Song Of The Thin Man

Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Edward Buzzell

Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn, Dean Stockwell, Phillip Reed

From: MGM

A review of a film (which I posted on Letterboxd a few hours ago) that just finished playing on Turner Classic Movies. Truth be told, sometimes I type up part of a review before I see a motion picture. It was easy to do that here as I can describe the general plot and why it's only now that I am closing the loop and finally checking out the 6th and final film in The Thin Man series. The other five had been watched years ago and I enjoyed all of them, although the 5th (The Thin Man Goes Home) I was meh on. All are mysteries although all are of the labyrinthe nature and the real draw is seeing the light patter of leads Nick & Nora Charles and seeing them attempt to untie that Gordian knot of the case they're working.

This case revolved around various jazz clubs & the murder of a jazz band leader named Tommy Drake. There's also a singer named Fran Page and an unstable clarinetist named Buddy Hollis (Ooh we ooh, I just look like Buddy Hollis... oh-oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore...). Not only was I interested in the setting because it's old jazz tunes, but the son of our leads was played by Dean Stockwell in his child acting days.

This is largely what you expect from a Thin Man picture: witty repartee, cute antics involving Astra the dog, red herrings, and a finale where the main suspects are all in one location for the purpose of Nick revealing who the killer or killers are. A new addition here is Nick, Jr. wanting to become a sleuth like his parents, leading to some humorous moments. There was some nice jazz music, laughs, intrigue, and a better time had by me than Goes Home. Therefore, I will say this is fine overall even if the first few in this series are more worthy of being seen than this installment was.

To list some trivia, it was the last time that the great screen duo of William Powell and Myrna Loy teamed up in a film together; there was another where she had a cameo but there was no more starring vehicles for the two of them together. As always, they individually and together played a critical component of why those Thin Man films and other old time Hollywood pictures still have their ardent fans today.

Also, it was nice to have a good time to cap off this miserable year; let's hope 2021 is better for me and everyone reading this.

The Golden Age Of Comedy

Recently I watched a compilation from 1957 which spotlighted various stars from the silent era and a few of their highlights: 

For a production I had no knowledge of until a few days ago, this was a wise choice for viewing last night. Early Monday afternoon, Turner Classic Movies played this; I was not able to watch and the copy available on Prime is a few minutes short, so I went to TCM's website and streamed it there. If you have the right cable provider-as I do-they always offer a variety of pictures for streaming purposes. Before talking about its content, it has to be noted: unlike its description on Letterboxd, it does NOT and has never featured Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields or Harold Lloyd.

This product-released by 20th Century Fox!-is a compilation of various silent comedy shorts from either Hal Roach or Mack Sennett. It is divided into various segments and the talent featured was mainly those I hadn't seen before. It was either names I knew and hadn't seen (Will Rogers, Charlie Chase) or people unknown to me beforehand, like the cross-eyed Ben Turpin, Billy Bevan or Harry Langdon. There's also silent film appearances from Carole Lombard and Jean Harlow but Laurel & Hardy received the lion's share of the attention. Apparently, The Golden Age of Comedy was popular enough to the point that Laurel & Hardy became well-known to the public again after languishing in obscurity for awhile. 

All those funny clips could have played differently in context to the shorts they were extracted from; on the other side of the coin, that footage typically did make me chuckle at the very least and there were some pretty solid laughs. For a dork like me, it was a thrill to see footage that may at times be impossible to track down and learn about talent who were popular around 100 years ago and unfortunately are little-known even to the type of individuals that populate Letterboxd. It was breezy entertainment at 79 minutes in length & if you think of the heart emoji whenever thinking about silent comedy shorts, this is a must.

Traffic

Traffic (2000)

Runtime: 147 minutes

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Michael Douglas, Benicio del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman, Tomas Milian

From: USA Films

Last night on a lark I finally decided to check out this famed movie, based on a 1989 British miniseries known as Traffik. It covers the drug war on both sides of the United States/Mexico border and covers a trio of tales which sometimes intersect w/ each other. I know that some feel this does not accurately cover how the drug war is currently (or even back 20 years ago), and it can be admitted that it does seem naïve at times.

All that being said, at least it was an entertaining near 2 ½ hour film which shows how the teen daughter of the next new drug czar tasked to lead the drug war is actually a rich girl who freebases, a drug lord being prosecuted in So Cal and the impact it has on his family, and a pair of Tijuana police officers who discover an uncomfortable truth when they work for a Mexican general attempting to stop cartels in their city.

The most noticeable aspect is how one of the three storylines was color-graded to be yellow and another was blue. This was done to differentiate the different plots. Perhaps it was just me but it seemed more like a wacky gimmick than anything else; if all three looked the same it would not have been difficult to follow. It's not like the overall story would have required pen and paper & required copious notes or flowcharts to decipher what is going on. It was at least not distracting or any sort of demerit that ruined the movie.

A great ensemble cast certainly helped, along with a nice score and the typical Steven Soderbergh style in terms of filmmaking. How hilarious the duo of Don Cheadle & Luis Guzman was... it was a surprise as I did not know those two would share comedic moments or even be an on-screen duo, let alone one that worked together quite well. Not as much a surprise: what I heard about how tremendous Benicio del Toro's performance was-without having seen all the nominees his win for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars that year seemed well-deserved. He was the highlight among a cast of famous faces.

I won't share my opinion on the Drug War that the United States has waged for decades or its successes... perhaps “lack of success” is a better phrase. I am just glad I am never used any hardcore drugs... or dealt any of the stuff either. The film does make it abundantly clear that it's not a glamorous or stress-free lifestyle despite the crapton of cash that could be made. Anyhow, even if the film is not 100% accurate to real life, it makes for a rather engrossing yarn.

A Boy Named Charlie Brown

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Bill Melendez

Starring: The main characters from the Peanuts universe

From: Cinema Center Films

More psychedelic than I recalled.

This was a total nostalgic watch for me. Long ago I purchased a set which had all 4 Peanuts movies that they made from 1969 through 1980; everyone knows the legendary Halloween and Christmas specials featuring these iconic characters but when I was a very young kid I saw all these films more than once, along with at least the Thanksgiving special from the 70's and perhaps other ones-they made quite a few that likely are forgotten/unknown even by most here. None of the films have been experienced by me in at least 30 years so it has been too lengthy a span of time for me to actually relive part of my youth.

The plot: Charlie Brown feels like a real loser-a blockhead, even; it seems as if he can't do anything right. Finally, on a lark he does well in the school spelling bee but even then feels the pressure of everyone wanting him to be a success. There are some of the familiar faces and they act like typical... including Lucy being not a nice little girl, Snoopy dreaming about The Red Baron, Schroeder playing the piano, and Linus' security blanket being a big deal for him.

It has a pleasant jazz score from Vince Guaraldi which is augmented by a more traditional score-animation which isn't the fanciest but serves its purpose-a timeless story where many can sympathize w/ Charlie feeling like a “failure face” and people picking on him both in and out of school. Thankfully this was as enjoyable to me as an adult as it was when I was a snot-nosed little kid. Now, I better appreciate the occasional psychedelic montages that appear throughout along with the obscure historical references that pop up a few times.

Much to my relief those nostalgic feelings of yore were not ruined and at least this film was not worse than my memories said it was.

Black Christmas (The Bizarre 2006 Version)

Black Christmas (2006)

Directed by: Glen Morgan

Runtime: I saw the 90 minute unrated cut

Starring: Quite a few pretty young ladies

From: Dimension

I experienced this on Christmas night; "experience" really is the best term: 

NOTE: As several versions have been released, I saw the unrated cut.

My Christmas turned out fine; while different from the usual in a multitude of ways, at least it was spent w/ the family I have in Florida. The evening wasn't as fine as I had to see this for the first time... sorry, those here and on old messageboards who unironically love this. Of course, in the past I've viewed the proto-slasher classic that was released in '74 & last year was the film that might as well have been called BLACK WOKEMAS due to its preposterously over the top far-left and man-hating viewpoints. For a long time now I've known of the small cult of fans this has earned in the time after it was released to much critical and audience derision. Last night seemed like the best time to finally take the plunge...

Unfortunately I can't share the love that others have for this iteration of the property. There's still a sorority house, vulgar phone calls, and a villain named Billy-otherwise this is an over the top wacky film which is stump-dumb. At times that would be a positive for me; I mean, at times I did scoff and laugh at the stupidest and most illogical moments, almost as if I was watching an Italian genre exercise from decades ago. There is no shortage of gore, OOT deaths or graphically gross moments for those that love such things.

Thing is, I need more than just graphic gore to be entertained and personally, the story was just too ugly, dour, and no fun to watch. Others will disagree but not even the sorority girl leads were enjoyable so there wasn't much holiday joy for me. In addition, they really screwed up the character obviously based on Barb from the original... the loud often intoxicated lady who was delightfully brought to life by Margot Kidder. Here, this film's sauced dame was just dumb & irritating.

I get why some love the film to death... it's loud and weird-there's graphic moments, and it has some nice Christmas lighting. IMO, it wasn't a holly jolly motion picture for me. Even the absurd film from last year was unintentionally hilarious... possibly it was written at absurd satire but that was not how it was presented. Funnily enough, the 2019 Black Christmas has received some love this holiday season on Letterboxd; that at least had some good intentions and it is easy to mock if you so desire. Post-Christmas, now I can go back to watching all sorts of random motion pictures-whatever strikes my fancy.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

 Earlier in the month I reviewed two pieces of entertainment involving Santa Claus. The first was the eponymous 1959 film from Mexico... it was the MST3K version. That was fine as a decade ago I saw it without Mike & the bots. That review first: 

I don't typically see Christmas movies even at this time of year; it only manages to be about a few each December. 2020 will likely be the same and considering how it does not feel like the holiday season at all for several different reasons... might as well discuss this weird acidtrip of a motion picture from Mexico where they must have a bizarre interpretation of Old Saint Nick... he lives in outer space, has Earth children work in glorified sweatshops where they are grouped by gross ethnic & cultural stereotypes (the kids from “Africa” have Black youths in leopard-print loincloths, wearing a bone on their heads, and dance around to bongos; that is the worst of all the stereotypes), has Merlin as a buddy he has on speed-dial, and does battle with Satan's main toady-named Pitch-who wishes to ruin Christmas & turn children evil by... trying to convince a few Mexican children to “act bad”?! There was bad acting present...

It is really best to see this w/ comedic riffing; while there's plenty to laugh at due to the bonkers plot, Lucifer and Santa having a long-standing feud, a telescope that is a giant eye, Kris Kringle being able to view the dreams of children, and St. Nick using both a “sleeping powder” (which I can only presume is opium!) and a flower that turns him invisible (LSD?)... this is so badly paced and dreary, it is almost as good as using that “sleeping powder”. In a movie which tries to have some nice messages, too much of what's presented is pure nightmare fuel-who knows what especially the children of America thought when they saw the dubbed version of this oddity.

To think that there were even weirder Mexican children's films of the time which were brought to the United States by K. Gordon Murray; even before I joined Letterboxd I experienced what is known here as Little Red Riding Hood and Tom Thumb vs. the Monsters... it is remembered by me as a surreal experience, so one day that will be revisited & discussed here.

Now, a random 1914 short entitled The Adventure of the Wrong Santa Claus: 

Featuring Disco Santa Claus

(Last Sunday) night I had little motivation to watch anything substantial; henceforth, my direction turned towards seeing one of the silent Christmas shorts that Turner Classic Movies played last night. They basically played the contents of a release from Kino known as Christmas Past.

This is not much of an “adventure” at all; from what I understand this was the last in a series of shorts made by Thomas Edison's company starring an amateur detective known as Octavius. He dresses like Santa and visits a family he knows. A burglar also dresses like Santa and steals the family's gifts... what a dick move. Octavius tracks down the jerk in this 14 minute short and as there really is nothing else to state concerning this average short I had no knowledge of until last night, let me mention how lead Barry O'Moore looks like Christoph Waltz w/ an unfortunate hairline. I don't mean to insult anyone who happens to have any issue concerning their hair and the loss of same-it is the best way to describe this random chap.

I've only seen the beginning of the 2011 The Green Hornet-which was enough for me!-and I know some random jamoke referred to Waltz's character as Disco Santa Claus; it makes no sense but that line seemed appropriate for this review. I'll end this review with a random aside: due to how bad things are in the United States health-wise, my customary Christmas vacation to the Midwest won't happen this year. Most of those people I got to see in early August so I can't be too disappointed. Except for probably Christmas Day itself I should be posting reviews regularly. I'll wish everyone a Happy Holidays now even though I won't be going anywhere the next few days.

Samsara

On this Christmas Eve, why not discuss something artsy-fartsy?

As some Christmas themed pictures have been seen as of late, instead I went in a different direction and at random noticed that this was on Prime. As I've watched all the films in the Qatsi trilogy and love Baraka, why not finally have the joy of checking out something from the makers of Baraka?

Such as with those movies with pretty imagery, ethereal music and no narration, it is up to the viewer to determine what it all means and how you interpret the experience... although this was less subtle in its messages. This will be a shorter review than usual as I do not want to give away much for those interested but haven't made the time for it yet. There are people shown in a variety of settings-including one that was rather avant-garde, in not a good way-to go along with all the nature and natural footage. An obvious theme is contrast, whether it be comparing two shots or two things in the same shot. For the record, Samsara is a Sanskrit word which in general relates to the cycle of death and rebirth; that is an important clue as to what Samsara the movie is all about.

Baraka is something I rate a little higher; that is no slight on Samsara as it still shows a dizzying variety of different footage from practically all corners of the globe and it has an excellent score which is a key component to this non-narrative documentaries. Like I said, it's on Prime for those that have seen at least most of the rest.

1941

1941 (1979)

Runtime: I saw the Director's Cut that was a lengthy 146 minutes long

Directed by: A possibly embarrassed after the fact Steven Spielberg

Starring: An all-star cast

From: Universal/Columbia

After seeing the Director's Cut, what a revelation that Wendie Jo Sperber was the highlight-for me-in a movie with an incredible cast...

I don't want to sound like I am dissing the late actress; it was just that her character was rather amusing in a movie which was typically more loud and annoying than hilarious and that hampered all the famous comic performers here; she also delivered with the physical humor which even then 1941 did not always nail in general. Its toxic reputation left me wary even w/ all the talent involved. The fact that this was set in the Christmas season meant it seemed like the most opportune time... that and me having this on disc.

The first surprise came when the opening 30 seconds featured a woman taking off all her clothes and despite the optical fogging, the fully nude lady (Susan Backlinie, the first victim in Jaws) still had all her naughty bits visible. A later surprise was seeing that this was also in the theatrical cut-which amazingly was rated PG despite having a lot of sexual innuendo, some foul language and a lady sans clothing. Without a doubt this is the horniest Steven Spielberg picture I've ever seen! Various storylines are followed in Los Angeles & the suburbs in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor's bombing (by the Germans, according to Bluto) as a Japanese submarine is headed towards the City of Angels. As it's a silly thing which was designed to make the Axis powers silly, there's also a German officer present. This happily means that two cinematic legends in Toshiro Mifune and Christopher Lee got to share multiple scenes together and that was a great highlight even in something as daff as this movie.

The biggest issue is that Spielberg's strong suit definitely isn't comedy which is why this is the only movie he did in the genre. Comedic timing and pacing, both are rather poor here. Also, his idea of “humor” is “be as loud and chaotic as possible”, which made it an exhausting almost 2 ½ hours. There was a lot of noise and fury, signifying not much. With all the famous names in front and behind the camera surrounding a story based on the real life panic of the Japanese making their way to the Los Angeles area in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor. The movie technically made a profit but neither critics nor fans loved it. I know it now has its fans-don't count myself as one of them. Some things I noted:

Another unexpected moment was seeing both Mifune and Lee watch Slim Pickens trying to literally s--- out a Cracker Jack compass he swallowed... don't ask.

Both the Treat Williams and Nancy Allen storylines haven't aged well. The former has him as a serviceman basically repeatedly attempting to sexually assault a young woman while the later has he getting turned on by... airplanes.

I also did not need to see Eddie Deezen play someone obviously mentally handicapped, nor John Candy as.. a racist.

On the other side of the coin, it was not a film which inspired hatred or anger. A lot of money was thrown at it so of course the explosions and carnage at least (usually) looks nice and I did dig all the miniatures and other tricks that brought 1941 So Cal to life. Plus, there are some nice scenes, like the big Jitterbug dance sequence.

Honestly, any opinion of the film I can rationalize-even love or hatred. Speaking for myself, a movie that the director himself said was like “having your head stuck in a pinball machine while someone is hitting 'tilt' over and over again” is something which will be a tough sell for me.

The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups) (1959)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Francois Truffaut

Starring: Jean-Pierre Leaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Remy, Guy Decomble, Patrick Auffay

From: Les Films du Carrosse/Sedif Productions

On Christmas night I'll be making a special post where I'll catch up on what I haven't posted here as of yet; until then, there will be another post in a few hours plus one on Christmas Eve. For now: 

Last night seemed like the time to see a cinema classic, something I figured would receive a high rating from me. The fact that a scene established part of the time period as Christmas time was a coincidence as this was unknown by me beforehand. It has the highest possible rating as The 400 Blows was as enthralling and affecting as I had heard.

It is a semi-autobiographical look at Francois Truffaut's own childhood. For certain I know he was often truant from school and loved going to the cinema; life at home wasn't great either. Apparently it was even worse in real life than what lead character Antoine Doniel experienced... at least his parents didn't seem to constantly hate him and at times did show they cared about their only child. That said, the parents have a dysfunctional marriage so that had to be an underlying cause of his struggles at school. Hopefully IRL Truffaut did not attempt to steal his dad's typewriter from work or plagiarized a famous French author from the past, Honore de Balzac... what a giggle-worthy name. It's readily apparent Francois did not think too highly when it came to any of his "sourpuss" school teachers.

The film is not excellent just for it kicking off the French New Wave movement or the performances of all the main characters (Jean-Pierre Leaud as Antoine being the most noteworthy)-it was how well the movie was filmed-making the life of Doniel seem so natural and real as he goes in and out of the buildings of Paris-making some foolish decisions along the way-and in the third act, another location. In addition, it has an excellent music score from Jean Constantin, fitting the footage perfectly. It's not a heartwarming tale for this holiday season but it should be viewed at anytime by any serious film fans.

As of now, the only Truffaut I have viewed is this and Jules & Jim, which was very good. For certain I'll do a deep dive on more of his work in the future, including the other films involving Antoine Doniel. Plus, I do not love Close Encounters of the Third Kind like most others do (am I suppose to find the lead's mental breakdown over his alien encounter turned obsession to be a good thing or hilarious?) but at least Truffaut and Bob Balaban were quite the duo with their characters.

Lady In The Lake

Lady in the Lake (1946... or 1947)

Runtime: 103 long minutes

Directed by: Robert Montgomery

Starring: Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully, Jayne Meadows

From: MGM

Somehow, this misogynistic Phillip Marlowe shot in POV film is set at Christmas time. For a few years now I've known of Lady in the Lake; who can forget hearing about a noir with the unique gimmick of it being entirely POV after the intro where Marlowe talks to the camera. The only film up to last night that I had seen w/ the character was the legendary The Big Sleep. One day that will be revisited as that was watched years before I even joined Letterboxd. I recalled that being MUCH better than this disappointed that wasted the POV aspect.

Perhaps in print form the original Raymond Chandler story was better or if it was done in a more traditional fashion that allowed for the archetypal tropes of the genre to really shine. Then again, it wasn't the tale that was the big issue... it was the not so insignificant problem of this world's Phillip Marlowe being a real unpleasant misogynistic jerk! If you believe in “canceling characters” then you probably will do so once you quickly notice that Marlowe constantly interrupts all the females when they try to complete even one sentence in his presence. He's not a saint to the male gender either. Don't cancel ME when I note that more than one woman in the cast might have been given the direction to “have a resting bitch face.” It's not a phrase I ever use myself and the difficult task of having to act right into a camera may be the reason why. Among the performances, Audrey Totter was the bona fide highlight... both her and her eyes.

A shame that this experiment did not work as an example of its genre or as a movie in general. As others have noted, Lady in the Lake seems like one of those point and click computer games, as if it was Heavy Rain or one of the products of the late (and missed by me) Telltale Games. I'd love to play a first person point and click noir tale like Heavy Rain (which was just fine), even one based on this story... as long as the lead is not a horse's ass, that is.

Fargo

Fargo (1996)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: The Coen Brothers

Starring: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell

From: Polygram

Many will vehemently disagree w/ my opinion, but I did not really enjoy this... you betcha.

In the past I've mentioned how I don't love the brothers Coen like every other movie fan does. I've only seen a few and while not all have been talked about on Letterboxd, the dramas have been enjoyable while the comedies haven't been that funny to me aside from sporadic laughs. Fargo was only seen by me for the first time on Thursday night as I was never interested and I was hoping it wouldn't be a condescending look at the people of the Upper Midwest... and I know the Coen Brothers are from Minnesota.

I did go into this w/ an open mind and I can't complain too much about the first half hour as the pieces are put into place of William H. Macy having his wife be kidnapped in a fake scheme to get money from his rich father in law (they have an adversarial relationship with each other) and two buffoons do the task so things go awry. It was dumb when we saw that the couple's typical teen son actually played the accordion but once Frances McDormand's pregnant sheriff character entered the picture, it was nonstop condescending smug putdowns of how Upper Midwest people have a “funny” accent, talk like squares and say “yeah” constantly. That usually garnered irritation rather than knee-slapping laughs.

As the kidnapping plot quickly become boring and uninteresting, the “humor” made the movie a real slog to get through. And what in the blue hell was even the point of that Mike Yanagita subplot? The reasons why I can even say this was average instead of a worse rating: the Roger Deakins cinematography, the main cast trying their hardest (specifically Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare as the bumbling kidnappers) and the woodchipper factoring into the plot. Otherwise, I honestly don't get why every other movie fan thinks this is excellent and hilarious. There's another comedy of theirs which hasn't been reviewed here as I only saw it more than 15 years ago but I know that would make people even angrier with my opinion than they will with my non-love of Fargo... that is if my opinion doesn't change from a second viewing sometime in the future.

Whether it was a positive or not, seeing this did remind me of my youth growing up in the northern half of Illinois-not Chicago nor the suburbs-as Jerry's Oldsmobile dealership brought back memories of my first being being a “hip” 1988 Oldsmobile station wagon... also unforgettable are the mornings or evenings having to scrape ice off my windshield. What I know is negative is that I don't have positive feelings on Fargo; at least I am enough of a nerd to notice there have only been a few 1996 pictures reviewed by me here so that helped fill the hole... if only something more amiable could have been experienced instead.

The Rescue

The Rescue (2020)

Runtime: 139 minutes

Directed by: Dante Lam

Starring: Eddie Peng, Yanlin Wang, Zhilei Xin, Lyric Lan, Yutian Wang

From: What again appeared to be EIGHTEEN production companies; no kidding.

This is the first of two reviews for today; the second-to be posted in a few hours-will have an unpopular movie opinion. This won't be the same; it is a new Chinese release and for various reasons people take issue with the country and its policies. However, nothing about the film itself will cause any uproar nor will anyone's reviews be the source of consternation. While this was the first film I've seen from Dante Lam, at least I recognize his name.

The plot centers around the Chinese Coast Guard and some rescue missions they perform but it's a standard Pacific Rim Asian disaster film of recent years... the action surrounding the chaos is quite entertaining but there is plenty of drama... melodrama, a little kid and romance also factors into the equation, at least one of the main cast dies & many tears are shed. All of these elements are present as the crew deals w/ such calamities as an oil refinery & cargo transport ship blowing the F up and an airplane crashing in the ocean.

Taking all that into account, The Rescue was fine overall. It did have some gruesome moments, although by far the worst for me was actual (simulated) brain surgery-oh yeah, someone needs their noggin operated on-and I did look away. This does have a “humorous” scene where two men are out in the woods at night and they need to hug to keep warm. OF COURSE there is gay panic “jokes”; this was the only moment which people could call homophobic. Funnier to me was that once again this looked to have been made by about EIGHTEEN production companies, no lie... and one of them featured a Chinese version of a Japanese kawaii cat logo.

She Done Him Wrong

She Done Him Wrong (1933)

Runtime: 65 minutes

Directed by: Lowell Sherman

Starring: Mae West, Cary Grant, Owen Moore, Noah Beery, Gilbert Roland

From: Paramount

Before last night, the only Mae West film I had viewed was... Myra Breckenridge <<shudders>>. That was experienced over 15 years ago and notwithstanding how it's awful in a unique way, it is a film better left unseen, even if there needs to be a review to explain WHY its painfulness is truly one of a kind. Thankfully She Done Him Wrong is much more palpable, an adaptation of West's own play Diamond Lil.

It is unknown by me whether or not Diamond Lil was meandering in its plot but the movie certainly was. As rumored, there were issues w/ the censors so some things did have to be taken out. Be that as it may, at least it was never dull and of course Mae (as Lou) was the highlight. She was a bold lady who loved diamonds, was often flirty, was interested in multiple men, took no crap from anyone, and also sang a few songs. Most of the action takes place at a barroom saloon where Mae performs at. She interacts w/ several shady men, including the owner of that saloon, an ex who is now in prison; an actual decent male she also pines for was Cary Grant-who works next door at a mission and follows the temperance movement-the setting is 1890's NYC.

Its plot issues aside, at least She Done Him Wrong provided a decent amount of laughs, and not just from West. This was still in the Pre-Code era so there is dialogue and moments which were bawdy for the time. For example, she changes clothes in the same room as a man-even if she's behind a shade while doing so-and this was where she uttered her immortal line, “Why don't you come up sometime and see me?” As this was only 65 minutes, it was an easy watch. It does have to be noted that Lou has a Black maid (Louise Beavers) and as it is the 1930's, it was a Mammie stereotype. Even if she calls the maid “Eight Ball” at one point, it was West who asked her to be cast in a role... and even wanted Black performers in her stage plays-that does deserve some kudos. Other than the Mammie stuff, this has not aged poorly.

Zodiac

Zodiac (2007)

Runtime: I saw the 162 minute Director's Cut

Directed by: David Fincher

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr., Anthony Edwards, Chloe Sevigny

From: Paramount/Warner Bros.

Now's the topical time to view and discuss Zodiac.

For those unaware, just a few days ago several code-breakers collaborated on breaking a cipher from the Zodiac Killer, 51 years after it was sent. As important information-such as his identity-could have been hidden in that screed, it could have been huge news. The end result: it was more of Zodiac being braggadocious and echoing the insane blatherings he had boasted about before & after. Yet it was still a surprising development-and there are still some ciphers which still have not been cracked as of this time-and it finally inspired me to check it out. In hindsight, this screening should have happened last year, despite me not loving director David Fincher like most others do... details to come later.

As it's one of the most famous unsolved crime sprees of the past 100 years, I am not revealing any spoilers by mentioning how the identity of the Zodiac Killer has never been proven, or how he killed five people and attempted to kill two others-although he did claim far more murders-or his handwritten notes or those ciphers. The movie (based on two books by Robert Graysmith, who was portrayed here by Jake Gyllenhaal) suggests that it was Arthur Lee Allen behind the mysterious identity; indeed, plenty of circumstantial evidence pointed his way, although some other evidence seemed to exclude him so that's why he was never charged and there have been no shortage of other possible suspects.

The film has plenty of familiar faces who by and large delivered quality performances; also key for a period piece was how well Northern California from 1969 through the 70's was presented and that was done great whether it was the on-point soundtrack of period music or the overall look. Zodiac is not just the investigation of this infamous serial killer-rather, it also shows the damage done to Graysmith, police officer Brian Toschi (an inspiration for both Bullitt and Dirty Harry) & newspaper reporter Paul Avery. By Hollywood standards this motion picture seemed to be pretty accurate, although apparently Avery did not have a close relationship w/ Graysmith and his personal issues were not entirely because of any obsession with this case. I will give Graysmith credit for presenting himself as someone who ruined his marriage by becoming so wrapped up in attempting to crack the case.

Last December after I saw Memories of Murder it was recommended to me by someone on a messageboard to then see Zodiac; besides it taking so long because I am me, Memories was something I did not enjoy at all because the three cop leads were all pretty repugnant people that were not enjoyable to follow at all. At least the three leads here were all memorable characters I did not hate even with some of their foolish choices. Director David Fincher I do not love like most other people; not all of the movies I've seen from him have been reviewed on Letterboxd but one day Fight Club should be given a second shot so it can be discovered if it was as intolerable and smug as I thought it was 20 years ago. Gone Girl had about 50 plot holes and logical fallacies so that wasn't a pleasant time for me either... at least Zodiac can be given high marks by myself.

Grand Prix

Grand Prix (1966)

Runtime: 176 minutes

Directed by: John Frankenheimer

Starring: James Garner, Yves Montand, Antonio Sabato, Toshiro Mifune, Eva Marie Saint, Jessica Walter 

From: MGM

A movie selected in part due to its cheap rental price on the streaming sites.

Of course I've been familiar with Grand Prix for years; it being offered on the streaming sites for less cost than usual was why it was picked by myself. Thankfully I was not let down by a movie directed by John Frankenheimer and starring a wide variety of quality actors: James Garner, Yves Montand, Antonio Sabato, Toshiro Mifune, Eva Marie Saint, Jessica Walter, Francoise Hardy, & Adolfo Celi.

Grand Prix covers a season of Formula One auto racing and focuses on a quartet of drivers. As this is a hair under three hours long, there is plenty of time to show each one experience ups and downs throughout the season. Of course, all of them are shown having romantic entanglements, of course one of them as an existential crises and of course the female reporter covering the events has a relationship with one of the drivers. Some events presented are more cinematic than realistic for a typical auto racing season and it seemed like some ethnicities are stereotyped.

All that being said, I still thought this was very good. The story was never dull despite its length and the dramatics at least were captivating. The true highlight though was seeing clips of several races throughout; those were all impressive even by 2020 standards. Cameras were all over the place... on the ground, helicopter shots, and on the cars themselves-a few times they panned from the driver to the front of the car or vice/versa, and while it was going at race car speeds. Seeing those scenes streaming on a nice print and watched on a large television-it was a thrill. The movie started off with a bang: the legendary Saul Bass did the opening credits, which was preparation for the storied Monaco Grand Prix. For almost a century now it has been held on the narrow streets of that French principality. Mix in a nice Maurice Jarre score & various split screen effects and it was the type of film you only seemed to get in the wild 60's.

Going My Way

Going My Way (1944)

Runtime: 126 minutes

Directed by: Leo McCarey

Starring: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh, James Brown (no, not that one), Jean Heather

From: Paramount

A lengthier review than usual, but there is a valid reason why.

Normally I wouldn't track down a schmaltzy 1940's film involving two Irish Catholic priests at a church in New York City and how they clash because of age and their diametrically viewpoints when it comes to such an operation. However, the reason why I did so: this was a favorite of my late mother. As plenty of followers have only started following me in the past 5 or so months, it will be reiterated that she passed away due to illness that was NOT COVID and she was sick since the start of this year... so the entirety of 2020 has been as rotten as can be.

As long as I can remember this was a favorite of hers. It was common for her to see this each holiday season; the past several scenes are set around Christmas. The main thing I knew about it for years was that EVERY time it was viewed, she would be teary-eyed at the final scene. Now that it's finally been viewed, it's the exact sort of thing that would have gotten her emotional. The events of the finale are rather touching and because of what the big surprise at the end was, it did make me feel sad. It did not make me regret finally viewing Going My Way, mind you.

Bing Crosby is Chuck O'Malley, a new and “hip” priest who is assigned to the church run by Father Fitzgibbon-Barry Fitzgerald-who literally built the building with his own hands decades ago. He is an older man who is more traditional. The two do not get along at first but as neither is a jerk and the biggest sins of Fitzgibbon is being stubborn & suffering from a cast of naivete... it is not a movie with a strong narrative drive yet it is-to quote others-”agreeable” and “a hangout picture.” Bing helps out the restless kids in the neighborhood by forming a choir and there is conflict which occasionally pops up from... a banker who wants to foreclose on the church. Mr. Potter wasn't the only miserable grinch SOB financier in a 1940's Christmas movie and I'll just presume there's no shortage of other pictures from the decade which demonize the profession.

This won plenty of Oscars in 1945; that includes Best Picture (to bring up another popular talking point, this win was allegedly because it was a “crowd-pleaser” during the dark days of World War II), Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. While Double Indemnity and Gaslight-also nominated that year for Best Picture-are better remembered and loved by people like us, I won't complain about Crosby and Fitzgerald winning those prizes as both were great playing those colorful characters. Of course there are a few songs and of course the movie manages to shoehorn in opportunities for Old Bing to sing.

Perhaps it's the personal reasons that explains why I am giving this a pretty good rating; even if it is, I'll stick by it because with these circumstances, it's impossible to divorce the movie from my mom's love of it for as long as I can remember.

Carry On Camping

Carry On Camping (1969)

Runtime: 85 minutes

Directed by: Gerald Thomas

Starring: The usual crew, including Barbara Windsor (RIP)

From: Anglo-Amalagated Film Distributors

There are no “pitch a tent” jokes but Charles Hawtrey does say about Valerie Leon, “She was showing me how to stick the pole up”; insert your own comments if you wish...

Another person who passed away recently was Barbara Windsor. As the soap EastEnders does not air on TV in the United States, I only knew her from her occasional appearances in this franchise. In fact, it's only from looking at UK websites in the past that I even have heard of EastEnders before. Anyhow, Windsor was a delight in the only film I had seen her in (Carry On Spying) picking this out seemed like a worthy gamble, and it was.

It was largely what I expected from this venerable franchise in terms of humor and gags. Several of the usual crew (along with some new faces) go camping at a rather drab location; in particular, Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw end up there as they bring their ladies to what they think is a nudist resort but of course there's a misunderstanding. There's also Windsor's character, a young lady part of an all-girls school who are on holiday and they are all randy gals. In addition, a woman who has a rather distinctive laugh-which is heard often-has the character name of... Harriet Potter.

One aspect here that was new to me as I've viewed the movies in this franchise: by this point they were able to become more explicit due to Hollywood becoming more adult in the late 60's. Nude women are seen here-mainly in the beginning as Sid and Bernard brought their ladies to their local cineplex to see a “nudie cutie” about that aforementioned nudist resort. A few lines are more risque but there's no real cursing to speak of. As I feel cussing is used too often as a crutch in motion pictures anyhow, that was fine with me not seeing these familiar faces dropping F-bombs or being incredibly vulgar like they're in a Rob Zombie movie.

While Windsor and her best friend in the movie were actually in their early 30's as they filmed this, they were supposed to be teenagers; seeing Bernard (in his 30's) and Sid (in his 50's) drooling over those teen gals... it has to be creepier now than it was back then. In any event, that element did not diminish the laughs I had while watching this-some of the biggest provided by Windsor. In addition, for those that dig Valerie Leon... she's in this, for about 90 seconds. One last note: those that doubted the existence of hippies in 1969 England, check out this film.

RIP Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr.

Last night I revisited No Holds Barred as it was on Amazon Prime; it seemed like a nice way to pay tribute to Zeus. It's a goofy yet amusing film.

Session 9

Session 9 (2001)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Brad Anderson

Starring: Peter Mullan, David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Josh Lucas, Paul Guilfoyle

From: Universal

If only this movie wasn't so obviously telegraphed...

Last night I felt like going to Netflix and as I haven't seen much horror since Halloween, why not a genre film from the early 21st century I've seen some strong praise for? As I started this, a notice appeared that it's leaving the service at the end of the month, so for those interested... 

An asbestos removal company in Danvers, Massachusetts is tasked with removing that dangerous fiber from a long-closed mental hospital, a real life complex known as Danvers State Hospital; it was demolished in 2007. Naturally, tensions rise as spooky events happen. Although, even before works begin on the task, the workers are all bickering with each other, dialogue amongst the crew filled with bile and hatred. What a cliché it was that one member stole the girlfriend of another. To be blunt, what Massholes most of them were. Unfortunately, early on it was telegraphed (at least to me) where this was going and wouldn't you know who won the pony... I was right. It also mirrors a legendary horror film; judging by the name given to a minor character, the filmmakers did not do this copy and paste just by happenstance.

It was disappointing how the movie did not work for me as well has it has many others. There are moments which may me say this was OK overall... the setting was a great one for a horror movie-apparently, the crew did not need to add anything to the building in terms of props to make it even creepier. There are also reel to reel tapes of an old case involving a young patient at the hospital and all that audio was rather chilling. Yet, that and some decent performances was not enough to raise this about a “meh”.

I Discuss The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone

Should people be pulled back in on a new version of The Godfather, Part III?

A few years ago I reviewed III; I've never held the opinion that this was bad, even when first seen by me more than two decades ago. It's just a shame that it isn't one of the best films of all time like the first two are. Last night (the same day it came out on disc) a trip was made to an AMC to view Coppola's new cut of the movie, entitled The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Spoilers, I know... turns out, Coda isn't too terribly different from III.

Sure, the opening is different (now, it starts w/ a scene from about 40 minutes in moved up), the last half of the final scene is cut, various edits happen-only a few of which I even noticed-some music cues are probably different and a gory death is finally able to be shown; otherwise, it's the same film about Michael paying for the sins of the past while finally trying to go legitimate. All the drama involving the Vatican Bank and the short reign of Pope John Paul I... it's based rather loosely on real life events, believe it or not. There is plenty of conspiracy concerning both in the late 70's to early 80's; from what little I've seen/heard about it, a fascinating story no matter the truth.

The same strengths and weaknesses from III are present; it is pretty good overall, aided by some powerful performances from the likes of Keaton, Garcia, and especially Pacino. The general conceit of the film (Michael's downfall) is a great idea. Of course, the financial struggles of both Francis Ford and Mario Puzo are the main reasons why this was made rather a burning desire to finish this saga... but the movie is not horrible like some think it is. The long finale at a opera is not subtle-which is alright as it managed to fit with all the dramatic moments. Of course it's a shame that Robert Duvall did not want to return so a new character played by George Hamilton is there instead. Then there's Sofia Coppola... last month on the big screen they played a trailer for Coda; I laughed once the realization hit that the only time Mary Corleone was shown was at the very end.

Even with some of her footage being cut, that performance was not good. If only Winona Ryder was not sick with exhaustion and she was able to play the role as originally intended. Her dropping out at the 11th hour put everyone in a bind, but dad putting his novice daughter in such a position is still a legendary bad decision in Hollywood history. It's amazing she still wanted to be in film after all the savage criticism she received; at least she's far better as a director. The whole “first cousins have a torrid love affair” is kind of strange and certainly gross; I at least hope it is not a common phenomenon in the real world.

Comparing the two versions, both receive the same rating. While it is better paced, I am unsure if every change made was for the better. Irregardless, those that don't like III could think of the whole thing better if they gave Coda a shot. Of course, the passage of time and hindsight might be bigger factors for reappraising this third tale in the trilogy. In any event, it's been a treat to have seen all three motion pictures on the big screen since 2010.

Sons Of The Desert

Sons of the Desert (1933)

Runtime: 65 minutes

Directed by: William A. Seiter

Starring: Laurel & Hardy, Charley Chase, Mae Busch, Dorothy Christy

From: MGM

This month on TCM they are showing a decent amount of Laurel & Hardy films, both shorts and feature length. As I haven't viewed much of this classic cinematic duo & this is arguably their most famous work... at least on Letterboxd it is the most highly regarded.

The plot is not too terribly complex: our duo are members of a fraternal lodge obviously modeled on The Shriners; their original name was the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. This is why both wear fez hats and their leaders dressed in stereotypical Arabic person garb. Anyhow, there's an oath to attend their annual convention in Chicago. Laurel & Hardy can't go because their spouses won't allow it. They don't fit entirely into the “nagging wives” stereotype... for starters, one of them had a scheduled trip “to the mountains.” Via subterfuge, they concoct a ruse where they go anyway. Of course, the ladies discover they were lied to; this leads to a comedy of errors from the boys once they return to SoCal.

Personally, this worked like gangbusters. In a little more than an hour, there is no shortage of humor... puns, slapstick, one-liners, absurd situations, visual gags, comedic bits that could go on for a few minutes, malapropisms, characters acting drunker than Cooter Brown due to them having “some of the bubble water”, and I don't mean Bubly... I laughed often. Besides the leads being an incredible duo because of their impeccable timing w/ each other, the rest of the main cast brought their A-game. Both Busch and Christy (the wives) were funny in what could have been shrill roles and Charley Chase-a silent star who is mostly forgotten now-played his part right as a very maddening intoxicated lodge member.

Later in the month it is all but guaranteed that I'll see more from this duo.

London Has Fallen

London Has Fallen (2016)

28% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 197 reviews)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Babak Najafi

Starring: Many famous faces, some of whom don't do much else than stay in one room and are usually sitting down

From: Gramercy

A bridge in London is in fact seen falling down.

Back two months ago I viewed Olympus Has Fallen for the first time; while preposterous and bombastic, it at least delivered R-rated action and provided entertainment, even if some of it was unintentional laughs. London I understood was seen as “ugly” by some, whether it be the visuals (which were on the drab side) or its xenophobic attitude straight out of the 80's. Admittedly, more than once the movie seemed more like Team America: World Police than a serious product; as I heard speculated, if director Babak Najafi (an Iranian who fled to Sweden w/ his family as a kid due to the Iran-Iraq war) was able to inject satire into an overblown product concerning how great 'Murica is and only macho he-man Mike Banning can defeat all those Pakistani terrorists as the other G8 countries are ineffectual wimps... who knows for certain. Personally this was not taken entirely seriously by myself.

The leader of those Pakistani terrorists at least has a valid reason for revenge: collateral damage had a major impact on his family. Then again he sells arms to everyone so it's difficult to have too much sympathy for him. His elaborate plan was rather far-fetched, which did make me chuckle. Many action scenes occur, which overall were fine... one was a faux one-take bit which was the most inspired segment. If only the CG didn't usually look rather horrid...

London Has Fallen has goofy one-liners (including one involving “coming out of the closet”), Banning yelling at a terrorist to “go back to f***headistan”, a talented cast where some only sits or stands around in one room, and a gauche patriotic speech I imagine Trump wishes he could have made... people loathing the movie is a valid reaction to have. Personally, London Has Fallen does come across as a parody-even if it wasn't supposed to be-and Banning has turned into a psychopath, it was fun to laugh AT and WITH.

Youth Of The Beast

Youth of the Beast (Yaju No Seishun) (1963)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Seijun Suzuki

Starring: Jo Shishido, Misako Watanabe, Tamio Kawaji, Minako Katsuki, Daisaburo Hirata

From: Nikkatsu

In April and July of this year I saw a quartet of early Seijun Suzuki pictures; I dug all three of them even if they weren't as boldly iconoclastic as his most famous work. While 2020 has been miserable for me for reasons unrelated to the pandemic, there's no real excuse for me putting off the task of checking out another one of his movies. At least this is one of his most famous and most highly regarded. It is a Yojimbo type story where Jo Shishido gets involved with a pair of Yakuza gangs, but here it's not just about the plot.

The movie's main highlight is not the story, although it was quite enjoyable with all its twists & turns. Rather, it was the assured confidence Suzuki had in presenting a distinctive style. Whether it be the jazzy score, the interesting ways that many scenes are framed (don't be surprised to see major characters in the background rather than the foreground), all the usages of color or something incidental happening in the background as something happens in the office in the foreground... it was a joy seeing Youth of the Beast. To elaborate on the last point, the office settings were in a nightclub-as a fan dance happened in the background-and a movie theatre, as a picture was playing.

Speaking of distinctive, Jo Shishido's appearance... at least he delivered a quality performance. I could prattle on much further about such topics as the usage of glass, but this sort of movie it is most ideal to go in rather cold and instead enjoy the surprises-along with all the violence-unfurl in front of you. Hopefully it won't be many months before I see some more of Suzuki's most famous works.

Nighthawks

Nighthawks (1981)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Bruce Malmuth

Starring: Sly Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Rutger Hauer, Persis Khambatta, Nigel Davenport

From: Universal

One instance where a score is bumped up due to a movie's ending.

In the past I have seen this thriller; however, that was ages ago & randomly it was decided the previous night to give the film a revisit. An important aspect to make clear right away: it was not the smoothest of productions. Even before filming (where its original director was replaced by Bruce Malmuth) and quite a bit was cut out to make a 99 minute picture instead of something apparently almost 2 1/2 hours long, the original idea of the story was to be The French Connection III where Popeye Doyle would team up with someone-allegedly played by Richard Pryor!-but Gene Hackman did not want to make another one of those so it was reworked into what we got here.

Two loose cannon cops in NYC are assigned to an international anti-terror squad after a heinous European serial bomber flees to The Big Apple. A big asset for Nighthawks is that this bomber was played by Rutger Hauer in his American movie debut. Even amongst a cast of Sly Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Nigel Davenport, Joe Spinell for a few minutes and Persis Khambatta, he was the highlight. There's also Lindsay Wagner, who I am sure was fine in her role... unfortunately she had to be the biggest victim of the movie's cuts-she's only in a few scenes and vanishes for a very long stretch.

It is still a good movie as is due to the conflict between the heroes & villains and Sly's slavish devotion to “acting like a cop” being in stark contrast to this squad... where you have to be just as merciless as the terrorists. There is a great extended scene of Sly and Billy Dee in a discotheque and the long chase which happens after they spot Hauer as a patron. While it's patently obvious as times that entire scenes are missing, For me at least, assets which helped were views of “The crappy New York City of Old” and a score by Keith Emerson which does sound like something you'd expect from a 70's prog rocker yet it did work in this context.

Without giving any spoilers, the final few minutes are pretty great and it was enough for me to bump up my rating a bit. As this original cut of the movie is most likely long ago rotted away in some landfill, I'll instead be fine with having this version of Nighthawks around as it was nice to see again after all these years.

Employees' Entrance

Employees' Entrance (1933)

Runtime: 75 minutes

Directed by: Roy Del Ruth

Starring: Warren William, Loretta Young, Wallace Ford, Alice White, Hale Hamilton

From: Warner Bros.

It is quite the alpha move to pull a gun from your desk, give it to the guy pissed as you and dare him to shoot you.

Last night Turner Classic Movies showed several Pre-Code movies; as I had seen two of them already I went with this one, which I had heard of before. Turns out, this was a ruthless look at the perils of capitalism. Warren William plays a real tyrant of a boss, a jerk who heads a large NYC department store. He doesn't care to modify expectations just because The Great Depression is going on, he is happy to fire people for a single mistake, and is rather unpleasant. Admittedly, he is not ALL bad... he takes a pay cut alongside the various managers for not meeting expectations the previous year and berates bankers for chiding him when it was the bankers that played a role in causing the Depression in the first place.

Be that as it may, he is still not a dude you want to support once you see that he treats women rather deplorably. Besides sleeping around with other peoples' wives, he asks one of his female employees (a delightful Alice White) to use her wily ways in order to spy on male employees, tries to break up marriages between his employees, and worst of all forces himself upon poor Loretta Young while she's intoxicated at a company party... and unbeknownst to him, is married to his de facto understudy Wallace Ford. What a fascinating character.

The film may sound miserable considering the lead but it is breezy well-made entertainment instead. Of course William was the highlight, but that's no slight to White, Young or Ford. Believe it or not there are also comedic moments and those were usually fun. Even with a cynical ending, the film is a gripping look at the horrors of being obsessed w/ avarice without being drudgery to get through.

Love, Guaranteed

Love, Guaranteed (2020)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Everyone's “favorite” comic book movie director, Mark Steven Johnson

Starring: My gal Rachael Leigh Cook, Damon Wayans, Jr., Heather Graham, Caitlin Howden, Brendan Taylor

From: Netflix

As I catch up here today, three reviews will be posted throughout Saturday. First:

Someone not having seen The Fugitive in full was not a minor plot point I was expecting here.

Those who have followed me on Letterboxd for a long while and are a Netflix member may have wondered why I only just saw this Netflix exclusive last night. After all, it stars and was even produced in part by one of my favorites, Rachael Leigh Cook. To be honest, the romantic comedy genre is one of my least favorites and I was worried this would be a glorified Hallmark Channel film with the twist that the relationship is interracial.

It's actually not quite that insipid. They try to be more “hip” than that. After all, a supporting character is openly gay, they licensed Tiffany's version of I Think We're Alone Now and my gal drives-of all vehicles-a 60's/70's car (Volkswagen Karmann Ghia) which is beat up to hell. The movie is still rather predictable: a fool-Damon Wayans, Jr.-hires lawyer Rachael in order to file a frivolous lawsuit against a dating website because he hasn't found a relationship yet. OF COURSE lawyer and client suddenly fall in love.

It's not something I'd ever call great by any means but at least an average rating can be applied. There were moments and lines that made me chuckle-another unexpected moment was a Heraclitus reference-throughout & it's rather inoffensive. Of course I got a big unintended laugh out of Damon's character and what dumb decision he made at the end even though it cost him a lot of dough. To be blunt, your opinion will vary depending on your views concerning “rom-coms” and my opinion is biased because I stan the lead. It was also nice seeing Heather Graham in a supporting role as it's been years... a more unifying opinion is the reaction when I reveal this film's director was... Mark Steven Johnson. Without having seen either Daredevil or Ghost Rider, many people here would be more than happy to inform me how bad both are.

Beyond Skyline

Beyond Skyline (2017)

Runtime: 106 minutes

Directed by: Liam O'Donnell

Starring: Frank Grillo, Bojana Novakovic, Jonny Weston, Callan Mulvey, Iko Uwais

From: Many different companies

Technically, a rare sequel better than the original.

Long ago I saw then reviewed the original Skyline. In short, the effects did not look bad-not a shock, as the movie was from effects guys-but the story and characters were so rotten, the film was overall a stinker. At the time it was seen, I already knew of the rumors of a Beyond Skyline; I scoffed it off as in all likelihood it would be another pile of crap. A few years ago this came out and what a surprise it was between the cast of familiar faces and the good word out there. Finally, last night I gave this a shot, and... seeing the name of ANTONIO FARGAS in the opening credits was not the only time I yelled out, “What?!”

Frank Grillo, his dumbass young adult son, and some random people end up in an alien spaceship. It crashes in the country of Laos, which is how Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian get involved. Beyond that I won't spoil the story; besides the joy in discovering what bizarre moment would happen next, some may not believe me and think I am ribbing people by mentioning fake story elements for a laugh. It was bonkers and that provided me plenty of enjoyment. Before anyone asks, Skyline does not need to be seen first... aside from two recast characters briefly showing up here, it hardly has anything to do with Beyond.

While I wish the martial arts action would have been more clearly shot, that was only a part of the overall action and that usually was done competently. The effects and overall look typically was fine. The wide variety of ratings on Letterboxd makes sense as Beyond Skyline is more wacky than good; personally, I can give it three stars due to the fun factor and all the crazy moments. The fact that this is quite gory & features such graphic moments as limbs being ripped off and oh yes... brains being extracted from skulls. In addition, There are no memories from me concerning Frank Grillo in The Grey or Homefront; thus, just now I finally realize why many people like him & wanted him to portray The Punisher.

Later this month, the third movie in this series is set to be released; from buzz, it's even better than the second. What an odd franchise this is turning into.

The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man (1980)

Runtime: 124 minutes

Directed by: David Lynch

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, John Gielgud, Anne Bancroft, Wendy Hiller

From: Paramount

As I've reviewed four of the first five David Lynch feature length movies, it only made logical sense to close that loop and talk about the fifth and final. What a tragic figure Joseph (sometimes referred to as John for reasons unknown to me; he was called John here so that's what I'll go with for the rest of the review) Merrick was. Massively deformed due to an affliction or various afflictions which still have not been confirmed by medical experts, many were horrified by his appearance but he was actually rather articulate and a friendly fellow.

Hollywood being Hollywood, a tale “based on a true story” has various facts along with some embellishments. Joshua was not actually abused by a real A-hole who toured him around as one of the main attractions in a “freak show”, to mention the biggest example. Be that as it may, it's a moving tale filled with great performances where it's easy to feel sympathy for Merrick. It was a great performance by John Hurt there; Lord knows how difficult it must have been to act under all that prosthetics, which hampered his speech because that IRL was a problem Merrick had. Also great was Anthony Hopkins as London surgeon Frederick Treves who “saved” Joshua but he himself questions if his behavior and his treatment of Merrick is in Merrick's best interests.

As it's Lynch, of course the movie's universe is brought to life rather well; in this case, it takes a negative view of the Industrial Revolution's impact on London. It's a dark dreary world filled with choking smoke and steam. In addition, the sound design is aces and no surprise that in a movie otherwise straightforward, there are a few surrealist dream sequences involving Joshua's mother and elephants, then a weird space journey at the very end. It's a motion picture which very well could make you teary-eyed at least once by all the ups and downs you see in Merrick's brief but unforgettable life.

To mention a few asides, it's hilarious that Mel Brooks was one of the producers of the film and he had to see Eraserhead before allowing Lynch to direct; by all appearances he loved it. Apparently, Lynch wasn't a fan of London's bleary weather... and he missed eating Bob's Big Boy burgers every day?! That's what I read and it's incredible yet somehow not surprising he'd be addicted to such a restaurant chain. In addition, from Letterboxd I discovered that the boy who played the assistant of the real A-hole freak show exhibitor... that was Dexter Fletcher, who not only has had over 60 acting credits to his name, he became a director whose most famous work was Rocketman.

Vanguard

Vanguard (2020)

Runtime: 107 minutes

Directed by: Stanley Tong

Starring: Jackie Chan, Yang Yang, Lun Ai, Miya Muqi, Ruohan Xu

From: I swear I am not making this up when I say that there had to be somewhere around EIGHTEEN companies that made this.

The things you see when you feel like you must use your AMC A-List app.

I heard pretty bad things about this recent release from China from a wide scope of different sources. However, as I hadn't used my AMC A-List app in a few weeks, I don't want that money that's paid to it each month to go to waste and this fit my schedule the best, that was chosen. Besides, nothing from Jackie Chan's recent China output has been seen by me; again, that has received no shortage of negative complaints from knowledgeable people.

My reaction? It isn't unwatchable dreck... it's not even the worst picture seen by myself on the big screen the past few months (I'm looking directly at you, Shortcut). But Lord is this ever stupid. “Covert security company” Vanguard-or, to steal a line someone else here made, Team China: World Police-is led by Chan; they have to guard an accountant but realized he double-crossed someone so various nefarious figures are after him so the whole gang is in several exotic locations, including Dubai, a more traditional Middle Eastern city in a location never identified, “Africa”-inferred by the movie to be “Zambia, South Africa” as if Zambia is a city or state in South Africa instead of a completely different country-and London.

The action setpieces are usually in interesting locations or are different from the norm. That does not make it worthwhile when this has plenty of rotten CG, never looking convincing. The story is both quite generic and far-fetched; several moments are shown which would even make the Fast & Furious filmmakers go, “Oh, come on now! That is preposterous!” At least I got laughs out of the dopey moments; this includes two team members & their epic bromance, a limo w/ race car physics, someone somehow surviving catastrophic damage, the African location never being clearly identified, and seeing that this was produced by what looked to be EIGHTEEN different production companies, no lie. Only a few of those had production logos shown, otherwise that would have taken a few minutes.

Of course Jackie doesn't do much action-wise; he is an old man and as it's a relief he can still walk with all he's done to his body, so no complaints with that. I can complain, though, about the quality of this nonsense.

From Corleone To Brooklyn

From Corleone to Brooklyn (Da Corleone A Brooklyn) (1979)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Umberto Lenzi

Starring: Maurizio Merli, Mario Merola, Van Johnson, Biagio Pelligra, Laura Belli

From: Primex

A subdued poliziotteschi from Umberto Lenzi? Yes it is true. As said by me a few times before, it's been too long since seeing anything in that genre. I went to YouTube (to be honest) and a channel which has been zapped before so something was watched from there before it inevitably happens again.

While it is not the craziest poliziotteschi and more story-driven, that doesn't mean it was bad. Maurizio Merli-one of the stars of this genre-escorts someone to NYC so testify against an enemy; of course the enemy has a phalanx of bad guys to try and stop them. The one famous name from the past (which sometimes you get in this genre) is Van Johnson, as a New York City police lieutenant. The story does not get much more complicated than that, aside from Merli spending a few scenes with his ex and child. At least it was a plot competently told, even if does get a little silly by the end. In addition, it had competent action scenes, including one in one of those European rest stops which have fuel, food, and a motel.

It was filmed both in Italy and NYC; the movie does feature one of my favorite tropes from the past, which was “the crappy New York City of old.” It was indeed pretty crappy, especially with the scenes of garbage piled up on the sidewalk-obviously, yet another sanitation strike. As the director was Lenzi, he managed to fit in a sleazy scene-it involved a woman getting groped. In addition, a trope which is more esoteric for me is seeing what films are playing on the marquee whenever a motion picture shows a cineplex. In this case-and that's not even mentioning what was displayed for the X-rated joints-it included The Choirboys, The Wiz and The Warriors.

Panic In The Streets

Panic in the Streets (1950)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Elia Kazan

Starring: Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Jack Palance, Barbara Bel Geddes, Zero Mostel

From: 20th Century Fox

Contact tracing in 1950.

The popularity of this film noir has risen since March; it was sadly perfect for viewing during this noirvember 2020 due to the movie's plot. An officer of the United States Public Health Service (Richard Widmark, playing a rare hero role... although he is still on the gruff side) realizes a homicide victim is patient zero for pneumonic plague and he has to contact trace those he came into contact with so they can be inoculated. Otherwise, a plague will start. He sometimes works with a police captain who isn't a believer so of course they bicker w/ each other. “Walter Jack Palance” in his movie debut managed to shine as the big bad villain.

Boy, do some elements come across as eerie in 2020. If I had seen it before this year-and I had known of this film for a few years now-perhaps I think it far-fetched that the government (in this case, the city of New Orleans, Louisiana) would be more concerned about causing a panic than protecting the public from an airborne pathogen, or people scoffing at the advice of those in the field of medicine. Now, I realize the movie was right on the money with such plot devices.

It was a very exciting movie between seeing Palance dealing with his hoodlum underlings and the efforts to contact trace those that came into contact w/ the dead man. Even a few minutes spent with Widmark and his wife discussing his gruff nature and how he treats her was not pointless because that was character growth and development. It also provides good advice for the viewing audience: You shouldn't say “oh, for Pete's sake!” after your wife delivers some (positive) bombshell news to you. Anyhow, Elia Kazan is the director; he's not everyone's favorite due to his real-life actions; to echo a quote in another review, in several of his movies is the moment where someone rats another person or persons out...

This was set and filmed in New Orleans; it's a great city I've visited before-albeit on a family vacation as a child-filled with plenty of distinctive flavor-naturally, an abundance of jazz is heard throughout. Considering the United States is being ravaged by “the second wave” of what I've deemed The Black Plague (the country really screwed the pooch when it came to handling it; that was a big reason of why I did not consider it a threat at first) and the prudent decision has been made to not go on my typical Christmas trip to the Midwest to see family... it was still escapist entertainment to see characters succeed in stopping a horrible virus. That's what I will think of as I still see dumbasses walking around the grocery store or Walmart sans mask.

Merrily We Go To Hell

Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Dorothy Arzner

Starring: Sylvia Sidney, Fredric March, Adrianne Allen, Skeets Gallagher, Cary Grant

From: Paramount

I learned that there is such a thing as “white boy tapdancing.”

This is a movie I've known of for awhile now; besides having a great title, it covers the serious topic of alcoholism, has Cary Grant in a small role and is one of the films directed by Dorothy Arzner; after her career was finished it was a few decades before a female director did movies for major Hollywood studios. From cursory searches, her story of how she was the only woman directing at a big company (Paramount) during the 30's is a fascinating one and this is why two of her movies are on the Criterion Channel... until they leave at the end of November. There are other places I could have seen this-but shhh on that-I chose to do so officially rather than by visiting any sketchy areas of the Internet.

Fredric March was a newspaper reporter/frustrated playwright who is an alcoholic and Sylvia Sidney (who was a dish back during this time) is a heiress. Against her father's protests they decide to marry. He goes on the wagon for the sake of the marriage as the bottle has resulted in several incidents which totally embarrassed his gal. I mean, he got drunker than Cooter Brown-to use a phrase I've learned since I started living in the South-and passed out in random places. However, he still pines for a gal from the past and when she returns... he turns into a real jerk, to put it mildly. It is easy to feel plenty of sympathy for her. For the time it was a surprisingly mature look at such themes as alcoholism and an open marriage.

It was great performances from the duo which helped elevate the movie. So was an interesting story which had some humorous moments but also some which were stone cold sober-pun intended. S*** got real in the final few minutes-it was quite the contrast to the funny bits of Skeets Gallagher attempting to tap-dance or an amateur singing quartet where three of them are properly sauced. As it was a nice job directing by Arzner, in the future I'll have to track down more of her work.

No Country For Old Men

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Runtime: 122 minutes

Directed by: The Coen Brothers

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald

From: Miramax/Paramount Vantage

The movie that made someone I know think they got a defective DVD-R from a garage sale.

As I've mentioned before, when a personal anecdote-especially an odd one-can be shared by me, it is a good thing. In this case, it was a sort of absurd situation. Last night a pal watched this movie for the first time... I had seen it before years ago. It was me who pointed out to them that the disc was not an official release and instead was burned; the glued-on label and the back of the disc gave it away. After the movie this person asked me if something was wrong with their disc or if the ending was left off due to how abrupt it was. It was quickly determined that their copy was fine; they were not happy with how the movie stops rather than concludes and that is fair. While I don't hate it, for me it was not 100% satisfying either.

It is a dark yet interesting film concerning a group of odd and colorful characters in 1980 Texas and their desire to acquire or get back their 2 million dollars in drug money. I can give it high marks because of the plot, the characters, and the talented cast-Bardem did deserve his Oscar for his portrayal of Anton Chigurh-along with the overarching themes of drugs on America, people adapting to change, and fears over the future for those in the twilight of their lives.

All that said, it is not a movie I love like many do and it's not something seen by me as “one of the best of the 2000's”. Ever since the 2008 Oscars people have compared this to There Will Be Blood and despite this getting the Best Picture nod, I definitely prefer TWBB. At least I was finally able to talk about this here and the person who unknowingly bought a burned copy of this at a random garage sale, at least they only paid two dollars and there was no problem with the disc.

The New One-Armed Swordsman

The New One-Armed Swordsman (Xin Du Bi Dao) (1971)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Chang Cheh

Starring: David Chiang, Ti Lung, Ku Feng, Li Ching, Chan Sing

From: Shaw Brothers

Featuring an epic bromance.

It's been almost 6 months since viewing anything from Shaw Brothers; as I saw this heavily praised on a random website and I've seen the first two movies in this series way back in 2014, why not choose this?

While it has the same director (Chang Cheh) it has nothing to do with the first two films, starring Jimmy Wang Yu; rather, it has David Chiang as the lead. He is a cocksure young swordsman who loses in a battle to an older master at this art. His punishment: hacking off his own arm! Understandably, he is pretty mopey about it for awhile as he works at a sake joint, where he is bullied by A-holes. Thankfully for him, he both meets a cute young lady known as Ba Jiao and a guy named Feng who he quickly becomes bros with. Really, they call each other “brother”.

I slightly prefer the first two to this; that is no harsh slight as New is still a fun old time for those that enjoy the old wuxia films. It was intriguing seeing how long it took our eponymous hero to pick up a sword again and kick ass. It never becomes boring due to the other person in the bromance, Feng. There was no shortage of intrigue, martial arts or ace swordplay; it was pretty bloody also, with an astounding death that I won't spoil but it raised my eyebrows as I was not expecting something so brutal. The finale is at least a little preposterous... not that it wasn't a blast to watch due to all the carnage that was unleashed.

Eastern Condors

Eastern Condors (Dung Fong Tuk Ying) (1987) 

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Sammo Hung

Starring: Hung, Biao Yuen, Haing S. Ngor, Joyce Godenzi, Chi Jan Ha

From: Golden Harvest

It was not the plan to see a whole slew of films from the latter half of the 1980's through the early 90's (not to mention three from 1987) in a row but here we are. As I needed to see more Hong Kong action from the 1980's through the 1990's and this has received plenty of praise, that is why this was tracked down.

It is a war film light in tone but it wasn't too silly or stupid even if it has such elements as a weird villain who constantly giggles. A group of Asian-Americans in prison are tasked on a clandestine mission into Vietnam in 1976; it is to retrieve a huge cache of weapons-including missiles-left behind so the Vietcong don't get their hands on it. They get help from Cambodian guerillas (who are ladies) and a low-level smuggler named Rat. Also, it has Academy Award winner Haing S. Ngor in a prominent role. What a life Ngor had... he was a Cambodian doctor who sent to a prison camp by the horrid Khmer Rouge, won an Oscar for The Killing Fields despite not having done any acting previously, appeared in a few other random movies like this year, and was unfortunately murdered-it was a likely botched robbery-in 1996.

Anyhow, the presence of humor and jokes does not mean that the plentiful action isn't serious. There is plenty of explosions, shootouts, stabbings and decapitations alongside the martial arts. Director Sammo Hung apparently had a much longer cut of this but it was cut down to where we don't see these prisoners receive any training-there's always The Dirty Dozen for that, I suppose-and we get to 'Nam rather quickly. What was released: an hour and a half (minus credits) of great fun, with a slimmed-down Hung to boot and an amazing leaf-related death... yes.