Pollyanna (1960)

A 12 year old orphan (Hayley Mills) comes to live with her rich Aunt (Jane Wyman) at the turn of the century. The Aunt owns or runs most of the town and exerts great pressure to the community to accommodate her wishes. Although she is met with great resistance at first, the eternally optimistic young child slowly begins to exert a positive influence on the town. Based on the 1913 novel by Eleanor Porter, a previous film had been made in 1920 with a 27 year old Mary Pickford in the title role which was one of her biggest hits. The Disney film has made a great many changes from the novel. The word "Pollyanna" has unfortunately become synonymous with saccharine which the movie is definitely not. The director David Swift (THE PARENT TRAP) also wrote the screenplay and he's careful to avoid any excessive sentimentality. He is aided in this by an excellent cast of actors who bring some vinegar and levity to their performances and the young Miss Mills manages to avoid the "cutes" that so many child actors mistake for being adorable. The girl is a real actress.  This is a wonderful family film in the best sense of the word. The large cast includes Richard Egan, Karl Malden, Adolphe Menjou, Agnes Moorehead, Nancy Olson, Donald Crisp, Leora Dana, James Drury, Reta Shaw, Edward Platt, Anne Seymour and Kevin Corcoran.

Cafe Metropole (1937)

After writing a bad check, a penniless American (Tyrone Power) is blackmailed by a conniving restaurant owner (Adolphe Menjou) into posing as a Russian prince and wooing a rich American heiress (Loretta Young) for her money. Romantic comedies were quite plentiful in the 1930s and this charming confection is a one of the better ones. Comedy was never Power's forte and he's a little unsure of himself here but he's a winning presence and he and Young make for a fetching couple. But it's the supporting cast that gives the movie its extra edge. Menjou makes for a perfect scoundrel playing one person against the other and always coming out smelling like a rose. Plus there's Gregory Ratoff's penniless but still imperious Russian aristocrat, Charles Winninger's befuddled millionaire and Helen Westley as his wise cracking sister. If you have a penchant for 30s screwball comedies, this should be right up your alley. Directed by Edward H. Griffith. 

Sky Riders (1976)

The wife (Susannah York) and children (Simon Harrison, Stephany Mathews) of a wealthy industrialist (Robert Culp) are kidnapped by terrorists who demand money and weapons in exchange for their safe return. The wife's ex-husband (James Coburn) plots a daring rescue on his own however. This is a "guilty" pleasure, a thrilling action rescue film with plot loopholes that cannot be ignored yet ignoring them is the only way to keep your sanity.  The dialog is mundane, the terrorists inept, the characters cardboard but the air rescue from a Greek monastery is so spectacular that everything else is forgiven. Well, almost. And unless my eyes are terribly mistaken, it looks like James Coburn did a lot of the breathtaking stunt work himself. Three directors of cinematography (Jim Freeman, Greg MacGillivray, Ousama Rawi) are credited so I don't know who is responsible for the stunning aerial shots or gorgeous Greek landscapes. Directed by Douglas Hickox. With Charles Aznavour, John Beck, Zouzou and Ernie Orsatti.

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2015)

A mentally unstable young Japanese woman (Rinko Kikuchi, an Oscar nominee for BABEL) is obsessed with the American film FARGO. With a minimal command of the English language and a stolen credit card, she journeys to Minnesota in search of the buried money shown in the film which she believes is a true story. KUMIKO debuted at the 2014 Sundance film festival and spent the rest of 2014 making the film festival circuit. It is only now that it is being released in the U.S. and elsewhere. The title sounds like an animated Japanese feature from the Studio Ghibli but it's based on the suicide of Takako Konishi, a Japanese office worker who was found dead in a field in Minnesota, which has blossomed into a sort of urban legend that she died looking for money Steve Buscemi buried in the film FARGO. As directed by David Zellner (who plays a kindly policeman in the film), it's relentlessly grim. One can pretty much sense where the film is going and once it leaves Japan and gets to Minnesota, you're sure of it ..... and it does. I don't know if I can say I "enjoyed" it but I did like it. I could have done without the faux coda however which seems out of place. With Nobuyuki Katsube and Shirley Venard.

Il Bidone (1955)

An aging con man (Broderick Crawford) makes his living by swindling poor and gullible peasants. He has two partners: a weak willed aspiring artist (Richard Basehart) with a wife (Giulietta Masina) and child to support and a self deluded playboy (Franco Fabrizi). But he begins to realize that his time is running out and the future looks grim. Made between two of his most acclaimed films (LA STRADA and NIGHTS OF CABIRIA), this is a minor offering by Federico Fellini that is made up of a series of fragmented scenes that as a whole never quite matches up to the sum of its parts. The film's best scene is a cocktail party that gives hints of LA DOLCE VITA to come. With the exception of Masina, the film's characters are unsympathetic so it's hard to invest in their fates. But the acting, especially from Crawford, is very good and the film's distressing ending has an impact. The score by Nino Rota isn't particularly memorable. Still, I enjoyed it more than some of Fellini's more acclaimed films.

Manuela (1957)

A 42 year old captain (Trevor Howard) of a cargo ship is disillusioned with his life and drinks heavily. But when he discovers a 17 year old stowaway (Elsa Martinelli) on board, he falls in love and becomes oblivious to his duties as captain of the ship. Realistically, is there a future for them? Based on the novel by William Woods (who also did the screenplay), this is an early directorial effort by Guy Hamilton (GOLDFINGER). It's an interesting film that seems to have slipped under the radar (it currently has only 36 votes on its IMDb page) of most filmgoers. While not quite LOLITA, its tale of an aging alcoholic sea captain and a young underage girl is handled tastefully and honestly. The film's ending is ambiguous thus leaving us to give it the ending we want to imagine which I preferred to an alternate ending that was shot but not used which was more bleak. Howard, one of the best British actors (who still hasn't been given his due), is excellent here and Martinelli (obviously older than 17) is charming. They make up for Pedro Armendariz, who as the boat's chief engineer can't resist the chance to overact. With Donald Pleasence and Jack MacGowran.

Fedora (1978)

A film producer (William Holden) who has seen better days attends the funeral of the legendary film actress Fedora (Marthe Keller). At the funeral, he reflects how only two weeks earlier he went to Greece in an attempt to lure the actress out of retirement to star in his film. But what he discovers there is a more startling story than anything she played out on the screen. Based on a novella by actor turned writer Thomas Tryon (THE OTHER), this is a rather silly film. It's been decades since I've read Tryon's book but I don't recall his story being so foolish. If one didn't know that Billy Wilder was one of Hollywood's greatest film directors, from this film you'd assume he was a hack. I can't help but compare it to Aldrich's LEGEND OF LYLAH CLARE since both films are very similar thematically. Aldrich's film isn't very good either but it has a sense of the absurd and it's much livelier. And it takes a star to play a star and Marthe Keller isn't a star. You can't believe she was a Hollywood legend. At least in LYLAH CLARE, they had a real star (Kim Novak) playing a Hollywood legend. No one is at there best here, even Miklos Rozsa's score sounds warmed over. With Hildegard Knef, Jose Ferrer, Frances Sternhagen, Arlene Francis, Stephen Collins, Mario Adorf and as themselves, Henry Fonda and Michael York.

Trial (1955)

In a small California beach town, a Mexican youth (Rafael Campos) is arrested for the murder of a 16 year old girl. A law professor (Glenn Ford) attempting to get some criminal trial experience is given the case to handle by the head (Arthur Kennedy in an Oscar nominated performance) of a small law firm. But the trial lawyer finds himself not only fighting the town's racism but the intentional exploitation of his client by his employer for his own political agenda. Earlier in the year, MGM had a critical and box office hit with BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK which dealt with racism against Japanese-Americans during WWII. But it was filmed in Eastman color and CinemaScope and employed some action sequences. TRIAL is a grittier film, shot in B&W and eschewing any thriller aspects. The film fully takes on racism (the judge in the case is black) and both the communist party and House Of Un-American Activities Committee. A lot on its plate, perhaps too much because the ending is unsatisfactory. But the intent is appreciated and for the most part executed admirably. Directed by Mark Robson (PEYTON PLACE). With Dorothy McGuire, John Hodiak, Katy Jurado, Robert Middleton, Elisha Cook, Barry Kelley and John Hoyt. 

Hands Across The Table (1935)

A gold digging manicurist (Carole Lombard) and a penniless playboy (Fred MacMurray) hook up with the understanding that they're both looking to marry for wealth, not love. But as Cupid works his magic, they have a hard time sticking to the agenda. Directed by Mitchell Leisen (HOLD BACK THE DAWN), this amiable comedy is boosted by the presence of Lombard and MacMurray who make for a great romantic team. If one is only familiar with the Disneyfied MacMurray of the 1960s, it can come as surprise to see how much charm he had and yes, sex appeal. And Lombard is lovely without that shrillness that mars her performances in her more acclaimed films like MY MAN GODFREY and TWENTIETH CENTURY. It's a piffle of a movie really but so effortless that one doesn't have to work very hard to enjoy it. Ralph Bellamy is again the third wheel but it's a relief to see him not played as a doofus and the butt of jokes as he was in THE AWFUL TRUTH and HIS GIRL FRIDAY. With William Demarest, Ruth Donnelly and Astrid Allwyn.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

A pair of bank robbing brothers (George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino) force a pastor (Harvey Keitel), traveling with his daughter (Juliette Lewis) and adopted Chinese son (Ernest Liu), into taking them across the border to Mexico. But what they find in Mexico is infinitely more horrifying than the law that's after them. Directed by Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY) from a rather silly screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, this vampire comedy lacks the playfulness of LOVE AT FIRST BITE. The first part of the film, before they get to Mexico, is poorly done. Tarantino's awful performance just pulls one out of the movie. Clooney seems embarrassed (why do I suspect he'd love to wipe this film from his resume), Lewis seems to be having fun and one has to admire Keitel for saying a line like "I'll be a lap dog of Satan" with a straight face. The first vampire attack in the Mexican bar is a spectacular piece of pulp horror cinema, beautifully done. It's not a film to be taken remotely seriously. In fact, I've met some people who don't think/know it's a comedy. Also in the cast: Salma Hayek, John Saxon, Michael Parks, Fred Williamson (I can't tell if his acting is bad or it's the putrid dialog he's given), Kelly Preston, Cheech Marin, Marc Lawrence and John Hawkes.

The Magic Christian (1969)

One of the world's wealthiest men (Peter Sellers) legally adopts a young homeless vagrant (Ringo Starr). He then proceeds to show the boy that every man has his price and if the money is large enough, they will do anything for money. Based on the novel by Terry Southern, who co-wrote the screenplay with the director Joseph McGrath, the film has no real plot to speak of but it's a series of comedy sketches. The humor is very hit and miss (more of the latter than the former) and if one isn't especially attuned to English humor, perhaps even less than that. McGrath was one of the directors of the 1967 CASINO ROYALE which, like MAGIC CHRISTIAN, was a bit of a mess but at least it was more consistent in its tone. After awhile, watching people humiliating themselves for the almighty dollar (or pound in this case) isn't funny anymore. Even if one shares the film's cynicism regarding humankind, the film has made its point and then it's just repetition. The large cast includes Laurence Harvey, Raquel Welch, Yul Brynner, Richard Attenborough, John Cleese, Christopher Lee, Roman Polanski, Dennis Price, Wilfrid Hyde White, Isabel Jeans and Hattie Jacques.

The Other Love (1947)

A world famous concert pianist (Barbara Stanwyck) is diagnosed with a possibly terminal illness and sent to a Swiss sanitarium for rest and treatment. She falls in love with her doctor (David Niven) but confronted with her own mortality, she leaves the sanitarium and runs off to Monte Carlo with a handsome race car driver (Richard Conte). Based on the short story BEYOND by Erich Maria Remarque, this is a decent 1940s soap opera with Stanwyck wasting away in a stylish Edith Head wardrobe while Miklos Rozsa's violins play on the soundtrack. It's what used to (still?) be called a weepie and for what it is, it's predictably entertaining. Stanwyck is one of those actresses who is eminently watchable regardless of the quality of the script and she manages to bring some genuine pathos to her part. Still, it's the kind of thing Douglas Sirk did so much better at Universal (think MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION). Directed by Andre De Toth. With Gilbert Roland, Joan Lorring, Natalie Schafer, Lenore Aubert and Ann Codee.