A+ = Masterwork A = Excellent A- = Very Good B+ = Good B = Nice Try B- = Tolerable
C = Pretty Crappy D = Intolerable E = Looking Into the Void F = The Void
THE VILLAGE (2004)
d: M. Night Shyamalan
CAST: Bryce Dallas Howard; Joaquin Phoenix; William Hurt; Adrien Brody; Sigourney Weaver
> unfairly maligned, this film is another victim of the "Let's Stick It To M. Night Because His Later Films Aren't As Good As The Sixth Sense" Club; I must admit, I got sucked into that too, but on second viewing this film has attributes which I originally missed: GREAT performance by Bryce and a solid one by William & I love how the true hero is not immediately obvious & there are some genuine scares sprinkled through what is really a tender love story & the reveals are both creative and logical to the tale being told & the optimistic ending is a relief; still not as good as The Sixth Sense though, of course...
Award-Worthy Performance
Bryce Dallas Howard
LADIES IN RETIREMENT (1941)
d: Charles Vidor
CAST: Ida Lupino; Louis Hayward; Evelyn Keyes; Elsa Lanchester
> the misleading title (I thought I was about to watch a light comedy) camouflages a striking gothic/film noirish murder movie; we're in Bronte-land...rich spinster & poor spinster & two mad sisters & moors & mist & Fate; obviously based on a play, the film is beautifully shot and never feels stagebound or stodgy; while the story would have benefited from a stronger lead actress (Bette Davis is the immediate choice), Ida is okay as the means-well but does-bad "companion"; nobody in the supporting cast tries to grandstand even though the opportunities are there; despite a weakish and hurried ending (a bleaker alternative...which is vaguely hinted at...would have had more impact), it remains an effective suspenser
MRS BROWN aka HER MAJESTY, MRS BROWN (1997)
d: John Madden
CAST: Judi Dench; Billy Connolly; Geoffrey Palmer; Antony Sher
> completely captivating story of Queen Victoria's love for a Scottish servant after the death of her beloved Prince Albert; the film sticks to presenting it as a platonic relationship, despite recent revisionaries who suggest it was far more (who cares?); Judi was born to play these kind of roles and it's fun to see her ordering about her old co-star (Geoffrey) from the As Time Goes By TV series; Billy is a taller and funnier version of a longlost mate of mine and I always love hearing him speak; director John just allows the story to unfurl without any major grabs for attention...there's no need; charming from beginning to end
Award-Worthy Performance
Judi Dench
GUILTY HANDS (1931)
d: W.S. Van Dyke
CAST: Lionel Barrymore; Kay Francis; Madge Evans: Alan Mowbray; C. Aubrey Smith
> entirely preposterous but still-entertaining murder movie of the old-fashioned kind (scene of the deed is in a drawing-room & the victim entirely deserves to be dispatched & the motive is based on love & the scenario is cunning & there's a trick "cosmic justice" ending); unusually, the identity of the murderer is immediately revealed and the mystery instead comes from wondering if s/he can possibly get away with it; the acting is competent enough but the real star of the show is the clever plotting; love the obviously-fake thunderstorm sound effects; the opening aboard a darkened train is equally nifty and quickly kickstarts the story; good fun without a drop of plausibility anywhere to be seen
RIDE WITH THE DEVIL (1999)
d: Ang Lee
CAST: Tobey Maguire; Jeffrey Wright; Skeet Ulrich; Jewel; Jonathan Rhys Meyers
> American Civil War epic (you know it's an epic because of the ceaseless grandiose soundtrack & the gorgeous landscape vistas & the long running time) which suits me just fine (I am an American History buff, of sorts); nice young Southern guy (well-played by Tobey) gets himself involved in the rebel cause via joining up with the Bushwhackers; becomes an increasingly reluctant fighter, meeting up with fanatical leader Quantrill and taking part in the infamous Lawrence Massacre; the usual side-tales of friendship, romance, family and freedom are slotted in between some appropriately-brutal battlefield scenes; dawdles a bit - at least 20 minutes could have been sliced off - but remains fairly engrossing throughout
MILLIONS (2004)
d: Danny Boyle
CAST: Alex Etel; James Nesbitt; Lewis McGibbon; Daisy Donovan; Christopher Fulford
> not entirely sure what to make of this...fantasy / comedy / drama / family film / lesson in geopolitical ethics / Christian parable; grieving dad & two sons (mum died) move house and youngest kid finds a bag of big money along the nearby railway tracks...a spending spree ensues with the youngest taking moral advice from imagined Christian Saints (Saint Peter, Saint Francis...all the biggies); a rush is on to spend it all before the UK Pound/Euro exchange deadline kicks in; heartstrings are tugged without ever becoming schmaltzy; Danny utilises flashy camera & editing tricks which ramp up the fantasy aspect, but sometimes it's at the expense of the story; might be a grower
TAWNY PIPIT (1944)
d: Bernard Miles & Charles Saunders
CAST: Bernard Miles; Rosamund John; Niall MacGinnis
> (very) eccentric British light comedy + wartime propaganda piece about (I kid you not) a pair of rare ground-dwelling birds and the little village which rallies to protect the eggs...yep, that's pretty much it; if you don't have the patience or affection for this kind of quintessential English fare, don't bother reading any further; me, I was fortunately in the right mood for it; usual British 1940's/1950's film trademarks: quirky townsfolk & bumbling bureaucrats & happy soldiers & rambunctious kids & nasty but cartoonish villains (Fifth Columnists); amusing quote from a visiting Russian female sniper (who brags about killing over 100 Germans): "The Soviet Union knows what Freedom is!" Since when?
FIVE CARD STUD (1968)
d: Henry Hathaway
CAST: Dean Martin; Robert Mitchum; Roddy McDowall; Yaphet Kotto; Inger Stevens
> interesting hybrid: an Agatha Christie style "who-keeps-doin'-it" crossed with an out-for-revenge Western; pretty lame mystery (it's obvious who the killer is right from the get-go) and there is no attempt at suspense; the romantic interludes (the only reason why it features any women) are boring with stupid dialogue; Roddy is hardly the ideal casting for a nasty cowboy; having said all that, there are some saving graces...both Dino & Bob are right at home in this kind of thing & the murders are appropriately explicit rather than the usual fall-down-shot & Yaphet takes no crap from no white guy & it makes a nice change from the standard Western plotting & I love the creative use of the Bible
DEEPWATER HORIZON (2016)
d: Peter Berg
CAST: Mark Wahlberg; Kurt Russell; John Malkovich; Gina Rodriguez; Kate Hudson
> The Towering Inferno on an oilrig; pretty much a run-of-the-mill disaster flick, despite attempts at a semi-documentary feel...The Checklist: first 30 minutes spent learning to care about the main characters & the villains are the number-crunchers in business shirts & there is a crusty veteran who knew this was going to happen & small acts of heroism are rewarded with unjust deaths while the big-name heroes live & spectacular explosions before a last minute rescue; Kurt is impressive as the obligatory I-Told-You-So guy; much of the dialogue is unintelligible due to background noise and a couple of weird accents (esp. John's)
Award-Worthy Performance
Kurt Russell
THE LAST ANGRY MAN (1959)
d: Daniel Mann
CAST: Paul Muni; David Wayne; Betsy Palmer; Luther Adler; Billy Dee Williams
> in the tradition of gritty 50's urban dramas such as Marty, The Catered Affair and Edge of the City comes this...the American version of British "kitchen-sinkers"...just not as hard-edged or depressing, of course; Paul's final film performance, and he seems to have finally succeeded with doing a broad middle-European accent; story is all about a noble inner-city doctor who treats his "slum" (the movie's term...not mine) patients for little personal reward or recognition; cynical network producer wants to turn him into a sponsored Reality TV star...and so it goes; engaging enough, but the smell of burning martyr is a bit strong
Award-Worthy Performance
Paul Muni
THE CHOCOLATE WAR (1988)
d: Keith Gordon
CAST: Ilan Mitchell-Smith; John Glover; Wally Ward
> I read the novel as part of my Children's Literature 1A course and after two semesters of Pollyanna & The Wouldbegoods & Swallows and Amazons, it was a refreshing breath of pessimism; set in a private all-boys school, the acting principal (Brother Leon...uh oh...) wants all students to sell 50 boxes of chocolates each as a fundraiser, but one boy says no; all about bullying and bastardisation, the book is tough and scary but the film softens the blow (and the point) somewhat; the soundtrack songs don't fit (80's Synth-Rock) and neither do the arty dream sequences; and, as for the altered ending...ever heard of a "feelgood" finish to a film where a child gets his teeth punched out by a slow-mo wallop?; I mean, really...
ALONG CAME POLLY (2004)
d: John Hamburg
CAST: Ben Stiller; Jennifer Aniston; Philip Seymour Hoffman; Bryan Brown; Debra Messing; Alec Baldwin; Hank Azaria
> just another Ben-the-Geeky-Loser flick that wants to be a feelgood rom-com but dishes out tedious fart / diarrhea / kinky sex jokes instead of comedy; Prejudice Time: the only film I've ever been able to appreciate Ben in is 2010's Greenberg; Jennifer plays Rachel again and Philip does a Jack Black impersonation (it's a draw) and Alec hits one of his rare comedic fails; Bryan & Hank are pretty good, although the star of the movie is the blind ferret; many scenes flop (Phil's basketball game & Ben's salsa dance & Phil's risk-insurance presentation); I really don't expect much from a Hollywood rom-com but I do expect more than this blandfest
Got something you want to tell me?
Go right ahead.
