Robin And The 7 Hoods (1964)

After Chicago's leading mobster (Edward G. Robinson) is assassinated, an ambitious gangster (Peter Falk) declares himself the new head of the Chicago mob. This does not sit well with the deceased mobster's friend (Frank Sinatra) and a gangland war breaks out. Directed by Gordon Douglas (TONY ROME), this musical comedy take on the Robin Hood myth must have sounded good on paper and for awhile, it's amusing. But as a musical (the songs are by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn) , with two exceptions, the songs are a nondescript lot and intrude on the storyline which is pretty thin to begin with. The two exceptions are My Kind Of Town which received an Oscar nomination for best song and became a signature tune for Sinatra and the rousing Mr. Booze which is sung at a revival meeting. Curiously, the only woman in the film, the Maid Marian equivalent (Barbara Rush) is played as a duplicitous and deadly femme fatale instead of the demure maiden of myth. I can only conclude that by 1964 the "Rat Pack" was bored and it shows. With Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Victor Buono, Allen Jenkins, Jack LaRue and Hans Conreid.

Breakfast For Two (1937)

An heiress (Barbara Stanwyck) sets her sights on a ne'er-do-well playboy (Herbert Marshall). His irresponsibility has caused the family fortune to dissipate and the shipping line they own go into receivership. She buys up the company in a plot to make him stand on his own. Based on the novel A LOVE LIKE THAT by David Garth and directed by Alfred Santell (THE HAIRY APE). Is there anything sadder than a screwball comedy that falls flat on its face? Stanwyck, Marshall, Glenda Farrell (as a showgirl) and Eric Blore (as a butler) have proven themselves in comedies before and after but evverything fizzles! I'm not sure if it's the script or Santell's lackluster direction or maybe a combination of both but even at a brief running time of one hour and 7 minutes, it outwears its welcome very quickly. There's an extended wedding scene with window washers that's meant to be hilarious but its painfully unfunny. With Donald Meek and Etienne Girardot.

The Marriage Circle (1924)

Set in 1923 Vienna, an unhappily married woman (Marie Prevost) visits her best friend (Florence Vidor), who she has not seen since her friend got married. When she meets her friend's husband (Monte Blue), she decides to seduce him and ruin their marriage. Based on the play ONLY A DREAM by Lothar Schmidt and directed by Ernest Lubitsch (HEAVEN CAN WAIT). There's a bit of charm to this marital comedy, even if most of its participants are on the unsympathetic side. The most unpleasant being the cold husband played by Adolphe Menjou, who is married to Prevost. But everything is resolved in the end in a perfectly tied ribbon. The Lubitsch "touch" is very much in evidence here which thankfully overcomes the rather sordid aspects of the plot. It's a pleasant diversion but I wouldn't rate it as one of my favorite Lubitsch movies. Lubitsch would remake the film in 1932 as ONE HOUR WITH YOU. With Creighton Hale and Esther Ralston.

Bad Moon (1996)

A photo journalist (Michael Pare) comes to visit his sister (Mariel Hemingway) in the Pacific Northwest. But the family dog, a 105 pound German Shepherd named Thor, doesn't trust him. Maybe it's because the dog suspects what the brother really is ..... a werewolf! Based on the novel THOR by Wayne Smith and directed by Eric Red (COHEN AND TATE). Savaged by critics when first released, it's nowhere near as bad as its reputation would lead you to believe but don't take that as a recommendation. The actual werewolf isn't bad but some 15 years after THE HOWLING raised the bar, the transformation from man to werewolf is poor. The script is weak (in the book, the story is told from the dog's point of view) and the characters are poorly drawn. Example: Hemingway doesn't add 2 and 2 with her brother's "illness" and the savage killings though it's quite obvious. Red manages to work up some tension during the movie's final act but again, its characters behave illogically. With Mason Gamble and Primo as Thor.

Song Of The Islands (1942)

The beautiful daughter (Betty Grable) of a Hawaiian based planter (Thomas Mitchell) falls for the son (Victor Mature) of a local cattle baron (George Barbier), it seems like a good match until they get caught up in the family feud. Directed by Walter Lang (THE KING AND I), this is a typical piece of Betty Grable Technicolor fluff that 20th Century Fox was grinding out in the 1940s. Grable was a cash cow for Fox so they didn't want to mess with the formula. The thin plot is merely an excuse to showcase Grable singing and dancing in Technicolor in an exotic locale (not yet a state, in 1942 Hollywood, Hawaii was considered exotic). It's corny and predictable but I've a soft spot for Grable so I can tolerate the nonsense. I'm not so sure about others. Of course, there's an uncomfortable condescending attitude toward the brown skinned natives who are portrayed as dumb but happy while dancing the hula and throwing luaus. With Jack Oakie and Hilo Hattie.

Competencia Oficial (aka Official Competition) (2022)

A billionaire (Jose Luis Gomez) finances a film by purchasing a critically acclaimed novel. He hires an award winning director (Penelope Cruz), who casts two very different actors to play brothers: a pretentious Method actor (Oscar Martinez) who disdains commercial film making and a popular movie star (Antonio Banderas), who basks in his fame. Her idea being that their different methods of working will bring a needed tension to the characters they're playing. Directed by Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn, this black comedy should be a treat for anyone familiar with the process of acting and film making. It pokes fun at the pomposity of actors and directors and their "Art" while still maintaining a sharp and quizzical eye on the fundamentals of cinema. With Irene Escolar and Manolo Solo.

The Big Broadcast Of 1938 (1938)

Two new streamline ocean liners, the Gigantic and the Colossal, are in a race across the Atlantic from New York to France. A varied group of passengers on the Gigantic include the ship's owner (W.C. Fields), his daughter (Martha Raye), a radio emcee (Bob Hope) and his fiancee (Dorothy Lamour). Directed by Mitchell Leisen (HOLD BACK THE DAWN), this is a hodge podge of weak comedy material padded out by musical acts like band leaders (Shep Fields), opera singers (Kirsten Flagstad), Mexican balladeers (Tito Guizar) etc. The most memorable musical number is the Oscar winning song Thanks For The Memory which became Bob Hope's signature song. I'm not a fan of W.C. Fields (who plays twin brothers) and he's horrendously unfunny here and we have to suffer through his billiards and golf skits which add nothing to the movie though if you're a Fields fan I suppose it might amuse you. There's not enough of the fifth billed Hope, if there were there might have been hope (no pun intended). With Shirley Ross, Ben Blue, Leif Erickson and Lynne Overman.

El Artista Y La Modelo (aka The Artist And The Model) (2012)

Set in 1943 occupied France, not far away from the Spanish border. An aging famous sculptor (Jean Rochefort in an excellent performance) who is tired of life and the war finds the desire to create again when a young Spanish girl (Aida Folch) escaping a refugee camp enters his life. Directed by Fernando Trueba (BELLE EPOQUE), this is a Spanish film although it's spoken in the French language. It's a poignant look at an artist in his twilight years who has lost most of his interest in life except for his Art and the muse who inspires him to one last masterpiece. Shot in gorgeous B&W scope by Daniel Vilar, it's a visual treat. I could have done without the movie's downbeat ending which seemed almost cruel. Worth seeking out. With Claudia Cardinale (looking great), Gotz Otto and Martin Gamet.

A Face In The Crowd (1957)

A guitar playing drifter (Andy Griffith in his film debut) has been in and out of jails aplenty. It's in jail that he's discovered by a local TV producer (Patricia Neal). Sensing that his down home personality will play on the radio, she builds him into a popular local personality. But his popularity soars beyond the limited Arkansas small town parameters and he becomes a national sensation. Based on the short story YOUR ARKANSAS TRAVELER by Budd Schulberg and directed by Elia Kazan (SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS). If at times overheated, Kazan's film remains a powerful look at how the media and a charismatic con man can dupe a gullible public too eager to fall under its spell. I'd always thought it seemed unlikely the public would fall for a vulgar lout like Griffith's character but this was pre-Trump and his ascension has made the movie prescient. With Walter Matthau, Lee Remick, Anthony Franciosa, Rip Torn, Lois Nettleton, Kay Medford, Faye Emerson and Carolyn Craig.

Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

Inside an abandoned police station that's being shut down, a handful of cops and some convicts on their way to Death Row must join forces and defend themselves against a gang that have taken a blood oath to destroy it in retaliation, even if it means their own deaths. Written and directed by John Carpenter (THE FOG), who also edited the film and composed its underscore. This low budget action thriller was made for $100,000 and shot in 20 days. Initially dismissed and a failure at the box office, the film was rediscovered in Europe where the critics raved and it has since been reevaluated and is now an admired cult film. The film is crudely constructed and most of the performances (with two exceptions) are amateurish and the dialogue is banal. But there's no denying that when it comes to the action sequences, Carpenter is a born film maker. Clearly he admires Howard Hawks as a film maker and he has learned his lessons well. The film comes across as a contemporary version of some Hawks' westerns (RIO BRAVO, EL DORADO) and the film's leading lady Laurie Zimmer is a hybrid of Lauren Bacall and Angie Dickinson (two Hawks discoveries). The two performances that stand out are Darwin Joston as a death row inmate and Nancy Loomis as a secretary. Remade in 2005. With Austin Stoker, Henry Brandon, Martin West, Tony Burton and Charles Cyphers.

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

A thrill seeking billionaire (Pierce Brosnan) pulls off a perfect heist when he steals a priceless painting from a Manhattan museum in broad daylight. But a beautiful insurance investigator (Rene Russo)  hired to retrieve the stolen masterpiece suspects him and the two engage in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. A remake of the 1968 Norman Jewison film and directed by John McTiernan (DIE HARD). If the 1968 film didn't exist, this would stand alone as a slickly enterrtaining heist movie. But the 1968 film does exist and this version pales next to it in every respect. In 1968, Jewison's use of split screen was unique and it was dripping with style. Nothing in the 1999 film has anything as fresh. Then, there's the casting. Brosnan and Russo are fine but they lack the sexual chemistry of Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway in the original. Brosnan and Russo do a sexy dance and go nude (or rather their body doubles) for a sex scene but none of that is as sexually sizzling as McQueen and Dunaway playing chess in the 1968 film. This version jettisons the 1968 movie's bittersweet ending in favor of a happy ending so it can send the audience home feeling good. With Denis Leary, Ben Gazzara, Fritz Weaver, Frankie Faison and Faye Dunaway as Brosnan's psychiatrist.

Charlie Chan At The Circus (1936)

On a family vacation, Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) takes his wife (Annie Mar) and their twelve children to the circus. The co-owner (Paul Stanton) had given him free passes because he wants Chan to find out who has been sending him threatening letters. However, when Chan goes to meet him while his family is watching the circus, he finds the man dead! Based on the character created by Earl Derr Biggers (but not based on any of the Chan books) and directed by Harry Lachman (DR. RENAULT'S SECRET). The 11th Chan film in the Fox franchise is serviceable, not one of the better ones in the series but far from the worst. If you're a fan of the Chan movies (as I am), this one should hold your attention. Its circus setting helps differentiate it from the others but the circus atmosphere isn't taken full advantage of. I stand to be corrected but I believe this might be the only Chan movie which features Mrs. Chan. With Keye Luke, J. Carrol Naish, Toshia Mori, Maxine Reiner and Olive and George Brasno. 

Rogues' Regiment (1948)

An American Intelligence Agent (Dick Powell) is on the trail of an escaped Nazi war criminal (Stephen McNally). It is believed he is in French Indochina and in the French Foreign Legion. Directed by Robert Florey (MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE), Stephen McNally's character is based on Martin Bormann whose whereabouts at the time were still unknown (his remains were not found and confirmed until 1973). The first American film to be set during the First Indochina War, it's surprisingly routine and often preposterous. Powell is in his noir-ish tough guy mode but his performance seems in a vacuum, removed from everybody else's. As a German (but passing as Dutch) arms dealer, Vincent Price is suitably oily and Marta Toren makes for a lovely if vacuous presence. A forgotten movie and justifiably so. With Carol Thurston, Philip Ahn and Richard Loo.

I'll See You In My Dreams (1951)

The story of songwriter Gus Kahn (Danny Thomas) and his rise in the music industry. He is helped by his first song writing partner (Doris Day) who loves him and who he eventually marries. She retires from songwriting after their first baby and he goes on to collaborate with other composers. Directed by Michael Curtiz (CASABLANCA), this is a typical example of the countless movie biographies Hollywood did in the 1940s and 1950s about songwriters. Movies like TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (Jerome Kern), WORDS AND MUSIC (Rodgers & Hart), RHAPSODY IN BLUE (George Gershwin), NIGHT AND DAY (Cole Porter) etc. The public seemed to like them, this one was a big hit but its cliche by the numbers plot seems like filler until the next song. The film is in B&W and could have used some Technicolor to pep things up. There's a charming duet of Makin' Whopee by Day and Thomas but the rest of the musical performances fade away. Day is ill used here in the "stand by your man" wife role. A bit of a slog, even for Doris Day fans. With Frank Lovejoy, Patrice Wymore, James Gleason, Jim Backus, Mary Wickes and Trudy Marshall. 

Choose A Victim (1961)

A beach bum (Larry Blyden) plays up to a wealthy but lonely young woman (Susan Oliver) with the intention of stealing from her. Instead, he falls in love with her but her mean spirited Uncle (Vaughn Taylor) stands in the way. Directed by actor Richard Carlson (IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE), this is a predictable rip off of movies like DOUBLE INDEMNITY or THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. Even down to the "crime does not pay" ending. Originally shown as an episode of THRILLER, the film isn't helped by the miscasting of Larry Blyden, a nice amiable actor but totally miscast as a beach stud with women throwing themselves at him. Susan Oliver however does quite nicely as the not so innocent "victim". With Guy Mitchell and Tracey Roberts.

Call Jane (2022)

Set in 1968 Chicago as the nation is on the brink of political upheaval, a suburban wife and mother (Elizabeth Banks) would seem to have the perfect life. But a life threatening pregnancy forces her to navigate a medical establishment unwilling to help (abortion still being illegal). This leads her to an underground network providing abortions and her life is changed forever. Directed by Phyllis Nagy in her theatrical feature film debut (she wrote Todd Haynes' CAROL and directed MRS. HARRIS for TV). As far as movies with a social or political agenda goes, this is very good. The message is loud and clear without being hammer heavy and it's well acted. One can't escape the unintended irony of the movie's timing. The movie ends in 1973 with the Roe Vs. Wade decision which gave women the right to abortion and made the underground system redundant as Sigourney Weaver's character states. The film debuted at Sundance in January 2022. Five months later, the Supreme Court overturned Roe Vs. Wade. With Chris Messina, Kate Mara, Wunmi Mosaku and Cory Michael Smith.

Shatranj Ke Khilari (aka The Chess Players) (1977)

Set in 1856, two rich landowners (Saeed Jaffrey, Sanjeev Kumar) pour every ounce of passion into a never ending game of chess while ignoring their wives and the changing political landscape around them. At the same time, an ambitious British General (Richard Attenborough) plots his own move to overthrow a King (Amjad Khan) and seize his province. Based on a short story by Munshi Premchand and adapted for the screen and directed by Satyajit Ray (PATHER PANCHALI). Ray infuses his poignant examination of historical shift with humor while still keeping the unfairness of it all in the forefront. As the privileged upper class rich as personified by Jaffrey and Kumar's chess players are oblivious to the seismic change about to occur, the arrogance of the British as embodied by Attenborough connive behind the scenes to add more to Queen Victoria's dominion. While not one of Ray's major works, it's still an engrossing watch. With Victor Banerjee and Shabana Azmi. 

Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

Set in 1866, a 9th Cavalry officer (Woody Strode) of an all black unit is accused of the rape and murder of a white girl and killing her father. At his court martial trial, in flashback, we learn of the events leading up to his trial. Directed by John Ford, this powerful indictment of racism still hasn't received its due. Coming off Sirk's searing look at racism in IMITATION OF LIFE the year before, Ford's film seems ahead of its time. Strode's Rutledge realizes the systemic racism of the law as it exists will hang him. As a freed slave, he knows that freedom is in name only as the color of his skin will never give him the freedom of a white man. Not surprisingly, the film was a box office failure. This was the one film that allowed Strode to show his mettle as an actor. Partially shot in Ford's beloved Monument Valley, cinematographer Bert Glennon (HOUSE OF WAX) gives the movie a glossy sheen. Alas, Ford once again pads out the film unnecessarily with unneeded humor (like the poker game) or Billie Burke as a ditzy Cavalry wife which detract from the film's intensity. With Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Towers, Juano Hernandez, Rafer Johnson and Toby Michaels.

Cimarron (1931)

Beginning with the 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush, the film follows a rugged newspaper man (Richard Dix) and his wife (Irene Dunne) for more than forty years as Oklahoma grows from a smattering of makeshift camps to a state. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber (GIANT) and directed by Wesley Ruggles (SEE HERE PRIVATE HARGROVE). This big budget (it was RKO's most expensive film to date) is a sprawling western epic that won a best picture Oscar as well as for its screenplay. I found it on the clunky side myself and its two main characters irritating. The uncharismatic Richard Dix, who gives a terrible performance, thinks so little of his wife and children that he allows his wanderlust to keep him away from home for years at a time. Meanwhile at home, wife Dunne allows her bigotry to run wild as she makes racist comments on the Indian populace and attempts to drive an unfortunate prostitute (Estelle Taylor) out of town for her "immorality". The opening land rush scene is impressive, so much so that Ron Howard used it as the template for his expanded Oklahoma land rush sequence in FAR AND AWAY. Highly praised by critics when it opened in 1931, contemporary reevaluations haven't been kind to its stodgy film making and dated stereotypes. Remade in 1960. With Edna May Oliver, Roscoe Ates and Eugene Jackson.

Raw Wind In Eden (1958)

A fashion model (Esther Williams) and her playboy boyfriend (Carlos Thompson) crash his private plane on a secluded Mediteranean island during a raging storm. Distrust, betrayal and passion clash and secrets are revealed when they encounter the island's only three inhabitants: a mysterious beachcomber (Jeff Chandler), an old man (Eduardo De Filippo) and his pretty daughter (Rossana Podesta). Directed by Richard Wilson (THREE IN THE ATTIC), this is an odd little movie with a loopy plot. Nothing quite makes any sense including a subplot about a man (Rik Battaglia) from a nearby island who regularly visits the island to try and kill Chandler! The film does afford Esther Williams another opportunity to show that contrary to accusations, she could actually act away from her water ballets and quite well, too. The handsome CinemaScope images courtesy of Enzo Serafin (Rossellini's JOURNEY TO ITALY) make the most of the Tuscan coast location.

City Beneath The Sea (1971)

Set in the year 2053, an underwater metropolis is seven hours away from total destruction as a giant asteroid heads toward Earth and projections are that the underwater city is directly in its path! A retired Admiral (Stuart Whitman) desperately tries to evacuate the city while forming a plan to alter the asteroid's course. Produced and directed by disaster movie guru Irwin Allen (TOWERING INFERNO). Yet another TV movie that was a pilot for a proposed TV series but this one wasn't picked up and it's easy to see why. Other than the fact that it was probably cost prohibitive, it's a crashing bore! One would think a movie about a massive city under the sea with an asteroid zipping toward it would provide some pulpy thrills or camp at the very least. What we get is a leaden chunk of science fiction with gaudy visuals (apparently in 2053, orange and pink are the colors of the day). Warners attempted to recoup some of its cost by releasing the movie in Europe theatrically under the title ONE HOUR TO DOOMSDAY. With Robert Wagner, Joseph Cotten, Richard Basehart, Rosemary Forsyth, James Darren, Robert Colbert, Paul Stewart, Burr De Benning and Sugar Ray Robinson.

Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955)

Hospitalized with a serious illness, a spinster schoolteacher (Jennifer Jones) reflects on her life as a teacher and the many students whose lives she touched. Based on the best selling novel by Frances Gray Patton and directed by Henry Koster (MY COUSIN RACHEL). I'm not partial to these "teacher who inspired me and changed my life" movies like GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, TO SIR WITH LOVE, DEAD POETS SOCIETY etc. but I liked this one. Except for the very end when it goes full tilt on it, the film avoids sentimentality for the most part and Jennifer Jones's severe performance accentuates the no nonsense approach of the film's title character. For such an intimate story without much exteriors, Koster  and his cinematographer, the great Leon Shamroy (THE KING AND I) make excellent use of the CinemaScope frame. With Robert Stack, Chuck Connors, Peggy Knudsen, Marshall Thompson, Robert Douglas, Kipp Hamilton and Mary Wickes.

Our Dancing Daughters (1928)

The story of three very different girls: The wild child (Joan Crawford) who's really a good girl, the "pure" girl (Anita Page) who's really a deceitful bitch and the good girl (Dorothy Sebastian) who will be haunted by her one mistake the rest of her life. Directed by Harry Beaumont (THE BROADWAY MELODY). The Jazz Age! Flaming youth! It looked to me like the kids were just having a good time but the film's layer of moral judgement puts a spoiler on it. The bitch has to be punished for being wicked and comes to a bad end as a warning to other bitches. The wild child is rewarded for being true and honest but the good girl continues to be punished for her error in judgment. Sheesh! This is the film that made Crawford a star and one can see why. She just seems to have more vitality than anyone else in the movie and, of course, the camera loves her. She seemed to define the flappers of the period so much so that even F. Scott Fitzgerald made note of it. Although a silent film (no direct dialogue), the film's soundtrack has sound effects. With Johnny Mack Brown and Nils Asther.

Green Hell (1940)

A group of adventurers led by a guide (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) head out into the jungles of Peru where they hope to discover ancient Peruvian temples as well as gold treasures. For months, the men live alone in peace but when a beautiful woman (Joan Bennett) appears on the scene, the tension rises among the male population. Directed by James Whale (BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN), this was an expensive and huge undertaking by both Whale and Universal Pictures. A massive indoor jungle set was built including a towering Incan temple. The film was a box office flop and a critical failure and Whale would direct only one more movie after this. I knew of its poor reputation (most of the cast consider it one of the worst movies of their career) before seeing the movie so I was surprised at how entertaining it was. Granted, it's still a potboiler but as jungle adventures go, it's not half bad at all and the special effects are excellent. The film doesn't exhibit any of Whale's flair but I've seen far worse movies. With George Sanders, Vincent Price, John Howard, George Bancroft, Alan Hale and Lupita Tovar.

Curucu, Beast Of The Amazon (1956)

When reports of a murderous clawed beast terrorizing plantations causes native workers to flee their plantations, the landowners send a troubleshooter (John Bromfield) deep into the rain forest to investigate. However, he's saddled with a woman doctor (Beverly Garland) that he resents taking along. Directed by Curt Siodmak (Robert's brother), this cult horror film isn't really a horror film at all. It's more of a jungle adventure movie along the lines of KING SOLOMON'S MINES, SAFARI, BEYOND MOMBASA, ODONGO etc. that were so popular in the 1950s. It's really rather silly since "Curucu" looks fake as all get out. To the film's advantage, it was filmed in Brazil and the Amazon river so the locations give it some authenticity although the movie is laden with what appear to be stock shots. Beverly Garland gets several chances here to show why she was the Scream Queen of 1950s horror movies. It drags in the last 15 minutes as Bromfield and Garland trek through the jungle and are preyed upon by several jungle creatures. I kind of enjoyed it for its nostalgia value as it was one of the first horror movies I saw as a kid and I haven't seen it in over 60 years! With Tom Payne and Larri Thomas.

Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022)

A mathematical wiz and recent retiree (Bryan Cranston) discovers a flaw in the Massachusetts state lottery. So he and his wife (Annette Bening) embark on an exciting multi million dollar winning spree. But a calculating and selfish Harvard student (Uly Schlesinger) also dicovers the flaw and threatens to destroy them unless they leave the "game" and leave the making of millions to him. Based on a true story as published in the Huffington Post by Jason Fagone and directed by David Frankel (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA). An intriguing true life tale is reduced to a sappy "feel good" movie. The first third is decent enough until you realize the movie's not going anywhere. I felt bad for Annette Bening, one of the best actresses in the business. Is this really the best she's getting offered? If it is, one shudders at what's she turning down. It's watchable but is it worth watching? With Rainn Wilson, who's positively annoying and Michael McKean, Ann Harada and Tori Kelly.

La Classe Operaia Va In Paradiso (aka The Working Class Goes To Heaven) (1971)

A factory worker (Gian Maria Volonte) is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Overworked, he has an accident that temporarily disables him. This incident is just the beginning of his journey from a tool of his capitalist bosses to a radical revolutionary. Co-written and directed by Elio Petri (INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION), this is a politically charged left leaning look at an ordinary, non political factory worker who realizes how powerless he is, a cog in the capitalist machinery which sucks him in and spits him out. Volonte's character seems batty right from the beginning so we're unable to decipher specifically when the breakdown started. Its narrative is often caustic and heavy and our ability to comprehend Petri's motives or Volonte's allegiances gets muddled. Potent but perhaps too grating to be fully effective. The score is by Ennio Morricone. With Mariangela Melato and Salvo Randone.

The General (1926)

Rejected by the Confederate army as unfit and taken for a coward by his beloved (Marion Mack), a train engineer (Buster Keaton) is given an opportunity to redeem himself when Yankee spies steal his cherished locomotive. Loosely based on the non fiction book THE GREAT LOCOMOTIVE CHASE by William Pettinger and directed by Keaton and Clyde Bruckman. Often ranked among the greatest of the silent comedies, this just didn't work for me. I normally adore Buster Keaton and he's a great and inventive physical comedian but not only did I not find it very funny, I found it downright offensive. In a switch from the book which is from the Union viewpoint, Keaton switches it so the Northern Union army are the wicked villains here and once again, the "glorious" South wins the day. Would Keaton have made a movie about the Revolutionary War with the British as the heroes and the patriots as the bad guys? I doubt it but somehow this was acceptable at least back then. By 1948, Hollywood's love affair with the Old South was dimming and when the film was remade as A SOUTHERN YANKEE with Red Skelton in Keaton's role, the allegiances were turned around to the original book and Skelton was on the side of the Union. Say what you will about GONE WITH THE WIND, at least it acknowledged that black people existed. There's not a black face to be found in the Old South here! With Glen Cavender and Jim Farley.

万引き家族 (aka Shoplifters) (2018)

With the assistance of his young son (Kairi Jo), a father (Lily Franky) shoplifts to help his family subsist. After a successful shoplifting spree, he and his son rescue a little girl (Miyu Sasaki) in the freezing cold and invite her home with them. Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, this Oscar nominated movie (best foreign language film) and winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival pushes us to reexamine the definition of family and of parenthood in a most unusual way. At first, I was repelled by this criminally inclined poverty ridden family that took advantage of others.  But as the movie slowly moved on, I realized how judgmental I was and the humanity of those living on the fringe of mainstream society revealed itself to me. As the movie shows us, a father or mother is more than just a biological connection. As the film suggests, if we could choose our family rather than exist in the biological bubble we were born into, would we be better off? Superb performances including the two child actors (Jo and Sasaki) among the best child performances I've seen. With Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka and Kirin Kiki.

The Gamble (1974)

A policewoman (Angie Dickinson) of two years joins the force's vice squad where she goes undercover as a prostitute to expose an illegal gambling ring. Directed by Richard Benedict, an actor turned director. Back in the day, TV networks would often make a TV movie or an episode of an anthology series as a pilot to test the waters for a proposed TV series. This pilot (originally shown on POLICE STORY) came out in March of 1974 and that fall, POLICE WOMAN with Angie Dickinson made its debut and ran for four years. Her character's name here is Lisa but when the series debuted, she was renamed Pepper! As for THE GAMBLE, it's a typical police procedural and its ace in the hole is the enormously appealing Dickinson. She's the only cast member who gets to develop a fully rounded character. With John Kerr, Bert Convy, Corinne Calvet, Jeff Morrow, Peter Brown and Joseph Campanella.

Marriage On The Rocks (1965)

Married for 19 years, the wife (Deborah Kerr) of an advertising executive (Frank Sinatra) is bored and frustrated by his lack of attention to her. She coerces him into a second honeymoon in Mexico and that's when everything really falls apart! Directed by Jack Donohue (BABES IN TOYLAND), this is a tedious domestic comedy that feels like a half hour sitcom dragged out to two hours. There's also a slightly sexist undercoating to the whole affair. Comedy was never Deborah Kerr's forte and her shrill performance here renders her unappealing. Sinatra comes off well but Dean Martin as his swinger best friend does his (by now) tired lech act in place of a performance. The movie's portrayal of Mexico and Mexicans is particularly offensive and unfunny. If you want to see Kerr in see through negligees and doing The Monkey (or was it the Watusi) at a disco, you might want to give it a shot, otherwise, an easy skip. With Cesar Romero, Nancy Sinatra, Hermione Baddeley, Tony Bill and Joi Lansing.

Dante's Peak (1997)

When unsual seismic activity is detected in a charming Pacific Northwest town, a volcanologist (Pierce Brosnan) is called in to investigate. Certain that a long dormant volcano is about to erupt, he convinces the town's mayor (Linda Hamilton) to take action. The race is on to start an evacuation of the town before the impending eruption. Directed by Roger Donaldson (NO WAY OUT), this disaster film was one of two big budget volcano disaster movies released in 1997. The other was VOLCANO with Tommy Lee Jones. This was marginally the better of the two. Handsomely shot by Andrzej Bartkowiak (PRIZZI'S HONOR) in wide screen Panavision, the movie is quite entertaining until the last half hour when it hits a wall and never recovers. Alas, other than the two leads, there aren't many characters in the movie. In disaster films like TOWERING INFERNO and POSEIDON AVENTURE, there are a multitude of characters to invest our emotions with and to care about their fate. Here, the minor characters are ciphers and worse, they're stupid and do dumb things including two bratty children who put the adults in harm's way. Who cares if they live or die? The special effects are first rate, I'll give it that. With Charles Hallahan and Elizabeth Hoffman.

Kentucky (1938)

A feud between two families begins during the Civil War and lasts for three generations. But in 1938 when two family heirs fall in love, will the feud finally end? Based on the short story THE LOOK OF EAGLES by John Taintor Foote and directed by David Butler (CALAMITY JANE). Set against the backdrop of Kentucky horseracing, this Technicolor production suffers from the inexplicable nostalgia 1930s Hollywood had for the Old South. The portrayal of its black characters is cringe inducing particularly that of Ben (George Reed), a shiftless deceitful farmhand. The romantic leads, Loretta Young and Richard Greene, are okay and Young looks lovely in Technicolor but the film belongs to Walter Brennan as Young's cantankerous Uncle. His performance here earned him the second of his three supporting actor Oscar wins. Not a bad movie but decidedly unremarkable. With Karen Morley, Douglass Dumbrille, Moroni Olsen and Madame Sul Te Wan.

Crimes Of Passion (1984)

A fashion designer (Kathleen Turner) leads a double life. By night she is a prostitute who's attracted the unwanted atttention of two men: a sexually frustrated private detective (John Laughlin) hired by her employer (Norman Burton) and a psychopathic priest (Anthony Perkins) who wants to "save" her. Directed by Ken Russell (WOMEN IN LOVE). Cinema's notorious enfant terrible is at it again! This may be Russell's most insane movie and considering his filmography, that's saying a lot. It's a trainwreck of a movie but you can't take your eyes off it. I don't think I've ever seen a sleazier movie and Russell seems to be getting a kick by shoving our faces in the outrageousness of it all. The dialogue is nutty. Example: "You wear your anguish like a breakaway chastity belt". Huh? Who talks like that? I'd call the movie pretentious if we were supposed to take it seriously but I'm not so sure that Russell isn't having us on. In his most over the top performance, Perkins psychotic "priest" makes Norman Bates look like a choir boy. Turner is actually quite good (she won the L.A. film critics best actress award for her work here) though I sometimes wondered if she was in on the joke. As the private eye, Laughlin is a hunk alright but he's terrible and as bland as unsalted butter. The film was cut to avoid an X rating but I watched the unrated version. With Bruce Davison, Annie Potts, Louise Sorel, Gerald S. O'Laughlin and the legendary acting coach, Peggy Feury.

Devil's Doorway (1950)

A decorated Civil War hero (Robert Taylor) returns home with hopes of prospering as a cattleman on his family's land. But he is a Native American and thus has no citizenship, no property rights and so with no recourse, he must fight to hold on to his land. Directed by Anthony Mann (FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE), this is a startling film to come out of 1950s Hollywood and from MGM yet! The film is decidely pro Indian as it examines the racism against Native Americans who are forced to give up their lands with no rights as "civilization" encroaches on their domain. The Indians aren't condescended to and the downbeat ending is a reminder of the genocide of indigenous people by the white man. As if that wasn't enough, there's a touch of feminism as the lawyer (Paula Raymond) helping the Indians is a woman. It's a strong enough indictment that one can overlook how Robert Taylor is miscast as a full blooded Indian. Considering its subject matter, the movie turned a modest profit. The one minor flaw is Louis Calhern who overdoes his villainous racist lawyer who sets the wheels in motion that will leave death and destruction in its wake. With Spring Byington, Marshall Thompson, James Mitchell, Edgar Buchanan and Rhys Williams. 

As Good As It Gets (1997)

A novelist (Jack Nicholson) with a severe obsessive compulsive disorder as well as mean spirited mouth is forced to babysit his neighbor's (Greg Kinnear) dog after the neighbor is brutally attacked and beaten. Add to that his financial assistance to a waitress (Helen Hunt) with a sick child and he slowly attempts to become a better person. Directed by James L. Brooks. Brooks was a very successful director in the 1980s and 1990s with movies like TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and BROADCAST NEWS and this film was not only a box office hit but Oscars went to Nicholson and Hunt for their performances. Nicholson is the reason to see the film. It's one of his very best performances and although I have reservations about making a racist and homophobic misanthrope into a cuddly curmudgeon, his performance is flawless. In fact, the acting is all around excellent (though I find Hunt's best actress Oscar win a head scratcher). I just wish that the writing didn't seem so calculated. It hits all its marks perhaps too precisely. There's no freshness or vitality to the screenplay. With Cuba Gooding Jr., Shirley Knight, Skeet Ulrich, Bibi Osterwald, Harold Ramis, Maya Rudolph and Jill, a Griffon Bruxelois that manages to steal scenes away from Nicholson, no easy feat.

Idiot's Delight (1939)

A vaudeville song and dance and man (Clark Gable) on tour with his blonde chorus girls meets a Russian countess (Norma Shearer) at a plush hotel in the Italian Alps. She bears a startling resemblance to an acrobat he worked with years ago in Omaha, Nebraska. Based on the Pulitzer winning play by Robert E. Sherwood (who adapted his play for the screen) and directed by Clarence Brown (NATIONAL VELVET). Sherwood made some major changes in the play's transition from stage to screen. The play takes place entirely in the hotel lounge but Sherwood has added a lengthy prologue which details the history of the Shearer and Gable characters many years before they meet again in the hotel. The overt political aspects of the play are also watered down as not to offend certain foreign governments as war clouds hovered over Europe. Luckily, Norma Shearer is not playing one of her great lady parts. She seems relaxed and having fun as the phony countess and although not a singer and dancer, Gable manages to pull of his Puttin' On The Ritz number and it's a charmer. I could have done without the cringing finale with Gable and Shearer singing a hymn as planes bombard their hotel but apparently that's from the play. With Edward Arnold, Charles Coburn, Burgess Meredith, Joseph Schildkraut, Virginia Grey and Laura Hope Crews.  

The Fabelmans (2022)

After seeing his first movie (DeMille's GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH), a young boy (Mateo Zoryan) becomes fascinated with films and using his father's 8 millimeter camera soon begins making movies. As he grows into a teenager (Gabriel LaBelle), he continues his love for the medium as his personal life begins to deteriorate. Directed by Steven Spielberg (JAWS), this is a semi-auto biographical look back at his family and his love of movie making. I so wanted to like this movie but I found it a major disappointment. It's a more than decent film and the performances are excellent but I never found that passion for cinema that drove Spielberg into becoming one of the most notable film directors of his generation. It was all over the place in Chazelle's BABYLON but it's conspicuously absent here. What we get is a better than average coming of age story. As the mother, Michelle Williams has the showiest role and she's getting lots of justified praise but for me, Paul Dano as the father gives the film's best performance. It's not a showy role but he inhabits it so quietly that his face and body language subtly tells us all we need to know. Perhaps I was expecting too much. I was expecting it to soar but it never left the ground but as I said, it's still more than decent. With Seth Rogen, Judd Hirsch, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Chloe East and director David Lynch as director John Ford.

Un Condé (aka The Cop) (1970)

When a crackdown on drugs leads to his partner's (Bernard Fresson) killing, a police inspector (Michel Bouquet) decides to take the law in his own hands and thus an honest cop becomes as corrupt as the criminals he's after. Based on the novel LA MORT D'UN CONDE by Pierre Lesou and directed by Yves Boisset (DOG DAY). This morally ambiguous crime thriller has no heroes. The fine line between the bad guys and the good guys becomes considerably thinner as the movie plays out until, with no one to empathize with, you throw your hands up in the air and just wait for the movie to reach its destination. Ahead of its time with its anti-police stance, it's a violent film that necessitated some cuts before its release in France. It's extremely well done and one has to give a nod to Boisset for not compromising the nihilistic material by giving it a conscience. With Francoise Fabian, Gianni Garko, Adolfo Celli, Michel Constantin, Rufus, Theo Sarapo and Anne Carrere.

The Fearmakers (1958)

A Korean war veteran (Dana Andrews) returns home after being tortured and brainwashed as a POW and resumes work at a public relations firm in Washington D.C. He discovers things aren't quite as he left them as he uncovers a hotbed of political manipulation. Directed by Jacques Tourneur (OUT OF THE PAST), this is a typical slice of 1950s red paranoia (aka the commies are coming) masquerading as a crime thriller film and not very subtly either. Tourneur provides a nice noir-ish atmosphere to the proceedings but honestly, the whole thing borders on laughable. As Samuel Fuller proved, it's possible to make a red paranoia film (PICK UP ON SOUTH STREET) that's actually a quality piece of cinema but Tourneur can't do much with the pulp in this instance. With Mel Torme, Dick Foran, Veda Ann Borg, Kelly Thordsen and Marilee Earle. 

Manhattan (1979)

A 42 year old Manhattan native (Woody Allen) has a job he hates, a 17 year old girlfriend (Mariel Hemingway in an Oscar nominated performance) and an ex-wife (Meryl Streep) who's writing a tell all book about their marriage. He soon begins an affair with the mistress (Diane Keaton) of his married best friend (Michael Murphy). Co-written and directed by Woody Allen, this is his paen to New York City. He and his cinematogrpher Gordon Willis make New York seem like the most thrilling city in the world. However, this acclaimed film (often considered Allen's masterpiece) hasn't aged well. Where the idea of a 42 year old man dating a high school student once seemed "okay" (or it didn't seem to bother anyone in 1979), today it seems uncomfortable. Watching it, I couldn't help thinking "Where are this girl's parents?". Allen has conveniently eliminated them from the movie. Knowing the director's personal history also brings questions into play. That aside, one wonders why we should care at all about any of these privileged intellectual (arguably pseudo intellectuals) neurotics. On the plus side, there's Gordon Willis' gorgeous B&W cinematography (Allen's first film in scope), so stunning any frame from the film could hang on a museum wall. Then there's the inspired use of George Gershwin's music as an underscore. Also, there are the frequent Allen witty quips, the man can write, you have to give him that. With Anne Byrne, Wallace Shawn and Karen Allen.

A Weekend With Lulu (1961)

A pair of young lovers (Leslie Phillips, Shirley Eaton) plan a romantic weekend on the coast in a caravan called Lulu which is owned by the brother of a friend (Bob Monkhouse). Their plans are altered when her overbearing mother (Irene Handl) decides to come along. And that's just the beginning of a disastrous weekend. Directed by John Paddy Carstairs (DANCING WITH CRIME), this middling British comedy offers few laughs. Granted, I'm not the biggest fan of British comedy. I'm rather indifferent to the Ealing comedies, can't abide Monty Python and the Carry On franchise proved that Brits have lowbrow tastes in their comedies just like the rest of the world. This one is a silly venture with two poor specimens of English manhood played by Phillips and Monkhouse making asses of themselves in France. The one bright note comes from Irene Handl as the oblivious mother whose tart delivery is a pleasure. It's not terrible but I laughed only once, not a recommendation for a comedy. With Alfred Marks, Sid James, Graham Stark, Judith Furse and Eugene Deckers, whose French accent keeps slipping.