGE STORY, 1917, ONCE UPON A TIME HOLLYWOOD



ps--my spellcheck decided to disappear today, so forgive my misspellings