Stationed to work side by side on a mission in post war Germany, a French army officer (Cary Grant) and an American WAC Lieutenant (Ann Sheridan) fall in love. When they marry, complications arise as the only way for her husband to enter the U.S. is through the congressional act governing war brides. Based on MALE WAR BRIDE TRIAL TO ARMY by Roger Charlier and directed by Howard Hawks (RED RIVER). Hawks is an admired auteur but there's a surprising amount of routine films on his resume, this one among them. It's not bad, mind you but it's essentially a one joke movie that gets tiresome pretty quickly. Fortunately, Grant and Sheridan have a nice antagonistic chemistry but the entire red tape complications which are meant to be amusing are as frustrating to the viewer as it is to Grant's character. Even Grant's drag act falls flat. The film was a huge hit, however. With Kenneth Tobey, Eleanor Audley, Randy Stuart and Marion Marshall.
A group of young baseball hopefuls head out to a Florida baseball training camp for the New York Giants where an ex major league player (Edward G. Robinson) puts them through their paces and reports to the front office on who has the potential to make it to the major leagues. Directed by Robert Aldrich (KISS ME DEADLY) in his directorial film debut. This was a job for hire for Aldrich and the movie displays none of the complexities, resonance or subversion of his best work. It's an "inspirational" baseball flick and although I'm not fond of sports movies, this one moves quickly and with a tight running time of one hour and ten minutes, it's painless. It was a low budget effort from MGM but it still lost money. With Vera Ellen (in a rare non dancing role), Jeff Richards, Richard Jaeckel, William Campbell, Paul Langton and Lalo Rios.
After inheriting a house that has a reputation for being haunted, a young woman (Marj Dusay) hires a parapsychologist (Kerwin Mathews) to investigate and prove that the house is not haunted. Directed by Lela Swift (NIGHTMARE AT 43 HILLCREST). An unsold television pilot that would have Mathews' parapsychologist and his assistant (Cal Bellini) investigating the supernatural each week. As a haunted house movie, it's predictable and dull and it looks ugly (it was shot on videotape instead of film). It was produced by Dan Curtis who has some history with horror (he created, produced and directed the gothic soap opera DARK SHADOWS) but came up with a lemon here. With Thayer David and Louis Edmonds.
Almost three decades since a rage virus escaped from a biological weapons laboratory, a small group of survivors live in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine village off the coast of Scotland. A father (Aaron Taylor Johnson) takes his young son (Alfie Williams) to the mainland to hunt infected mutants for sport. Directed by Danny Boyle (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE). The third entry (or sequel if you prefer) in the 28 DAYS LATER film franchise. It's a grisly example of gore porn, this is a thoroughly unpleasant movie. The first half hour is torture to sit through as director Boyle seems to relish and dwell over every bleeding hole, decapitation, hanging intestines etc. It improves after that but honestly, it's still a relentlessly downbeat movie whose main purpose seems to be to gross out its demographic audience. If gore porn is your thing, go for it. For others, I suspect they'll be repelled by it as much as I was. With Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell.
A radio talk show host (Juliette Binoche) has been living with her lover (Vincent Lindon) for ten years. When they met, she was involved with another man (Gregoire Colin) and when he suddenly reenters their lives, things spiral out of control. Based on the novel UN TOURNANT DE LA VIE by Christine Angot and directed by Claire Denis (BEAU TRAVAIL). A deeply disturbing look at a complex love triangle. I found it difficult to empathize with Bincoche's character. She's a phony, she's a liar, she's duplicitous and she hurts people. Her live in lover deserves better. Filmed during the Covid pandemic in 2021, the characters in the film wear masks when outside their homes. The performances are top notch and Denis keeps a driving intensity that slowly grows into a powerhouse conclusion. With Bulle Ogier, Alice Houri and Issa Perica.
An art dealer (Paul Frankeur) has a wife (Jacqueline Noelle) with expensive tastes. When the opportunity arrives to make money by forging a fake Gauguin, he takes it. But when the forger (Giani Esposito) gets a conscience and his drinking threatens to expose them, the art dealer and his accomplice (Michel Auclair) know they will have to silence him. Based on the novel by Michel Lenoir and directed by Gilles Grangier (LE ROUGE EST MIS). A very good example of French film noir. Frankeur's protagonist is essentially a decent man that crosses a line that he would never have crossed if it hadn't been for a wrong done to him. Once in, he goes deeper into crime until murder seems the only out. The film's only downside is a godawful score by Jean Yatove that is so obvious as to be almost laughable. Noir fans should check this one out. With Annie Girardot and Marcel Bozzuffi.
Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) has a cherished bicycle. When it is stolen, a psychic (Erica Yohn) tells him the bike is in the basement of the Alamo and off he goes to Texas in search of it. Directed by Tim Burton (ED WOOD). I've never been a big fan of Reubens' child-man creation, Pee Wee Herman. But although uneven, the movie is imaginative, colorful, sometimes witty and more often silly fun. The film was a big hit as was Burton's follow up, BEETLEJUICE and Burton became an A list director. The film is surrealistic and inventive enough and with a slightly calculated innocence that it easily overrode my lack of enthusiasm for the Pee Wee character (a little goes a long way). Danny Elfman's score is very clever borrowing from Bernard Herrmann, Nino Rota and John Barry. With James Brolin, Morgan Fairchild, Milton Berle, Diane Salinger, Cassandra Peterson, Elizabeth Daily and Mark Holton.
