fchase-72474 Reviews

Chain of Evidence (1957)

KInda dopey

[4/10 · 4 March 2019]

Jimmy Lydon--no, sadly not Johnny's dad--aka "Henry! Henry Aldrich!" "Coming, Mother"--combines two of humanity's least desirable qualities: 1) he's a mopey dufus and 2) he's always ticked off about something that happened long ago. Combine these two behavior traits and you get: "the boy." Yes, "the boy," as 33-year-old Lydon is continuously referred to here. And everyone thinks he's a really great guy--even though he's ready to start swinging over nothing at the drop of a hat. Lots of ladies dig him, including a real cute perky good-girl-next-door type who believes in him and a not-so-good-girl who slings hash in her own hash house. Score one at least for female empowerment. We do get Timothy Carey doing his usual turn. In my view, Carey got the raw deal, not "the boy."

Atomic Blonde (2017)

Yummy

[9/10 · 8 October 2018]

Yorick's fans must be surprised he's violating his own rule not to review anything not at least 50 years old, but . . . with Charlize Theron and--especially--Sofia Boutella, well, there's nothing for it: a review must be written! The credits said it was based on a graphic novel so that explains the virtually zero character development and the endless repetitive fight scenes, as well, I suppose, the simultaneously simplistic and incoherent "plot." But who can argue with Charlize Theron beating up a bunch of look-alike creeps? Not Yorick. Of course what makes the movie is Sofia--'nuff said. And as for the much vaunted girl-on-girl sex scene, not my cup of tea generally speaking, but with these two: Give me more! And maybe Berlin really is a cool place--I never knew. The only reason this gets a 9 is the too short Charlize-Sofia confab.

Convicted (1950)

Bit of a Snooze

[5/10 · 2 September 2018]

I saw the movie two days ago and I've already forgotten how it ended. Not even pedal-to-the-metal Broderick Crawford can save it. Mucho great character actors (Whit Bissell, John Doucette) Frank Faylen), sort-of-A-list types (Ed Begley, Dorothy Malone), DP Burnett Guffey, all wasted--dragged down by the usual self-important Sad Sack Glenn Ford. Great though seeing Millard Mitchell, Richard Conte's buddy in THIEVES HIGHWAY. I know the creators of this film didn't intend it, but it's fascinating to contemplate how every single character in the movies ALWAYS makes not just a bad decision, but the WORST decision available. The only sensible one in this movie is Crawford's mother (?) who thinks it's not really such a great thing that she and Crawford and Malone are now going to live in the prison, waited on hand and foot by murderers, etc.

Charley Varrick (1973)

no moral center

[7/10 · 14 August 2018]

The raves for this--both the movie and Matthau--are overblown, the pans as well. Yes, it's slow, but it is kind of mesmerizing. The issue I have with it is the lack of moral center: it's hard for me to root for a guy whose bank heist resulted in unnecessary death; a guy who was utterly unemotional at his wife also getting killed in said heist and then burning her body. This is a problem I find in mid-1970s thrillers: no moral center. Like Day of the Jackal: are we supposed to root for the creep trying to kill de Gaulle? Hey! I'm no fan of de Gaulle, but still . . . Or The Eagle Has Landed: are we supposed to root for the assassination of Churchill? and not care if the poor body double gets killed? It's not like these movies are explorations of an amoral antihero (like say Purple Noon). These movies themselves are amoral. But dig that original poster! Like from Mad Magazine in its prime! Mort Drucker! Maybe it really is Mort!

Coogan's Bluff (1968)

Dumb and flacid

[3/10 · 5 August 2018]

You know it's going to be a clunker when you see the screenplay-by-committee, based-on-an-idea-by credits--bad enough--and then you realize you never heard of ANY of these 4 guys. Somebody had a light-bulb moment and said "Let's make a Clint Eastwood cowboy movie set in NYC!" Then got the $$. Then got Don Siegel who must've been recovering from surgery because I had trouble keeping my eyes open--as he must have as well. Then: save some $$ by filming street scenes on the Universal lot and not on actual streets like a cheesy TV sitcom. Add some phony bloody face makeup. Then: finish with a dumb motorcycle drive around Inwood Hill Park (that apparently was really filmed there) with a nothing ending. Oh, and let's not forget: have one revolting misogynistic scene after another, including some ha-ha about elder rape. Bleh.

The Clay Pigeon (1949)

did I see the same movie?

[4/10 · 2 June 2018]

Our hero's a creep, comes off obnoxious and entitled--treats the lady like trash . . . yet . . . she believes he didn't really murder her husband in the Japanese prison camp and so will help him because . . . because he's such a jewel? And the Japanese torturer just happens to go to a CHINESE restaurant at the same exact moment our hero and his deluded lady friend are eating there! How'd he get into the U.S.? A couple of nice touches amid the tedious unfolding: 1) The above-mentioned Chinese restaurant in L.A.'s Chinatown seemed authentic (maybe even location?). By the way, our hero and lady stiffed the restaurant--they ran out without paying (he could've tossed some bucks on the table--always a cool maneuver and one I like to employ myself wherever possible). 2) Very moving was the exchange with the Japanese mom about her son who died fighting in the 442nd Regiment. (I'm glad the lady got an acting gig, but where was Anna May Wong? She would've been perfect.)

77 Sunset Strip: The Double Death of Benny Markham (1960) Season 3, Episode 11

China Mary!

[10/10 · 17 October 2017]

Be patient, all ye Kookster fans. We get Jeff for 45 minutes in studio- bound London, doing yeoman work to make things right for good old Walter Burke (always great having him around). AND: getting kissed by China Mary, who in real life is Gale Garnett (yes, that Gale Garnett). With pseudo-Chinese garb and odd accent (she's actually a Kiwi) China Mary presides over the raffish pub where Burke hangs out and where all the action is--and takes over the episode . . .

. . . That is, until the last two minutes where we get the Kookster putting the moves on some babe in his pre-Cannon telephone- equipped convertible. Ahh, what it must've been like to be the Kookster!

711 Ocean Drive (1950)

Eh!

[5/10 · 19 September 2017]

I didn't believe O'Brien for a second as ruthless hood clawing his way to the top--too regular a guy. And how did Mr. Everybody's-Buddy-at- Work get so ruthless? And as an irresistible lover--no way.

I get we're supposed to be in awe of the chase scene at Boulder Dam but it was pretty incoherent. And, by the way, how does getting out on the Arizona side solve his problem? And why was Joanne Dru so exhausted in the chase? I mean, they were running for, what, 5 minutes? Okay, so women in those days didn't go to Gold's Gym or do yoga, but seriously . . . ? It's not like they're Dana Wynter and Kevin McCarthy running from the BODY SNATCHERS.

Back to O'Brien: better by far is 1954's SHIELD FOR MURDER where all he wants is one of those downmarket new suburban tract houses--that's more O'Brien's aspirational level--not Top of the World. Or of course D.O.A.--"All I did was sign a piece of paper!"

Nor does it make sense he dies in a goofy shootout--he wasn't a gunman type. He should've fallen in a gigantic telephone switching station or something--you know, karma.

By the way, unless my memory is all wrong (it often is), wasn't the big heist here the same scam in THE STING?

Morituri (1965)

And the Ship, the Black Freighter!

[9/10 · 17 July 2017]

As the reviewers who used to get paid for writing this stuff would have said: "The real star of this picture is the ship!" Truly. The freighter has a life and personality all its own and all its gritty secret parts and workings are breathtakingly rendered in Conrad Hall's (Outer Limits) moody black-and-white, fabulous sound, and an amazing Jerry Goldsmith score.

The 2 human stars are spot on--and we even get a cameo by the great Martin Kosleck!

Two beefs: 1) the shameful misogynist treatment of the luminous Janet Margolin.

2) What has been an absorbing thriller, 7/8 of the way through suddenly turns philosophical/moral/political as Yul the Good German gets it on with his Bad German first mate and meanwhile the American POWS are even more swinish than the Nazis.

But the ending is cool.

And Like I said, the ship rocks this house.

Strangers in the Night (1944)

Creepy Freudian Gothic

[7/10 · 22 June 2017]

What's absorbing about this film is what's not said, not seen, and not dwelled on. The other reviewers pretty much have the movie nailed, but no one seems interested in exploring to their logical ends the situations presented here.

Like the fact that the beautiful young woman the soldier guy thought he was writing to during the war and was coming home to marry was actually an old woman, and a demented one at that. When soldier guy finds this out it's like, "whatever." He apparently doesn't find disturbing the implications of his having been fooled. We however are left to go "yuck" and feel a sort of sympathy for the woman as a victim of ageism. After all, if soldier guy "loved her mind" why reject her just because she's old (and demented)?

And what does smart doctor lady think of soldier guy, her soon- to- be husband, who is so confused and easily fooled?

And then think about the whole bizarre existence of the old woman who not only created a fantasy daughter and had "her" "portrait" painted, but regularly has worship sessions in front of the painting in the cult of her nonexistent daughter--with her weak- willed loyal companion going along.

Kinda makes you wonder how often in our own way we "regular folks" create fantasy versions of people and totally misread relationships.

Paging Dr. Freud!

Piccadilly (1929)

Dancing in the Scullery

[10/10 · 19 June 2017]

"Just imagine the whole place being upset by one little Chinese girl in the scullery."

Pretty easy to imagine, actually, the Chinese girl being Anna May Wong.

But this would be a powerful, sad, beautiful film even without her. Superbly directed by E.A. Dupont, a sort of forgotten master of German Expressionism, with swish pans revealing the relationships between characters, tracking shots inviting the viewer into other worlds, low angles revealing significance of event and character. And some shots just plain beautiful.

Much nuance here--this film only gets deeper on multiple viewings.

And perhaps one of the most erotic scenes in cinema--mostly with a hand--AMW's hand of course.

Gender identity buffs take note of Jimmy.

The composer's commentary track is insightful, but as for the music: hit the mute button and put on Satie instead. Really. Satie will reveal much that's otherwise not revealed by the visuals.

And without going on too much about it, but: Anna May Wong.

Chu Chin Chow (1934)

Anna May Wong!

[8/10 · 18 June 2017]

Here we go again: she's smarter, more tenacious, and of course more beautiful than anyone else. And boy, is she rugged too! This film is apparently a historically famous effort, but comes up short because there's not enough of the real star. We'll just have to take what we can get and be happy. (By the way, they've got the "Open O Sesame" bit all wrong--as Popeye showed us it's really "Open Sez Me!" And there's even a song about olive oil--but the wrong kind--they sing about the stuff you use for food, not the real Olive Oyl.)

Murder Is My Beat (1955)

It's Ulmer--Nuff Said Guys

[10/10 · 5 June 2017]

I know Yorick's legions of fans have been clamoring for his insightful clever words on this strange-o flick, but I have to admit all the other reviewers have got it covered. But do check out on the "critic" side the Michael E. Grost entry--mucho to think about. The movie's so flat and affect-less it creates its own mood of somnambulistic surrealism. It's Ulmer, baby!

Lady from Chungking (1942)

What a woman

[9/10 · 14 May 2017]

That's a direct quote from one of the American fliers in this rugged PRC paean to the Glory of China and the March of Democracy. And only a fool would argue with the assessment. There's some surprisingly nasty stuff in this for the early 1940s. And of course Anna May Wong continues to hold down her position as the No. 1 most beautiful female actress of all time. Plus, we get Mae Clarke. See it.

The Yellow Sea (2010)

Incoherent

[5/10 · 14 May 2017]

I guess I'm a minority of one but I don't get the praise. Overkill + Repetition + Incoherence = What, exactly? A good movie buried somewhere. The filmmakers seemed to take the approach that if they have one gang of gangsters running around incoherently then 3 (I think) gangs of gangsters running around incoherently is 3 times better. If we have one interminable car chase in the city then 20 interminable car chases in the city is 20 times better. If we have one bloody poorly lit incoherent knife-and-ax fight, then 20 bloody poorly lit incoherent knife-and-ax fights is 20 times better. (By the way, don't they have guns in Asia?) I will say, however, the ending is cool.

77 Sunset Strip: Who Killed Cock Robin (1960) Season 2, Episode 19

The Strip Goes Meta!

[21 March 2017]

Okay, first off, on the Kookster scale this is a No Kookster. But wait! It's awesome anyway. A dead director films himself coordinating a treasure hunt in his house where every room is a set from one of his pictures and the guide is his able assistant director smoothly moving things along for his (dead) boss and breezily solving all unexpected problems. Everybody talks about real movies with a moral vs. self- indulgent Method Acting tripe (via Sam Fuller "Underworld USA" creepo hit man Richard Rust as whiny "actor," delivering "obliquely slanted persecutions"--I forget who said that). Then there's Clara, who's really Fay Wray--and whom Spencer not only adores but keeps staring at like a love-sick puppy and saying multiple times "I really loved you in Doctor X. I saw it three times." I never knew this about Spencer: He's got impeccable taste! In women--and in movies. And she lets him kiss her at the end! Kissing Fay Wray! Okay, it's 30 years after "Doctor X," and she's not in her bathing suit, but, seriously . . . Fay Wray!

77 Sunset Strip: Ten Cents a Death (1960) Season 2, Episode 18

for Anthony George fans only

[5/10 · 15 March 2017]

The only 77 rating scale that matters is: Kookster/No Kookster. This one is a No-Kookster. But fans of "Checkmate" (great first season, eh second), you need to watch this one: Here Anthony George--what's with those teeth?--is a noirish hood/nightclub/dancehall owner, the kind who orders his goons to beat up our hero in his office while he watches (I guess it's a substitute for sex). It's a step up the hood ladder for George from "The Jukebox Caper" where he was one of the goons who beat up our hero for Ted DeCorsia in that one.

77 Sunset Strip: The Jukebox Caper (1959) Season 2, Episode 13

The gang goes to a coffeehouse!

[8/10 · 14 March 2017]

The Kookster strikes again! Only he has the connections at the Green Kite--a, to be brutally honest, pretty lame coffeehouse. But everyone has beards at least. Their leader/idol/god to whom they genuflect is Mort Sahl! Yes, the Great One. We still haven't gotten hip enough to catch up to Mort. Roger sings a totally lame-o "folk song," a sort of wimpy Harry Belafonte. And our hero . . . well, I won't give anything away, but although we all know he's the Coolest, he can also be pretty incendiary.

77 Sunset Strip: The Texas Doll (1959) Season 2, Episode 11

a real find for mid-century design fans

[8/10 · 10 March 2017]

Dig it daddy-o! Fantastic mid-century decor--a kidney coffee table! I'd give anything to have that place. And we get to see the Kookster's own "Mad Pad"--a Calder mobile! And dig his sound system. Just learned something really wiggy about the Kookster: he's always down with whatever the universe throws his way!