The Young Racers (1963)

An arrogant womanizing racing champion (William Campbell) has multiple affairs with women even though he's married. When he steals away the fiancee (Beatrice Altariba) of a writer (Mark Damon), the writer vows to expose the racer in a tell all book. Produced and directed by Roger Corman (MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH), this low budget precursor to GRAND PRIX (1966) has a more luxurious look than much of Corman's B programmers. The handsome locations (Monaco, France, Belgium, England) utilized to full advantage by cinematographer Floyd Crosby (HIGH NOON) are a major asset. That aside, it's not very good. Robert Wright Campbell's screenplay doesn't offer up much more than the usual racing smash ups and romantic mash ups. Still, Quentin Tarantino apparently admires it. Les Baxter provides a nice underscore. With Luana Anders, Patrick Magee, Marie Versini and screenwriter Robert Wright Campbell playing his real life brother William Campbell's on screen brother.

The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)

Even though he is already married, a mentally unstable artist (Humphrey Bogart) falls in love with another woman (Barbara Stanwyck). After poisoning his wife, they marry. Everything seems fine until he falls in love with another woman (Alexis Smith). Will there be a third Mrs. Carroll? Based on the play by Martin Vale and directed by Peter Godfrey (CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT). A potentially intriguing mystery movie is hampered by miscasting issues. The film takes place in England with Bogart and Stanwyck cast as Brits but neither make any attempt at an English accent. As the homicidal artist, Bogart is egregiously miscast. It's one of his rare bad performances. Stanwyck is somewhat better but she's too strong an actress to be convincing as a helpless victim. It worked in SORRY WRONG NUMBER because her character was somewhat selfish and neurotic but here she's in Joan Fontaine territory and not quite convincing. Perhaps sensing they had a flop on their hands, Warners held back the release of movie for a year. With Nigel Bruce, Isobel Elsom, Patrick O'Moore and that wonderful child actress, Ann Carter (CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE) whose assured performance puts the adults to shame.

Girl Missing (1933)

When his bride (Peggy Shannon) disappears on their wedding night, the groom (Ben Lyon) contacts the police. When they find the body of a man (Harold Huber) stabbed to death on the hotel premises, the police are convinced the two events are tied together. Enter two showgirls (Glenda Farrell, Mary Brian) who knew the bride before her marriage who are eager to collect the $25,000 reward offered by the groom. Directed by Robert Florey (MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE), this pre-code programmer contains snappy dialogue, moves quickly (running time one hour and 9 minutes) and a fairly interesting mystery. Glenda Farrell (along with Joan Blondell) was Warners go to girl for these B pre-code programmers but she's a little too brittle here and difficult to warm up too. Fortunately, the pliable Mary Brian is offered up as a nice contrast to Farrell's brassiness. I can't say I'd recommend it but if you're a fan of these B pre-code movies, you should find enough to hold your interest. With Walter Brennan, Lyle Talbot, Helen Ware, Guy Kibbee and Edward Ellis.  

Journey For Margaret (1942)

Set during the war in Europe in 1940, an American war correspondent (Robert Young) sends his wife (Laraine Day) home after an operation that prevents her from ever having children. While writing a story on war orphans, he encounters two children (Margaret O'Brien, William Severn) that will change his life. Based on the novel by William Lindsay White and directed by W.S. Van Dyke (THE THIN MAN) in his final film. One of many of the propaganda war movies churned out by Hollywood during the war years, this one takes an unusual bent. It concentrates on children and the effect war has on them. While nowhere near the power or artistry of Rene Clement's FORBIDDEN GAMES (1952) which dealt with the same theme, it does its job admirably as long as it stays focused on the children and not the adults. Robert Young isn't strong enough for his more difficult scenes and he and Laraine Day have a drunk scene that's the pits! In her first major role, Margaret O'Brien turns on the tears (it's said O'Brien and June Allyson were MGM's top criers, both could cry at the drop of a hat) and she has a mixture of stubbornness and vulnerability that gives her character appeal. With Fay Bainter, Nigel Bruce, Elisabeth Risdon and Doris Lloyd.

Titane (2021)

A young child (Adele Guigue) is severely injured in an auto accident. She grows up (morphing into Agathe Rousselle) and has sex with (sic) cars and is a serial killer. A fireman (Vincent Lindon) never recovers from the disappearance of his 7 year old son and leads a loveless and lonely life. Their lives will intersect in a most unusual way and the most diabolical pregnancy since ROSEMARY'S BABY. Written and directed by Julia Ducournau (RAW), this is the film that won the 2021 Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival. It's an astonishing "what the f*ck!" movie that one will either love or hate. It has elements of Cronenberg's CRASH and the sci-fi flick DEMON SEED but make no mistake about it, this is like nothing you've ever seen before. Lest I'm making it sound like some seedy exploitation flick, the film is about unconditional love and identity. Rouselle is quite marvelous. With her androgynous looks, she is easily convincing as an exotic dancer at a car show or a young fireman. The film is very graphic in its violence, sex and body mutilation so it's definitely not for the squeamish. There's also an element of homoeroticism running throughout the movie. There are two seductive scenes with a group of heterosexual firemen dancing with each other. Highly recommended for the more adventurous of filmgoers. With Garance Marillier, Bertrand Bonello and Myriem Akheddiou.

Rich And Strange (1931)

A working man (Henry Kendall) and his wife (Joan Barry) lead a boring existence in the London suburbs. When they come into an inheritance from a wealthy uncle, he quits his job and they embark on a world cruise and get a taste for the high life. But things don't always go as planned. Based on the novel by Dale Collins and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This oddity from the master of suspense is airily amusing at first but soon bogs down in a dull morass of its own making when each of the couple indulge in extra marital affairs. Kendall's bloke is a total prick so one has zero empathy for him. When his wife falls in love with an older but loving gentleman (Percy Marmont), you're rooting for her to dump the jerk spouse and run off with the decent guy. I've no patience for female doormats who stick with guys who treat them badly and I quickly lost interest at that point. There's also an unpleasant racist undertone toward Asians that comes near the movie's end. All in all, not one of my favorite Hitchcocks. With Betty Amann and Elsie Randolph.

Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

While visiting Ohio with Buffalo Bill's (Louis Calhern) Wild West show, the show's handsome sharpshooter (Howard Keel) challenges anyone in town to a shooting match. When he's outshot by a local backwoods girl (Betty Hutton), Buffalo Bill engages her to join his show. A romance intertwined with a rivalry occurs between the two sharpshooters. Based on the classic Broadway musical with songs by Irving Berlin and directed by George Sidney (THE HARVEY GIRLS). Everyone knows by now that Judy Garland was originally cast as Annie but exhaustion and illness in addition to clashing with the original director Busby Berkeley caused her to be dismissed and replaced by Hutton (borrowed from Paramount). The brassy and hyperkinetic Hutton would seem an ideal choice for Annie but a little Hutton goes a long way and one longs for a respite from her excessive energy. She does have her quiet moments such as her duet with Keel on They Say It's Wonderful and one wishes she had dialed down her performance to that level a bit more. Of course, the film's ace in the hole are those glorious Irving Berlin songs, everyone a winner. The film's treatment of the Native American characters are out of date and condescending but I liked the film's lively production number of I'm An Indian Too which is often cut out of revivals of the show due to political correctness. With Keenan Wynn, Edward Arnold, J. Carrol Naish, Benay Venuta and Clinton Sundberg.

Goodbye, Raggedy Ann (1971)

A self destructive and suicidal actress (Mia Farrow) is her own worst enemy. Her married lover (Ed Flanders) won't leave his wife, her millionaire (John Colicos) fiance is controlling and wants her to give up her career and her best friend (Hal Holbrook) is tired of picking up the pieces. Directed by Fielder Cook (A BIG HAND FOR THE LITTLE LADY), the movie serves as a showcase for a perfectly cast Mia Farrow. Fragile and neurotic, she seems ready to break up into little pieces at any given moment. It's a shame the script can't/doesn't do much more than provide a setting for her performance and its cliched "happy" ending goes against all the grain that has preceded it. The supporting cast does what it can, which isn't much. With Martin Sheen, Walter Koenig and Marlene Warfield.

Minoes (aka Miss Minoes) (2001)

A cat named Minoes stumbles across a barrel of chemical liquid and drinks from it. This causes her to turn into a human woman (Carice Van Houten). However, she maintains her feline qualities such as catching mice, purring and eating raw fish. Based on the children's novel by Annie M.G. Schmidt and directed by Vincent Bal. A 2001 hit in Europe, MINOES wasn't released in the U.S. for another ten years and then only in a dubbed English language version (the original is in Dutch). As a cat lover, I'm a pushover for a movie like this so I may be more enthusiastic about it than a non cat person. Although it's geared toward the family crowd, there's enough bite so that the grown ups need not feel embarrassed by watching it. Dressed in green, Van Houten is adorable and the felines are scene stealers. It's a pity that Van Houten's leading man (Theo Maassen) is a bit of a cipher. With Sarah Bannier and Pierre Bokma, suitably slimy as the movie's villain.

All My Sons (1948)

When an ex-soldier (Burt Lancaster) announces his intention to marry his late brother's girlfriend (Louisa Horton), it throws his family into turmoil and opens up wounds regarding the patriarch's (Edward G. Robinson) culpability in the death of many soldiers during WWII. Based on the Tony award winning play by Arthur Miller (DEATH OF A SALESMAN) and directed by Irving Reis (THE BIG STREET). Miller's first theatrical success after two flops makes for a strong film adaptation although there are some subtle shifts from the original source material. Robinson turns in a strong performance and while not ideally cast, one must admire Lancaster's desire to move beyond the film noirs he had been making till that point and take more risks as an actor. The film is an absorbing look at moral responsibility as Robinson's character justifies his despicable actions because it was his duty to put his family first. The oddest change from the play is the character of the doctor's wife (Arlene Francis). In the play, she's an angry and resentful woman but in the film, she's been changed to a cheerful and gabby housewife. There's a strong underscore by Leith Stevens. With Howard Duff, Mady Christians, Elisabeth Fraser, Harry Morgan, Lloyd Gough and Frank Conroy as Robinson's former partner (in the play, he's never seen just talked about).

Double Door (1934)

Set in Manhattan, the iron fisted spinster (Mary Morris) of a wealthy family schemes to ruin any chance her sister (Anne Revere) and half brother (Kent Taylor) might have for happiness. When her brother marries a young nurse (Evelyn Venable), she plots to destroy their marriage. Based on the play by Elizabeth A. McFadden and directed by Charles Vidor (GILDA). Morris and Revere are recreating their stage performances on film. Morris had a long and varied career on the stage but this is her only movie. But what a performance! Morris's monstrous matriarch makes the Joan Crawford of MOMMIE DEAREST look like Maria von Trapp! Her evil is so unrelenting and startling even by today's standards that one can't help think what a shock to the system this was to movie audiences of 1934. By the film's end, Morris's evil bitch has turned it into a horror film. With Colin Tapley and Sir Guy Standing.

Spencer (2021)

Set on Christmas Eve 1991, an unhappy Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) is on the verge of a nervous breakdown as the strain of an unraveling marriage and royal duties push her to the edge. Directed by Pablo Larrain (JACKIE), I wish this fictional film had been done as a roman a clef instead of a historical piece. It has nothing to do with Diana Spencer, not the real Princess Diana. Although the movie is sympathetic to her, its portrayal of her is far from flattering. She's absolutely bonkers, not to mention inconsiderate. If the names had been changed and she was called Princess Barbara, it would have gone down a lot smoother with me. It would have been easier to concentrate on her dilemma and the pressure cooker she was living in and not thinking about the real Princess Diana. I have absolutely nothing against artistic license but if you're going to do fiction, do fiction. This isn't a case of playfully toying with history the way Tarantino did in INGLORIOUS BASTERDS or ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. That aside, at the center of the film is a superb performance by Kristen Stewart that makes the film a must to see. The film is bolstered by a fine score by Jonny Greenwood. With Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Jack Farthing and Amy Manson.