Logan Lucky (Steven Soderberg, 2017) 7/10
White trash alert!! Soderberg's supposed retirement was pretty short lived as he returns with yet another story about a heist starring his favorite mascot. A former jock turned loser with a limp (Channing Tatum) and his bartender brother (Adam Driver), who lost an arm in Iraq, join up to pull off a heist during the NASCAR race in North Carolina. Joining the gang is their hot-car-riding kid sister (Riley Keough), a demolition expert (Daniel Craig), whom they plan to get out of jail (and back in again after the heist), along with the jailbird's two dim-witted brothers. These broadly drawn characters are nothing but redneck versions of the dudes in the "Oceans" trilogy or rejects from a Coen brothers project. There is nothing very original about the plot but Soderberg presents it with his own quirky touches and acute attention to detail which can be often very amusing and the heist setup and execution is nothing short of brilliant. The eclectic cast is great fun which includes Katherine Waterston as a health worker, Katie Holmes as the jock's ex-wife, Hillary Swank as a snarling FBI agent on the case, Seth McFarlane as an arrogant British race car driver and Dwight Yoakam as a prison warden. Homespun unadulterated fun.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
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Breakthrough (Andrew V. MacLaglen, 1979) 1/10
Extremely shoddy sequel to Sam Peckinpah's "Cross of Iron" (1977). During WWII Sergeant Steiner (Richard Burton) gets recalled from the Russian front to Paris where he is assigned to Normandy. He is sent to a unit under his previous Commander (Helmut Griem) who he detests but gets along with the German General (Curt Jurgens) who informs him of a plot to assassinate Hitler. He is given the task of conveying this news to an American Colonel (Robert Mitchum) and his aide (Michael Parks) informing them that after Hitler's death the German army will surrender to the Allied Forces. The blustering American General (Rod Steiger) refuses to buy the story which eventually fizzles out when the assassination plan fails and the perpetrators are caught. An amazing cast sleepwalks through this travesty - an emaciated Burton is obviously drunk throughout (his amazing voice never falters and he remains a pleasure to listen to even though he gets to mouth inane dialogue) and is too old for the part, Steiger overacts and shouts all his lines, Jurgens looking resplendant in his uniform seems to have wandered in from countless other war films where he played the same sort of part while Mitchum looks terribly bored in his few scenes. B-grade war film which was an absolute chore to sit through.
Extremely shoddy sequel to Sam Peckinpah's "Cross of Iron" (1977). During WWII Sergeant Steiner (Richard Burton) gets recalled from the Russian front to Paris where he is assigned to Normandy. He is sent to a unit under his previous Commander (Helmut Griem) who he detests but gets along with the German General (Curt Jurgens) who informs him of a plot to assassinate Hitler. He is given the task of conveying this news to an American Colonel (Robert Mitchum) and his aide (Michael Parks) informing them that after Hitler's death the German army will surrender to the Allied Forces. The blustering American General (Rod Steiger) refuses to buy the story which eventually fizzles out when the assassination plan fails and the perpetrators are caught. An amazing cast sleepwalks through this travesty - an emaciated Burton is obviously drunk throughout (his amazing voice never falters and he remains a pleasure to listen to even though he gets to mouth inane dialogue) and is too old for the part, Steiger overacts and shouts all his lines, Jurgens looking resplendant in his uniform seems to have wandered in from countless other war films where he played the same sort of part while Mitchum looks terribly bored in his few scenes. B-grade war film which was an absolute chore to sit through.
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Tell No Tales (Lesley Fenton, 1939) 4/10
The editor (Melvyn Douglas) of a failing newspaper comes across a marked hundred dollar bill that is linked to a kidnapping ring. Hoping to boost sales of his paper he decides to trace all the people through whose hands the note passed. Dull "B" film with an equally dull leading lady (Louise Platt) has elements of noir and notwithstanding the film's frantic pace it fails to generate any excitement.
The editor (Melvyn Douglas) of a failing newspaper comes across a marked hundred dollar bill that is linked to a kidnapping ring. Hoping to boost sales of his paper he decides to trace all the people through whose hands the note passed. Dull "B" film with an equally dull leading lady (Louise Platt) has elements of noir and notwithstanding the film's frantic pace it fails to generate any excitement.
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Hornet's Nest (Phil Karlson & Franco Cirini, 1970) 5/10
Old fashioned wartime heroics with an American star (in an Italian film) whose film career was coming to an end - although television would play a part in reviving it. During WWII in Italy a sabotage team is intercepted and killed by the Gestapo. The leader (Rock Hudson) of the commandos survives and is rescued by a group of children who are in hiding after witnessing the murder of their parents. The kids want revenge on the Nazis and they come to an agreement with the soldier - he teaches them how to shoot guns while they will help him destroy a local dam which was part of his mission. Sylva Koscina is a sexy doctor kidnapped by the kids to treat the wounded soldier. In a bizarre plot development the woman, a Nazi sympathiser, attacks the soldier with a pair of scissors and in return gets raped by him after which she supports the group's cause and the screenplay makes no further mention of this act of violence. A cat-and-mouse game ensues with the one-eyed German captain (Sergio Fantoni) who starts admiring the wily kids and the efforts of the American soldier in eluding him. The film is replete with violent scenes by and against children which was a rare sight then while the action scenes are surprisingly sparse - probably because the budget of the film was low. Lovely score by Ennio Morricone and the film was shot on beautiful locations in Italy's Po Valley. Hudson gives a forceful performance but Koscina is wasted and merely presented as a sex object being assaulted by the kids and later ravaged by Hudson - Sophia Loren was offered the role but turned it down. As an adventure film it is passable although the screenplay fails to delve in the psychological effects of war on children.
Old fashioned wartime heroics with an American star (in an Italian film) whose film career was coming to an end - although television would play a part in reviving it. During WWII in Italy a sabotage team is intercepted and killed by the Gestapo. The leader (Rock Hudson) of the commandos survives and is rescued by a group of children who are in hiding after witnessing the murder of their parents. The kids want revenge on the Nazis and they come to an agreement with the soldier - he teaches them how to shoot guns while they will help him destroy a local dam which was part of his mission. Sylva Koscina is a sexy doctor kidnapped by the kids to treat the wounded soldier. In a bizarre plot development the woman, a Nazi sympathiser, attacks the soldier with a pair of scissors and in return gets raped by him after which she supports the group's cause and the screenplay makes no further mention of this act of violence. A cat-and-mouse game ensues with the one-eyed German captain (Sergio Fantoni) who starts admiring the wily kids and the efforts of the American soldier in eluding him. The film is replete with violent scenes by and against children which was a rare sight then while the action scenes are surprisingly sparse - probably because the budget of the film was low. Lovely score by Ennio Morricone and the film was shot on beautiful locations in Italy's Po Valley. Hudson gives a forceful performance but Koscina is wasted and merely presented as a sex object being assaulted by the kids and later ravaged by Hudson - Sophia Loren was offered the role but turned it down. As an adventure film it is passable although the screenplay fails to delve in the psychological effects of war on children.
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For Heaven's Sake (George Seaton, 1950) 4/10
Two angels (Clifton Webb & Edmund Gwenn) come to earth to persuade take back a young girl (Gigi Perreau) who is waiting to be born as the daughter of a selfish couple - a stage director (Robert Cummings) and his actress wife (Joan Bennett) who are too involved in their careers to think about having a child. When the wife begins to waver one of the angels decides to change into a human - he takes on the persona of a Texan thus allowing Clifton Webb to do his shtick - in order to coax the couple to have a child. Corny whimsy is often just silly but charming Bennett and Joan Blondell (as a flashy tart-tongued scriptwriter) give the film some much needed life. Forgettable.
Two angels (Clifton Webb & Edmund Gwenn) come to earth to persuade take back a young girl (Gigi Perreau) who is waiting to be born as the daughter of a selfish couple - a stage director (Robert Cummings) and his actress wife (Joan Bennett) who are too involved in their careers to think about having a child. When the wife begins to waver one of the angels decides to change into a human - he takes on the persona of a Texan thus allowing Clifton Webb to do his shtick - in order to coax the couple to have a child. Corny whimsy is often just silly but charming Bennett and Joan Blondell (as a flashy tart-tongued scriptwriter) give the film some much needed life. Forgettable.
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One Night in Lisbon (Edward H. Griffith, 1941) 5/10
"Into every young Englishwoman's life must fall an American". This is the corny line the screenplay uses to signal Britain's need for American aid during the early years of WWII when the United States decided to sit out the War until they got bombed at Pearl Harbor. The Texan here - an annoyingly brash (aren't they all?) bomber pilot (Fred MacMurray) and a genteel Scottish lady (Madeleine Carroll) meet cute in a bunker during an air raid. He immediately comes onto her while she resists and is horrified. She is engaged to a Naval Commander (John Loder) and is encouraged by her friend (Billie Burke) to go after the Texan. Screwball elements in the plot have the two run around London as bombs fall and later end up in Lisbon getting mixed up with German spies. The two leads are upstaged in this rather silly farce by the superb character actors who surround them - Edmund Gwenn, Dame May Whitty and Reginald Denny.
"Into every young Englishwoman's life must fall an American". This is the corny line the screenplay uses to signal Britain's need for American aid during the early years of WWII when the United States decided to sit out the War until they got bombed at Pearl Harbor. The Texan here - an annoyingly brash (aren't they all?) bomber pilot (Fred MacMurray) and a genteel Scottish lady (Madeleine Carroll) meet cute in a bunker during an air raid. He immediately comes onto her while she resists and is horrified. She is engaged to a Naval Commander (John Loder) and is encouraged by her friend (Billie Burke) to go after the Texan. Screwball elements in the plot have the two run around London as bombs fall and later end up in Lisbon getting mixed up with German spies. The two leads are upstaged in this rather silly farce by the superb character actors who surround them - Edmund Gwenn, Dame May Whitty and Reginald Denny.
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The World Moves On (John Ford, 1934) 6/10
Epic film spanning several generations in the lives of a Louisiana family of cotton traders. At the center of the story are the two lovers - Franchot Tone & Madeleine Carroll - who are kept apart via circumstances. The business branches out to the United Kingdom, France and Germany and when WWI breaks out family members find themselves fighting each other although trying to keep business integrity intact. Too much plot and very little time makes it all a very rushed affair with scenes set in the French Foreign Legion and actiin scenes of ships and submarines being bombed. This is a rare Ford non-western which he was forced to make by the studio and which he was not happy with. The two stars and the soap opera plot keeps it moving along although the embarrassing scenes with Stepin Fetchit and his offensive shtick (set in Paris of all places) halt the film everytime he appears. The film also manages to prophesize the rise of fascism and WWII although filmed much before the troubles began. This story would have been more appropriate as a tv mini-series.
Epic film spanning several generations in the lives of a Louisiana family of cotton traders. At the center of the story are the two lovers - Franchot Tone & Madeleine Carroll - who are kept apart via circumstances. The business branches out to the United Kingdom, France and Germany and when WWI breaks out family members find themselves fighting each other although trying to keep business integrity intact. Too much plot and very little time makes it all a very rushed affair with scenes set in the French Foreign Legion and actiin scenes of ships and submarines being bombed. This is a rare Ford non-western which he was forced to make by the studio and which he was not happy with. The two stars and the soap opera plot keeps it moving along although the embarrassing scenes with Stepin Fetchit and his offensive shtick (set in Paris of all places) halt the film everytime he appears. The film also manages to prophesize the rise of fascism and WWII although filmed much before the troubles began. This story would have been more appropriate as a tv mini-series.
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The Lady of Scandal (Sidney Franklin, 1930) 8/10
Amusing early talkie about class difference. A stage actress (Ruth Chatterton) is engaged to an aristocrat (Ralph Forbes) but his family opposes the match. In the hope that the girl might change her mind the family decides to allow the marriage after six months provided she lives with them in order to experience their staid ways. She agrees and within three weeks she falls in love with her fiancé's cousin (Basil Rathbone) who in turn is involved with a married woman. Frederick Lonsdale's stage play - a drawing room comedy - gets a sparkling adaptation with the stars in top form particularly Chatterton who despite her "common" background moves through this fluff with an air of light sophistication showing great comic timing. Suave Rathbone makes a delightful companion for her in what is basically a very early example of a screwball comedy. Great fun.
Amusing early talkie about class difference. A stage actress (Ruth Chatterton) is engaged to an aristocrat (Ralph Forbes) but his family opposes the match. In the hope that the girl might change her mind the family decides to allow the marriage after six months provided she lives with them in order to experience their staid ways. She agrees and within three weeks she falls in love with her fiancé's cousin (Basil Rathbone) who in turn is involved with a married woman. Frederick Lonsdale's stage play - a drawing room comedy - gets a sparkling adaptation with the stars in top form particularly Chatterton who despite her "common" background moves through this fluff with an air of light sophistication showing great comic timing. Suave Rathbone makes a delightful companion for her in what is basically a very early example of a screwball comedy. Great fun.
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The Great Raid (John Dahl, 2005) 2/10
It took the Weinstein Company three years to release this film. Why? Trouble at Disney but basically because they probably realised the film was a crashing bore. True historical events about WWII - in 1945 towards the end of the War the United States made a daring rescue of American soldiers trapped in a POW camp in the Philippines. These 500 soldiers were the last survivors of the crushing defeat at Bataan and the subsequent Bataan death march to the camp. Sixty years ago this story would have starred Richard Widmark or Robert Mitchum and would have been a rousing action packed film. Here we have the dull Benjamin Bratt and James Franco leading the raid. Joseph Fiennes is the emaciated (due to malaria) American comnander of the troops in the camp who gets a silly love story with a nurse (Connie Nielsen), working with the Filipino underground, who smuggles medical supplies into the camp. Flatly directed with a screenplay that fails to show any human interest angle in the plot. A celebrated event in American history is presented as a bag full of dull clichés.
It took the Weinstein Company three years to release this film. Why? Trouble at Disney but basically because they probably realised the film was a crashing bore. True historical events about WWII - in 1945 towards the end of the War the United States made a daring rescue of American soldiers trapped in a POW camp in the Philippines. These 500 soldiers were the last survivors of the crushing defeat at Bataan and the subsequent Bataan death march to the camp. Sixty years ago this story would have starred Richard Widmark or Robert Mitchum and would have been a rousing action packed film. Here we have the dull Benjamin Bratt and James Franco leading the raid. Joseph Fiennes is the emaciated (due to malaria) American comnander of the troops in the camp who gets a silly love story with a nurse (Connie Nielsen), working with the Filipino underground, who smuggles medical supplies into the camp. Flatly directed with a screenplay that fails to show any human interest angle in the plot. A celebrated event in American history is presented as a bag full of dull clichés.
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Sergeant Rutledge (John Ford, 1960) 8/10
Shot on location in Monument Valley and on obvious fake sets, this is a rare Ford western in which the main protagonist is a black cavalry soldier (Woody Strode) caught and held on charges of alleged murder and miscegenatory rape. An army trial ensues wherein the white witnesses are out for his blood although he is defended by an officer (Jeffrey Hunter) and a woman (Constance Towers) who the accused saved from marauding Apaches. The story - racial tension - reflects the period in American history when the film was made (the Civil Rights tension) with Ford seemingly trying to atone for all the racist elements in most of his previous westerns. The testimony of the witnesses in court - among them a german doctor and the dotty wife (the insufferable Billie Burke) of the presiding officer - lead to flashbacks which piece together the movements of the accused. Ford fails to bring any tension during the court scenes and the ending throws one too many twists. Strode is a standout and for his performance and strong presence - silent, dignified, muscular, imposing - this becomes an important film highlighting race relations.
Shot on location in Monument Valley and on obvious fake sets, this is a rare Ford western in which the main protagonist is a black cavalry soldier (Woody Strode) caught and held on charges of alleged murder and miscegenatory rape. An army trial ensues wherein the white witnesses are out for his blood although he is defended by an officer (Jeffrey Hunter) and a woman (Constance Towers) who the accused saved from marauding Apaches. The story - racial tension - reflects the period in American history when the film was made (the Civil Rights tension) with Ford seemingly trying to atone for all the racist elements in most of his previous westerns. The testimony of the witnesses in court - among them a german doctor and the dotty wife (the insufferable Billie Burke) of the presiding officer - lead to flashbacks which piece together the movements of the accused. Ford fails to bring any tension during the court scenes and the ending throws one too many twists. Strode is a standout and for his performance and strong presence - silent, dignified, muscular, imposing - this becomes an important film highlighting race relations.
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Crooked House (Gilles Pacquet-Brenner, 2017) 4/10
Has all the ingredients of the best Agatha Christie mysteries - a mysterious murder of the patriarch of a distinguished family, a bunch of suspects all related to the deceased - his sister (Glenn Close), the second much younger sexy wife (Christina Hendricks), his sons (Julian Sands & Christian McKay), their spouses (Gillian Anderson & Amanda Abbington) and assorted grandchildren. A former spy (Max Irons) turned detective is lured by his lover (Stefanie Martini) to try and find her grandfather's murderer. The amateur detective is joined by Scotland Yard's assistant commissioner (Terence Stamp) to try and investigate but it's an uphill struggle as more murders take place. Christie's favourite of all her books gets a rather indifferent adaptation (the usually reliable Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay) - none of the characters are particularly interesting and the story meanders - but the film has a superb cast, wonderful production values, moody lighting and great atmosphere. Too bad the film is such a bore.
Has all the ingredients of the best Agatha Christie mysteries - a mysterious murder of the patriarch of a distinguished family, a bunch of suspects all related to the deceased - his sister (Glenn Close), the second much younger sexy wife (Christina Hendricks), his sons (Julian Sands & Christian McKay), their spouses (Gillian Anderson & Amanda Abbington) and assorted grandchildren. A former spy (Max Irons) turned detective is lured by his lover (Stefanie Martini) to try and find her grandfather's murderer. The amateur detective is joined by Scotland Yard's assistant commissioner (Terence Stamp) to try and investigate but it's an uphill struggle as more murders take place. Christie's favourite of all her books gets a rather indifferent adaptation (the usually reliable Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay) - none of the characters are particularly interesting and the story meanders - but the film has a superb cast, wonderful production values, moody lighting and great atmosphere. Too bad the film is such a bore.
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What a Woman! (Irving Cummings, 1943) 3/10
Typical Roz Russell farce - a battle of the sexes between a literary agent (Rosalind Russell) promoting a college professor as lead in the movie version of his book as a smug magazine writer (Brian Aherne) covers the story. Unfortunately the laughs are too forced with highstrung Roz and an indifferent Aherne showing zero chemistry as a screen pair - for some reason the studios paired them in four films with varying results. Silly nonsense.
Typical Roz Russell farce - a battle of the sexes between a literary agent (Rosalind Russell) promoting a college professor as lead in the movie version of his book as a smug magazine writer (Brian Aherne) covers the story. Unfortunately the laughs are too forced with highstrung Roz and an indifferent Aherne showing zero chemistry as a screen pair - for some reason the studios paired them in four films with varying results. Silly nonsense.
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Tokyo Monogatari / Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953) 10/10
Taking a cue from a Japanese proverb, ‘’Take care of your parents while they are alive. You cannot help them from beyond the grave’’, the director, Yasujiro Ozu, takes this theme and creates a heartfelt and very moving drama contrasting the old traditional views practiced by the older generation with that of the modern westernized life in Tokyo. The story may be set in Japan during post-WWII 1950s but it’s devastating theme resonates even today and can be seen all around us everywhere and in many countries of the world. The film deals with the failed relations between parents and their grown-up children, caught up in an American-influenced, get-ahead mentality, symbolized by life in Tokyo. An elderly couple make the long train journey from their small fishing village to Tokyo to visit their children. During their stay they are treated politely but with a certain distraction; life moves quickly in the big city, and there is not always time for parents and their old fashioned provincial ways. The children dump them with the couple’s widowed daughter-in-law who provides them support, time and comfort which their own blood cannot be bothered to provide.
It is a simple story where nothing much happens but everything is so real that you feel part of the family and relate to the unforgettable characters as if they were perhaps your family, friends or neighbors. You are drawn to their mundane everyday lives, subtle gestures of kindness and daily rituals. The camera quietly observes the characters in a unique manner made famous by Ozu. He would place his camera three feet off the ground with very little or no movement at all capturing his characters from the perspective of a person seated on the ground allowing the audience to observe what’s occurring beneath the surface of the drama. Here he sketches the parents’ cool yet somehow touching relationship with each other, their disappointment in their offspring’s selfishness and the sense of their own ageing. Ozu discovers the pathos of everyday existence. There are no grand gestures or impassioned speeches, just resigned acceptance that things have a tendency to change for the worse rather than the better.
Taking a cue from a Japanese proverb, ‘’Take care of your parents while they are alive. You cannot help them from beyond the grave’’, the director, Yasujiro Ozu, takes this theme and creates a heartfelt and very moving drama contrasting the old traditional views practiced by the older generation with that of the modern westernized life in Tokyo. The story may be set in Japan during post-WWII 1950s but it’s devastating theme resonates even today and can be seen all around us everywhere and in many countries of the world. The film deals with the failed relations between parents and their grown-up children, caught up in an American-influenced, get-ahead mentality, symbolized by life in Tokyo. An elderly couple make the long train journey from their small fishing village to Tokyo to visit their children. During their stay they are treated politely but with a certain distraction; life moves quickly in the big city, and there is not always time for parents and their old fashioned provincial ways. The children dump them with the couple’s widowed daughter-in-law who provides them support, time and comfort which their own blood cannot be bothered to provide.
It is a simple story where nothing much happens but everything is so real that you feel part of the family and relate to the unforgettable characters as if they were perhaps your family, friends or neighbors. You are drawn to their mundane everyday lives, subtle gestures of kindness and daily rituals. The camera quietly observes the characters in a unique manner made famous by Ozu. He would place his camera three feet off the ground with very little or no movement at all capturing his characters from the perspective of a person seated on the ground allowing the audience to observe what’s occurring beneath the surface of the drama. Here he sketches the parents’ cool yet somehow touching relationship with each other, their disappointment in their offspring’s selfishness and the sense of their own ageing. Ozu discovers the pathos of everyday existence. There are no grand gestures or impassioned speeches, just resigned acceptance that things have a tendency to change for the worse rather than the better.
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Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (Karen Arthur, 1995) 5/10
The infamous Mia Farrow - Woody Allen - Soon-Yi Previn love triangle went from the tabloids to this made for television movie covering the story from Farrow's perspective. Mia Farrow (Patsy Kensit) and Woody Allen (Dennis Boutsikaris who is good as the director capturing the mannerisms and speech pattern) meet, fall in love and co-habitate although under different roofs across from each other at opposide ends of Central Park. She lives with her brood of adopted kids while he visits, becomes a part of their life and makes her into his muse directing her in 13 films. After 11 years together they have an acrimonius, tabloid filled breakup when she discovers nude photos of her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, in his apartment and she realises he is having an affair with her. She also accuses him of sexually abusing one of their kids. The story, via flashback, also covers Farrow's life growing up in the Hollywood household of the stern and philandering director-father, John Farrow, and actress-mother, Maureen O'Sullivan, who is too busy shooting films to be around. She becomes an actress finding fame on tv in "Peyton Place", gets married to much older Frank Sinatra who, after getting her into his bed says the corny line, "So how does it feel to have it "My Way". She becomes a huge film star after appearing in Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby", gets a divorce from Sinatra, marries a second time to Hollywood musician Andre Previn followed by hooking up with Woody Allen. By-the-numbers screen biography has Farrow coming off as increasingly needy and insecure. Patsy Kensit gives a one note performance going through the motions. In real life the actress had, as a child, played Farrow's daughter in the film version of "The Great Gatsby" so the film makers hoped that would resonate with fans. This is all pretty hokey stuff and can be watched as a history of Hollywood lore even though the screenplay is clearly on the side of the wounded woman. The young actress playing Soon-Yi is quite charming and cute quite unlike the real counterpart who is now married to Woody Allen and the mother of his two adopted children.
The infamous Mia Farrow - Woody Allen - Soon-Yi Previn love triangle went from the tabloids to this made for television movie covering the story from Farrow's perspective. Mia Farrow (Patsy Kensit) and Woody Allen (Dennis Boutsikaris who is good as the director capturing the mannerisms and speech pattern) meet, fall in love and co-habitate although under different roofs across from each other at opposide ends of Central Park. She lives with her brood of adopted kids while he visits, becomes a part of their life and makes her into his muse directing her in 13 films. After 11 years together they have an acrimonius, tabloid filled breakup when she discovers nude photos of her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, in his apartment and she realises he is having an affair with her. She also accuses him of sexually abusing one of their kids. The story, via flashback, also covers Farrow's life growing up in the Hollywood household of the stern and philandering director-father, John Farrow, and actress-mother, Maureen O'Sullivan, who is too busy shooting films to be around. She becomes an actress finding fame on tv in "Peyton Place", gets married to much older Frank Sinatra who, after getting her into his bed says the corny line, "So how does it feel to have it "My Way". She becomes a huge film star after appearing in Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby", gets a divorce from Sinatra, marries a second time to Hollywood musician Andre Previn followed by hooking up with Woody Allen. By-the-numbers screen biography has Farrow coming off as increasingly needy and insecure. Patsy Kensit gives a one note performance going through the motions. In real life the actress had, as a child, played Farrow's daughter in the film version of "The Great Gatsby" so the film makers hoped that would resonate with fans. This is all pretty hokey stuff and can be watched as a history of Hollywood lore even though the screenplay is clearly on the side of the wounded woman. The young actress playing Soon-Yi is quite charming and cute quite unlike the real counterpart who is now married to Woody Allen and the mother of his two adopted children.
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Bareilly Ki Barfi (Aishwiny Iyer Tiwari, 2017) 6/10
A variation on "Cyrano de Bergerac" set in small town India - Bareilly - with the actors speaking convincingly in the local accent. A free spirited girl (Kriti Sanon) buys a book and discovers the writer has written about a girl just like her and goes about looking for the author (his photo is on the back cover). The book's publisher (Ayushmann Khurrana) tells her the author (Rajkummar Rao) is his friend who left town. In actual fact he is the author of the book himself but put his shy friend's photo on the cover of the book. He falls in love with her and pretends to deliver her letters to the writer while responding himself. Matters get more complicated when he asks his shy friend to return, pretend to be boorish while wooing the girl in order to put her off him. The plan backfires. Not withstanding the ridiculous shenanigans this is a charming little film with the three stars giving earnest performances. Where the film really soars is in it's depiction of the small town, the offbeat quirky characters, the superb production design perfectly capturing the seedy lower middle class homes and costumes. Kirti Sanon who has an off-beat kind of beauty - tall, lanky, big toothy smile - not unlike Julia Roberts - has great screen presence and comes off very raw and real and is a breath of fresh air.
A variation on "Cyrano de Bergerac" set in small town India - Bareilly - with the actors speaking convincingly in the local accent. A free spirited girl (Kriti Sanon) buys a book and discovers the writer has written about a girl just like her and goes about looking for the author (his photo is on the back cover). The book's publisher (Ayushmann Khurrana) tells her the author (Rajkummar Rao) is his friend who left town. In actual fact he is the author of the book himself but put his shy friend's photo on the cover of the book. He falls in love with her and pretends to deliver her letters to the writer while responding himself. Matters get more complicated when he asks his shy friend to return, pretend to be boorish while wooing the girl in order to put her off him. The plan backfires. Not withstanding the ridiculous shenanigans this is a charming little film with the three stars giving earnest performances. Where the film really soars is in it's depiction of the small town, the offbeat quirky characters, the superb production design perfectly capturing the seedy lower middle class homes and costumes. Kirti Sanon who has an off-beat kind of beauty - tall, lanky, big toothy smile - not unlike Julia Roberts - has great screen presence and comes off very raw and real and is a breath of fresh air.