Bullet Train (2022)

Set in Tokyo, a professional assassin (Brad Pitt) is assigned to retrieve a briefcase from a bullet train traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto. What seems like a simple assignment turns into a nightmare when the clueless assassin discovers that fellow passengers include several other assassins as well as an innocent looking schoolgirl (Joey King) with a diabolical plan. Based on the novel MARIA BEETLE by Kotaro Isaka and directed by David Leitch (JOHN WICK). This action comedy is over the top and over complicated and doesn't know when to stop as it piles absurdity after absurdity onto its plate. That being said, I don't think I've had so much pure fun at any other movie in 2022. Like the bullet train of the title, the film races rapidly and it becomes a task to keep track of the characters and who's who and who's doing what to who, etc. But it's best just to let your mind take a break and enjoy the craziness of it all. Still, if you insist on realism and logic, this is not the movie for you. With Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Ryan Reynolds, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada and Zazie Beetz.

Pretty Baby (1978)

Set in the New Orleans Red Light district in 1917, a young child (Brooke Shields) lives in a brothel where her mother (Susan Sarandon) works as a prostitute. Although still a child, it's inevitable that she will follow in her mother's footsteps. Directed by Louis Malle (MURMUR OF THE HEART), this is a film that could never be made today. If it was, the lead would never be played by an 11 year old actress (Shields' age at the time). They would probably cast a 16 year old actress or an 18 year old who looked 16 which destroys what the film is about. A child (not a teenage) prostitute maintaining her innocence in a sordid surrounding until the reality forces her eyes open. Like the child Elizabeth Taylor, Shields has a woman's face on a child's body which is disconcerting. The part doesn't require Shields to act so much as let natural innocence shine through. It's an uncomfortable film to sit through but that's the point, we should be uncomfortable. Bourgeois minds (like gossip columnist Rona Barrett) attacked the film as child pornography when it opened but today, it stands proudly next to Malle's best films. Malle has always had a penchant for the darker aspects of childhood and adolescence (AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS, LACOMBE LUCIEN, MURMUR OF THE HEART) and PRETTY BABY may be his darkest. Thumbs up for Sven Nykvist's superb precise lighting and cinematography. With Keith Carradine, Barbara Steele, Diana Scarwid, Antonio Fargas, Mae Mercer and as the brothel's madam, cabaret singer Frances Faye.

Cry Wolf (1947)

A recent widow (Barbara Stanwyck) visits her husband's (Richard Basehart) family for the first time and finds herself drawn to a man she knows she should fear: her husband's remote, controlling uncle (Errol Flynn). Meanwhile, there are screams in the night, a sudden death and a locked laboratory in a windswept mansion. Based on the novel by Marjorie Carleton and directed by Peter Godfrey (CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT). The one and only pairing of two screen icons, Stanwyck and Flynn, is a bit of a disappointment. No so much for the movie itself which is a moderately entertaining and competent piece of mystery (though when its "mystery" is revealed, it's a letdown) but because Stanwyck and especially Flynn are miscast. In an atypical role, Flynn is a rigid scientist and displays none of the swash of his adventure movies and tough cookie Stanwyck is hardly a damsel in distress. With Geraldine Brooks, Jerome Cowan and Patricia Barry.

The Rain People (1969)

Two months pregnant and feeling trapped, a young wife (Shirley Knight) leaves her sleeping husband a note and drives away from her Long Island home and hits the road hoping to find herself. Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola (THE GODFATHER). Several years before early feminist films like A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE, ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE and AN UNMARRIED WOMAN were acclaimed, Coppola turned his camera's eye toward examining a contemporary woman's dilemma: unhappy in the traditional "wife" role thrust on her by a patriarchal society, unsure if she even wants to be a mother, going from her father's identity as his daughter to her husband's identity as his wife, who is she?  As she stumbles awkwardly on her road trip, Coppola doesn't give us any answers. When Knight picks up a mentally challenged child like hitchhiker (James Caan), she's attracted to him yet she also realizes she doesn't want the responsibility of taking care of him which mirrors her own fear of impending motherhood. The film ends without closure. Will Knight return to her husband? Has she "found" herself? Is she any better off than when she began her journey? With Robert Duvall and Tom Aldredge.

Give Me Your Heart (1936)

Set in England, a young woman (Kay Francis) has an affair with a married man (Patric Knowles). When she becomes pregnant, he and his wife (Frieda Inescort) adopt the baby as their own. She moves to New York where she marries but her guilt over giving up her child threatens her marriage. Based on the play SWEET ALOES by Joyce Carey and directed by Archie Mayo (THE PETRIFIED FOREST). Yes, it's Kay Francis suffering and suffering and suffering again. Not even her adoring husband (George Brent), her closet stuffed with glamorous designer clothes and a spacious New York apartment at a fancy address can ease her suffering! The poor dear! Not to worry, by the movie's end everything is tied in a neat little ribbon and Kay is happy again. If you're a Kay Francis fan (I'm quite partial to her) then you know what you're in for. As her good friend, the affable Roland Young is around to provide a few laughs to alleviate Kay's angst. With Henry Stephenson and Elspeth Dudgeon.

Casanova (1927)

Set in 1760's Venice, the renowned philanderer Casanova (Ivan Mosjoukine) enjoys a sumptuous and flirtatious existence until his indiscreet behavior alerts his rivals and forces the the city's authorities to banish him. But before they can, he escapes and heads to Russia. Directed by Alexandre Volkoff, the film is a grandiose and lavish (including a spectacular color sequence during carnival) entertainment and that's all it is. There's not much there other than the opulent visuals and at 2 hours and 40 minutes, it wears thin after awhile. Mosjoukine was a popular Russian silent film star who emigrated to France where he had a successful career. In 1926, he was signed by Universal and came to America but after one film (1927's SURRENDER), he returned to Europe. The film remains of interest because of its technical features but the lack of substance along with its self indulgent length may be off putting to potential audiences. But I love silent cinema so I gave it a pass which I might not have if it had been a sound film. With Suzanne Blanchetti as Catherine the Great, Diane Karenne, Jenny Jugo, Paul Guide and Rudolf Klein Rogge. 

The Singing Nun (1966)

Set in Belgium, a young nun (Debbie Reynolds) leaves her convent in Antwerp for a convent in a poverty stricken area in Brussels. When it is discovered she plays guitar and has a lovely singing voice, the parish priest (Ricardo Montalban) arranges to have her songs recorded. A fictionalized version of the life of Jeannine Deckers, who briefly found fame as Sister Sourire aka The Singing Nun and directed by Henry Koster (THE ROBE). A throwback to those saccharine priest/nun films of the 1940s (GOING MY WAY, BELLS OF ST. MARY'S, COME TO THE STABLE etc.), this film creaked even in 1966. It's not as bad as GOING MY WAY (what could be?) but it's a calculated "wholesome" family movie (it was the Easter attraction at Radio City Music Hall) with not an honest moment in the whole movie. None of it the fault of Debbie Reynolds who gives it her spunky all but this mawkish mishmash was doomed from the start. Actually, the story of the real singing nun would make a fascinating film: she never saw a penny from her hit album, left the convent and lived in poverty and eventually committed suicide with her longtime companion. With Greer Garson, Katharine Ross, Chad Everett, Agnes Moorehead, Juanita Moore and Michael Pate.

Bright Victory (1951)

Set during WWII, an army Sergeant (Arthur Kennedy in an Oscar nominated performance) is blinded by a German sniper and lands in a military hospital where he begins a long and painful road to recovery. Based on the novel LIGHTS OUT by Baynard Kendrick and directed by Mark Robson (VALLEY OF THE DOLLS). Much admired in its day (Kennedy won the New York Film Critics award for best actor), today it resembles a well intentioned TV movie of the week. This situation was better done in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES with Harold Russell as the disabled veteran trying to adjust to a post military life. The most interesting aspect of the movie is Kennedy's racism and how his blindness helps him overcome the bigotry he was taught as a child. I also appreciated the fairness in which Kennedy's fiancee (Julie Adams) was portrayed. She's unable to deal with his blindness but the film doesn't make her a "bad" person for being honest. With Peggy Dow, Rock Hudson, Richard Egan, Murray Hamilton, Jim Backus and James Edwards.

It's A Great Feeling (1949)

The stable of contract directors at Warner Brothers refuse to work with actor Jack Carson (who plays himself) because of his ego and temperament so he decides to direct his next movie himself. The next problem is finding a leading lady since like the directors, the actresses under contract refuse to work with Carson too. Enter a fresh young face (Doris Day) and Carson and his friend and leading man Dennis Morgan (who plays himself) decide to build her up as the star of the movie. Directed by David Butler (CALAMITY JANE), this piece of Technicolor fluff is agreeable enough and in her third movie, Day solidifies her position as Warners premier musical star. But the real fun is spotting all the Warner contract players and directors crammed into the movie, many of them like Gary Cooper, Edward G. Robinson and Joan Crawford having fun spoofing their screen personas. For film buffs, it's like a visit to the candy store! The huge cast also includes Errol Flynn, Jane Wyman, Danny Kaye, Patricia Neal, Ronald Reagan, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet, Raoul Walsh, Michael Curtiz, King Vidor, Bill Goodwin and Jacqueline DeWit.

The Shopworn Angel (1938)

Set during WWI, a naive Texas cowboy (James Stewart) in the Army will soon be shipped overseas. He meets a sophisticated Broadway actress (Margaret Sullavan), who while in love with another man (Walter Pidgeon), strings him along out of kindness while he falls in love. Based on the short story PRIVATE PETTIGREW'S GIRL by Dana Burnet which had been filmed twice previously (1919,1928) and directed by H.C. Potter (THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER). The first two versions were pre-code so this had to be cleaned up a bit from its sexual elements. The story has a lot of tenderness and charm and if it had gone with a more realistic ending instead of the tear jerking Hollywood ending, it would have been more satisfying. As it is, the ending is a cop out but the movie was a hit so I guess it was okay with 1938 audiences. In a rare glamorous role, Sullavan looks lovely and fortunately she has the ability of making the most awkward lines (and they are a lot of them) sound natural and, of course, she and Stewart have a proven chemistry. With Hattie McDaniel in one of her best roles, Sam Levene, Virginia Grey and Nat Pendleton.

Trash (1970)

A heroin addict (Joe Dallesandro) is impotent because of his drug use which frustrates his live in girlfriend (Holly Woodlawn). She eventually concocts a plan to get on welfare by pretending to be pregnant. Written and directed by Paul Morrisey (CHELSEA GIRLS), this underground film is perhaps a perfect specimen of the 16 millimeter improv films turned out by the Andy Warhol factory from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s before they petered out. It's certainly one if not the most "commercial" entries and it was a hit in art houses in the urban film markets. The "acting" is almost non existent (most of the enervated actors sound like they're reading their lines off a cue card) although the transgender actress Holly Woodlawn gives a vigorous comic performance. The movie has a feel for the squalor of the 70s subculture and even today, some of its scenes are quite shocking. Its use of graphic drug taking (shooting up with needles), nudity (Dallesandro's casual full frontal) and sex (Woodlawn has sex with a beer bottle) are both gasp inducing and hilarious, often at the same time. With Jane Forth, Michael Sklar, Bruce Pecheur, Andrea Feldman and Geri Miller.

Gone In The Night (2022)

When a woman (Winona Ryder) and her new boyfriend (John Gallagher Jr.) arrive at a remote cabin they've rented, they find a mysterious young couple (Owen Teague, Brianne Tju) already there. But when her boyfriend disappears with the young woman, she becomes obsessed with finding an explanation but there is a more diabolical plot behind the disappearance. Co-written and directed by Eli Horowitz in his directorial debut. While the first half of the film sets up a genuine sense of dread, we get flashbacks which gives us clues that Ryder's character is not privy to so we are able (if we pay attention) to solve the mystery before she does. The ending is pretty preposterous by the time we arrive there but Horowitz cheats a bit. There's one important question that Ryder's character (or anyone in her position) would ask but she never does. That she never asks that question and with the introduction of the cabin's owner (Dermot Mulroney), if one adds one and one, you should come up with two and the "secret" begins to unravel. All that aside, I rather liked it despite its obviousness.