Movie-Viewing Experiences 12/5/18 - 3/6/18
A+ = Adored Masterwork A = Excellent A- = Very Good B+ = Good B = Nice Try B- = Tolerable
C = Significantly Flawed D = Pretty Bad E = Truly Dreadful: Looking Into the Void F = Vile & Repugnant: The Void
CASH ON DEMAND (1961)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Quentin Lawrence
CAST: Peter Cushing; Andre Morell; Richard Vernon
> a Hammer Films attempt at a heist thriller, and it's right on the money; Peter is the Scrooge-like bank manager (it's even Christmas!), a strict believer in rules & procedures...in walks an insurance officer, to check up on the rules & procedures...but all is not as it seems; the very definition of taut, efficient and flab-free, this little gem zips along in a budget-conscious way (all of the action takes place inside the bank!) without short-changing the tension; the plot is carried by Peter & Andre, and their click-click to-&-fro is acting-perfection; I'm unsure if the ending entirely works, but it certainly is British; no guns, no blood, no car chases...just suspense
Award-Worthy Performance
Peter Cushing & Andre Morell
BLUE COLLAR (1978)
A- FIRST VIEWING
d: Paul Schrader
CAST: Richard Pryor; Harvey Keitel; Yaphet Kotto; Harry Bellaver; Cliff De Young
> unusual story of three production line workers who decide to steal their Union's payroll...a notebook is found containing evidence of illegal dealings...they attempt blackmail; the film begins as if it's a comedy (in fact, I assumed the heist was going to go down the bungling-burglars track...complete with funny masks) but the humour drains away, leaving behind something quite sinister and frightening; Richard is in his element as the despairing ball-of-rage but it is Yaphet who stands out as a guy who is both decent and aggressive, and smart enough to always be wary; the flipside of Norma Rae, this Union is a legal incarnation of The Mob
Award-Worthy Performance
Yaphet Kotto
LEASE OF LIFE (1954)
B+ FIRST VIEWING
d: Charles Frend
CAST: Robert Donat; Kay Walsh; Adrienne Corri; Denholm Elliott; Vida Hope
> a warming little Ealing movie about, believe it or not, The Meaning of Life; nice guy Robert is told that he has a year to live...he questions what his life has been worth, his achievements, his beliefs and those of his family and the people around him...the catch: he is the village vicar; he keeps his terminal illness to himself (why do film characters do that?), and everyone around him continues with their petty concerns and behaviours (wife wants money for their daughter's music education + daughter is spoilt & self-centred & stupid + busybodies want to sack the drunken verger + pompous school officials want to maintain stuffiness etc)... but Robert straightens them all out, calmly, directly and with compassion; if you're over-endowed with cynicism, you should give this a miss...for the rest of us, it's a minor charmer
DEADPOOL 2 (2018)
B FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: David Leitch
CAST: Ryan Reynolds; Josh Brolin; Julian Dennison; Zazie Beetz; Morena Baccarin
> unlike most superhero aficionados, I was not overly taken with the first Deadpool movie...my main reasons being: I don't find Ryan Reynolds particularly funny & I have no sentimental attachment to the character (he was after my time) & some sex/violence stuff was just put in to guarantee it an MA15+ rating (so, gratuitous to the max...which was probably the point); while these objections remain, I was a little more accepting of this go-round...many of the jokes were laugh-out-loud funny while a few fell flat, and the one-on-one fight choreography was outstanding (some of the best I've seen); bit miffed by the waste of strong characters such as Colossus and Juggernaut but was quite delighted by the slaughter of deadbeats like Shatterstar and Bedlam; in short, it was throwaway fun but I'll never be a complete fan
THE MAN IN POSSESSION (1931)
B FIRST VIEWING
d: Sam Wood
CAST: Robert Montgomery; Irene Purcell; Charlotte Greenwood; Reginald Owen
> a pre-code sex comedy that would have been considered risque adult entertainment back in its day...but is now a little creaky, with the occasional naughty line which unfortunately predicts Benny Hill; Robert is the ex-crim son returned to his stuffy society family...they kick him out...through a series of the usual unlikely coincidences, he becomes the butler to his brother's bride-to-be...and, of course, he ends up falling for her himself; stacked with a nude in-the-bath scene and sex that happens when the lights go out & the shot fades & suggestive sounds are made, this is proof that our great-grandparents tittered at rude stuff too; while this provides us with a rare chance to see Charlotte do her physical comedy thing (love her bum right in the camera!), it is the impeccable comic timing of Robert which makes this farce mildly enjoyable
CARGO (2017)
B FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Ben Howling; Yolanda Ramke
CAST: Martin Freeman; Simone Landers; Anthony Hayes; David Gulpilil; Caren Pistorius
> another addition to the Zombie Apocalypse genre, this Aussie film tries to come up with something a little different...tries to, but, despite mixing in Aboriginal mysticism, a well-behaved baby and The Australian Outback in its most drone-shot beauty, nothing here is particularly novel; Martin the Dad is bitten by a zombie and has 48 hours to get his infant daughter to safety before he succumbs...he carries her around in a backpack, trekking across a rugged landscape and confronting zombies, human monsters and indigenous warriors who just somehow know that this is all the white guys' fault (hinted-at culprit: Fracking); there are a few scenes which aim for Tragic but only reach Sad, but some others are quite affecting (the one that haunts me: a father digging a mass grave for his still-alive family); okay, but not a genre-changer
THUNDERBIRD 6 (1968)
B FIRST VIEWING
d: David Lane
CAST: Scott, Virgil, Alan, Jeff Tracy; Brains; Lady Penelope; Parker; Tin-Tin; baddies
> the second of the two feature film versions of the pop-iconic 1960's puppet show (totally ignoring the 2004 live-action abomination of course); while the first fell into the TV-Show-as-a-Movie = Bigger-is-Better trap of charmlessness (like Star Trek: The Motion Picture did), this sequel is actually fairly enjoyable...an admitted prerequisite being a childhood love of the original series; some spritely humour helps things along (Brains throwing a tantrum + Parker hanging on for dear life), and the miniatures special effects work remains an under-heralded treasure of cinematic craft (the equal of Ray Harryhausen); the plot is the standard International Rescue scenario (climaxing with the obligatory explosions) but with a nifty surprise vehicle: an old Tiger Moth biplane!; for what's left of the 8 year old in you
BREATH (2017)
B- FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Simon Baker
CAST: Samson Coulter; Simon Baker; Elizabeth Debicki; Ben Spence
> an iconic Aussie setting (sand / surf / the Seventies / sex...very Morning of the Earth) for this Aussie story (writer: Tim Winton) about the coming-of-age of nice kid (Samson) and his tough-guy mate (Ben); Samson & Ben meet up with experienced surfer Simon and his troubled partner Elizabeth...the boys learn how to ride the waves and overcome their childish fears; the film lags somewhat but the ocean cinematography is gorgeous...and soon becomes blah for a non-surfer-type like me; the two teenage boys are real kids and the spiritualism of surfing is certainly seductive, but I have nagging questions: a 15(?) year old boy has a lot of sex with a 25(?) year old woman in this...isn't that a crime?...and some of it is kinky and dangerous...if the genders were swapped, wouldn't that be considered morally repugnant?...just wondering...
BAXTER! (1973)
B- SECOND VIEWING
d: Lionel Jeffries
CAST: Scott Jacoby; Patricia Neal; Jean-Pierre Cassel; Britt Ekland; Lynn Carlin
> Scott is an American teenager living in London with a cold, angry mother, an idealised, absent father and a speech impediment...kindly neighbours and a speech therapist help him to overcome his inevitable descent into mental illness (let's face it...if you can't speak clearly and you've got lousy parents, you must be nuts); rather mundane story is given unusual camera & editing effects to boost the emotional depth quotient but it should've just been left up to Scott, who does an effective job as the weird kid obsessed with death and being understood; the strength that Patricia injects toughens up the last act but unfortunately not the ending
Award-Worthy Performance
Scott Jacoby
TULLY (2018)
B- FIRST VIEWING IN-CINEMA
d: Jason Reitman
CAST: Charlize Theron; Mackenzie Davis; Ron Livingston; Mark Duplass
> so-so look at post-natal depression and the emotional strain some women experience with motherhood (and getting older); Charlize is pregnant with child #3 + hubbie Ron is a decent guy who has a day job + kid #2 is somewhere on the autism spectrum + times are tough all round...baby is born, Mummy can't sleep so a "Night Nanny" named Tully is hired and all becomes bright again; Charlize is, yet again, wonderful as Mum (the actress has naturalness nailed) and the film would be a disaster without her; about two-thirds of the way in, things become peculiar, and the surprise ending is more a letdown than the intended poignant twist
Award-Worthy Performance
Charlize Theron
FIVE ON A TREASURE ISLAND (1957)
B- FIRST VIEWING
d: Gerald Landau
CAST: Rel Grainer; Richard Palmer; Gillian Harrison; John Bailey
> ah...Enid Blyton's Famous Five...the regrettably-named Julian and Dick, little mother Anne, gender-bending George and Timmy, the mongrel that understands complex sentences; this celluloid incarnation of the group (there were two TV series versions as well...1978 & 1995) is the closest to the original stories: ever-so-English children who are plucky, well-mannered, vaguely irritating and wear their bathers pulled up above the navel; based on the first book in the franchise, this 8-part-serial condensed into a longplay film is admittedly fairly bland, despite an island, a ruined castle, sunken treasure and a warship brightly named "The Gay Viking"...but, what-ho...here's to you, Enid...thanks for making a contribution to my childhood, along with Lost in Space, Friday night Scouts, games of Brandy and Black Cat bubblegum
VIRGIN ISLAND (1958)
C FIRST VIEWING
d: Pat Jackson
CAST: John Cassavetes; Virginia Maskell; Sidney Poitier; Isabel Dean; Ruby Dee
> young British woman goes on a holiday to the Virgin Islands...she meets, falls in love with and marries an American writer / beach bum...they buy a deserted island and set up house, despite objections from the mother-in-law and a bureaucrat; quite dull story where not much actually happens...no conflict, no bad guys, no violent storm or rumbling volcano...just tropical bliss...and nothing is more boring than watching people be happy; biggest flaw is that there is zero chemistry between John & Virginia...they are supposedly passionate partners, but they carry on like polite acquaintances who have only recently met; Sidney's part isn't much more than a cameo and you'll miss Ruby if you blink; must feature the most serene childbirth / in labour scene in movie history..."Get that for me, will you Deidre?"
Go something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
CASH ON DEMAND (1961)
d: Quentin Lawrence
CAST: Peter Cushing; Andre Morell; Richard Vernon
> a Hammer Films attempt at a heist thriller, and it's right on the money; Peter is the Scrooge-like bank manager (it's even Christmas!), a strict believer in rules & procedures...in walks an insurance officer, to check up on the rules & procedures...but all is not as it seems; the very definition of taut, efficient and flab-free, this little gem zips along in a budget-conscious way (all of the action takes place inside the bank!) without short-changing the tension; the plot is carried by Peter & Andre, and their click-click to-&-fro is acting-perfection; I'm unsure if the ending entirely works, but it certainly is British; no guns, no blood, no car chases...just suspense
Award-Worthy Performance
Peter Cushing & Andre Morell
BLUE COLLAR (1978)
d: Paul Schrader
CAST: Richard Pryor; Harvey Keitel; Yaphet Kotto; Harry Bellaver; Cliff De Young
> unusual story of three production line workers who decide to steal their Union's payroll...a notebook is found containing evidence of illegal dealings...they attempt blackmail; the film begins as if it's a comedy (in fact, I assumed the heist was going to go down the bungling-burglars track...complete with funny masks) but the humour drains away, leaving behind something quite sinister and frightening; Richard is in his element as the despairing ball-of-rage but it is Yaphet who stands out as a guy who is both decent and aggressive, and smart enough to always be wary; the flipside of Norma Rae, this Union is a legal incarnation of The Mob
Award-Worthy Performance
Yaphet Kotto
LEASE OF LIFE (1954)
d: Charles Frend
CAST: Robert Donat; Kay Walsh; Adrienne Corri; Denholm Elliott; Vida Hope
> a warming little Ealing movie about, believe it or not, The Meaning of Life; nice guy Robert is told that he has a year to live...he questions what his life has been worth, his achievements, his beliefs and those of his family and the people around him...the catch: he is the village vicar; he keeps his terminal illness to himself (why do film characters do that?), and everyone around him continues with their petty concerns and behaviours (wife wants money for their daughter's music education + daughter is spoilt & self-centred & stupid + busybodies want to sack the drunken verger + pompous school officials want to maintain stuffiness etc)... but Robert straightens them all out, calmly, directly and with compassion; if you're over-endowed with cynicism, you should give this a miss...for the rest of us, it's a minor charmer
DEADPOOL 2 (2018)
d: David Leitch
CAST: Ryan Reynolds; Josh Brolin; Julian Dennison; Zazie Beetz; Morena Baccarin
> unlike most superhero aficionados, I was not overly taken with the first Deadpool movie...my main reasons being: I don't find Ryan Reynolds particularly funny & I have no sentimental attachment to the character (he was after my time) & some sex/violence stuff was just put in to guarantee it an MA15+ rating (so, gratuitous to the max...which was probably the point); while these objections remain, I was a little more accepting of this go-round...many of the jokes were laugh-out-loud funny while a few fell flat, and the one-on-one fight choreography was outstanding (some of the best I've seen); bit miffed by the waste of strong characters such as Colossus and Juggernaut but was quite delighted by the slaughter of deadbeats like Shatterstar and Bedlam; in short, it was throwaway fun but I'll never be a complete fan
THE MAN IN POSSESSION (1931)
d: Sam Wood
CAST: Robert Montgomery; Irene Purcell; Charlotte Greenwood; Reginald Owen
> a pre-code sex comedy that would have been considered risque adult entertainment back in its day...but is now a little creaky, with the occasional naughty line which unfortunately predicts Benny Hill; Robert is the ex-crim son returned to his stuffy society family...they kick him out...through a series of the usual unlikely coincidences, he becomes the butler to his brother's bride-to-be...and, of course, he ends up falling for her himself; stacked with a nude in-the-bath scene and sex that happens when the lights go out & the shot fades & suggestive sounds are made, this is proof that our great-grandparents tittered at rude stuff too; while this provides us with a rare chance to see Charlotte do her physical comedy thing (love her bum right in the camera!), it is the impeccable comic timing of Robert which makes this farce mildly enjoyable
CARGO (2017)
d: Ben Howling; Yolanda Ramke
CAST: Martin Freeman; Simone Landers; Anthony Hayes; David Gulpilil; Caren Pistorius
> another addition to the Zombie Apocalypse genre, this Aussie film tries to come up with something a little different...tries to, but, despite mixing in Aboriginal mysticism, a well-behaved baby and The Australian Outback in its most drone-shot beauty, nothing here is particularly novel; Martin the Dad is bitten by a zombie and has 48 hours to get his infant daughter to safety before he succumbs...he carries her around in a backpack, trekking across a rugged landscape and confronting zombies, human monsters and indigenous warriors who just somehow know that this is all the white guys' fault (hinted-at culprit: Fracking); there are a few scenes which aim for Tragic but only reach Sad, but some others are quite affecting (the one that haunts me: a father digging a mass grave for his still-alive family); okay, but not a genre-changer
THUNDERBIRD 6 (1968)
d: David Lane
CAST: Scott, Virgil, Alan, Jeff Tracy; Brains; Lady Penelope; Parker; Tin-Tin; baddies
> the second of the two feature film versions of the pop-iconic 1960's puppet show (totally ignoring the 2004 live-action abomination of course); while the first fell into the TV-Show-as-a-Movie = Bigger-is-Better trap of charmlessness (like Star Trek: The Motion Picture did), this sequel is actually fairly enjoyable...an admitted prerequisite being a childhood love of the original series; some spritely humour helps things along (Brains throwing a tantrum + Parker hanging on for dear life), and the miniatures special effects work remains an under-heralded treasure of cinematic craft (the equal of Ray Harryhausen); the plot is the standard International Rescue scenario (climaxing with the obligatory explosions) but with a nifty surprise vehicle: an old Tiger Moth biplane!; for what's left of the 8 year old in you
BREATH (2017)
d: Simon Baker
CAST: Samson Coulter; Simon Baker; Elizabeth Debicki; Ben Spence
> an iconic Aussie setting (sand / surf / the Seventies / sex...very Morning of the Earth) for this Aussie story (writer: Tim Winton) about the coming-of-age of nice kid (Samson) and his tough-guy mate (Ben); Samson & Ben meet up with experienced surfer Simon and his troubled partner Elizabeth...the boys learn how to ride the waves and overcome their childish fears; the film lags somewhat but the ocean cinematography is gorgeous...and soon becomes blah for a non-surfer-type like me; the two teenage boys are real kids and the spiritualism of surfing is certainly seductive, but I have nagging questions: a 15(?) year old boy has a lot of sex with a 25(?) year old woman in this...isn't that a crime?...and some of it is kinky and dangerous...if the genders were swapped, wouldn't that be considered morally repugnant?...just wondering...
BAXTER! (1973)
d: Lionel Jeffries
CAST: Scott Jacoby; Patricia Neal; Jean-Pierre Cassel; Britt Ekland; Lynn Carlin
> Scott is an American teenager living in London with a cold, angry mother, an idealised, absent father and a speech impediment...kindly neighbours and a speech therapist help him to overcome his inevitable descent into mental illness (let's face it...if you can't speak clearly and you've got lousy parents, you must be nuts); rather mundane story is given unusual camera & editing effects to boost the emotional depth quotient but it should've just been left up to Scott, who does an effective job as the weird kid obsessed with death and being understood; the strength that Patricia injects toughens up the last act but unfortunately not the ending
Award-Worthy Performance
Scott Jacoby
TULLY (2018)
d: Jason Reitman
CAST: Charlize Theron; Mackenzie Davis; Ron Livingston; Mark Duplass
> so-so look at post-natal depression and the emotional strain some women experience with motherhood (and getting older); Charlize is pregnant with child #3 + hubbie Ron is a decent guy who has a day job + kid #2 is somewhere on the autism spectrum + times are tough all round...baby is born, Mummy can't sleep so a "Night Nanny" named Tully is hired and all becomes bright again; Charlize is, yet again, wonderful as Mum (the actress has naturalness nailed) and the film would be a disaster without her; about two-thirds of the way in, things become peculiar, and the surprise ending is more a letdown than the intended poignant twist
Award-Worthy Performance
Charlize Theron
FIVE ON A TREASURE ISLAND (1957)
d: Gerald Landau
CAST: Rel Grainer; Richard Palmer; Gillian Harrison; John Bailey
> ah...Enid Blyton's Famous Five...the regrettably-named Julian and Dick, little mother Anne, gender-bending George and Timmy, the mongrel that understands complex sentences; this celluloid incarnation of the group (there were two TV series versions as well...1978 & 1995) is the closest to the original stories: ever-so-English children who are plucky, well-mannered, vaguely irritating and wear their bathers pulled up above the navel; based on the first book in the franchise, this 8-part-serial condensed into a longplay film is admittedly fairly bland, despite an island, a ruined castle, sunken treasure and a warship brightly named "The Gay Viking"...but, what-ho...here's to you, Enid...thanks for making a contribution to my childhood, along with Lost in Space, Friday night Scouts, games of Brandy and Black Cat bubblegum
VIRGIN ISLAND (1958)
d: Pat Jackson
CAST: John Cassavetes; Virginia Maskell; Sidney Poitier; Isabel Dean; Ruby Dee
> young British woman goes on a holiday to the Virgin Islands...she meets, falls in love with and marries an American writer / beach bum...they buy a deserted island and set up house, despite objections from the mother-in-law and a bureaucrat; quite dull story where not much actually happens...no conflict, no bad guys, no violent storm or rumbling volcano...just tropical bliss...and nothing is more boring than watching people be happy; biggest flaw is that there is zero chemistry between John & Virginia...they are supposedly passionate partners, but they carry on like polite acquaintances who have only recently met; Sidney's part isn't much more than a cameo and you'll miss Ruby if you blink; must feature the most serene childbirth / in labour scene in movie history..."Get that for me, will you Deidre?"
Go something you want to tell me?
GO RIGHT AHEAD: masted59@gmail.com
