The Beast Of Hollow Mountain (1956)

Set in rural Southern Mexico, an American cattle rancher (Guy Madison) finds himself the rival of a native Mexican rancher (Eduardo Noriega) in both business and in love. The woman (Patricia Medina) in contention is conflicted in her loyalties and emotions. Meanwhile, cattle and people are disappearing around the swamps below Hollow Mountain. Despite the title, the film focuses on the tense triangle of the three protagonists as well as a subplot involving a little boy (Mario Navarro) and his heavy drinking father (Pascual Garcia Pena). The beast doesn't arrive until the movie's final 20 minutes. An American-Mexican co-production with two directors, Edward Nassour and Ismael Rodriguez, the film was the brain child of stop motion animation pioneer Willis H. O'Brien (KING KONG). It's a rather slow moving western and disappointing given the limited time of the title creature. To the film's credit, I liked how Medina's heroine was feisty and instead of screaming like a ninny when confronted with the beast, she fights back. On the other hand, when Madison first spots the beast instead of being amazed, he has the look of "Oh, it's just another dinosaur". With Carlos Rivas (THE KING AND I) and Julio Villarreal.

The Apartment (1960)

An employee (Jack Lemmon) in the lower ranks of a major insurance company loans his apartment out to company executives for extramarital assignations as a way of climbing the corporate ladder. But things backfire when he falls for the mistress (Shirley MacLaine) of the head (Fred MacMurray) of the personnel department. Billy Wilder's film is considered one of his very best films. Critically acclaimed when it opened and a hit at the box office, it also won the 1960 best picture Oscar. But try as I might, I just can't warm up to it. It's well made, the script (by Wilder and his collaborator I.A.L. Diamond) is sharp and the acting good but I can't put my finger on why it doesn't work for me. Well, maybe I can. The narrative is rather contrived. It would have us believe that all corporate executives are lecherous cheaters and the female staff are promiscuous sluts, at least that's all that we see and the "cute" Jewish couple (Jack Kruschen, Naomi Stevens)  are overcooked stereotypes. There's a smutty wink-wink quality to it. But hey, maybe it's just me! On the plus side, Lemmon and MacLaine are wonderful. Their work here ranks with their best and, of course, they have terrific chemistry. With Edie Adams, Ray Walston, Hope Holiday, Joan Shawlee, Joyce Jameson and Johnny Seven.

The Front Page (1931)

On the eve of the execution of a convicted murderer (George E. Stone), rather than covering the story the editor (Adolphe Menjou) finds his top reporter (Pat O'Brien) quitting to get married. As the editor and the reporter's fiancee (Mary Brian) tug at him to each get their way, there's more to the convicted killer's story than meets the eye. Ben Hecht's and Charles MacArthur's 1928 Broadway play THE FRONT PAGE remains the benchmark of all newspaper plays/films. There have been no less than four film versions of it (1931, 1940, 1974, 1988) and while Howard Hawks' 1940 adaptation (retitled HIS GIRL FRIDAY) remains the one to beat, this first film adaptation is pretty robust. The rapid fire dialog as delivered by a stellar cast of character actors remains as funny today as it did back then. O'Brien tends to shout a bit too much but Menjou has the devious serpentine newsman with ink in his veins down pat. The film doesn't bother to hide its stage origins (why should it?) but the director Lewis Milestone is able to make things move around. Since this is a pre-code film, it's amazing what they get away with. With Edward Everett Horton, Walter Catlett, Mae Clarke and Frank McHugh.

The Love Machine (1971)

A local New York City TV news anchor (John Phillip Law) weasels his way to the top of a major television network until he's running things, bedding beautiful women along the way. Based on the sleazy Jacqueline Susann potboiler, this lacks the gloss and entertainment value that was the film version of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, truly a trash masterpiece. This one is just plain tawdry, crammed with cliches, bad acting and even worse dialogue. One cringes for poor Jodi Wexler (this was her one and only movie) whose inadequacies as an actress are so horribly exposed that her casting borders on cruelty. Two actors manage to hold on to their dignity (such as it is) and actually give performances: Dyan Cannon as the wife of a network head (Robert Ryan) and Jackie Cooper as a crafty TV executive. As for the others, they've proven their ability in other movies so I'll leave it at that. Only once does the film rise to genuine "camp" in a hair pulling, dish throwing catfight between Cannon and two gay men (David Hemmings, Clinton Greyn) where an Oscar is used as a weapon. Directed (badly) by Jack Haley Jr. With Shecky Greene, Maureen Arthur, Gayle Hunnicutt, Edith Atwater, Alexandra Hay, Eve Bruce and Sharon Farrell (whose part was cut so severely that her character no longer makes any sense). 

The October Man (1947)

When a child (Juliet Mills) in his care is killed, a man (John Mills) has a nervous breakdown and attempts suicide. After a lengthy stay at a mental sanitarium, he is released. He is well on his way to a total recovery. But when a model (Kay Walsh, OLIVER TWIST) who lives next to him is murdered, he becomes the no. 1 suspect. Based on a novel by Eric Ambler, the film's premise is very Hitchcockian. An innocent man is suspected of murder and with time running out, he attempts  to prove his innocence. Ambler's screenplay is decent enough (though it could have used some sharpening) but its execution is poorly done. It lacks the wit and the suspense of the best of Hitchcock and the director Roy Ward Baker (A NIGHT TO REMEMBER) has no finesse with his cast with Mills faring the worst. He's our "hero" but his behavior is often that of a dimwit. Very good in parts but the whole is disappointing. With Joan Greenwood (wasted as the "girl"), Joyce Carey, Edward Chapman and Catherine Lacey.

On The Riviera (1951)

A nightclub entertainer (Danny Kaye) is hired to impersonate an internationally famous aviator (Danny Kaye) when he's out of town since they look alike. But when the aviator returns home sooner than expected, the confusion over mistaken identities disorients the aviator's wife (Gene Tierney), the entertainer's girlfriend (Corinne Calvet) and everybody else! Based on the play THE RED CAT by Rudolph Lothar and Hans Adler, this is the third film version of the play. It was previously filmed in 1935 and 1941. With Danny Kaye in the lead, one would expect more zaniness but Kaye is surprisingly restrained here. The scenes at the aviator's party are wonderfully done but everything else seems tired as if the plot had been overused. The film is padded out with songs by Sylvia Fine (Kaye's wife) and they're an unmemorable lot and the cloying puppet number is Kaye at his worst. But Jack Cole's choreography is lively at least. Directed by Walter Lang. With Gwen Verdon, Mari Blanchard, Sig Ruman, Marcel Dalio, Joi Lansing, Clinton Sundberg, Ann Codee and Joyce Mackenzie.

Phoenix (2014)

A woman (Nina Hoss) has survived the Auschwitz concentration camp but she has been disfigured and needs plastic surgery. The results are less than ideal. She searches through the wreck that is post war Berlin for her husband (Ronald Zehrfeld) who believes her dead. When she finds him, he doesn't recognize her but since she "looks" like his dead wife, he concocts a plan where she will pretend to be the wife in order to collect her sizable inheritance and they will split the proceeds. Based on the novel LE RETOUR DES CENDRES by Hubert Monteihet which was previously filmed in 1965 with Maximilian Schell and Ingrid Thulin. I've not read the novel but I suspect the first film was closer to the source material. This is a marvelous film. Though reviews have used descriptions like noir and Hitchcockian (though there's a touch of VERTIGO present), I don't think either terms apply. It's a strong melodrama that explores a woman's attempt to come alive again by connecting with her past only to find that her past is as "dead" as she is. As the survivor, Nina Hoss gives a richly textured performance, the best by an actress I've seen so far this year (the film opened in Germany last year but is only now opening in the U.S. though it's done the film festival circuit). To discuss too much will rob it of its emotional core. Expertly directed by Christian Petzold. Go see it. With Nina Kunzendorf, also excellent. 

Who Was That Lady? (1960)

A chemistry professor (Tony Curtis) is caught by his wife (Janet Leigh) kissing a student (Barbara Hines). When she makes plans to fly to Reno for a divorce, his best friend (Dean Martin) comes up with a wacky plan to save the marriage. Namely, pretend he is an undercover FBI agent and the student is a suspected spy. The wife swallows this but that little lie grows into a big lie until both the FBI and CIA get involved. Based on the Broadway play by Norman Krasna (who also wrote the screenplay) and directed by George Sidney (BYE BYE BIRDIE). For the most part, this is rather tedious and formulaic sitcom material. Fortunately, Curtis and Martin are adept at handling comedy but poor Janet Leigh is saddled with playing a ninny and try as she might, she can't save herself. The film does have one genuinely funny scene set in a Chinese restaurant where Curtis and Martin take two "dumb" sisters (Barbara Nichols, Joi Lansing) that coughs up a few laughs. If only the rest of the picture were on that level, it might have stood a chance. Andre Previn did the overly bubbly underscore. With Jack Benny, James Whitmore, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Larry Storch and Larry Keating.

Bullitt (1968)

Set in San Francisco, a police lieutenant (Steve McQueen) is assigned the task of protecting a witness (Pat Renella) who's supposed to testify against the mob. But when the witness is assassinated before he can testify, the cop is determined to find the killers even though an ambitious politician (Robert Vaughn) insists on hampering his investigation. There's something to be said about technique. On paper, I suspect that BULLITT (based on the novel MUTE WITNESS by Robert L. Fish) didn't look like much but the British director Peter Yates (THE DEEP), his cinematographer William A. Fraker and his wizard of an editor Frank Keller (justifiably winning the editing Oscar for his work here) have whipped up a a tightly stylish crime thriller out of a routine script. As Bullitt, McQueen shows why he defined "cool" at the time and he lets his charisma carry his performance most of the time. The film contains, of course, a near legendary car chase that still has not been equaled. Shot entirely on location in San Francisco and if you've ever lived in the city (I have), you know Yates and company got the feel just right. With Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Duvall, Simon Oakland, Norman Fell and Don Gordon.

Un Maladetto Imbroglio (aka The Facts Of Murder) (1959)

A police inspector (Pietro Germi, who also directed) investigates what, at first, seems a routine robbery in an upscale Rome apartment building. But when questioning the reluctant victim (Ildebrando Santafe), he gets the feeling something isn't quite right. But a week later, the woman (Eleonora Rossi Drago, LE AMICHE) who lives next door to the robbery victim is brutally murdered. Coincidence? Or is there a connection? After his international breakthrough with DIVORCE ITALIAN STYLE (1961) for which he won a screenplay Oscar, Pietro Germi specialized in satirical comedies like SEDUCED AND ABANDONED. But just before DIVORCE, he directed this dark noir-ish unsettling crime drama that ranks with the best of his work. Ironically, it wasn't released in the U.S. until 1965 after his comedies had given him a recognizable name ("from the director of DIVORCE ITALIAN STYLE"). It's a sadly disturbing film yet absorbing. Except for the murder victim, you can't really like any of the characters, not even the police who engage in what we refer to today as harassment. The number of suspects is abundant and Germi keeps us guessing until the very end and when the murderer is revealed, we don't get catharsis, just more depressed. A really excellent film of its kind. With Claudia Cardinale, Nino Castelnuovo (UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG), Claudio Gora and Franco Fabrizi.

Rambling Rose (1991)

During the 1930s depression, a good hearted but wayward girl (Laura Dern) is taken in by a family as a domestic servant. She's accepted as one of the family but her wanton ways cause major problems for all concerned. This poignant film is framed as a memory piece as a young man (John Heard) reflects on the young girl he fell in love with when he was 13. Based on the novel by Calder Willingham (who also did the screenplay), director Martha Coolidge gives a solid look at how women's sexuality were perceived in the 1930s. There's a horrifying scene in a doctor's (Kevin Conway) office where he actually suggests removing her ovaries and womb to decrease her sexuality! There's also a scene between the 13 year old boy (Lukas Haas) and Dern in bed together that I don't think would survive the script today. Dern was (justifiably) Oscar nominated for her performance here and those of us who love her work were hoping that this would lead to a major career but though she's worked steadily, the "big" career never happened. A gorgeous underscore by Elmer Bernstein. With Robert Duvall and Diane Ladd (also Oscar nominated).

The Golden Salamander (1950)

An archaeologist (Trevor Howard) travels to Tunisia in North Africa to recover some rare art relics. But when he accidentally stumbles onto a gun smuggling syndicate, he finds himself torn between looking the other way and doing the right thing. It takes a murder to help him make up his mind. Based on the novel by Victor Canning (his FAMILY PLOT was filmed by Hitchcock), this is a surprisingly dull thriller. It can't help but be rich in atmosphere considering the exotic location which is handsomely shot by Oswald Morris (LOLITA) but the director Ronald Neame (PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE) seems content to let the narrative meander while what it needs is some sharp editing. The unimaginative score by William Alwyn could also have been ditched. There is the novelty of seeing the lovely fresh faced Anouk Aimee (billed here simply as Anouk) as the romantic interest. With Herbert Lom, Jacques Sernas, Walter Rilla, Wilfrid Hyde White and Miles Malleson.