Thursday 22 October 2015

1959 Page Added

Best Movie-Viewing Experiences 10/10/15 - 22/10/15  

THE NUN'S STORY (1959)
A+   MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Fred Zinnemann
CAST: Audrey Hepburn; Peter Finch; Peggy Ashcroft; Edith Evans; Mildred Dunnock; Dean Jagger; Patricia Collinge; Beatrice Straight; Colleen Dewhurst
> it is a mystery to me (as it is to my movie-mates) as to why this film has such a strong personal impact - the best I can do is that it taps into my early Christian beliefs and eventual dismissal of them; Audrey's most fully-fleshed and affecting performance; support cast heaven; a long story which never becomes tiring due to its constant moving about; the final scenes show how cold and prejudiced religion really can be
Award-Worthy Performances
Audrey Hepburn; Edith Evans; Mildred Dunnock



LONE STAR (1996)
A   SECOND VIEWING
d: John Sayles
CAST: Chris Cooper; Kris Kristofferson; Matthew McConaughey; Joe Morton
> wholly engrossing murder/mystery where the build-up to the killing is a side issue to the interactions of lives revolving around it; alien (to this Aussie) cultural/social issues of Tex-Mex region are fascinating and more than a little sad; love the fluid visual transitions between time frames; good assortment of quirky and endearing side characters; the solving of the mystery is satisfying but it's the surprise (and beautifully underplayed) ending which stays with you
Award-Worthy Performances
Chris Cooper; Kris Kristofferson



THE FRINGE DWELLERS (1986)
A-   SECOND VIEWING
d: Bruce Beresford
CAST: Justine Saunders; Kristina Nehm; Bob Maza; Kylie Belling
> an Australian Experience film; there was a fair amount of controversy focussed on (I think) the depiction of the Aboriginal people in this movie, but I don't see why: they are flawed but mostly positive-in-outlook people; some scenes recall The Grapes of WrathCry Freedom and Ma & Pa Kettle(!); largely (then) amateur cast is terrific, but special accolades to Kristina Nehm (whatever happened to her?) as the restless, ambitious Trilby; shamefully for us, things haven't changed that much even 30 years later
Award-Worthy Performance
Kristina Nehm



YIELD TO THE NIGHT (1956)
A-   FIRST VIEWING
d: J. Lee Thompson
CAST: Diana Dors; Yvonne Mitchell
> thought this was going to be another woman-who-was-wronged soap opera, but turned out to be so much more; film focusses on final two weeks of death row (UK version) inmate's life; flits between how murderess got into this situation and how she copes emotionally with her impending doom; Diana is a revelation in the lead role...who woulda thunk it?; Arty flourishes such as tilted scenes and unusual camera placement add unnecessary melodrama to the already loaded story; should be compulsory viewing in death penalty countries
Award-Worthy Performance
Diana Dors


GUILTY BY SUSPICION  (1991)
A-  FIRST VIEWING
d: Irwin Winkler
CAST: Robert De Niro; Annette Bening; Chris Cooper; George Wendt
> Hollywood Blacklist movie which I prefer to 1976's The Front due to its total lack of humour (Joe McCarthy was funny but what he did to people's lives was grim); avoids any type of satirical inflection by just telling a based-on-a-true story and produces a fascinating and frustratingly sad drama as a result; explains why so many people became informers and demonstrates how heroic the ones who refused to cooperate really were; an overlooked gem
Award-Worthy Performances
Robert De Niro; Annette Bening



THE WINGS OF EAGLES (1957)
A-   MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: John Ford
CAST: John Wayne; Maureen O'Hara; Dan Dailey; Ward Bond
> the trademarks of the post WWII John Ford films were drunken punch-ups, drunken Irish blarney, drunken sentimentality, and above all, doing your duty after you've sobered up; these were the things that turned me off the great man's films during this later period; all of these factors are present in TWoE but for some bizarre reason, I thoroughly enjoy them all; maybe it's because it isn't a Western; maybe it's because it's (kind of) based on a true story; it is certainly due in part to Wayne's powerhouse acting (even when he gets a cream cake in the kisser) and Dailey's comic relief; it manages to be both silly and moving
Award-Worthy Performances
John Wayne; Dan Dailey   


TAKE SHELTER (2011)
B+   FIRST VIEWING
d: Jeff Nichols
CAST: Michael Shannon; Jessica Chastain
> a retelling of the Noah's Ark story; ordinary man is made aware that an apocalypse is coming; builds a shelter to protect his family, facing self-doubt and public ridicule; tension comes from the question: "is he a visionary or is he a loonie?"; the build-up is the essence of slowburn and I admit that I nodded off a couple of times in the first half hour; everyone raves about Michael Shannon's performance but he seems to me to be channeling Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade (minus the exuberance); last fifteen minutes makes it all worthwhile




THE BEAST OF THE CITY (1932)
B+   FIRST VIEWING
d: Charles Brabin (who?)
CAST: Walter Huston; Jean Harlow; Wallace Ford; Jean Hersholt
> wise-cracking, two-fisted police procedural; very talky for a supposed action film, although the powerhouse ending makes up for it; despite busy camera (jerks and all...which still beats handheld), film remains surprisingly static; great grandfather of Hill Street Blues and latter-years of The Bill; Jean Harlow perfects the onscreen version of the nasally moll; usual 30's gangster movie amusements: speedy old cars & matter-of-fact killings & hats; film contains two of the all-time cringe-causing lines: "that's mighty white of you" and "you shot one of the finest white men who ever lived" - UGH.



QUEEN OF SPADES (1949)
B+  FIRST VIEWING
d: Thorold Dickinson
CAST: Anton Walbrook; Edith Evans; Yvonne Mitchell
> gently-told fairy tale / horror story set in Tsarist Russia; you know the sort of thing: gypsies & soldiers, flickering candles & secret staircases, vodka & snow; lush orchestral score scoots the old-world Europe feel along; Edith Evans (in her cinematic debut) overdoes the crotchety dowager routine; Anton Walbrook manages to be emotionally large but somehow still 'right' in the lead role as the born-to-be-doomed protagonist; outstanding direction by Thorold - all long shadows and howling winds and eerie silences; moral of the story: You Can't Always Get What You Want (And Isn't That a Bugger?)




SMILEY (1956)
B+  MULTIPLE VIEWINGS
d: Anthony Kimmins
CAST: Colin Petersen; Ralph Richardson; John McCallum; Chips Rafferty
> geez, I loved this film as a kid; it turned up numerous times in the sixties and seventies on the Saturday Movie Matinee on Channel 7; Huck Finn crossed with Pollyanna; a Disney-style film but with the rough edges left in (drunkenness; drugs; gambling); made in Australia by a British crew financed by American money so, therefore, it is an outsider's idealised version of what small-town Australian life was like in the 50's; the kid is terrific and must have the world's toughest feet; followed by a right-wing sequel called Smiley Gets a Gun; plans for a third film in the franchise, Smiley Joins the KKK, were wisely shelved



Worst Movie-Viewing Experiences 10/10/15 - 22/10/15 

THE MOUSE THAT ROARED (1959)
B-   SECOND VIEWING
d: Jack Arnold
CAST: Peter Sellers X 3; Jean Seberg; Leo McKern
> this was big box office hit in 1959 and I'll be stuffed if I can figure out why; all three of the characters Sellers portrays are bizarrely underplayed (by Peter Sellers?!?); the subplot about a Q Bomb is stupid; a totally deserted New York for a bombing drill is both impractical and a ridiculous plot contrivance; it wants to have that Passport to Pimlico social message/farce feel but fails miserably; the only thing which saves it from being a complete disaster is the cleverness of its premise: a small bankrupt nation declares war on the USA so it can be defeated and receive rehabilitation funding! A film that screams out for a remake: are you reading this Joel & Ethan?



THE ODESSA FILE (1974)
C   SECOND & LAST VIEWING
d: Ronald Neame
CAST: Jon Voight; Maximilian Schell; Derek Jacobi 
> I really wanted this to be better than what it really is because the potential is all there...but I now reluctantly accept that it is a badly botched job; an espionage / conspiracy thriller with no thrills; time and again, opportunities for suspense and action are either fumbled (death by printing press) or just ignored (beaten up by neo-Nazi thugs); even the pushed-under-a-train scene is poorly staged, as if the hero merely tripped over and brushed himself off; I wonder if Maximilian ever got sick of playing old Nazi bastards?; at least Jon does a competent version of a German-Lite accent




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Friday 9 October 2015

1986 Page Added


Best Movie-Viewing Experiences 28/09/15 - 9/10/15   

THE NAME OF THE ROSE (1986)
A   MOVIE JUKEBOX
d: Jean-Jacques Annaud
CAST: Sean Connery; Christian Slater; F. Murray Abraham
> it is the critical consensus to bag this film, but I've always loved it; a murder-mystery set in the Spanish Inquisition days with a sprinkling of gallows-humour & sex & violence; Sean is great fun as the medieval detective (whose Scottish accent is irrelevant, OK you nitpickers?); beautifully baroque set design with appropriately gloomy cinematography; wonderfully gnarled faces on the supporting cast; plot moves along briskly with just enough confusion to keep you wholly attentive; for broadminded fans of Inspector Morse and Poroit
Award-Worthy Performance
Sean Connery


SAFE (1995)
A   RE-EVALUATION / ORIGINAL GRADE: B+
d: Todd Haynes
CAST: Julianne Moore
> a story for our times (and our children's): a woman becomes allergic to the world, so her options are to be healthy & alone or sick & social; Julianne is wonderful as the Barbie Doll housewife (love her little controlled voice!) who only really knows how to consume and be polite; interesting undercurrent of feminism and rebellion which even dares to poke fun at good intentions (the retreat as hippie cult; love & peace as bullshit); ominous ambient music gives the film an edge of creepiness, like there is something monstrous lurking about
Award-Worthy Performance
Julianne Moore



THE MARTIAN (2015)
A-   FIRST VIEWING   IN-CINEMA
d: Ridley Scott
CAST: Matt Damon; Jessica Chastain; Jeff Daniels; Chiwetel Ejiofor
> totally fascinating Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars tale; Matt does his everyman thing (which he is so good at) while he "sciences the shit" out of his marooned existence; supporting cast are nice people all and therefore, a little wooden; SFX and scenery are stunning; set pieces (Martian storm, the rescue, all the no-gravity scenes of course) are beautifully done as you would expect from Ridley; maybe about 20 minutes too long (a couple of draggy spots); great fun, although probably destined for a B+ on second viewing





MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932)
A-   FIRST VIEWING
d: Robert Florey
CAST: Bela Lugosi; Leon Ames
> so worried this was going to be another bloke-in-a-gorilla-suit flick, but Florey cleverly shoots it so the ape always seems to be a real one; absolutely gorgeous cinematography (very goth; very Germanic) and lovingly-made sets; Bela is Bela and, in 1932, that was still okay; screaming damsel-in-distress being kidnapped by a large monkey preempts the more famous KK the next year; good use of quirky character actors in side spots; interesting use of Darwinism as the motivation behind the evil scientist's depraved acts





HOMICIDAL  (1961)
B+  SECOND VIEWING
d: William Castle
CAST: Jean Arless; Glenn Corbett
> B-Grade schlock shocker that tries to out-twist Psycho and out-kink Glen or Glenda; doesn't succeed of course, but in some ways it's more fun than either of them; love the "fright break" timer, which gives you the opportunity to leave the movie if it's scaring you too much (isn't that thoughtful?); acting is acceptable and the horror bits are tastefully subdued (even the decapitation!); if you know nothing about the surprise denouement, you'll probably still figure it out - but it doesn't seem to really matter anyway





JUST IMAGINE (1930)
B+   FIRST VIEWING
d: David Butler
CAST: El Brendel; Maureen O'Sullivan; John Garrick; Frank Albertson
> I know I've overrated this, but it's just such a damned cute curio: a 1930 science-fiction musical comedy(!!); set in 1980, this has the usual predict-the-future features (flying cars, videophones, rampant bureaucracy) and the just-can't-imagine-life-without-them features (sexism, Art-Deco design, lousy songwriting); some funny one-liners, a supposed comic named El Brendel who at least tries hard, and some wonderfully quaint SFX (love the New York peak hour!) nearly pardon the awful travel-to-Mars segment; the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials (not to mention The Jetsons and Duck Dodgers) took a few ideas from this




THE MAMBO KINGS (1992)
B+   FIRST VIEWING
d: Arne Glimcher
CAST: Armand Assante; Antonio Banderas
> didn't think I'd like this much because I didn't think I liked Cuban music much - wrong on both counts; the music is (there is no other word for it) fabulous and the soundtrack led me to an album by Orlando Cachaito Lopez which I now cherish; wish the story had a bit more guts to it rather than a fairly skimpy framework to hang the music onto; Armand is riveting in the lead, tip-toeing perilously close to OTT at times, but this matches the big emotions of the music; the recurring love song is unfortunately quite naff
Award-Worthy Performance
Armand Assante



ESCAPE (1948)
B+   FIRST VIEWING
d: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
CAST: Rex Harrison; Peggy Cummins
> effective man-on-the-run flick; goes against the usual falsely-accused hero - Rex really is guilty of manslaughter; some interesting little touches: prisoners in the mist, recurring theme of weak people who mean well, the 39 Steps style desperate dash through the moors; all the "original sin" malarkey and other attempts to make this a spiritual quest are annoyingly needless; Peggy Cummins was an interesting, undervalued actress with an "up-yours" strength which was so unusual for a British actress of the period; ever-so-polite English villagers add their usual character charm; ending is a bit of a letdown, but I can't think of a better one



THE FLY (1986)
B+  SECOND VIEWING
d: David Cronenberg
CAST: Jeff Goldblum; Geena Davis
> one of the most amusing horror/sci-fi movies ever made; this is the role that Jeff was born to play: mad scientist who goes from eccentric nerd to pitiful monster...and play it very well he does, with accentuated hand gestures, goggle-eyed enthusiasm and fluid body movement; gross-out makeup & SFX are never entirely repugnant; while the humour is appreciated, it does cut back the degree of tragedy which is what prevents the basic story from being supreme camp; clever and quirky, but not entirely involving
Award-Worthy Performance
Jeff Goldblum  



SONS OF MATTHEW (1949)
B+  FIRST VIEWING
d: Charles Chauvel
CAST: Michael Pate; Ken Wayne; Tommy Burns; Wendy Gibb
> totally impossible to be objective about this landmark Australian film, so I won't even try; I can forgive the turgid Cain & Abel plot and the crappy dialogue (especially when they rave on about L-U-V) because I'm just so moved by the gorgeous B&W visions of the Border Country region of Queensland; reminds me of D.W. Griffith's Way Down East in grandeur and epic melodrama; while it breaks my heart to see rainforest giants being felled, it sure is spectacular; just wish it had been made in, say, 1932, so the label "throwback" could be avoided; still, a monumental achievement in Aussie cinema. So there.



Worst Movie-Viewing Experiences 28/09/15 - 9/10/15  

TRUE STORIES (1986)
B-   FIRST VIEWING
d: David Byrne
CAST: David Byrne; John Goodman; Spalding Gray; Swoosie Kurtz
> how quirky can you get, and why would you want to find out?; it wants to be amusing and engaging but it forgot to be fun (the only thing I laughed at was a fart joke...maybe it's me); like the Talking heads album of the same name, it has four good songs and five crap ones; I think the film is trying to say something about modern existence circa 1986, but I'm stuffed if I can work out what it is; as tends to be the norm with pet film projects from Arty types, this has some clever ideas and scenes, but I wish it had just told a good story, true or otherwise




DIVE BOMBER (1941)
C   FIRST & LAST VIEWING
d: Michael Curtiz
CAST: Errol Flynn; Fred MacMurray; Ralph Bellamy; Alexis Smith
> quite dull but it does have nice technicolour; pro-war propaganda like this should be kept in a museum as an historical artifact, not promoted as an entertainment; an aerial-fetish film made before Pearl Harbour (so the Americans aren't too gung-ho yet), loaded with flying formations, aircraft carriers, great-guy pilots, self-sacrifice; wants to show that armed conflict isn't all bad because good stuff gets invented for it, like pressure suits; remember Masted's Law: "the only good war movie is an anti-war movie" 




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