Sabotage (aka The Woman Alone) (1936)

A quietly unobtrusive cinema owner (Oscar Homolka) lives quietly behind the theater with his younger wife (Sylvia Sidney) and her kid brother (Desmond Tester). What his young wife doesn't know however is that her husband is involved with terrorists. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock in his British period, this film doesn't seem to get the love that LADY VANISHES or THE 39 STEPS get but it's every bit as good. Loosely based on THE SECRET AGENT by Joseph Conrad, this is a superbly paced thriller. The two central performances by Homolka and Sidney are excellent and as in most of Hitchcock's classic films, there is a terrific set piece and this one has two. The suspenseful bus ride with a bomb ticking away and the dinner scene with Sidney and the knife. The film has always been somewhat controversial because of using the death of a child as a focal point and Hitchcock himself has said if he could do it over, he would change that sequence but it's in Conrad's book and it remains in the 1996 film version of Conrad's novel too. The film was not a success during its original run but the ensuing years have solidified its reputation. With John Loder, Martita Hunt, Peter Bull and Torin Thatcher.

Marie Antoinette (1956)

The Queen of France (Michele Morgan) embarks on a (mostly) platonic romance with a Swedish Count (Richard Todd) while married to King Louis XVI (Jacques Morel). Incredibly dull. At its two hour running time, it seems more bloated than the 1938 MGM 2 1/2 roadshow with Norma Shearer as the Queen and Tyrone Power as her Swedish lover. It looks quite handsome with Pierre Montazel's Technicolor cinematography, Rene Renoux's luxurious production design and George K. Benda's sumptuous costume design but it's a tedious affair. Morgan still had her looks but she's far too old at this stage of her career to have played the young Queen. To the film's credit, it doesn't attempt a revisionist portrait of Marie Antoinette. She's more or less portrayed as a self centered, pleasure loving aristocrat more interested in new gowns than the welfare of her citizens. But how are we to sympathize with such a creature? The romance between the Queen and the Swede doesn't give off any sparks so we don't even get the pleasure of an old fashioned movie romance. Directed by Jean Delannoy. With Michel Piccoli, Jacques Bergerac and Marina Berti.  

Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)

A small town in Colorado thrives overnight when gold is found but the lawlessness is so bad that they can't keep a sheriff. He's either killed or runs away. Enter a drifter (James Garner) on his way to Australia and things are about to change. Directed by Burt Kennedy, this is an absolutely delightful western spoof. Maybe not as laugh out loud ridiculous as BLAZING SADDLES but sweetly good natured as it ribs the genre. By 1969, Sergio Leone had reinvented the western and Sam Peckinpah would soon turn it on its ear with THE WILD BUNCH so what was left but to parody it? But SUPPORT does so with affection rather than condescension. While its box office legs were wobbly at first, word of mouth made it a hit and eventually there was a sequel 2 years later, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER. The cast is impeccable with everyone in on the joke but thankfully no one over tips their hand. Joan Hackett is adorable as the feisty but clumsy heroine, Walter Brennan parodies the role he played in MY DARLING CLEMENTINE and western veteran Jack Elam just about walks off with the picture as the unwilling deputy (his double takes are hilarious). Also with Bruce Dern, Henry Jones, Harry Morgan, Kathleen Freeman, Gene Evans and Willis Bouchey.

Paterson (2016)

A week in the life of a bus driver (Adam Driver) in Paterson, New Jersey. He drives his bus, writes poetry, walks his English bulldog (Nellie), visits the local bar while encouraging his Indian girlfriend (Golshifteh Farahani) in her creative efforts. Directed by Jim Jarmusch, this plotless film may be trying for those who keep waiting for something to "happen" but if you're disposed to quiet movies about ordinary people living their lives, this is a lovely film. I'm not much of a Jarmusch fan but this movie slowly, very slowly, crept up on me and I ended up liking it a lot. Driver gives a wonderfully understated performance in contrast to Farahani's actressy performance as his ditzy girlfriend who can't decide if she wants to be a cupcake entrepreneur or a country and western singer. Indeed, I have to give kudos to casting directors Ellen Lewis and Meghan Rafferty who've filled every part with actors who look like real people as opposed to 8x10 glossy actor types. As Marvin, the late Nellie gives a scene stealing performance and the film dedicates the film in her memory.  

La Ciociara (aka Two Women) (1960)

Set in the last days of WWII, a young widow (Sophia Loren) and the daughter (Eleonora Brown) she dotes on leave Rome to escape the Allied bombing. They leave for the rural mountain province where the mother has family. But they can't escape the horrors of war, no matter where they go. Based on the novel by Alberto Moravia and directed by Vittorio De Sica. War movies that aim to show the horror that is war usually focus on the battlefield where we're treated to soldiers killing and being killed, stuff like ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. De Sica's film is about the innocents caught in the morass of a war they most likely didn't want in the first place and the mother and daughter's story packs a punch and brings it all painfully home. Loren, who won the best actress Oscar for her performance, was around 26 and younger than the character she's playing (Anna Magnani was originally cast) but she once and for all proved that she was more than just an international sex symbol. A poignant and devastating film experience. With Jean Paul Belmondo, Raf Vallone and Renato Salvatori. 

7th Cavalry (1956)

A Captain (Randolph Scott) in the 7th Cavalry returns with his fiancee (Barbara Hale) to Fort Abraham Lincoln only to find it near deserted. It is then he finds out about the massacre at the Battle Of The Little Big Horn in which General George Custer and his 700 men were defeated in battle. Directed by Joseph H. Lewis (THE BIG COMBO), this is a routine western with little of interest outside of die hard western buffs. Most notable is the film's attempt to whitewash Custer's actions leading up to and during Little Big Horn's face off. The film portrays him as a hero and any attempt to cast aspersions on his reputation are quickly shot down. The film does have one startling moment when an Indian dismisses Christianity as superstition, I wonder how well that went down with 1956 audiences. Very little action really and a mostly talky western. With Jeanette Nolan, Jay C. Flippen, Frank Faylen, Russell Hicks, Michael Pate and Harry Carey Jr.  

Dave (1993)

When the President of the U.S. (Kevin Kline) has a massive stroke during a sexual encounter with his mistress (Laura Linney), the Chief of Staff (Frank Langella) arranges for a lookalike (Kevin Kline) to take his place and continue to implement his policies. But things don't quite turn out that way. Directed by Ivan Reitman (GHOSTBUSTERS), this is a lovely fantasy about the "little man" who finds himself placed in extraordinary circumstances by cynical and manipulative forces and turns against them. It's a very Capraesque scenario, think MEET JOHN DOE,  but although I'm no fan of Capra, I liked DAVE. Yes, it's an incredibly far fetched and unlikely story line but it taps into a caprice all Americans have about actually having a voice in a corrupt government. I do wish the film makers hadn't made Kline's Dave so simple minded. I'm not a fan of the "childlike fools have better insight" school of film making. But that's nitpicking. This is a real charmer of a movie and would make a great double bill with THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. The large cast includes Sigourney Weaver as the first lady, Ben Kingsley, Charles Grodin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ving Rhames, Faith Prince, Kevin Dunn, Bonnie Hunt, Sarah Marshall and Anna Deavere Smith.   

Bad Girl (1931)

A model (Sally Eilers) who thinks all men are on the make finds herself attracted to a man (James Dunn, A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN) who won't giver her a tumble. They eventually marry but a series of misunderstandings threaten to derail the marriage. Based on the novel and play by Vina Delmar, director Frank Borzage won his second Oscar for BAD GIRL (it also got a best picture nomination) but it's really not one of his best films. The title is a misnomer. Eilers isn't a bad girl at all and the film's provocative poster suggests a far more salacious movie than it is. The majority of the film's running time is devoted to misunderstandings between Eilers and Dunn about what each wants out of the relationship. Watching it, all one can think is that if they would only just talk to each other, the air would be cleared and everything would take care of itself. But then, of course, there would be no movie, would there? The movie may be a pre-code production but the film itself is considerably cleaned up from the book (dealing with pre-marital sex and pregnancy) which was considered so risque that it was banned in Boston. With Minna Gombell as the wisecracking best friend.

Suddenly (1954)

In a small California town, the President of the United States is scheduled to make a quick stop before moving on to Los Angeles. A hired assassin (Frank Sinatra) and his gang (Christopher Dark, Paul Frees) invade a small hilltop home and hold the family hostage while awaiting the President's arrival. The assassin's target is the President and the home provides the perfect view to a kill. Directed by Lewis Allen (THE UNINVITED), this tight "B" thriller has grown into quite the cult film in the ensuing years since its release, almost to the point of being overrated. It's a gripping and economical (it runs 1 hour, 17 minutes) noir-ish suspense film that keeps you on the edge. As the hit man, Sinatra delivers a solid performance that keeps the focal point where it belongs. I'm a bit ambiguous about the film's attitude toward guns. The mother (Nancy Gates, SOME CAME RUNNING) is anti-guns and refuses to let her little boy (Kim Charney) play with guns but in the end, it's guns that save the day. I suspect it's a film the NRA would approve of. Other than that, a sturdy piece of entertainment. With Sterling Hayden, James Gleason and Willis Bouchey.    

Change Of Habit (1969)

Three nuns (Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara McNair, Jane Elliot) are involved in an experimental community outreach program by a diocese of the Catholic church. However, they choose to wear secular clothing so their vocation won't impede them. But this causes misunderstanding, especially when a young doctor (Elvis Presley) falls for one of the nuns (Moore). Directed by William A. Graham, this is an updated version of those awful Bing Crosby priest movies from the 1940s. Only this time, the crooner is Elvis and Mary Tyler Moore (who passed away this week) dons Ingrid Bergman's habit. It's updated, of course, though I remain perplexed  that a film featuring an attempted rape of a nun got a "G" rating! This was Presley's last film as an actor but really, he'd just stopped caring at this point and his "performance" consists of expressionless reciting of lines. The most interesting character and story line are Barbara McNair's as the black nun who must question using her habit to hide from the realities of where she came from and her place in an emerging world of black power. Moore was trying to transition from TV to films at this stage of her career but with material like this, it was never going to happen. With Edward Asner, Leora Dana, Richard Carlson, Ruth McDevitt, Regis Toomey, Robert Emhardt and Darlene Love.

The Wild One (1953)

A motorcycle gang rides into a small California town and it isn't long before the bikers and the citizens clash. But the charismatic biker leader (Marlon Brando) finds himself drawn to the small town girl (Mary Murphy) working in the local diner. Based on THE CYCLISTS' RAID, a short story by Frank Rooney which was in turn based on an actual incident. In 1947, thousands of bikers descended into a small California town called Hollister and riots and destruction ensued. Directed by Laslo Benedek but produced by Stanley Kramer, so we get the cautionary moralizing that's typical of his product. Like most topical films, THE WILD ONE hasn't aged well and its "juvenile delinquents" come across as almost a satire (Gene Kelly did parody the film in LES GIRLS). But the film does have its moments, there's the iconic line: "What are you rebelling against?" "What have you got?". But there's a reason the film is highly watchable even today and that's Marlon Brando. It's as much an iconic performance of misunderstood youth as James Dean in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. Brando's tough bravado masking the boy looking for affection underneath. Brando turned film acting on its ear and it's all on display here. I seriously doubt if we would be talking about the film today if Robert Wagner or Jeffrey Hunter played the lead. With Lee Marvin, Robert Keith, Jay C. Flippen, Peggy Maley, Timothy Carey, Ray Teal and Yvonne Doughty.

Maybe I'll Come Home In The Spring (1971)

A disillusioned young runaway teen (Sally Field) returns to her middle class home after spending a year away at a "hippie" commune. But things haven't changed at all and she finds herself between a rock and a hard place. Directed by Joseph Sargent (TAKING OF PELHAM 123), this made for TV film is one tough little cookie of a movie and takes no prisoners. The film doesn't see the alternative lifestyle of the hippie community as an answer and it portrays them as lazy thieving parasites eating out of garbage cans, promiscuous sex and drug taking. But the "squares" are portrayed as uptight monsters, boozing and wife swapping and refusing to even understand their kids. See what I mean by between a rock and a hard place? The telefilm doesn't give us any pat answers or any hope for that matter. Everyone points to SYBIL as the beginning of Field's maturity as an actress but really, she already shows her acting chops here. Perhaps not fully developed but clearly ready. The cinematography by Russell Metty (ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS) is a far cry from his work with Sirk. Plain and rather ugly but I take that as an intentional reflection of the conventional and restrictive lifestyle it portrays. With Eleanor Parker and Jackie Cooper as the parents, David Carradine and Lane Bradford.