Paint Me A Murder (1985)

A wealthy painter (Cesar Romero) lives with his young wife (Cristina Raines) on his lush estate on a Mediterranean island. For his upcoming birthday, he has invited an exclusive group of friends to help celebrate: a famous mystery writer (Angela Lansbury), an art dealer (Stewart Granger), his ex-wife (Capucine), a playwright (Robert Goulet), a police detective (Ron Moody) and a philanthropist (Judy Geeson) ..... and murder is on the menu! Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey (CITY OF THE DEAD). Originally shown on the first season of MURDER SHE WROTE, this is an excellent example of why the whodunit series was so popular for nine years. High production values, glamour, clever scripts, lots of stars and Lansbury anchoring the whole thing with her sly down to earth charm. Like most murder mystery fans, I was addicted to the show. With Fernando Allende and Steven Keats.

Rocketship X-M (1950)

Mankind's first expedition to the moon has four men and a woman aboard: a pilot (Lloyd Bridges), a navigator (Hugh O'Brian), a physicist (John Emery), a flight engineer (Noah Beery Jr.) and a chemist (Osa Massen). But through unforeseen events, they find their spaceship headed toward the red planet, Mars. Directed by Kurt Neumann (THE FLY). The first outer space adventure of the post WWII era. Reputedly shot in just 18 days on a $95,000 budget, this low budget (and it shows) movie was rushed into theatres so it could beat the more ambitious, bigger budgeted George Pal production of DESTINATION MOON which opened a month later. No one watches a B sci-fi movie like this for scientific accuracy and I was very impressed with the movie the first time I saw it on TV at the age of ten. As an adult, I still have a nostalgic affection for it. Scientific inaccuracies aside, the film's biggest problem is its outdated sexist attitude. Lloyd Bridges' pilot chastises Massen's chemist for being an overachiever when being a wife and mother should be enough for a woman! I kid you not! Still, for fans of B sci-fi movies from the 1950s, it's entertaining enough. With Morris Ankrum and Sherry Moreland.

Ainda Estou Aqui (aka I'm Still Here) (2024)

Set in 1970 Brazil, a former congressman (Selton Mello) lives peacefully with his wife (Fernanda Torres in an Oscar nominated performance) and five children near the beach. A raid takes place at his home by the government's military dictatorship resulting in his arrest and disappearance. Based on the memoir by Marcelo Rubens Paiva and directed by Walter Salles (CENTRAL STATION). Anchored by a sensational performance by Fernanda Torres, Salles' film (winner of the International film 2024 Oscar) documents the turbulence of a country under dictatorship and its effect on one family for generations. Unlike similarly themed movies like Costa Gavras' Z or MISSING, Salles doesn't go the political thriller route but takes his time to let the day to day horror of living under a right wing regime slowly unfurl and its effect is powerful. A riveting and deeply affecting piece of political biographical cinema. With Fernanda Montenegro, Antonio Saboia, Valentina Herszage and Luiza Kosovski.

The Adventures Of Gerard (1970)

Set during the Napoleonic wars, a vain and egotistical French brigadier (Peter McEnery) thinks highly of himself. He is hopelessly devoted to his emperor Napoleon (Eli Wallach) who thinks the brigadier is a fool and uses him as a decoy to be caught by the British. Based on THE EXPLOITS OF BRIGADIER GERARD by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and directed by Jerzy Skolimowski (THE SHOUT). Comedic swashbucklers can fun but they need wit and style and this movie sorely lacks both. Richard Lester's THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1973) is probably the benchmark for this sort of thing and this incoherent travesty is a shambles. The actors try their best but to no avail and director Skolimowski who excels in quirky offbeat films like THE SHOUT and DEEP END seems like the wrong choice for something like this. You can see where the laughs are supposed to be but the whole thing is just too obvious. With Claudia Cardinale, Jack Hawkins, Mark Burns, Veronique Vendell and John Neville.

Top Banana (1954)

A comedian (Phil Silvers) is the star of a successful weekly variety show. He hires a model (Judy Lynn) to appear in his show because he is attracted to her. What he doesn't know is that she's in love with the show's tenor (Danny Scholl). Based on the Broadway musical (songs by Johnny Mercer) of the same name and directed by Alfred E. Green (THE JOLSON STORY). The show ran for a year in 1951 with Phil Silvers winning a Tony award for his performance. After taking the show on tour, the production was filmed. This is perhaps the earliest example of literally filming a play as opposed to adapting the play for the screen. The director basically put his camera out front and filmed the play in a studio with random inserted shots of an audience. No concessions were made for cinema, there are no close ups whatsoever, just the actors moving back and forth across the stage. The acting is broad and they all play it to the balcony. If you have an affinity for burlesque or vaudeville, you might get some enjoyment out of it. I just found it dull. Shot in five days, the whole thing just looks cheap. With Rose Marie, Jack Albertson and Joey Faye.

Fade In (1973)

While on location for a film shoot in Utah, an assistant film editor (Barbara Loden) finds herself attracted to a rancher (Burt Reynolds) who is working as a driver for the film production. A romance develops but their lifestyles are so different that it's an impediment to their relationship. Directed by Jud Taylor, although the movie is credited to Allan Smithee, a pseudonym used by the DGA when a director wants his name removed from the finished film. Filmed concurrently with BLUE (1968) which FADE IN uses the filming of that movie as the background for this tale of an on set romance. The film's previews were disastrous so the film was shelved and didn't make its debut until five years later on television. Is it that bad? No but it's not very good either. Some parts of the movie have a European feel to it but despite an intriguing premise, the film isn't able to build on it and we're stuck with romantic montages, soft focus shots and freeze frames. The film was written by Mart Crowley (THE BOYS IN THE BAND) but he had his name taken off it. The best thing about the film is Barbara Loden. She doesn't have an extensive filmography so it's always a pleasure to see her. With Terence Stamp, Joanna Pettet, Ricardo Montalban, Patricia Casey and James Hampton.

空気人形 (aka Air Doll) (2009)

A life size air doll (Bae Doona) lives in a shabby apartment in Tokyo with her owner (Itsuji Itao), who uses her for sex. One day without any explanation, she comes to life and must deal with this fascinating new world and what it means to be human. Based on the graphic novel KUUKI NINGYO BY Yoshiie Goda and directed by Kore-Eda Hirokazu (SHOPLIFTERS). While I can appreciate Kore-Eda's tender examination of urban loneliness and what it means to be human, damn this is one sluggish movie that moves at a snail's pace. What should have been a 90 minute movie is pushed toward a joyless two hour mark. It's a pity because there's a lovely 100% committed performance by Bae Doona that should be seen. Its funereal pacing allows your mind to wander and you begin asking questions that you shouldn't like where does she get the money to buy clothes, how did she learn to read and write, doesn't her master wonder where she is when she's out, etc. Things like that. With Arata and Joe Odagiri.

Music For Millions (1944)

The women of a touring symphonic orchestra are a tightly knit group. They collectively decide to wait until the orchestra's fragile pregnant bassist (June Allyson) has her baby before letting her know her husband is missing in action. Directed by Henry Koster (THE ROBE). Oy! Does this piece of treacle lay the sentimental slop on doubly thick. The film is schizophrenic. Part musical, part comedy, part weepie, part WWII morale booster but all turkey! Normally I like MGM's premier child actress Margaret O'Brien but she's too cloying here and there were times I just wanted to smack her one. The film is padded out with the contributions of Jose Iturbi who plays the orchestra's leader and he serves us generous doses of Debussy, Grieg, Dvorak, Chopin and Handel in between the hoke. WWII audiences lapped it up and it turned a profit but bizarrely, the film's screenplay was nominated for an original screenplay Oscar! Go figure! With Jimmy Durante, Marsha Hunt, Marie Wilson, Madeleine LeBeau, Ethel Griffies, Hugh Herbert and Connie Gilchrist.

The Little American (1917)

Set during WWI but before the U.S. entered the war. A young American girl (Mary Pickford) is in love with a German (Jack Holt). Naively thinking the Germans will leave her alone since she is a neutral American, she leaves for France to visit her aunt but the ship she is sailing on is sunk by a German submarine. It's only the beginning of her realizing the brutality of war. Produced and co-directed by Cecil B. DeMille along with Joseph Levering. A very well done piece of war propaganda and one of Mary Pickford's more adult films. She's no Little Annie Rooney or Pollyanna here and she is the victim of a graphic attempted rape while trying to protect other women from being raped (she's unsuccessful). The main problem I had with the movie is how she easily she overlooks her lover's participation in the German brutalities although the film makes an attempt to redeem him toward the ridiculous finale. The film's visual highpoint is the sinking of the passenger liner which echoes THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. The transfer I saw had an excellent if perhaps too insistent score by Adam Chavez. With Raymond Hatton and Hobart Bosworth.

Josette (1938)

Two brothers (Don Ameche, Robert Young) attempt to save their father (William Collier Sr.) from a gold digging French chanteuse (Tala Birell). However, they mistake a struggling singer (Simone Simon) working as a wardrobe mistress in a nightclub for the French chanteuse. Based on the play by Paul Frank and Georg Fraser and directed by Allan Dwan (SLIGHTLY SCARLET). A very slight piece of fluff but I'm a bit partial to mistaken identity comedies so I enjoyed it in spite of the predictability and inevitability of the situation. Simone Simon is charming and Robert Young is delightful as a girl chasing cad which leaves the dull Don Ameche, who's okay as his character is supposed to be a bit bland but he has one of the worst drunk scenes I've ever seen. It's so inept that I thought his character was pretending to be drunk only to find out that he was really supposed to be drunk! With Lynn Bari, Joan Davis, Bert Lahr and William Demarest.

The Last Challenge (1967)

After serving five years in prison, a reformed outlaw (Glenn Ford) becomes the respected sheriff of a small town. But his reputation as the fastest gun in the west makes him the target for many a young gunfighter hoping to prove their trigger ability. Based on the novel PISTOLERO'S PROGRESS by John Sherry and directed by Richard Thorpe (IVANHOE). The tale of the young pup arriving in town to take down the older "fastest gun" is a westerns cliche. THE GUNFIGHTER (1950) is probably the best example of this western subgenre. Despite the cliche, this is a decent if slightly tired western, its bittersweet ending eschewing sentimentality. There is one ghastly racial stereotype that nearly topples the movie and that's a sequence of scalping Indians craving whiskey and getting dead drunk and passing out! With Angie Dickinson (better served in POINT BLANK which came out the same year), Chad Everett, Gary Merrill and Jack Elam.

Shadowlands (1985)

An Oxford professor and confirmed bachelor by the name of C.S. Lewis (Joss Ackland) is also a renowned writer of children's stories, most notably the NARNIA books. He strikes up a correspondence with an American poetess (Claire Bloom). When she arrives in England with her two children (Rupert Baderman, Rhys Hopkins), it isn't long before he finds himself falling in love with her. Directed by Norman Stone (FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE). This telefilm was such a success that it was turned into a play which opened in London's West End four years later and then a Broadway production opened the year after that. In 1993, a feature film was made with Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger in the leading roles. I'm not fond of faith based or so called "Christian" films though I don't think this is what the film makers intended, it just turned out that way (something the 1993 movie backpedaled). This talking heads piece is rather dry which made it ideal for theatrical material but makes for a rather stolid film. The reason for watching this are the excellent performances of Joss Ackland and Claire Bloom (who won a best actress BAFTA for her work here). Their lovely work compensates for the loquacious nature of the film. With David Waller as Ackland's brother.