Where Eagles Dare (Brian G. Hutton, 1968) 9/10
Old fashioned war thriller written especially for the screen by Alistair MacLean - the novel came soon after. Boy's Own adventure has a team of British agents infiltrate the impregnable "Schloss Adler" / Eagle's Nest, a German headquarter to rescue a downed American General during WWII. The suicidal mission involves the rescue, destruction of the castle and an escape which is next to impossible. The team soon realise they may have a spy amongst them which adds to the danger. Richard Burton is the dashing leader with Clint Eastwood the munitions expert amongst a group of six. Helping them (and adding colour and a bit of romance) are lovely Mary Ure and voluptuous Ingrid Pitt. Ignore a lot of the fake front and back projection and sit back and enjoy Burton's marvelous voice as he gets most of the film's dialogue, Eastwood's action packed scenes and particularly the film's famous set-piece at the end which involves a cable car and a fight to the death on its roof followed by a death defying leap between two cable cars. This hit film rescued Burton's almost dead film career - he was drinking heavily off the set and lamenting his failing marriage (to La Liz) - and after years on television helped kick-start Eastwood's career as a movie star and director. Great fun and a must-see.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
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Coco (Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina, 2017) 8/10
If the after-life is going to be anything like the colorful and mariachi infused wonderland (as kitschy as Disneyland) shown in this charming Pixar film then going to meet one's maker shouldn't be such a dour, creepy and frightening prospect. Give me music anytime over fire and brimstone and rivers of honey and milk. The film, an ode to Mexican culture, has a plot revolving around the "Día de Muertos" (Day of the Dead) which is the joyful celebration of one's dead family members who supposedly return for a day to join in the festivities. Miguel, a little 8-year old boy, is born into a family of shoemakers and is forbidden to pursue his love of music. He idolizes an old deceased singer-actor, Ernesto de la Cruz (voiced by Benjamin Bratt), and the film is the child's journey into the land of the dead to try and discover if the beloved singer is his great-great grandfather who abandoned his wife and little daughter Coco (who is Miguel's great grandmother now almost senile) to go pursue his career as a musician. He is helped on this exciting and often danger-filled journey by the almost dead and forgotten Héctor (voiced by Gael García Bernal) and a tripping dog called Dante. The complicated plot involves a race to the death by returning to the land of the living before old Coco totally forgets her dead papa who needs to be remembered by her in order for him to get to return every year on the "día de Muertos". Confused? Well you gotta watch the film to understand and enjoy. The film is a feast of colours with the afterlife a continuous series of lavish parties which look like a combination of the parties thrown by William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies at their castle-like home in San Simeon California back in 1920s Hollywood and the ones described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in "The Great Gatsby" where the likes of Frida Kahlo appear dancing with a chorus of papaya seeds. The fantastic colourful creatures from Mexican folk art - the alebrijes - appear in the form of flying lizards and gryphons swooping across the sky like planes. At it's heart the film celebrates the joy of family and togetherness a concept that is sadly in decline the world over. Winner of two Oscars - Best Animated film and Best Song which went to the rather boring anthem-like "Remember Me".
If the after-life is going to be anything like the colorful and mariachi infused wonderland (as kitschy as Disneyland) shown in this charming Pixar film then going to meet one's maker shouldn't be such a dour, creepy and frightening prospect. Give me music anytime over fire and brimstone and rivers of honey and milk. The film, an ode to Mexican culture, has a plot revolving around the "Día de Muertos" (Day of the Dead) which is the joyful celebration of one's dead family members who supposedly return for a day to join in the festivities. Miguel, a little 8-year old boy, is born into a family of shoemakers and is forbidden to pursue his love of music. He idolizes an old deceased singer-actor, Ernesto de la Cruz (voiced by Benjamin Bratt), and the film is the child's journey into the land of the dead to try and discover if the beloved singer is his great-great grandfather who abandoned his wife and little daughter Coco (who is Miguel's great grandmother now almost senile) to go pursue his career as a musician. He is helped on this exciting and often danger-filled journey by the almost dead and forgotten Héctor (voiced by Gael García Bernal) and a tripping dog called Dante. The complicated plot involves a race to the death by returning to the land of the living before old Coco totally forgets her dead papa who needs to be remembered by her in order for him to get to return every year on the "día de Muertos". Confused? Well you gotta watch the film to understand and enjoy. The film is a feast of colours with the afterlife a continuous series of lavish parties which look like a combination of the parties thrown by William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies at their castle-like home in San Simeon California back in 1920s Hollywood and the ones described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in "The Great Gatsby" where the likes of Frida Kahlo appear dancing with a chorus of papaya seeds. The fantastic colourful creatures from Mexican folk art - the alebrijes - appear in the form of flying lizards and gryphons swooping across the sky like planes. At it's heart the film celebrates the joy of family and togetherness a concept that is sadly in decline the world over. Winner of two Oscars - Best Animated film and Best Song which went to the rather boring anthem-like "Remember Me".
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Dolores Claiborne (Taylor Hackford, 1995) 6/10
Did Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) kill her rich invalid employer (Judy Parfitt)? Why is the detective (Christopher Plummer) hell bent on convicting her? Is it because he also thinks she killed her husband (Davif Straithairn) eighteen years before and for which she was acquitted? And what is the pill popping, hard drinking New York reporter (Jennifer Jason Leigh) trying to block out from her memory now that she has returned to be by her mother's side after fifteen long years? Stephen King's story is not about horror but takes the form of a psychological thriller as the past and present merge for both the mother and daughter as they try to seek closure in their strained relationship. Shot on location in Nova Scotia the chilly environs mirrors the mindset of both women as they painfully grapple with their haunted past. Well acted film.
Did Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) kill her rich invalid employer (Judy Parfitt)? Why is the detective (Christopher Plummer) hell bent on convicting her? Is it because he also thinks she killed her husband (Davif Straithairn) eighteen years before and for which she was acquitted? And what is the pill popping, hard drinking New York reporter (Jennifer Jason Leigh) trying to block out from her memory now that she has returned to be by her mother's side after fifteen long years? Stephen King's story is not about horror but takes the form of a psychological thriller as the past and present merge for both the mother and daughter as they try to seek closure in their strained relationship. Shot on location in Nova Scotia the chilly environs mirrors the mindset of both women as they painfully grapple with their haunted past. Well acted film.
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Small Town Crime (Eshom Nelms & Ian Nelms, 2017) 8/10
Like a sweet wine with a tangy after-taste this neo-noir goes pretty smoothly along it's languid way. An alcoholic ex-cop (John Hawkes) gets way in over his head when after yet another drunken binge wakes up in a field to find a dead prostitute. Hoping to redeem himself he turns into a gumshoe and when more dead bodies turn up he finds himself looking for another young prostitute who may hold the key to the mystery of the two assassins who are chasing him. Convoluted plot moves along at a steady pace as the amateur detective comes across assorted colorful characters - the dead prostitute's pimp (Clifton Collins Jr) and grandfather (a kick-ass Robert Forster), both of whom join in as avenging vigilantes after blood. The film's success rests on the superb Hawkes who makes a highly improbable cop or detective yet nails the character through sheer gumption. Wonderful little film shot on location in small-town Utah.
Like a sweet wine with a tangy after-taste this neo-noir goes pretty smoothly along it's languid way. An alcoholic ex-cop (John Hawkes) gets way in over his head when after yet another drunken binge wakes up in a field to find a dead prostitute. Hoping to redeem himself he turns into a gumshoe and when more dead bodies turn up he finds himself looking for another young prostitute who may hold the key to the mystery of the two assassins who are chasing him. Convoluted plot moves along at a steady pace as the amateur detective comes across assorted colorful characters - the dead prostitute's pimp (Clifton Collins Jr) and grandfather (a kick-ass Robert Forster), both of whom join in as avenging vigilantes after blood. The film's success rests on the superb Hawkes who makes a highly improbable cop or detective yet nails the character through sheer gumption. Wonderful little film shot on location in small-town Utah.
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Bequest to the Nation (James Cellan Jones, 1973) 7/10
Is a national hero akin to being a saint or is he allowed to sin? That is the question troubling young Master George Matcham (Dominic Guard) as he arrives at the house of his uncle, Lord Horatio Nelson (Peter Finch). Having recently visited the discarded and utterly dejected and distraught Lady Nelson (Margaret Leighton) he arrives at the London house his Uncle shares with his mistress, the loud and vulgar Lady Hamilton (Glenda Jackson). The story, based on the play by Terrence Rattigan, covers the period just before during and after the famous Battle of Trafalgar. Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton were like rock star celebrities of their time féted by crowds on the street with the vain Admiral strutting in his uniform covered with medals with his loud and obnoxious mistress by his side. He was a man with feet of clay - an uncompromising and wily opponent on the high seas but totally infatuated by the woman people commonly referred to as a whore. Once a great beauty, painted by George Romney who made her his muse, she is now a boistrous drunk and the life of every party which she insists on disrupting with her wicked tongue. Glenda Jackson, then at the peak of her career, plays the part with her characteristic boldness - she was on an incredible high coming off a number of projects with Ken Russell - and is not afraid to go over-the-top. Finch in comparison is rather subdued but manages to show us what a "hero" is all about and plays the part almost tongue-in-cheek. The film ends with his famous victory and death at Trafalgar followed by a scene between the two women in his life - the dignified Lady Nelson, in widow's weeds, and the drunk and bitter Lady Hamilton. The Admiral's bequest for his mistress was never carried out after his death and Lady Hamilton ended up twice in debtor's prison followed by exile and a life in abject poverty ending in death in Calais. This film is an interesting companion piece to the 1941 classic version of the story - "That Hamilton Woman" - with Laurence Olivier as Lord Nelson, Vivien Leigh as Emma Hamilton and Gladys Cooper as Lady Nelson.
Is a national hero akin to being a saint or is he allowed to sin? That is the question troubling young Master George Matcham (Dominic Guard) as he arrives at the house of his uncle, Lord Horatio Nelson (Peter Finch). Having recently visited the discarded and utterly dejected and distraught Lady Nelson (Margaret Leighton) he arrives at the London house his Uncle shares with his mistress, the loud and vulgar Lady Hamilton (Glenda Jackson). The story, based on the play by Terrence Rattigan, covers the period just before during and after the famous Battle of Trafalgar. Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton were like rock star celebrities of their time féted by crowds on the street with the vain Admiral strutting in his uniform covered with medals with his loud and obnoxious mistress by his side. He was a man with feet of clay - an uncompromising and wily opponent on the high seas but totally infatuated by the woman people commonly referred to as a whore. Once a great beauty, painted by George Romney who made her his muse, she is now a boistrous drunk and the life of every party which she insists on disrupting with her wicked tongue. Glenda Jackson, then at the peak of her career, plays the part with her characteristic boldness - she was on an incredible high coming off a number of projects with Ken Russell - and is not afraid to go over-the-top. Finch in comparison is rather subdued but manages to show us what a "hero" is all about and plays the part almost tongue-in-cheek. The film ends with his famous victory and death at Trafalgar followed by a scene between the two women in his life - the dignified Lady Nelson, in widow's weeds, and the drunk and bitter Lady Hamilton. The Admiral's bequest for his mistress was never carried out after his death and Lady Hamilton ended up twice in debtor's prison followed by exile and a life in abject poverty ending in death in Calais. This film is an interesting companion piece to the 1941 classic version of the story - "That Hamilton Woman" - with Laurence Olivier as Lord Nelson, Vivien Leigh as Emma Hamilton and Gladys Cooper as Lady Nelson.
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How Green Was My Valley (John Ford, 1941) 10/10
Exquisite adaptation of Richard Llewellyn's novel about a family of Welsh coal miners. The story is narrated by the youngest son, Huw (Roddy McDowall), and it is through his eyes we view episodes in the life of the family and the village in Wales. The Morgan family consists of the proud father (Donald Crisp) of five sons, the stern but loving mother (Sara Allgood), the lovely sister (Maureen O'Hara) secretly in love with the poor village preacher (Walter Pidgeon) and the sister-in-law (Anna Lee) who becomes a widow. The film is filled with memorable and poetic moments - all the scenes between the two lovers, the family at the dining table or seen washing after a day inside the mines, little Huw learning how to box and later getting a whipping by the school teacher, the tragedy of the mine collapse with the entire village waiting in anguish to see if their loved ones are dead or alive, the sister's marriage to the mine owner's son as the preacher is seen in the distance. Extremely heartwarming and emotional film finds hope in even the most anguished moments. The film was nominated for 10 Academy awards and won 5 - for Best Picture, Crisp for his supporting role, Ford for his direction, the cinematography of Arthur Miller and for the authentic sets - an entire Welsh village was created in Hollywood. This is Ford's masterpiece and one of the enduring classics from Hollywood's golden past. A must-see.
Exquisite adaptation of Richard Llewellyn's novel about a family of Welsh coal miners. The story is narrated by the youngest son, Huw (Roddy McDowall), and it is through his eyes we view episodes in the life of the family and the village in Wales. The Morgan family consists of the proud father (Donald Crisp) of five sons, the stern but loving mother (Sara Allgood), the lovely sister (Maureen O'Hara) secretly in love with the poor village preacher (Walter Pidgeon) and the sister-in-law (Anna Lee) who becomes a widow. The film is filled with memorable and poetic moments - all the scenes between the two lovers, the family at the dining table or seen washing after a day inside the mines, little Huw learning how to box and later getting a whipping by the school teacher, the tragedy of the mine collapse with the entire village waiting in anguish to see if their loved ones are dead or alive, the sister's marriage to the mine owner's son as the preacher is seen in the distance. Extremely heartwarming and emotional film finds hope in even the most anguished moments. The film was nominated for 10 Academy awards and won 5 - for Best Picture, Crisp for his supporting role, Ford for his direction, the cinematography of Arthur Miller and for the authentic sets - an entire Welsh village was created in Hollywood. This is Ford's masterpiece and one of the enduring classics from Hollywood's golden past. A must-see.
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In This Our Life (John Huston, 1942) 6/10
Overwrought melodrama has Bette Davis in one of her typical "bad girl" roles which allows her to shamelessly chew the scenery with eyes popping out of her head as she gets to mouth vicious dialogue at other characters. Stanley (Bette Davis) is a spoiled southern girl and used to getting her way in life. On the eve of her wedding she dumps her fiancé (George Brent) and runs off with the husband (Dennis Morgan) of her sister (Olivia de Havilland). The hysterical plot later also involves boozing, suicide and murder. The stars get good support from Charles Coburn (as the rich Uncle with incest in his eye), Billie Burke (as the invalid mother), Hattie McDaniel (as the cook) and Ernest Anderson (as the cook's son accused of a hit-and-run). Unusual to see director John Huston at the helm - though he gets Walter Huston to make a cameo appearance as a bartender opposite Davis in a brief scene.
Overwrought melodrama has Bette Davis in one of her typical "bad girl" roles which allows her to shamelessly chew the scenery with eyes popping out of her head as she gets to mouth vicious dialogue at other characters. Stanley (Bette Davis) is a spoiled southern girl and used to getting her way in life. On the eve of her wedding she dumps her fiancé (George Brent) and runs off with the husband (Dennis Morgan) of her sister (Olivia de Havilland). The hysterical plot later also involves boozing, suicide and murder. The stars get good support from Charles Coburn (as the rich Uncle with incest in his eye), Billie Burke (as the invalid mother), Hattie McDaniel (as the cook) and Ernest Anderson (as the cook's son accused of a hit-and-run). Unusual to see director John Huston at the helm - though he gets Walter Huston to make a cameo appearance as a bartender opposite Davis in a brief scene.
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White Mischief (Michael Radford, 1987) 9/10
Witty and extremely decadent account of the "Happy Valley" set - a group of hedonistic fun-loving group of friends - in Kenya circa 1940. Ignoring the war in distant Europe they lived life to the full in a haze of alcohol, drugs, orgies, wife swapping, cross dressing and gossip. The wild group is ruled by the Earl of Erroll (Charles Dance), a penniless and shameless cad who has bedded every woman around. The drama heats up with the arrival of an elderly rancher, Sir Henry "Jock" Broughton (Joss Ackland) and his ravishingly beautiful and much younger wife Diana (Greta Scacchi) who has married him for his money. She is immediately attracted to the Earl and both soon get involved in an open affair watched by the entire set including her quietly seething husband. When the Earl is found brutally shot suspicion naturally falls on the cuckold husband. The story is lavishly filmed and stunningly shot by Roger Deakins with beautiful costumes and a lovely score by George Fenton. The film relies on atmosphere which Radford is careful to nurture throughout as the large group of eccentric characters could easily tip this true story into camp. Each character gets a brief but vivid arc in the story - a rough-hewn local farmer (John Hurt) also in love with Diana, Lady Alice de Janzé (Sarah Miles) a drug addicted promiscuous woman who was one of the Earl's previous conquests and still in love with him (her scene in the morgue with the dead Earl is one of the film's outlandish highlights), an elderly local landowner (Trevor Howard) who uses a peep hole to spy on a naked Diana as she bathes, his bored wife (Geraldine Chaplin) who is having it off with her black servant and Lady Delamere (Susan Fleetwood) who is discarded by the Earl in favour of Diana. The actors are all superb particularly Joss Ackland as the angry old man who finds himself the laughing stock of the set, Greta Scacchi as the sexy wife and especially Sarah Miles who makes every one of her scenes count - shooting up with a syringe, walking around with a python draped around her neck, the infamous scene in the morgue or mouthing witty dialogue in an extremely bored way. Superb entertainment and a must-see.
Witty and extremely decadent account of the "Happy Valley" set - a group of hedonistic fun-loving group of friends - in Kenya circa 1940. Ignoring the war in distant Europe they lived life to the full in a haze of alcohol, drugs, orgies, wife swapping, cross dressing and gossip. The wild group is ruled by the Earl of Erroll (Charles Dance), a penniless and shameless cad who has bedded every woman around. The drama heats up with the arrival of an elderly rancher, Sir Henry "Jock" Broughton (Joss Ackland) and his ravishingly beautiful and much younger wife Diana (Greta Scacchi) who has married him for his money. She is immediately attracted to the Earl and both soon get involved in an open affair watched by the entire set including her quietly seething husband. When the Earl is found brutally shot suspicion naturally falls on the cuckold husband. The story is lavishly filmed and stunningly shot by Roger Deakins with beautiful costumes and a lovely score by George Fenton. The film relies on atmosphere which Radford is careful to nurture throughout as the large group of eccentric characters could easily tip this true story into camp. Each character gets a brief but vivid arc in the story - a rough-hewn local farmer (John Hurt) also in love with Diana, Lady Alice de Janzé (Sarah Miles) a drug addicted promiscuous woman who was one of the Earl's previous conquests and still in love with him (her scene in the morgue with the dead Earl is one of the film's outlandish highlights), an elderly local landowner (Trevor Howard) who uses a peep hole to spy on a naked Diana as she bathes, his bored wife (Geraldine Chaplin) who is having it off with her black servant and Lady Delamere (Susan Fleetwood) who is discarded by the Earl in favour of Diana. The actors are all superb particularly Joss Ackland as the angry old man who finds himself the laughing stock of the set, Greta Scacchi as the sexy wife and especially Sarah Miles who makes every one of her scenes count - shooting up with a syringe, walking around with a python draped around her neck, the infamous scene in the morgue or mouthing witty dialogue in an extremely bored way. Superb entertainment and a must-see.
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Incendies (Denis Villeneuve, 2010) 9/10
At the will reading of a recently deceased Canadian citizen of Middle Eastern birth, twin siblings are charged with the task of finding and delivering letters to a father they believed was dead and an unnamed brother they never knew they had. And so begins a suspenseful and very graphic journey into the unknown for the two siblings where they attempt to unlock the secrets of their mother’s past and discover a parent and sibling they had no clue about. This exquisitely crafted film, of course, has a lot more to the story than this simple but intriguing setup may suggest. The director moves the plot like a thriller as we delve into the past of the deceased woman while also following the voyage of discovery of the daughter and son as they try to piece the devastating puzzle which, years before, was their mother’s life. Both Wajdi Mouawad (on whose play the film is based on) and filmmaker Villeneuve made a deliberate decision not to specify the exact location where the story unfolds, which usefully sidesteps any accusations of political bias and allows them to make a more universal statement about the destructive and cyclic nature of religious and ethnic hatred. The film was nominated for an Academy award in the foreign film category.
At the will reading of a recently deceased Canadian citizen of Middle Eastern birth, twin siblings are charged with the task of finding and delivering letters to a father they believed was dead and an unnamed brother they never knew they had. And so begins a suspenseful and very graphic journey into the unknown for the two siblings where they attempt to unlock the secrets of their mother’s past and discover a parent and sibling they had no clue about. This exquisitely crafted film, of course, has a lot more to the story than this simple but intriguing setup may suggest. The director moves the plot like a thriller as we delve into the past of the deceased woman while also following the voyage of discovery of the daughter and son as they try to piece the devastating puzzle which, years before, was their mother’s life. Both Wajdi Mouawad (on whose play the film is based on) and filmmaker Villeneuve made a deliberate decision not to specify the exact location where the story unfolds, which usefully sidesteps any accusations of political bias and allows them to make a more universal statement about the destructive and cyclic nature of religious and ethnic hatred. The film was nominated for an Academy award in the foreign film category.
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Desire Me (George Cukor, Jack Conway, Mervyn LeRoy, Victor Saville, 1947) 2/10
This film had a troubled production history as four major directors struggled to make it with all of them choosing not to have their names listed on the credits. It's claim to fame is that it was labeled as the worst movie produced by MGM during the forties and it's only saving grace being Joseph Ruttenberg's superb cinematography shot on location in Carmel California on cliffs overlooking the ocean with fog rolling in. Maudlin melodrama has a woman (Greer Garson) waiting for her husband (Robert Mitchum) to return from the war. Instead into her life walks another man (Richard Hart) claiming to be her husband's friend while both were prisoners of war. He tells her that while they were escaping from prison her husband was shot dead and soon proceeds to seduce her into marrying him. The thriller aspects of the film are also dour especially when the husband turns up alive and he has a score to settle with his "friend". Both leading men (Hart was just starting out as an actor while Mitchum was finally starting to break into A-grade films after years playing small parts) much younger than Garson and it shows. She has no chemistry with Hart who has a fairly large role as the creepy stalker. Mitchum creates sparks with Garson but is in very few scenes opposite her and has no scope to make any kind of impact. Skip this turgid film.
This film had a troubled production history as four major directors struggled to make it with all of them choosing not to have their names listed on the credits. It's claim to fame is that it was labeled as the worst movie produced by MGM during the forties and it's only saving grace being Joseph Ruttenberg's superb cinematography shot on location in Carmel California on cliffs overlooking the ocean with fog rolling in. Maudlin melodrama has a woman (Greer Garson) waiting for her husband (Robert Mitchum) to return from the war. Instead into her life walks another man (Richard Hart) claiming to be her husband's friend while both were prisoners of war. He tells her that while they were escaping from prison her husband was shot dead and soon proceeds to seduce her into marrying him. The thriller aspects of the film are also dour especially when the husband turns up alive and he has a score to settle with his "friend". Both leading men (Hart was just starting out as an actor while Mitchum was finally starting to break into A-grade films after years playing small parts) much younger than Garson and it shows. She has no chemistry with Hart who has a fairly large role as the creepy stalker. Mitchum creates sparks with Garson but is in very few scenes opposite her and has no scope to make any kind of impact. Skip this turgid film.
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Undercurrent (Vincente Minnelli, 1946) 7/10
Psychological melodrama which Karl Freund photographs like a noir casting the stars in sinister shadows - the scene where a lamp gets knocked over is superbly shot for maximum menacing effect. An unsophisticated and tomboyish spinster (Katharine Hepburn) finds her life dramatically changed after a whirlwind romance and marriage with a handsome and wealthy industrialist (Robert Taylor). The film was a huge success for MGM with the return of Taylor to the studio after the war opposite a radiant Hepburn. The plot has a stale whiff of Hitchcock's "Suspicion" as the naive wife begins to worry for her life after witnessing her husband go through one too many psychotic episodes as he rages against a brother (Robert Mitchum) whom he hates with a vengeance and accuses of being a crook. The final suspenseful sequence has the two stars on horses galloping high up on a cliff. Hepburn gives a wonderful performance compared to a stiff Robert Taylor and her brief scenes opposite Robert Mitchum come off best and have a gentle quality amidst the high pitched melodrama. Ironic considering both Hepburn and Mitchum hated each other and were both uncomfortable acting in their scenes together.
Psychological melodrama which Karl Freund photographs like a noir casting the stars in sinister shadows - the scene where a lamp gets knocked over is superbly shot for maximum menacing effect. An unsophisticated and tomboyish spinster (Katharine Hepburn) finds her life dramatically changed after a whirlwind romance and marriage with a handsome and wealthy industrialist (Robert Taylor). The film was a huge success for MGM with the return of Taylor to the studio after the war opposite a radiant Hepburn. The plot has a stale whiff of Hitchcock's "Suspicion" as the naive wife begins to worry for her life after witnessing her husband go through one too many psychotic episodes as he rages against a brother (Robert Mitchum) whom he hates with a vengeance and accuses of being a crook. The final suspenseful sequence has the two stars on horses galloping high up on a cliff. Hepburn gives a wonderful performance compared to a stiff Robert Taylor and her brief scenes opposite Robert Mitchum come off best and have a gentle quality amidst the high pitched melodrama. Ironic considering both Hepburn and Mitchum hated each other and were both uncomfortable acting in their scenes together.
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Keeper of the Flame (George Cukor, 1943) 5/10
When an American national hero dies in a freak accident a reporter (Spencer Tracy) wishes to write a book about him. He faces opposition at first from the widow (Katharine Hepburn) who later reluctantly agrees to talk to him about her husband. Gradually he realises that everyone, including the widow, her cousin (Forest Tucker), his aide (Richard Whorf) and the hero's invalid mother (Margaret Wycherly), who were part of the inner circle are hiding something about him. Rather dour and humourless film became the second teaming of both Tracy and Hepburn. He is very good but she, although looking lovely, gives a very mannered and self conscious performance and was not happy with the screenplay which pontificates in a shrill way about the rise of fascism - typical wartime propaganda. She wanted a touch of romance in the plot and clashed over it with Cukor. Despite the glamour of the two stars this is an ill-conceived political melodrama.
When an American national hero dies in a freak accident a reporter (Spencer Tracy) wishes to write a book about him. He faces opposition at first from the widow (Katharine Hepburn) who later reluctantly agrees to talk to him about her husband. Gradually he realises that everyone, including the widow, her cousin (Forest Tucker), his aide (Richard Whorf) and the hero's invalid mother (Margaret Wycherly), who were part of the inner circle are hiding something about him. Rather dour and humourless film became the second teaming of both Tracy and Hepburn. He is very good but she, although looking lovely, gives a very mannered and self conscious performance and was not happy with the screenplay which pontificates in a shrill way about the rise of fascism - typical wartime propaganda. She wanted a touch of romance in the plot and clashed over it with Cukor. Despite the glamour of the two stars this is an ill-conceived political melodrama.
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Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (Alexandra Dean, 2017) 8/10
Informative documentary about the beautiful iconic Hollywood star famous for her femme fatale roles in "Algiers" (1937) and "Samson and Delilah" (1950). Hedy Lamarr was known as "the most beautiful woman in the world". She once famously said, "Any girl can be glamorous, all you have to do is stand still and look stupid.” An ironic statement considering she was much more than just a beautiful actress. What is mostly unknown is that she was the inspiration for both "Snow White" and "Cat Woman" and even more importantly a technological trailblazer who perfected a secure radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes during WWII. She basically invented the concepts which were the basis of cell phone and bluetooth technology. This fascinating documentary charts her early career with her nude appearance in the Czech film "Ecstacy" (1933) in which her simulation of an orgasm gained her notoriety and an eventual entry into Hollywood where at MGM she was treated like a beautiful piece of meat and given sultry and romantic roles opposite the top leading men of the time - Robert Taylor, Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Robert Young, William Powell, James Stewart, Walter Pidgeon and Paul Henreid. Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM, considered her no less than a whore but nurtured her as she appeared in hit films for the studio. Unhappy with the roles she was given she became a producer. She married six times, was a doting and vitriolic mother, hid her jewish background and during her later years was involved in scandals - she was caught shoplifting a number of times - after which she became a recluse, impoverished and almost forgotten. This documentary is a fine testament to her achievements as a trail blazing woman and then we also have all her movies where we can enjoy seeing her ravishing beauty on screen where she will live on forever.
Informative documentary about the beautiful iconic Hollywood star famous for her femme fatale roles in "Algiers" (1937) and "Samson and Delilah" (1950). Hedy Lamarr was known as "the most beautiful woman in the world". She once famously said, "Any girl can be glamorous, all you have to do is stand still and look stupid.” An ironic statement considering she was much more than just a beautiful actress. What is mostly unknown is that she was the inspiration for both "Snow White" and "Cat Woman" and even more importantly a technological trailblazer who perfected a secure radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes during WWII. She basically invented the concepts which were the basis of cell phone and bluetooth technology. This fascinating documentary charts her early career with her nude appearance in the Czech film "Ecstacy" (1933) in which her simulation of an orgasm gained her notoriety and an eventual entry into Hollywood where at MGM she was treated like a beautiful piece of meat and given sultry and romantic roles opposite the top leading men of the time - Robert Taylor, Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Robert Young, William Powell, James Stewart, Walter Pidgeon and Paul Henreid. Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM, considered her no less than a whore but nurtured her as she appeared in hit films for the studio. Unhappy with the roles she was given she became a producer. She married six times, was a doting and vitriolic mother, hid her jewish background and during her later years was involved in scandals - she was caught shoplifting a number of times - after which she became a recluse, impoverished and almost forgotten. This documentary is a fine testament to her achievements as a trail blazing woman and then we also have all her movies where we can enjoy seeing her ravishing beauty on screen where she will live on forever.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
At Sword's Point (Lewis Allen, 1952) 6/10
The sons (Cornel Wilde, Dan O'Herlihy, Alan Hale Jr.) and daughter (Maureen O'Hara) of the four Musketeers come to the help of Queen Anne of France (Dame Gladys Cooper). Colourful swashbuckler with sword fights galore. The main attraction is fiery O'Hara with her flaming red hair and green eyes. Witty, silly and full of old fashioned adventure.
The sons (Cornel Wilde, Dan O'Herlihy, Alan Hale Jr.) and daughter (Maureen O'Hara) of the four Musketeers come to the help of Queen Anne of France (Dame Gladys Cooper). Colourful swashbuckler with sword fights galore. The main attraction is fiery O'Hara with her flaming red hair and green eyes. Witty, silly and full of old fashioned adventure.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Air Force One (Wolfgang Peterson, 1997) 8/10
This is one prepostrous action film and an incredible guilty pleasure. Air Force One is hijacked by a Russian radical (Gary Oldman) and his goons who hold hostage the U.S. President (Harrison Ford), his wife, daughter and members of his staff who are all on board. The hijackers demand the release of a political prisoner (Jürgen Prochnow) who is held in Moscow. While the Vice President (Glenn Close), the Defence Secretary (Dean Stockwell) and the Attorney General (Phillip Baker Hall) attempt to negotiate with the hijackers the President acts with the dexterity of James Bond (he got his skills while in Vietnam) and proves to be a wily foe on board. The Americans are all incredulous that such a thing could happen to their President and someone says with great arrogance, "No one does this to the United States". Clearly the screenplay or that thought did not anticipate 9/11 which was just a few years on. Ford makes a perfect action hero as he tussles both verbally and physically with Oldman and even flies the plane â la Karen Black (who did it just as well in "Airport '75"). The film's various action set pieces are completely over-the-top as the giant 747 dodges missiles, a mid-air refueling takes place, hostages jump out of the plane with parachutes, the President hangs out of the plane's hatch held only by his hand and the final escape using a wire between two airborne planes. It's amusing to see Gary Oldman playing the vicious hijacker here especially with his recent Oscar winning performance still fresh in one's mind - I prefer this vicious goon to his portrayal of Churchill. The film's erratic effects and all the holes in the screenplay can be ignored as the non-stop action and suspense hold you by the neck and take you on this roller coaster ride of thrills. Great fun.
This is one prepostrous action film and an incredible guilty pleasure. Air Force One is hijacked by a Russian radical (Gary Oldman) and his goons who hold hostage the U.S. President (Harrison Ford), his wife, daughter and members of his staff who are all on board. The hijackers demand the release of a political prisoner (Jürgen Prochnow) who is held in Moscow. While the Vice President (Glenn Close), the Defence Secretary (Dean Stockwell) and the Attorney General (Phillip Baker Hall) attempt to negotiate with the hijackers the President acts with the dexterity of James Bond (he got his skills while in Vietnam) and proves to be a wily foe on board. The Americans are all incredulous that such a thing could happen to their President and someone says with great arrogance, "No one does this to the United States". Clearly the screenplay or that thought did not anticipate 9/11 which was just a few years on. Ford makes a perfect action hero as he tussles both verbally and physically with Oldman and even flies the plane â la Karen Black (who did it just as well in "Airport '75"). The film's various action set pieces are completely over-the-top as the giant 747 dodges missiles, a mid-air refueling takes place, hostages jump out of the plane with parachutes, the President hangs out of the plane's hatch held only by his hand and the final escape using a wire between two airborne planes. It's amusing to see Gary Oldman playing the vicious hijacker here especially with his recent Oscar winning performance still fresh in one's mind - I prefer this vicious goon to his portrayal of Churchill. The film's erratic effects and all the holes in the screenplay can be ignored as the non-stop action and suspense hold you by the neck and take you on this roller coaster ride of thrills. Great fun.