4 For Texas (1963)

Set in 1870 Texas, a shipment of $100,000 from a stagecoach accident is stolen by a passenger (Dean Martin). But the stagecoach driver (Frank Sinatra) wants that money back so that he can buy a riverboat and turn it into a floating casino. Throw in a corrupt banker (Victor Buono) and a vengeful gunfighter (Charles Bronson) and there's trouble ahead. Directed by Robert Aldrich (FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX). Aldrich not only directed this film but he co-wrote it and produced it so the blame for this mess rests squarely on his shoulders. Aldrich's specialty is dark and tough films like KISS ME DEADLY, THE BIG KNIFE, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? and THE DIRTY DOZEN so what he saw in this anemic comedy western puzzles me. Although they had done stellar work in dramatic films in preceding movies, by this stage of their career both Sinatra and Martin were lazy and coasting on their images. Their star power remains intact but one could hardly call it acting. Even Aldrich ended up disliking the final product. Anita Ekberg and Ursula Andress provide eye candy (and not much else) as Sinatra's and Martin's romantic interests respectively. With Richard Jaeckel, Mike Mazurki, Wesley Addy, Virginia Christine, Arthur Godfrey and the Three Stooges.

Vice Squad (1953)

When a cop is shot while arresting a car thief, a police captain (Edward G. Robinson) goes into overdrive to find the killer. The car theft is tied into an upcoming bank heist. Based on the novel HARNESS BULL by Leslie T. White and directed by Arnold Laven (THE RACK). First of all, the title is a misnomer. The film has nothing to do with the vice squad. Sure, there's the madam (Paulette Goddard) of a high class call girl service but she's merely there to provide information to the police. That aside, this is a well crafted and gritty policier that's shot on the streets of Los Angeles which gives the movie an edge rather than a studio bound look. The crisp B&W lensing by Joseph Biroc (HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE) belies its economical (sounds better than low budget doesn't it?) status. I did have a problem with the unethical methods of Robinson's "the end justifies the means" bulldozing cop. With Lee Van Cleef, Edward Binns, Porter Hall, Joan Vohs, Adam Williams and K.T. Stevens. 

Three Daring Daughters (1948)

After her husband abandons her and their three very young daughters (Jane Powell, Elinor Donahue, Ann E. Todd), a woman (Jeanette MacDonald) keeps his true character from them and instead, she builds him up as a positive figure. This is a mistake because the girls plot to bring their father back and reunite him with their mother. What they don't know is that not only doesn't their mother want him back but she is secretly married to another man (Jose Iturbi). Directed by Fred M. Wilcox (FORBIDDEN PLANET). While this is a typically glossy wholesome MGM musical, it has a dark undercurrent that is successfully explored. The manipulation children exercise to get their own way and the excess freedom that a divorced parent gives their children to compensate for being a single parent. The musical numbers are the least interesting aspect of the movie and frankly, the movie would have been better if they jettisoned the music and played it out as a straight drama. MacDonald looks ultra glamorous in Technicolor and hasn't been this appealing since her Lubitsch and Mamoulian days. Musically, there are two highlights. Iturbi's performance of De Falla's Ritual Fire Dance and Jane Powell's excursion into jazz with Route 66. With Edward Arnold, Tom Helmore and Moyna Macgill.

The Scarlet Letter (1934)

Set in 1642 Puritan Massachusetts, a young woman (Colleen Moore) bears a child out of wedlock. She refuses to name the father and is sentenced to wear a scarlet colored A on her bosom so that the Puritan community will know that she is an adulteress. Based on the classic novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne and directed by Robert G. Vignola (WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER). Hawthorne's novel has seen several screen adaptations (including one from Wim Wenders). The most famous one is the 1926 silent version with Lillian Gish. This was the first sound film version. Colleen Moore was one of the most popular and highest paid actresses in silent cinema and was the epitome of the era's "flaming youth". She didn't seem very motivated in pursuing her film career once sound came in and she retired after making this movie. It's a faithful adaptation of the Hawthorne book but the Hays code was in full force so there's an overly heavy emphasis on guilt (the film's opening card say the Puritan measures were harsh but necessary!). Some unnecessary comedic elements not in the book have been added such as the courtship of a widow (Virginia Howell) that seem jarringly out of place. With Hardie Albright, Henry B. Walthall, Alan Hale, Cora Sue Collins and William Kent.

Blood On The Sun (1945)

Set in 1929 Japan, an American reporter (James Cagney) has discovered a Japanese plan called the Tanaka Memorial that outlines Japan's intent to conquer the U.S. When a fellow reporter (Wallace Ford) and his wife (Rosemary DeCamp) are murdered by the Japanese secret police in an effort to obtain the document, the American plots to get the document out of the country. Directed by Frank Lloyd (MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY). Although set in 1929, the film is still part of the Hollywood's WWII wartime propaganda movies. By the time it was released, the war in Europe had ended but the war in the Pacific still waged on until two months after the film's release when the atom bombing of Hiroshima ended the war in the Pacific. As to the film itself, it's quite entertaining and well done but again, there's the distracting use of "yellowface" with Caucasians predominantly playing the Japanese characters. The film has a lengthy Judo fight between Cagney (who had a black belt in the art) and John Halloran that is a change of pace from the usual fist fights in films of that era. The film's impressive art direction won an Oscar and the striking chiaroscuro cinematography by Theodor Sarkuhl (THE GLASS KEY) gives the film a noir-ish atmosphere. With Sylvia Sidney as Cagney's Eurasian romantic interest, Robert Armstrong, John Emery and Porter Hall. 

Nostalghia (1983)

A Russian intellectual (Oleg Yankovsky) is in Italy to do research on an 18th century Russian composer. However, he is overcome with homesickness for his home country. An encounter with a self destructive madman (Erland Josephson) complicates his life even further. Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (SOLARIS), who won the best director award at the Cannes film festival for his work here. Rarely have I seen such rich and stunning imagery in a movie as Tarkovsky and his cinematographer Giuseppe Lanci (GOOD MORNING BABYLON) have given us with this film. Normally, I would be irritated by the languid pacing that Tarkovsky uses for NOSTALGHIA but viewing the film is like slowly walking through a museum and taking the time to admire the treasures that hang on its walls. The film's initial reviews, at least in the U.S. were unexceptional but the film has since acquired a positive reputation. Nothing really "happens" and its minimalist narrative is secondary to its evocative hypnotic visuals. With Domiziana Giordano, Delia Boccardo and Patrizia Terreno. 

Thieves Like Us (1974)

Set in 1936, a 23 year old convicted killer (Keith Carradine) escapes from prison along with two older buddies (John Schuck, Bert Remsen). When they hole up at a rural town, he falls in love with a young girl (Shelley Duvall). Based on the novel by Edward Anderson and directed by Robert Altman (GOSFORD PARK). Anderson's novel had previously been filmed in 1949 by Nicholas Ray under the title THEY LIVE BY NIGHT. At the core of Altman's film and what makes it work is the relationship between Carradine's baby faced killer (who has no remorse) and Duvall's naive country girl. They displayed a sweet appeal together in small roles three years earlier in Altman's MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER and it's in full view here. In supporting parts, Remsen and Schuck overplay their hand and their acting is jarring compared to the more subtle performances by the rest of the cast. As much as I like the film which follows Anderson's novel more closely, I think I prefer the doomed romanticism of the 1949 adaptation. Altman indicates the couple's grim fate when he has a radio play of ROMEO AND JULIET playing when the couple first make love. The stark and gritty cinematography is by Jean Boffety (CESAR AND ROSALIE). With Tom Skerritt and Louise Fletcher.

Danger Has Two Faces (1967)

Set in a divided Germany during the Cold War, an American spy (Robert Lansing) working in East Germany is forced to flee to West Germany after his identity has been uncovered. When an exact lookalike (Robert Lansing) is mistakenly killed by the East Germans, the spy takes over the identity of the dead man with the cooperation of the dead man's wife (Dana Wynter). Directed by John Newland (THAT NIGHT!). In the 1960s, it was not unusual for film studios to cobble together episodes from TV shows and release the edited versions as feature films theatrically. THE MAN FROM UNCLE send out eight such movies. THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS lasted only one season but 20th Century Fox spliced together four episodes and released it theatrically as DANGER HAS TWO FACES. The first half of the film moves smoothly but the second half seems ... well, episodic. As a leading man, Robert Lansing is a zero but as the wife, Dana Wynter brings some elegance and class to the project. The film benefits from the on location cinematography in Germany. With Murray Hamilton, Alexander Davion and John Van Dreelen.

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Set in New York City, a woman (Lupita Nyong'o) who is in the end-stages of terminal cancer resides in a hospice. A field trip for the hospice patients is arranged to see a marionette show and she grudgingly goes (along with her pet cat) solely for the prospect for a decent pizza. However, after the city is invaded by extraterrestrial aliens with an acute sense of hearing, it takes all her wits to survive. Directed by Michael Sarnoski (PIG), this is a prequel to and the third installment to A QUIET PLACE (2018) and A QUIET PLACE II (2020). The film is very good and well acted especially by Lupita Nyong'o who brings a quiet authority and gravitas to her terminally ill character. The screenplay is smart and the action intense but Sarnoski never loses focus on its two major characters (Joseph Quinn as a British expatriate is the other) and their humanity. It can stand proudly next to its two predecessors. With Djimon Hounsou, Alex Wolff and as Nyong'o's scene stealing cat, Nico and Schnitzel.

Brannigan (1975)

A Chicago cop (John Wayne) is sent to London to extradite an American mobster (John Vernon). What should have been a simple case of extradition becomes complicated when the mobster is kidnapped and held for ransom. Directed by Douglas Hickox (THEATRE OF BLOOD). Of his expansive career, over 80 of John Wayne's films were westerns and it's the genre he's most associated with. But by1975, westerns (spaghetti westerns an exception) weren't as sure fire box office as they used to be so somebody thought it might be a good idea to put the Duke in DIRTY HARRY territory with this fish out of water tale of a tough American cop clashing with the by the book Scotland Yard. I'm a big Wayne fan so I had a good time with this one although it's far from great. The contrast between Wayne's crusty cop and Richard Attenborough's traditional British policeman makes for some amusement and there's a sweet father and daughter-ish chemistry between Wayne and Judy Geeson as the policewoman assigned to him. On the downside, there's one of those endless and unfunny pub brawls and a "been there, seen that" reckless car chase through London that could have been dispensed with. With Mel Ferrer, James Booth, Ralph Meeker, Lesley Anne Down and Daniel Pilon.

Johanna Enlists (1918)

An uneducated country girl (Mary Pickford) is bored with farm life and longs for romance and excitement. She gets all that when a regiment of soldiers on their way to Europe to fight in WWI camp in the fields near her farm for several days. Based on the short story THE MOBILIZATION OF JOHANNA by Rupert Hughes and directed by William Desmond Taylor (ANNE OF GREEN GABLES). A slight but charming story which shows Pickford at the height of her fame. WWI was still going on while the movie was being made and while not a war propaganda film, the movie was an effort to spotlight the American soldiers fighting overseas. Real soldiers were used for the movie as background actors. Pickford was a tireless fundraiser for the war effort and an unofficial "godmother" to the U.S. Artillery Corps. Music is an essential and effective part of silent cinema and the transfer I saw had a lovely new underscore by Dan Light. With Wallace Beery, Monte Blue, Douglas MacLean and Emory Johnson. 

Kisses For My President (1964)

A woman (Polly Bergen) makes history when she is elected as the first female President of the United States. However, her husband (Fred MacMurray) is less than enthusiastic as the first male "First Lady". Directed by Curtis Bernhardt (INTERRUPTED MELODY). Boy, is this one dated in the worst sense of the word. The movie is filled with silly jokes about MacMurray being the "first lady" like when he sees his White House bedroom, it's all girly and frilly. MacMurray's grouchiness about his wife being so busy and not having time for him makes me wonder. Didn't they ever discuss the ramifications of her presidency on their marriage prior to her running? The two sitcom kids the movie has saddled them with doesn't do the movie any favors either. The movie's sole interest is the archival look at how "we" viewed the prospect of a woman president in 1964 and it's pretty degrading. With Eli Wallach, Arlene Dahl, Edward Andrews, Norma Varden, Donald May, Eleanor Audley and Ahna Capri.