The Case Of The Stuttering Bishop (1937)

An Bishop (Edward McWade) from Australia arrives in America and asks attorney Perry Mason (Donald Woods) to take the case of a woman (Mira McKinney) who was falsely accused of manslaughter many years ago. Based on the novel by Erle Stanley Gardner and directed by William Clemens (NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE). The sixth and final entry in Warners Perry Mason movies is a solid entry. As Mason, Donald Woods is merely adequate but the mystery is often hard to follow, it's good and keeps you involved. As Mason's girl Friday Della Street, the appealing Ann Dvorak isn't given much to do which is a pity as she's probably the best of Dellas in the series. With Anne Nagel, Linda Perry, Craig Reynolds and Frank Faylen.

The Road To Hong Kong (1962)

When their careers hit the skids, two ex-vaudevillians (Bing Crosby, Bob Hope) turn confidence men. When one (Hope) of them has memory problems, his memory is restored with the aid of a miracle drug that allows him to memorize things completely. But when he accidentally memorizes a top secret secret formula, enemy agents are after him. Directed by Norman Panama (THE COURT JESTER), this was the seventh and the last of the ROAD movies which began in 1940, all starring Hope, Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. Alas, this is a feeble effort and a sad end to a most enjoyable series of comedies. Genuine laughs are very few and far between. The comedic highlight is when Hope and Crosby go visit an Indian doctor played by Peter Sellers and Sellers steals the scene from under their noses. There's also a funny sight gag with a fish nibbling on Hope's fake mustache but that's about it. Two scenes in a 90 minute movie doesn't cut it. Sexism and ageism rear their ugly head when Dorothy Lamour is replaced by the much younger Joan Collins (age 29) as the leading lady. Bing Crosby considered the 48 year old Lamour too "old" to play a romantic lead opposite the 59 year old Crosby and Hope. To his credit, Hope refused to do the movie unless Lamour was given a part. She was gracious enough to do an extended cameo toward the end of the film instead of telling the producers to take their cameo and shove it. The Asian cliches and stereotypes are a burden in an already weak movie. With Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, David Niven, Robert Morley and Jerry Colonna.

Alias Nick Beal (1949)

An honest but ambitious District Attorney (Thomas Mitchell) wants to run for Governor and clean up the criminal elements in his state. This makes him easy prey for a slick con man (Ray Milland) who magically has the ability to get things done. Directed by John Farrow (THE BIG CLOCK), this is an updating of the Faust legend with film noir trimmings. I think it might have worked better if Milland's evil con man was merely a devilish hustler instead literally being the devil. This lets Mitchell's "good" man off the hook too easily. He greedily gobbles up every slice of corruption offered up by the satanic Milland but his too quick change of heart at the end seems like a deus ex machina rather than coming organically. This being the post war 1940s, it would be too much to ask for the movie to descend into the darkness that seems inevitable rather than the pseudo religious ending. With Audrey Totter giving a nice performance as a prostitute serving Milland's devil, George Macready, Fred Clark, Geraldine Wall and Darryl Hickman.

The Lost Daughter (2021)

A middle aged college professor (Olivia Colman) is on holiday in Greece. She begins observing an unhappy young mother (Dakota Johnson) and begins reflecting on her own struggle with motherhood as a young mother (Jessie Buckley). Based on the novel by Elena Ferrante and adapted for the screen and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Well, I suppose one half of a good movie is better than none at all. As long as the film sticks to the present, it's a transfixing watch but damn, those flashbacks are a slog to sit through. Colman's character explains her backstory in two sentences and if the film left it at that, this would have been one of my favorite movies of the year. But it's not enough that Colman tells us, Gyllenhaal has to show us. What a drag! The acting is very good though I'm not as enamored of Buckley's performance as some critics and awards groups are. I found Dakota Johnson much more interesting. Hats off to Gyllenhaal in her directorial debut for placing an unlikable character with psychologically disturbing traits as the central protagonist and Colman gives the best performance I've seen from her yet. With Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Mescal and Dagmara Dominczyk.

晩春 (aka Late Spring) (1949)

The 27 year old daughter (Setsuko Hara) of a widowed father (Chishu Ryu) feels compelled to take care of him in his later years rather than secure a life of her own including marriage. The father, knowing this is wrong, decides to force the issue and urges his daughter to marry. Based on the novel FATHER AND DAUGHTER by Kazuo Hirotsu and directed by Yasujiro Ozu (TOKYO STORY). Another study of post war Japanese family life by the great Ozu, the cultural differences between the West and Japan is much in evidence here. The daughter's devotion to her father seems unnatural and possibly Oedipal to Western eyes but the family bond in Japan is pure. Ryu's father realizes that he's been lax and maybe even selfish in letting his daughter give up the "normal" life of a young girl in order to take care of him. He redeems himself by cutting her off with an untruth and his quiet final moment in the movie is utterly poignant. With the wonderful Haruko Sugimura, Yumeji Tsukioka and Jun Usami.

Les Vampires (1915)

A journalist (Edouard Mathe) and his friend (Marcel Levesque) become involved in uncovering a notorious underground gang called The Vampires who perform daring robberies but are not above murder if it fits into their plans. Written and directed by Louis Feuillade (JUDEX), this serial runs about seven hours. Apparently made very quickly and with little attention paid to the script, it's all over the place. Characters appear and are easily discarded or killed off with new characters quick to replace them. While I prefer Feuillade's FANTOMAS serial, this one is great fun even if or perhaps because of its often ludicrous plotting and dotty scenes (at a wedding, the bride and groom dance in black body stockings!). The movie is daring in its criminal violence, the body count in very high. The film made a big star out of Musidora who plays the infamous Irma Vep (the inspiration for Olivier Assayas' 1996 film). Feuillade's stylish direction and technique clearly made an impression on Hitchcock and Fritz Lang as their early thrillers seem influenced by LES VAMPIRES. Unless, you watch it in a continuous sitting, you may lose your concentration and recollection of the movie's past events. With Fernand Herrmann, Louise Lagrange, Germaine Rouer and Suzanne Delve.

Ginger In The Morning (1974)

Set in New Mexico, a lonely uptight businessman (Monte Markham) picks up a hitchhiker (Sissy Spacek) in the desert. Despite their differences, she's a non conformist "hippie", they find themselves attracted to each other. Directed by Gordon Wiles, this romantic comedy is an artifact of its era. Spacek's flower child comes across as a flake today rather than a free spirit. It's fortunate that Spacek is so likable so that we can look beyond the hippie dippy act. As Markham's best friend, Mark Miller (who also wrote the original screenplay) is an irritating, loudmouth hick and the section with Markham and Miller on an all night drunken binge is hideous to watch. The only person I could remotely relate to was Susan Oliver as Miller's ex-wife but the script demeans her when she begs her ape of an ex to take her back! Spacek wrote and sings a couple of songs on the film's soundtrack. Fortunately for her, CARRIE (1976) was right around the corner so she wouldn't have to do tripe such as this anymore. With Slim Pickens, David Doyle, Fred Ward and Beatrice Kay.

Corridor Of Mirrors (1948)

An artist (Eric Portman) is obsessed with the past, specifically the Renaissance period. When he spots a beautiful woman (Edana Romney, who also co-wrote the screenplay) in a nightclub, he is convinced that they were lovers in the past. Based on the novel by Chris Massie and directed by Terence Young (DR. NO) in his directorial film debut. Visually, this curiosity is influenced by Cocteau's LA BELLE ET LA BETE (it even has a score by Georges Auric) but its narrative is a concoction of fantasy, suspense, romance with a touch of horror that can't seem to meld those elements successfully. Portman is suitably obsessive but Romney (who never again played a leading role in films) is adequate at best. Still, under Young's confident direction, there's no denying that it's a compelling watch. With Barbara Mullen, Hugh Sinclair, Christopher Lee, Lois Maxwell and Thora Hird.

Charlie Chan In Paris (1935)

The renowned detective Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) goes to Paris on behalf of some London bankers to investigate some forged bonds. When his contact in Paris, a young dancer (Dorothy Appleby) is murdered before she can pass crucial information, Chan is determined to find her killer. Based on the character created by Earl Derr Biggers and directed by Lewis Seiler (GUADALCANAL DIARY). The seventh film in 20th Century Fox's Chan franchise is one of the better entries. Its multi layered mystery is clever and not easy to unravel. My only (minor) complaint is that I wish more interesting actors were cast as outside of Erik Rhodes as a sketch artist and Appleby (killed off too soon), no one leaves much of an impression. The movie features the first appearance of Keye Luke as Chan's "number one son", a role he would continue to play for several years. With Mary Brian, Thomas Beck, John Miljan and John Qualen. 

The Capture (1950)

Set in Mexico, hunted and on the run from the police, a man (Lew Ayres) confesses the sordid details of his life which includes marrying the widow (Teresa Wright) of a man (Edwin Rand) he killed. With a screenplay by Niven Busch (DUEL IN THE SUN) and directed by John Sturges (BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK). Often referred to as a film noir but that term is overused when describing any film with crime elements and a low key B&W visual style. Told in flashback, the film suggests a good mystery may be ahead but it soon bogs down into a commonplace love story with Ayres having to examine his conscience. The film's screenwriter and producer Niven Busch was married to the film's leading lady Wright but he does her no favors as her character is underwritten and her switch from hating Ayres to falling in love with him is too sudden to be believable. The score by Daniele Amfitheatrof helps the movie as much as it can. With Barry Kelley, Jimmy Hunt and Duncan Renaldo.

Dance With Me (1998)

After his mother dies, an emigrant (Chayanne, a popular Latin pop star) from Cuba arrives in Texas to work for a man (Kris Kristofferson) he suspects might be his biological father. The father owns a dance school and the boy finds himself attracted to one of the instructors (Vanessa Williams) but she has set her aim, not on romance but winning the World Open Dance Championships in Las Vegas. Directed by Randa Haines (CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD), this romantic dance drama has a thin storyline as old as the movies itself. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, the end. But it's not the plot that holds the movie together, it's the dancing. DANCE WITH ME was made before the proliferation of dance competition shows on TV (think DANCING WITH THE STARS) so it suffers a bit because of the overfamiliarity. But the dance numbers are sensational and exciting, even Joan Plowright has a dance number! So if you're into dance and can suffer through the uninteresting narrative, you'll be rewarded by the dance numbers. With Jane Krakowski, Beth Grant and Harry Groener.

The Black Marble (1980)

A burnt out alcoholic cop (Robert Foxworth) in Hollywood's robbery division is paired with a new partner (Paula Prentiss), a hard nosed no nonsense divorcee. In the meantime, a loser (Harry Dean Stanton), who is a dog groomer, kidnaps a terrier for ransom. Based on the novel by Joseph Wambaugh (who adapted his book for the screen) and directed by Harold Becker (SEA OF LOVE). This uneasy combination of romantic comedy and crime is different than the usual Wambaugh material (he's an ex-cop) in that there's a vein of humor throughout and it has a major female protagonist. But the romance and humor contrasts with the distasteful animal cruelty (simulated but still) which runs throughout the movie. Becker's pacing is often static which handicaps the crime aspects of the narrative. The underrated Foxworth (who's very good here) is one of those good actors who should have had a bigger career but he never got that one part that put him over. The underscore by Maurice Jarre accents the romantic aspects of the film leaving some of the darker moments unscored. With James Woods, Barbara Babcock, Judy Landers, Robin Raymond and John Hancock.