THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961)
d: J. Lee Thompson
CAST: Gregory Peck; Anthony Quinn; David Niven; Stanley Baker; Anthony Quayle
> my favourite "Men on a Mission" movie (along with Where Eagles Dare and The Dirty Dozen of course); rousing and heroic with some terrific action scenes...with the cliff-scaling scene being the highlight; David Niven breaks his usual dreariness and is actually amusing and effective this time; criminal sidelining of Stanley who is barely more than a cameo; Anthony Q#1 hams it up again but doesn't sink the proceedings; has the usual rat-in-the-ranks and personal vendetta plot twists, but this was before they became cliches; enjoyment is greatly increased if you're a bloke
Award-Worthy Performance
David Niven
TRUTH (2015)
d: James Vanderbilt
CAST: Cate Blanchett; Robert Redford; Topher Grace; Dennis Quaid; Stacey Keach
> the best film I have ever seen about TV journalism; makes the same point about society as Network and Broadcast News (serious news is being replaced by infotainment) but with more impact and gravitas; the controversial incident this was based on all but non-existed in Australia, so it's interesting to see the film featuring so many Aussie players; really does highlight how suddenly and voraciously the press feeds on itself in the spirit of commercial competition; Cate Blanchett proves once and for all that she is in the same league as Hepburn (K.), Streep and Stanwyck; criminally snubbed by all the awards groups
Award-Worthy Performances
Cate Blanchett; Robert Redford
THE MARK (1961)
d: Guy Green
CAST: Stuart Whitman; Maria Schell; Rod Steiger; Brenda de Banzie
> VERY brave and controversial film for its time (and even more so for our current times): sympathy and understanding for a pedophile; expertly handled on all counts (acting / scripting / direction) without being biased either way - just presents the story bluntly with zero sensationalism; the group therapy sessions are a bit clunky and unconvincing; the flashbacks & dreams / nightmares are handled with more dramatic impact; it's obvious as to why it rarely turns up on TV; the variation on a happy ending is incongruous but it is a relief of sorts I guess
COMFORT AND JOY (1984)
d: Bill Forsyth
CAST: Bill Paterson; Eleanor David; Clare Grogan; Alex Norton
> unashamedly quirky Scottish comedy based on (I kid you not) a true event referred to as the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars of the 1980's; mixture of the driest of humour with a distinct Monty Python sense of the absurd; the first attack on the ice cream van was so unexpected and so bizarre, that I had to instantly replay it twice with increased mirth each time; all the characters are determinedly lacking in flashiness, so come across as normal people behaving abnormally - which is what we all do, I guess; I kept looking for more a bit more substance though, but it never emerged; the very definition of the film term "sleeper"
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014)
d: Anthony & Joe Russo
CAST: Chris Evans; Scarlett Johansson; Samuel L. Jackson; Sebastian Stan; Robert Redford
> a slight notch-above the standard Marvel movie; the tying-in of a political conspiracy adds a Three Days of the Condor / The Parallax View depth to the usual superhero veneer; shoot-out in the street reminded me of Heat; wish they hadn't used the jiggling camera technique so much to emphasise action... altogether now, 1-2-3: WE WANT TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON!; Cap is my fave superhero and Chris has finally won me over in the part; feels weird having Robert Redford starring in one of these; the fight between Cap & Bucky is appropriately thrilling for us fanboys; Ominous Observation: shit being blown up is becoming hohum
STATE AND MAIN (2000)
d: David Mamet
CAST: William H. Macy; Philip Seymour Hoffman; Alec Baldwin; Sarah Jessica Parker
> entertaining film, but more pleasantly amusing than pricelessly funny; made enjoyable by the actors all doing their stuff and ricocheting off each other masterfully; William and Philip are both excellent; tacky underage-sex incident is the plot fulcrum which current social climate decrees is tasteless, especially in a film which claims to be a comedy - if you can go with that, you'll have a good time; makes you realise how good and how under-utilised in movies Rebecca Pidgeon and Julia Stiles are; cynical (but still satisfying) ending
Award-Worthy Performances
The ensemble cast
THUNDER ROCK (1942)
d: Roy Boulting
CAST: Michael Redgrave; James Mason; Finlay Currie; Lilli Palmer; Barbara Mullen
> what a weird little movie!; 1930's fascist-fighter abandons the world and becomes a lighthouse keeper, socialising with ghosts (which he conjures up in his mind) from a long-ago shipwreck...no, really; Michael does his usual neurotic routine and achieves his usual excellence; the script was fleshed out / altered to turn it into a WWII propaganda piece (nobody can run away from tyranny, so join the fight) and becomes both an intriguing and blatantly peculiar tale; more allegory than story however, which can be a little off-putting at times; an historical curio which comes close to transcending its time and original intent
FANNY (1961)
d: Joshua Logan
CAST: Leslie Caron; Charles Boyer; Maurice Chevalier; Horst Bucholz
> didn't think I could like this (just can't forgive the French for all the nuclear-testing in the Pacific right up until 1996...hey, so I'm a grudge holder), but it is totally charming; Leslie is a stunningly beautiful woman; Charles is terrific (he usually was) in what is no more than a supporting role; gorgeous cinematography in a pretty waterfront setting; lush and appealing musical score which doesn't scream at you to react; the writer (Julius Epstein, who co-wrote Casablanca) did an admirable job of condensing the original three movies down to one, although it is still a little draggy
Award-Worthy Performances
Charles Boyer; Leslie Caron
STARTING OVER (1979)
d: Alan J. Pakula
CAST: Burt Reynolds; Jill Clayburgh; Candice Bergen; Charles Durning
> okay little rom-com which is (unfortunately for the genre) one of the very best of the 70's; Burt certainly is no Cary Grant or even Joel McCrea - he seems to only exist in the movie to give the more animated actors a chance to respond to someone; Jill is fine in a usual role, but Candice's performance as the bad-singing / wholly self-absorbed ex-missus is a little comic gem; wonder why the director insisted / allowed Burt to underplay so broadly to the point of needing his pulse checked; minor, but pleasant
Award-Worthy Performance
Candice Bergen
99 HOMES (2015)
d: Ramin Bahrani
CAST: Andrew Garfield; Michael Shannon; Laura Dern
> certainly a film for our times (even if its American ruthlessness seems a bit exaggerated to these Aussie eyes); I guess its the inevitable outcome of living by the tenet "Look after Number 1"; Andrew tries hard but to me he just doesn't seem to be old enough for such an adult role; Michael is his usual borderline nutjob/arsehole persona and runs away with the movie as a result; more interesting than arresting and somehow the ending is both totally just and mysteriously gutless; still, I became involved with the story being told
Award-Worthy Performance
Michael Shannon
Worst Movie-Viewing Experiences 6/12/15 - 17/12/15
SOMETHING WILD (1961)
d: Jack Garfein
CAST: Carroll Baker; Ralph Meeker; Mildred Dunnock
> classified as a, ahem, "rape and revenge" movie by Wikipedia, but when does the revenge kick in?; explicit for its time, but so what?; the rape scene is filmed appropriately (nothing exploitative; no attempt to inject any "heat" into the assault) and Carroll does a good job travelling through the shock, slow breakdown and emotional aftermath; then the story takes a bizarre turn and Carroll's trauma is just increased; Ralph's character is a big question mark who is never given a chance to explain himself, but you're still expected to take to him; an interesting tale I guess, but ultimately unpleasant and off-putting; considered a lost indie classic by Arty types but, as usual, they are wrong; what does the title mean?
THE LONG AND THE SHORT AND THE TALL (1961)
d: Leslie Norman
CAST: Richard Todd; Laurence Harvey; Richard Harris; David McCallum
> a genuinely lousy war movie where action has been replaced with endless talking, talking, talking; so...obviously based on a stage play then; despite a nice looking jungle, you are always aware that you are on an indoor set (lighting?); rarely is a single actor responsible for a film's downfall, but such is the case with Laurence: he is AWFUL and just keeps on braying painfully throughout (apparently Peter O'Toole was the first choice...a much better idea); the two Richards are fairly anemic in support; zero chemistry between the players; the film would love to pass on the message that "War is Hell" but the best it can do is that "Soldiers Yell a Lot When Stressed"
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