Finding Nemo

I know people will be APPALLED Finding Nemo hadn’t been viewed until last night; no need to even ask. There’s still only some Pixar that’s been viewed in my life; might as well select one that due to its popularity even I knew several main characters, the catchphrases, and yes the memes. I had no idea there was a rough opening that while not as devastating as the beginning of Up, was still sad.

I also did not know that Nemo’s dad Marlin was a helicopter parent, although the reasons why were obvious. On the other hand, even I know that there seems to be a “Pixar formula” where a pair of disparate characters team up on a quest to locate something or someone. That didn’t bother me too much in Finding Nemo. Heck, the Dory character was more tolerable than expected; I’m talking about the character’s behavior only and not my personal feelings on the individual who voiced them… someone who rightfully has been cancelled between then & now.

The film was rather charming between Marlin & Dory’s journey to find his son and Nemo’s adventures w/ his new pals inside the dentist aquarium. The latter amused me as a childhood dentist did have an aquarium, albeit in the waiting room and not right alongside the dentist’s chair. The DDS I have now isn’t an Australian bloke but rather a French lady w/ an accent.

The film had lovely computer animation, was especially colorful underwater, had a nice score from Randy Newman’s cousin Thomas (did you know that he’s been nominated for an Oscar on 15 occasions yet has NEVER won once? It’d be nice if he finally receive a trophy in the future) and there were moments that middle-aged me enjoyed. 

Ray the teacher and his big words amused me, along with the surfer dude turtles, the Oceanic setting, and the usage of some actors from that region, like Eric Bana, Barry Humphries, and Bruce Spence. Despite being a Yankee, yes I’ve heard of Dame Edna; they tried to make that character popular in America over 3 decades ago-it didn’t work but I haven’t really seen the character so I can’t offer my opinion. Giving the main shark the name “Bruce” is a nice wink to film nerds like us.

Whether or not Finding Dory will ever be tackled is up in the air; there is still Pixar pictures that are better regarded which should be experienced first. Thankfully, Nemo was an aquatic adventure that didn’t disappoint.

Every Which Way but Loose

Every Which Way but Loose (1978)

Runtime: 114 minutes

Directed by: James Fargo

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, Beverly D’Angelo, Ruth Gordon

From: Warner Bros.

Note that I posted this review on Letterboxd about a half hour after I saw the movie on Turner Classic Movies.
 

I’ll wish Clint Eastwood a happy 95th birthday… even if he has some viewpoints you’d expect someone in his 90’s to have and the rumors of why his then-girl Sondra Locke didn’t have a Hollywood career once they broke up. That is awkward for this film as it’s one of those where she was the lead woman. This just played on Turner Classic Movies; it’s rare that I view a movie then immediately review it on Letterboxd but Loose is one I knew some things about via cultural osmosis so might as well, right?

I knew from the premise and an orangutan named Clyde having a large role that this was for the general public that rates Smokey and the Bandit as their all-time favorite film rather than sophisticated cinephiles like some of us on Letterboxd. This was silly nonsense-not to mention, extremely weird-where Eastwood portrays PHILO BEDDOE (what a name) a truck driver who participates in underground boxing matches, romances Locke, and randomly has a pet orangutan. Private ownership of primates of course looks bad by modern standards; so does its owner giving the monkey beer, taking it to an X-rated joint and teaching it to give people the middle finger! But, he freed it from a private zoo in the desert so perhaps Beddoe’s ownership was preferable… 

As lowbrow as Every Which Way but Loose was (“aimless” is another term) I was still entertained. It was easy to root for Philo-some questionable motivations aside-Sondra’s character Lynn, Philo’s buddy Orville, Orville’s crude mother (what a role for Ruth Gordon) and yes, Clyde’s portrayal by Manis. Those blue-collar folks were for certain preferable than the villain bikers… who were also Neo-Nazi A-holes! Then again, those bikers were portrayed as even bigger buffoons than the Neo-Nazi A-holes who were in The Blues Brothers and you could never guess what genre of music their theme song is.

Not everyone will enjoy the crude humor but I can rate the film as fine. It takes awhile before Beverly D’Angelo appears-her role was also amusing. The “country and western” music was nice & is far better than what passes for country music for probably the last 20 or so years. I’ll close this review by mentioning a tale that needs to be told for those that may have heard that Manis the primate was abused on set. That was claimed in a book… problem was, they were actually referring to allegations made about one of the two orangutans used in this film’s sequel! Whoops. Those allegations apparently were rather shaky so who knows if they were true—I hope they weren’t.

A Trio of Stooge Shorts

I'm a Monkey's Uncle:  

(Short # 110 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges in the Stone Age, that’s the theme of this short. The first half is them living their lives; we get to see them catch & prepare food, shave, make butter, milk a cow, etc. Historically accurate, of course it’s not. That was determined when the cow was being milked… then solidified later when they started singing “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain.”

The second half is Moe introducing his pals to his girlfriend’s two sisters; of course, Shemp gets “the ugly one,” although this only meant that the “ugly” girl had a few missing teeth. A stereotype is presented which of course has aged horribly: cavemen hitting cavewomen over the head with clubs to knock them out and drag them away. Then, rival cavemen show up…

Uncle reuses quite a few old gags from the past; they were mostly modified so the short did not feel that stale. Did it feel fragmented? Yes, that’s how Uncle came across. Be that as it may, I was still amused to see the new laughs concerning them in a prehistoric setting-and seeing that they use a fish’s skeleton as a comb, to list an example-so a pretty good time was had.

Mummy's Dummies 

(Short # 111 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

AKA the one featuring Jean Spangler. Those not familiar at all w/ the true crime genre, Ms. Spangler was a bit player who never had a breakout role and unfortunately is best known for vanishing at the age of 26 on October 7, 1949 and she’s never been seen since. Her disappearance is a rabbit hole to go down, as I’ll explain at the end.

Spangler also had a small role in Mummy’s Dummies; as the name suggests, the setting is ancient Egypt, where white guys cosplay as Egyptians w/ names like Tutamon, Rhadames and Pharaoh Rootentooten. The boys sell used chariots, which is a charming conceit. Note that these chariots have modern-looking rubber tires. Well, they sell jalopy chariots, which runs them into trouble with the Pharaoh. They are saved as despite their bungling, they still removed his bad tooth, allowing for a lavish like as the royal chamberlains. However, in the second half they run into villains which result in a chase among the nice period sets.

Some moments felt familiar but overall, this had the expected antics and was quite amusing, especially with a setting new to the Stooges. Spangler’s role was as… a slave girl. Thoughts of negative connotations will flood your mind—the only one shown here is that she and the other slave girls were required to fan and otherwise pamper the Stooges in their chamberlain era.

A reason why a few true crime podcasts have covered the disappearance of Jean Spangler: juicy details were present. She wrote a note to a “Kirk” and as she had just done a movie w/ Kirk Douglas… there’s also rumors that she passed away after a botched abortion, she allegedly knew underworld figures, that it was her ex-husband, and even that it was from the same person responsible for the Black Dahlia murder. The one podcast I listen to that did an episode was The Trail Went Cold, years ago. That’s for anyone interested in this sordid story.

Crime on Their Hands: 

(Short # 112 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

I only had time to see a short in the past 24 hours. Among other things, earlier today I finally upgraded my phone. Everyone knows what a long experience (a real rigmarole) that is, and it’s before you log into your apps, download new apps, update the phone itself, etc. Tomorrow my schedule will-knock on wood-return to normalcy.

The title made the premise & setting clear: the Stooges are back in the then-modern 1948, in a crime drama where everyone else played it straight-well, there IS a random gorilla but otherwise… and it’s only Howard, Fine & Howard that are comedic. Kenneth MacDonald was (as almost always) the villain, the appropriately-named Dapper Malone. He stole the Punjab Diamond, “the fourth-largest diamond in the world.” He backhands a goon who wants his money now. That results in a rare instance of blood. That goon then makes a phone call before he’s shown gunned down in the phone booth. Yes, this was serious.

The blue-collar job the Stooges had: janitors at the local newspaper. That guy phoned the office and as only the trio was in, they got to fulfill the dream of being reporters. They got to Squid McGuffey’s Café, a total noir dive bar sort of set. The trio go to the room of Dapper’s moll Christine McIntyre; because Shemp was a victim of circumstance, he swallows the diamond! Dapper doesn’t want to wait a few days for it to pass… 

Crime was great; between the hardboiled elements, an onslaught of puns, a Moe that is even more exasperated than usual w/ his pals, new routines, a gorilla that only made its presence known in the final few minutes yet the usage was choice… it’s easy for me to comprehend why many Stooge fans… go bananas for Crime on Their Hands.

 

Arsene Lupin

Arsene Lupin (1932)

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Jack Conway

Starring: John and Lionel Barrymore, Karen Morley, John Miljean, Tully Marshall

From: MGM

“Clearing my DVR” is the main reason why this film was selected. That recording was made in the middle of April off of Turner Classic Movies and while there are even older recordings on the DVR that need to be viewed eventually, deciding to see something of this vintage also made last night. I’ve never watched the recent Netflix show Lupin but for those that did and want to see more from the French literary character created by Maurice Leblanc… 

It was an amiable delight viewing brothers John and Lionel Barrymore in this Parisian-set caper/mystery as the title character is a gentleman thief who the audience discovers early on is the Duke of Charmerace. John is the Duke/Arsene, while Lionel is the detective after him. Meanwhile, Karen Morley was more than just a love interest for the Duke-the particulars as to why won’t be spoiled. Although, I will say that Arsene doesn’t always act gentlemanly… he is such a masterful thief, the idea of stealing the Mona Lisa is not so outlandish.
.
Besides the brothers acting against each other in a game of cat and mouse, the highlight was the ravishing Morley and her chemistry with John. They were the source for most of the Pre-Code spiciness. A boss ending made Arsene Lupin the movie a pretty good time.

Till the End of Time

Till the End of Time (1946)

Runtime: 105 minutes

Directed by: Edward Dmytryk

Starring: Dorothy McGuire, Robert Mitchum, Guy Madison, Bill Williams, Tom Tully

From: RKO

For those that love 1946’s The Best Years of Our Lives… Till the End of Time is quite similar yet I did not know of this picture until it played on Turner Classic Movies several days ago. How ironic that the author of the book this was based on (Niven Busch) was married to Teresa Wright, who of course had a prominent role in Lives.

Both covered several members of the military returning home from World War II and the struggles they faced adjusting to a world that was both familiar and different-changes happened while they were away and the soldiers changed themselves during their time in service. While Lives featured more than one branch of the armed forces, Time was devoted to several Marines, although the focus was on Guy Madison’s Cliff Harper. Both featured issues that likely are relevant to members of the military in 2025. I’m not sure how many have metal plates in their heads (Robert Mitchum’s character did!) but there’s confusion over their future, attempting to find work, an amputee, and in the most memorable scene, someone was suffering from “the shakes”… what we know now as PTSD.

While The Best Years of Our Lives was a lavish MGM production that earned seven Oscars, Time was a modest RKO affair that is mostly forgotten today. It doesn’t mean that this movie isn’t worthwhile. It was a pretty good effort which was successful in expressing some problems that those in the military could face once returning to civilian life. Plenty of time is spent with Dorothy McGuire as a war widow who of course gets to know Cliff Harper; that was an interesting angle. It’s always nice seeing Mitchum and furthermore, the title song became a huge hit for Perry Como.

An unfortunate example of how the film is still relevant today; there’s a group devoted to war veterans; they call themselves “patriots.” Those not from the United States, the self-professed patriots here are like the ones we have in America now who use that label-meaning those prejudiced folks are villains to me and most Letterboxd members. The more things change…

The Whip and the Body

The Whip and the Body (La Frusta E Il Corpo) (1963)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Mario Bava

Starring: Dailah Lavi, Christopher Lee, Tony Kendall, Ida Galli, Harriet Medin

From: A few different French and Italian companies

It was time for some more Gothic horror, along with more Mario Bava and Christopher Lee. This was recently added to Shudder’s streaming service; no, it wasn’t the provocative title nor the idea of a man whipping a woman which was the reason I selected the film for viewing! I imagine that some are into such things, which is fine; the whippings seen here are non-consensual, which is not alright w/ me.

Regardless, Christopher Lee-ostracized from his family-returns to their castle on the beach, where you almost CONSTANTLY hear the wind blowing. It is of course more complicated than that; the patriarch of the family is a cruel tyrant, Dailah Lavi was engaged to Lee but later married his brother, and other dysfunctional moments.

Mario Bava (billed as JOHN M. OLD) was the director; my saying that the movie looked gorgeous and the film featured a few different colors prominently isn’t much of a spoiler. Nor was his shot composition or how he played w/ light & shadow. One big spoiler is revealed in plot descriptions on other sites-although thankfully not Letterboxd and I won’t reveal that moment myself. From the reviews of mutuals, I understand that it was a blessing Shudder has the Italian language track as others omit the background noise-which is a shame as the howling wind is one of the components of the mood & atmosphere. In addition, Lee didn’t stick around to voice his character in the English dub—something he regretted due to his high opinion of the film.

If Lee’s endorsement of the movie isn’t enticing enough, The Whip and the Body is centered around sexuality, repression, and desire. Lee and Lavi were great in their roles-key for the movie’s plot. Barring those that are wary of the S&M overtones and what I just mentioned were the strongest plot points… those that have seen one or a few Bava films stand a decent chance of being enthralled w/ The Whip and the Body as well.

Mission: Impossible-Final Reckoning

Wow, did I not like this movie! This outcome could not have been predicted by The Entity, let alone me. Let's jump to the reasons why, right away: 

The haters said that this wasn't a good movie & they were correct. Honestly, great call from the haters!

I'm still flabbergasted this is my opinion of The Final Reckoning. The biggest movie letdown in years, at least in terms of theatrical releases I saw on the big screen. Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation were very good, while Fallout and Dead Reckoning were awesome; yes, I still feel the same about Dead despite its performance at the box office and it receiving not as strong ratings as Fallout on Letterboxd. By the time this was viewed last night, I knew that unlike on Letterboxd, many elsewhere felt massively disappointed w/ the film; the reasons why were thankfully avoided.

In real life, I know that AI gives you wrong answers and in terms of art, it has a phony appearance where it can't display English words correctly, instead presenting something that looks like a failed attempt at Cyrillic letters. However, in Dead Reckoning I was on board with the AI villain The Entity; it was a fresh threat that was presented as unstoppable. I was also enraptured by the story and fascinated by what would happen in this, which was originally known as Dead Reckoning Part 2.

How bad the story was, that left me staggered. In hindsight, the opening minutes were a harbinger of things to come! It was not only full of exposition-which was a hint that the entire movie was full of exposition dumps-it was edited together in a confusing fashion. That was my biggest issue w/ the plot: I either sighed and rolled my eyes too often or I went “wait a minute... huh? What?” due to befuddlement. One example is that more than once, it felt like entire scenes were missing; this is in a movie almost 3 hours in length.

Since when was that supporting character sick? Dead Reckoning wasn't revisited before last night but I'd like to think such a plot detail wouldn't have been forgotten by me. Then, there was the utterly pointless small role that Hannah Waddingham had; all that character did was utterly perplex me and many others due to how superfluous their role was and how they were presented. I've heard explanations for both of the complaints in this paragraph; both were examples of bad storytelling. That's not even factoring in how too many of the characters felt like they contributed little to the plot. Furthermore, if you love the start of what you think are teases of things to come that don't come to fruition, then you'll love The Final Reckoning.

Even the two big action setpieces—they were conceptually impressive and were presented well... except for the problem that both were utterly preposterous, turning Hunt into a Marvel or DC superhero. In addition, when I was checked out of the movie and not enjoying the experience by that point... heck, The Entity as a villain was barely a presence aside from the world-ending threat it threatened. Come to think of it, its alleged unprecedented intelligence didn't seem quite as believable by the final act. THEN, there's an utterly stupid and ultimately meaningless reveal early on... should I go on? If you want to discuss spoilers, yes I could go on, but I won't.

I am still flummoxed that this alleged final entry in a franchise whose last 4 movies were rated highly by me and ticked many of the boxes in what I want from modern blockbusters—how did it go awry? Yeah, the (large, bloated) cast was typically fine, the score was pretty good and the long stretch without dialogue was nice. Otherwise—right now I can't think of much else in the terms of praise I can think to give to something that for almost 2 full years I was thinking would be awesome yet missed the mark so badly.

As I sometimes proclaim, good on Letterboxd in general for loving a modern movie more or much more than I did. If only my opinion was the same; the rest of the year, there isn't much left that comes to mind in terms of theatrical releases that are at least halfway-interesting. Sigh... at least Sinners was an unexpected gem.