Cyrano (2021)

A dwarf (Peter Dinklage) has been in love with a young woman (Haley Bennett) for many years but because of his size, he has never declared his love for her. When she confides in him that she is in love with a young soldier (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), he is shattered but agrees to look after the young man. The soldier is inarticulate so the dwarf helps him write beautiful love letters to the woman they both love. Based on the 2018 stage musical by Erica Schmidt by way of the classic 1897 play CYRANO DE BERGERAC by Edmond Rostand and directed by Joe Wright (ATONEMENT). I'm crazy for musicals so I tend to be more tolerant toward the genre than the casual viewer. That being said, this musical version of the Rostand classic is highly uneven and heavy handed. Dinklage isn't much of a singer and the bulk of the songs (music  by Aaron and Bryce Dessner and lyrics by Matt Berninger and Carin Besser) are forgettable and the dance movements (you can't call it choreography) by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is amateurish. Musically, the film comes alive only twice: during Haley Bennett's rendition of I Need More and the lengthy Wherever I Fall sequence. Kelvin Harrison has been impressive in other film roles (like LUCE) but the role of Christian is an ungrateful part for any actor. Not unwatchable but if you're not into musicals, you may find this unbearable. With Ben Mendelsohn and Monica Dolan.

Beverly Of Graustark (1926)

When the American raised Prince of Graustark (Creighton Hale) is seriously injured in a ski accident, his cousin (Marion Davies) disguises herself as a man and impersonates him until he is recovered. But complications ensue when a General (Roy D'Arcy) plots to take over the throne himself and she finds herself attracted to her bodyguard (Antonio Moreno). Based on the novel by George Barr McCutcheon and directed by Sidney Franklin (THE GOOD EARTH). The film was a big hit for Davies but it's not especially memorable. It's the usual girl masking as a boy falling in love with a man who thinks she's a boy scenario (think VICTOR VICTORIA). Davies is absolutely charming and her effervescent personality helps a lot in holding our interest in the predictable proceedings. It's a pity that Davies' relationship with William Randolph Hearst has tainted her career. She was a talented comedienne yet the myth that she was untalented and her "sugar daddy" Hearst was responsible for her career persists. The film ends with a two strip Technicolor sequence. With Paulette Duval and Albert Gran.

Madres Paralelas (aka Parallel Mothers) (2021)

Two pregnant women, a photographer (Penelope Cruz in an Oscar nominated performance) and an unwed teenager (Milena Smit), are room mates in a hospital where they are about to give birth. As single mothers, they form a bond but their connection develops and complicates their lives in a decisive way. Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar, I have to confess I was disappointed and found this Almodovar's weakest film since I'M SO EXCITED (2013). Although bolstered by excellent performances, the film's most powerful moments aren't the central narrative of the two mothers but Cruz's attempt to excavate a mass grave in her home village where the victims of Franco's fascist reign during the Spanish Civil War are buried in unmarked graves. As if sensing this, Almodovar ends the film on that note, not on the relationship between the two women which often seems contrived. If the film were made by Warners in the late 1930s or 1940s, it could easily have been one of those melodramas starring Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins. I didn't dislike it, far from it (I didn't even dislike I'M SO EXCITED) but it's still lesser Almodovar. With Israel Elejalde, Aitana Sanchez Gijon and Rossy De Palma. 

The Crime Of The Century (1933)

A hypnotist (Jean Hersholt) bursts into a police station and confesses to a murder. The only problem is that the murder he's confessed to hasn't happened yet. However, it's not long before dead bodies and stolen money turn up. A wisecracking reporter (Stuart Erwin) tries to unravel the mystery on his own. Based on the play THE GROOTMAN CASE by Walter Maria Espe and directed by William Beaudine (JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER). This fast moving B murder mystery is entertaining enough and the revelation of the murderer is a genuine surprise. I wish the reporter were played by a more charismatic actor than the bland Stuart Erwin. Presaging the William Castle gimmicks of the 1960s, in the film's last twenty minutes the movie stops while an onscreen messenger says they have given us a one minute break to solve the killer's identity while images of the suspects play on the screen. With Frances Dee, Wynne Gibson, Gordon Westcott, Robert Elliott, Samuel S. Hinds and Bodil Rosing.

Gods And Monsters (1998)

Set in the 1950s, retired film director James Whale (Ian McKellen in an Oscar nominated performance) becomes obsessed with his newly hired gardener (Brendan Fraser). While the aging Whale is homosexual, the gardener is not and a tense and often ambiguous relationship between the two ensues. Based on the novel FATHER OF FRANKENSTEIN by Christopher Bram and directed by Bill Condon (DREAMGIRLS). A highly fictionalized view of James Whale's final days (he committed suicide) who is best known for his Universal horror films like FRANKENSTEIN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and THE INVISIBLE MAN. It's an absorbing study even if it's all supposition but Condon's emphasis (he also wrote the screenplay) on Whale's WWI memories and the effect of the war on him are often repetitive and unnecessary. McKellen's Whale is a rather sad old queen and often creepy which I hope is not what Condon intended but that's how it comes across. Fraser is very good but the scene stealer here is Lynn Redgrave (also Oscar nominated) as Whale's disapproving Scandinavian housekeeper. The casting is quite good in the smaller roles including Rosalind Ayres as Elsa Lanchester and Jack Betts as Boris Karloff. With Lolita Davidovich, David Dukes and Martin Ferrero.

The Whistle At Eaton Falls (1951)

Set in a small town in post war New Hampshire, a former factory worker and union president (Lloyd Bridges) finds himself in the uncomfortable position of shutting down the factory and laying off workers. These are friends and co-workers that he had promised  to protect when he was union president. If he doesn't rescue the failing business, they'll all go under. Directed by Robert Siodmak, the German expatriate most famous for such noirs as THE KILLERS (1946), CRISS CROSS (1949) and PHANTOM LADY (1944) among many others. Shot in a B&W semi documentary style by Joseph C. Brun (ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW), Siodmak traverses a fine line so as to not offend either unions or management showing both in good and bad situations but ultimately I think it tips the scales ever so slightly toward toward management. I wish it could have been a little more political in its narrative but that was never its aim. There's a strong underscore by Louis Applebaum. With Ernest Borgnine, Anne Francis, Dorothy Gish, Arthur O'Connell, Murray Hamilton, Carleton Carpenter, Diana Douglas, James Westerfield and Anne Seymour.

The Mafu Cage (1978)

Set in Los Angeles, the daughters of a deceased primatologist live in a decaying mansion. While one (Lee Grant) has a career as an astronomer, her younger sister (Carol Kane) is mentally unbalanced and habitually abuses and kills primates. Based on the play TOI ET TES NUAGES by Eric Westphal (adapted for the screen by actor Don Chastain) and directed by Karen Arthur. After a non competitive slot at the Cannes film festival, this psychological horror movie did well in Europe but was released as an exploitation horror movie in the U.S. It's well made for sure but I found it extremely unpleasant to sit through in spite of strong performances by Grant and Kane as the sisters. Disturbing because Grant knows her sister is batshit crazy and a danger to herself and others yet she refuses to get her sister help, preferring to take care of her herself with disastrous results. Still, there's no denying Arthur's intense direction results in a harrowing slice of horror that's not easy to shake off. With James Olson and Will Geer. 

Le Feu Follet (aka The Fire Within) (1963)

Separated from his wife who lives in New York, a recovering alcoholic (Maurice Ronet) at a Versailles clinic is despondent and plans to commit suicide. On the last day of his life, he returns to Paris to visit old friends in the hope they might give him an incentive to live. Based on the novel WILL O' THE WISP by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle and directed by Louis Malle (MURMUR OF THE HEART). This remarkable movie remains one of Malle's two or three best films. Using the music of Erik Satie as an underscore, Malle takes us on an uncompromising soul searching journey of a man in emotional pain who's reached the end of his tether and what he finds is so bleak that he can't justify his existence. His suicide note which is the last image we see in a punch in the gut. Elegantly filmed in B&W by Ghislain Cloquet (YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT), Malle gives the film an almost documentary feel to it as Ronet (in an excellent performance) roams through Paris. It's a bleak film to be sure but done with such artistry that it demands to be seen. With Jeanne Moreau, Alexandra Stewart, Bernard Noel, Jacques Sereys and Lena Skerla.

Illicit (1931)

A young unmarried couple shock their society friends by openly cohabiting without benefit of marriage. Pressured by the conventions of society, he (James Rennie) desires marriage but she (Barbara Stanwyck) believes marriage ultimately destroys love and prefers their unconventional arrangement. Eventually she gives in but her predictions appear to come true. Directed by Archie Mayo (THE PETRIFIED FOREST), this is one of the more frank of the pre-code films although in the end, it comes down on the side of the conventional societal values. Unlike most pre-code movies which were short and fast and to the point, this one sags a bit. In spite of its relatively brief running time (1 hour, 19 minutes), the characters pontificate and go around in circles and the film could have used more punch. Thank goodness for Stanwyck, who's in almost every scene and manages to hold it together. With Joan Blondell, Ricardo Cortez, Charles Butterworth and Natalie Moorhead.

Vibes (1988)

Two psychics (Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldblum) are hired by a mysterious man (Peter Falk) to find his missing son who disappeared in Ecuador. But when they arrive in Ecuador, they suspect the man isn't telling them his real reasons for being there. Directed by Ken Kwapis (SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS), the film is a misfire on just about every level. This was pop singer Cyndi Lauper's film debut and while she has a natural screen presence, VIBES pretty much sunk any chance of a movie career. Critics disliked it and audiences stayed away. The film can't seem to make up its mind whether it wants to be ROMANCING THE STONE or RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Goldblum and Lauper don't have any chemistry so so much for the romance and Kwapis's lackluster direction eliminates any genuine thrills on the action front. With Julian Sands, Steve Buscemi, Elizabeth Pena, John Kapelos, Michael Lerner, Ramon Bieri, Karen Akers and an annoying actor by the name of Googy Gress.

Violent Road (1958)

After an out of control rocket crashes and kills innocent civilians, the rocket plant relocates to a less populated area. But first, the rocket fuel (hydrazine, nitric acid, concentrated hydrogen peroxide) must be moved safely through a dangerous and rough mountain road in three days time. Six men risk their lives for the $30,000 they will share at the end of the line. Directed by Howard W. Koch (THE GIRL IN BLACK STOCKINGS), this is basically an uncredited ripoff of the classic French thriller WAGES OF FEAR (1953) directed by Henri Georges Clouzot. One would think that suspense would be built in to the very premise but the movie shows what the difference between a hack movie director (Koch) and a film artist (Clouzot) can make to a film. Clouzot's film is an intense nail biter while this movie generates zero suspense. The often inane script and poor casting does the film no favors. Brian Keith as the head of the drivers brings some presence to the film but his fellow drivers played by Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Dick Foran, Perry Lopez, Sean Garrison and Arthur Batanides are a bunch of ciphers. As the wives and girlfriends: Joanna Barnes, Merry Anders and Ann Doran.

Mr. And Mrs. Edgehill (1985)

On the eve of WWII, Eustace (Ian Holm) and Dorrie Edgehill (Judi Dench) have decided to leave Samola, a British protectorate in the Pacific. After the failure of his latest hairbrained scheme, no one is likely to give Eustace a job now. Or are they? Based on the short story by Noel Coward and directed by Gavin Millar. It's a slight piece about the indomitable British spirit and their ability to brave the most difficult of circumstances. Shot in Sri Lanka by John Else, the lush tropical location adds some authenticity to a rather monotonous movie. As the married couple of the title, Dench and Holm do their best to give the film a backbone but it remains a rather flabby effort. For fans of Dench and Holm only. With Rachel Gurney, Amanda Pays and Shane Rimmer.