Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

[Reza]

The title, though, is Widows' Peak, not Widow's Peak, there was more than one of them.

Absolutely right

[Big Magilla]

Never Too Late (Bud Yorkin, 1965) 5/10

Paul Ford's pompous demeanor holds him in good stead as the middle-aged lumber merchant who discovers to his embarrassment that he is to become a father again. The film is based on the hit Broadway comedy with Ford reprising his Tony nominated performance opposite his lovely stage co-star, Maureen O'Sullivan, as his radiant wife. A source of further hijinks in the house involve their grown up married daughter (Connie Stevens) now desperate to also conceive a baby and her husband (Jim Hutton) who freeloads off his father-in-law by living and working with him. Extremely old fashioned comedy from another time zone has a good cast making a go of the material. Also adding sparks are Jane Wyatt and Lloyd Nolan.

This hasn't aged well, but O'Sullivan sparkles in her first starring role since the Tarzan movies. It had been a huge hit on Broadway and Warner Bros. wanted Spencer Tracy and Rosalind Russell for the leads but both turned it down, Russell insisting that O'Sullivan should be allowed to reprise her role. Warner Bros., in typical fashion, signed Paul Ford to reprise his role but passed on O'Sullivan until half the actresses in Hollywood in their 50s at the time turned it down and she was finally signed to do it.

Widow's Peak (John Irvin, 1994) 6/10

Irish playwright Hugh Leonard wrote the screenplay specifically for Maureen O'Sullivan who wanted an Irish based project to act in with her daughter Mia Farrow. While this mother-daughter pairing never took place it was Farrow who years later revived it when she decided to end her two-year acting hiatus after playing Woody Allen's muse through 13 films and the "scandal" that bitterly ended their personal and professional relationship. The tiny Irish village of "Widow's Peak" is home to many widows just after the First World War. The community is unofficially ruled by courtesy of a sharp tongue belonging to a rich and imperious old widow (Joan Plowright) who lives with her henpecked bachelor son (Adrian Dunbar). Into their lives arrives an American widow (Natasha Richardson) who makes a play for the bachelor and immediately antagonizes the town spinster (Mia Faroow) who is quietly seeing the local dentist (Jim Broadbent). Soon a cat-and-mouse game ensues as both ladies try their utmost to belittle the other. When the spinster suddenly goes missing, presumed drowned, the townfolk slander the American woman accusing her of murder. Charming little film has three lovely stars having a ball playing these wacky characters while the droll screenplay has dark shadings including a last minute twist ending. The stunning Irish locations are also a plus point.

This is quite a gem. I didn't realize O'Sullivan had wanted to do it originally. Nice that she was able to see her daughter do it before she died in 1998 at 87. Farrow seemed a bit young for it to me, but she was more animated in this than any other film she ever made. Joan Plowright and Natasha Richardson are perfect. It makes a great St. Patrick's Day alternative to watching The Quiet Man for the umpteenth time.

The title, though, is Widows' Peak, not Widow's Peak, there was more than one of them.

[gunnar]

Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939) - 7.5/10 - Eldest sister Joan Craig (Nan Grey) announces her engagement a party. This distresses middle sister Kay (Helen Parrish) who is also in love with Joan's fiance. Youngest sister Penny (Deanna Durbin) finds out Kay's secret and tries to set her up with a man from her music school (Robert Cummings), but things don't go at all as planned. I thought the movie was a lot of fun, though the parents were kind of exasperating through much of the movie because they don't really listen at all to Penny. Charles Winninger was good as the father whose mind is always on business and Cummings was good as Harry. Durbin was good as usual and her singing was on display at various times throughout the film.

Look for the Silver Lining (1949) - 6/10 - June Haver stars as Marilyn Miller, a singer/dancer/actress who was popular on Broadway and vaudeville until her untimely death at age 37. The movie mostly focuses on her life from around age 14-22 after joining her family's act and then becoming a star on her own. The movie was entertaining enough and Haver does a decent job, though I thought that the film seemed to gloss over a number of things and left out quite a bit. Roy Bolger did a decent job as Jack Donahue, a dancer who befriends Marilyn.

Volver a Empezar (1982) - 6.5/10 - A Spanish writer who has been living and teaching in San Francisco returns to Spain after winning the Nobel Prize for literature. This is his first visit to Spain since leaving during the Civil War in the 1930s. He is feeling his mortality and wants to revisit the places and people of his youth. There isn't really a lot to this movie, but I liked it quite a bit nonetheless.

Summer Storm (1944) - 6/10 - In 1919, former Russian Count Volsky (Edward Everett Horton) takes a manuscript to a former acquaintance who now runs a newspaper. The manuscript was written by Volsky's friend, Judge Petroff (George Sanders) and details events from seven years earlier with a peasant woman named Olga (Linda Darnell) and infidelity, theft, plus other assorted crimes. The movie is pretty dull overall, especially Petroff's character. Volsky does liven things up from time to time, though his character isn't especially bright.

Meteor (1979) - 6.5/10 - Sean Connery stars as a scientist who designed Project Hercules, a secret orbiting nuclear weapon launch platform. He is summoned to Washington, D.C. when a five mile wide meteor is detected heading for Earth. The Soviets have their own secret launch platform and they are needed since Project Hercules isn't enough on its own to stop the meteor. There are lots of long lingering shots of the menacing meteor as it heads for Earth plus many shots of the rockets as they head for the meteor (flying nicely in close formation with US and USSR missiles mixed together). Various disasters on Earth take place as smaller meteors in the debris field strike. It isn't a great disaster film, but overall I enjoyed it. Natalie Wood gets second billing as a Russian interpreter, though I think Karl Malden had more of a role.

The Goldwyn Follies (1938) - 6.5/10 - Adolphe Menjou is a Hollywood producer whose last couple of films haven't done very well. While filming his next picture, he overhears a young woman named Hazel (Andrea Leeds) and a friend talking about things that are wrong with the scene they witnessed. He hires Hazel and brings her to Hollywood to consult on changes they should make in the picture, though he keeps her away from the actors. There is a lot of singing and dancing plus romance and humor. A lot of the acting bits seem kind of staged, though Hazel comes through as fairly real. The parts with Charlie McCarthy are generally amusing. The Ritz Brothers were mostly annoying, though their last scene wasn't bad. There are some decent songs, but the movie as a whole isn't that great, but it is entertaining enough.

[Reza]

Careless Lady (Kenneth MacKenna, 1932) 6/10

Silly premise of this pre-code film actually turns out to be witty and sophisticated fun. A young innocent girl (Joan Bennett) is told that men prefer "experienced" women so on a trip to Paris she pretends to be the wife of a businessman (John Boles) who is unaware he has a wife. The two stars are surrounded by art deco sets, an amusing supporting cast and everyone seems to be very rich though the country was going through a depression. Boles gets to sing two songs.

This Side of the Law (Richard L. Bare, 1950) 6/10

Kent Smith, an underated actor, unfortunately got typecast in Hollywood playing second or third fiddles and being overpowered by strong leading ladies like Simone Simon, Dorothy McGuire, Susan Hayward and Joan Crawford. Here he gets to play a rare lead role in an interesting mystery-thriller. A lawyer (Robert Douglas) asks a down and out drifter (Kent Smith) to impersonate a millionaire gone missing for seven years and about to be declared legally dead. Desperate for money he accepts the "job" and turns up at the family mansion to face the man's broken-hearted wife (Viveca Lindfors), his resentful weakling brother (John Alvin) and his femme fatale wife (Janis Paige). All three detest him and are shocked to see him back. It appears one of them may have murdered the missing man and he is asked by the lawyer to solve the mystery. Neat little Warners production has a fast moving plot with twists and turns. Viveca Lindfors comes off very bland but Janis Paige creates sexual sparks as the two-timing sister-in-law. Good production values.

Black Sunday (John Frankenheimer, 1977) 5/10

One of numerous disaster films to come out during the 1970s with terrorists at the center of the plot. Hollywood has always loved to pigeon-hole various ethnics into the role of the villain. Here that honour goes to the Palestinians - I mean how dare they have ruthless revenge on their minds even though they have seen their loved ones killed and have lost their homeland, bit by bit, to Israel? Yes, the heroics here all come courtesy of a Mossad agent (Robert Shaw) who takes on the Black September group - the film was inspired by the attack on Israeli athletes by that group during the 1972 Summer Olympics and is based on the novel by Thomas Harris who years later would go on to create the character of Hannibal Lecter. The Palestinian terrorists - Bekim Fehmiu & Marthe Keller - are joined by a deranged Vietnam vet (Bruce Dern) who plans to fly the Goodyear blimp into a stadium full of spectators watching the Super Bowl and killing thousands using bullet detonators. The nail-biting ending is spectacular but it is an immensely boring ride to reach that end. The entire cast sleep walks through the film except Dern whose wide-eyed deranged character is an absolute hoot to see while sitting through this rather slow film.

Jodhaa Akbar (Ashutosh Gowariker, 2008) 7/10

Sumptuously produced epic, set during the sixteenth century, brings to life the trials, tribulations and unique marriage alliance of Akbar (Hrithik Roshan), the third Mughal Emperor of India. In order to exist in peace with the Mughal ruler, Raja Bharmal of Amer (present-day Jaipur) offers the hand in marriage of his daughter, Jodhaa Bai (Aishwarya Rai), to the Emperor. It is strictly a marriage of alliance which at first is resisted by the feisty Princess who defiantly sets two provisions for the Muslim Emperor. He is not to force her to give up her Hindu religion and will allow her a place of worship inside the royal palace. To her surprise the Emperor consents to both conditions. While he is totally smitten she keeps him at arm's length refusing to sleep with him until she develops feelings for him. Between this sexual cat-and-mouse game the rather simplistic screenplay covers various court intrigues - his powerful foster mother, Maham Anga (Ila Arun) - shades of "Mrs Danvers" - despises and jealously plots her downfall while his own brother-in-law plots to take the throne away from him. The film is shot in many of the actual locations where the events took place - the spectacular hilltop Amer Palace in Rajasthan (home of Jodhaa Bai), the Red Fort in Delhi where the Emperor conferred with his Ministers and sat in audience with his subjects and the Emperor's palace at Fatehpur Sikri. The film, shot in widescreen, has dazzling costumes, jewels and sets, CGI infused battle scenes, Roshan battling a wild elephant and Rai proving as adept at sword fencing as her green-eyed leading man. Roshan makes a dashing Emperor with his chiseled, agile body but seems self conscious delivering dialogue in chaste Urdu. The stunningly beautiful Rai walks away with the film giving a deeply nuanced performance. The music (by A.R. Rahman) and songs are seamlessly integrated into the story without standing out like an eyesore - although one massive production number has a strong Busby Berkeley flair. The film, Roshan, Gowariker and A.R. Rahman all won Filmfare awards while Rai and Sonu Sood (playing Rai's brother) were both nominated.

Widows' Peak (John Irvin, 1994) 6/10

Irish playwright Hugh Leonard wrote the screenplay specifically for Maureen O'Sullivan who wanted an Irish based project to act in with her daughter Mia Farrow. While this mother-daughter pairing never took place it was Farrow who years later revived it when she decided to end her two-year acting hiatus after playing Woody Allen's muse through 13 films and the "scandal" that bitterly ended their personal and professional relationship. The tiny Irish village of "Widow's Peak" is home to many widows just after the First World War. The community is unofficially ruled by courtesy of a sharp tongue belonging to a rich and imperious old widow (Joan Plowright) who lives with her henpecked bachelor son (Adrian Dunbar). Into their lives arrives an American widow (Natasha Richardson) who makes a play for the bachelor and immediately antagonizes the town spinster (Mia Faroow) who is quietly seeing the local dentist (Jim Broadbent). Soon a cat-and-mouse game ensues as both ladies try their utmost to belittle the other. When the spinster suddenly goes missing, presumed drowned, the townfolk slander the American woman accusing her of murder. Charming little film has three lovely stars having a ball playing these wacky characters while the droll screenplay has dark shadings including a last minute twist ending. The stunning Irish locations are also a plus point.

Sophie's Choice (Alan J. Pakula, 1982) 9/10

William Styron envisioned Ursula Andress when writing his book "Sophie's Choice" while director Pakula wanted to cast Liv Ullmann. But it was Meryl Streep who won the part after she chased the director and begged him on hands and knees to play the role. Stingo (Peter MacNicol), an aspiring writer from the South, moves into a boarding house in Brooklyn (circa 1947) and immediately becomes friends with his neigbours - Nathan (Kevin Kline), a mercurial American Jew and his vivacious Polish lover Sophie (Meryl Streep) who is a holocaust survivor. The rose-coloured view of his friends gradually turns dark as past tragedies in their lives threaten to destroy them in the present. We view the tragedy that shaped Sophie via flashbacks to her early life and in particular to that decisive moment at Auschwitz when she is forced to make a devastating choice. Nathan is less complex but no less tragic with volatile mood swings and jealous rages that keeps their relationship always on the brink of collapse. Both lovers are unaware of each others dark secrets but which Stingo is privy to thus entwining him with his friends until the final act that decides for them their future. Pakula superbly adapts Styron's complex book and gives the film a rich period flavour. He is helped by an outstanding group of technicians - stunning cinematography by Néstor Almendros, George Jenkins' production design, Albert Wolsky's costumes and a memorable score by Marvin Hamlisch. Streep won a richly deserved Academy Award for her multifaceted performance speaking her lines in Polish-accented English and fluent German during the scenes set in the concentration camp. The screenplay, score, costume design and cinematography were also nominated. A film that is intensely romantic and harrowing at the same time.

Mademoiselle de Joncquières (Emmanuel Mouret, 2018) 8/10

A Marquis (Édouard Baer), a relentless libertine, pursues an elegant widow (Cécile de France) who views his actions with great amusement and keeps him at arm's length. When she finally succumbs to his charms she decides to settle into an intensely sexual relationship with him. The arrangement is successful for awhile until he suddenly tires of her and leaves her. Stunned, angry and still passionately in love with him she plans an elaborate revenge. She engages a down and out prostitute and her young daughter (Alice Isaaz) and passes the young girl off as a pious virgin as bait for her former lover. He falls into the elaborate trap, finds himself hopelessly in love with the young whore who he thinks is virtuous and wants to marry her. Inspired by a story in Denis Diderot's novel "Jacques the
Fatalist", the plot resembles the cruel machinations at the center of the 1782 French novel, "Les liaisons dangereuses" by Pierre
Choderlos de Laclos. Sumptuously produced film won a Cèsar award for its stunning period costumes and was nominated for its screenplay, production design, cinematography and for both lead performers. Cécil de France channels Glenn Close in seeking her revenge but does it in a more subtle manner which is also how Éduard Baer plays his character in contrast to the reptilian John Malkovich. Interesting film about people in love playing wicked games with each other.

Never Too Late (Bud Yorkin, 1965) 5/10

Paul Ford's pompous demeanor holds him in good stead as the middle-aged lumber merchant who discovers to his embarrassment that he is to become a father again. The film is based on the hit Broadway comedy with Ford reprising his Tony nominated performance opposite his lovely stage co-star, Maureen O'Sullivan, as his radiant wife. A source of further hijinks in the house involve their grown up married daughter (Connie Stevens) now desperate to also conceive a baby and her husband (Jim Hutton) who freeloads off his father-in-law by living and working with him. Extremely old fashioned comedy from another time zone has a good cast making a go of the material. Also adding sparks are Jane Wyatt and Lloyd Nolan.

[gunnar]

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) - 7.5/10 - Richard Dreyfuss plays Duddy, a young Jewish man growing up in Montreal. His father drives a cab and his older brother is in medical school (with some assistance from a wealthy uncle). Duddy gets a job as a waiter at a summer resort and hustles to make money. He gets it in his head that he wants to buy a nearby lake for the development opportunity and throughout the movie we see his various plans toward that end. He dates a young woman named Yvette (Micheline Lanctôt) and befriends an American named Virgil (Randy Quaid). Duddy's schemes meet with mixed success, but he keeps pushing toward his goal, even occasionally to the detriment of those around him. I thought that it was a pretty good film. It was a bit of a rollercoaster with ups and downs, but always moving forward.

The Goddess (1958) - 6.5/10 - Kim Stanley stars as a young woman named Emily Ann who grows up with a mother who doesn't love her. Emily Ann doesn't think much of herself and is a loner. Her first marriage doesn't work out and she ends up abandoning her infant daughter to move to Hollywood in search of stardom. She eventually earns that stardom and marries again, but can't find the happiness that she seeks. She suffers from nervous breakdowns and addiction. The movie seems to be loosely based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. I thought that the acting was okay, but kind of overdone at times. It's certainly not a happy film, but overall wasn't too bad. I enjoyed Paddy Chayefsky's other films a lot more, especially Network and Marty.

I started watching the various animated shorts that have been nominated for an Academy Award and have seen about half of them over the last few weeks. There are a lot of good ones, but also many that I thought were so-so.

[gunnar]

The Naked Prey (1965) - 8/10 - A safari in early 1800s Africa is attacked by a group of natives because the members of the safari refused to pay tribute to their chief as they were passing through. The white survivors are tortured and killed in a variety of ways until the only one left is the guide who is set loose naked and given a head start before the hunt begins. Archival and documentary footage is mixed in with the rest of the film to pretty good effect. I thought that the film was pretty well done. There is a lot of great scenery, good action, very little dialogue in English, and good acting. Cornel Wilde starred in and directed the film.

Prince of Foxes (1949) - 7.5/10 - Tyrone Power stars as Andrea Orsini, an artist and soldier in the employ of Cesare Borgia (Orson Welles) in 1500. He is sent to arrange a marriage between Cesare's recently widowed sister Lucrezia and Alfonso d'Este, the son of the Duke of Ferrara. Orsini's next assignment brings him in contact with Camilla (Wanda Hendrix), the young wife of the elderly Count of a city/fort on top of a mountain. Orsini falls for Camilla which leads to having to decide between her and Borgia for his loyalties. I thought that the cinematography, action, and acting were all pretty good. Welles is convincing as Borgia and Power does a nice job as Orsini. The supporting cast isn't bad either.

[gunnar]

Moontide (1942) - 7/10 - Bobo (Jean Gabin) is a dock worker with no steady home or job. He likes to drink, but often doesn't remember what happened after a bender. He wakes up on a bait barge one morning and is told that he had agreed to run the shop for the owner. Bobo rescues meets Anna (Ida Lupino), a young woman who tries to drown herself and the two hit it off. There are other complications including a search for a murderer and Bobo's parasitic friend Tiny. I thought the movie was decent. It isn't the most exciting film, but it wasn't bad.

Whoopee! (1930) - 5/10 - A very dated musical comedy starring Eddie Cantor. Sally Morgan doesn't want to marry the sheriff, Bob Wells, like her father wishes. She is in love with half-Native American Wanenis. To escape the marriage, Sally escapes with the unwitting help of Henry WIlliams (Cantor) leading to a posse chasing after them. This is an early technicolor film and some of the songs and dances aren't bad, but the humor and acting especially are dated as are some of the racial stereotypes.

Back Street (1961) - 7.5/10 - Susan Hayward stars as an aspiring fashion designer who meets a marine (John Gavin) who is traveling through her town of Lincoln, Nebraska on his way home from the service. They start a relationship and are in love, but eventually he has to return home. When she tries to contact him, she discovers that he is married with two children. They meet again some time later and resume their relationship, though she has to take a back seat to his family, even though his marriage is a loveless one. This was a decent melodrama, perhaps slightly better than the 1941 version. I haven't seen the 1932 version with Irene Dunne yet.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) - 8/10 - I watched this for the Academy Award nominated shorts that make up 2/3 of the movie. I probably haven't watched Winnie the Pooh since the 1970s. These were fun, though.

[Reza]

The Little Things (John Lee Hancock, 2021) 5/10

Angst-ridden crime thriller has all the familiar tropes of the serial killer genre. Aging detective (Denzel Washington) pairs up with cocky young hotshot (Rami Malek) to look for someone kidnapping and knocking off young girls. Both cops are totally burnt out and haunted by intense guilt from unsolved murder cases in their past. So its only a matter of time before both start chasing and hounding a suspect (Jared Leto in full-on creapzoid mode) leading to a moment that harks back to David Fincher's "Seven" and then sharply veers off into uncharted annoying territory. Along with the Fincher film I was briefly also reminded of "In the Heat of the Night" (the Poitier mantle that Washington carries today) and "Zodiac". Slow film is set in 1990 and actually feels as if the studio pulled it out of storage and is passing it off as something fresh and new.

[Reza]

Max Payne (John Moore, 2008) 3/10

Stylish looking tripe is based on a video game and shot like one as well giving scenes a flat sort of look with overtones of noir. Ultra-violent revenge saga has many shootouts but these moments are devoid of any graphic blood or gore to avoid a restricted rating so that young fans of the game could come in droves to the cinema which they did. Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg), an intense cop turned vigilante, is out for revenge for the murder of his wife and child. His journey through New York's dark criminal underworld leads to several deaths - a sexy pickup (Olga Kurylenko who would also play a Bond girl that year) at a swinging party is later found viciously murdered which is followed by the equally violent death of his former partner after he finds evidence linking the woman's death to that of Payne's wife. He joins forces with a Russian assassin (Mila Kunis), the murdered girl's sister, and discovers that the Organization his wife worked for is upto something nefarious involving a drug meant to make people invincible but instead makes them hallucinate and eventually insane. This tedious plot gets a bit of a jump-start during two elaborate shootouts where Payne dodges bullets leading to the ludicrous sequence where he ingests the drug turning into a super soldier. Wahlberg sleep walks through the film with his usual deadpan expression and Kunis is wasted in an underwritten part. Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell and Kate Burton pop up in small roles. Trashy film.

Le deuxième souffle (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1966 film) 6/10

Melville's convoluted crime-thriller takes far too long to reach its conclusion but tautly manages a few fantastic set-pieces scattered through his film. The central theme of the plot is about honour and its importance to a highly principled criminal (Lino Ventura). He breaks out of jail - a bravura wordless opening shot with Melville's customary skill - and reaquaints with old friends (Raymond Pelligrin, Marcell Bozzuffi) in the criminal underworld, his mistress and the Police Commissioner (Paul Meurisse), hot on his tail. He decides to participate in one last job before making a clean break from his past. The job involves the heist of a shipment of platinum which becomes the film's second exciting set-piece - shot in the wide outdoors in complete contrast to the rest of the film which is set in various cramped rooms. The inevitable bleak conclusion involves a deadly shootout with the protagonist maintaining his sense of heroic honour. Ventura, as always, is magnificent throughout.

Alina (Giorgio Pastina, 1950) 6/10

In order to make ends meet a poor peasant woman (Gina Lollobrigida) is forced to take the place of her sick husband in smuggling goods over the Alps from Italy into France. She is looked down upon by the women of the village and lusted after by her husband's sleazy partner (Otello Toso). On one of the border crossings she catches the eye of a suave Italian (Amedio Nazzari) who works as manager to the casino owner who purchases smuggled goods. Doris Dowling is the propreitor's chanteuse wife who is sexually involved with the manager. The inevitable love triangle and a couple of action sequences on the snowy mountain top keeps the plot moving swiftly along. Lollobrigida is memorable throughout with the director capturing her sensual beauty via shots of her exposed legs and décolletage. The star was not only a sex bomb but an actress of great depth as well.

Thomas l'imposteur (Georges Franju, 1965) 7/10

Jean Cocteau's WWI-set novel is adapted for the screen by the author and director Franju into an almost fairy-tale fantasy. A widowed Polish princess (Emmanuelle Riva), who enjoys giving lavish if frivolous parties for the nobility, is at heart a great humanitarian. With Paris about to fall to the Germans she helps wounded french soldiers by evacuating them from the front and bringing them to her lavish estate for medical care. When the authorities refuse to allow the soldiers to be brought into Paris she finds a young ally in an innocent 16-year old soldier (Fabrice Rouleau) who is mistaken for the nephew of a popular General. He uses his false authority to cut through red tape and help the soldiers get treatment. The Princess is charmed by him and her daughter falls in love with the young soldier who yearns to fight on the battlefront. Franju captures the devastation of war through many striking images - Riva walking through devastated buildings as bombs fall around her, a horse galloping wildly with its mane on fire, dead bodies tossed and strewn about - as Jean Marais narrates on the soundtrack. Riva's romanticism is badly shaken after witnessing so much suffering around her while the young soldier, like a moonstruck schoolboy, moves on to the front dreaming of heroics which he will soon find to be a nightmare of epic proportion. Franju maintains a sense of unreality throughout until the final frames when the destructive power of war turns tragic.

[gunnar]

No Sad Songs for Me (1950) - 9/10 - Margaret Sullavan stars as Mary Scott, a suburban housewife who has been feeling tired lately so she visits the doctor. She expects him to tell her that she is pregnant, but instead discovers that she has cancer which has advanced too far for treatment and she has less than a year to live. She decides not to tell her family and to try and prepare things for when she will no longer be around. Her husband (Wendell Corey) is a surveyor who spends a lot of time away on a job that has a close deadline. Her 10 year old daughter Polly (Natalie Wood) takes piano lessons. The family is happy and they are all close to each other and Mary worries about what will happen after she dies. I thought that the acting was very good and the story was as well.

La Vérité (1960) - 9/10 - Brigitte Bardot stars as Dominique Marceau, a young woman on trial for murdering her boyfriend in an attempted murder/suicide. Her story as told in flashback while the prosecutor and defense attorney battle it out in court. Dominique's younger sister, Annie, is a talented violinist who moves to Paris for music school. Dominique lives a much more carefree lifestyle than her sister, but forces her parents to allow her to join Annie in Paris. Annie's friend, Gilbert, becomes infatuated with Dominique, leading to conflict with Annie. Gilbert and Dominique start a relationship, but they enjoy very different things. Bardot is very good in this film as the blond sex symbol who isn't necessarily as bad as she is portrayed by the prosecution. It is a very good film.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944) - 6.5/10 - In 1774 Peru, a monk witnesses the collapse of a bridge that kills five people and shakes his faith. He sets out to find out what he can about the people who died and why they might have been chosen to die by God. What unfolds is a story about a talented singer, Micaela Villegas (Lynn Bari), her beloved Manuel, a sea captain, and the viceroy Don Andre who is attracted to Micaela. There are a number of other characters, including Manuel's twin brother, a lonely and bitter old Marquesa, and Micaela's mentor, Uncle Pio. The first part of the movie is pretty dull, but it gets more interesting as it goes along. It still isn't a very good film, but it is okay and there are a few pretty good scenes.

A Little Night Music (1977) - 8/10 - Frederich Egerman has been married to his his second wife, 18 year old Anne, for 11 months. He loves her, but is frustrated that she has remained a virgin the whole time. He sees an old flame at the theater, actress Desiree Armfeldt, and ends up in bed with her one night. Desiree has another lover, though, the jealous dragoon Carl-Magnus Mittelhelm. There are a number of other subplots involving Frederich's son, Carl-Magnus's wife, and Desiree's mother and daughter. The movie has many bad reviews, but I enjoyed it. There are a lot of good songs and I thought the acting from most of the cast was pretty good - Lesley-Anne Down, Diana RIgg, Len Cariou, etc. The only one that I thought was subpar was Liz Taylor as Desiree.

[Reza]

West Side Story (Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins, 1961) 10/10

The landmark 1957 Broadway musical, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, was brought to the screen with all its dazzling energy intact. Robert Wise directed the dramatic scenes while choreographer Jerome Robbins directed all the ballet-influenced dance sequences. The film's spectacular opening sequence has the camera moving high above Manhattan with its skyscrapers jutting upwards at the camera as we glimpse various streets surrounding neighborhoods before zooming down on a group of boys in a playground. Wise would shoot an equally spectacular aerial opening sequence some years later to his film adaptation of the Broadway musical "The Sound of Music". The story, inspired by William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", is set in the Upper West Side of New York City in a multi-racial, blue collar neighborhood and follows the rivalry between two gangs - one White and the other Puerto Rican. Riff (Russ Tamblyn) is the leader of the Jets who clashes with Bernardo (George Chakiris) leader of the Sharks. Tony (Richard Beymer), Riff's best friend, co-founder and former member of the Jets, falls in love with Bernardo's sister Maria (Natalie Wood) at a local dance which the two try to hide from their friends. Anita (Rita Moreno), Maria's best friend and Bernardo's girlfriend, finds out and warns the young lovers. During a planned "rumble" - street fight - between the two gangs, Tony tries to stop the boys from fighting but knives are flicked open and Bernardo stabs Riff to death followed by Tony killing Bernardo. The story reaches its tragic finale leaving Maria distraught and the two gangs realizing the errors of their ways. The story explores social themes of bigotry, cultural misunderstanding and the failure to integrate and empower young people in constructive ways. The film retains the stage production's stylized fight and dance choreography highlighted by the cutting-edge editing, stunning camerwork and the memorable jazz-infused music and songs. A number of the songs - "Maria", "Tonight", "America" - became standards. The film's casting is a problem as many of the actors playing ethnics are white but that does not come in the way of this superb production. Lovely Natalie Wood was cast for boxoffice assurance and her accented english takes time getting used to but she overcomes it with an intensely romantic performance with Beymer also very good as her lover. Tamblyn, Chakiris and Moreno (especially intense and fiery) come off best with the latter two winning Oscars. The film won 10 Academy Awards and has recently been remade by Steven Spielberg.

Broken City (Allen Hughes, 2013) 6/10

The plot moves like a Phillip Marlowe murder-mystery with pulpy noir overtones. A cop (Mark Wahlberg) is exonerated by the court after a controversial shooting with quiet help from the Mayor of New York (Russell Crowe). Some years later he is hired by the Mayor to follow his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who he suspects is having an affair. Her friend turns out to be the campaign manager (Kyle Chandler) to the Mayor's opponent (Barry Pepper) in the re-election. When the man is found shot to death the cop realizes there is more to the case than what the Mayor and his crony, the Police Commissioner (Jeffrey Wright), have divulged. Corruption, illegal land deals, murder, blackmail are just some of the potholes he has to wade through to get to the truth which may end up endangering his own life. The screenplay has enough potholes, coincidences and clichés to populate a score of pulpy films but there is enough atmosphere and a game cast to make this a fairly enjoyable watch. Wahlberg has one expression on his face throughout - one of disgust - while Crowe, with a hideous hairstyle and in slumming mode hams it up to high heaven. Zeta-Jones is sadly wasted in an underwritten part and the film certainly deserved more of her feisty character as her brief scenes opposite Wahlberg crackle with an undirected yet underlying sexual tension.

Contraband (Baltasar Kormákur, 2012) 6/10

Remake of the 2008 Icelandic film "Reykjavík-Rotterdam", which starred the director of this Hollywood action-thriller. An ex-smuggler (Mark Wahlberg), now clean with a sexy wife (Kate Beckinsale) and two sons, finds his old way of life come crashing back when his wife's brother dumps a cache of drugs belonging to a mobster (Giovanni Ribisi) and is forced to revert back to his old life to get his family out of the jam. The convoluted plot involves a boat trip to Panama with his old gang, an attempt to purchase fake bills from the local crime lord (Diego Luna) who involves him in the theft of a Jackson Pollock painting which results in a deadly shootout with the cops. Meanwhile back home his trusted friend and former smuggling partner (Ben Foster) is asked to look after his wife who is being threatened by the mobster. Things turn further dark when the police are tipped off that the returning ship is carrying drugs, the Captain (J.K. Simmons) wants to cut in on the deal and his wife back home finds herself wrapped in plastic and cement. The far-fetched plot keeps getting more and more prepostrous which Wahlberg takes in his stride overiding each obstacle that comes in his way. Needless to say its the unobtrusive Pollock that saves the day since everyone around thinks its a paint-stained old tarpaulin which they discover goes for $20 million in the black market. Like most of Wahlberg's films it is a fun watch but totally disposable.

Four Brothers (John Singleton, 2005) 6/10

When an old lady (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down during a random store robbery her four adopted sons - Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund - return to Detroit for her funeral. Singleton's film is strongly influenced by the blaxploitation films of the 1970s as the four brothers investigate and discover there was more to their mother's death than what the local cops (Terrence Howard & Josh Charles) on the beat disclose. The boys track down the two hitman and kill them and discover that the hit was put on their mother by a local gang lord (Chiwetel Ejiofor). The film scores points during all the quiet reflective moments between the four brothers with the actors showing strong rapport - most of the dialogue between them was improvised. The rest of the film is one shootout after another harking back to the vigilante-like killings in both "Dirty Harry" and "Death Wish" but with more graphic violence. The script completely throws logic out the window but remains a crowd pleaser with its pulsating action sequences - a highlight is a car chase through a snow storm. Ejiofor, as the viciously demented crime boss, has a field day playing the part. Dressed (like Shaft) in cool duds - leather jackets, heavy-set fur coat and an all-white ensemble - the look is clearly taken from the old films of Richard Roundtree and Jim Brown. The film was inspired by the old John Wayne Western "The Sons of Katie Elder".

[FilmFan720]

Reza wrote
The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani, 2021) 9/10

The epic journey of a poor village boy who leaves the shack he lives in with his extended family, gets employed as a chauffeur to a rich couple in the city and discovers he wants much more in life. A life of poverty followed by servitude till the day you die is what millions have to face in India. Indian author Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize winning novel adapted for the screen is a bitter examination of the Hindu religion, the damning caste system, corruption, loyalty and abject poverty in India. The story, in many ways, touches on aspects of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar winning film "Parasite", but goes much further as the protagonist, Balram (Adarsh Gourav), representing the voice of the frustrated and angry underclass, often speaks directly at the screen or we get to hear his thoughts out loud - "For the poor there are only two ways to get to the top, crime and politics". His employer is the younger son (Rajkumar Rao) of a rich and corrupt family who has recently returned from America with his wife (Priyanka Chopra). They are both good to him and appalled at the conditions in the country and the way the rich treat the poor. But during a drunken spree, which results in a hit-and-run, the family forces him to take the blame for the accident when it was his master's wife who caused the death of a child. Silently accepting his situation he starts closely observing the family's attempts at bribing important Government officials in order to avoid paying taxes. Unable to contain his growing frustration he decides to take a drastic step on his way to an independent and better life. The story also simultaneously explores the globalization of India via increased technology and the protagonist's ultimate desire to become a business entrepreneur to escape his poverty. The film ends with him emphatically announcing, "white people are on the way out...they'll be finished within our lifetime. It's the century of brown men and the yellow men, and God help everyone else". A thought to ponder over especially with the events of the past couple of years in America and what it means to be coloured amongst a white population. The winds of change and a shift is something that needs to happen. Grim, compelling drama full of bitter anger is extremely well acted, directed, edited and scored. Chopra, who is also a producer on the film, took on the brief but important role of the young wife in order to give the film clout for a Western audience. But the film belongs to Gourav who is absolutely spot-on in the part. On screen throughout he neatly balances the role playing his character with a combination of sympathy, black humour and wicked evil.

The more I hear about this one, the more I want to see it.

I watched this last night and it is extremely watchable. Adarsh Gourav is excellent in the central role. I see how he got a Spirit nomination, and I wonder if he could pop up at other places.

I also wonder if we are underestimating this awards wise. Netflix has a lot on its plate, and doesn't seem to be marketing this heavily, but I could see awards voters eating this up.

[Reza]

Reza wrote
The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani, 2021) 9/10

The epic journey of a poor village boy who leaves the shack he lives in with his extended family, gets employed as a chauffeur to a rich couple in the city and discovers he wants much more in life. A life of poverty followed by servitude till the day you die is what millions have to face in India. Indian author Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize winning novel adapted for the screen is a bitter examination of the Hindu religion, the damning caste system, corruption, loyalty and abject poverty in India. The story, in many ways, touches on aspects of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar winning film "Parasite", but goes much further as the protagonist, Balram (Adarsh Gourav), representing the voice of the frustrated and angry underclass, often speaks directly at the screen or we get to hear his thoughts out loud - "For the poor there are only two ways to get to the top, crime and politics". His employer is the younger son (Rajkumar Rao) of a rich and corrupt family who has recently returned from America with his wife (Priyanka Chopra). They are both good to him and appalled at the conditions in the country and the way the rich treat the poor. But during a drunken spree, which results in a hit-and-run, the family forces him to take the blame for the accident when it was his master's wife who caused the death of a child. Silently accepting his situation he starts closely observing the family's attempts at bribing important Government officials in order to avoid paying taxes. Unable to contain his growing frustration he decides to take a drastic step on his way to an independent and better life. The story also simultaneously explores the globalization of India via increased technology and the protagonist's ultimate desire to become a business entrepreneur to escape his poverty. The film ends with him emphatically announcing, "white people are on the way out...they'll be finished within our lifetime. It's the century of brown men and the yellow men, and God help everyone else". A thought to ponder over especially with the events of the past couple of years in America and what it means to be coloured amongst a white population. The winds of change and a shift is something that needs to happen. Grim, compelling drama full of bitter anger is extremely well acted, directed, edited and scored. Chopra, who is also a producer on the film, took on the brief but important role of the young wife in order to give the film clout for a Western audience. But the film belongs to Gourav who is absolutely spot-on in the part. On screen throughout he neatly balances the role playing his character with a combination of sympathy, black humour and wicked evil.

The more I hear about this one, the more I want to see it.

It's on Netflix

[Sabin]

Reza wrote
The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani, 2021) 9/10

The epic journey of a poor village boy who leaves the shack he lives in with his extended family, gets employed as a chauffeur to a rich couple in the city and discovers he wants much more in life. A life of poverty followed by servitude till the day you die is what millions have to face in India. Indian author Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize winning novel adapted for the screen is a bitter examination of the Hindu religion, the damning caste system, corruption, loyalty and abject poverty in India. The story, in many ways, touches on aspects of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar winning film "Parasite", but goes much further as the protagonist, Balram (Adarsh Gourav), representing the voice of the frustrated and angry underclass, often speaks directly at the screen or we get to hear his thoughts out loud - "For the poor there are only two ways to get to the top, crime and politics". His employer is the younger son (Rajkumar Rao) of a rich and corrupt family who has recently returned from America with his wife (Priyanka Chopra). They are both good to him and appalled at the conditions in the country and the way the rich treat the poor. But during a drunken spree, which results in a hit-and-run, the family forces him to take the blame for the accident when it was his master's wife who caused the death of a child. Silently accepting his situation he starts closely observing the family's attempts at bribing important Government officials in order to avoid paying taxes. Unable to contain his growing frustration he decides to take a drastic step on his way to an independent and better life. The story also simultaneously explores the globalization of India via increased technology and the protagonist's ultimate desire to become a business entrepreneur to escape his poverty. The film ends with him emphatically announcing, "white people are on the way out...they'll be finished within our lifetime. It's the century of brown men and the yellow men, and God help everyone else". A thought to ponder over especially with the events of the past couple of years in America and what it means to be coloured amongst a white population. The winds of change and a shift is something that needs to happen. Grim, compelling drama full of bitter anger is extremely well acted, directed, edited and scored. Chopra, who is also a producer on the film, took on the brief but important role of the young wife in order to give the film clout for a Western audience. But the film belongs to Gourav who is absolutely spot-on in the part. On screen throughout he neatly balances the role playing his character with a combination of sympathy, black humour and wicked evil.

The more I hear about this one, the more I want to see it.

[gunnar]

Johnny Doughboy (1942) - 7/10 - Jane Withers stars as child star Ann Winters who just turned 16 and refuses to do another kid picture. She drives off for a vacation, leaving her studio obligations behind. Meanwhile, the president of the Ann Winters fan club from a town in Nebraska arrives for a two week visit and she just 'happens' to look exactly like Ann. The studio puts her to use as Ann's replacement. She gets involved with a musical show that a group of former child stars are planning to entertain the troops. Included in this group are Bobby Breen, Spanky, Alfalfa, Cora Sue Collins, and others. The movie is pretty short, but I thought it was fun and the musical and dance numbers were pretty good. It's an entertaining hour.

Laughter (1930) - 5/10 - Peggy was a chorus girl who decided to marry a wealthy man so that she could live a life of luxury. However, she finds herself bored with the dull lifestyle. I can relate since the film was very dull and boring. Two former flames show up - Paul, a piano player and composer - Ralph, a sculptor who is really just after her money. Ralph latches on to her stepdaughter and Paul tries to convince her to leave her husband and go to Paris with him for a carefree lifestyle. The print that survives is not in great shape, but is watchable. It doesn't seem to merit restoration, though, since it isn't a very good film. It alternates between a joking atmosphere and melodrama.

That Lady in Ermine (1948) - 7/10 - Betty Grable stars as an Italian countess named Angelina in 1861 whose domain is threatened during a time of war. 300 years earlier, the countess at that time (Francesca, also Betty Grable) faced a similar situation. Angelina has just gotten married when enemy soldiers are spotted. Her husband is an officer in the opposing army and flees. The occupying forces are led by a gallant and well mannered colonel who falls for Angelina. Portraits of former counts and countesses line the walls in the big hall and the people in them come to life at midnight. Francesca meddles in the situation to try and bring the colonel and Angelina together. The movie has plenty of music and humor. I enjoyed it more than I expected and while the story was somewhat simple, it was entertaining.