La Religieuse (aka The Nun) (1967)

Set in 18th century France, a rebellious young woman is forced by her family into entering a convent and taking vows against her will. The convent has a loving mother superior (Micheline Presle) but after her death, the atmosphere becomes tortuous and abusive. Based on the novel by Denis Diderot and directed by Jacques Rivette (CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING). I'm not Jacques Rivette's biggest fan but I found this film fascinating. Anchored by a strong performance by Anna Karina in the title role, the film is a compelling portrait of political and emotional machinations within the Catholic church and more specifically, convents. Filmed in 1965, the film was banned in France until 1967. The film was shown at the 1966 Cannes film festival and its positive reception most likely helped the ban reversal. The movie wasn't shown in the U.S. until 1971. By 2024 standards, it's difficult to see any legitimate reason for a ban though the Catholic church is supersensitive to negative portrayals. The first part of the film is difficult to sit through as Anna Karina's nun is basically a prisoner who is abused by her nun tormentors but things change in the film's second half when she is transferred to a different convent which comes across as a country club for lesbians! With Liselotte Pulver, Francine Berge, Francisco Rabal and Jean Martin.

Blue Valley Songbird (1999)

A 40 something country singer (Dolly Parton) is still struggling to make it into the big time. But she's under the thumb of her controlling manager and lover (John Terry), who goes as far as sabotaging her career to keep her under his control. She must also deal with the death of her father (Bob Morrison), who was also a controlling and abusive man and the mother (Peggy Walton Walker) who looked the other way. Directed by Richard A. Colla (THE UFO INCIDENT). As an iconic country music star, Dolly Parton's acting career has been pretty much restricted to comedies and this drama allows her a rare dramatic role. She tones down the make up and sexy costumes and even darkens her blonde hair to a light redhead. While she'll never be a Streep as an actress, the role is well within her range and she acquits herself admirably. The movie allows her to sing nine songs and one of them, Wildflowers, is a beauty. I could say this is for Dolly Parton fans only but then again, who isn't? With Beth Grant and Billy Dean.

An American Werewolf In London (1981)

Two American students (David Naughton, Griffin Dunne) are trekking the moors of Yorkshire. When they stop at a small pub, the locals are hostile toward them. When they leave, they are warned to stay on the road and off the moors and to beware the full moon. Shortly thereafter, they are attacked by a wild beast that kills Dunne and wounds Naughton. Directed by John Landis (THE BLUES BROTHERS). I'm a fan of horror comedies like ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN and GHOST BREAKERS and this film attempts to tread the fine line between comedy and horror. As a horror film, it works very well for me. As a comedy, I found it juvenile and inane. Landis's juxtaposition of the contrasting elements is crude and a poignant or dramatic moment is quickly demeaned by the insertion of a vulgar moment. Rick Baker's make up won the first ever Oscar for film make up and justifiably so. With Jenny Agutter, John Woodvine, Brian Glover and Lila Kaye.

Chuka (1967)

A gunfighter (Rod Taylor) arrives at a besieged outpost of misfit soldiers guarding the fort. He is hoping to persuade the unbending commander (John Mills) and his men to overcome their hatred of the Indians in order to prevent an attack by the starving tribe. It is also there that he meets an old flame (Luciana Paluzzi) from his past. Based on the novel by Richard Jessup (who adapted his novel for the screen) and directed by Gordon Douglas (THEM!). A minor but solid western, well acted and with enough action to satisfy western fans. Alas, the movie fizzled at the box office but deserved a better fate. Its darker outlook (almost everybody's dead by the end of the film) served as a bridge between the traditional heroic westerns and the darker, more violent westerns like THE WILD BUNCH that would emerge at the end of the decade and into the 1970s. The film's prologue was cut prior to its release (reputedly because it "spoiled the ending") but the transfer I saw had the prologue restored. With Ernest Borgnine, James Whitmore, Michael Cole and Victoria Vetri. 

Flight For Freedom (1943)

In the 1930s, an aviatrix (Rosalind Russell) fights discrimination against women pilots including a famous male pilot (Fred MacMurray). Yet they find themselves attracted to each other. But he doesn't seem to be interested in marriage. Directed by Lothar Mendes (THE MAN WHO COULD WORK MIRACLES). The movie is an obvious roman a clef on the legendary Amelia Earhart. The romance at the movie's core is lame (the real Earhart was a married woman) and the film's ending is an insult to her memory (it suggests suicide). The cast is not be faulted, they do as well as can be expected considering the material and Mendes' direction is adequate. But when you have material as poor as this, there's nowhere to go. Most of the movie concentrates on the romantic triangle between Russell, MacMurray and Herbert Marshall before moving into the theorizing that (like Earhart), Russell's last flight was a secret mission for the U.S. government. And while I understand that the film was made in the midst of WWII, the film's depiction of the Japanese characters as sneaky and deceitful is offensive. With Herbert Marshall, Eduardo Ciannelli and Richard Loo.

Al Capone (1959)

In 1919 Chicago, an ambitious young man (Rod Steiger) gets a job as a bodyguard for a mob boss (Joe De Santis). But it isn't long before he rises in the crime organization and eventually becoming the head of it. Directed by Richard Wilson (RAW WIND IN EDEN). A mixture of fiction and fact or more fiction than fact, the film gives us an edgy deglamorized portrait of mobster Al Capone. However, it's still no more impressive than an episode from THE UNTOUCHABLES which would debut some seven months after this movie came out. Rod Steiger gives one of his mannered scenery chewing performances that's so distracting that it takes you out of the picture. The real Capone got married in 1918 and stayed married until his death in 1947 yet the film gives him a fictional mistress (Fay Spain), the widow of a man he had killed. So much for accuracy. With Martin Balsam, Nehemiah Persoff, James Gregory, Robert Gist and Murvyn Vye.

Waikiki Wedding (1937)

A young girl (Shirley Ross) wins a contest sponsored by a pineapple company for three weeks in Hawaii. But she finds Hawaii disappointing so she wants to go back home. The pineapple company puts their top publicist (Bing Crosby) on the case and in spite of an awkward meeting, they fall in love. Directed by Frank Tuttle (THIS GUN FOR HIRE). It's an anemic musical that exploits its exotic (for 1937) landscapes in the hope that it will compensate for its lack of originality. I'm immune to whatever appeal Bing Crosby had that made him a star and Shirley Ross proves a bland leading lady. This leaves the second bananas, Martha Raye and Bob Burns and a scene stealing pet pig, to provide some adequate amusement. The film's attitude toward the native Hawaiians seems more 1837 than 1937. For Crosby fans only. The film won an Oscar for best original song, Sweet Leilani. With Anthony Quinn, Leif Erickson and Grady Sutton.

Monkey Man (2024)

Set in India, a young man (Dev Patel) ekes out a living by fighting in a fight club wearing a monkey mask. He is emotionally and literally scarred by his childhood when he saw his mother (Adithi Kalkunte) murdered and set on fire by a corrupt police chief (Sikandar Kher). When as an adult, he encounters the police chief at a brothel and cocaine den under the cover of a "social club", it sets in motion a plan for revenge that will end in an orgy of violence. Co-produced, co-written and directed by actor Dev Patel, best known for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE in his directorial debut. The film was a passion project for Patel as there was ten years from the inception of the movie (2014) to its theatrical release (2024). It's an action movie but there's a backbone of an emotional and cultural core (including a caste system) that lifts it out of the usual blood splattered revelry (though there's plenty of that here, too). The film is unusual in addressing the discrimination against India's Hijra community (transgender and eunuch) and the film takes them from victims to active participants against their oppressors. The movie is not without its flaws however. The violence is so excessive that at some point I became inured toward it. With Sobhita Dhulipala, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Makarand Deshpande and Ashwini Kalsekar, excellent as a vicious brothel madam terrorizing her staff.

Lenny (1974)

The life of controversial legendary comedian Lenny Bruce (Dustin Hoffman) and his rise and fall. Based on the play by Julian Barry (who adapted his play for the screen) and directed by Bob Fosse (SWEET CHARITY). Told in a non linear narrative with some of the important people in his life being interviewed: his wife (Valerie Perrine in an Oscar nominated performance), his mother (Jan Miner) and his agent (Stanley Beck). Shot in a B&W semi documentary style by Bruce Surtees (PLAY MISTY FOR ME), it's an absorbing biography that takes a different approach to the usual movie bios. Dark and gritty with excellent performances, Fosse doesn't romanticize Lenny Bruce. But I must confess that while I can appreciate Bruce's pushing the envelope in comedy and exposing social hypocrisies (especially in language and social injustice), I just don't find the man funny! But you don't have to find him funny to admire his irreverent audacity and paving the way for future comics like George Carlin. This may be my favorite Hoffman performance and Valerie Perrine does some terrific work here, she never had a better role. With Gary Morton and Rashel Novikoff.

The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues (1955)

After radiation burned bodies wash up on the California coast, a U.S. Department of Defense investigator (Rodney Bell) and an undersea radiation expert (Kent Taylor) are sent to discover what's plaguing a small beach town. Directed by Dan Milner, this inane grade Z horror flick is a sad affair. The "phantom" at the bottom of the sea is obviously a man in a silly rubber suit and with the solemnness that the actors bring to their roles, you'd think the movie would bring some camp amusement but it's too dull for even that. The movie's leading lady Cathy Downs had played the title role in John Ford's MY DARLING CLEMENTINE ten years previously and although I'm not a fan of that film, it's still sad to see where her career ended up. Even if you're a fan of B 1950s sci-fi and horror (as I am), one would be hard pressed to defend this one. With Philip Pine, Michael Whalen, Vivi Janiss and Helene Stanton.