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The Night of the Iguana (1964)
The Male Sexpot
The Rev. T. Lawrence Shannon (Richard Burton) has been "locked out" of his Episcopal Church because he succumbed to the advances of "a very young Sunday school teacher" and, somewhat improbably, finds himself working as a tour guide in Mexico. Judith Fellowes (Grayson Hall) is a censorious rooster in the "crate of wet hens," that includes her niece (Sue Lyon), a pretty teenager, determined to grab "Larry" as her souvenir. In defense, he drives their bus to an obscure beach hotel, run by earth mother Ava Gardner, from whom he appeals for help. Soon they are joined by an English woman (Deborah Kerr), born and raised in Nantucket, and caring for "the world's oldest living poet" (Cyril Delevanti). Exaggeration is an important element of comedy, but this late effort by Tennessee Williams, seems to go too far. Despite some affecting late scenes, the misogynistic portrayal of women, who just can't leave men alone, amplifies the exaggerations even further. And over the cliff.
Love Letters (1945)
Rostand Ripoff
A soldier (Joseph Cotten) writes love letters to another soldier's girl (Jennifer Jones) back home. Imagine her disappointment when she marries him; in the meantime, Cotten is beset with guilt when he learns of it. Conveniently, she soon becomes a widow and Cotten must find her. The search is stretched across 101 tiresome minutes, complicated by the weak plot device of amnesia and the necessity to keep the past from her to protect her sanity. Director William Dieterle and DP Lee Garmes are visually talented enough to keep us seated until we get The Big Message: 'No one can build happiness on a lie," from romance writer Ayn Rand.
Portrait of Jennie (1948)
Brilliant
An obscure, impoverished artist meets an engaging young girl in Central Park and does a drawing from memory, which sells instantly to a gallery. He searches for her to paint her portrait and learns that she died somewhere in time. She is a ghost, who only he can see. For those who lost loved ones in accidents or, perhaps, in the recent war, there is a consoling message: "There is no life, my darling, until you love and been loved. And then there is no death." David O. Selznick, who loved Jennifer Jones, spared no expense: everything was shot on location and the final portrait in the black & white film was made in three-strip Technicolor. Oscars for Best Special Effects and a nomination for DP Joseph H. August. Dmitri Tiomkin's score uses themes by Debussy. Director William Dieterle was at his best. Unforgettable.
Election (1999)
Everybody Cheats Somebody Sometime
A bright, energetic, ambitious Omaha high school girl (Reese Witherspoon) aspires to be elected Student Council President in this movie by a bright, energetic, ambitious Omaha film writer/director (Alexander Payne). Her efforts are thwarted by a resentful teacher (Matthew Broderick), but there is, fortunately no censorious producer. Like the leading lady, the movie is determined to entertain: there's never a dull moment. The electoral gamesmanship and numerous sexual peccadillos keep the characters and the audience on their toes in this satirical look at a passionately committed super achiever.
The Ugly American (1963)
The MacWhite Man's Burden
Ambassador Harrison Carter MacWhite (Marlon Brando) endures a rigorous and hostile Senate hearing to be assigned to a southeast Asian country, where he fought during World War II and where his old buddy, Deong (Elji Okada), is very influential. Although it's not in the dialogue, MacWhite demonstrates his intellectual acumen by wielding a pipe in the early scenes. He plays the martinet with his subordinates to complete the construction of an engineering project called "Freedom Road," which will bring prosperity. Prosperity for whom? It's a good question, which is best answered eventually in "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" (2004) by John Perkins. In the meantime, we'll have to settle for these old worries about communists, typical of that era and prescient about the upcoming war.
Three Faces East (1930)
Suspenseful Early Spy Yarn
During World War I, two determined German spies (Erich von Stroheim and Constance Bennett) manage, as a butler and houseguest, to penetrate the home of the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Winston Churchill? Er-no, it's "Sir Winston Chamberlain," played by the original "William Holden." His son, Capt. Arthur Chamberlain, falls for the beautiful Ms. Bennett, as she races through the house to the safe, where intelligence may be found as to the time and place of the landing of American troops in Europe. Is there a way for the writers to arrange for the handsome young man and the lovely young lady to overcome their political differences? Let us hope.
Escape (1940)
Good Nail Biter
By 1940, escape from Germany was very difficult for prominent people. Nazimova plays a famous actress sent to a concentration camp and sentenced to death; her son (Robert Taylor) is determined to rescue her and bring her home to the USA. He receives help from a camp doctor (Philip Dorn), who since boyhood was a fan of hers, and a countess (Norma Shearer). The elaborate plan is nearly thwarted several times as roadblocks (literally) appear. The screenplay by two top writers (Arch Oboler and Marguerite Roberts) has many twists and turns that keep the tension going, from scene to scene and line to line. Adolf Hitler did not like this movie.
Soldier in the Rain (1963)
Smelling of Money
Movies often get made simply because the money is there. Steve McQueen became a star playing cool, laconic tough guys. Here, he plays broad comedy as a naive southern hustler of the Andy Griffith type. Mistake. One supposes that it was greenlighted because of a much better picture, "No Time for Sergeants" (1958), but it falls very flat. An adult version of a sharp hustler in the service was yet to be made: "King Rat" (1965). The point seems to be to demonstrate the likeable dopey-ness of the average joe, especially if he has a drawl, but McQueen occasionally lapses into being McQueen. As Jackie Gleason's squeeze, Tuesday Weld is as ditzy as necessary, while villain Ed Nelson menaces well. Blake Edwards was a genuine talent, with good credits. Why did he not direct? Did he jump ship before it sank? The actors brought in an audience, but this silly project should have been shelved.
Les diaboliques (1955)
Brilliant
After inheriting a boarding school, Christina (Vera Clouzot, wife of the writer-director Henri-Georges Clouzot), oppressed by her cruel husband (Paul Meurisse), becomes friends with his mistress, Nicole (Simone Signoret), who is sympathetic. The two women devise a plan to deal with the brute. This movie was box office gold, in part due to a clever word-of-mouth campaign: at the end, the audience reads a title card asking them not to spoil the film for friends by betraying the shock ending. Drew Barrymore recommended seeing the film a second time to fully appreciate Signoret's performance. Vera Clouzot appeared in only three films, all directed by her husband. In this one, her character is described as having a "weak heart" and she often clutches her chest. Vera Clouzot died of a heart attack at age 46. Did life follow art?
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Brilliant
The Great Depression of the 1930s impoverished millions, but, before social welfare programs were in place, even worse, it instilled a fear of poverty in tens of millions. James M. Cain's 1934 novel, possibly inspired by Emile Zola's 1868 novel "Therese Raquin," developed these themes and was the basis of many films. Frank (John Garfield) and Cora (Lana Turner) both need money and Nick, an older man, (Cecil Kellaway), who owns a highway lunch counter, can provide them with what they both need. But they soon discover that they need one other thing: each other. And they realize that they don't need Nick. Perfectly cast and staged, with a wonderful score by George Bassman, it becomes, with its ironic, suspenseful plot twists, an epic tragedy of the doomed Everyman. I'm not sure that we would have gotten "Champion" (1949) or "A Place In the Sun" (1951) without it.
The Wind (1928)
An Orphan of the Storm
It may be difficult to believe now, but a century ago, a young woman, without money or education, was virtual chattel. Letty (Lillian Gish) journeys from Virginia to an appallingly windy region in the Midwest to live in the home of her cousin and his wife, who is immediately jealous of their familial intimacy. Several male suitors appear who may offer stability, in contrast to the constant wind, symbolic of the vagaries of nature, men and circumstance. What can she do? The silent acting, especially that of Gish, and the directing by Victor Sjostrom, is excellent. Distributors required a happy ending, which, after a re-shoot, was of no box office help.
Et Dieu... créa la femme (1956)
Ooo-La-La!
At age 22, Bardot appeared in her 18th motion picture, which was written and directed by her husband, Roger Vadim. While Hollywood presented the "Blonde Bombshell," Marilyn Monroe, France responded with Bebe, the "Sex Kitten." While Monroe appeared in major studio productions, surrounded by makeup artists, camera and lighting experts, costume designers and an acting coach, Bardot appeared in her "birthday suit," playing herself. If beautiful women were one of the primary attractions of movies, France had one of the greatest. In this show made before Women's Lib, daring, frank, self-interested Bardot is torn between three men in Catholic France: will she sink into depravity or be redeemed by love? Vadim answers.
Play of the Week: Waiting for Godot (1961)
Masterpiece
This shocking play received its perfect interpretation in this televised version. Starring Burgess Meredith as a scheming Didi, Zero Mostel as a flustered Gogo, Kurt Kasznar as pompous Pozzo, and Alvin Epstein as his beleaguered servant, no better production is conceivable for this "tragicomedy," which revolutionized modern theatre and was much responsible for Samuel Beckett's Nobel Prize. In the intimate circle of fellow Irish author James Joyce in Paris, Beckett joined the Resistance and, when he learned that he was soon to be arrested by the Gestapo, he and his wife, Suzanne, fled in a long walk towards Vichy France. This play catalogued their immiseration and the search in farmer's fields for some sort of root vegetable on which they might dine. The Irish Potato Famine of the previous century may have also contributed to a sort of ethnic memory of extreme deprivation, which Beckett ably addresses with mocking humor. All writing is autobiographical and the ability to delineate its universal elements is testimony to Beckett's genius. This production does it due service.
Late Night with the Devil (2023)
The Devil Is In the Details
Although it seems to be a rather long, anticlimactic 93 minutes, this low budget horror/comedy is clever and innovative enough to hold interest in its portrait of a TV talk show host, locked in a losing battle against Johnny Carson, who believes that, with help from a parapsychologist and her weird patient, an interview with Satan on his Halloween special, during ratings sweeps week, might keep his show alive. We're treated to all the usual horror movie tropes of the past half century and David Dastmalchian, who resembles Les Crane, is convincing as someone who could keep us around for 93 minutes.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Inspired Silliness
Right next to a metropolis inhabited by human beings is a jungle, aswarm with apes. Can they co-exist? The books are cooked in that the apes are humans in ape outfits. The lead ape has the facial expressions (very well done) of a human and, by and large, all the apes have the political and social concerns similar to those of humans. "Can't we all just get along?" as Rodney King once asked. The very serious message of "Planet of the Apes" (1968) cannot be matched by these dreams of human/ape friendship; a grownup treatment of our commonalities and differences was offered in a far more insightful, intellectually stimulating, suspenseful and realistic movie by the great Cy Endfield in "Sands of the Kalahari" (1965). Special effects and costumes are excellent.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Masterpiece
George Miller challenges us to blink. There have been movies with a "cast of thousands;" this film seems to have a crew of thousands that have joined to make, arguably, the richest, most visually fascinating film ever made. A world in which humans interact and blend in with machinery was brilliantly presented in "Metropolis" (1927), but it was largely static; this film combines a similar vision, but one that is always on the move. The chase is a time-tested cinema crowd pleaser. Here, the chase seems never to end. The meticulous attention to detail is marvelous; the plot is of secondary importance. A wealth of imagination, special effects, stunts and actors who sometimes resemble those in "Freaks" (1932) offer a riveting visual feast.
Gangs of New York (2002)
Senseless Bloodbath
By the time this movie was released, certain facts were clear: Martin Scorsese is fascinated by psychopathy, extremely gruesome violence, and is an extremely skillful director. This film, inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1927 book, "The Gangs of New York," runs for 167 bloody minutes. The history presented is exaggerated in order to be as gory as possible. The atmospherics are wonderful: the sets, costumes, props, as well as the lighting and cinematography, could not possibly be better. One can only marvel at the devotion to knives, when guns are available. The slaughter show becomes tiresome after a couple of hours, especially since none of the characters are sympathetic. The redeeming feature is the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis, who makes clear why many actors say that they prefer to play villains.
The Field Guide to Evil (2018)
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."
T. S. Eliot's declaration illuminates the commonalities shared by these eight short horror films, based upon folktales from eight different countries (Austria, Turkey, Poland, United States, Greece, India, Germany, and Hungary). They are usually centered around children, the elderly, the disabled, the deformed and animals. The settings are often natural ones: forests, fields, streams, and ponds. More importantly, they share skillful direction, writing, acting, cinematography and music direction done at a high level. The terror to be found in the banality of everyday life, our remoteness from God and the proximity of the diabolical are shared themes.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
From College to "The Real World"
My cousin Larry lived in Hell's Kitchen, nearly as fat as Minnesota Fats and shooting pool nearly as well. He saw many slender, young models and actors stalking through mid-Manhattan, who he referred to as "The PYPs:" Pretty Young People. Into that netherworld steps recent college graduate Anne Hathaway, wearing a baggy sweater and sensible shoes and seeking a journalism career. She gets a desk next to harried Emily Blunt as subordinates to imperious, nasty Meryl Streep (based on Anna Wintour?), who speaks in cryptic whispers that her aides are expected to understand without clarification. Anne must also cope with her unshaven, T-shirt clad boyfriend, who wants the true girlfriend experience or will she pursue what the "Devil" claims "everyone wants?" Wild exaggeration makes the sadism comical, but not too implausible. At 57, Streep looks great and acts great: Oscar nomination #14.
A Ghost Story (2017)
The Poster Is the Movie
Children do this: they put a sheet over their heads, hide behind a door or in a closet, then jump out and say, "Boo!" It's an extension of the game played with infants, "Peek-a-boo, I see you!" A movie should show moving pictures. I don't expect every actor to learn his craft, as Ed Begley did, but Ben Affleck's kid brother needs speech classes. Rooney Mara (scion of owners of two NFL teams) is a pretty girl, but shots of her sleeping, eating pie, listening to music through headphones, listening to music through earbuds is not entertaining. When Warhol made "Empire" and "Sleep," they were projected on a wall at parties. Of this stasis, I can only wonder, "Story? What story?" The lengthy credits lists 5 "Great Thanks," 117 "Special Thanks," and 14 "Art Interns," whose job, presumably, was to say, "Good job, Dave," "Fantastic, Dave," "Loved it, Dave." When a young man in rags addressed Socrates at the polis, the old man said, "Your arrogance is revealed by every hole in your clothing."
Eastern Promises (2007)
Masterpiece
This is one of my three favorite Christmas movies, along with "The Way of All Flesh" (1940) and "Blast of Silence" (1961). After four decades, Director David Cronenberg is at the top of his game. His pictorial compositions, staging and camera movements are pitch perfect, as is the entire cast. Howard Shore's melancholy music deftly underscores the sentiment that immigrants retain for their home country in the new land. This story of the Russian underworld in London is gripping from the opening scene until the last. Viggo Mortensen as "just the driver," was Oscar nominated. His cool, philosophical acceptance of every humiliation demonstrates his patience and strength. As a courageous and compassionate nurse, Naomi Watts is the perfect foil. A spellbinding 100 minutes, it seems to get better with each successive viewing.
Strange Days (1995)
Strange People
Larry Nero (Ralph Fiennes) makes and sells Virtual Reality (VR) devices, a tangle of wires clasped to the heads of individuals, then transferred to the heads of others, who relive that experience. Follow so far? The movie is set in the final two days of 1999; considering the VR quality, it might as well have been the final two days of 2999, but the bloated budget for this box office bomb could never handle it. And Director Kathryn Bigelow is no Ridley Scott. Angela Bassett is a beautiful leading lady and Juliette Lewis shines in another steamy sexpot role that she plays so well. The subjects of the film are Hollywood's two most important: sex and violence. Not many people were interested.
Up in the Air (2009)
Brilliant
The story of a man, whose career is to fly around firing people, is well told by a writer/director (Jason Reitman), who cannot be fired because his employer is his producer/father (Ivan Reitman). This is a true Hollywood story; it's about an industry in which, as soon as a shoot wraps, everyone is essentially fired. To empathize or not to empathize: that is the question. Clever, charming George Clooney's job is to spin immiseration into something positive, even hopeful. Spinning is America's national pastime, especially in times of trouble, as when this movie was released. Clooney is challenged when he beds Vera Farmiga, who declares she's the same as he is, "except with a vagina." He's further challenged by Anna Kendrick, his young assistant, who can get emotionally involved at times with those dismissed. It would go well on a double feature with "Patterns" (1956). In his book, "Psychopaths," published in 1972, Alan Harrington predicted that, in the future, psychopathy would become more widespread and acceptable than it ever had been before: "Up in the Air" illustrates this argument perfectly.
Everest (2015)
Up and Down
Watching "Everest" is clearly a much wiser thing to do than climbing it. I'm always amazed by the things people that will do to obtain social approval or admiration. From crowding into a telephone booth to swallowing goldfish to scaling Mt. Everest, many have a drive for public accomplishment that defies reason. No one has ever asked me, "Have you ever scaled Mt. Everest?" Director Baltasar Kormakur has taken us to the summit and back down again, in 3-D and perfect safety and for that, we can be grateful. It is evidently the true story of at least 12 fatalities on Mt. Everest in 1996 and the movie is true enough to the experience to be gripping and suspenseful. The bravado and camaraderie seems genuine as well: connections to others are tested by being roped together in threatening circumstances.
Scream (1996)
One For the Drive-Ins
Like March, it's in like a lion and out like a lamb. This teenage, buckets of blood, slasher extravaganza offers much gore, but not much more. The gals are cute (I'll take Rose McGowan) and the guys are hard to figure: who's doing what and why? After 90 minutes or so, it doesn't much matter. We become so used to the scream mask and the squirts of red stuff, that the excess almost becomes more laughable than shocking. After many years of establishing himself as the low budget scare master, replacing more sedate William Castle, Wes Craven got a bigger budget and a mask for the movie and trailers.