9 To 5 (1980)

An office supervisor (Lily Tomlin), a secretary (Dolly Parton) and a new hire (Jane Fonda) work for an extreme male chauvinist (Dabney Coleman) who makes their lives miserable. But an accident offers them an opportunity to get their revenge. Directed by Colin Higgins (FOUL PLAY), this is one of the most enjoyable comedies from the 1980s. The film definitely has a feminist message but instead of a heavy handed didactic approach, the message is served up with laughs. The sparkling trio of Fonda, Tomlin and Parton is pure bliss, so much so that fans have been begging for a sequel for decades. The film has the flavor of those 1940s screwball comedies and the film's comic centerpiece, the three women stealing a dead body from a hospital remains as funny today as it did in 1980. In addition to the three stars, two other comic performances stand out: Dabney Coleman as the chauvinistic boss is perfection and Elizabeth Wilson as his obsequious assistant shines. With Sterling Hayden, Henry Jones, Lawrence Pressman and Marian Mercer.

The Bat (1960)

On a dark and stormy night in an old dark country house, the household is terrorized by a mysterious criminal known as The Bat. Could it be the reputed stolen money hidden in the house that brings him there? Based on the 1920 hit Broadway play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood based on Rinehart's novel THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE and directed by Paul Nickell. The play was a huge hit and spawned three film versions (1926, 1930, 1959) before this version debuted on television. Helen Hayes plays the lady of the house and Jason Robards plays the investigating detective. The acting is fairly broad and although filmed, it has the feel of a radio play. If you're looking for a first rate thriller, you won't find it here but if, like I am, you're a sucker for these "old dark house" mysteries, this is quite enjoyable in its hokey way. With Margaret Hamilton, Bethel Leslie, Shepperd Strudwick and Martin E. Brooks.    

Cross Of Iron (1977)

Set in 1943 WWII, a war weary German sergeant (James Coburn) leads a group of soldiers on the Russian front. But when a new commandant (Maximilian Schell) takes over, they clash over the sergeant's independent will and inability to strictly follow orders. Based on the novel by THE WILLING FLESH by Willi Heinrich and directed by Sam Peckinpah. I have mixed feelings about this one. The first half is very good but the second half tends to be ham fisted. Eight years had passed since Peckinpah's startling and innovative THE WILD BUNCH and his slow motion violence comes across as so been there, done that. The movie's anti war stance doesn't really say anything new about war and its handling of its theme is erratic. The film's shrill ending reeks of obviousness and the film could have lost about 15 minutes. That being said, the first half is still good enough to compensate for the deficiencies of the latter half. With James Mason, David Warner, Senta Berger, Klaus Lowitsch and Vadim Glowna.

Shakespeare's Women (1999)

The actress Claire Bloom takes us on a journey of Shakespeare's female characters. She discusses the characters as well as giving us historical background. This is accompanied by either solo readings from the plays or film clips from film and television productions (RICHARD III, HAMLET) that she has appeared in. Directed by Phillip Schopper, for lovers of Shakespeare, this documentary is a must. Bloom knows her Shakespeare inside and out and as for acting Shakespeare, she knows what she's talking about. Bloom delivers readings as Juliet, Portia (MERCHANT OF VENICE), Rosalind (AS YOU LIKE IT), Lady Constance (KING JOHN), Emilia (OTHELLO), Imogen (CYMBELINE), Catherine Of Aragon (HENRY VIII) among others. A real treat!

Lifeboat (1944)

After their ship is sunk in the Atlantic by a German U boat, a disparate group of eight passengers struggle to survive while waiting to be rescued. But soon there will be a ninth passenger, the Nazi captain (Walter Slezak) of the U boat that torpedoed them. Based on a story by John Steinbeck and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The entire film is set on the lifeboat and Hitchcock still manages to make the movie a gripping experience. Sure, the film is essentially a WWII propaganda film but far more creative and intense than the usual bunch. At the time of its release, the film received criticism over its depiction of Slezak's Nazi as being too favorable and also toward the African American Canada Lee's ship's steward as being too "stereotypical". I don't think either criticism holds up under scrutiny. Slezak's Nazi is clearly the strongest of the bunch but it's more of a warning to not underestimate the cunning of the enemy. Lee's character is clearly intelligent and with more of a moral backbone than the Caucasian characters (when the others engage in a group killing, he's the only one who refuses to participate), not to mention a heroic turn at the film's end. The film also gives the legendary Tallulah Bankhead a rare opportunity to shine on film (she won the New York film critics best actress award for her work here). With John Hodiak, William Bendix, Hume Cronyn, Henry Hull, Mary Anderson and Heather Angel.

Royal Flash (1975)

A rather lazy and irresponsible cad (Malcolm McDowell) has duped the military into thinking he is a war hero when, in fact, he's a coward. He is coerced by a Prussian statesman (Oliver Reed) into impersonating a Danish prince (also McDowell) at his marriage to a German princess (Britt Ekland) for political reasons. Based on the novel by George MacDonald Fraser (who adapted his book into a screenplay) and directed by Richard Lester. Fraser had adapted Dumas' THREE MUSKETEERS for Lester previously and the irreverent slapstick tone of that film carries over into ROYAL FLASH but not as successfully. While moderately enjoyable, the gags are rather stale and it's often easy spot a sight gag even before it happens. But the production values courtesy of Terence Marsh and Alan Tomkins are impressive and MacDowell has just the right touch of impudence to carry off the shenanigans. Still, there are large pockets of tedium. With Alan Bates, Florinda Bolkan, Bob Hoskins, Lionel Jeffries, Joss Ackland and Christopher Cazenove.  

Last Of The Blonde Bombshells (2000)

A recent widow (Judi Dench) starts to reflect on her teen years during WWII when she was part of an all girl band called The Blonde Bombshells. When she meets up with the band's one male member (Ian Holm) who performed in drag, she gets it into her head to reunite the band at least once. Directed by Gillies MacKinnon, this is a slight piffle of a movie. Its enjoyment comes from the seeing the talented cast going through their paces. Dench and Holm have the bulk of screen time and their rapport is lovely. But the remaining actresses playing the band members each have their moment even if some of those moments are minimal. Poor Leslie Caron is barely in it! It's pleasant enough but a little more originality (it's pretty predictable) and substance would have gone a long way in making it something more than okay. Still, those actors do shine! With Olympia Dukakis, Cleo Laine (in great voice), Billie Whitelaw, Joan Sims, June Whitfield (ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS) and Romola Garai. 

Baba Yaga (1973)

Walking home in the early hours of the morning after a late night out, a Milanese photographer (Isabelle De Funes) encounters a mysterious woman (Carroll Baker). The enigmatic woman says their meeting was preordained and soon after, strange occurrences begin to happen in the photographer's life. Based the long running Italian comic strip Valentina (1965 to 1996) by Guido Crepax and directed by Corrado Farina. Filled with Nazi and S&M imagery, the film seems an attempt at balancing horror with eroticism and failing at both. In the late 60s and early 70s, Carroll Baker appeared in a lot of Eurotrash but unlike this movie, those were often surprisngly entertaining. This one doesn't seem to have a point of view or focus. The lovely Isabelle De Funes has a great face for movies but little else (well, there is that body). To be fair to Farina, his film was cut (apparently all the socio-political elements) by almost 30 minutes without his permission but we can only judge the end result. With George Eastman and Ely Galleani.

Twinky (aka Lola) (1969)

A precocious 16 year old (which is the age of consent in England) schoolgirl (Susan George) begins an affair with a 38 year old writer (Charles Bronson) that leads to a quick marriage. But their age difference and level of maturity makes marital life fraught with tension. Directed by Richard Donner (THE OMEN), this relic of the swinging 60s freedom doesn't play well today. For one thing, the film's humor is borderline offensive but more importantly, what does Bronson's older man see in this childish immature girl? The treatment of the situation is superficial (this is no LOLITA) and the script leaves all the complexities out. The girl's parents (Honor Blackman, Michael Craig) are dropped from the scenario before they even get married. Surely they would have objected to the marriage and taken legal steps to have it annulled or something but instead they're discarded because it would have challenged the dubious romanticism of the situation, at least as the film makers present it to us. The whole thing just leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. A lot of talent is wasted here including Trevor Howard, Jack Hawkins, Robert Morley, Kay Medford, Paul Ford, Orson Bean, Lionel Jeffries and Sue Lloyd.

Roma (2018)

Set in Mexico City in 1970, a young maid (Yalitza Aparicio) works in the home of a doctor (Fernando Grediaga), his wife (Marina De Tavira) and their four children. The marriage is clearly strained but soon the maid will have her own crisis to deal with. Written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron (GRAVITY), this slice of life unfolds at a leisurely pace, perhaps too leisurely at times (a scene parking a car seems to go on forever) but the film is deceptively simple. Beautifully shot in B&W by Cuaron, the film is a series of moments that when compiled provide us with a stunning tableau of a brief moment in time and travails of a woman's (actually, two women if you count the wife) growth into her own skin. The contrast between the privileged life of the wife and the poor working class life of the maid is highlighted yet they bond in their sisterhood when they realize that they can't depend on men to define their lives. Aparicio gives a marvelous performance which seems even more awesome when you discover she's never acted before! The film has already been hailed as a masterpiece. I don't know if it is but there's greatness in it. With Jorge Antonio and Nancy Garcia.

A Christmas Carol (2004)

It's Christmas Eve in 1843 England and the misanthropic miser Scrooge (Kelsey Grammer) shows no compassion toward the less fortunate and calls Christmas humbug. Based on the 1994 stage musical by way of the classic novella by Charles Dickens and directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman. The musical itself was performed annually every Christmas between 1994 through 2003 at Madison Square Garden. The songs by Alan Menken (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) who did the music and Lynn Ahrens who wrote the lyrics are first rate, the special effects are very good, production values are excellent and the Dan Siretta choreography is lively. There are a handful of fool proof stories that almost never get old and Dickens' Christmas classic is one of them. Grammer makes for an excellent Scrooge, keeping it natural and never overdoing it and with the exception of Jason Alexander as Jacob Marley, the rest of the cast follows suit. If you've not seen it, it should make a nice Christmas treat this year. With Geraldine Chaplin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jane Krakowski, Brian Bedford, Jesse L. Martin and Ruthie Henshall.  

The Favourite (2018)

It's early 18th century England and a frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) rules though she is under the influence of her lover, the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz). Enter a poor but ambitious cousin (Emma Stone) of the Duchess and let the backstabbing, manipulation and court intrigue begin! Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (THE LOBSTER), this was a major disappointment. I'm sure the film thinks it's saying something about female empowerment (and maybe it is) but it comes across as ALL ABOUT EVE in an 18th century royal court rather than the Broadway theater but without the wit. The praise for Colman's tedious performance mystifies me but Weisz and Stone are marvelous as they size each other up and go at it with tooth and claw. It's a rather ugly looking movie which I suppose is a concession to realism but frankly, it's about as "real" as THE LION IN WINTER. I didn't think that was much of a film either other than the two marvelous performances (Hepburn, O'Toole) which justified its existence. Weisz and Stone perform the same function here. With Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn.