Anonymous (2011)

The Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans as the elder, Jamie Campbell Bower as the younger) has a passion for writing but his puritanical father in law (David Thewlis), who is advisor to Queen Elizabeth I (Vanessa Redgrave as the elder, Joely Richardson as the younger) refuses him in having his plays performed. The Earl then asks playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) to take credit but instead an illiterate, lazy actor by the name of William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) takes the credit for writing the Earl's plays. Directed by the hack Roland Emmerich (INDEPENDENCE DAY) from a preposterous and offensive script by John Orloff, this is a perfectly dreadful film. There's absolutely no basis in fact for Orloff's assertion (the historical accuracies are multiple) and its portrayal of Shakespeare as an illiterate, blackmailing, womanizing murderer claiming credit for someone else's work is the most ludicrous defamation of character since the portrayal of Mozart as an idiot savant in AMADEUS. Still, audiences ate up AMADEUS and my film companion was swooning over ANONYMOUS so anything's possible though I can't see anyone beyond the conspiracy theorists eating up this garbage. Save for Redgrave, Richardson and Edward Hogg, I can't recall a major film in recent years with such appalling acting. With Derek Jacobi.

Babettes Gaestebud (aka Babette's Feast) (1987)

In 19th century Denmark, two elderly sisters (Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel of Dreyer's ORDET), the daughters of a now deceased but strict minister, take in a French refugee (Stephane Audran). They live in a small, barren village on the coast of Denmark and continue to do their father's religious work though his sect is dying out. On the occasion of the father's 100th birthday, Babette insists on cooking a genuine French dinner for the congregation. Based on the story by Isak Dinesen (famously portrayed by Meryl Streep in OUT OF AFRICA), writer and director Gabriel Axel has given us a poignant story on redemption, generosity, faith and food. The exquisite dinner scene where these pious villagers, for whom food is merely something necessary to survive, discover the sensual pleasure of a great meal as well as food for the soul is a treasure. Vegetarians may wince at the sight of all the chopped up animals, however. Winner of the 1987 Oscar for best foreign film. With Bibi Andersson, Lisbeth Movin (Dreyer's DAY OF WRATH), Jarl Kulle and Jean Philippe Lafont, who overacts as the opera singer.

Once Is Not Enough (1975)

The young daughter (Deborah Raffin) of an Oscar winning film producer (Kirk Douglas) has an Oedipal fixation. When the father remarries to one of the world's wealthiest women (Alexis Smith), she finds a romantic replacement in the form of an older, alcoholic novelist (David Janssen) who her father detests. Based on the best selling potboiler by Jacqueline Susann (it was the second best selling novel of 1973), this is near irresistible glam trash. Beautiful, rich people in large elegant penthouses, the Plaza and Waldorf Astoria in New York, the Beverly Hills Hotel, Switzerland and Spain, mysterious Garbo-esque actresses (Melina Mercouri), playboys (George Hamilton) with bordello red bedrooms etc. All accompanied by Susann's purple prose while Henry Mancini's lush score provides the mood. It doesn't reach the delirious heights of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS or THE CARPETBAGGERS but it'll do. Curiously the film seems reticent in its hetero sex scenes but titillates with a lesbian love scene between Smith and Mercouri which must have seemed daring in 1975. Directed by Guy Green. With Brenda Vaccaro (in an Oscar nominated performance) as a potty mouthed, promiscuous magazine editor, Gary Conway and Lillian Randolph.

Sherlock Jr. (1924)

A movie projectionist (Buster Keaton, who also directed) daydreams about being a great detective. One afternoon, he falls asleep and imagines he walks into the movie playing in the auditorium and becomes one of the characters, the great detective Sherlock Jr. This perfectly charming comedy displays Keaton's remarkable talents as a physical comedian. Even a tired old joke like slipping on a banana peel easily gets a belly laugh when Keaton does it. The film is crammed with marvelous "how did they do that?" sight gags like Keaton literally jumping through an old lady or a series of visual jests as when Keaton is unable to adjust to a rapid series of location switches while in the projected movie. I can't help but wonder if Woody Allen's PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO wasn't influenced by Keaton's film. With Kathryn McGuire, Ward Crane, Joe Keaton (Buster's father) and Erwin Connelly.

Halloween H20 (1998)

The headmistress (Jamie Lee Curtis) of a posh boarding school is a neurotic, functioning alcoholic and a single mother of a 17 year old boy (Josh Hartnett). Her condition stems from an incident 20 years earlier when her insane brother (as a child, he murdered his older sister) escaped from a mental institution and slaughtered her friends and unsuccessfully attempted to kill her. Now, 20 years later, he returns. Normally sequels made 20 years after the fact don't work very well but ignoring the four sequels that followed HALLOWEEN II, director Steve Miner (FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2) whips up a fairly decent horror film and a strong central performance by Curtis cements the essence of the original 1978 John Carpenter classic. That doesn't mean that the film's screenplay isn't often needlessly sloppy and illogical though as when a character pumped full of bullets is later seen feisty and vibrant with only a bandage around his head! The film has some wit to it such as the casting of Janet Leigh (Curtis' real life mother) as her secretary, who in final scene drives off in the same car she drove in PSYCHO. With Michelle Williams, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Adam Arkin and LL Cool J.

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (1956)

A newspaper publisher (Sidney Blackmer) and a writer (Dana Andrews) concoct a plan to show the inherent flaws of capital punishment by planting false evidence at the scene of a crime suggesting that the writer is guilty of murder. Once the writer is convicted of the murder, the publisher will provide evidence of the writer's innocence. Of course, due to unforeseen circumstances something goes horribly wrong. Directed by Fritz Lang, it's an intriguing little thriller but it doesn't carry the weight of Lang's other (better) 1956 film, WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS also starring Andrews. It's ironic "twist" ending can be easily guessed at but it's expertly made nonetheless though Lang doesn't seem much interested in the subject matter. Still, I suppose that won't stop the Lang auteurists from seeing something in it that isn't there. Neither Andrews nor Joan Fontaine as his fiancee seem very present in their scenes but some of the supporting cast, in particular Barbara Nichols, Robin Raymond and Joyce Taylor as three strippers manage to make an impression. This was Lang's last American film before returning to Germany. The cast includes Arthur Franz, Edward Binns, Shepperd Strudwick and Dan Seymour.

Antony And Cleopatra (1972)

William Shakespeare's tale of the intense and tragic romance of Antony and Cleopatra with its historical, panoramic background would seem ideal for cinema. And indeed, director and star Charlton Heston (who had played Antony two years earlier in an unsuccessful film adaptation of JULIUS CAESAR) has created a rich looking film that belies its modest budget. More importantly, it is not a static "Old Vic" reproduction but a vibrant cinematic experience that still manages to retain its Shakespearean authority. Heston concocts all kinds of clever visual conceits, like Proculeius' (Julian Glover) entry into Cleopatra's monument, that were not in Shakespeare's text but add a cinematic touch to the proceedings. The film's modest budget precludes any detailed battle scenes which seem quickly telegraphed but other than that, one doesn't feel cheated. While Heston makes for a commanding and robust Antony, the film suffers somewhat from the anemic Cleopatra of Hildegard Neil (A TOUCH OF CLASS) while the actress who could have made an imposing Cleopatra, Jane Lapotaire, plays the handmaiden Charmian. There's a sumptuous score by John Scott that positively shimmers and the accomplished cinematography by Rafael Pacheco . With Fernando Rey, John Castle, Freddie Jones, Carmen Sevilla and Eric Porter.

King Of The Khyber Rifles (1953)

A newly arrived Captain (Tyrone Power) to the North West Frontier must deal with the prejudice of being a half caste (a British father, a Muslim mother). The situation intensifies when it is discovered that his adopted brother (Guy Rolfe) is an anti-British fanatic who is leading a rebellion against the British and also, when he begins romancing the daughter (Terry Moore) of his garrison's General (Michael Rennie). Based on the novel of the same name and previously made in 1929 by John Ford, this early CinemaScope offering is a grand "Boys' Own" adventure tale with all the requisite ingredients. A dashing and handsome hero, a lovely damsel, thrilling battles, desert storms, an exotic and colorful background. Leon Shamroy's (PLANET OF THE APES) majestic cinematography makes the Sierra Nevada mountains and Lone Pine, California locations look like 1857 India! Directed by Henry King and with a glorious Bernard Herrmann score which gets the film's pulse going. With John Justin, Murray Matheson, Frank DeKova and Argentina Brunetti.

Simon And Laura (1955)

At the BBC, a "reality" television show with the cameras following the daily home life of a happily married famous acting couple (Peter Finch, Kay Kendall) becomes a big hit. In actuality, their marriage is on shaky ground. Based on the play by Alan Melville and directed by Muriel Box (RATTLE OF A SIMPLE MAN). The surfeit of reality TV shows in today's culture are a given so it's a bit surprising to see that over 50 years ago, the idea of a so called "reality" show was already given credence. Of course, the TV show isn't real at all, it's every bit as scripted as the reality TV shows of today and audiences in the film eat it up and buy it just as they do in the present. The film plays it safe and doesn't take advantage of the full potential of the premise that it initially promises. It's a bit amusing to see Finch in a film that satirizes the TV medium that he would return to satirizing 20 years later in his Oscar winning role in NETWORK. But Finch doesn't have the spirit of a farceur but the delightful Kendall (looking great in her Julie Harris wardrobe) does which allows her to walk away with the film, what there is of it worth taking anyway. The benign score is by Benjamin Frankel. With Ian Carmichael, Muriel Pavlow, Maurice Denham, Thora Hird and Jill Ireland.

First Olympics Athens 1896 (1984)

The behind the scenes story of the creation of the first Olympic games held in the modern era. The emphasis is on the American team with the focus on two specific characters, a Boston Irish working class track and field runner (David Caruso) and an upper class Princeton man (Hunt Block). Also prominent an Australian (Benedict Taylor in the film's best performance) at Oxford and a Greek peasant (Nicos Ziagos) both also competing. Despite its lengthy four hour running time, the film manages to not only retain one's interest but stir your emotions and create suspense. Toward the very end, it bogs down a bit with a little schmaltz but not enough to spoil it. The emphasis on the American team has the misfortune of suggesting that they dominated the first Olympics and while they won 11 gold medals, more than any other country, other countries like Greece, France and Germany had multiple wins also but no time is spent on them. Directed by Alvin Rakoff with an Emmy winning score by Bruce Broughton. The large cast includes Angela Lansbury, Louis Jourdan, Honor Blackman, Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Gayle Hunnicutt, Titos Vandis and in an Emmy nominated role, David Ogden Stiers.

The Absent Minded Professor (1961)

A chemistry professor (Fred MacMurray) is so absent minded that he has missed his wedding twice. He misses it a third time when he accidentally invents "flubber" (flying rubber) which attracts the attention of a greedy businessman (Keenan Wynn). But the professor is still determined to win back the girl (Nancy Olson) he loves. Based on the short story A SITUATION OF GRAVITY by Samuel Taylor and directed by Robert Stevenson (THE LOVE BUG). This beloved Walt Disney film spawned a sequel as well as a remake and a sequel to the remake. The original still retains its simplistic (or should I say simple minded?) charm though it requires a chunk of suspension of belief. The Oscar nominated special effects hold up surprisingly well over 50 years later. Still, it plays today like a kid friendly Nickelodeon or Disney channel sitcom and I suspect nostalgia may play a part in one's affection for it. With Tommy Kirk, Leon Ames, Ed Wynn, Edward Andrews, Elliott Reid, Wally Brown and Harriet MacGibbon.

Bright Leaf (1950)

The son (Gary Cooper) of a North Carolina tenant farmer, who was run out of town many years ago, returns home to get his revenge on the tobacco baron (Donald Crisp) who sent him packing. Meanwhile, two women will have an important role in his plans. The madam (Lauren Bacall) of the local brothel who loves him and the tobacco baron's daughter (Patricia Neal) who he loves. Based on the novel by Foster Fitsimmons and directed by Michael Curtiz (WHITE CHRISTMAS). This succulent piece of melodrama is a corker of an entertainment. Michael Curtiz, keeps the storyline on the straight and narrow without any extraneous secondary plots or characters to slow it down. Cooper's Brant Royle is the epitome of a man driven more by hate than by ambition in his rise to power. But the film belongs to Patricia Neal's arrogant, flirtatious Southern belle. Neal is so mesmerizing that it's easy to see why Cooper's character chooses her over Bacall despite the fact that she is obviously so wrong for him. Cooper is very good here as a man who stops at nothing to get what he wants, only to find himself destroyed by the very thing(s) he wants. The strong score is by Victor Young. With Jack Carson, Jeff Corey, Gladys George, Elizabeth Patterson, Cleo Moore, Nita Talbot and Marietta Canty.