The Romance Of Rosy Ridge (1947)

In the aftermath of the Civil War, a small mountain community is still bitterly divided by allegiance to either the North or the South. The tension is so thick that it's only a matter of time before violence erupts. Enter a schoolteacher (Van Johnson) with a secret that he withholds as long as possible. Based on the novel by MacKinlay Kantor and directed by Roy Rowland. This is a rather touching story of romance and reconciliation. Although fairly predictable (I guessed the schoolteacher's "secret" almost immediately), there was still a twist I wasn't prepared for and my eyes couldn't help but water up. As the young farm girl who falls in love with Johnson, Janet Leigh makes her film debut and it was clear from the beginning that this was no ordinary starlet. The film is slightly overlong and that could have been remedied by eliminating some of the songs Van Johnson sings. The lovely score is by George Bassman. I can't say to seek it out but if it comes your way, definitely give it a chance. With Thomas Mitchell, Dean Stockwell, Selena Royle, Marshall Thompson, Jim Davis, Elisabeth Risdon and Charles Dingle.

Born Yesterday (1956)

A loutish and vulgar but rich junk dealer (Paul Douglas recreating his stage role) brings his ditzy mistress (Mary Martin) with him on a business trip to Washington D.C. Feeling her ignorance will be a liability, he hires a journalist (Arthur Hill) to educate her and give her manners. This plan works only too well. Based on the play by Garson Kanin and directed by its author. Kanin's play made a star out of Judy Holliday who owned the role of Billie Dawn. The big surprise here is how good Mary Martin is in the part. Oh, Holliday still owns the role but Martin is probably the last actress you'd think of when casting the part but she pulls it off beautifully. The play holds up reasonably well although it gets less interesting the smarter Martin's character gets. Douglas does just fine although it's a one dimensional part and Hill is adequate though of the three leads, it's the least absorbing role. With Otto Hulett and Larry Oliver.

Bel Canto (2018)

Set in an unspecified country in South America, a famous opera singer (Julianne Moore) is performing at a private concert in honor of a wealthy Japanese businessman (Ken Watanabe). The country's president is scheduled to attend but he cancels. But the concert is interrupted when a group of terrorist guerrillas invade the home and hold the guests hostage in exchange for their demands which includes the release of all political prisoners. Based on the prize winning novel by Ann Patchett and directed by Paul Weitz (ABOUT A BOY). Though not specifically addressed, the film (and novel) is obviously based on the 1996 Japanese embassy crisis in Lima, Peru where revolutionaries invaded the Japanese ambassador's residence and held hostages for 126 days until commandos rushed the residence and killed all the guerrillas. In the aftermath, there was strong evidence that the revolutionaries were systematically executed after surrendering which caused an outcry from human rights organizations. The film is fiction but it portrays the guerrillas sympathetically and suggests that the hostages and guerrillas bonded and became "family" and even seemed to accept the status quo. After awhile, we can feel it's going to end badly. No doubt there will be those who feel the "terrorists" deserved what they got but no one deserves to be murdered after surrendering or given a chance to surrender. While elements of the film seem far fetched (the added romantic elements), it casts an ambiguous eye on the thin line between revolution and terrorism. Moore's singing voice is dubbed by Renee Fleming. With Sebastian Koch, Christopher Lambert, Ryo Kase, Maria Mercedes Coroy and Tenoch Huerta. 

The Honeymoon Machine (1961)

A Navy Lieutenant (Steve McQueen) joins forces with a computer programmer (Jim Hutton) to use his ship's new supercomputer to predict where a ball on a roulette wheel will land in a Venice casino! Based on the 1959 Broadway play by Lorenzo Semple Jr. (PRETTY POISON) and directed by Richard Thorpe (IVANHOE). On Broadway, the show (Suzanne Pleshette and Tom Poston were the leads) was a flop but someone at MGM apparently thought it would make for a sparkling comedy. They were wrong. The play took place entirely in a hotel suite but the film opens it up to include a casino but it still feels stage bound. The romantic leads, McQueen and Brigid Bazlen (KING OF KINGS), have no comedic skills though their chemistry is a tad better. The rest of players do have comic skills including Hutton, Paula Prentiss, Jack Weston and Jack Mullaney but their effort hardly seems worth it. Still, it's a nice looking movie thanks to the art direction by Preston Ames and George W. Davis and Bazlen and Prentiss look quite glam in their Helen Rose frocks. With Dean Jagger, Ken Lynch and Barbara Morrison.

Mary Queen Of Scots (2018)

After her husband's death, the Catholic Mary (Saoirse Ronan) returns to her homeland of Scotland which is predominantly Protestant. Her ascent to the Scottish throne presents a danger to Elizabeth I's (Margot Robbie) reign as the Queen of England. Based on the biography QUEEN OF SCOTS: THE TRUE LIFE OF MARY STUART by John Guy and directed by Josie Rourke in her film directorial debut. The story of these two Queens is fascinating and has been a frequent source of films, plays, TV dramas, opera etc. In 1936, John Ford directed Katharine Hepburn and Florence Eldridge as Mary and Elizabeth and in 1971, Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson played Mary and Elizabeth on film. Alas, this version is bloated and dull and I had a hard time staying awake. The film perpetuates several historical inaccuracies and speculations including have the two Queens meet when there is no evidence whatsoever that they ever did. When Redgrave and Jackson met in MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, the scene crackled. When Ronan and Robbie meet the scene fizzles. It's a revisionist film with Mary and Elizabeth played as strong feminist icons while the 16th century Scottish and English courts are populated with black and Asian actors. Whether this is progress or PC tokenism, I leave to you. Is there any reason to see this torpid drama? Yes, two reasons: Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie. Both actresses giving fierce performances that deserve a better movie. With Guy Pearce, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, Ismael Cruz Cordova and Gemma Chan.  

The Last Run (1971)

Leading a quiet life of retirement in Portugal, a former getaway driver (George C. Scott) reluctantly agrees to do one more job. He has to drive a thug (Tony Musante) just escaped from prison from Spain across the border to France. But the job isn't as simple as it seems and slowly turns into a disaster. Directed by Richard Fleischer (20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA), the film was poorly received by the critics when it opened and it also failed at the box office. Despite its flaws, it holds up surprisingly well today. The script by Alan Sharp is very good and though Scott's performance is uneven, it seems a role he's well suited for. Fleischer's direction seems flabby however as if he couldn't quite get a grasp of the material. Tony Musante manages to restrain his tendency to overact and Trish Van Devere (soon to be the next Mrs. Scott) as his girl is good though slightly mature for her character. Sven Nykvist (FANNY AND ALEXANDER) is responsible for shooting the atmospheric Spanish locations and the score by Jerry Goldsmith is very good. It's a film that could have been so much better if everyone tried a bit harder. With Colleen Dewhurst (soon to be the ex-Mrs. Scott) in a rare poor performance and Aldo Sambrell.

Knock On Wood (1954)

A neurotic ventriloquist (Danny Kaye) has trouble controlling his dummy which results in a near nervous breakdown. While he's under the care of a beautiful doctor (Mai Zetterling), little does he know that his dummy is carrying the plans for a new secret weapon and he will soon find himself embroiled in espionage and murder! Written and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama. Though quite popular at the time of its release, this is one of Kaye's less satisfying vehicles. While there is frequent hilarity (like the Russian ballet sequence), sometimes the movie just stops cold in its tracks as with Irish pub sequence. The Swedish actress Mai Zetterling doesn't seem to have any comic timing and is an unsatisfactory straight (wo)man to Kaye's antics. Fans of Kaye (like me) will probably overlook the dim spots but if you're not a fan, you may find it tough going. The songs by Sylvia Fine (Mrs. Kaye) are unmemorable but Michael Kidd's choreography is lively. With Torin Thatcher, Virginia Huston, David Burns, Gavin Gordon, Leon Askin and Henry Brandon.   

The Reckoning (1970)

A working class Irishman (Nicol Williamson) has worked himself up through the ranks until he is a successful but ruthless businessman with a major corporation and married to an aristocratic wife (Ann Bell). But when his father dies, he returns to his hometown of Liverpool and finds he hasn't quite shaken off his working class roots after all. Based on the novel by Patrick Hall and directed by Jack Gold (THE MEDUSA TOUCH). For the most part, this is a strong drama with hints of those "angry young man" kitchen sink films like LOOK BACK IN ANGER, SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING, THIS SPORTING LIFE etc. which were so prevalent in the late 50s and early 60s in British cinema. But the approach is different in that it examines someone who has ostensibly made the transition from working class to upper class, who has become the very thing he railed against in his youth. Williamson's character isn't very likable or sympathetic which keeps us at a distance until the film's conclusion when he's downright despicable. The effective score is by Malcolm Arnold (BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI). With Rachel Roberts, Zena Walker, Paul Rogers and Tom Kempinski.

The Meg (2018)

An underwater research facility is exploring the deepest portion of the Mariana trench when a submersible is attacked by an unknown creature. There is only one man (Jason Statham) who has the ability to save them because he's the only one who's encountered the creature before. Based on the novel MEG: A NOVEL OF DEEP TERROR by Steve Alten and directed by Jon Turteltaub (WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING). This is the kind of movie that you know is crap but you enjoy it anyway. The film doesn't really kick into high gear until about 45 minutes into the movie and then it's pretty intense although still as dumb as a rock. It's not the kind of movie where the acting matters which is good since it's badly acted although it's a toss up to which is worse, the acting or the trite (and I'm being nice here) screenplay. The dialog is pretty lame ("A living fossil ate my friend") whether it's being serious or attempting humor. The characters are ciphers so you don't care who's gobbled up and the movie sets it up so you can tell who's next. It focuses unnaturally on a character for a bit too long and you think, "Uh-oh! He's gonna get it next" and sure enough, the thought is barely out when they get gobbled up. The film rights were acquired in 1996 but the project was dropped when they couldn't come up with a decent screenplay. The mind shudders how bad those scripts must have been if this screenplay was deemed acceptable. With Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson (dreadful), Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, Jessica McNamee and Page Kennedy.    

Impulse (1984)

Following a minor earthquake, an entire small town starts behaving strangely. Civility ceases to exist and people speak their mind and act out hostile thoughts and emotions. Into this madness, a dancer (Meg Tilly) and her doctor boyfriend (Tim Matheson) enter when her mother (Lorinne Vozoff) attempts suicide. Directed by Graham Baker (ALIEN NATION), this is a good idea poorly handled. The film should have the paranoid immediacy of something like INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS but instead, it moves forward in a jerky and often confusing fashion. It needs to be tighter rather than taking side trips which contribute nothing to the narrative and only diffuse the necessary tension. Matheson is a rather nondescript "hero" but Meg Tilly generates enough good will that she's the only character you really care about. With Hume Cronyn, Bill Paxton, John Karlen and Anne Haney.

The Farmer's Daughter (1947)

Fresh off the farm, a young woman (Loretta Young in her Oscar winning performance) finds employment as a maid in the household of a Congressman (Joseph Cotten) from a family of career politicians. Loosely based on the play JUURAKON HULDA by Hella Wuolijoki and directed by H.C. Potter (MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE). Political comedies weren't all that common in Hollywood but Frank Capra and Preston Sturges made their mark doing exactly that. Sometimes they were pungent (Sturges) and sometimes they were unbearably corny (Capra) but THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER straddles the line between both. Loretta Young is one of my least favorite actresses but she's quite charming here (though her Oscar win remains inexplicable). The film takes aim at fascism in politics (which makes it relevant to today) but without hokey pablum of Capra. What's rather sad is that politics and political landscape in America haven't changed all that much since 1947. I'm probably making the movie sound more complex than it is. It's an entertainment with a point of view. With Ethel Barrymore, Charles Bickford, Lex Barker, James Arness, Keith Andes, Rhys Williams and Rose Hobart. 

Ten Little Indians (1959)

An assortment of disparate people are gathered together in a lone mansion on an island. All were invited but none of them know their "host". Soon, one by one, they are being killed off. Based on the classic Agatha Christie novel, better known as AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and directed by Paul Bogart (TORCH SONG TRILOGY). This is a condensed version of the Christie novel and as such, it feels rushed. Instead of the murders being paced out, they seem hurried coming quickly one after another. Which means that the tension aspect goes out the window. It also means that very few of the actors are around long enough to make an impression. Luckily, three of them (Nina Foch, Kenneth Haigh, Barry Jones) are first rate actors who seize the opportunity to make their presence known. Not so for the rest of the unfortunate cast including Valerie French, Romney Brent, Chandler Cowles and Peter Bathurst.