The Miracle Season (Sean McNamara, 2018) 5/10
When the star volleyball player - Caroline "Line" Found - of an Iowa high school is killed in an accident her best friend rallies the team members to get back into the game so they can win the trophy two years in a row. Sappy, tear inducing sports melodrama is based on a true story with the predictable win and a rousing rendition by Neil Diamond singing "Sweet Caroline" on the soundtrack. A rather bland cast of youngsters is bolstered by Helen Hunt as the team's tough coach and William Hurt as the late player's bereft dad who also loses his wife to cancer right after the daughter's death. This is strictly tv-movie fare and you will need a box of tissues to get you through the film.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
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Singapore Woman (Jean Negulesco, 1941) 7/10
Atmospheric B-film set on a rubber plantation in Singapore is a slick romantic melodrama - jinxed woman (Brenda Marshall) comes between a farmer (David Bruce) and his bland fiancé (Virginia Field). Marshall is exceptional as the tough but booze soaked society girl who blames her life's downward spiral onto a jinx. Falling in love turns things around but fate in the form of the past holds a nasty surprise for her. Low budget programmer throws in everything - a heavy monsoon, an attacking crocodile, a torch singer and bar room brawls. The film is superbly shot by Ted McCord and it began director Negulesco's career even though mid-production he was fired by the studio.
Atmospheric B-film set on a rubber plantation in Singapore is a slick romantic melodrama - jinxed woman (Brenda Marshall) comes between a farmer (David Bruce) and his bland fiancé (Virginia Field). Marshall is exceptional as the tough but booze soaked society girl who blames her life's downward spiral onto a jinx. Falling in love turns things around but fate in the form of the past holds a nasty surprise for her. Low budget programmer throws in everything - a heavy monsoon, an attacking crocodile, a torch singer and bar room brawls. The film is superbly shot by Ted McCord and it began director Negulesco's career even though mid-production he was fired by the studio.
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Nothing Like a Dame (Roger Michell, 2018) 8/10
Four old friends sit around a table in a garden sipping tea and reminiscing about their friendship, careers and husbands. Funny and extremely poignant documentary has four great actresses - all dames - Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Joan Plowright, Judi Dench - gather at the home of the late Sir Laurence Olivier with his widow, Joan Plowright (now blind), hosting her three equally famous friends for a delightful tête-à-tête full of humour as they all make fun of themselves, laughing about their old-age infirmities of failing eyesight - "between the four of us we only have three eyes" - and deafness. With great wit they talk of past projects (fantastic clips are shown from their careers on stage, television and in films), co-stars are discussed including a detailed discussion about Olivier - "he was very difficult" - who had interacted with all four actresses during different phases of their careers. Dame Maggie's ascerbic wit is in full view as she describes Olivier slapping her hard during a stage performance of "Othello" and of her equally difficult on and off-stage relationship with her ex-husband, the late Sir Robert Stephens, when they were both considered the "golden couple" of stage. Dame Judi talks about how Sir John Gielgud dismissed her way of speaking while being directed by him on stage and her stardom in film which came when she was in her fifties. Dame Eileen talks about her childhood and ex-husband, Julian Glover. And Dame Joan remembers playing Olivier's daughter followed by their marriage. This is a charming celebration of the careers of four iconic actresses , their wicked wit and of the strength and longevity of their friendship which began during the 1950s when all four were fledgling young aspiring stage actors. Great fun.
Four old friends sit around a table in a garden sipping tea and reminiscing about their friendship, careers and husbands. Funny and extremely poignant documentary has four great actresses - all dames - Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Joan Plowright, Judi Dench - gather at the home of the late Sir Laurence Olivier with his widow, Joan Plowright (now blind), hosting her three equally famous friends for a delightful tête-à-tête full of humour as they all make fun of themselves, laughing about their old-age infirmities of failing eyesight - "between the four of us we only have three eyes" - and deafness. With great wit they talk of past projects (fantastic clips are shown from their careers on stage, television and in films), co-stars are discussed including a detailed discussion about Olivier - "he was very difficult" - who had interacted with all four actresses during different phases of their careers. Dame Maggie's ascerbic wit is in full view as she describes Olivier slapping her hard during a stage performance of "Othello" and of her equally difficult on and off-stage relationship with her ex-husband, the late Sir Robert Stephens, when they were both considered the "golden couple" of stage. Dame Judi talks about how Sir John Gielgud dismissed her way of speaking while being directed by him on stage and her stardom in film which came when she was in her fifties. Dame Eileen talks about her childhood and ex-husband, Julian Glover. And Dame Joan remembers playing Olivier's daughter followed by their marriage. This is a charming celebration of the careers of four iconic actresses , their wicked wit and of the strength and longevity of their friendship which began during the 1950s when all four were fledgling young aspiring stage actors. Great fun.
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Sacred Games (Anurag Kashyap & Vikramaditya Motwane, 2018) 10/10
Riveting 8-part adaptation of Vikram Chandra's pulpy thriller novel explores Mumbai's underworld and the corrupt machinations of the city's police force. The plot revolves around a threat received by a Sikh police officer (Saif Ali Khan) about the destruction of the city of Mumbai in 25 days from a notorious long disappeared gangster who commits suicide when confronted. As the investigation of the suicide continues a number of people - a politician, various cops and an actress - worry about disclosures related to their involvement with the crook. The story, via flashbacks, also explores the rise of the gangster (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) from a poor Brahmin in 1985 who arrives in Mumbai and rises up the ladder to become a feared gangster. The film superbly captures the crime ridden city in horrific detail - the violent deaths, the profane street language, religious intolerance, prostitution, explicit sex, politics of the country - and is a sharp contrast to the films coming out of Bollywood depicting colour, joy, songs and dances. Superbly directed film - Kashyap helmed all the scenes with the gangster while Motwane handled the present day scenes with the cop - is brilliantly shot mostly at night with a close eye on production design, sharp editing and ominous score. This is superb film making and a high point in both director's careers. A must-see.
Riveting 8-part adaptation of Vikram Chandra's pulpy thriller novel explores Mumbai's underworld and the corrupt machinations of the city's police force. The plot revolves around a threat received by a Sikh police officer (Saif Ali Khan) about the destruction of the city of Mumbai in 25 days from a notorious long disappeared gangster who commits suicide when confronted. As the investigation of the suicide continues a number of people - a politician, various cops and an actress - worry about disclosures related to their involvement with the crook. The story, via flashbacks, also explores the rise of the gangster (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) from a poor Brahmin in 1985 who arrives in Mumbai and rises up the ladder to become a feared gangster. The film superbly captures the crime ridden city in horrific detail - the violent deaths, the profane street language, religious intolerance, prostitution, explicit sex, politics of the country - and is a sharp contrast to the films coming out of Bollywood depicting colour, joy, songs and dances. Superbly directed film - Kashyap helmed all the scenes with the gangster while Motwane handled the present day scenes with the cop - is brilliantly shot mostly at night with a close eye on production design, sharp editing and ominous score. This is superb film making and a high point in both director's careers. A must-see.
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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Ol Parker, 2018) 6/10
Forced sequel is strictly an excuse for the cast to get together and have a ball singing the songs of Abba on an island in Greece - although the film has been shot in Croatia this time round. Donna (Meryl Streep) is dead so the plot flits between the present and past. Her daughter (Amanda Seyfried) has renovated the hotel and invited the "gang" (Pierce Brosnan, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård) for a party while in flashback we see the younger version of Donna (Lily James) as she meets her three boyfriends and arrives in Greece to the dilapitated hotel on an idyllic island. The film's highlight is Cher, as Donna's estranged mother, who arrives to grace the party at the end and in true drag-queen-style sings "Fernando" (as a duet with Andy Garcia). And via movie magic Donna (Meryl Streep) gets to sing "My Love, My Life" with her younger self and daughter followed by the entire cast, led by Cher, singing "Super Trouper" at the finalè. It's all about the songs in the end and if you are a fan of Abba then you will be in hog heaven.
Forced sequel is strictly an excuse for the cast to get together and have a ball singing the songs of Abba on an island in Greece - although the film has been shot in Croatia this time round. Donna (Meryl Streep) is dead so the plot flits between the present and past. Her daughter (Amanda Seyfried) has renovated the hotel and invited the "gang" (Pierce Brosnan, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård) for a party while in flashback we see the younger version of Donna (Lily James) as she meets her three boyfriends and arrives in Greece to the dilapitated hotel on an idyllic island. The film's highlight is Cher, as Donna's estranged mother, who arrives to grace the party at the end and in true drag-queen-style sings "Fernando" (as a duet with Andy Garcia). And via movie magic Donna (Meryl Streep) gets to sing "My Love, My Life" with her younger self and daughter followed by the entire cast, led by Cher, singing "Super Trouper" at the finalè. It's all about the songs in the end and if you are a fan of Abba then you will be in hog heaven.
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Book Club (Bill Holderman, 2018) 6/10
The lazy screenplay not withstanding - four women of an advanced age get all hot and bothered after reading the trashy "Fifty Shades of Grey" at their book club meeting. The longtime chums are a divorced high-powered judge (Candice Bergen), a recent widow (Diane Keaton), a chef (Mary Steenburgen) and the over-aged sexpot hotelier (Jane Fonda). The four stars bring years of experience to their parts which is not saying much as each can easily play their part while in a trance. The subject of sex and men figures prominently. The widow meets a laid-back pilot (Andy Garcia), the judge enters the field of online dating coming up with candidates (Richard Dreyfuss & Wallace Shawn), the chef tries to jump-start her sex life with her retired husband (Craig T. Nelson) and the sexpot decides to shack up with a former beau (Don Johnson). Silly fluff allows the four stars (aged 65-80) to shine - Keaton is amusingly high-strung, Steenburgen charmingly folksy, Bergen dripping dry wit and Fonda - dressed in tight outfits, thigh-high boots and swilling booze - nudges the other three to let loose their inhibitions and embrace life.......again. Paper thin comedy manages to work despite the clichés.
The lazy screenplay not withstanding - four women of an advanced age get all hot and bothered after reading the trashy "Fifty Shades of Grey" at their book club meeting. The longtime chums are a divorced high-powered judge (Candice Bergen), a recent widow (Diane Keaton), a chef (Mary Steenburgen) and the over-aged sexpot hotelier (Jane Fonda). The four stars bring years of experience to their parts which is not saying much as each can easily play their part while in a trance. The subject of sex and men figures prominently. The widow meets a laid-back pilot (Andy Garcia), the judge enters the field of online dating coming up with candidates (Richard Dreyfuss & Wallace Shawn), the chef tries to jump-start her sex life with her retired husband (Craig T. Nelson) and the sexpot decides to shack up with a former beau (Don Johnson). Silly fluff allows the four stars (aged 65-80) to shine - Keaton is amusingly high-strung, Steenburgen charmingly folksy, Bergen dripping dry wit and Fonda - dressed in tight outfits, thigh-high boots and swilling booze - nudges the other three to let loose their inhibitions and embrace life.......again. Paper thin comedy manages to work despite the clichés.
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Walk Softly, Stranger (Robert Stevenson, 1950) 8/10
Small-time crook and compulsive gambler (Joseph Cotten) ingratiates himself in a small town charming his landlady (the delightful Spring Byington) and a rich, beautiful but handicapped heiress (Alida Valli). The two lonely people form a close bond which gets shattered when the man's past catches up and the cops come after him. The film's release was delayed to cash in on the two stars' incredible chemistry in "The Third Man" and their teaming here is just as melancholy with both stars giving low key performances. Moody film is a mix of film noir and romantic melodrama.
Small-time crook and compulsive gambler (Joseph Cotten) ingratiates himself in a small town charming his landlady (the delightful Spring Byington) and a rich, beautiful but handicapped heiress (Alida Valli). The two lonely people form a close bond which gets shattered when the man's past catches up and the cops come after him. The film's release was delayed to cash in on the two stars' incredible chemistry in "The Third Man" and their teaming here is just as melancholy with both stars giving low key performances. Moody film is a mix of film noir and romantic melodrama.
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Mike Newell, 2018) 8/10
Typical quirky film by Mike Newell starting with its tongue twisting title and encompassing an old fashioned plot which alternates between romance, a mystery and tragedy. Sumptuous production that perfectly captures post-WWII Britain - the story alternates via flashbacks between scenes set on Nazi occupied Guernsey in 1941 and in London right after the war in 1946. A London writer (Lily James) is intrigued to learn about a book club on the island of Guernsey with a long and loopy name. She forms a bond with the members via letters and when she arrives on the island she discovers the origin of the book club (formed on the spur of the moment during a tense encounter with the Nazis), meets the quaint and somewhat eccentric book club society members (Tom Courtenay, Penelope Wilton, Katherine Parkinson, Michiel Huisman), discovers a horrific secret involving the disappearance during the war of one member (Jessica Brown Findlay) all of which leaves her in a state of flux which alters her life. The film comes alive during all the scenes set on Guernsey - the stunning locations of Devon and Cornwall were used for the shoot - with thatched cottages on rolling green hills, idyllic tranquil villages with cobbled streets, high cliffs and the crashing waves of the ocean. Charming feel-good romantic drama about friendship, a study of survival during the brutal war years and the love of literature which also incorporates little known history about the Nazi invasion of the two British Channel islands of Guernsey and Jersey in 1940-45.
Typical quirky film by Mike Newell starting with its tongue twisting title and encompassing an old fashioned plot which alternates between romance, a mystery and tragedy. Sumptuous production that perfectly captures post-WWII Britain - the story alternates via flashbacks between scenes set on Nazi occupied Guernsey in 1941 and in London right after the war in 1946. A London writer (Lily James) is intrigued to learn about a book club on the island of Guernsey with a long and loopy name. She forms a bond with the members via letters and when she arrives on the island she discovers the origin of the book club (formed on the spur of the moment during a tense encounter with the Nazis), meets the quaint and somewhat eccentric book club society members (Tom Courtenay, Penelope Wilton, Katherine Parkinson, Michiel Huisman), discovers a horrific secret involving the disappearance during the war of one member (Jessica Brown Findlay) all of which leaves her in a state of flux which alters her life. The film comes alive during all the scenes set on Guernsey - the stunning locations of Devon and Cornwall were used for the shoot - with thatched cottages on rolling green hills, idyllic tranquil villages with cobbled streets, high cliffs and the crashing waves of the ocean. Charming feel-good romantic drama about friendship, a study of survival during the brutal war years and the love of literature which also incorporates little known history about the Nazi invasion of the two British Channel islands of Guernsey and Jersey in 1940-45.
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Teefa in Trouble (Ahsan Rahim, 2018) 1/10
Extremely painful action comedy with hideously unfunny jokes aimed at the lowest common denominator. A small-time crook (Ali Zafar), from the inner city of Lahore, is hired by a businessman to go to Poland to kidnap the daughter (Maya Ali) of his childhood friend (Javed Sheikh). The girl's father had refused to give her hand in marriage to his friend's son who he feels is a total moron. The outlandish plot involves a chase on the rooftops of the old city in Lahore, more chases on the streets of Warsaw with the film's star acting "kewl", getting into street brawls in slow motion and falling in love with the girl who is happy to be kidnapped as it allows her to get away from the marriage proposal her rich gangster father has arranged. Technically the film is well made and equals any of its Bollywood counterparts with songs and dances. Unfortunately the stupid screenplay is agog with non-stop silly and repetitive gags. Ali Zafar and Maya Ali look good together on the dance floor. Pity they are stuck in a film riddled with clichés.
Extremely painful action comedy with hideously unfunny jokes aimed at the lowest common denominator. A small-time crook (Ali Zafar), from the inner city of Lahore, is hired by a businessman to go to Poland to kidnap the daughter (Maya Ali) of his childhood friend (Javed Sheikh). The girl's father had refused to give her hand in marriage to his friend's son who he feels is a total moron. The outlandish plot involves a chase on the rooftops of the old city in Lahore, more chases on the streets of Warsaw with the film's star acting "kewl", getting into street brawls in slow motion and falling in love with the girl who is happy to be kidnapped as it allows her to get away from the marriage proposal her rich gangster father has arranged. Technically the film is well made and equals any of its Bollywood counterparts with songs and dances. Unfortunately the stupid screenplay is agog with non-stop silly and repetitive gags. Ali Zafar and Maya Ali look good together on the dance floor. Pity they are stuck in a film riddled with clichés.
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Fire Over Africa / Málaga (Richard Sale, 1954) 3/10
Attractive location filming in Tangiers and Málaga cannot hide the amateurish acting and direction of this boring action adventure. A former agent (Maureen O'Hara) is assigned the task of going undercover to try and find the head of a smuggler's ring operating between Spain and Italy which has caused the deaths of many members of the police force. She comes up against various colourful characters - a man (Macdonald Carey) who flirts with her and may or not be a smuggler, the blowsy propreitess of a bar (Binnie Barnes) and an assassin wielding a nasty sword. Lovely O'Hara, dressed in tight outfits and wearing high heels, gets chased and beaten up relentlessly while giving a really bad performance. Carey has no chemistry with his leading lady and looks bored throughout. Binnie Barnes comes through with an interesting interpretation but the rest of the cast all look and act like amateurs. Awful B-movie with a screenplay full of clichés.
Attractive location filming in Tangiers and Málaga cannot hide the amateurish acting and direction of this boring action adventure. A former agent (Maureen O'Hara) is assigned the task of going undercover to try and find the head of a smuggler's ring operating between Spain and Italy which has caused the deaths of many members of the police force. She comes up against various colourful characters - a man (Macdonald Carey) who flirts with her and may or not be a smuggler, the blowsy propreitess of a bar (Binnie Barnes) and an assassin wielding a nasty sword. Lovely O'Hara, dressed in tight outfits and wearing high heels, gets chased and beaten up relentlessly while giving a really bad performance. Carey has no chemistry with his leading lady and looks bored throughout. Binnie Barnes comes through with an interesting interpretation but the rest of the cast all look and act like amateurs. Awful B-movie with a screenplay full of clichés.
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The Girl Who Had Everything (Richard Thorpe, 1953) 6/10
Loose remake of MGM's own hit pre-code "A Free Soul" from 1931 becomes a vehicle for the stunningly beautiful Elizabeth Taylor who had become one of the studio's most popular young stars after her appearance in the classic "A Place in the Sun". A successful lawyer (William Powell) has no qualms defending crooks and gets a gambler (Fernando Lamas) off the hook. However, when his daughter (Elizabeth Taylor) defies him, drops her boyfriend (Gig Young) and takes up with the crook as her lover he is forced to take steps to save her from a life of misery. This crime soap is pretty trite but is a well acted B-film with A-list stars. Powell (at the end of his long career) and Taylor (at the start of hers) create sparks as a non-conformist father-daughter duo. The seedy menace of the original film gets watered down here (along with a different ending) by glossing over the sexually charged relationship beween the two lovers (played in the classic version by Norma Shearer and newcomer Clark Gable who oozed menace) as she is saved by her former boyfriend (Leslie Howard) who shoots the crook and who in turn is defended in court by her alcoholic father (Lionel Barrymore who won an Oscar for his hammy performance). This remake retains the famous slapping scene of Lamas clipping Taylor - in the original when Gable slapped Shearer across the face it caused his fanbase to increase tremendously with fans clamouring to watch the film. Watch this for Taylor who is pure eye-candy.
Loose remake of MGM's own hit pre-code "A Free Soul" from 1931 becomes a vehicle for the stunningly beautiful Elizabeth Taylor who had become one of the studio's most popular young stars after her appearance in the classic "A Place in the Sun". A successful lawyer (William Powell) has no qualms defending crooks and gets a gambler (Fernando Lamas) off the hook. However, when his daughter (Elizabeth Taylor) defies him, drops her boyfriend (Gig Young) and takes up with the crook as her lover he is forced to take steps to save her from a life of misery. This crime soap is pretty trite but is a well acted B-film with A-list stars. Powell (at the end of his long career) and Taylor (at the start of hers) create sparks as a non-conformist father-daughter duo. The seedy menace of the original film gets watered down here (along with a different ending) by glossing over the sexually charged relationship beween the two lovers (played in the classic version by Norma Shearer and newcomer Clark Gable who oozed menace) as she is saved by her former boyfriend (Leslie Howard) who shoots the crook and who in turn is defended in court by her alcoholic father (Lionel Barrymore who won an Oscar for his hammy performance). This remake retains the famous slapping scene of Lamas clipping Taylor - in the original when Gable slapped Shearer across the face it caused his fanbase to increase tremendously with fans clamouring to watch the film. Watch this for Taylor who is pure eye-candy.
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Rich, Young and Pretty (Norman Taurog, 1951) 8/10
Charming MGM fluff with perky but radiant Jane Powell visiting Paris with her diplomat Texan dad (Wendel Corey), falling in love with a young frenchman (Vic Damone in his film debut and speaking with an American accent) and discovering she has a french mother (vivacious Danielle Darrieux making a brief Hollywood comeback) who abandoned her when she was a child. The disturbing plotline is whitewashed via lovely technicolor, a witty screenplay (by Sidney Sheldon), a superb score (including the Oscar nominated song "Wonder Why" sung by Powell and Damone) and typically lush production values. The entire cast is in fine voice including Darrieux (who gets to sing a number of songs) and Fernando Lamas (also making his Hollywood film debut) with his deep baritone voice. Like most musicals from the golden era it's all rather silly but it still ends up leaving a happy smile on your face.
Charming MGM fluff with perky but radiant Jane Powell visiting Paris with her diplomat Texan dad (Wendel Corey), falling in love with a young frenchman (Vic Damone in his film debut and speaking with an American accent) and discovering she has a french mother (vivacious Danielle Darrieux making a brief Hollywood comeback) who abandoned her when she was a child. The disturbing plotline is whitewashed via lovely technicolor, a witty screenplay (by Sidney Sheldon), a superb score (including the Oscar nominated song "Wonder Why" sung by Powell and Damone) and typically lush production values. The entire cast is in fine voice including Darrieux (who gets to sing a number of songs) and Fernando Lamas (also making his Hollywood film debut) with his deep baritone voice. Like most musicals from the golden era it's all rather silly but it still ends up leaving a happy smile on your face.
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Mission: Impossible - Fallout (Christopher McQuarrie, 2018) 6/10
The formula is now familiar - a mission goes wrong and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin) along with allies who help (yipee Rebecca Ferguson returns as the MI-6 agent) and hinder (Henry Cavill thrust upon the team by hardass CIA director Angela Bassett) try to right the wrong. It's a race against time to retrieve three plutonium orbs from the dastardly villain (Sean Harris) who threatens destruction of a catastrophic nature. The convoluted plot is, as always, just an excuse to create more and more outrageous stunts and action set pieces with the film's mega star at the front and center of it all. Cruise delivers a charismatic star performance although some of the set pieces are rather old hat - jumping out of a plane, the obligatory chase sequence through narrow Paris streets involving bikes and cars - although a three-way bone crunching fist fight in a loo is a major highlight along with the riveting climax which is intercut between a helicopter chase sequence which ends on a precipice with the star dangling on a rope and the diffusion of two bombs. Unfortunately the film goes on too long - a number of the talky sequences could have been cut as they stop the action dead in it's track. The screenplay also puts Cruise in a love triangle amidst all the mayhem - with the MI-6 agent and his ex-wife (Michelle Monaghan), who pops up via a dream sequence and later in reality during a crucial moment in the plot. And let's not forget the "White Widow" (Vanessa Kirby) - a sexy and dangerous arms broker - who lip-locks with Hunt creating further sparks. Hey....Cruise produced the film too so he can have three leading ladies fawning over him if he wants. This is perfect summer popcorn entertainment but in need of a desperate trim in its running time.
The formula is now familiar - a mission goes wrong and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin) along with allies who help (yipee Rebecca Ferguson returns as the MI-6 agent) and hinder (Henry Cavill thrust upon the team by hardass CIA director Angela Bassett) try to right the wrong. It's a race against time to retrieve three plutonium orbs from the dastardly villain (Sean Harris) who threatens destruction of a catastrophic nature. The convoluted plot is, as always, just an excuse to create more and more outrageous stunts and action set pieces with the film's mega star at the front and center of it all. Cruise delivers a charismatic star performance although some of the set pieces are rather old hat - jumping out of a plane, the obligatory chase sequence through narrow Paris streets involving bikes and cars - although a three-way bone crunching fist fight in a loo is a major highlight along with the riveting climax which is intercut between a helicopter chase sequence which ends on a precipice with the star dangling on a rope and the diffusion of two bombs. Unfortunately the film goes on too long - a number of the talky sequences could have been cut as they stop the action dead in it's track. The screenplay also puts Cruise in a love triangle amidst all the mayhem - with the MI-6 agent and his ex-wife (Michelle Monaghan), who pops up via a dream sequence and later in reality during a crucial moment in the plot. And let's not forget the "White Widow" (Vanessa Kirby) - a sexy and dangerous arms broker - who lip-locks with Hunt creating further sparks. Hey....Cruise produced the film too so he can have three leading ladies fawning over him if he wants. This is perfect summer popcorn entertainment but in need of a desperate trim in its running time.
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The Lost Moment (Martin Gabel, 1947) 9/10
A gothic mansion on the canal in Venice. An unscrupulous publisher (Robert Cummings) seeking out long-lost love letters written by a long-dead poet to his lover (Agnes Moorehead) who is the 105 year old owner of the mansion. Her schizophrenic, neurotic niece (Susan Hayward), outwardly a stern tight-lipped spinster, who mysteriously transforms at night into a beautiful lovelorn maiden pining for her lover while fondling his letters. Superb adaptation of Henry James' "The Aspern Papers" - the film gives the story a strong touch of noirish romanticism - strikingly directed by Gabel invoking memories of Max Ophül's lush style and broodingly shot by Hal Mohr. The film's memorable production design enhances the grim, musty but deliriously romantic mood of the story.
A gothic mansion on the canal in Venice. An unscrupulous publisher (Robert Cummings) seeking out long-lost love letters written by a long-dead poet to his lover (Agnes Moorehead) who is the 105 year old owner of the mansion. Her schizophrenic, neurotic niece (Susan Hayward), outwardly a stern tight-lipped spinster, who mysteriously transforms at night into a beautiful lovelorn maiden pining for her lover while fondling his letters. Superb adaptation of Henry James' "The Aspern Papers" - the film gives the story a strong touch of noirish romanticism - strikingly directed by Gabel invoking memories of Max Ophül's lush style and broodingly shot by Hal Mohr. The film's memorable production design enhances the grim, musty but deliriously romantic mood of the story.
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The Thirteenth Tale (James Kent, 2013) 3/10
An old novelist (Vanessa Redgrave) describes her childhood to a writer (Olivia Colman) while on her deathbed. One of numerous films with Redgrave playing an infirm character looking back at her life - here a wild and carefree childhood spent in a haunted house with her mentally unbalanced twin sister. The house burns down and there is a ghost but this superbly produced film - shot on location in Yorkshire - is disjointed, uninvolving and deathly slow. Christopher Hampton adapts Diane Setterfield's gothic novel.
An old novelist (Vanessa Redgrave) describes her childhood to a writer (Olivia Colman) while on her deathbed. One of numerous films with Redgrave playing an infirm character looking back at her life - here a wild and carefree childhood spent in a haunted house with her mentally unbalanced twin sister. The house burns down and there is a ghost but this superbly produced film - shot on location in Yorkshire - is disjointed, uninvolving and deathly slow. Christopher Hampton adapts Diane Setterfield's gothic novel.