NOMADLAND, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, CHAOS WALKING, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI, I CARE A LOT, THE MARKSMAN, THE DIG plus oldies SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, MR. SKEFFINGTON, IPCRESS FILE, MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS, BLUE HAWAII (Elvis!)

 PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN--Sensational , smart story given sharp treatment from script, direction and actors.  A young woman who has been wronged seeks revenge on any number of men who pick her up at a bar thinking she's drunk, but when they get her home and try to take advantage of her, they are in for a rude awakening.  This film was surprising all the way for me, with even the downbeat ending a shockingly satisfying moment.  Made with style and energy, this film will keep you watching until the end, and keep you thinking about it for weeks.             GRADE----------------A

NOMADLAND--Measured, thoughtful, unusual story of a modern, down on her luck woman who decides to lead a nomadic lifestyle out of her van, seeking the company of other like people who often move from trailer park to park, taking temporary work to get by.    Frances McDormand gives  another interesting portrayal as a woman wanting to live life on her own stubborn terms and some non-actors flesh out the large cast, making the film feel especially realistic.                           GRADE------------------A-

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH--Engrossing biopic about life and death of a Black Panther leader  in the late 1960's Fred Hampton,  with a strong acting job by Daniel Kaluuya who appeared in GET OUT 2017,  BLACK PANTHER and WIDOWS in 2018 and QUEEN AND SLIM in 2019.   I predict an OSCAR for him in the supporting category.                   GRADE---------------A-

CHAOS WALKING--Creative, and unique science fiction story of a colony of men who live together with out women, but the men all have unfiltered inner thoughts which cannot be repressed and pop out like mind farts, with sometimes hilarious(and sometimes dangerous) results.  A young female astronaut crash lands near this colony and needs protection from the male hoards and ends up with a horny and curious teenager played by the most recent SPIDERMAN Tom Holland.  Daisy Ridley (from the recent STAR WARS films) is a strong, gritty character, and the two make a likeable team.          GRADE------------B+

I CARE A LOT-- Rosamund Pike plays a corrupted court appointed guardian for the elderly, and she uses her position to milk the bank accounts of her clients, but one day she tries to do that to her latest "cherry" (Dianne Weist) and finds herself in deep with a client with unknown ties to danger.  It's a lively, fascinating show that is unusual in that there is no GOOD GUY or happy ending for anyone, but if you enjoy nasty characters getting their just desserts you just might have some nasty fun with this one.            GRADE-------------------B+

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI--What might have happened if four famous black men had been friends and all met for a night of discussion in Miami in 1964--the four are Cassius Clay (fighter before becoming  M. ALI), Jim Brown (actor), Malcolm X (Black political leader) and Sam Cooke (famous singer.)  Based on a stage play, the film is well directed by Oscar winning actor Regina King, and there are a lot of interesting ideas floating around, but the film is set in one hotel room and one rooftop and is very talky.  But the actors, however,  are all fascinating to watch.                    GRADE--------------------------B

 THE DIG--Modest but moving film based on a true story of wealthy widow Edith Pretty (played by Carey Mulligan, also the star of PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN above) and archaeologist Basil Brown (played by Ralph Fiennes) during WWII when she hires him to explore and dig into several mounds (small hills) on her property, and he discovers some remarkable finds.                   GRADE----------B

THE MARKSMAN--Here's a smooth, solid chase film with the predictably fine Liam Neeson as an ex-sharp shooter from the military trying to protect a young, motherless illegal Mexican who is being chased by the evil Mexican cartel and the clueless US agents who only want to send him back.  Predictable but effectively intense.                            GRADE-------------B

NEWS OF THE WORLD--Tom Hanks is the star, but the film is stolen by a young German girl (played by newcomer Helena Zengel) with almost no dialogue who has been kidnapped by Indians for over five years and now after the Civil War he has decided to return her to some relatives over a hundred miles away.  Visually the film looks good with lovely Southwest Arizona western settings, but the director Paul Greenfield likes to use a cinematographer who films hand held on roller skates having taken acid--the camera giggles and wiggles and jerks in nearly every scene.  Also, the plot points come telegraphed well in advance.                  GRADE---------------------B-

HERSELF--A young woman leaves an abusive relations with her two young daughters, and attempts to build a house on her own because the system has let her down.                        GRADE-----------------B-

THE LITTLE THINGS---Denzel Washington and Rami Malek (Oscar winner for BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY) are good together as cops seeking a serial killer, but half way through, Jared Leto comes onto the screen and really burns it up as their leading suspect.  The film backs off being sensational preferring to be low key.  I could have used a little more oomph!               GRADE------------C+

SUPERNOVA--Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci play longtime lovers who take a road trip, but one of them is dying of dementia, affecting their love.  It's a simple story told in a low key manner, and it left me unaffected.                             GRADE------------C+

WONDER WOMAN 1984--Not as good as the original WW from several years ago, but Gal Godot gives it her all, and she's beautiful to look at.  Likeable Chris Pine is also back as the BF (don't ask), and Kristin Wiig has fun with her evil character, and Pedro Pascal is just right as the mad man trying to control the world (what's new?).  So what's the problem ?  Mostly the chaotic pacing, unbelievable script and loud action sequences, as if to wake us from the talkie parts.                      GRADE-------------C+

The above films are all either showing on some newly opened theatre screens (in fact I saw most of them on movie screens with fewer than 15 patrons wearing masks, or streaming (One Night, I CARE a LOT, THE DIG)  but there are soooo many streaming services (ie.  HULU, Apple +. Disney, Netflix, Prime Video, Brit Box, Peacock, ETC ETC ETC) that I can't keep track to advise you which to search.  Some films play on more than one service, or they move around. I have only three services (Netflix and Prime which includes Brit Box and Peacock) but sometimes streaming is free for a week or so.  Also you can look up a certain film on Google and it will tell you where you can see  it.                      GOOD LUCK!

 

Below are films that I viewed from my own private DVD collection, but a handful I streamed from Peacock or other services.  These are all oldies but goodies.

SHOP AROUND THE CORNER 1940--Two retail workers hate each other on the job, unaware that they are pen pals through the mail.   Much of the film is set at the Christmas season, and the wonderful cast includes Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullivan and Frank Morgan (the great wizard in OZ).  I got a Blu-Ray copy that looks great and I laughed and cried all the way through this romantic comedy.    GRADE---A

MR SKEFFINGTON 1944--My own dvd copy became pixilated at 2 hours (out of 2 hours 25 minutes) so we had to make a purchase on Netflix (?) for $4.00 to watch the final half hour, which is a devastating ordeal.  Bette Davis plays a vain, self centered  woman who marries a rich man (Claude Rains) to keep her beloved brother (also vain and self centered!) out of prison, but she doesn't love him and treats him poorly with fanciful affairs in the open.  Davis had many Oscar nominations, including this one, and she is something spectacular to behold.  There are many great scenes, but one of my favorites involves her on a date with a gangster and they show up at night club where her husband is on a date with his secretary!             GRADE---------------------A-

THE LETTER1940--Another Oscar nomination for Bette Davis in this insidious film noir about a woman who shoots her lover (first scene in the film) many times in the back, but then claims self defense.  But there is a letter that might change a jury's mind.                            GRADE----------B+

MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS 2005--If you are a fan of the PBS series "THE DURRELLS of CORFU" which ran for about four years recently, then look for this made for British TV film that features all the characters from the Durrell family, and plays a lot like the TV series, but with different actors.  Imelda Stanton plays Mrs. Durrell, and all the actors are terrific in their roles.         GRADE-------B+

TO CATCH A THIEF 1955--There's a lot of Hitchcockian dialogue to wade through in between  some dazzling suspense episodes, but Cary Grant is, well, Cary Grant, which means very smooth and handsome, and Grace Kelly is a spectacular beauty, almost as lovely as the French Riviera where the film was set.  It may not be the best from Alfred Hitchcock, but even his lessor films are miles ahead of most film makers best.                               GRADE------------------B+

CITIZEN KANE 1941--A classic film that I first saw 50 years ago in Film Study in High School, and not since.  I remembered literally nothing except the final bon fire at the end.  The film holds up well and it made me appreciate the recent film MANK about the screenwriter and his efforts to write CITIZEN KANE.  The art and set direction of MANK is certainly effective--strongly emulating the visuals of KANE.  I saw it again because I had just seen MANK and was curious about whether it held up and it does, as far as that goes.  Unfortunately I don't have much sympathy for Kane (and not much for Mankewicz either) so that does limit my enthusiasm for the film.                 GRADE------------B

THE IPCRESS FILE 1965--One of the earliest spy films to make much of a splash came just after the release of the first three James Bond thrillers-- in fact, the poster quotes a critic as saying "A thinking man's GOLDFINGER....."  I don't think so, but I remembered enjoying it when it first came out and was thinking what a cool cat was this new comer Michael Caine.  He went on to make two more sequels as secret agent Harry Palmer --FUNERAL IN BERLIN and THE BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN, both of which I will watch soon and report on them when I do.  IPCRESS was a little slower this time around  and I don't remember much from FUNERAL or BRAIN, but I am curious.                 GRADE-------B

 HITCHCOCK/TRUFFANT 2015--These two directors sat down with a French/English interpreter to discus Hitchcock's films from the 1930's to his last films in the 1970's.  It was a bit awkward to work thru the translations but there were many insightful comments and also views from some contemporary USA directors, and this documentary is a must see for any Hitchcock fan.                   GRADE-----B

TIG 2016--This documentary about standup comedian Tig Notaro features her story about her mother's sudden death, her breast cancer, her efforts at conception and her meeting the woman who would eventually become her wife, all with-in  a one year span. It is a fascinating telling, full of horror and humor and love.                        GRADE---------B

 THE GREAT RACE 1966--Director Blake Edwards (aka Mr Julie Andrews) had a way with sight gags  and made sure to include at least one or two great gags in each scene in this long slap stick comedy which featured Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, and many others.  Plot wise, the film is pretty funny, but nearly stops dead during a sequence during which the main characters are in a plot to overthrow the government of an obscure European country because the Lemmon character is a spitting image for the actual foppish king.  That sequence, while  having a few laughs, seems mostly an excuse to include a lengthy pie throwing scene, which picks up the action again....                    GRADE-------------B

ESCAPE FROM RIO BRAVO 1953--William Holden, Eleanor Parker, John Forsythe, William Demerest and others star in this Western set during the Civil War.  Holden and Forsythe are in love with Parker so it's mainly a macho standoff.  Confederate soldiers being held at a Union Rio Bravo, try to escape but must deal with the hot desert, snakes,  hostile Indians, and changing loyalties.     GRADE---------------B-

THE STALKING MOON 1968--This western featuring Gregory Peck and a nearly wordless Eva Marie Saint has Peck escorting Saint (a white woman who was captured by Indians many years earlier) and her "half breed" son (fathered by the murderous Indian who is tracking her) to safety.   Nicely sustained suspense.        GRADE-----------B-

THE BOOKSELLERS 2019--Unusual documentary about New York City sellers who deal mostly in antique and rare books, and the people who buy them.  Interviews include Parker Posey, Fran Lebowitz, Gay Talese, and many locals.  Especially good if you are interested in this type of rare book.                     GRADE---------B- 

ENDLESS NIGHT 1972--Film made from Agatha Christie novel features Hayley Mills, Brit Ekland , Hywel Bennett and George Sanders, about a newly wed in a new house that becomes suspicious for her life.  The most interesting thing about it is the florid musical score by Hitchcock favorite Bernard Hermann.             GRADE----------------B-

WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE 2018--Based on the Shirley Jackson 1962 novel, this film deals with an odd family who have a dreadful secret, and they live a lonely life, until a distant relative shows up to try to claim some of the estate.  Either I saw this before and it left my mind, or I  saw another version of this story many years ago, because I recognized every plot twist.  Weird.  With Taissa Farmiga, Sebastian Stan and a very calm Crispin Glover.                   GRADE-------------B- 

ELVIS ELVIS ELVIS!  I purchased a 5 film package of Elvis films, and enjoyed them all greatly!

BLUE HAWAII 1961--The Blue Hawaii title song sets the mood, and his hit I Can't Help Falling In Love With You is featured, plus wonderful settings and scenery, and a wedding.  Angela Landsbury plays his goofy, racist mom, there's a bar fight scene, a teen tries to seduce him but he's too good for her, and overall I enjoyed this one very much.  An all male beach bum band is always around when it's time to sing and there are over a dozen songs sung, all pretty decent.              GRADE---------B+

FUN IN ACAPULCO 1963--The city sights steal the film, and Ursula Andress wears a great bikini, and there are cliff divers, Elvis dates two woman at the same time, and a smart little boy keeps Elvis busy with a lot of (singing) jobs, with a great Mariachi band always around for the back up.  Very easy to watch.                GRADE---------B

G.I. BLUES 1961--This was the first film I watched, and I hated the first 20 minutes so much I almost turned it off.  Finally they get away from training drills and coy all male showers, and into Frankfurt night life, and Juliet Prowse shows up as the "love" interest.  There's a distasteful contest about who can spend the night with her first and Elvis is first up.  However Prowse is too classy to fall for such a contest--she's too busy dancing in a night club and avoiding leering male patrons, and Elvis is too much the gentleman to treat her such, so this contest is forgotten for much of the film, thankfully.  There's a charming song w/ Elvis singing to a wooden female puppet (Wooden Heart song) and by the final scenes I was really smiling and enjoying this film.                 GRADE----------------B

GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS 1962--The big song in this one is "Return to Sender, Address Unknown" but every song was pleasant (and short) enough.  Once again Elvis has two women to balance (one is Stella Stevens) and he always has a scene or two in all these films with children--this one has siblings and they sing a charming song with him.              GRADE----------B-

THE ROUSTABOUT 1964--Barbara Stanwyck adds some gravatis as a carnival owner who hires Elvis to work as a stage hand, but of course his singing is discovered and proves a big draw.  He also falls for the daughter of a cranky ex-alcoholic who hates him and makes his life miserable.  The daughter is not very interested in Elvis, either, despite his constant (and annoying) attentions.  This film is very dark compared to the others I saw, and carnival life portrayed as tough and dirty.  The songs are ok, but given the grim atmosphere the film didn't move me in spite of a (false) happy ending.      GRADE-------C+

__________

THE LIQUIDATOR 1965--I wanted to like this film more than I did--it's a spoof of spy films where the always charming Rod Taylor is recruited to be a killer of rogue spies and other bad guys.   He enjoys the perks and money, but hires out the gruesome details of murder to a paid hit man.  Some times funny, sometimes dull and tiresome, this film screams to be remade starring someone like Rowan Atkinson (in Johnny English mode).....The cast includes Trevor Howard, Jill St. John, Wilfrid Hyde White and David Tomlinson.                          

LOST HORIZON 1972--I've never seen the original version from  1937, but after seeing this one I can understand why it is so popular.  The plot has a plane of strangers hi-jacked to Shangri-la deep in the mountains of Tibet.  There is a perfect society that's peaceful and inspiring, and perhaps a little wierd.  Unfortunately, this version was made as a musical, with music and lyrics by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and although some of the songs are lovely, some are so simple as to be instantly forgettable. The interesting cast includes Liv Ullmann, Sally Kellerman, Peter Finch, Bobby Van, George Kennedy, Michael York, Olivia Hussey, Charles Boyer, John Gielgud and others.  Some scenes were good, some bad, and some so bad they were kind of wierd in a good way. For example-- There's a fertility dance that features nearly naked men wearing only an orange diaper and twirling an orange ribbon flag.    Unbelievable!           GRADE-------------------C+

 

Five films from director Steve McQueen under the heading SMALL AXE--MANGROVE, ROCKERS AND LOVERS, RED WHITE AND BLUE, ALEX WHEATLE, EDUCATION, and other new films SOUND OF METAL, WORDS ON BATHROOM WALLS, UNCLE FRANK, MANK plus older classics ALICE'S RESTAURANT 1969. MY FAVORITE WIFE 1940, HOME ALONE 1990 and other Christmas classics

MANGROVE --This is the first of five SMALL AXE films by British director Steve McQueen who previously directed 12 YEARS A SLAVE, SHAME and THE WIDOWS, and these are all done for BBC TV and shown on Prime Video--they all deal with the racial discrimination in England during the 1960-s up through the 1980s, and most all the characters are black, from the West Indies.  Otherwise each story is independent with different characters and nearly constant music is key in most of the films.  This first one deals with a restaurant owner who is hassled by police who think his building is housing political extremists.  The community starts to gather around him, and after a peaceful protest that turns violent thanks to a racist cop, the film culminates in a lengthy courtroom trial.                         GRADE-----------------------A-

ROCKERS AND LOVERS --Young adults gather for a dance party that seems to last all night--the music blares over the sound track and becomes hypnotic.  There is a remarkable scene where the women seem to melt out of the room and the men take over in a frenzy of masculinity angst.  There's not a lot of plot in this one, but I found myself mesmerized with music and dance and the feeling of desperate men and anxious women trying hard to make connections.          GRADE--------------A-

RED WHITE AND BLUE--This film features the only known famous actor John Boyega (from STAR WARS films) and he is very good, although all the characters in each film are excellently cast.  He is a scientist, but would rather work for the police and struggles to become the first police man of color to join the force.  This is the late 1960s, but racism within the force is his main  problem.            GRADE----A-

ALEX WHEATLE--This film follows several years of a young man newly arrived to London who naively learns what it means to be Black on the innercity streets--how to survive and avoid police and how to survive in jail.  This film doesn't have the sharpest edge as the others, but it is fascinating and heartbreaking  nonetheless.              GRADE---------B+

EDUCATION--A preteen with some mild learning disabilities (he's smart, but managed to get to age 11 and still can't read) is sent to a special school which turns out to be nothing more than a babysitting experience for ineffective teachers, and his middle class mother struggles to get him into a school that will challenge him.   All the above films were streaming on Prime Video.                   GRADE---------------B+ 

___________________________________

THE SOUND OF METAL--A hard loud rocker realizes that his music is making him deaf, and he must make some hard choices about changing his lifestyle.  He becomes involved in a school for the hard of hearing,  but his hard living is in contrast with their philosophy.  Extremely well acted by Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke and others.                     GRADE------------------A-

WORDS ON BATHROOM WALLS--A teen with mental illness and a short temper has a determined mother who works to find him the right medication and school.  At a new school he meets and becomes involved with a smart girl who is not put off by his anti social behavior.  This is a well made film about the social issues of the mentally ill, treating him with respect.  This unusual story doesn't pull any punches.      Streaming on Prime Video and Amazon.                     GRADE--------------------B+

 UNCLE FRANK--Streaming on Prime Video and Amazon, this comedy drama is set in the early 1970's and features a teenager fond of her Uncle Frank when he sometimes visits from New York to her small southern town.  When she graduates from high school she moves to New York and finds out that her Uncle is gay and has been living with the same man for over 10 years.  The death of her grandfather (Frank,s father) sends them back to the funeral, along with Frank's lover (Uncle Wally) to face unresolved issues  from the past.  Paul Betany, Peter Macdissi, Sophia Lillis, Steve Zahn, Stephen Root and Margo Martindale are featured.               GRADE-------------B

PROM--Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Keegan Michael Key, Andrew Rannells--they all seem to be having a good time, but the plot is so silly and slight and forgettable and seems to go on forever, that even the jokes that land (mostly from Streep and Corden) and the songs that are any good (congrats to Keegan Michael Key) are not enough to make this LGBT teen movie more likeable.  On Netflix.            GRADE--------------------B-

MANK--A tribute biographical film about the screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz who won the original writing Oscar for CITIZEN KANE feels cold, lifeless and although the black and white photography feels right, and the set and costumes are smart, and Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davis and Gary Oldman as Mank (he's twice the age of the real Mankiewicz) are both interesting to watch, the film left me empty, and I'm a film buff!  On Netflix, but recommended only if interested.                  GRADE---------B-

MIDNIGHT SKY--George Clooney stars in and directs this apocalyptic thriller that leaves a lot of questions behind as it lumbers along.  We never learn, for example, about what happened to earth, expect there was some sort environment disaster that is killing the planet.  Clooney plays an old, sick scientist who is the last one alive in the Arctic to trying to stop and turn around a returning space ship that has been gone for many years in search of a new safe earth beyond Jupiter, but we know very little about this new planet except that it is very promising.  The returning ship has a small crew that is supposed to repopulate this new planet but their number is dwindling for various reasons.  The technical look is interesting, and the other actors including Felicity Jones, David Oyeowo, Demain Bichir, and Kyle Chandler say their lines without laughing, but by the time it's mysteries have been answered, we don't really care.     GRADE----B-

SANTA CHRONICLES II--Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn are  back, thankfully,

 as Mr and Mrs Claus, and even though some of the special effects are cheesy, the film talks about the origins of Christmas and is busy enough to entertain you in an undemanding manner.  I loved the musical interlude set in a crowded airport on Christmas Eve.  This was a modest guilty pleasure for me.   Netflix.                   GRADE----------B-

LET HIM GO--Diane Lane and Kevin Costner star in this slow burn thriller, but that's ok since the actors are adept at keeping us involved and that adds to the satisfaction of the violent resolution.  Their son dies in an accident, and his wife remarries a bad seed who abuses the wife and child, then moves across the country to his family headed by a cruel, wicked matriarch played with steely resolve by Leslie Manville.  Of course, Lane is outraged and forces her husband to go with her to collect their grandchild.  Easier said than done.  It may not be the most original of stories, but Lane takes over the film with ease.   I saw this at a theatre during the brief period of reopening in November with about 10 other patrons, all masked up and split with dozens of rows between each of us.      GRADE------------------B-

THE CLIMB---This low budget indie film, also seen at a theatre with about 10 others, is an off beat comedy drama about a man who sleeps with his best friend's fiancee, and then keeps acting weird and needy, ruining relationships with all of his friends.  Yet somehow the two friends keep their relationship going.   I believe this is now streaming, but not sure where--check Prime, Netflix or Amazon or Hulu                    GRADE---------B-  

JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY--Forest Whitiker plays a joyful toy maker--until he is back stabbed by his apprentice (Keegan Michael Key) and becomes a cranky old man.  Years pass and his estranged daughter sends her young daughter to stay with him, and of course she is cheerful, positive and can sing and dance at the drop of a hat.  Madalene Mills is a wonderful talent.  The songs are mostly pleasant, and if you like dancing out of thin air, then you will enjoy this film.  I found the plot creaky and  cliched--it didn't make a lot of sense.  Ricky Martin plays a toy soldier.  Netflix will probably make this a seasonal film.                       GRADE-----------C+

THE LIFE AHEAD---Sophia Loren is the main reason for seeing this sad drama directed by her son.  She's a former prostitute now running a day care, and her latest child is the boy who robbed her a day earlier.  Unfortunately the drama and energy run low towards the end, and the feeling is that of a lost opportunity.                     GRADE----------C+ 

 

VINTAGE FILMS ON DVD or ON DEMAND

 

ALICE'S RESTAURANT 1969--Great counter culture film from director Arthur Penn (BONNIE AND CLYDE) based on song by Arlo Gutherie, who also appears as the lead.  The first half is very funny, but the film becomes much more somber by the end.              GRADE-------------A

MY FAVORITE WIFE 1940--Clever and witty film with Cary Grant whose wife has been missing and presumed dead for 7 years.  On the day he remarries , she returns so suddenly he has two wives to contend with.  The long missing wife is played by Irene Dunne, and the new wife is played in a shallow manner by Gail Patrick.  Many wonderful lines and laughs and a screwball sensibility.         GRADE---------A-

THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER 1942--Possibly the wittiest, snappiest script ever produced for a play and this movie by George Kaufman and Moss Hart, and the cast is at their best.  Bette Davis shines in a rare (for her) comedy role, and other comedy actors include  Ann Sheridan, Monty Wooley, Jimmy Durante, Richard Travis, Billie Burke and a dozen others.  Wooley plays a famous but pompus radio personality who slips on the icy steps of his hosts and is forced to stay in their dining room for several weeks right before Christmas, throwing the household into a tizzy.            GRADE------------A-

HOME ALONE 1990--When a large extended family all oversleep the morning they are leaving for a Paris vacation at Christmas, they rush from the house to catch their plane, accidentally  leaving the youngest boy at home, and when they discover the mistake in Paris, they have  a hard time returning due to heavy holiday traffic.  The boy must soon defend his house against two rather stupid men intent on robbing, and the clever boy quickly takes the upper hand in a series of broadly slapstick scenes.  The film is both clever and very funny at times and has just the right amount of sentiment.         GRADE-----B+

CACTUS FLOWER--1969--Glib but mostly funny comedy with Walter Matthau as a dentist, who refuses to marry his girlfriend Goldie Hawn, claiming falsely that he's already married.  When Hawn demands to meet his wife, he recruits his stern nurse (Ingrid Bergman) to portray her....Bergman at first resists, but soon starts to be attracted to Matthau.  This was Hawn's first big movie role after TV's Laugh In, and she won an Oscar for it.               GRADE----------     B+

GOLDFINGER 1964--I've seen this James Bond thriller half a dozen times before, but it had a brief run at my local cinema during the brief time theatres were open in November, and it was a pleasure to see it on the big screen.  There were only about a dozen people, but I heard several exclaim as we were leaving--"Well, that was sure fun!" as if they'd never seen it before.               GRADE----------B+

THE LAST OF SHIELA 1973--A twisted and witty plot about murder aboard a ship--think Agatha Christie only smaller--I've seen this one maybe 3 or 4 times before, but it is so convoluted that I can never quite remember who did what to whom, and the cast portraying Hollywood elite, is a real treat.   James Coburn, Joan Hacket, Richard Benjamin, Raquel Welch, James Mason, Dyan Cannon, Ian McShane and others are all very effective, making this  fun to view over and over again.            GRADE----------B+

GODSPELL 1973--Musical version of stage play with some beautiful songs by Stephen Schwartz.  A rag-tag group of modern New York City "hippie" types follow around a character playing Jesus (Victor Garber) and sing songs inspired by the Gospels.  David Haskell plays the Judas role.  Sometimes the dialogue and skits are very silly, and make me wince, but the music transcends all in basically a moving experience.                     GRADE--------------B

NIGHT AND DAY 1946--A musical biography of Cole Porter, complete with many of his songs, some  preformed by Cary Grant, with Alexis Smith and Monty Wooley.  If you know that he is gay, the plotting makes a lot more sense, as he chastely kisses women, and finds a lot of excuses to not commit to various relationships, although (in real life) he does eventually marry late in his career.     The color photography and music make this easy to watch.                    GRADE-------B

IF ONLY YOU COULD COOK 1935--Herbert Marshal costars with Jean Arthur.  He takes a break from his high profile job as auto designer, and in the park meets unemployed Jean Arthur, who complains that it's tough to be looking for a job, but there's one that needs a cook and a valet, if only she had a partner or husband.  Somehow she hooks him into applying--and of course, they are accepted.  (Only in the movies!)  He goes back to the office at night, and is also supposed to be planning a wedding though he seems not very enthused.  They are also working for what seem like gangsters--with good hearts, of course.  It's a sweet natured comedy mixed with an improbable romance.             GRADE---------B

THE WHOLE TOWN'S TALKING 1935--A rare comedy characterization by  E.G. Robinson who plays a meek office worker who discovers he looks a lot like a Killer that is roaming the streets.  When the office worker gets a letter from the police to avoid any more confusion, the Killer shows up at his home and demands the letter letting him roam the streets at night.  Jean Arthur is a madcap coworker who tries to befriend him.  Its a great plot and the actors are terrific.                       GRADE---------B

TOO MANY HUSBANDS--1940--Jean Arthur plays a woman whose husband has been missing and presumed dead for over a year, so she marries his best friend.  Of course the first husband (Fred McMurry) soon returns and her new husband is frustrated (Melvyn Douglas).  Plot wise it's a wacky screwball comedy with a lot of holes, and for a while it looks like it might turn into a menage a tois--which may have been more logical than some of the shenanigans.       Still the actors have it under control.              GRADE------------B

THE CHRISTMAS STORY 1983--Classic, sentimental film starring child Peter Billingsley and adults Darren McGavin and Melissa Dillon.  I hadn't seen it for over 35 years, and it holds up better than I remembered, though there are a few episodes that seemed to drag a little.               GRADE---------B

THE FAMILY STONE 2005--An extended family gathers at the parents house for Christmas, where girlfriends are introduced and family issues are brought to the surface.  For some reason I enjoyed this better the second time than 15 years ago.  With Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson,  Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Luke Wilson, Claire Danes and a lot of funny small roles.         GRADE-----------B

THE BISHOP'S WIFE 1948--A debonair angel comes to earth to help a bishop and his wife raise money for a new church, and the film is wonderfully set at Christmas time.  It helps that the players are Cary Grant, David Niven, Loretta Young, and Monty Wooley.........GRADE-------------B

BATCHELOR AND THE BOBBIE SOXER 1947--Artist Cary Grant speaks at a high school, catching the eye of teen Shirley Temple, who misunderstands him and shows up at his apartment waiting for him, just as her strict sister Myrna Loy, a judge, arrives to find them in a compromising position.  Because Temple is stubbornly attracted, it is determined (by who it is not clear!) that Grant should "date" her until she tires of their age difference.  This age difference plot is a bit wonky for me, but I have to admit that towards the end there is a wild, screwball scene at a fancy restrauant where all the main characters happen to be at (?) that is one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen, and really makes the film pull together.         GRADE---------------B

MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE 1948--Cary Grant and Myrna Loy leave the crowded city living to build a house in the country, but the house turns into a money pit.  Apparently this was the inspiration for THE MONEY PIT 1983 film starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long which didn't get very good reviews.                           GRADE-----------B-

BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON 2004--This is the third of four Bridget Jones films, and while I'm amused by her willingness to make fun of her body and self image, it is a case of shrinking returns--many jokes seem a rehash from the earlier two versions.  Renee Zellweger is still goofy yet charming, and Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are as professional as ever, though I do have to wonder why Firth puts up with her insecurities which seem to repeat themselves in every film.   I guess this is an easy guilty pleasure for me.                 GRADE---------B-

HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK 1992--Since I had just seen after many years, HOME ALONE, I watched HA 2: LINY and wondered why I couldn't remembered anything about it.  That is because, HOME ALONG 2 is the very same film as HOME ALONE--just set in NYC and set at Christmas, which is the best part about it.  Even the two dumb robbers are in it because they have, incredibly, escaped from prison and hidden in a truck to be dumped in the middle of New York just in front of the cute kid from the other film!!!! And they all end up at a distant relatives home that is being remodeled so that lots of dangerous equipment like nails, hammers, bricks, paint cans, etc are just lying around.  I did enjoy watching it but seeing two films so similar back to back makes it hard to remember.  GRADE--------------B- 

HURRY SUNDOWN 1967--This long, mostly engrossing melodrama from director Otto Preminger has an epic feel, and a remarkable cast, including Jane Fonda, Michael Caine, Faye Dunaway,  John Phillip Law, Burgess Meredith, Diahann Carol, Robert Hooks and many others,  The southern accents aren't always consistent and sometimes the overbearing racism makes you wince, but Preminger has a way of plowing through the cliches to find truth in many scenes.                   GRADE-----------B- 

ERAGON 2006--When country boy Eragon finds a blue egg, a dragon is soon born from it.  He raises the dragon in secret and soon it becomes his soul dragon, protector and means of transportation, and some mean people are trying to kill the dragon and his self.  This fantasy epic is enjoyable enough but rings slighter than the LORD OF THE RINGS series.  Ed Speleers is not very dynamic in the lead, though Jeremy Irons and Robert Cralyle are fine.                 GRADE-------B-

BLACK NAVITY 2013--Based on a Langston Hughes 1961 play and featuring Forrest Whitiker, Angela Bassett, Jenifer Hudson, Jacob Latimore, Mary J. Blige and others, this musical wears it's heart on it's sleeve and it is well meaning, but hard to like mostly due to the heavy handedness of the film making.  Don't go in expecting too much and you might like it.                  GRADE-----------B- 

LITTLE 2019--Comedy fantasy of a mean boss who turns into a 12 year old girl for a   few days (don't ask) and has to learn some tough lessons.  Marsai Martin from TVs BLACKISH is fine as the girl, and Issa Rae is funny as her assistant. and the plot has some hits and misses in the laugh department, but it is fairly predictable.              GRADE-------------B-

THE WHISTLER 1944, VOICE OF THE WHISTLER 1945,  MYSTERIOUS INTRUADER 1946, POWER OF THE WHISTLER 1955--These are all short, low budget black and white films using the same lead actor (Richard Dix) , but in different roles and very different stories.  In the first one listed, a depressed man takes out a hit on himself because his wife has died, then changes his mind, but doesn't know who the assassin will be.  In VOICE, a man has only 6months to live, so he asks his nurse to marry him and inherit his estate.  Unfortunately his illness disappears and the wife's lover appears......in MYSTERIOUS, a private eye chases after a dangerous killer and he becomes a suspect.  In POWER, an innocent woman tries to help an amnesiac discover his true identity, but sometimes truth is not what is needed......  These all have lots of plot and are easy to watch, but sometimes they are a bit predictable.         GRADE-------------B- for each one.

ADAM HAD FOUR SONS 1941--A young Ingrid Bergman arrives in the United States to become governess to  four sons who have lost their mother.  She also becomes close to their father (Warner Baxter), but when he loses his money and must send the boys to relatives or boarding school, he sends poor Ingrid back to Europe.  Years later, she returns to resume her relationship. but a wicked Susan Hayward has married into the family and causes havoc.                  GRADE---------C+

 SLEEP MY LOVE 1948--Claudette Colbert wakens on a speeding train with no idea where she's going or why she's on the train.  Unfortunately that first 15 minutes is the best part of the film.  Her mysterious husband (Don Ameche) can't explain it either, and a family friend (Robert Cummings) tries to solve the mystery.  Directed by Douglas Sirk, though not his best.                   GRADE------------C+

THE CORN IS GREEN 1978--Katherine Hepburn tries her best but the film never takes off, even though George Cukor is the director.  (Not his best, either.) She tries to set up a school in a poor coal mining part of England.  I haven't seen the earlier version with Bette Davis, which I've hear is much better.              GRADE------------C+

A WALK IN THE SPRING RAIN 1970--Soap opera about a middle aged woman who moves with her husband to the country so he can write his book, but she falls for a rough country man who has a difficult wife.  Ingrid Bergman is lovely, and I found Anthony Quinn to be sympathetic as the landlord, one of the few roles that I've liked him in.                GRADE-------------C+

 

 

 

  

 

 

NEW MOVIES--THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, THE WAY I SEE IT, MULAN, THE 40 YEAR OLD VERSION, BOYS IN THE BAND, new version of REBECCA, plus new movies on theatre screens--PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD, THE HONEST THIEF, TENET, plus some oldies but very goodies QUO VADIS, SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, RESURRECTION, DEATH OF STALIN, plus Katherine Hepburn in MORNING GLORY, UNDERCURRENT and WITHOUT LOVE!

Some movie screens in Edmonds and Seattle finally opened last week, although the best new stuff I saw were on Netflix or Prime or Disney last month. 

 

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7----My favorite was on Netflix and written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, called THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7.  The dialogue was sharp. informative, funny and very incicive.  The fine cast  includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and John Carroll Lynch  but three others really stand out--Mark Rylance as the defense attorney, Frank Langella as the racist judge and Yahya Abdul-Mateen as the Black Panther leader Bobby Seale. These eight leaders were on trial a year after the  riot that occured at the 1968 Democratic convention when a peaceful march against the Vietnam war turned bloody and violent when police were told to attach the protesters.  The case against Seale was especially weak since he had shown up late to the protest and not been involved in the planning.  Hence, the Chicago 7.  It's a riviting courtroom drama with flashbacks, and as noted before, there is an amazing amount of humor.  Here's one of the few Netflix movies I'm eager to see again.               GRADE-------------A

THE WAY I SEE IT---A Netflix documentary about Pete Souza who was the official White House photographer for both Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama.  The film is based on the two best selling books by Souza called OBAMA: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT and SHADE, but it does start off with a brief segment on his time working for Reagan as an apolitical young photographer (he calls Reagan "a decent man" in spite of some political decisions he didn't like), but it was his eight years with Obama that opened his eyes to the human side of the man and politics, and since his retirement he has worked hard to endorse and campaign for Obama's ideals.  All the famous photo's are here with explained---the Obama's dancing at the inagaural balls, the intimate photo's of Barack playing with his young girls in a memorable snow fall in Washington DC, a young child who gets to feel Obama's hair in the White House, and hundreds of others familiar or new, and the progression leads one to strongly regret the lack of spontenaity when compared to the very staged and phony photos coming from the Trump administration .  It's a fascinating and moving  experience.                             GRADE---------------A

THE 40 YEAR OLD VERSION--Writer, director and star Radha Blank swings and hits, well, at least a triple run in this low budget, black and white  story of a nearly 40 year old artist trying to reinvent herself  as a playwright  and poet in this funny, audatious and perhaps autobiographical  story of a teacher who tries on rapping in middle age.  It's like nothing on the TV (Netflix) or movie screens these days, and it's bracingly entertaining.  I'm anxious for more from Ms Blank.                 GRADE---------B+

THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD--My first theatrical screening in 7 months!!!!!! and the 10 of us in the small theatre were masked and seated rows and rows apart and for the most part I forgot that I was wearing the mask--it was a pleasure to watch a film on  big screen!  There have been numerous versions of the DAVID COPPERFIELD novel--most notably the 1935 which featured Freeddie Bartholomew, W.C.Fields and Basil Rathbone to name a few, and also the 1999 BBC mini-series with Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith, and Ian McKellin which because of it's length is able to include more of the narrative.  This version has actors of every ethnic persuasion playing different parts, which creates an exotic atmosphere, including Dev Patel as the late teen David, and Hugh Laurie and Tilda Swinton and dozens of others in support.  The director, Armando Inannicci directs with some witty animated moments, and quick clever cuts in the story, but the film seems a bit rushed in the final quarter.  It's an ambitious undertaking for this classic story....................GRADE-------------B 

BOYS IN THE BAND---This fifty year theatrical revival of the Mart Crowley play has been filmed as a movie and is now appearing in Netflix.  The cast is very good and included leads Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer and other fine actors, and if you've never seen the play, here's a good production, with most of the witty one liners intact and the pathos and self pity front and center.  I saw the play many years ago at Seattle's ACT theatre, and saw the first film by director William Friedkin (THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE EXORCIST etc) in 1970, so there weren't any surprises, but I enjoyed the interplay and dialogue.                                                GRADE--------------B

SOMETIMES ALWAYS NEVER--This quirky, sad, visually stylish British comedy drama features Bill Nighy, Sam Riley and Jenny Agutter and is based on the story TRIPLE WORD SCORE.  Years ago the son of Nighy walked out in the middle of a Scrabble game and never returned, causing the family to become a bit fractured.  I enjoyed the film, but feel it was missing a few (Scrabble) tiles by the pointless low key ending.              GRADE------------------B

MULAN---This live action remake (on the Disney channel) of the Disney animated film from last decade is a colorful and lively experience, even if the plot is a rehash.  I enjoyed the scenery, the costumes, the exciting battle sequences and the fact that Barbara Striesand's YENTL dealt with the same themes of being attracted to the same sex even though they are in disguise from the opposite sex.    At least women trying to pass as men are doing it better these days.                GRADE--------------B

THE HONEST THIEF---Here's the second film on the BIG SCREEN I saw last week, and it's a straight forward action thriller--the kind that Liam Neeson is acting in a lot these days.  When a high level bank robber meets a woman that he falls for, he decides to go straight, turn himself in and return all the thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for a smaller sentence at a local prison to be able to spend more time with his new girlfriend!!!!  Sure, right on.  Of course, when he tries to turn himself in, the cops to whom he proposes this "deal" decide to keep the cash and double cross him, and poor Liam must convince the higher up cops that he did not accidently shoot an innocent cop in the process.  You know where this one is going from the early scenes through to the end, but it is certainly entertaining enough, especially  since I'd been stuck at home for 7 months watching my DVD collection.  Again, there were maybe 12 or 13 people in a large auditorium  all spread out and masked.           GRADE-------B-

TENET---This was supposed to be the big blockbuster of the summer opening over the 4 of July holiday but Covid kept pushing it back, and even though my nephew got to drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas over a month ago to catch a screening in September, it opened locally just 2 weeks ago.  I have to say that I have mixed feelings for this science fiction thriller.  Firstly, the plot is that old, OLD chestnut where an evil crazy man is going to destroy the whole world because, well in this case because he is dying and wants the world to die with him.  I think 20 of the James Bond 007 movies have had the same plot, but at least I could follow the action and dialogue easier, and they were a lot more fun.  (RIP Sean Connery.) There is more mumbo jumbo high tech jargon than you can imagine, and none of it is comprehensible, even when they say, "In other words, that means......."  No, I still don't get it.  The lead, John David Washington looks like he's trying to keep a straight face while spouting all this jargon, but Robert Pattison and Elizabeth Debicki manage to keep dignified.  The evil Kenneth Branagh gets to sneer and spout in nasty, angry fashion while he tortures his wife and kills all in sight.  The 2 1/2 hour film was so long I had to use the bathroom, so during the action tension final fight scenes trying to stop the nuclear bomb from going off inside a mountain with lots of scaffolding, I was desperate. When I got back they were still fighting on the damn scaffolding!!!!  Throw in all this weird time travel stuff, and backward action (?!?)--none makes much sense and what you have left is some spectacular set pieces like how did they film that, and some chase scenes where the present is really the past or the future.  WTF, man!  Christopher Nolan, I admire your technical skills, but lets get a story worth telling next time, with out so many cliches.                   GRADE---C+

REBECCA---Netflix is streaming a new remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 masterpiece  REBECCA with Lily James, Armie Hammer and Kristin Scott Thomas--hollow shells all--filling in for Joan Fontaine, Lawrence Olivier and Judith Anderson.  The photography is in lushous color and gives the film a more modern sensibility even though it is still set in the 1930's and still features themes of female empowerment, but the suspense is bland and there is nothing unique in the telling.  The main difference is the ending--Hitchcock's is much more ironic, which gives the fade out some punch.              GRADE----------C   

 

THE FOLLOWING FILMS ARE OLDER, or VINTAGE, or CLASSICS, viewed on cable or DVD.

 

QUO VADIS 1951---Just bought a Blu Ray version of this epic film set in the time of Nero's rule when Christianity was growing in Rome, and Nero sets fire to Rome, then tries to blame Christians and throws them into the arena with hungry lions.  Robert Taylor is a general returning from war, and falls for the young nubile Deborah Kerr (who is a Christian, of course, and in conflict with the decadent Roman philosophy of Nero's rule.)  Peter Ustinov is an amusing and over the top Nero and is in sharp contrast to his close friend and senator Petronius played with steely balance by Leo Genn--both men were nominated for best supporting actor Oscars, and the film received other nominations for photography (it looks great), music, picture, art direction and costumes.  The film is nearly 3 hours, but it's lavishly produced and effective for it's time .   Historically, the film might not be totally accurate, but I was really engrossed and went on to read some of the background of this time period.                              GRADE-----------A

THE SEA HAWK 1940--This could be the best of the 10 films director Michael Curtiz made with Errol Flynn--it's a rousing  swashbuckling adventure with Flynn at his most dashing.  Also Brenda Marshal and Claude Rains and an amusing plot that has Flynn protecting England from Spain by looting Spanish ships, just as Spain is about ready to invade England.                   GRADE-------------A

GROUNDHOG DAY--1973---Believe it or not, I've never seen this film before, and found it particularily  effective during the covid virus lock downs.  I thought perhaps seeing a repeat of the same day  over and over again would hit too close to home, but fortunately Bill Murray (and Andie McDowell and others) managed to find some growth and variation in their characterizations that made me consistantly laugh out loud. and it's also a sweety natured romance to boot.  I can sure see why it's a comedy classic with a huge following, and I will certainly look forward to watch it again and again and again..........GRADE----B+

CAPTAIN BLOOD 1935-- During the oppressive reign of King James II, a doctor is unjustly accused of being a traitor because he administered first aid to an injured citizen and is exiled to a Jamiacan  prison where he befriends the govenor with his medical expertise, but he soon escapes to become a pirate.  In spite of being a black and white film, the film is full of derring do, chases, sword fights and a strong plot of revenge and retrobution.  This was one of Errol Flynn's first films with director Michael Curtiz, and it holds up wonderfully today.              GRADE---------B+

SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON 1960---Entertaining film of British family who are ship wrecked on a nearly deserted tropical island, salvaging most of the animals and stock from the ship, and set up an elaboratete tree house.  The story seemed to be derived from another previous book ROBINSON CRUSOE and there are several movies and stories that followed this popular Disney film.  John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur and others along with a group of amusing animals are featured, and according to some of the extra features, a good, if difficult, time was had by all.                 GRADE----B+

RESURRECTION 1980---One of my favorite films from 1980 was this mysterious drama about a newly married woman who survives a serious car crash that kills her husband--she appears to come back from the dead, bringing with her unexplained healing powers that she is happy to share.  Unfortunately, her conservative, strict father and her new boyfriend are suspecious of her new powers, causing conflict in her home town community.  The amazing Ellen Burstyn was Oscar nominated as was the elderly Eva LaGallienne in a supporting role as Grandma.  With Sam Shepard, Lois Smith and Richard Farnsworth.  The final coda is devastating--in a good way.                               GRADE---------B+

NOTORIUS 1946--A minor masterpiece from Alfred Hitchcock--Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman play two spies recruited to infiltrate a Nazi German spy ring headed by Claude Rains in Rio.  Unfortunately, she recieves orders to seduce Rains, just as she is falling in love with Grant...Great suspense scenes included a long, long kiss on a balcony, the long long crane shot that begins high above a dance floor and zooms down to reveal a store-room key in her hand, the accidental breaking of the "wine" bottle, and the long long slow poisoning of Bergman.                  GRADE-----------------B+

MURPHY'S ROMANCE 1985--From the moment that the jeans and cowboy hat wearing Sally Field and starched white shirt and cowboy boots wearing James Garner meet cute in the small town drug store--well you knlow how this comedy is going to go.  But getting there is filled with some small pleasures and surprises, including the arrival of Field's immature ex-husband to complicate the courtship she has with Gardner.  The music and theme song by Carole King are sweetly charming and the final line of dialogue is as sure and funny and memorable as anything in this May December romance.   It's a real pleasure to watch.                     GRADE-----------B+                         

THE DEATH OF STALIN 2018--Director and co-writer Armando Iannucci keeps it funny and frantic (see also PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD, above) with inspired moments from the amusing actors including Steve Buscei, Jason Isaacs, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin and Andrea Riseborough as they play out the possible scenerio of Stalin's death and funeral.  I giggled in every scene, even if some violent atrocity was occuring.                         GRADE-------B

WITHOUT LOVE 1945--This stage play turned film is charming and funny--Spencer Tracey is a scientist obsessed with his work, Hepburn is letting him live in her huge house to work on his major project and wants to help him as an assistant.  They grow to like each other although both have been hurt in love before.  They agree to marry but only platonically because sex messes up relationships.  Of course we know what will happen.  Keenan Wynn and Lucille Ball are witty and funny as friends of the two, althought they are not given much to do.               GRADE---------B

UNDERCURRENT 1946--Vincent Minnelli's first film noir about an insecure, dowdy young woman who marries a handsome man that her father knows, but she knows nothing of him.  He treats her fairly well and sets her up in society, but oddly throws a fit whenever she mentions his long missing brother, and she begins to suspect that the brother may have been murdered--by her husband.  It's an interesting film, although Katherine Hepburn seems a bit miscast because she is supposed to be weak willed but her actions seem rather straight forward.  Robert Taylor is her unstable husband, and Robert Mitchum is the brother.    GRADE--------------------B-

MORNING GLORY 1933--This early Hepburn film has her as an aspiring actress who loses her virginity to a Broadway producer Adolphe Menjou, while the producer's assistant looks helplessly on--he's (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.)  infatuated with her.  The producer dumps her and she struggles with mental illness and poverty for a while, then suddenly gets her chance when as the understudy she gets to go on suddenly when the lead actress has a tantrum, and you can guess the rest.  This was only her third film, and she won best actress Oscar for this odd role.  This was a pre-code film--nobable for her being seduced and abandoned.  If she hadn't won the Oscar, this little melodrama probably wouldn't even be remembered today.                GRADE------------B-

MICHAEL 1924--This Danish silent film from Carl Theodore Dryer is one of the first to deal with a  male artist who takes on a male art student protoge, setting him up with money and an apartment.  Conflict comes when a young countess becomes interested in the young bisexual Michael.  Although it is not explicit, this was considered one of the earlier films dealing with gay themes.        GRADE--------B-

STRANGERS IN THE CITY 1995--This early Ang (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN) Lee film features Daniel J. Travanti as a aging gambler who agrees to marry a Chinese immigrant for money to secure her a green card so she can stay with her boyfriend.  Sort of a companion film to a later (better) Ang Lee film called THE WEDDING BANQUET about a gay man who marries a woman to please his visiting parents.  This film is low key and sad.             GRADE------------B-

THE GRAND SEDUCTION 2014--This low key Canadian film features Taylor Kitsch as a young doctor who comes to a small town for a one month internship but the whole town is in on trying to charm him into staying on permanant because this small community is trying to secure a contract for a big company to start up a businesss, but only if they have a full time doctor.             GRADE------C+

THE HOSTILE WITNESS 1968--This modest British mystery is based on a play.  Ray Milland and Sylvia Sims star in this story of his daughter's death by a hit and run driver and his attempt to find the killer.  He ends up being charged in the death of a neighbor--both of them judges, and realizes someone is trying to set him up for murder.                         GRADE------------C

SYLVIA SCARLETT 1935--Katherine Hepburn stars as a young girl who flees to  England with her rogue father dressed as a boy.  They soon meet another rogue Cary Grant, then others.  Halfway through the film she meets Brian Aherne and falls in love, then quickly drops her disguise and the film loses it's fizz.  George Cukor directed, but the light touch disappears by the end, and Cary Grant becomes an obnoxious character though much more handsome  than Aherne,  so the story feels disappointing when he literally disappears in the final 10 minutes.            GRADE-------C

THE MYSTERY OF THE 13th GUEST 1943--This low budget mystery film has a very few number of chills--after 13 years a young woman must come back to her grandfather's house and open instructions to find his will, but someone is killing the other family members that were at the final dinner.      I'm being generous with a         GRADE--------C-

 

 

 

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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