Set in 1890 England, two students at Oxford (James Ellison, Richard Haydn) blackmail their fellow student (Jack Benny) into impersonating Haydn's Aunt so that the "Aunt" can chaperone when the guys entertain two young ladies (Anne Baxter, Arleen Whelan). All goes well until the real Aunt (Kay Francis) shows up! Based on the popular 1892 stage farce by Brandon Thomas (which was filmed twice before in 1915 and 1925) and directed by Archie Mayo (THE PETRIFIED FOREST). The stage play's popularity continues to this day and is revived frequently. It even served as the basis of a popular stage musical in 1948 and subsequently filmed in 1952. This film version is quite amusing for the most part but Jack Benny isn't much of a farceur (or an actor) and I couldn't help but think how Bob Hope would have killed it in the part. But the material is just about foolproof so Benny gets by. It's no TOOTSIE or SOME LIKE IT HOT but as far as cross dressing comedies go, it holds its own. With Laird Cregar, Edmund Gwenn and Reginald Owen.
A novelist and social reformer (Boris Karloff) seeks to prove that a young man executed 20 years ago for a series of brutal murders was, in fact, innocent. But his deep investigation into the matter uncovers a horrific fact that he never anticipated. Directed by Robert Day, this is an effective Jekyll and Hyde-ish yarn with a solid performance by Karloff, who gets a chance to exercise his acting chops. It's not as good as CORRIDORS OF BLOOD, another film Karloff made with Robert Day around the same time but it serves as a nice companion piece. There's a choice supporting turn by Jean Kent as an aging music hall star, who was a witness against the executed man. Nothing special really and I wouldn't say seek it out but if you come across it, you should find it a pleasant way to pass the time. With Elizabeth Allan (TALE OF TWO CITIES), Vera Day, Tim Turner and Anthony Dawson (DIAL M FOR MURDER).
A young American bomber pilot (Paul Massie) is sent to Nazi occupied France to kill a man (Leslie French) who is believed to be a traitor and double agent. But when he meets his intended victim, he finds a gentle cat loving, henpecked husband who dotes on his daughter. The pilot begins to have doubts on the guilt of his target and wavers. Directed by Anthony Asquith (THE VIPS), this is a powerful film that has me perplexed on why it isn't better known. It won three BAFTA awards (including a deserved best actress win for Irene Worth's performance) but it's a film that one doesn't hear being discussed much. It posits a difficult conundrum in respect to war. Does one obey orders even if it goes against your intuition that what you're doing is wrong? Does the fact that innocent people are killed in wars all the time matter when dealing with the individual? Does duty come before morality? The film wisely doesn't attempt to answer these questions but rather put it out there and lets us work it out for ourselves. Heaven forbid anyone should be in the position of Massie's character. A disturbing but powerful film that deserves to be seen. Paul Massie, Irene Worth as his Paris contact and Leslie French as the target all give excellent performances. With Eddie Albert, Lillian Gish, James Robertson Justice and Lionel Jeffries.
A recently married English scientist (John Neville) working on a top secret project and whose predecessor died under mysterious circumstances finds himself under suspicion by the British secret service. The reason is his new wife (Gabriella Licudi) whose behavior is, well ..... unearthly. Directed by John Krish, this minor B&W British science fiction entry is a nice little surprise. Although made in 1963, it has the feel of one of those 1950s sci-fi films, perhaps directed by Roger Corman. While its "my wife isn't human" structure may feel similar to such efforts as INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS or I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE, it still manages to have a corker of a twist ending that took me by surprise. Though it's not the kind of movie where the acting matters much, that's still no excuse for the heinous performance by Patrick Newell, who had me cringing every time he came on the screen. If you're a sci-fi buff, especially of the films of this period, then you should definitely check it out. With Jean Marsh and Philip Stone.
After a traumatic winter at the Overlook Hotel in Colorado where his father (Henry Thomas) attempted to kill his mother (Alex Essoe) and him, a young boy (Roger Dale Floyd) relocates to Florida with his mother. But in the ensuing years, he (now morphed into Ewan McGregor) has grown up to become an alcoholic and drifter. But after going sober, he begins to receive telepathic messages from a young girl (Kyliegh Curran) whose "shine" is even more potent than his. Based on the novel by Stephen King, which is a sequel to his 1977 novel THE SHINING, and directed by Mike Flanagan. The film thins out some of the complexities of the King novel and instead borrows a lot from the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film. For most of its running time, the movie is an intense and very dark horror film that pushes the envelope (a child's murder is disturbingly graphic). But when McGregor returns to the Overlook Hotel to confront his past, the movie comes to a crashing halt from which it never quite recovers. I wish Flanagan had stuck to King's novel more and forgot the SHINING connection (mostly visuals) but I suppose that would be too much to ask. Rebecca Ferguson (who appears to be channeling Diane Keaton) makes for a splendid villainess, the leader of a cult that literally feeds off children with "shining" abilities. Not as good as it should have been but still a near first rate piece of horror. With Jacob Tremblay, Cliff Curtis, Carl Lumbly, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood and Zahn McClarnon.
In 1770, a young Austrian girl (Kirsten Dunst) is sent to France to become the wife of the Dauphin of France (Jason Schwartzman), who will eventually become King Louis XVI. Based on MARIE ANTOINETTE: THE JOURNEY by Antonia Fraser and directed by Sofia Coppola (LOST IN TRANSLATION). Visually, the film is a triumph! The sumptuous look is courtesy of K.K. Barrett's and Veronica Melery's stunning production design and Milena Canonero's Oscar winning costume design. Though based on Fraser's non fiction book, Coppola doesn't strive for historical accuracy (not to mention its anachronistic pop/rock score). Coppola is extremely sympathetic to the French Queen, everything is seen through her eyes and it isn't until the film's last half hour that the revolution is rushed through. Dunst's Marie Antoinette is portrayed as a naive girl, bored and eventually seduced by the decadent French court. I admired it very much as an exercise in style but the movie runs out of steam toward the end. With Judy Davis, Rip Torn, Molly Shannon, Steve Coogan, Rose Byrne, Marianne Faithfull, Jamie Dornan, Tom Hardy, Mathieu Almalric, Danny Huston and Asia Argento.
After a romance breaks up, a young French girl (Lisette Lanvin) living in London returns home to Paris to her mother (Francoise Rosay). What she doesn't know is that her mother runs a dubious "nightclub" which traffics in young girls for rich older men. The mother herself has a penniless young lover (Albert Prejean) that she supplies with money and gifts. Directed by Marcel Carne (CHILDREN OF PARADISE), this was his feature film directorial debut but it doesn't exhibit much of the poetic realism that he became known for in films like PORT OF SHADOWS. It's a melodrama that is a precursor to films like MILDRED PIERCE and THE GRADUATE where mother and daughter share the same lover. While most of the characters are unlikable, the cast is excellent down to the smallest roles. But it is Rosay's film all the way. One can't help but empathize with her older woman in love being used by a younger man and she knows it but she doesn't care. It's not lust but loneliness that keeps her hanging on to this patch of desperation. Rosay isn't mentioned much when talking about the great French actresses but she should be. With Charles Vanel, Jean Louis Barrault, Sylvia Bataille, Margo Lion and Roland Toutain.
In turn of the century Nebraska, a father (Cork Ramer) leaves his farm and its land to his daughter (Heather Graham, who later morphs into Jessica Lange) over his two sons (Graham Beckel, Adam Nelson) because she loves the land as much as he does. Based on the novel by Willa Cather and directed by Glenn Jordan (ONLY WHEN I LAUGH). The film follows the Cather novel closely which should please the book's fans. I'm not so sure about its execution. The movie could have used some vitality, a sense of a love of the land. Jessica Lange is one of the best actresses of her generation but this is one of her weaker performances. Her acting is seems self conscious and I could never quite accept her as a pioneer farm woman which is odd because she was fantastic in COUNTRY (1984) as a farm wife. It's not bad, in fact, it's quite a respectable effort which I understand is weak praise. With Anne Heche (giving the film's best performance), David Strathairn, Leigh Lawson, Tom Aldredge, Reed Diamond and Josh Hamilton.
Set in 1931 Missouri, a wealthy heiress (Kim Darby) is kidnapped by three men (Michael Baseleon, Matt Clark, Mort Marshall). They are ambushed by a rival gang who take the girl with them. The gang, headed by a tough old lady (Irene Dailey), ask for a million dollar ransom. Based on the controversial novel NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH by James Hadley Chase which was previously filmed in 1948 in Great Britain and directed by Robert Aldrich (WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?). This is an unpleasant and sordid film as I assume the original source material is. When it opened, the critics used words like lurid, offensive, immoral and lascivious to describe it. No, it's not all that but even now, it's a difficult watch. The film is an early example of the Stockholm syndrome (the term wasn't coined until 1973) wherein the victim develops an emotional and/or psychological connection with their captors. Aldrich and his ace cinematographer Joseph Biroc give the film an authentic 1930s sheen. The acting is often too broad and uneven but Scott Wilson as a hillbilly sociopath and Kim Darby (who dislikes the film) manage to eventually create two dimensional characters. With Connie Stevens, Robert Lansing, Tony Musante, Irene Dailey, Wesley Addy and Ralph Waite.
In 1924, a successful novelist (Bette Davis) returns to her hometown and reunites with her best friend (Miriam Hopkins), who is married and expecting a baby. She is surprised when her friend announces that she has just written a romance novel and asks that she show it to her publisher which the writer does. As the years pass, the women remain the best of friends as the housewife becomes a best selling novelist of pulp romances as opposed to the artistically acclaimed novels and plays of her friend and they see each other through romances, divorces and a rivalry that tests the bounds of true friendship. Based on the play by John Van Druten (I REMEMBER MAMA) and directed by Vincent Sherman. This soap opera may not be Art but it's grandly entertaining and smart. As in THE GREAT LIE where Davis let Mary Astor take the acting honors, here she lets Hopkins steal wholes scenes as the bitchy and melodramatic diva while she acts with restraint. Their contrasting characters (and acting styles) pay off when Davis gets to throttle Hopkins and you want to cheer! Poorly remade in 1981 as RICH AND FAMOUS with Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen stepping into the Davis and Hopkins roles. With Gig Young, John Loder, Anne Revere, Dolores Moran and Phillip Reed.
A famous stage actress (Lana Turner) retires to marry a wealthy man (Dan O'Herlihy) who has a daughter (Karin Mossberg) who resents her terribly. When her husband dies in an accident shortly after their honeymoon, the daughter and her lover (George Chakiris) concoct a plot to drive her insane or possibly even kill her. Directed by Tito Davison, this is a very silly exploitation movie. Two years earlier, Roger Corman's THE TRIP had successfully mined the counterculture and the use of LSD in a serious film. This is one is dreadful but enjoyable in the way bad movies can frequently be. The screenplay is ludicrous and the acting terrible (especially Mossberg). The film's creative highpoints are the hallucination scenes which show some imagination. But it's no fun to see some of the actors humiliate themselves. I felt bad for George Chakiris crawling on all fours and talking to an ant. Has an Oscar winner ever sunk lower? Quite probably but I can't think of one off the top of my head. For Lana Turner fans and connoisseurs of crappy movies only. With Richard Egan and Pamela Rodgers.
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