Best Movie-Viewing Experiences 14/09/15 - 27/09/15
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES (1991)
A- SECOND VIEWING
d: Jon Avnet
CAST: Mary Stuart Masterson; Kathy Bates; Mary-Louise Parker; Jessica Tandy; Cicely Tyson
> soft and gooey, but that's all right (this time); while I could do without the incessant soundtrack orchestra tugging at me to feel now, the sentimentality of the film is cut back somewhat by the shaggy dog quality of the tale being told; Mary Stuart is terrific as the tomboy heroine as is Jessica as the old lady doing the telling; Kathy Bates is never subtle, is she?; the lesbian relationship is alluded to once then mysteriously abandoned; feel good film without audience guilt...which is as rare as hen's teeth
Award-Worthy Performances
Mary Stuart Masterson; Jessica Tandy
RUNNING ON EMPTY (1988)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Sidney Lumet
CAST: River Phoenix; Christine Lahti; Judd Hirsch; Martha Plimpton
> while the basis of the film is a family on the run from the FBI (which is obviously loaded with dramatic possibilities), it is the sweet romance between River and Martha which reels you into the movie...rarely has a teenage first love been so beautifully and honestly presented; the rapport between the two kids is just so natural; Martha doesn't appear to be performing; River is an absolute revelation - just so openly emotional and torn between his potential and his past, which is the definition of growing up; a great acting partnership
Award-Worthy Performances
River Phoenix & Martha Plimpton
ROADGAMES (1981)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Richard Franklin
CAST: Stacey Keach; Jamie Lee Curtis
> made-in-Australia thriller with Yank stars (who thankfully don't bother trying to do an Aussie accent); very quirky serial-killer-pursuit flick with dollops of humour, eccentric side-characters and unexpected plot twists; the Nullarbor moonscape setting is just perfect for this type of yarn: a long-haul truck driver tracking a sinister green van; Jamie Lee has little to do (she doesn't even scream!); yet another Stacey Keach film which shows he is one of filmdom's great lost character actors; and not a gun in sight - refreshing!
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (2012)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Robert Redford
CAST: Robert Redford; Shia LaBeouf; Julie Christie; Susan Sarandon; Brendan Gleeson; Anna Kendrick; Terrence Davis; Richard Jenkins; Nick Nolte; Chris Cooper; Sam Elliott; Richard Jenkins; Stanley Tucci; Stephen Root
> how did this pass me by?; I'd never even heard of it before; suspense / thriller about Weathermen revolutionaries all grown-up suddenly forced out of cover; perfect performances from everybody in big-name cast; wish Susan Sarandon had been around longer; interesting premise which keeps you involved every step of the manhunt; critically undersung
WOMAN IN A DRESSING GOWN (1957)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: J. Lee Thompson
CAST: Yvonne Mitchell; Anthony Quayle; Sylvia Syms
> film is raised above its done-a-million times soapie premise (dowdy housewife loses her husband to a younger woman) mainly by the performance of Yvonne in the title role; similar to Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky, Yvonne is the drive-you-up-the-bloody-wall type by being so damned "up" all the time (talking incessantly; tirelessly muddled; self-amused), whose optimism is as lightweight and fragile as gossamer; so, like her hubbie, you are dying to tell her to piss off but aware that it would destroy her: manacled by guilt & obligation
Award-Worthy Performance
Yvonne Mitchell
THE MAN IN THE MOON (1991)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Robert Mulligan
CAST: Reese Witherspoon; Sam Waterston; Tess Harper
> good little movie which goes exactly where it should without any unsavoury deviations; all the biggies are covered though: birth, sex, death, swimming; Reese is amazing; the only onscreen coming-of-age kid I can think of who actually seems to grow up right in front of you; look at how she runs (do 14 year olds run anymore?); some sappy dialogue which juts out because it's not natural patter; still Reese's best?
Award-Worthy Performance
Reese Witherspoon
FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Busby Berkeley
CAST: Judy Garland; Gene Kelly; George Murphy
> got a soft spot for films about the Vaudeville days - trains, trunks and troopers; gorgeous voiced / faced Judy with soft-shoe heel Gene are one of the great movie-musical partnerships; he outdances her and she outsings him, but put together they're on an even keel; the performance of the title-song is one of my very favourite scenes; unusual WWI setting adds the necessary pathos; could've done without the pop-opera warblings of Martha Eggerth; a shame that some of the dialogue is (quite understandably for the times) pro-war
Award-Worthy Performances
Judy Garland & Gene Kelly
DOGPOUND SHUFFLE (1975)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Jeffrey Bloom
CAST: Ron Moody; David Soul
> my Dad put me onto this little Canadian movie, and it's one more thing I am thankful to him for; modest story of a drifter who tries to raise money so he can get his beloved dog out of the pound; some good ol' soft-shoe shufflin' like you don't see anymore from Ron (why didn't he do more movies after Oliver!?); a couple of times I worried that it was going to go dark, but it steered away from that and winds up being consistently pleasant; nice to be in Vancouver for a change
Award-Worthy Performance
Ron Moody
GRAND CANYON (1991)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: Lawrence Kasdan
CAST: Kevin Kline; Danny Glover; Steve Martin; Mary McDonnell; Alfre Woodard
> film whirls if-only fantasy into harsh urban reality (with, as usual, guns playing a significant role); every one of the central characters is a NICE PERSON but they are all mischievously and maybe unjustly manipulated by Fate (aren't we all?); no tragic deaths which makes for a nice change; the flying dream sequence is too much; wants to talk about the Human Condition but does so too quietly: even the horrors are subdued; The Meaning of Life still comes down to connecting with each other apparently...which is hard to argue with
Award-Worthy Performance
Danny Glover
NIGHTFALL (1957)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Jacques Tourneur
CAST: Aldo Ray; Anne Bancroft; Brian Keith; James Gregory
> neat little B-feature with Aldo being pursued by two thugs and an insurance guy for a bag of money; Anne is softer and subtler in this early performance compared to the broader and louder actress she became in her later years; Aldo's ham-fisted, oafish quality gives him the necessary everyman persona without much effort; competent direction very much in the Fifties TV-drama style with blaring soundtrack; attractive snowy mountain setting contrasts nicely with the usual urban streets; beautiful cinematography; love the climax with the snowcrusher!
Worst Movie-Viewing Experiences 14/09/15 - 27/09/15
MINE OWN EXECUTIONER (1947)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: Anthony Kimmins
CAST: Burgess Meredith; Dulcie Gray
> it means well, but is unfortunately so much of its time that now, it can't even be charitably called quaint; early psychoanalysis thriller with Freudian imagery (extension ladders, anyone?) and mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia scattered about like a rigged scavenger hunt; typical physician-heal-thyself backstory that aims for adult sophistication but seems to be more like an adolescent giggle; unexpectedly grim finale boosts things somewhat but is followed by a cutesy postscript
ANGELS OVER BROADWAY (1940)
D FIRST & LAST VIEWING
d: Ben Hecht
CAST: Douglas Fairbanks Jr; Rita Hayworth; Thomas Mitchell; John Qualen
> talk, talk, talk...but whaddya expect from a film written, produced and directed by Ben Hecht?; a little man in big trouble is helped by an alcoholic playwright, a barfly and a cynical conman; Doug Jr makes for a lousy tough guy with a soft centre; Rita is pretty pretty and pretty woeful; Thomas does his drunk act for the umpteenth time; but thankfully John Qualen doesn't do his Swede shtick; the fight action sequence is laughably bad; at least the B&W cinematography is finely done (Art Deco motifs; shadows & smoke etc.)
Got something you want to tell me?
Go right ahead.
Best Movie-Viewing Experiences 30/08/15 - 13/09/15
CRY OF THE CITY (1948)
A FIRST VIEWING
d: Robert Siodmak
CAST: Victor Mature; Richard Conte
> hard-nosed, hard-hitting, hard-boiled, and hardly original, but the recipe still cooks; Siodmak is showing off here, turning lead into gold: the guy was a brilliant film-maker; the undisputed master of noir, lifting 'B' grade into 'A'; Victor Mature is all thick-lipped and heavy-lidded, a good-hearted gecko with a big nose (reminds me of Kerry Packer); strong supporting turns from Fred Clark, Shelley Winters and formidable Hope Emerson; Richard Conte is the usual no-good guy with a wonderful mother; some shots are sheer visual poetry; Movie Jukebox bound
LORENZO'S OIL (1992)
A RE-EVALUATION / ORIGINAL GRADE: A-
d: George Miller
CAST: Susan Sarandon; Nick Nolte; Peter Ustinov
> it's for films like this that terms such as "uplifting" and "life-affirming" should be reserved; first time I saw this (20+ years ago), I thought it was just harrowing - it is, of course, but also so much more; told in a series of chronological slices, the story ropes you in with its bouts of frustration and strength; Susan is stunning as Mum, and while Nick has attacks of the OTT's (too Giuseppe; too method), it's not injurious; cry, cry, cry and feel okay about it, because it's a true story; P.S. George Miller: you're getting on, mate - enough with the Mad Max stuff
Award-Worthy Performance
Susan Sarandon
TOPAZE (1933)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast
CAST: John Barrymore; Myrna Loy
> utterly charming and quaint little movie about an honest schoolteacher who goes out into the world and discovers that ethics are overrated; once you get accustomed to its meandering old-time pace, it is a wryly amusing entertainment; Barrymore has restrained his tendency to ham it up (he was usually better onscreen in comedic roles) and its final "the moral of this story is" is nicely done
Award-Worthy Performance
John Barrymore
CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED (1964)
A- SECOND VIEWING
d: Anton M. Leader
CAST: Ian Hendry; Alan Badel; Patrick Wymark
> not Village of the Damned II; another film based on the same idea; the weird kids have gone multicultural; builds on the Sixties paranoia about the end of the world as they knew it; very effective little thriller which is done extremely well on what was obviously a tight British budget; interestingly, these kids are more like real children which, when the punchline is revealed, makes sense; exciting, thematically apt ending
HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Alfred Werker; Anthony Mann
CAST: Richard Basehart and some other guys
> starts off like an episode of Dragnet; have there ever been so many emotionless cops in one movie?; taut crime thriller which operates like a Crime & Investigation Channel documentary; the cinematography is all chequerboard contrasts / slats of light / splotches of dark / sharp geometric shapes; exciting finale in the stormwater drains; shame that characterization was deemed to be of secondary importance to visual style; who the hell was Alfred Werker?
THE STREET WITH NO NAME (1948)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: William Keighley
CAST: Richard Widmark; Mark Stevens; Lloyd Nolan
> police-procedural / docu-drama that sprints along through the grit; virtually no characterization (apart from baddie Richard Widmark - love the hypochondria and the nasal spray) and it's not missed; while there's an acknowledgement of police corruption, I could've done without the FBI-are-all-nice-guys propaganda; still, a well-told crime tale with a couple of sudden displays of brutality which jump out at you (as they should)
SLAP SHOT (1977)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: George Roy Hill
CAST: Paul Newman; Strother Martin; Michael Ontkean
> makes the same point as Rollerball, but with a sense of humour, in a Three Stooges meet Randy Newman kinda way; Paul Newman plays a meathead to perfection in his best comedic role (the actor seldom found all-out comedy to be his thing); anything which pokes fun at blokey blokes and violence in sport immediately has my respect; actually laughed out loud a couple of times; after a while the relentless bloodletting becomes a little repetitious - the point gets made...and made...and made...
Award-Worthy Performance
Paul Newman
PITFALL (1948)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Andre De Toth
CAST: Dick Powell; Lizabeth Scott; Jane Wyatt; Raymond Burr
> how did Hollywood keep churning out these good little potboilers and when exactly did they forget how to?; Powell is in serious Dick mode as bored hubbie who has a fling with Lizabeth; Raymond is all beefy menace; the whole thing burbles along with guns playing their usual role; the sanctity of the WASP family is preserved, but just barely; love the blunt telling-off at the end by the investigating cop; Lizabeth Scott was an interesting actress who deserved better than what she got from producers, directors, other actors, critics, reporters, fans, homophobes
THE LOOKOUT (2007)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Scott Frank
CAST: Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Jeff Daniels; Matthew Goode
> yet another US film where guns cause the problem and guns fix the problem; putting that aside, Joseph does a great job playing a young guy with brain damage caused by a car accident (he was driving & friends died); the outcome and its location is inevitable but still nicely done; opening scene is unfortunately the most striking in the whole film and does linger, reducing what comes after
Award-Worthy Performance
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
FORT APACHE (1948)
B+ SECOND VIEWING
d: John Ford
CAST: John Wayne; Henry Fonda; Shirley Temple; John Agar
> never been overly taken with Ford's post-WWII Westerns (much prefer '39 & '40 non-Westerns Young Mr Lincoln, The Long Voyage Home, The Grapes of Wrath); usually found the sentimental inserts, the anthemic soundtrack and the broad fight 'n' drink humour to be turn-offs - and these are my criticisms of Fort Apache; still, the film has virtues: gorgeous Ansel Adams style landscapes & Henry Fonda's foolish-but-noble Colonel & the positive depiction of the native Americans; Victor McLaglen's Irish impersonation has always given me a pain, but at least this time round he gets to call Ward Bond "darling"
Award-Worthy Performance
Henry Fonda
BERLIN EXPRESS (1948)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Jacques Tourneur
CAST: Robert Ryan; Paul Lukas; Merle Oberon
> good little actioner; part spy thriller, part post-war Germany travelogue (with annoying but necessary voiceover), part Cold-War-to-come history lesson; the male cast members are effective, but Merle draws her usual blank; action sequences are well-directed and the tours through the ruins of Berlin and Frankfurt are fascinating; scenes aboard the train (constant movement; confined spaces) zip things along as usual
Worst Movie-Viewing Experiences 30/08/15 - 13/09/15
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (1966)
C+ FIRST & LAST VIEWING
d: Richard Lester
CAST: Zero Mostel; Phil Silvers; Buster Keaton; Michael Crawford
> I kept waiting for the funny thing to happen and it finally did after about 80 minutes: Buster Keaton walked into a tree; to be fair, the chariots-chase was also pretty amusing; frantic & manic style is Goon Show + Carry On and soon becomes a major irritation; I've never been much of a musical-theatre guy, although some of the wordplay in these tuneless songs is admirably clever; how did Michael Crawford ever become a star?
THE KNACK...AND HOW TO GET IT (1965)
C FIRST & LAST VIEWING
d: Richard Lester
CAST: Rita Tushingham; Michael Crawford
> how Sixties can you get?; it was only the previous year that Lester made A Hard Day's Night and somehow he thought that the occasional surreal / far-out stuff the Beatles did in that could be stretched out and called a style; the story of this ends up being the least important part of the film - gags, gags, gags of all types (slapstick, visual, social satire, sex of course) are the thing; a couple are funny, a number are offensive (rape jokes, anyone?) and many fall flat because the Sixties are very over; how did Michael Crawford ever become a star?
Got something you want to tell me?
Go right ahead.
