L'Assassin Habite Au 21

L’Assassin Habite Au 21 (1942)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Henri-Georges Clouzot

Starring: Pierre Fresnay, Suzy Delair, Jean Tissier, Pierre Larquey, Noel Roquevert

From: Continental Films/Liote

This was an impressive feature film debut for Henri-Georges Clouzot. The movie played on TCM late one Sunday evening last month and despite it being on the Criterion Channel, I saved some bandwidth and used the DVR instead.

A Monsieur Durand is a serial killer in Paris who literally leaves his calling card on each of his victims. Various police officers are on the manhunt; one (w/ the nickname Wens) hears a tip that Durand lives at a boardinghouse (the titular place mentioned in the title) so he cosplays as a minister to go undercover. The place has some eccentrics and there’s also Wen’s mistress who shows up… you see, this is actually a comedy along with a mystery. Thankfully, there’s plenty of dry humor and I usually at least chuckled.

Of course, it’s not great that Clouzot was said to have physically assaulted some of the actors on set (including women) to get “the right performance” or that he worked for Continental Films, which was the movie company in France at the time when it was occupied by Nazi Germany, so he worked for Nazi SOB’s… yeah, everyone involved needed work and Henri slid in at least one potshot at his overlords—it’s all unfortunate so all I’ll say is that those elements bear no impact on my rating. This was a film that while not flashy like the other Clouzot I’ve seen, always intrigued as the mystery was as satisfying as the comedy; furthermore, the idea of there being laughs to go with a serial killer story wasn’t as gauche as it may sound.

After the fact, I know it’s unfortunate that the cable guide hinted at the resolution. Le sigh…

Harlem Nights

Harlem Nights (1989)

Runtime: 116 minutes

Directed by: Eddie Murphy

Starring: Murphy, Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, Danny Aiello, Michael Lerner

From: Paramount

You wouldn’t believe why I saw this movie. First off, as mentioned before, Saturday the 5th was supposed to be me going to a cineplex to experience TMNT: Mutant Mayhem. It’d be in a town I rarely visit after I dropped someone off at an airport. Would you believe the entire building had no power? True story, and that was a first for me. As it was an AMC joint and I use the A-List app, canceling that was incredibly easy. Instead of finding another spot to see it, I was too miffed (or to be blunt, pissed!) and did other things instead. The day wasn’t a total loss: I went to a few places for the first time in ages, including a restaurant.

All that backstory was given to explain that I was driving home and took the backroads home; in a small city I saw a bizarre sight: I passed by what looked like an abandoned building, which for reasons known only to a few had a large sign which certainly appeared to be a painting that advertised this movie! I know it had stars Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor prominently displayed. I wasn’t able to turn around and take any photographic evidence or do any further investigating on why the F this was a thing. I have no words, nor an explanation.

There were other reasons for me to check out this movie rather than the backstory given above. It was such a passion project for Eddie Murphy that he wrote, produced, starred, AND directed this (the only time he did so), and was about a Harlem club in the 1930’s, meaning it would be focused on a Black enterprise and many great Black actors would be on screen, it would make an obvious companion piece w/ The Cotton Club… if I had seen that myself, I’d compare & contrast myself. One day I will see that not just to make a comparison, but also discuss how that had an incredibly fractured production history. For the faults of Harlem Nights and how Murphy didn’t know Pryor was already sick w/ MS at the time, at least no one behind the scenes was murdered!

Anyhow, Richard Pryor runs a successful club in Harlem, & Murphy is his adopted son. There are various problems, including white gangster Michael Lerner, and Eddie falling for Jasmine Guy, the moll of a rival. All those talents plus Danny Aiello, Redd Foxx, Stan Shaw, Della Reese & Arsenio Hall in a rather peculiar role… impressive. Apparently, the Black actors together behind the scenes was more entertaining than what was on screen. Heck, the legend Herbie Hancock did the score, which was a treat. Of course, people expect more with all those greats involved so like me you probably hope this is better than just “fine”; on the other hand, I heard this was disappointing so I was satisfied that this was watchable.

The story had its faults and some scenes don’t pan out; even Eddie noted that the script was “thrown together” and there’s a reason he never directed again. That said, this manages to be passable for me due to decent production design, the score, and some funny dialogue. Of course it’s quite profane but I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a picture starring Murphy AND Pryor. As flawed as the end product was, I have no regrets about this viewing… or the bizarre reason why I chose this as a streaming rental.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Tom Shadyac

Starring: Jim Carrey, Sean Young, Courteney Cox, various famous faces in small roles, including Mark Margolis (RIP)

From: Morgan Creek

RIP Mark Margolis. No kidding, just recently I thought about finally revisiting this for the first time since childhood. One infamous element (the dolphin in the room) has kept me away… but hearing the news that Margolis passed away made this a must. Even though he had only a few minutes of screentime, this was still my way to tip my cap to a “that guy” actor, at least before Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. I’ve never seen either (that’s more to me not really watching any fictional television in many YEARS) so he’ll always be a “that guy” actor. However, from social media I know that many were saddened by his death; one day I’ll check out Breaking Bad, promise. It was nice that he had a memorable role on popular TV shows where his death saddened many people.

I’ve been reluctant to review Ace Ventura as I remembered this has an infamous transphobic scene which of course is bad by today’s standards. Without going into details, the big reveal has shown makes zero sense and is more a wacky sight gag than anything else, so should I not feel bad about it… actually, the male characters (well, mainly Act) act in over the top revulsion which I’m sure is horrifying to that community. Hopefully no one will vilify me for not rejecting the entire film for that one element. Before anyone asks, yes I know it’s an obvious spoof of The Crying Game… and also yes I know that Ventura’s OOT reaction was supposed to be so OOT it was ridiculous (or so I hear) but for certain your mileage will vary.

Then again, if someone would really want to, they’d also complain that Carrey cosplaying as someone in a mental health institute is a goofy stereotype at best. Personally, that was too goofy to get mad about. Then again, when was Ace as a character NOT goofy? When I was a 13 year old, of course I was amused by Jim Carrey in this, The Mask, and Dumb & Dumber. Now, him as a cartoon character who is never not hyperactive & who talks w/ his butt among other childish behavior… to use a familiar phrase, a little of that can go a long way. That was more dumb than intolerable, usually.

As is, this is a tale where Snowflake, the dolphin mascot for the Miami Dolphins is kidnapped two weeks before Miami is to play in the Super Bowl. Yep, this for certain is a work of fiction! Just joking, Dolphins fans. As he and Courteney Cox become a couple, he does actual detective work and discovers that involves a former player named Ray Finkle. Naturally, several phrases from the film I never forgot, including “Laces out!”

Many familiar faces appear in small roles or what amounted to cameos. Some were “that guy” actors, such as Margolis, Noble Willingham, Randall “Tex” Cobb and Alice Drummond. Udo Kier is around—for a few minutes. Heck, death metal band Cannibal Corpse randomly perform in a club in one scene. However, Sean Young as police lieutenant Einhorn was definitely the highlight of the film. It’s a shame that various things happened (bad luck, injuries, whatever sort of relationship she did or didn’t have with James Woods that turned out quite bad) and she wasn’t a bigger star.

Despite some moments that were of their time, I could still be entertained by this silly film & there were enough laughs for me. At least judging by my teenage memories, this was clearly better than its sequel, When Nature Calls. Also, I’ve never seen The Crying Game so I can’t compare & contrast; who knows how that twist plays in 2023.

Slaughter is Still a Good Time

I am referring to the 1972 blaxploitation movie starring Jim Brown. It was revisited this afternoon via the DVR; it was a recording made from TCM late last night.

Search for Paradise

As I haven’t reviewed one of these in many months, I need to explain the whole Cinerama presentation from the 50’s and 60’s. It is a presentation where three screens wrap around a viewer as films shot especially for that format are shown w/ 7 channel stereo; for those unfamiliar w/ film history, such a widescreen multichannel stereo presentation was astounding for the time. A few narrative films were shot that way along with various documentaries which presented nature & culture from around the world.

The way people can view those now is via Blu-ray releases from niche label Flicker Alley. It’s a simulation of the tri-screen presentation done via Smilebox, which has a curved aspect ratio and they stitch the three prints together into one. The discs aren’t the cheapest purchases; on the other side of the coin, the picture & sound are both great, along with all the special features included. To me, they’re worth the money.

In fact, as this is niche even in a community like Letterboxd, that is why a list was just created of all the ones I’ve seen; this includes a review of How the West was Won on Turner Classic Movies. That is because they started showing it via Smilebox, which is IMO preferable to the one screen version with the outrageous aspect ratio.

The topic for this was more focused than usual for Cinerama productions: it was visiting several regions in Central Asia which have stunning mountain views and some people say are Shangri-La. That of course is the fictional land which was part of the Lost Horizon book that was turned into a renowned Frank Capra movie and a musical version in the 70’s more infamous than anything else. The novel said it was somewhere in Tibet, so that’s the theme this production went with and did not explicitly state perhaps because at the time they featured everyone knew the novel.

Regardless, the Himalayas are shown along with the Hunza region of Pakistan, Kasmir in India and finally we see a royal coronation in Katmandu in Nepal. Personally, all the rural mountain scenery was stunning and all the footage from that part of the world was a delight as it was all from a world I know little about. Thus, when shots lingered, I marveled instead of feeling tedium. I won’t discuss my opinions on monarchies in general but I just saw on Wiki that the king coronated in Nepal (Mahendra) ended up abolishing democracy in 1960, so after the fact, that segment is now awkward!

Speaking of awkward, there are some amazingly bad songs sung which unfortunately have the name Dimitri Tiomkin attached to them. He did the score and it was fine; those tunes with those lame lyrics weren’t sung or written by him. Also, the United States government must have been involved… time is spent on military aircraft and they sent an official delegation to Nepal. Why else would there be frequent references to “China Reds” and the film belaboring the point that Communism is the government of the Chinese? Someone was peeved that the country also sent representatives.

Even with those carps, I still had a good time with this program hosted by the square radio host known as Lowell Thomas. Actually, I shouldn’t laugh at him or his lack of charisma; among other accolades, he covered T.E. Lawrence in World War I before he became Lawrence of Arabia so who am I to criticize? The final segment seems to confirm the theory that the federal government was involved—it at least was impressive in its own ways.

Talk to Me

Talk to Me (2022)

Somehow, 95% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 219 reviews)

Runtime: 95 incredibly long minutes

Directed by: Two Australian brothers I haven't heard of before

Starring: A bunch of unknowns and Miranda Otto

From: It was released wide by A24, because of course!

You know, these elevated horror movies just aren’t for me. I probably shouldn’t phrase it that way as I realize not all of those films belong in a category with a goofy name I don’t fully understand anyhow. It’s only used so everyone knows what I’m referring to. It honestly requires a list where I list each picture and my opinions where usually I thought they were massively overrated. Get Out is great, The Witch is very good and I guess Hereditary was fine. Otherwise… I don’t wish to feel this way as usually those were viewed at the cineplex and what time/money were spent on flicks where I didn’t understand the hype. I’m still baffled as to why most film fans love the Suspiria and Evil Dead remakes—those were awful! 

Point is, I don’t go into these looking to hate them and it is never my intention to offer a differing viewpoint for attention; it’s always my honest opinion. As for Talk to Me, I first heard some buzz for it last month and it was really only the week it released that there was any sort of push. It took until after the movie for me to finally see the trailer-more on that later. For the most part I went into the movie completely blind except for knowing that it was an Australian production co-starring Miranda Otto and it was about an embalmed hand.

For modern movies of all genres, what kills it for me is the story and characters; if they massively turn me off… unfortunately, that was the case here. Even before I realize that the entire premise which introduced the main blokes to the embalmed hand was absolutely ludicrous… there’s an opening scene that was non-sequitor until the beginning of the third act (where a character returns… and that meant jack squat for the story!)-the sound mix was best described as “approved by Christopher Nolan”, so not all the dialogue was understood by me and thus the first few minutes I was befuddled.

Once it became clear and I realized we had to follow a bunch of annoying teens (who love being dicks to each other AND have bad relationships w/ their parents! Also, for some reason, one has a CRAZY FROG ringtone as if culture did not advance past 2008 in the Land Down Under) who are introduced to the hand in an incredibly preposterous way (especially given its powers)… the movie lost me at that point. That was SO dumb, it could never recover. Yeah, there are some gruesome moments but otherwise it’s themes that seem hackneyed and overdone by this point w/ A24 movies—and when the lead character is just as much a bloomin’ idiot as the ones you see in too many slasher films…

As for that trailer only viewed after the film—I wish it would have been seen by me beforehand. It showed its cards in presenting my chief complaints against Talk to Me, and having realized that my likely reaction would have been, “Eh, how about I pass?” I am crestfallen that this film from a pair of brothers I’ve never heard of and a YouTube channel I’ve never heard of totally missed for me, but alas… I don’t fault the cast of mostly unknowns as it looked like they tried their best; to reiterate, the story and characters totally turned me off. Plenty of horror from the past and the modern examples that don’t feel so pretentious are more my vibe anyhow.

The apropos way of concluding this review: the key plot point revolves around a topic which SHOULD affect me; yet even that didn’t garner much emotion. Ultimately, I’m glad most seem to love this; if only I could concur…

Emperor Jones

The Emperor Jones (1933)

Runtime: 76 minutes

Directed by: Dudley Murphy... and William C. DeMille

Starring: Paul Robeson, Dudley Digges, Frank H. Wilson, Fredi Washington, Ruby Elzy

From: This was released by United Artists

Two administrative notes to mention before I get to the actual review:

One: I actually saw this movie Sunday night and was going to post this yesterday; however, the Paul Reubens news threw a spanner into the works. I chose something 75 minutes long due to my having to troubleshoot some Internet/cable issues before selecting this.

Two: I made the right decision recently to create a list off-line of whatever films are mentioned to me… whether someone asks me if I’ve viewed something & I haven’t or recommendations. Not all the ones I’ve heard in recent months are in that list; it’s too much of a hassle to try and find all the comments left but at a rather methodical pace I’ll check those pictures out. Paul Robeson was discussed by two different people in a review and I remarked that none of his work on film had been seen by me. This was mentioned as THE movie to see him in.

Of course I’ve heard of him for years yet only knew a fraction of his life story. Wikipedia is the best source for the monumental impact he had on the world but I’ll mention that he was an actor, singer, athlete, and most importantly an activist who stood up for his left-leaning beliefs no matter the negative impact it had on his career. Emperor Jones (based on a play from Eugene O’Neill) has a rather far-fetched plot yet it was pulpy nonsense I enjoyed.

Robeson had an incredibly deep baritone voice that was heard both in dialogue and several songs. What an interesting protagonist his Brutus Jones was. At the beginning, we see him leave for his new job as a Pullman porter; that’s working on the railroad being a servant in train cars. He seems like a nice guy w/ a girlfriend who even visits his church before leaving. However, he’s corrupted and due to circumstances ends up on a chain gang. He escapes, ends up on a Caribbean island, and what happens next may not be believed even if I did provide the details.

The movie has historical value as the first film to ever star a Black person as a lead; not surprisingly, while released by United Artists it was actually an independent production. It was also a Pre-Code movie so it wasn’t a surprise when in that discussion it was brought up that not only was the N-word mentioned, it was said often. But, even I was surprised at the frequency; it was like I was seeing a Tarantino film! It was quite awkward for a dumb white guy like me. Then again, in this film where most of the talent seen was Black, the only other person I recognized was the white Dudley Digges and a lot of the production was done by white people. It’s all very odd, really.

For all the film’s flaws, it was not just Robeson’s killer performance which captivated me, although that was the keystone in my enjoyment. It was also fascinating to see and hear what I can only presume is an accurate depiction of Black dialect, Black slang, Black ideology, and Black music. Thus, overall I was happy to have experienced something so unique even by 2023 standards. Most critically, Emperor Jones also made me want to learn more about Paul Robeson.