A young woman (Juliette Lewis) decides she wants to live by herself for awhile rather than moving in with her boyfriend (William Hurt). When she moves in to her new apartment, everything seems fine at first but things quickly turn bizarre. Written and directed by Josh Klausner (WANDERLAND). A serviceable second tier thriller that doesn't make much sense. Just why is everybody in the building weird, particularly the nutty landlady (Shelley Duvall). When Juliette Lewis is terrorized by the mysterious tenant who lives in the apartment beneath her, why doesn't she just move out? None of this is answered to the viewers' satisfaction. As to who is the perpetrator behind all this, in movies of this sort, I consider who is the most unlikely person to be the villain and I'm almost always right and in this case, it is the most unlikely person and the most likely person. With Austin Pendleton, Artie Lange, Tobin Bell and Robert Costanzo.
Influenced by her social climbing mother (Charlotte Greenwood), a young woman (Lynn Bari) is looking for a rich husband. But her father (Charles Ruggles) hatches a plan to sabotage an engagement between his daughter and her much older fiance (Alan Mowbray). Directed by Ray McCarey (THE FALCON'S ALIBI). What might have been a cute little comedy misfires because of one central performance. As the suitor who attempts to woo Lynn Bari away from her gold digging plans, Cornel Wilde's character is so obnoxious that the romantic element falls flat on its face. Wilde lacks the charm (he's no Cary Grant) that the role needs in order to make the situation palatable. The other actors fare better, especially Ruggles and Greenwood, a pair of excellent comedy actors who know how to deliver a line. With Anthony Quinn and Chester Clute.
Against the wishes of her father, the daughter (Suzanne Cloutier) of a senator elopes with a Moorish general (Orson Welles) in the Venetian army. It isn't long after the wedding that an Ensign (Micheal Mac Liammoir), who hates the Moor, begins to plant suspicions in his mind about his wife's fidelity. Based on the play by William Shakespeare and directed by Orson Welles (CITIZEN KANE). Not unusual for Welles during this period in his life, he found it difficult to get his films funded. OTHELLO was filmed sporadically over a three year period and released in 1952 (where it won the grand prize at the Cannes film festival) but released in the U.S. in 1955 in a recut version. This is a pared down version of Shakespeare's OTHELLO with much of the play's text cut. But as he proved with CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT and MACBETH, Welles was an expert at visualizing Shakespeare for the screen. Certainly, not the definitive film of OTHELLO (that might be Olivier's 1965 movie) but still, a masterly rendering. That aside, while Welles makes for a robust Othello, I found Liammoir's Iago on the wan side and Cloutier's Desdemona bland. With Fay Compton, Robert Coote, Michael Laurence and Doris Dowling.
After her lover (Gabriele Tinti) is killed when his car goes over a cliff and into the sea, his girlfriend (Romy Schneider) begins an affair with his brother (Maurice Ronet). But the brother suspects that she isn't telling all she knows about his "accident". Directed by Leonard Keigel (UN FEMME UN JOUR). A confusing, often incoherent psychological thriller. Even when the movie is over, we're not quite sure if what happened is real or is it the hallucination of Schneider's guilty conscience. The movie doesn't give us any help in that area either. Keigel's choppy editing style and freeze frames only add to the pretentiousness. Th movie just doesn't make any sense and the lack of suspense or tension only adds to the confusion. Its assets are Jean Bourgoin's (THE LONGEST DAY) cinematography and the score by Claude Bolling (CALIFORNIA SUITE). With Simone Bach.
Frustrated by her insensitive, workaholic husband (Ray Milland), a wife (Claudette Colbert) finally loses her temper and leaves. She soon finds herself in the arms of her handsome divorce lawyer (Brian Aherne). But her husband isn't through with her yet. Based on the novel (and later a play) by Samson Raphaelson and directed by Mark Sandrich (TOP HAT). The first half of this comedy is quite good and I was enjoying it so when it went off the rails in the second half, it was a big disappointment. Milland's husband is a selfish male chauvinist but after she divorces him, his character does a complete turnaround and then you know exactly where this is headed. It's the 1940s and the mere idea of a woman divorcing her husband and living happily ever after with a new man goes against the grain. I much preferred Aherne's charming libertine to Milland's conniving spouse. With Binnie Barnes, Walter Abel, Grant Mitchell and Mona Barrie.
Set in Hawaii, a charter boat skipper (Elvis Presley) wants to buy the boat he works on but the owner (Jeremy Slate) is asking a steep $10,000 price for it. He attempts to work off the asking price but meanwhile, he has girl trouble from a nightclub singer (Stella Stevens) and a rich girl (Laurel Goodwin). Directed by Norman Taurog (GIRL CRAZY). A tedious and mindless Elvis musical with the thinnest of plots. Some of the songs (but not all) are pretty good and Presley got one of his biggest hit records from the movie, Return To Sender. Elvis fans made it a box office hit but for the rest of us, it's a slog. Almost all the characters are annoying or unpleasant and I felt sorry for poor Stella Stevens stuck with the bitter and bitchy other woman role. The movie has some uncomfortable Chinese stereotypes, too. You have to be a diehard Presley fan to enjoy this one. With Robert Strauss, Benson Fong and Beulah Quo.
Set in a closed religious community, a proud homesteader (Amy Madigan) is being pressured to marry a man (Norbert Weisser) she doesn't love. As the town turns against her, a mysterious gunman (Ed Harris) offers her protection. Based on the novel by Zane Grey and directed by actor (ALTERED STATES) turned director Charles Haid. Originally made for television, This is a western that's good enough that you wish it were better. In the original novel, the closed religious community is Mormon but that's been changed here to an unnamed religion for obvious reasons. This is the fifth film version (1918, 1925, 1931, 1941) of the Zane Grey novel and I wish it had a stronger screenplay and a more creative director. Filmed in Utah (including Monument Valley), it would have benefited from being shot in wide screen scope too. On the plus side, the performances by Harris and Madigan are strong. Maybe the sixth film version will do the novel justice. With Henry Thomas, Robin Tunney and G.D. Spradlin.
A mild mannered jeweler's clerk (Nigel Patrick) steals a priceless diamond and kills a man in the process. He is pursued across Europe by two people: a private detective (Jack Palance) and a beautiful woman (Anita Ekberg) who claims the diamond belongs to her. Based on the novel by M.E. Chaber and directed by John Gilling (PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES). A decent enough international crime thriller that could have been so much better with a stronger script. The film focuses on the wrong man, Jack Palance's detective when it's Nigel Patrick's mild mannered clerk turned thief who's the most intriguing character but the screenplay doesn't give him any background and instead focuses on the detective's pursuit. With Anthony Newley, Donald Pleasence, Sid James and Anne Aubrey.
An advertising bigwig (Jack Benny) is charged with choosing a queen for the yearly Artists And Models ball. He wants to make his girlfriend (Ida Lupino) the queen but his client (Richard Arlen) has other ideas. He wants a society type, not a professional model. Directed by Raoul Walsh (WHITE HEAT). A bland musical comedy whose sole distinction is casting Jack Benny as a romantic leading man. Benny's persona never translated well to flm, he seemed more suited for TV and radio. It's a failure as a musical and as a comedy. Two musical numbers compensate for the barely there formulaic plot: a lively dance number with Judy Canova and Ben Blue that accents their physical agility and a jazz number with Martha Raye and Louis Armstrong directed by Vincente Minnelli in his first Hollywood assignment. With Gail Patrick, Hedda Hopper and Cecil Cunningham.
