Double Indemnity (1944)

In 1938 Los Angeles, an insurance salesman (Fred MacMurray) is attracted to the wife (Barbara Stanwyck) of one of his clients (Tom Powers). Together, they plot the murder of her husband made to look like an accident so they can get $100,000 in insurance money. Based on the novella by James M. Cain and directed by Billy Wilder, who co-wrote the screenplay with Raymond Chandler. This is one of those very rare movies that are sheer perfection. You can't fault it. I don't think you can even nitpick. Well, maybe the drippy daughter played by Jean Porter but that is nitpicking. The script, the acting, the cinematography, the Miklos Rozsa underscore, the editing are all flawless. This is the film that defines film noir and certainly John Seitz' B&W lensing set the standard for what noir should look like. All three leads (the third is Edward G. Robinson as MacMurray's colleague) at the peak of their talents and it's easily the best performance MacMurray has ever given. Stanwyck's calculating femme fatale set the benchmark for all future noir temptresses. With Porter Hall, Byron Barr and Fortunio Bonanova.

Little Eyolf (1982)

A frustrated writer (Anthony Hopkins) has decided to put his latest book aside and concentrate on raising his young son (Timothy Stark) to the consternation of his wife (Diana Rigg) who feels the child stands in the way of their relationship. Based on the 1894 play by Henrik Ibsen and directed by Michael Darlow. I can't help but wonder if Edward Albee had read LITTLE EYOLF as there's more than a little of Ibsen's play in Albee's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?. Certainly the cruel love/hate relationship of Hopkins and Rigg resembles Albee's George and Martha and they go at it with claw and hammer. In fact, there are two other characters, a sister (Emma Piper) and her suitor (Charles Dance) who stand in for Albee's Nick and Honey. I can see why it's not performed as frequently as Ibsen's more well known plays like HEDDA GABLER or A DOLL'S HOUSE. It's an unsettling downbeat piece though it has great roles for the two lead actors. It's powerful stuff but not exactly a pleasant experience. With Peggy Ashcroft, who makes the most of her one scene.

Tea With Mussolini (1999)

In 1935 Florence, a group of expatriate English women live in a small close knit community. Their unofficial social leader is a bossy dowager (Maggie Smith). But their position in Italy is precarious as the rise of Mussolini (Claudio Spadaro) and fascism threaten the normalcy of their lives. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli on whose biography the film is very loosely based. This is a thoroughly charming film enhanced by first rate performances by its lead actresses as well as the expert cinematography of David Watkin (OUT OF AFRICA) which captures the beauty of Florence in all its glory. Although based on Zeffirelli's memoirs, I suspect most of the film is embellished for dramatic effect. Zeffirelli's stand in here is called Luca and played by two actors, Charlie Lucas as a child and Baird Wallace as a young man. The film is rich in detailed characters including Cher as a wealthy American playgirl, Judi Dench as an artist, Lily Tomlin as a lesbian archaeologist and Joan Plowright as a spinster. Also with Paolo Seganti, Paul Chequer and Tessa Pritchard.  

Dressed To Kill (1946)

Three inexpensive but identical music boxes are sold at an auction to three different people. But soon one of the owners is killed for it while another owner is robbed of it. What is the secret of the music boxes and why are they so "valuable"? Calling Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce)! Loosely based on ADVENTURES OF THE SIX NAPOLEONS by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and directed by Roy William Neill. One of the better entries in Universal's Sherlock Holmes franchise. At this stage of the game, Rathbone and Bruce so inhabit Holmes and Dr. Watson that all they have to do is show up but fortunately they give a little more effort than that. This is one of the Holmes mysteries that give Holmes an opponent worthy of him. The film's sultry villainess as played by Patricia Morison is clever and ruthless and almost gets the best of Holmes. Even if you're not a fan of the Holmes films, there's much to enjoy here. With Edmund Breon, Mary Gordon and Harry Cording.

Experiment In Terror (1962)

Set in San Francisco, a psychotic killer (Ross Martin) forces a bank teller (Lee Remick) to steal $100,000 from her bank. He threatens both her and her kid sister (Stefanie Powers) if she tries to contact the police. Despite his threats, she contacts the FBI and an agent (Glenn Ford) works with her to ensnare the psychopath. Based on the novel OPERATION TERROR by Gordon and Mildred Gordon (who also did the screenplay) and directed by Blake Edwards. This is a superior thriller worthy of Hitchcock at his best. Beautifully shot in B&W by Philip Lathrop (THE PINK PANTHER), who does the most spectacular things with shadows and light and with a creepily intense underscore by Henry Mancini. Edwards takes his time and lets the film unfold at a leisurely pace but it never feels slow or padded out. That's because he uses the pacing for detail. Example: there's an interview between Ford and a woman (Patricia Huston) who may know something about the case. But what's most interesting about the scene isn't the dialog but the unspoken sexual tension between the two characters. One of the seminal thrillers of the 1960s. With Clifton James, Ned Glass and Roy Poole.

The Yellow Mountain (1954)

Two partners (Lex Barker, Howard Duff) run a saloon as well as own a gold mine. They make a rich strike but another mining magnate (John McIntire) has his eye on taking over their mine. Add a pretty girl (Mala Powers) that both partners have their eye on and something's got to give. Based on NEVADA GOLD by Harold Channing Wire and directed by Jesse Hibbs. This western programmer is pretty forgettable even for die hard western buffs. Visually, it has an authentic look courtesy of cinematographer George Robinson (SON OF FRANKENSTEIN) which captures the mud and dust of a drab gold mining town but that's about the best I can say for it. With William Demarest and Leo Gordon.

Sparkling Cyanide (1983)

When his wife (Christine Belford) is poisoned by cyanide in her champagne at their anniversary party, her husband (Josef Sommer) is determined to find out who murdered her. When he throws a party inviting the exact same guests, this time it is he who is poisoned by cyanide in his champagne glass. Will their be a third victim? Based on the Agatha Christie novel and directed by Robert Michael Lewis. This isn't one of Christie's best novels and the film makers make the mistake of not only updating the story from the 1940s but relocating it from England to Los Angeles. They've also gussied it up with things like a murder attempt on water skis, something Christie never would have done. They've also cast Anthony Andrews as a journalist (a character not in the book) to romance Deborah Raffin as the recipient of the murdered woman's fortune when the Christie source material had no romantic angle. Renowned mystery writer Sue Grafton is credited among the script writers but the screenplay is petty flat. When will film makers realize Christie knew what she was doing and stop trying to update or modernize her work? With Nancy Marchand, Pamela Bellwood, Harry Morgan, David Huffman and June Chadwick.

Postcards From The Edge (1990)

After an overdose of pills and cocaine, an actress (Meryl Streep) is placed in rehab. When she is ready to return to work, she finds out that the insurance company will only insure her if she lives with her mother (Shirley MacLaine), herself a famous movie star. The tension of living with her demanding mother and trying to get off drugs is almost too much. Can she do it? Based on the semi autobiographical novel by Carrie Fisher and directed by Mike Nichols. While its hard not to draw parallels to Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, the film stands on its own as both a mother/daughter tale of rivalry and resentment but also as a story of Hollywood excess and drugs. Streep and MacLaine are both excellent here and director Nichols infuses the film with his particular brand of comedic wit. That it never feels exploitative is a tribute to both Fisher's screenplay and Nichols' firm direction. Both Streep and MacLaine get to perform musical numbers with MacLaine's rendition of Sondheim's I'm Still Here a particular standout. With Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, Dennis Quaid, Annette Bening, Rob Reiner, Mary Wickes,Oliver Platt, C.C.H. Pounder, Conrad Bain, Dana Ivey and Gary Morton.  

How Do I Love Thee? (1970)

A college professor (Rick Lenz, CACTUS FLOWER) flies to France to see his dying father (Jackie Gleason). While on the plane, he reflects on his childhood and the difficulty of being raised by an atheist father and a religious fanatic mother (Maureen O'Hara). Based on the novel LET ME COUNT THE WAYS by Peter De Vries and directed by Michael Gordon (PILLOW TALK). A potentially interesting premise yields an uninteresting movie. This being 1970, you know it's just a matter of time before the atheist comes around to the way of the Lord. Gleason isn't half bad doing a juggling act with both (mostly) comedy and drama with some assistance from O'Hara and Shelley Winters as a potential mistress. But every time Rick Lenz is on the screen, the movie sucks. His expressionless monotone deliveries sucks the life out of the movie and this is a film that needs all the oxygen it can get. The film did give me one big belly laugh but that wasn't enough to sustain me through the whole movie. With Rosemary Forsyth and Don Beddoe.  

First Reformed (2018)

An ex-military chaplain (Ethan Hawke) is going through a personal crisis. Currently, he is the pastor of a small historical church with a sparse parish. When a pregnant woman (Amanda Seyfried) asks him to counsel her depressed husband (Philip Ettinger), it will challenge his beliefs to their core. Directed by Paul Schrader, this is easily his best film since MISHIMA back in 1985. Make no mistake about it, this is a political film with an agenda but it's done with passion and artistry as opposed to those godawful Stanley Kramer social message movies. Are churches now corporations rather than places of God? Is the destruction of our planet the result of man's greed or is it God's plan? It's a provocative and challenging film about ideas and in many ways, it's as ascetic as an Ingmar Bergman movie. In fact, it's even shot in the old 1.37 Academy ratio rather than wide screen. This being a Paul Schrader film one expects a fiery conclusion and the ominous chords on the soundtrack are foreboding. But then Schrader does something unforgivable. He sabotages his own movie with a laughable ending. Was he just jerking us around before? I'd like to think he just couldn't think of a decent ending so he gave us the crap he came up with. It just about ruins the movie though. I suggest leaving about 5 minutes before the movie ends. With Cedric Kyles (usually billed as Cedric The Entertainer), Michael Gaston and Victoria Hill.  

The Day Of The Locust (1975)

In 1930s Hollywood, a recent Yale graduate (William Atherton) is hired to work as an art director at Paramount pictures. On his own time, he works on a large scale painting depicting the destruction of Los Angeles by fire. Based on the novel by Nathanael West and directed by John Schlesinger (MIDNIGHT COWBOY). Schlesinger's direction is often too heavy handed for the material, subtle he's not. The film's set piece is a stunning finale in which a mob goes insane at a movie premiere and a mini apocalypse transpires. West's novel was about how people flocked to L.A., the city of sunshine and oranges, during the great depression only to discover the American dream didn't exist. Indeed, West even suggests they weren't even worthy of it if it did exist. The film is severely compromised by the miscasting of Karen Black, who at 35 is way too mature for the novel's 17 year old sexpot. The roles cries out for a young Marilyn Monroe. Black's performance is inauthentic. Sure, she's playing an often pretentious artificial character but even in the scenes where she's supposed to be sincere, she still comes across as artificial. The film does have two terrific performances however: Donald Sutherland as a slow witted Midwesterner and  Burgess Meredith as an ex-vaudeville performer on his last legs. Flawed but worth seeking out. With Geraldine Page, Billy Barty, Natalie Schafer, Bo Hopkins, Nita Talbot, Jackie Earle Haley and Lelia Goldoni.  

Les Risques Du Metier (1967)

In a small French village, a school teacher (Jacques Brel) is accused of attempted rape by one of his female students (Delphine Desyeux). This is soon followed by accusations by two other students (Nathalie Nell, Chantal Martin) of sexual misconduct. Based on the novel by Jean and Simone Cornec and directed by Andre Cayatte. Not the first film of its kind, movies about students accusing teachers goes all the way back to William Wyler's THESE THREE in 1936. But this one is set up as a mystery. We can guess at the motivation of the first accuser but why the other two? At times, the film feels like a variation of Arthur Miller's play on the Salem witch trials, THE CRUCIBLE. This was the film debut of the renowned singer Jacques Brel and his acting is very strong. You'd never know he was a singer not an actor and that this was his first film. There's another strong performance by Emmanuelle Riva (HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR) as his loyal wife. His innocence is never in doubt so the element of did he or didn't he is never a factor. The ending is rather conventional. With Rene Dary, Christine Fabrega and Nicole Desailly.