Help! (1965)

When a fan sends the drummer (Ringo Starr) of The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison) an ancient sacrificial ring that becomes stuck on his finger, he becomes targeted by a group of obsessed Eastern mystics as well as an ambitious scientist (Victor Spinetti) who has his own plans for the ring. Directed by Richard Lester (PETULIA). Essentially a live action cartoon with The Beatles as the road runner and the villains as the coyote. The best part of the movie, of course, are the songs. The nonsensical plot is fun for awhile but it gets old pretty fast. The songs aren't integral to the narrative, they're inserted into the action and became a big influence on the music videos that emerged on MTV. The characterization of the Eastern cult is uncomfortable at times, bordering on racism. It goes without saying that Beatles fans will enjoy this. As for everybody else, I'm not so sure. With Eleanor Bron, Leo McKern, Patrick Cargill and Roy Kinnear.

The Love Parade (1929)

A womanizing military attache (Maurice Chevalier) in Paris is ordered to return to his home country to avoid a scandal. Reporting to the Queen (Jeanette MacDonald in her film debut), they find themselves attracted to each other and marry. But the marriage reduces him to a mere sex object to the man hungry Queen. As her husband, he has no authority, no duties but to satisfy the Queen's lust. Based on the play THE PRINCE CONSORT by Jules Chancel and Leon Xanrof and directed by Ernst Lubitsch (CLUNY BROWN). Lubitsch's first sound film is a charming and sophisticated musical and a perfect example of the "Lubitsch touch". Witty, slightly risque and the songs are perfectly incorporated into the narrative rather than just tossed in. Jeanette MacDonald shows what a sexy minx she was before MGM and Nelson Eddy got a hold of her and turned her into a singing version of Norma Shearer. As their servants, Lillian Roth and the nimble Lupino Lane provide a contrast to the royal couple and their number Let's Be Common is a highlight. With Eugene Pallette and E.H. Calvert.

The Case Of The Lost Love (1987)

An attorney (Jean Simmons) is selected to fill a vacated government position. Her husband (Gene Barry) is approached by a man (Jonathan Banks) who has stolen medical records about his wife's nervous breakdown seven years earlier. Succumbing to blackmail, the husband agrees to pay $50,000 but when he goes to hand over the money, he finds the blackmailer dead and is arrested for murder. Enter Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to defend him. Directed by Ron Satlof (THE CASE OF THE NOTORIOUS NUN). The fourth entry in the thirty Perry Mason telefilms is one of the very best. It gives Jean Simmons, a fine actress whose film career after 1970 was weak, a late career role that allows her to remind us what a good actress she is. Burr's health was declining and he had mobility issues. He uses a cane throughout the film and is usually photographed sitting or standing. With Barbara Hale, William Katt, Robert Mandan, David Ogden Stiers, Robert F. Lyons and Robert Walden.

The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)

A small time stockholder (Judy Holliday) creates havoc at the board meeting of a major corporation by repeatedly exercising her right to ask questions which the board finds uncomfortable. So they devise a meaningless job for her as director of shareholder relations. To their chagrin, she she turns out to be a potent adversary. Based on the hit Broadway play by George S. Kaufman and Howard Teichmann and directed by Richard Quine (BELL BOOK AND CANDLE). The film version changes the 70ish little old lady of the play (played by Josephine Hull) to the more attractive 33 year old Judy Holliday and concocts a romance between Holliday and Paul Douglas for the screen version that was not present in the play. It's a cute little movie, nothing special but Holliday was an ace comedienne and she does a lot toward making the film eminently watchable. The plot about the little guy (or in this case little woman) taking on a behemoth corporation and winning is thin and predictable. With Arthur O'Connell, John Williams, Fred Clark, Ray Collins, Neva Patterson and Richard Deacon.

Wife, Husband And Friend (1939)

A building contractor (Warner Baxter) has a wife (Loretta Young) who has aspirations to become a professional opera singer. Her ambition leads to marital tensions that only increase when an opera diva (Binnie Barnes) takes a liking to the husband. Based on the novella by James M. Cain (MILDRED PIERCE) and directed by Gregory Ratoff (INTERMEZZO). An agreeable comedy that pokes fun at artistic pretensions although I'm not so sure that it's also poking fun at opera. Maybe a little of both. It's a modest farce and the actors seem to be having a good time and I enjoyed seeing Loretta Young, an actress not known for her comedic chops, loosen up. Remade ten years later as EVERYBODY DOES IT. With Cesar Romero, Eugene Pallette, Helen Westley and George Barbier.

Whistle Stop (1946)

A woman (Ava Gardner) returns to her small hometown after two years away in Chicago. She renews her romance with an old boyfriend (George Raft) but his lack of ambition, which is the reason she left, causes her to take up with the boyfriend's rival (Tom Conway). Based on the novel by Maritta M. Wolff and directed by Leonide Moguy (PARIS AFTER DARK). Ava Gardner had been at MGM for five years playing bit parts and small roles. They didn't seem to know what to do with her. In 1946, two loan outs changed all that. WHISTLE STOP is a low budget B movie but it allowed Gardner to show a sultry side she never showed at MGM and a presence that suggested star quality. That she was no ordinary starlet was confirmed with her next loan out to Universal, THE KILLERS (1946) where she sizzled on screen. MGM took note and gave her better parts. As for WHISTLE STOP, it's a routine crime noir film with a miscast George Raft who was about 15 years too old for the role (he's 45 and Gardner was 24, they're supposed to be contemporaries). With Victor McLaglen, Florence Bates, Jorja Curtright and Charles Drake.

The Secret Partner (1961)

A convicted embezzler turned successful businessman (Stewart Granger) discovers his troubles are just beginning. First, he's blackmailed by a prison dentist (Norman Bird) threatening to expose his past. Then, his wife (Haya Harareet) leaves him when she suspects he has a mistress. Directed by Basil Dearden (VICTIM). While the movie's premise seems far fetched, Dearden manages to keep the action moving at a decent pace until it arrives at a corker of a twist ending that would do Agatha Christie proud. Its over convoluted plot gets in the way of the narrative occasionally but I found it moderately entertaining but then again, I'm partial to mystery thrillers. I could have done without the cheesy underscore by Philip Green. With Bernard Miles, Hugh Burden and Melissa Stribling.

No Blade Of Grass (1970)

An environmental catastrophe destroys civilization. Millions are dead, thousands are starving. Resources are used up, poisoned and polluted. Among the survivors are an architect (Nigel Davenport) and his wife (Jean Wallace) and their children. The family sets out on a desperate quest for safety in a savage and lawless world. Based on the novel THE DEATH OF GRASS by John Christopher and directed by Cornel Wilde (THE NAKED PREY). Eight years before, there was another post apocalyptic landscape movie called PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO with a similar narrative. This one is darker, nastier and bleaker. Slowly the family become as savage as their predators. Wilde isn't subtle in his direction. Early in the movie, there are images of starving African children intercut with scenes of rich Brits wolfing down food at a fancy restaurant. Rotting bodies, both human and animal, litter their journey as they are robbed, beaten and raped by human predators as brother fights brother. Wilde accomplishes his cinematic goals but to what purpose? It's not entertainment and it's surely not art. With Lynne Frederick and George Coulouris.

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

The two children (Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson) of a lesbian couple (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore) seek out their sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo) out of curiosity and what follows affects all five of them in ways they never expected. Directed by Lisa Cholodenko (HIGH ART). A captivating film on a most unusual family dynamic. Outside of a few cheap laughs that are beneath it, Cholodenko’s film is both funny and insightful, touching and heartbreaking without pandering itself to the audience. The characters are refreshingly two dimensional and, considering the subject matter, not stereotypes. The acting is first rate with Annette Bening standing out a bit more than the others. I found her character the most relatable. Yes, she's wound up and uptight but she's still more grounded than the other characters who all seem on shaky ground. Although the family here is about two lesbians and their offspring, the family relationship could be applied anywhere. One glaring question though. The film was a critical success and an audience favorite. So why hasn't Lisa Cholodenko directed a feature film these last 16 years? With Yaya DaCosta and Zosia Mamet.

Drop (2025)

A widowed mother (Meghann Fahy) and survivor of domestic violence goes on her first date in years with a charming photographer (Brandon Sklenar). Their date is interrupted by a series of anonymous drops to her phone showing a masked killer entering her home and ordering her to follow a series of instructions. Directed by Christopher Landon (HAPPY DEATH DAY). Despite an extremely far fetched plot (and the unpleasantness of using domestic violence as a gimmick), the first hour of this mystery thriller is very good. Landon keeps an intensity that propels the movie forward at an exciting pace. Alas, the film goes off the rails in its last half hour. It becomes so ludicrous as to be laughable and all the good will it generated in its first hour goes out the window. Even the film's good reviews acknowledged the absurdity of its gimmicky narrative. With Reed Diamond, Violett Beane, Jeffery Self and Gabrielle Ryan.

Cruel, Usual, Necessary (2024)

A documentary on film director Silvio Narizzano. Written, photographed, edited and directed by Daniel Kremer (OVERWHELM THE SKY). Silvio who? Unfairly designated as a one hit wonder, his most well known and successful movie was GEORGY GIRL (1966). Born in Canada but considered a British director, Narizzano was a contemporary of directors like Ken Russell, Nicolas Roeg and Mike Hodges but the auteurs never embraced him because he never had a signature style ..... or did he? Kremer makes an excellent case for Narizzano as an important and undervalued film maker. A Catholic homosexual, Narizzano's films are full of subtle religious and gay subtext. He made nine feature films and two movies for television. His debut film was FANATIC (retitled DIE DIE MY DARLING in the U.S.), a "hag horror" film with Tallulah Bankhead that has subtle echoes of Tennessee Williams' SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER. The success of GEORGY GIRL had Hollywood courting him and he made his only American film, a western called BLUE (1968) which was such a failure that Hollywood never asked him back. As the movie passes through his filmography, it illuminated the subtext (which had eluded me) of the films which I'd seen although it was there right under my nose. It made me want to seek out more of his work which, alas, is hard to find. I've seen six of his films and some of his TV work like COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA (1977) with Laurence Olivier and an episode of Miss Marple (THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY). In the last years of his life, he gave up directing for religious studies.

Hold That Ghost (1941)

Two gas station attendants (Bud Abbott, Lou Costello) inherit a tavern from a gangster (William B. Davidson). They reach the tavern amid a fierce storm so they invite their fellow bus passengers to spend the night till the storm blows over. But the tavern isn't as deserted as they think. Directed by Arthur Lubin (FOOTSTEPS IN THE FOG). Comedic haunted house movies were often a staple for movie comics in the 1940s and 1950s. Bob Hope (CAT AND THE CANARY), Jerry Lewis (SCARED STIFF) and the East Side Kids (GHOSTS ON THE LOOSE) for example. This was Abbott and Costello's stab at it and it's one of their middling efforts but still very amusing. They began filming it immediately after BUCK PRIVATES but when that was a box office smash, filming stopped and they did another military comedy (IN THE NAVY) instead and resumed filming this one after that. Critics were very enthusiastic and so were audiences. Two musical numbers performed by The Andrews Sisters were inserted at the last minute and it shows. They seem out of place. With Joan Davis, Richard Carlson, Evelyn Ankers, Mischa Auer and Marc Lawrence.