What Lies Beneath (2000)

A couple appear to be happily married on the surface but when the wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) begins seeing and hearing ghostly images in their home, her husband (Harrison Ford) suspects it is her imagination. But it soon becomes clear that the images are real and threaten to destroy their marriage. Directed by Robert Zemeckis (DEATH BECOMES HER), this supernatural horror film is highly uneven. It takes a good forty minutes before it gets a rhythm going and Zemeckis's pacing drags the movie down more often than not. This dismal momentum dissipates the film's tension which is fatal in a horror/thriller. A tighter screenplay would have helped but fortunately the film has Ford and Pfeiffer, who show how real movie stars can often bolster weak material. As a director, Zemeckis's direction is frequently imitative as he apes Hitchcock and even the film's composer Alan Silvestri borrows from composer Bernard Herrmann. With Diana Scarwid, James Remar, Miranda Otto, Joe Morton and Wendy Crewson.

No More Ladies (1935)

Although she knows he's an unreliable womanizer, a socialite (Joan Crawford) marries a playboy (Robert Montgomery). She tries to be modern and sophisticated regarding his affairs but it takes its toll on her and she plots a comeuppance. Based on the play by A.E. Thomas and directed by Edward H. Griffin (CAFE METROPOLE). This faux Noel Coward drawing room comedy is not a pre code film but it's quite frank regarding adultery. Its characters are wealthy, live in glamorous luxury apartments, wear fashionable frocks, guzzle cocktails, engage in witty banter and play revolving beds. 1930s audiences ate this stuff up and the movie was a hit. Crawford is charming and relaxed (not yet the iron maiden of her post WWII Warners period), Montgomery is properly suave and there's a pair of scene stealing supporting performances from Edna May Oliver as Crawford's aunt and Charles Ruggles as an alcoholic philanderer. With Franchot Tone, Gail Patrick, Arthur Treacher, Reginald Denny and in her film debut, Joan Fontaine.

Our Girl Friday (aka Adventures Of Sadie) (1953)

A ship collision results in four survivors from an ocean liner landing on a desert island: a spoiled rich girl (Joan Collins), a journalist (George Cole), a professor (Robertson Hare) and the ship's stoker (Kenneth More). Based on the novel THE CAUTIOUS AMORIST by Norman Lindsay and directed by writer (THE WIZARD OF OZ) turned director Noel Langley. Handsomely shot on location on the Spanish island of Majorca by Wilkie Cooper (7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD), this is a typical "girl stranded on a desert island with men" scenario with the usual complications and conflicts, comedy division. It's not especially funny but the exotic island location and a tanned Joan Collins parading around in a bikini (reputedly the first bikini worn in an English language film) are minor consolations. Both Collins and Kenneth More would again find themselves stranded on desert islands four years later. Collins in SEA WIFE and More in THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON. With Hermione Gingold, Hattie Jacques and Felix Felton. 

The Bedford Incident (1965)

A U.S. naval vessel is on a routine NATO patrol. However, the ship's maniacal commander (Richard Widmark) drives his crew to the breaking point which results in an intense showdown with a Russian submarine that has dire consequences. Based on the novel by Mark Rascovich and directed by producer (LOLITA) turned director James H. Harris. Widmark's tyrant of a ship's captain follows in the footsteps MOBY DICK's Captain Ahab and THE CAINE MUTINY'S Captain Queeg. The film is an intense cat and mouse Cold War thriller that ends (unlike the novel) in a horrific disaster in which no one wins. Harris keeps the apprehensive pressure cooker atmosphere percolating until it's almost unbearable. As a journalist profiling the Captain, Sidney Poitier gives one of the first performances by a black actor in which his race is never addressed (it's irrelevant to the plot) and could have just as well been played by a white actor. With James MacArthur, Martin Balsam, Wally Cox, Eric Portman and Donald Sutherland. 

Hotel Des Ameriques (1981)

Set in the seacoast town of Biarritz, a chance late night encounter between an anesthesiologist (Catherine Deneuve) and a restless vagabond (Patrick Dewaere) develops into a mismatched romance. Co-written and directed by Andre Techine (MY FAVORITE SEASON), this was the first of six movies that Techine and Deneuve made together. While never less than engrossing, one has to wonder what Techine found so fascinating about what is essentially an unhealthy relationship between two disturbed people. What does Deneuve see in Dewaere's self pitying whining loser that we don't? Perhaps it's my bias about women who are treated like crap by the man they "love" yet still hang around when everything screams, "Get out of this sick relationship!". To Techine's credit, he leaves the ending open so there's no guarantee this twisted relationship will continue. There's also a pretentious parasite played by Etienne Chicot who attaches himself to Dewaere that's the most irritating character in the film. Their friendship is also part of the film's theme of detrimental alliances. With Josiane Balasko, Sabine Haudepin and Francois Perrot.  

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

A mild mannered paleontologist (Cary Grant) has two reasons to celebrate. He's getting married to his fiancee (Virginia Walker) and he has just received an intercostal clavicle (it's a bone) to complete his brontosaurus skeleton. Enter a scatterbrained heiress (Katharine Hepburn), a leopard named Baby and a bone snatching dog (Skippy) and suddenly his life is turned upside down. Based on a short story by Hagar Wilde and directed by Howard Hawks (RED RIVER). This is one of the four or five greatest screwball comedies. If it weren't for THE AWFUL TRUTH and HIS GIRL FRIDAY, I'd call the best. Curiously, it was a flop when first released (though it did well in urban cities) and Hepburn was pronounced box office poison (her career wouldn't recover until THE PHILADELPHIA STORY two years later). A mixture of wit and slapstick, Hawks leaves you breathless as he speeds his way through lunacy, love and laughs until you're exhausted (in a good way). If your funny bone isn't tickled, you don't have one. In this second of the four films they made together, Grant and Hepburn are a match made in comedy heaven. His straight laced and proper scientist is a perfect foil to Hepburn's ditzy and footloose heiress. There's an ace team of character actors to support them including Charles Ruggles, May Robson, Walter Catlett, Fritz Feld and Barry Fitzgerald.

Keeping Track (1986)

On a night train traveling from Montreal to New York City, a banking executive (Margot Kidder) and a television anchorman (Michael Sarrazin) witness a robbery and murder. But when the body disappears, nobody believes them. So why are the CIA and KGB suddenly pursuing them? Directed by Robin Spry, this cold war thriller from Canada is often confusing but it moves along quickly and if you're not in the mood to dissect loopholes and inconsistencies, it's a decent enough timewaster. With the antagonistic relationship between Kidder and Sarrazin who are forced to become allies against their will, the movie conjures up images of early Hitchcock thrillers like THE 39 STEPS and THE LADY VANISHES but that's all it does ..... conjure up images because the film isn't remotely in their class. With Donald Pilon, John Boylan and Alan Scarfe. 

The Human Comedy (1943)

Set in a small California town during WWII, the film follows a high school student (Mickey Rooney in an Oscar nominated performance) as he attends school during the day and works as a messenger boy for a telegraph office after hours. Based on the novel by William Saroyan and directed by Clarence Brown (NATIONAL VELVET). Actually, Saroyan's novel was based on his original screenplay for the film which he had hoped to direct but left the project and turned his movie script into a novel which was published just before the film opened. Although displeased with the film as it turned out, he won an Oscar for his screen story. Saroyan's displeasure aside, this is a heartwarming look at small town Americana as its citizens deal with life and death as the world changes around them. While Fay Bainter as the family matriarch assures her family that after the war, "Everything will be the same", it's clear that our country will never be the same again. Like Rooney's young protagonist, we'll grow up in a changed world. If the film lays on the sentimentality a bit thick at times, it also presents us with a gentle hopefulness. A humanist leaning outlook that as a nation we're a melting pot of people working together toward a common vision. Its idealism seems nostalgic now in light of our nation's current nightmare. The film also received Oscar nominations for best picture and director. The large cast includes Van Johnson, Donna Reed, Robert Mitchum, Frank Morgan, James Craig, Barry Nelson, Marsha Hunt, Ray Collins, Don Defore, Mary Nash and the scene stealing Jackie Jenkins. 

Au Cœur Du Mensonge (aka The Color Of Lies) (1999)

In a small town in Brittany, a ten year old girl (Wendy Malpeli) is raped and murdered. Despite the lack of any evidence, the town's suspicions fall on her art teacher (Jacques Gamblin), who was the last person to see her alive. Co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol (LE BOUCHER), this is yet another of Chabrol's trademark psychological thrillers/mysteries, once again a bourgeois couple who find themselves drawn by circumstances beyond their control into a dark abyss which threatens to destroy them. One of the best of Chabrol's late suspense films, he keeps us involved by giving us intricate characters whose surface don't always show us what's underneath. They're puzzles even to themselves. Even the seacoast town isn't what it seems. Quaint and charming on the exterior yet hiding its own nasty secrets. With Sandrine Bonnaire, Antoine De Caunes, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Bulle Ogier.

Annette (2021)

The glamorous lives of a seemingly perfect celebrity couple - a provocative stand up comic (Adam Driver) and a renowned opera singer (Marion Cotillard) - takes an unexpected dark turn after the birth of their daughter when he becomes increasingly psychotic. Directed by Leos Carax (HOLY MOTORS), who won the best director award at the 2021 Cannes film festival. A decidedly unique visionary musical or more accurately, opera. While flawed, its ambitious inventiveness overrides the minor defects. Most notably, Driver is a comedian with a huge following but from what we see of him, he's not funny. He's more of a performance artist than a comic. But Carax's stylized vision (the couple's daughter is played by a marionette) is never less than mesmeric. The songs by Ron and Russell Mael of the cult duo Sparks with additional help from Carax on the lyrics aren't melodic (you won't be humming any of the songs) but they serve the narrative adequately. The movie isn't for everyone. If you swoon over BBC stuff like Masterpiece Theatre, this probably isn't for you. But if you like something that pushes the envelope, that's outside of the box, there's a good chance that you even if you don't like ANNETTE, you'll admire the risks it takes. With Simon Helberg and Devyn McDowell.

Showdown At Boot Hill (1958)

A Deputy Marshal and bounty hunter (Charles Bronson) rides into town on the trail of an outlaw (Thomas Browne Henry) wanted for killing three men. He kills the wanted man in a fair fight but the townspeople liked the deceased and turn against the Marshal by refusing to identify the dead man thereby stopping him from collecting his bounty. Directed by Gene Fowler Jr. (I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE), this minor B western manages to be different from the usual western in that it's character driven. It would make a good double feature with Jack Arnold's NO NAME ON THE BULLET (1959). I won't/can't make any claims that it's anything special but it's a solid effort. We get to see the young pre-stardom Charles Bronson in a leading role, there's the crisp Cinemascope B&W cinematography by John M. Nikolaus Jr. (ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES) and the screenplay is reasonably intelligent. With Carole Mathews, John Carradine, Robert Hutton, Mike Mason and Fintan Meyler.

The Outfit (2022)

Set in 1956 Chicago, an English tailor (Mark Rylance) must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night. Co-written and directed by screenwriter Graham Moore (an Oscar winner for THE IMITATION GAME) in his feature film directorial debut. It's a clever crime drama with enough twists and turns to keep you riveted although the film's last ten minutes seem unnecessary and border on trite. Rylance's excellent performance is the linchpin to the film's success. He brings a necessary gravitas to the role of a tailor (or a cutter as he prefers to be called) who isn't quite what he seems. The other roles all have a bit of flashiness to them but Rylance's subdued performance gives off a quiet intensity that commands your attention. Moore maintains the claustrophobic tension by keeping all the activity contained to one set ... the tailor's shop. The film is bolstered by Alexandre Desplat's classy underscore. The fine cast includes Johnny Flynn, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O'Brien, Simon Russell Beale and Nikki Amuka Bird. 

Sciuscia (aka Shoeshine) (1946)

Set in postwar Italy, two shoeshine boys (Franco Interlenghi, Rinaldo Smordoni) are best friends. They are innocently duped into a scheme to rob a fortune teller (Maria Campi) and find themselves sent to juvenile prison. Directed by Vittorio De Sica (BICYCLE THIEVES), this neorealist movie is a genuine heartbreaker. Without sentimentality or manipulation, De Sica unveils a visceral experience that shows how two innocent boys are taken advantage of and abandoned by their family and a social system that destroys their chances at redemption by exploiting and betraying them. As cinema, it's raw and agonizing yet there's a ribbon of tenderness running through it. It's the kind of film where you stop thinking of it as a movie and as you watch, you know you're watching something real. Films like this come along all too rarely. With Bruno Ortenzi and Anna Pedoni. 

High Spirits (1988)

Set in Ireland, the impoverished owner (Peter O'Toole) of a debt ridden castle hatches a plan to save the castle by advertising the place as haunted. His staff dons sheets and chains in an attempt to convince tourists that the place is haunted which infuriates the real ghosts who haunt the castle. Written and directed by Neil Jordan (THE CRYING GAME), this whimsical comedy has its moments but not enough of them to lift it out of the routine. To be fair, Jordan claims the released film is far different from the movie he shot and that he was not allowed to edit the film on his own. Considering how some of the talented cast is wasted, I can believe him. Aside from the annoying ubiquitous "he's everywhere" 1980s Steve Guttenberg, the game cast gives it their all. George Fenton's score does much to give the movie some spirit (no pun intended). With Liam Neeson, Daryl Hannah, Peter Gallagher, Jennifer Tilly, Beverly D'Angelo, Martin Ferrrero, Ray McAnally and Liz Smith.

Desperate Hours (1990)

In need of a hideout, an escaped convict (Mickey Rourke) gains entry into the home of an upper middle class family. Accompanied by his accomplices, his brother (Elias Koteas) and an unstable simple minded psychopath (David Morse), he terrorizes the family while waiting for his girlfriend (Kelly Lynch). Based on the novel and play by Joseph Hayes (previously filmed in 1955) and directed by Michael Cimino (THE DEER HUNTER). Directed by William Wyler, the 1955 film was one of the first home invasion thrillers. It wasn't that great a film so one wonders why Cimino felt the need to remake it. The result is kind of a mess. It's sloppy film making and with one exception, badly acted down the line. Would the police really allow an attorney to see her client without checking her for weapons? And why does Rourke allow Morse to leave when it's clear he's unstable and likely to get them caught? The family held hostage are a bunch of jerks and behave stupidly when they have several chances to escape. Maybe if Cimino's movie had been leaner and tighter, there wouldn't be time to think about all that but it's a flabby inept movie. The one decent performance is by Kelly Lynch as Rourke's attorney and lover who helps bust him out of prison. The rest of the cast aren't able to overcome the bad writing. With Anthony Hopkins, Mimi Rogers, Lindsay Crouse and Shawnee Smith. 

Having Wonderful Time (1938)

A typist (Ginger Rogers) in New York City has saved up to spend her vacation at a camp in the mountains. Her first contact with a waiter (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) at the camp results in a hostile and antagonistic relationship but it isn't long before a romance develops. Based on the play by Arthur Kober and directed by Alfred Santell (THE HAIRY APE). The original play is set in the Catskills and its characters are Jewish. This being 1938 Hollywood, all the characters were turned into gentiles. What's left is an inoffensive romantic comedy with engaging performances by Rogers and Fairbanks Jr. The movie was also the film debut of Red Skelton and already an overbearing presence. When Fairbanks Jr. asks Rogers, "Don't you think he's funny?", she snaps "No!", the most honest moment in the movie. Turned into the Broadway musical WISH YOU WERE HERE in 1952. With Lucille Ball providing some vinegar, Jack Carson, Eve Arden, Dean Jagger, Inez Courtney and Donald Meek.

Fun With Dick And Jane (1977)

When an upper middle class aerospace executive (George Segal) is fired, he and his wife (Jane Fonda) find themselves unable to maintain their lifestyle and in debt. When he is unable to secure another high paying job, they turn to crime! Directed by Ted Kotcheff (WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE?). After her one-two punch with acclaimed performances in THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY? and her Oscar winning turn in KLUTE, Jane Fonda seemed on the verge of becoming America's greatest actress, the Bette Davis of her generation. Alas, she seemed to lose interest in mainstream films and concentrated on political cinema. Movies like Godard's TOUT VA BIEN (1972), the anti establishment STEELYARD BLUES (1973), the feminist A DOLL'S HOUSE (1973) and the Soviet production of THE BLUE BIRD (1976) because she believed in detente. All of them unsuccessful. This was her attempt at re-entering mainstream cinema and it worked. The film was a big hit and she became a bankable star again. Alas, it's a pity it isn't very good. You can't get better comedic actors than Segal and Fonda, they're first rate. But they can't do anything to alleviate the mediocrity of the material. While the premise has possibilities and some of the targets like fake evangelicals are okay (by me, anyway), I didn't find it amusing to hold up small businesses like stores in order to maintain their overextended lifestyle. Its stereotyping of minorities also leaves a bad taste. With Ed McMahon, Dick Gautier, John Dehner and Jean Carson.

The Man From Galveston (1963)

A lawyer (Jeffrey Hunter) for the roving circuit courts finds himself defending an old flame (Joanna Moore) on a murder charge. Directed by actor turned director William Conrad (BRAINSTORM). This originally was a television pilot for the series that eventually became TEMPLE HOUSTON which lasted one season. The pilot differs somewhat from the TV series including changing the name of the lead character from Timothy Higgins to Temple Houston. The pilot was never aired so Warner Brothers decided to play it in movie theatres. As a film, it plays like an hour long episode of a TV series. It's moderately enjoyable if predictable if you like westerns but you can see why the TV show failed. It can't seem to make up its mind if it wants to be a comedy western or a dramatic western and the two elements never quite jell. With James Coburn, Preston Foster, Ed Nelson, Edward Andrews, Martin West and Grace Lee Whitney. 

Seven Sweethearts (1942)

A New York reporter (Van Heflin) is assigned to cover a small Dutch town tulip festival in Michigan. He finds himself attracted to the youngest (Kathryn Grayson) of seven sisters but family tradition declares that the daughters must marry chronologically from oldest to youngest. But the calculating and pretentious oldest daughter (Marsha Hunt) has no intention of getting married anytime soon. Based on the play SEVEN SISTERS by Ferenc Herczeg and directed by Frank Borzage (HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT). This theme appears to have been popular in 1942 as YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER had the same theme except there were only three sisters in that one. The Oscar winning Frank Borzage's MGM period was all over the place. Some decent stuff like THE MORTAL STORM and THREE COMRADES but mediocrities like FLIGHT COMMAND, THE VANISHING VIRGINIAN and this were more the norm. Heflin makes for an obnoxious male lead and though it's not a musical, Grayson shrieks her way through several songs. Thanks heavens for the always reliable S.Z. Sakall as the father and Marsha Hunt's bitchy sister who give the film a much needed shot in the arm. With Isobel Elsom, Cecilia Parker, Peggy Moran, Frances Rafferty, Carl Esmond and Louise Beavers.

Bright Road (1953)

An idealistic young schoolteacher (Dorothy Dandridge) sees the potential in a troubled young boy (Philip Hepburn) and takes him under her wing. Based on the short story SEE HOW THEY RUN by Mary Elizabeth Vroman and directed by Gerald Mayer (DIAL 1119). Only rarely did the major film studios make films focused on African American characters and when they did, it was usually in musicals (CABIN IN THE SKY, STORMY WEATHER). This movie is unusual in that it doesn't deal with racial conflict or the socio-economic plight of black America. Instead, it puts away the stereotypes and focuses on a teacher's attempt to reach a talented student who rejects the notion of education. It's not an especially notable film but its sincerity is authentic and Dandridge as the teacher and young Hepburn as the boy are very good. Alas, the audience for a movie like this just wasn't there in 1953 but Dandridge would score a triumph the following year when she became the first black actress to be nominated in the best actress category for CARMEN JONES. With Harry Belafonte in his film debut, Robert Horton (the only white character in the film) and Maidie Norman. 

Brother Orchid (1940)

When an attempt to bump him off by a rival gangster (Humphrey Bogart) almost kills him, a racketeer (Edward G. Robinson) hides out in a monastery till he can get his revenge. Based on a short story by Richard Connell and directed by Lloyd Bacon (42ND STREET). This congenial comedic sendup of the gangster movie may be lightweight but it has a certain charm thanks to Robinson. Has there ever been a movie star who by all odds should never been a movie star? The frog faced Robinson and his rat-a-tat-tat speech pattern would seem an unlikely candidate for a leading man but throughout most of the 1930s and 1940s, he was. Robinson had the unique ability to be both skin crawling (think KEY LARGO) and a brash likable mug (like he is here) and his brassy mobster has us rooting for him. The movie plays out as sort of a SISTER ACT of its day. The strong supporting cast includes Ann Sothern, Ralph Bellamy (once again the third wheel but he comes out okay here), Donald Crisp, Allen Jenkins and Cecil Kellaway.

Conquest (1937)

The story of a Polish noblewoman (Greta Garbo) who became the mistress of Napoleon Bonaparte (Charles Boyer in an Oscar nominated performance). Based on the novel PANI WALEWSKA by Waclaw Gasiorowski and directed by Clarence Brown (NATIONAL VELVET). This was the seventh and final collaboration between Garbo and director Brown. Visually, it's quite impressive what with the ornate art direction which received an Oscar nomination for Cedric Gibbons and William A. Horning and gorgeous costumes by Adrian. The film is quite engaging for the first 45 minutes until Garbo becomes Boyer's mistress and then it turns into a stodgy historical epic. Garbo is at her most glamorous but she can't do much with her character as written except pine away beautifully. It's a lifeless performance. Fortunately, Boyer brings a vigorous vitality to his Napoleon and he's never less than compelling. He's matched by Maria Ouspenskaya as a feisty Countess and their scene playing cards is a film highlight. The film did well at the box office but the movie's massive budget ($3 million) precluded it from turning a profit. With Reginald Owen, Alan Marshal, Henry Stephenson, Scotty Beckett, Leif Erickson and Dame May Whitty.

Les Yeux Sans Visage (aka Eyes Without A Face) (1960)

Secluded in the French countryside, a brilliant but obsessed surgeon (Pierre Brasseur) attempts a radical surgery that could restore the beauty of his disfigured daughter (Edith Scob) but at a horrifying price! Based on the novel by Jean Redon and directed by Georges Franju (JUDEX). This is one of the most stylish and graceful horror films ever made (how many horror movies have gowns by Givenchy), the horror movie as cinematic poetry. Franju and his co-writers have cleaned up some of the novel's more graphic moments and with the aide of Eugene Shuftan's elegant B&W cinematography and Maurice Jarre's score, we have a film rich in atmosphere and evocative imagery. Not widely embraced when first released, it has since been recognized as one of the great horror films and has been hugely influential (Almodovar's THE SKIN I LIVE IN comes to mind). Strong stuff for its day, audience members were known to faint or walk out. Cut and dubbed into English, it was released in the U.S. as THE HORROR CHAMBER OF DR. FAUSTUS. With Alida Valli, Francois Guerin, Juliette Mayniel and Beatrice Altariba.

White Cradle Inn (aka High Fury) (1947)

Set among the towering peaks of the Swiss alps, a woman (Madeleine Carroll) and her philandering husband (Michael Rennie) run an inn. A French war refugee boy (Michael McKeag) is staying with the couple but the husband resents the child whom his wife dotes on. Things come to an intense head when the wife wants to adopt the boy. Directed by Harold French (ROB ROY THE HIGHLAND ROGUE), this is a very good conflict drama until the very end when it gives us an ending that seems false. Michael Rennie's character does something totally out of character that comes out of left field. It doesn't make any logical sense. Why would his character do a 360 turnaround except to satisfy the film maker's need to give us a happy ending? The obvious ending is right there and I was expecting it since everything that preceded it pointed it that way then wham! Huh? Pity because it had a strong narrative until then. The B&W images of Switzerland by Derick Williams (THE WAY TO THE STARS) are quite striking. With Ian Hunter and Anne Marie Blanc.

Tommy (1975)

After witnessing his father (Robert Powell) killed by his mother's (Ann-Margret) lover (Oliver Reed), a young boy (Barry Winch morphing into Roger Daltrey later in the film) shuts down and loses his ability to see, speak and hear. Racked with guilt, his mother goes through various attempts to cure him from religion to a specialist (Jack Nicholson). Based on the acclaimed rock opera by The Who and directed by Ken Russell (WOMEN IN LOVE). The film is more cohesive than the original Who concept album which didn't have a strong narrative. An inspired choice to direct, Ken Russell brings his vigorous overactive imagination which can often be overkill (think THE MUSIC LOVERS) but in this case, it brings the material to cinematic life. Though the "opera" had serious intentions, Russell dispenses with such pretensions and gives us a rock carnival. Some of the images are indelible such as the bizarre church of Marilyn Monroe service and Ann-Margret wallowing in a bath of soap suds, beans and chocolate. Ann-Margret is terrific here and her best actress Oscar nomination was well deserved. It's vital and energetic, the music is very good so don't worry about it not making much sense. The cast includes Elton John, Tina Turner, Keith Moon, Eric Clapton, Paul Nicholas and Victoria Russell.

Innocents In Paris (1953)

An assortment of British tourists fly to Paris for the weekend: a diplomat (Alastair Sim), a Royal Marine bandsman (Ronald Shiner), a naive young woman (Claire Bloom), an amateur artist (Margaret Rutherford), a nationalistic Englishman (Jimmy Edwards) and an ex-soldier (James Copeland). Directed by Gordon Parry (TREAD SOFTLY STRANGER), the movie is a lightweight comedy examining the attitudes and foibles of the British and their attitude toward the French (especially French women) and the French view of these British invaders. Sometimes, the smugly "superior" attitude of the British is irritating. Why travel to a foreign country if you're going to look down at the behavior and culture of its people? Some storylines are more interesting than others and the two I liked most were the Marine (Shiner) and his encounter with a Mademoiselle (Gaby Bruyere) and the English girl's (Bloom) romance with an older Frenchman (Claude Dauphin). With Laurence Harvey, Christopher Lee, Monique Gerard and Peter Illing. 

Schlußakkord (aka The Final Chord) (1936)

After abandoning her child to go to America, a widow (Maria Tasnadi Fekete) returns to Germany to seek out her son (Peter Bosse) who has been adopted by a famous conductor (Willy Birgel) and his adulterous wife (Lil Dagover). She secures a position as the child's nanny in the household. Co-written and directed by Douglas Sirk (ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS), the movie echoes the themes of mother love and adultery in the world of classical music that Sirk would later revisit in IMITATION OF LIFE (1959) and INTERLUDE (1957) during his Hollywood years. Sirk expertly guides the melodrama through its emotional ups and downs but surprisingly I didn't find much sympathy for the biological mother as I found her justification unconvincing. Given a choice between abandoning a husband or abandoning a child, would a mother really choose a husband over her child? I felt more sympathy for the adulterous wife whose husband gives his career more attention than her and the angst she's put through by her blackmailer. Still, all in all, highly watchable. With Maria Koppenhoffer, Kurt Meisel and Albert Lippert.

Moonfall (2022)

The orbit of the moon changes and it is on a collusion course to Earth. It is up to a disgraced ex astronaut (Patrick Wilson), the director of NASA (Halle Berry) and a conspiracy theorist (John Bradley) to save the world! Directed by Roland Emmerich, this is one of the most expensive independent movies ever made ($140,000,000). The movie is yet another of Emmerich's CGI laden sci-fi disaster movies (INDEPENDENCE DAY, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW) which is what he's best at. When he tries to get serious (like the abominable ANONYMOUS), he stumbles. He stumbles here too. This is a dumb movie which spends so much money and time on the special effects that there's nothing left for the humans except cliches and stereotypes. In its own way, it's enjoyable in the way bad movies (and make no mistake about it, this one is bad) are. But this movie is tired. Seeing cities being wiped out by CGI tsunamis and earthquakes is so been there, done that. Emmerich makes a loser nerd (Bailey) the hero of the piece because that's the demographics that would be the market for a film like this. The expensive but obvious CGI effects had me feeling like I was stuck inside a video game. Still, it's sad to see Halle Berry's career sink to this level. Emmerich must have expected a big hit (it flopped) because the ending is a sure set up for a sequel. With Donald Sutherland, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, Eme Ikwuakor and Carolina Bartczak. 

When Strangers Marry (aka Betrayed) (1944)

A young girl (Kim Hunter) from a small town marries a traveling salesman (Dean Jagger) she has only known a matter of days. When she goes to New York to meet him, he has disappeared. An ex boyfriend (Robert Mitchum) comforts her and helps her to try and find the missing bridegroom. Directed by William Castle (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL). A product of the poverty row studio Monogram Pictures (shot in seven days on a $50,000 budget), it's almost astonishing how much style and atmosphere the movie has. With Kim Hunter in the central role, one can't help but notice the similarities of her character from THE SEVENTH VICTIM (looking for her missing husband here, looking for her missing sister in SEVENTH VICTIM) as well as the noir-ish forbidding New York setting. The film had its admirers including Orson Welles and James Agee. It's a nifty little suspense film with noir trimmings although there's no way it would qualify as film noir. But mystery fans should enjoy it and its brief running time (barely over an hour) is an advantage. With Rhonda Fleming, Neil Hamilton and Lou Lubin.

Dead Cert (1974)

When an amateur jockey (Ian Hogg) takes a fatal fall during a race, his best friend (Scott Antony) suspects foul play. With the help of the jockey's widow (Judi Dench), the friend launches an investigation. Based on the novel by Dick Francis and directed by Tony Richardson (THE ENTERTAINER). I've not read the source material which apparently is much admired in literary circles (at least ones catering to the crime genre) but the movie version is quite pedestrian. One can only wonder what drew Tony Richardson to the material. One of the most admired British directors in the 1960s with movies like A TASTE OF HONEY, THE ENTERTAINER, LOOK BACK IN ANGER, LONELINESS OF A LONG DISTANCE RUNNER and the Oscar winning TOM JONES in his filmography, the 1970s weren't very good to him (he was even fired from the Diana Ross film MAHOGANY). Aside from the racing sequences which are very good, Richardson doesn't seem particularly interested in the material and doesn't bring much to this thriller. Everyone goes through their paces but it's a flabby movie. As the male lead, Scott Antony is a cipher but Judi Dench and Michael Williams (married at the time) bring some much needed edge to the film. With Julian Glover, Mark Dignam, Joseph Blatchley and Nina Thomas.

Detective Story (1951)

Set amidst the hectic activity of a New York City police station, a rigid sanctimonious detective (Kirk Douglas) has become twisted from dealing with the criminal element. But his self righteousness gets a blow when he must deal with his wife's (Eleanor Parker) hidden past. Based on the play by Sidney Kingsley and directed by William Wyler (BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES). While some playwrights were quite popular in their day, posterity has not always been kind to their output. The Pulitzer winning playwright Sidney Kingsley is among them and DETECTIVE STORY, which is probably his best play, hasn't aged well. At least the film version hasn't. Wisely, Wyler hasn't attempted to "open up" Kingsley's play for the screen because the closed in claustrophobic setting allows the film to simmer and opening it up would only have dissipated the building tension. But the dialog leans toward listening to a sermon and some of the actors bang out the dialog with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer. Kirk Douglas's overacting seems restrained compared next to Joseph Wiseman's hysterical burglar who seems to think he's in an insane asylum and not a police station. Both Wiseman and Lee Grant (in an Oscar nominated performance) were in the original play and make their film debuts. With William Bendix, Cathy O'Donnell, George Macready, Gladys George, Gerald Mohr, Warner Anderson and Ann Codee.

Charlie Chan In City In Darkness (1939)

When Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) heads to Paris for a reunion with his WWI friends, he finds Paris plunged into darkness as Europe teeters on the brink of war. He stumbles on a spy ring that's selling arms to Nazi Germany when a well known millionaire (Douglas Dumbrille) is found murdered. Based on a play by Gina Kaus and Ladislas Fodor and directed by Herbert I. Leeds. Earl Derr Biggers' creation Charlie Chan was a popular character in the cinema of the 1930s and 1940s. CITY IN DARKNESS was the 24th Chan film and the fourth starring Toler as Chan. It's one of the weakest of the films in the Chan franchise principally because of the heavy comedic element which reduces much of the whodunit to a silly farce. The chief offender is Harold Huber as an incompetent bumbling police detective (think Inspector Clouseau). The character is ill conceived and not amusing in the slightest and the in a film dealing with Europe on the brink of WWII, the clownishness is downright offensive. Even the solving of the murder isn't very interesting. With Lynn Bari, Leo G. Carroll, Pedro De Cordoba, Richard Clark, Dorothy Tree, Ann Codee and Lon Chaney Jr. 

La Ceremonie (1995)

The wife (Jacqueline Bisset) of an upper class bourgeois French family hires a new maid (Sandrine Bonnaire). What she doesn't know is that the maid is illiterate and suspected of murdering her father. When the maid is befriended by a bitter sociopath (Isabelle Huppert), the combination of the two proves lethal ..... and fatal to the family. Based on the novel A JUDGEMENT IN STONE by Ruth Rendell and directed by Claude Chabrol (LE BOUCHER). Rendell's novel (which had previously been made in 1987 as THE HOUSEKEEPER) was inspired by the notorious case of the Pepin sisters who murdered their employers in 1933. It also served as the inspiration of Jean Genet's play THE MAIDS. As to LA CEREMONIE, it's an excellent piece of film making. It works as both a political commentary on the class system and it works as a pure crime thriller. Having said that, I found it a most unpleasant experience to sit through. The family may be bourgeois but they're decent people while the two perpetrators are pure sociopaths. While I understand the movie has a point, I found it pointless in the sense that the film doesn't provide any insight into the psychological aspect of the two killers. It's senseless but perhaps that's the point. With Jean Pierre Cassel and Virginie Ledoyen.

Tina (2021)

An intimate look at the legendary rock icon Tina Turner. Her rise and early fame, personal and professional setbacks and struggles and her rebirth as a global phenomenon in the 1980s. Directed by Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin. After two biographies and a hit movie on her life, there's not much more we can discover about Tina Turner. This documentary benefits from rare footage and stills as well as interviews with Turner herself, husband Erwin Bach, celebrity pals like Oprah Winfrey and Angela Bassett and family members and intimate friends. There have been few show business back stories as powerful as Turner's surviving abuse and building a new career from scratch after being a star in another era. Turner doesn't perform anymore, she's retired in Switzerland and the documentary serves as a fitting goodbye to public life. Indispensable for Turner fans and who isn't?

The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

After a brief courtship, a sporting goods salesman (Charles Grodin) marries a girl (Jeannie Berlin in an Oscar nominated performance) he met in a bar. On their honeymoon, they drive from New York to Miami, Florida. But during their journey, her idiosyncrasies and habits begin to annoy him and he realizes he made a mistake. Then, at the beach, he meets a beautiful blonde shiksa (Cybill Shepherd) and falls in love. Based on the short story A CHANGE OF PLAN by Bruce Jay Friedman and adapted for the screen by Neil Simon (BAREFOOT IN THE PARK) and directed by Elaine May (ISHTAR). Almost universally praised when it was first released, the film holds up for the most part. The problems it has it had when it opened. Elaine May balances dark humor with a strong core of reality although I suspect if it had been made by a gentile writer and director, accusations of anti-Semitism and Jewish stereotypes would have occurred. Did they have to make Berlin's Lila such a repulsive imbecile? Initially, one's sympathies goes to Grodin's groom but his treatment of her is appalling. No one deserves to be treated that way. Berlin's emotional breakdown when told he's leaving her is devastating, almost too painful to watch. It's a pity she never again got a role as good as this. With Eddie Albert (also Oscar nominated), Audra Lindley, William Prince and Doris Roberts.  

Le Nouveau Testament (aka The New Testament) (1936)

A well to do doctor (Sacha Guitry) finds his well ordered life in a crisis when his will is accidentally read by his unfaithful wife (Betty Daussmond) and his own indiscretions which include a daughter with his mistress come into light. Based on the play by Sacha Guitry who adapted it for the screen and also directed. Guitry is frequently referred to as the Gallic Noel Coward though I find that he's not as amusing and more of an acquired taste. I've seen several of his films and while I enjoyed all of them, I can't say that I'm a fan. This drawing room comedy has its moments but Guitry's hypocritical protagonist is rather arrogant which makes his own wife's adultery seem understandable. The romantic problems of the upper class are humorous up to a point but one can't drum up much empathy for privileged individuals whose biggest worry is infidelity. You might say the same about THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937) but that had a wittier screenplay and topnotch farceurs. With Jacqueline Delubac, Christian Gerard, Charles Dechamps and Marguerite Templey. 

Big Night (1996)

Set in the 1950s, two immigrant brothers (Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub) from Italy run a quality Italian restaurant on the Jersey shore. But the restaurant is failing and on the brink of bankruptcy so they risk everything on one "big night" that will make them or break them. Co-directed by actors Campbell Scott (who plays a car salesman in the film) and Stanley Tucci. Among the "foodie" movies (think BABETTE'S FEAST, JULIE AND JULIA or LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE), this dramedy is one of the very best. It's well written, well acted and the food is yummy. But it's not only all about the food. It's about family, the immigrant experience and the American dream. The film's satiric humor hits its target. This was the 1950s when cuisine to the average American was spaghetti in a can (Chef Boyardee). The scene where Tucci tries to explain to a customer (Caroline Aaron) why it isn't logical to serve a side of spaghetti with risotto is priceless. Shalhoub's performance won him the best supporting actor award from the National Society Of Film Critics. With Isabella Rossellini, Ian Holm, Minnie Driver, Allison Janney, Marc Anthony and Liev Schreiber. 

The Firechasers (1971)

Set in London, an insurance investigator (Chad Everett) is probing the cause of a series of deadly fires that seem to be connected. A news reporter (Anjanette Comer) covering the fires assists him in his investigation. Directed by Sidney Hayers (BURN WITCH BURN). Despite the two American leads, this is a British film. Actually, it was a TV pilot (yes, they had them in England too) that wasn't picked up so it was released theatrically in cinemas (though I don't think it was ever released in the U.S.). It's pretty routine but I was impressed by the excellent fire sequences which were well done and I found the women's costumes amusingly nostalgic. Joanna Dainton as Everett's investigating assistant wears mini skirts and white go-go boots to the office! The kind of movie that works well when it's 2 o'clock in the morning and you have insomnia. With Roy Kinnear, Rupert Davies, Robert Flemyng, Marianne Stone, John Loder and Keith Barron.

Madame Curie (1942)

Set in 1890s France, a young Polish student (Greer Garson) studying at the Sorbonne shares the lab of a physicist (Walter Pidgeon) at the behest of her tutor (Albert Basserman). Annoyed at first, the physicist soon realizes the young woman is exceptionally talented and his admiration soon turns to love. Their discovery of radium would get them the Nobel Prize. Based on the biography by Eve Curie (the couple's youngest daughter) and directed by Mervyn LeRoy (QUO VADIS). This is one of those deadly prestigious films that MGM turned out every so often to impress critics and audiences. Most of their literary output was actually very good, films like DAVID COPPERFIELD, THE GOOD EARTH, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE etc. But these stodgy biographies creak today. It's not a bad film, just dull and uninspired and reeking of self importance. As with most film bios, facts are often set aside in favor of dramatic purposes. The film is a perfect example of Garson's "great lady" performances: chin held high, indomitable, noble to the extreme and a bore to watch. Of course, it was nominated for 7 Oscars including best picture and Garson and Pidgeon for actor and actress. The undervalued Herbert Stothart's lovely underscore was also nominated. With Van Johnson, Robert Walker, Margaret O'Brien, Dame May Whitty, C. Aubrey Smith and Henry Travers.

Julia (2021)

A documentary on the food icon Julia Child. Chronicling her breaking away from her conservative Republican upbringing, working for the OSS (forerunner of the CIA) during WWII, the 12 year struggle to get her revolutionary THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING published and her late in life (she was in her 50s) television fame. Directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen (the Oscar nominated documentary RBG). Television is cluttered these days with cooking shows and "celebrity" chefs so it's easy to forget that it wasn't always that way. Julia Child was the first, she was responsible for many public television stations increasing their viewership. There was no one like her at the time. Standing at an imposing 6' 2", working on a low budget on a borrowed set, her shows were done in real time and not edited, there were no second takes. If she dropped a piece of food on the floor, it stayed in. But she had presence and audiences adored her. She mentored many well known chefs and several of them (Jacques Pepin, Sara Moulton) are interviewed. Battling breast cancer and fighting ageism and sexism at public TV, she continued through till her 90s. The film is frank about her flaws, it's not a blind lovefest. The film acknowledges her homophobia and the 360 turn around when her closeted gay friend died of AIDS and she began supporting the gay community and doing benefits for AIDS organizations. A fascinating woman, you don't have to be a "foodie" to enjoy this. 

All In A Night's Work (1961)

When a mystery woman (Shirley MacLaine) is seen running out of the hotel room of a New York publishing baron clad only in a towel and the man turns up dead, his nephew and heir (Dean Martin) attempts to track her down. He suspects as his Uncle's mistress, she will attempt to extort money from the publishing company and he wants to stop any scandal at any cost. Based on the play by Owen Elford and directed by Joseph Anthony (THE RAINMAKER). Most sex comedies of the early to mid 1960s had very little actual sex in them, it was mostly just sexual innuendo which allowed the audience to snicker and smirk and not be offended. This one follows that path but some of it is funny and there are enough amusing moments to give it a pass. Shirley MacLaine is adorable and you can see why she became a popular star very quickly and Dean Martin is ..... well, Dean Martin. With Cliff Robertson, Jack Weston, Norma Crane, Charles Ruggles, Ian Wolfe, Gale Gordon, Mabel Albertson, Harriet MacGibbon and Rosemarie Bowe (Mrs. Robert Stack). 

Csillagosok Katonák (aka The Red And The White) (1967)

Set in Central Russia during the Civil War of 1918, the film follows the entanglements of the "Red" soldiers (pro-communist) and the counter revolutionary "White" soldiers (pro Tsarist) along the hills of the Volga. Written and directed by Miklos Jansco, the film is aesthetically a visual feast. Stunningly shot in wide screen (in Agascope) B&W and with long takes by Tamas Somio, it is a moving tableau of haunting images. Having said that, I wish I liked it better as a film. After the first half hour, I realized that film would be a relentless series of killings and executions and that pretty much sums up the movie. Yes, we all know war is Hell, war is vicious, war is cruel but 90 minutes of killing gets old very quickly. We're not given any characters (there's no central character) to invest in and it's often confusing to follow who's who and who's killing who to the point that we just don't care anymore. With Jozsef Madaras, Tibor Molnar, Andras Kozak and Tatyana Konyukhova.