Murmur Of The Heart

1971 - France
Directed By Louis Malle


SYNOPSIS

14 year old Laurent (Benoit Ferreux) is a gifted student, living in an upper class family in 1950's France. As he becomes a man, experimenting in smoke, drink and sex, he suffers a heart murmur. After he recovers, he attends a sanatorium as he recovers and shares a hotel room with his mother (Lea Massari,) who's the most important woman in his life.

MY THOUGHTS

An amazing French film that should be better known.

Murmur Of The Heart perfectly captures all that is being a 14 year old with all the confusion, awkwardness, and budding sexuality. This is all due to Benoit Ferreux's outstanding performance. It's one of the best performances of a young actor in any language. His performance is the equal of Jean-Pierre Leaud's amazing performance in Francois Truffaut's similarly-themed (but very different) The 400 Blows. Ferreux never appears to be acting and is very natural and realistic in his portrayal of Laurent.

All the other actors also are very believable and help to create this very real world.

Plot-wise the film lacks in comparison to The 400 Blows... but then again this is more of a slice-of-life piece. It doesn't so much tell a story as it is just a peek into the life of a family and a young boy's coming of age.

Director Louis Malle no doubt based this film on his experiences growing up and it has a very autobiographical feel just like Truffaut's 400 Blows. This is made more evident by the film's very cheerful and, at times, silly tone... despite the darker aspects of the story. Laurent gets hit on by a priest, humiliated by his brothers after they set him up with a hooker, and... ahem... resolves part of his Oedipal complex (the non-murderous half.)
Despite the obvious autobiographical nature of Murmur... it's clear Malle is looking back fondly... it thankfully never appears sentimental or maudlin.... or sermonizes against the uglier aspects of the story. It has, in fact, no message. It is just telling a story.

The cinematography augments the autobiographical feeling. The film uses warm lighting and earthy colors to give it a homey, happy feel.

Adding to the autobiographical nature, we're treated to some of Malle's musical heroes like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sidney Bechet whose songs from the era comprise the awesome soundtrack.

To most, the film may be a little slow, but it is a deeply-engrossing, beautiful film that can truly be called "art."

Uncertainty

2009 - IFC Films
Directed By Scott McGehee and David Siegel


SYNOPSIS

Young couple Bobby and Kate (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins) flip a coin to decide their Fourth of July plans. They either attend her family's party in Brooklyn... or explore Manhattan and visit a friend's party that night. The story splits in two showing both results of the coin toss. One is an easy going day that involves finding a stray dog, while in the other a found cell phone leaves them running for their lives!

MY THOUGHTS

An interesting experiment that ultimately fails.

Splitting the story in two is an ingenious idea, something only the creativity of the independent film scene would devise.
The scenarios are complete contrasts and are like two entirely separate films. One a family drama, the other a mystery/thriller. In both, the main characters are very indecisive and are dealing with a huge dilemma... Kate is pregnant.

It's the same actors playing the same roles in both scenarios... except Joseph Gordon-Levitt is wearing a different shirt rendering it immediately easy to distinguish between the two story lines. The use of color is a very simple and clever way for the directors to keep the film easy to follow.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to impress me with each film he makes. Not only is he an amazing actor, but he knows how to pick unique and challenging scripts.
I was not aware of Lynn Collins before, but she holds her own against Gordon-Levitt's talents and is a revelation. The two have the chemistry of a real couple.
They are the film's only strength.

The story (stories) drag down the experimental nature of the film.

The family drama-half lacks any interest. It's no wonder why the couple was debating to go in the first place! Family dramas usually have little action but high levels of character development with lively conversations. There was little of either.

Also, The thriller-half  is very unbelievable. Why would someone have information stored on a simple cell phone that's worth half a million dollars to them? And how would someone charged with carrying that much responsibility, leave it in a cab? We're never given a definitive answer as to who these bad guys are or what they're doing. But they somehow show up within moments of tracing the found cell phone. It's just as ridiculous and unbelievable as the film Eagle Eye.

As for the film's message... I'm not sure if the directors were saying that:
1. Domestic life (family party) was happier and more comforting than the single life (running through Manhattan) and the two should settle down with child.
2. The internal conflict of trying to tell your family that you're pregnant is just as chaotic as the external conflict - running from assasins.
3. Big decisions are hard in any scenario.

I'm left feeling very... uncertain. (sorry)

Then there's the end...
The two stories never come together at the conclusion. We never find out what the couple has decided to do with their future, or if they've shaken the bad guys or found the stray dog's family. The lack of closure is a big letdown.

Uncertainty would have been a much more interesting and drama-filled if it used the same set up to show the results of a more important choice in the couple's lives (such as whether to have the baby/get an abortion.)

Apart from the fine performances from the leads, Uncertainty is certainly a letdown.

Sgt. Kabukiman, N.Y.P.D.

1990 - Troma
Directed By Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz


SYNOPSIS


The spirit of a long line of Japanese Kabuki actors is transferred into the body of a bumbling New York detective (Rick Gianasi.) Against his will, the sergeant transforms into Kabukiman with amazing superpowers (like shooting chopsticks.) He must find "The Evil One," who is destined to take over the world, and defeat him. A powerful and evil businessman (Bill Weeden) is revealed to be The Evil One. Now, Kabukiman must master his new powers and defeat the Evil One and his minions.

MY THOUGHTS

As you can tell from the synopsis (or even the title,) Sgt. Kabukiman, N.Y.P.D. is completely ludicrous.

The film is made by Troma and like all of its films, this is pure schlock.... but 'Grade A' schlock. Bad acting, over-the top story, horrible one liners, excessive violence and gore, gratuitous nudity are all traits of Troma... and are here in ample quantities. Kabukiman never takes itself seriously and is the absolutely perfect mastery of cheesiness and silliness in every possible form. Lacking the extreme violence and gore of other Troma films, this is far more accessible to the general public then their usual fair.

The film is a great send-up of the superhero genre and has a few nods to Superman: The Movie and Tim Burton's Batman. It's certainly on-par with Troma's greatest 'classic,' The Toxic Avenger.

Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.is a far cry from 'cinematic high-art' but it is a very entertaining film, ideal for a movie night/party for a group of friends looking for a fun 'bad' movie.

Peck's Bad Boy With The Circus

1938 - RKO
Directed By Edward F. Kline

SYNOPSIS

A gang of young friends led by Bill Peck (Tommy Kelly) is heading to summer camp, but get sidetracked when a circus comes to town. With his parents out of town, Bill spends all his money at the circus and is stranded. He hopes to hitch a ride with the circus to the next town, close to the camp... but he gets wrapped up in a battle between two competing circus acts and may miss the chance to defend his championship at the big race at camp.

MY THOUGHTS

A mildly amusing film that picks up steam and builds to a fun and hilarious conclusion.

The character of Bill Peck was the creation of author George W. Peck. His book Peck's Bad Boy had been previously filmed twice, in 1921 starring Jackie Coogan and in 1934 starring Jackie Cooper. 'Circus' is not based on any book and works as a sequel to the 1934 version, though the entire cast is different.

Tommy Kelly does a decent job holding the whole film together. He and his gang are no more as rough or tough as those in the Our Gang/Little Rascals comedies and their portion of plot could have been a rejected plot from those shorts. Apart from Kelly and the youngest gang member Pee Wee ('Spanky' McFarland,) the rest of the boys lack any individual personalities. Though, with the film's short b-movie length, there really isn't time to develop them.

The film is padded out to its 65 minute running time by introducing the rivalry between a lion taming act and a young girl doing tricks on horseback. The audience is immediately dropped into this feud and it takes a while to get our footing and find out who we're supposed to be rooting for.... even though we still aren't made to care. It's certainly made clear who's side we're on when the woman lion tamer causes the young girl to injure her ankle in a nasty spill.

This whole lame plot element does play out to perfection as Bill Peck must perform in the young girl's place... wearing her dress and a wig! The whole sequence is hilarious as the boy may have never even been on a horse before. He's attached to wires so he doesn't get injured... and spends most of the time floating in the air. Peck is then rushed to his camp to compete in the big race while still wearing the dress.
These ending sequences pick up the lackadaisical pace of the film and deliver laughs and excitement that the rest of the film does not.
It's a chore to sit through the first half of the film, but once it gets going, it's almost dynamite.

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

1933 - Germany
Directed By Fritz Lang


SYNOPSIS

A police investigation of a jewel heist leads them to Dr. Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge,) a man who's been mute and locked up in an asylum for a decade... and recently deceased. Is this master of hypnosis somehow controlling a group of thieves from beyond the grave?

MY THOUGHTS

Dynamic visuals and a still-relevant storyline make for an entertaining film.

I went into it expecting a horror film and not a crime film but it doesn't disappoint. The supernatural scenes of the ghostly Mabuse interacting and taking over his doctor are very effectively done and are downright creepy even today 80 years later.
The crime ring elements are on-par with the early Warner Brothers gangster films made at the same time. One scene far exceeds them though... when the bad guys shoot a cop who's figured them out while he's stopped at a traffic light. All the cars at the light drive off... except one.


The film is a sequel to the 1922 film Dr. Mabuse The Gambler, also directed by the legendary Fritz Lang. His last film would also visit Mabuse with 1960's The 1000 Eyes Of Dr. Mabuse. I have not seen either but am now eager to seek them out. This film clearly illustrates his talents as a filmmaker.

Mabuse lacks a central powerful acting performance like Lang's classic M, the film he did immediately prior to this. It does feature Otto Wernicke who played the same character (Inspector Lohmann) is both films. He is great, but the acting from everyone is overly melodramatic (and pales to M in every way) but doesn't detract from the film. It's almost expected in films of this vintage, so close to the silent era.

Visually the film is amazing. With the camera angles and use of shadows, the camerawork is clearly German expressionist. Combined with the subject matter, the film could be viewed as a proto-film noir.


Like Lang's epic Metropolis, Mabuse was heavily truncated and only recently have scholars been able to piece it back together. The Criterion DVD provides the most complete version of the film available.

You can definitely see a parallel with the villains in the film and the rise of Nazism in Germany at the time. Lang later claimed this was intended but that is in dispute (he liked to tell tale tales.) The rising Nazi government did seem to recognize this and banned the film. Mabuse didn't play in Germany until well after World War II. Parallels can also be drawn with terrorists in the modern age.

This remains a very accessible film and would be an excellent introduction to Fritz Lang's German work, if you haven't already seen M or Metropolis.

It Might Get Loud

2009
Directed By Davis Guggenheim


SYNOPSIS

3 generations of guitar gods (Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White) meet to discuss their instrument of choice and jam.

MY THOUGHTS

A unique, entertaining and different take on the 'rocumentary.'

It Might Get Loud mainly features the three guitarists on their own discussing their musical influences, how they work, showing off prized guitars, along with visits to important places in their careers (i.e. we see the mansion where Led Zeppelin recorded their 4th album.) We're treated to plenty of old concert footage and song clips. All these scenes are scattered throughout the film in a very scatter-shot order thats seemingly random like the splashes in a Jackson Pollock painting. The structure is a bit confounding but it keeps the film from falling into a boring routine.

The key to the success of the film is choosing the three guitarists. Page, The Edge, and White are all very different men from different backgrounds and different outlooks on music. When they tell their story, there's no common theme that runs through all three except the presence of a guitar and a love of music.

We never have to hear their band mates or fans/critics telling us how great these three are. (half of the film would have been Bono rambling endlessly!) You only ever hear the three stars tell their story and that's very refreshing.


But, I would have liked there to be more scenes of the three of them together talking (which seemed to be the premise of the whole film as evident in the trailer). There's actually very little of that, but they do jam together on several songs.
The three share many awkward moments during the jams because they all come from different schools - Page's influences are classical, blues and early rock, The Edge's are punk/new wave with plenty of technology and White's are bare-bones blues and punk. They don't completely gel but you wouldn't expect them to. The segments where each is on his own shows this by how completely different they approach music.

As a fan of 'rockumentaries,' and of these three amazing guitarists, I heartily recommend this documentary.
(and not to spoil anything... it DOES get loud)

Virginia City

1940 - Warner Brothers
Directed By Michael Curtiz


SYNOPSIS

Union Officer Bradford (Errol Flynn ) escapes from a Confederate prison with knowledge of a Confederate plot to ship gold to bolster their war-torn nation and leads a mission to stop it. Confederate Captain Irby (Randolph Scott) is leading the secret mission that will ship the gold from Virginia City, Nevada to the south. Both sides must contend with a dastardly Mexican bandito (Humphrey Bogart) who will stop at nothing to get the gold.

MY THOUGHTS

An entertaining B-movie... except it's an A-picture.

Michael Curtiz was well versed in action films, having directed all of Errol Flynn's 'swashbuckling films' like The Sea Hawk, Charge Of The Light Brigade and The Adventures Of Robin Hood (among others.) The action of a western is only a little bit different and he excels at this as well. The action looks great making the film look a lot better than it actually is.

The script is less as exciting. It's another very routine and predictable good conquering bad story. There are a few surprises along the way (like Flynn's prison sentence at the end,) but those are quickly tidied up.

Errol Flynn lacks the charm that made him a star and comes across rather bland. The character is a fairly bland one to begin with, so there was little for him to spice up... especially the romance.
Flynn's character's romance with Miriam Hopkins completely lacks the spark and chemistry of his several onscreen parings with Olivia De Havilland. The film would have done alright completely jettisoning this subplot and further developing the main plot to create something more original than a tacked-on romance to interest female viewers (who probably wouldn't be keen on seeing a western anyway.)

Surprisingly, Humphrey Bogart does OK as a Mexican. He's got the accent down pat but sadly doesn't have the menace or the screen time that even his basic supporting gangster characters did at the time. This was one of his final supporting roles and would soon graduate to lead roles by the end of the year.

The film makes great use of the many familiar faces of the Warner Brothers stock company who all shine in brief roles.

Virginia City is an entertaining and serviceable western but lacks much spark or originality.

Night And The City

1950 - 20th Century Fox
Directed By Jules Dassin



SYNOPSIS

Grifter Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) finds a foolproof way to break into the wrestling promotions racket in London... by recruiting wrestler Gregorius The Great (Stanislaus Zbyszko,) father of main promoter Kristos (Herbert Lom.) Fabian books a fight between one of Kristos' wrestlers and Gregorius' protege. But before the fight Kristos' wrestler attacks Gregorius and kills him. Kristos puts a 1000 Quid price on Fabian's head and soon every lowlife in London is looking for him.

MY THOUGHTS

Though made in England, Night And The City is a perfect fit with American film noir. The look of noir, with its deep, moody, shadowy world, is certainly present, as is it's dark storyline with seemingly every shady character working to sell out and double-cross each other.

The two leads also made a splash in the genre.

Richard Widmark seems to be tailor-made for film noir. His best roles of his early career are ones playing dark, troubled, mentally-shaky, amoral, underworld types. Harry Fabian plays to his strengths and the sleazy swindler is mesmerizing to watch. Fabian is far from a sympathetic character, yet we root for the doomed man anyway. Widmark's performance ranks with his Oscar-nominated debut in the noir Kiss Of Death and he made several other noirs during his early years.

One of the first ladies of film noir, Gene Tierney, is totally wasted here. She only appears occasionally... and her role solely consists of being the tortured girlfriend. All she wants is for Fabian to settle down and get a straight job. Tierney worked in noir many times, most famously as Laura.

After seeing Herbert Lom so many times on the verge of tears and a nervous breakdown as Dreyfus, Inspector Clouseau's boss, in the Pink Panther films, its great to see him in a much darker and sinister role.

Director Jules Dassin weaves a very entertaining and well-paced tale. Any time the film appears to slow down, it is really setting up another twist to the plot. Every twist helps further the story and adds intrigue. This was Dassin's final work with a US studio. He was soon blacklisted and labeled a communist. This was an excellent swansong (though he would make more films in Europe.)

Night And The City (though somewhat overlooked) is a top-shelf noir and should not be missed.

Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways

2004
Directed By Victory Tischler-Blue

SYNOPSIS

A documentary that chronicles the 5 year run of the hard rockin' all-teen girl group The Runaways in the late 1970's.

MY THOUGHTS

An interesting but flawed, documentary.

The most entertaining part of Edgeplay is when the members 'dish the dirt' about the other members and their management. The women still have strong feelings (good and bad) about their bandmates after all these years... and that's when they are at their most animated. The director, Victory Tischler-Blue, was a former member of the group, so that adds some intimacy to the film and the band members are clearly more comfortable and willing to open up to her than some anonymous stranger.


But, Edgeplay is far from a definitive look back at the band for several reasons.
1. The most famous member of the group, Joan Jett, does not appear at all. With a former member at the helm, its very odd she is not present. Perhaps she didn't want to open old wounds?
2. Apart from 2 cover songs The Runaways recorded, none of their music appears. Cherry Bomb, their most famous song, is the only song they recorded that's even mentioned.
3. None of their album covers or promo photos are to be seen either. All we see are very grainy home movies and some stage footage from their Japan tour... and some footage so grainy it could be of ANYONE.
4. Little is mentioned of what happened to these women after the band. Joan Jett went on to great success and Lita Ford on to lesser success, but what of the others? Once the band ends, so does the documentary.

The film does not hold a candle to any of the great rock and roll documentaries... but you can still learn what it was like to be in the Runaways.

Hollywoodland

2006 - Focus Features
Directed By Allen Coulter


SYNOPSIS

The death of TV's Superman, George Reeves (Ben Affleck,) is ruled a suicide. His mother (Lois Smith) doesn't believe it was suicide and hires a detective (Adrian Brody.) The detective uncovers many possible suspects and clues overlooked by the police that point to murder.

MY THOUGHTS


One of Hollywood's greatest death mysteries gets the big screen treatment.

 Hollywoodland presents many of the possible scenarios that may have occurred surrounding George Reeves' death in 1959. It also raises many of the questions surrounding evidence, a half-assed autopsy, and possible studio hush-ups. Like real life, the film does not offer a conclusive answer as to what happened that night. So much time has passed that we will likely never know.
 

Adrian Brody's character is a scumbag, but not so much we can't root for him. But he's of questionable moral fiber like the best film noir-type protagonist. His role is fictionalized in the story. The role brings a lot of baggage that's unnecessary to the story (but more on that later.) At many points the role seems like a cheap knock-off of Phillip Marlowe, just not as interesting. But Brody makes the most with the little he has.

Ben Affleck does his best dramatic work of his career here. His George Reeves appears like a fully-realized and complex person despite his limited screen-time (limited to flashbacks.)


The filmmakers did an amazing job at recreating the 40's and 50's time period. It's not quite as an elaborate job as other films, like L.A. Confidential, with major street scenes and location shooting, but it is a more intimate and 'small' film. The sets and costumes are simply perfect. There are also subtle differences that distinguish the 'modern day' and flashback footage so we're never confused.

Hollywoodland does drag in many spots. Brody's (estranged) family life seems tacked-on to humanize him more and allow for an actual resolution in the end (since the Reeves case has none.) The scenes with his son and his ex lack the punch that Brody's investigative scenes have and come across as dull and trite.
Otherwise, the rest of the film is strong and would fit in perfectly with the noir films of the 40's and 50's.

Make Way For Tomorrow

1937 - Paramount Pictures
Directed By Leo McCarey


SYNOPSIS

An elderly couple (Victor Moore + Beulah Bondi) loses their home to the bank. Their children take them in but only have room for one at each place, so the couple of 50 years must be split up. The both suffer loneliness at the separation.... still madly in love.

MY THOUGHTS

A forgotten classic.

In the golden age of cinema, each major studio strove to make about 50 films a year, resulting in several hundred films a year just from them. B-movie studios and other fly-by-night companies contributed hundreds more. In a setting like that, you would have to factor that many fine films fell through the cracks and into obscurity. Make Way For Tomorrow is one of them.


It lacks a big-name cast (but filled with familiar faces) and deals with the unpopular topic of the elderly... which contribute to its obscurity.


Seniors are rarely the focus of films and even fewer films featuring them are successes. Plus it doesn't help that 'Tomorrow' is a sad film. At the height of the Depression, a sad film was the last thing anyone wanted to see anyway and the film flopped.

Thankfully, the Criterion Company has resurrected the film for DVD.
It was one of hundreds of films Paramount sold to Universal in the 1950's to be sold for television. Universal has barely touched that pile of films for DVD release and those it had released had been lacking in quality prints and bonus features (like the Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection and Preston Sturges: The Filmmaker Collection box sets.) 'Tomorrow" never even made it to VHS and finally hit DVD in 2010.
Criterion licensed this important film from Universal and provided an outstanding looking print that looks like it has aged little in 70+ years. Its as good as or better than the usual Criterion quality, which is the vanguard for the entire DVD industry.

Director Leo McCarey made his name as a comedy director ( he put Laurel and Hardy together and directed such classics as The Awful Truth, Duck Soup and Going My Way) but he turns to drama here. There is plenty of humor here though mostly subtle and never laugh-inducing.

It is a perfectly crafted film. It's never overly maudlin or sentimental... yet also never overly cynical or mean spirited. The couple's children are never pegged as bad people for not completely focusing on their parents.  They have their own lives to lead... and McCarey doesn't ever preach that this is wrong even though many of them make up bogus excuses why NOT to take in the elderly couple. The old husband and wife are also portrayed as both victims and as people who are just clearly in the way of their children's lives (like in the bridge game class.)
Like my previous review of Coal Miner's Daughter, everything is presented in a realistic and matter-of-fact way, free of director's prejudices.


Fans of classic cinema, especially ones looking for something rare, different, and subtly powerful could not find anything better than Make Way For Tomorrow.

Coal Miner's Daughter

1980- Universal Pictures
Directed By Michael Apted


SYNOPSIS

This biopic traces the life of Loretta Lynn. Growing up in a poor mining town, 13-year old Loretta (Sissy Spacek) meets returning Army vet Doolittle Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones.) The two fall in love, marry, and have several children. For an anniversary present, Doolittle give Loretta a guitar because he loves the way she sings. She cuts a record and finds herself on the Grand Ole Opry... and before long a country superstar.

MY THOUGHTS

What could be just a standard showbiz documentary is elevated by its two masterful lead performances.


On the surface, the relationship between Loretta and Doolittle is more than creepy. A grown man marrying a 13 year old is unsettling... and their relationship is far from smooth sailing (but they stayed together for nearly 50 years before his death in 1996.)
Refreshingly, director Michael Apted presents everything in a matter-of-fact way and never gets preachy and influences our opinions of the characters. He doesn't paint Doolittle as a horrible person, or Loretta's parents as bad people for allowing the marriage. Loretta also is never portrayed as a victim (or a saint.)

The rural Kentucky life depicted early in the film seems very authentic and doesn't appear "Hollywoodized." This and the lack of hillbilly stereotypes help to set up the realism that is conveyed in the performances.

Sissy Spacek totally nails the character of Loretta Lynn. She's a perfect mimic in every way. The speaking AND singing voice, mannerisms, innocence and the spunk are all perfectly replicated. With only minimal costuming and hairstyle changes, she expresses the decades that pass during the course of the story, just by the subtle levels of confidence her character has (via her posture, boldness, etc.)
Spacek is an outstanding actress, she can convey the complex emotions of a deceptively 'simple' character  and comes across as real as the real Loretta Lynn.
Spacek deservedly won an Oscar.

Tommy Lee Jones has the most difficult role in the film. He must antagonize the main character, who is adored by millions, yet somehow NOT come off looking like a monster. He's a perfect match for Spacek, they both  portray their roles as realistically as possible. Doolittle has more than a few rough edges and rarely admits his love for Loretta... but Jones is able to convey this with just body language and actions. A lesser actor could not pull that off as subtly.
It's a real shame Tommy Lee Jones has seemingly been pigeonholed playing lawmen and authority figures since his Oscar win for The Fugitive. Even in quality films like No Country For Old Men, he never gets the chance to flex his acting muscles as strongly as he did here.

Beverly D'Angelo (as Patsy Cline) and Levon Helm (as Loretta's father) provide more than solid support.

The film's structure is pretty basic, following Loretta Lynn's entertaining autobiography. The book never dragged, but the film does in many spots and could have even shaved a good 10-20 minutes from it.


Even people who loathe country music should find plenty to enjoy here since it's not focused on the music... it's focused on the life of Loretta Lynn and music is only a part of it all.

F For Fake

1973
Directed By Orson Welles


SYNOPSIS

A documentary that focuses on forgeries in the arts. Infamous art forger Elmyr de Hory is first examined... then his biographer Clifford Irving who notoriously also forged an 'authorized' biography of Howard Hughes. Director Orson Welles confesses some of his own forgeries before unleashing another.

 MY THOUGHTS

This was essentially Orson Welles final (completed) feature film as a director.

His genius as a film-maker also prevents F For Fake from being just a typical documentary.
The film zigzags between its subjects in a lyrical free-form fashion, never lingering on one subject long enough to get boring.
One of the great ironies of 'F' is it's 'stream of consciousness' structure. What onscreen seemingly appears to be 'off the cuff' is actually meticulously planned and arranged... so the entire film's structure, in a way, is itself a forgery! No doubt Orson Welles was fully aware of this ironic joke and intended it.



Welles' own narration and on screen presence ties the pieces of story together. His spirited and impassioned delivery and sense of humor make for a very entertaining film. He has the spirit of a young child full of pranks and lies, with a twinkle in his eye. This is most evident when he's discussing his own forgeries, like his start as an actor (possibly itself a lie) and his legendary War Of The Worlds radio broadcast that duped the entire country. He also lies stating Citizen Kane was originally to be about Howard Hughes and would have starred Joseph Cotten in the lead. Cotten appears, to back up his pal's false claims, duping the audience. These little lies build until we're treated to a very big one at film's end.



Any film geek should definitely seek this film out, just to study its structure, pacing and editing. On the technical side, it's just as engrossing as Welles' Citizen Kane.

The 'art' of forgeries may seem like a weak topic for a feature film documentary... but 'F' is more than just  forgeries. It examines what art is... and how we look at it. The paintings may be fakes, but are they not art? The works don't physically change once we find them to be frauds, but we judge them differently.
Welles also hits on other weighty topics like death... and that life may just be one big illusion.

F For Fake is a unique and engaging piece of cinema from one of it's masters.

Moon

2009
Directed By Duncan Jones


SYNOPSIS

In the near future, Earth's  energy woes are solved by mining on the moon. Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is the sole worker at the Lunar Company's base and is weeks away from going home. His only company is the computer GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey.) When investigating some malfunctioning mining equipment, Sam crashes. When he comes to, he has no memory of the incident. Once healthy, he defies orders and heads back to the mining equipment, only to find himself barely alive in the lunar rover. He brings the other back to base and they find out their clones... and their company has many dark secrets. They must find a way to get to Earth

MY THOUGHTS

This is a perfect example of what Sci-Fi should be... but rarely is.

The best science fiction always transfers modern day social issues and talks about them in abstract terms in a futuristic setting. Moon tackles cloning, self identity, and the corporate/capitalist mentality. All of these factor into the story without being too heavy handed and weigh down the narrative.

The best sci-fi values story over special effects. The special effects in Moon are low tech. The old school style of using actual models over CGI actually makes them look real. Even a bad eye can easily pick out computer graphics because they've yet to completely perfect them to fool the eye. Here, the moon appears as real as looking at high-quality images from the Apollo missions.

Moon has more than a few nods to 2001: A Space Odyssey. GERTY is clearly HAL - the next generation. But Moon has much more humanity than the austere 2001. Moon is also vaguely similar to the 1972 and 2002 versions of Solaris.

Kevin Spacey's voice and other actors appear on the periphery. Sam Rockwell is the star. He's proved himself to be a very versatile actor over the years... yet this is his career highlight. He plays two versions of Sam. Both are clearly the same guy with the same memories, hopes and aspirations (built in to the clones) but are subtly different. One is subtly more quick to anger, the other is subtly more artistic and introspective. You never question who is who. He does a marvelous job.

Director Duncan Jones hits a home run with his first film. The son of David Bowie shows a very bright future as a film-maker

Bugsy

1991 - Tristar Pictures
Directed By Barry Levinson


SYNOPSIS

New York mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (Warren Beatty) heads to Los Angeles to consolidate, run, and expand the small time mob operations. The gangster succeeds and falls in love with a nightclub singer (Annette Bening.)  Siegel then hatches an outrageous plan... to build an enormous hotel and casino in a small back water town called Las Vegas... where gambling is legal. The costs of his venture skyrocket... angering his skeptical big time investors back east.

MY THOUGHTS

A flawed film about a very flawed man.

Bugsy takes way too many liberties with history in order to tell a better story. The Flamingo was really the third hotel/casino on the Las Vegas Strip, not the first as depicted here. Siegel did not come up with the idea for, or have anything to do with the construction of the Flamingo until late in the game. Many events are also shuffled around.
The quick-tempered and very violent Siegel is significantly toned down in order to fit a 'leading man' type of role opposed to a villainous one.
Anyone who's looking for an accurate portrayal of the history of Siegel and his Vegas/LA dealings would be better suited reading a book or watching a History Channel documentary.

Still, the film does give a lavishly detailed look at life in the 40's. The film spared no expense in recreating the period. The costumes, hair, makeup, sets, music, etc. really help to transport you back in time. Barry Levinson's direction helps to bring the most out of the settings.

Story-wise, the film brings nothing new to the gangster genre. It's the same rise and fall tale that had already been told several times by the time Little Caesar and The Public Enemy made instant stars of Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney (respectively) back in 1931. 60 years later, Bugsy was able to amp-up the violence and language... but still paled in every way to Goodfellas released the year before. Goodfellas brought new stuff to the table.

Warren Beatty does a solid job as Siegel, but his performance lacks that spark that most of the big screen gangsters have, including his own take on Clyde Barrow in Bonnie And Clyde. The script sanitized much of Siegel's darkest edges. I would have liked to see Beatty much more edgier here.. but it was not to be.
He was nominated for an Oscar, though Bugsy is far from one of his best roles.
His best scenes show off his great chemistry with co-star Annette Bening, and they married shortly after filming.

Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley play Mickey Cohen and Meyer Lansky. Both are amazing actors but the roles are basically 2-dimensional and they suffer as a result... yet both were also nominated.

Joe Mantegna is woefully miscast as George Raft. Mantegna's laid-back, cool approach (he's practically the same in everything) couldn't be further from the street-bred tough guy Raft. In real life, Raft grew up on the rough streets of Hell's Kitchen and never lost the rough edges that an upbringing like that would create. Mantegna conveys none of this. he comes off like a cream-puff.

Somehow, Bugsy won a Golden Globe for Best Drama over The Silence Of The Lambs... but thankfully Oscar corrected this.
Bugsy is not a terrible film by any means... but the results are disappointing considering the subject matter and the talent involved to tell this story.

Miracle Of Morgan's Creek

1944 - Paramount Pictures
Directed By Preston Sturges


SYNOPSIS

A teenage girl (Betty Hutton) attends an all-night sendoff for some troops before they head off to World War II. The next day she hazily remembers marrying one of them but doesn't remember who... and soon after realizes she's pregnant. She seeks help from a young man (Eddie Bracken) who's loved her all his life and is labeled 4-F (can't go to war) agrees to marry her. She falls for him and their troubles increase.

MY THOUGHTS

The 'Miracle' of Morgan's Creek is that it made it past the censors.

There are so many taboo subjects tackled by the film... it's a wonder it made it to theaters intact. Jabs against marriage, the military (during wartime,) underage drinking, Hitler, small town values, and more risque subjects are tackled in this supreme farce.
Plus, there's the whole 'getting pregnant out of wedlock' thing that somehow got by the VERY strict production code.

The frenetic pacing, witty dialogue, and pratfalls eclipses even the best screwball comedies. The film has to be one of writer-director Preston Sturges' sharpest comedies... and with his filmography it's an impressive mark. He was one of the first (if not THE first) writer/director in Hollywood. Most of his films were in a similar comedic vein sharing many of the same personnel.... but never as biting as in Miracle. The satire of Miracle of Morgan's Creek is equal to or even sharper than the Marx Brothers at their best.

One of the keys of the film's success lies with it's leads Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken. Even with the outstanding writing, the film would not succeed at all without their brilliant and hilarious performances. Sturges regular William Demarest, as Hutton's father, is also a main highlight.

Preston Sturges delivers a miracle... both being controversial and uproariously hilarious at a time of heavy censorship... all the while poking fun at said censorship and delivering a masterpiece.

Orgy Of The Dead

1965
Directed By Stephen C. Apostolof

SYNOPSIS

A couple (William Bates + Pat Barrington) drive to a cemetery late at night. They crash their car. When they regain consciousness, weird music attracts them to the cemetery. The couple spies a series of undead women stripping for The Emperor of the Night (Criswell) Soon, a mummy and a wolf-man capture the two,  tie them up, and force them to... watch more undead strippers do their thing.

MY THOUGHTS

The film marked a new low in Ed Wood's flagging career.

Though he did not direct the film, many of his hallmarks are all over the Orgy Of The Dead.

Ed Wood wrote the screenplay. It features many deathless lines ( "Torture, torture! It pleasures me!"
"A pussycat is born to be whipped," etc.) but doesn't feature any badly circular dialogue (like "future events such as these will affect you in the future" from Plan Nine From Outer Space) Maybe he had time to do a second draft. The screenplay was based off a book he wrote of the same title. I hope much of the plot of the novel was cut from the script because I don't know how he would have been able to even fill 20 pages of a book.


Wood regular (and bogus psychic) Criswell stars as The Emperor, as well as narrates the film much like he did in Plan Nine. He delivers dialogue like no other...

Another Wood trademark... we get two noticeably bad out of focus stock footage shots of a rattlesnake inserted into the film. A plastic snake filmed on-set would be less jarring.

Lastly, the overwhelming ineptness surrounding the production. The acting is atrocious from everyone involved. The first few strippers dance like they were just released after being chained to the wall of a dungeon for 10 years... and learning to use their leg and arm muscles again. Very un-sexy. Thankfully, it seems they were arranged from worst to best in dancing ability. So each one seems to get better.... though it doesn't look like any of them bothered to choreograph a routine. The cameraman tries to follow them the best he can.



The film does differ from Ed's 'classic' 1950's output.

First, it's in color. The film's only set is lit like, and resembles, a second-rate alien planet set from the original  Star Trek series. It lacks any moody atmosphere that would add to the 'horror' like his older films.

Second, tits. The 1960s helped to destroy the old standards of 'decency" in place since Victorian England. Fringe films such as this helped...but there are so many boobs on display for minutes on end that the audience (even in 1965) would be desensitized to them by the end of the film. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Orgy Of The Dead is truly a terrible film... but it would be highly enjoyable and a hilarious time mixed with good friends and copious amounts of alcohol.

In A Lonely Place

1950 - Columbia Pictures
Directed By Nicholas Ray


SYNOPSIS

Down-on-his-luck screenwriter Dix Steele (Humphrey Bogart) invites a coat-check girl back to his place. She later turns up dead and he's suspected... given the history of his violent temper. His new next door neighbor (Gloria Grahame) gives an alibi for him to the cops. The two meet and fall in love, but his temper begins to make her suspect he did kill the woman... and she wants to get away!

MY THOUGHTS

A somewhat overlooked classic.

In A Lonely Place is a film noir, but it is a far different animal than other Bogart noirs like The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, and Key Largo. The look of noir is present with the film's beautiful photography. The high contrast shadowy looks amazing. But crime usually plays an important role in noir, but here it exists only on the periphery... in how the characters react to it. This helps to focus the story more on the two main characters.

Bogart is great in the role. At the same time, you both sympathize with him as a lonely man trying to conquer his demons and find love AND you feel the same fear of him that Gloria Grahame does. both likable and detestable at the same time. It's a masterful performance and ranks as one of his best. Grahame is also great and gives a very realistic performance. She was in a deteriorating romance with director Nicholas Ray at the time of making this film, which probably added much to her understanding of the role.

The story also exists as a Hollywood tale. It's not as sharply bitter of a story as Sunset Boulevard (released the same year) but it does take many potshots at the 'money vs. art' conundrum that is the essence of Hollywood film-making (for some anyway!)

In A Lonely Place is an outstanding film and should be better-known than it is.

The Awful Truth

1937 - Columbia Pictures
Directed By Leo McCarey


SYNOPSIS

A married couple (Irene Dunne + Cary Grant) accuse each other of infidelity and decide they must divorce. In the 90 days it takes for the divorce to become final, they both seek out new romances... only to have their soon-to-be-ex foil their chances at love.

MY THOUGHTS

One of the very best screwball comedies.

Irene Dunne is the highlight of the film. Her hilarious performance deservedly got her an Oscar nomination. She is top-billed over Cary Grant (whose star was still rising) and steals every scene they share. I've never seen her in anything before and will definitely seek her out in the future. Her character balances high-class elegance with a much lower wickedness.

Cary Grant excelled at screwball comedies, here especially, and appeared in many of the greats like Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, and His Girl Friday. Friday also teamed him up with Ralph Bellamy who plays a remarkably similar role here as the new man in Grant's ex's life. Here, Grant is given a chance to shine with many pratfalls and many moments of general silliness.

Leo McCarey won an Oscar for his direction. Though the film's plot is very implausible, his direction keeps the film moving at a fast pace so you'd never get a second to stop and think. The humor also builds throughout and culminates in the hilarious scene where Dunne's character (as Grant's sister) meets his fiancee and family. That scene is THE highlight of the film (though there are many other memorable moments.)

If you've never seen a classic screwball comedy, The Awful Truth is a great jumping off point. You can't go wrong... and that's the awful truth!

Nancy Drew, Reporter

1939 - Warner Brothers
Directed By William Clemens



SYNOPSIS

Nancy Drew (Bonita Granville) enters a newspaper contest for student reporters. She switches her story assignment with a 'real' one... a woman (Betty Amann) on trial for murder. Nancy believes the woman is innocent and drags her neighbor Ted (Frankie Thomas) into the search for a missing piece of evidence that can exonorate the woman.

MY THOUGHTS

A fun, fast-moving classic.

'Reporter' is the second in a four film series cranked out in 1938-39. It is a B-movie with a run-time of roughly an hour and 8 minutes, but has enough plot to fill at least 90 minutes. Warner Brothers knew how to make fast-paced films and this is a perfect example. There's no fluff, everything exists to move the plot along.



Unlike the fairly serious book series that inspired it, Nancy Drew, Reporter is a comedy. It has the same light breezy tone of MGM's Thin Man series (without the booze!) and is a great mix of laughs and detective work.

Nancy Drew could easily come off as a pushy, annoying know-it-all, but Bonita Granville adds oodles of charm to make her more than bearable. She is always outsmarting all the adults around her but not rubbing their faces in it.
Granville has great chemistry with her neighbor/desired boyfriend Ted played by Frankie Thomas. Thomas is responsible for much of the humor and has great goofy appeal that makes him a perfect sidekick. Ted's tag-along sister and her friend are annoying, but are not in the film enough to get on anyone's nerves.

Because of the fast pace and short running time a possible budding romance between Nancy and Ted is only hinted at, thankfully, because it would likely have slowed down the pace of the film.

Nancy Drew, Reporter is a fun romp filled with much humor, suspense, intrigue, and even a silly musical number and is highly recommended

Topaz

1969 - Universal Pictures
Directed By Alfred Hitchcock



SYNOPSIS

Just before the Cuban Missile Crisis erupts, a high-ranking Russian KGB officer (Per-Axel Arosenius) defects to the United States. The defector details a large international spy ring run by the Russians that involves several high-ranking people in the French government. An American agent (John Forsythe) secures some help from his friend, French agent Andre Devereaux (Fredrick Stafford) to help expose the spies.

MY THOUGHTS

One of Alfred Hitchcock's weakest American films.

Topaz is lacking much of what made Alfred Hitchcock's films great.
First, The characters are bland. The lead is not an out-of-his-element everyman that the audience can relate to, but a professional who doesn't emote. Frederick Stafford is no Cary Grant or James Stewart.
The standard 'Hitchcock blond' has little to no bearing on the story and is forgettable.
There's no sign of the trademark gallows humor (nor much of any humor at all) in Topaz.
The music score also lacks any impact. Bernard Herrman's music is sorely missed here.

And most importantly, apart from one or two scenes, Hitchcock's famous ability to create suspense via editing and camera angles is absent.

I suppose you could make an argument that Hitch was trying to do something different, but the film is remarkable similar to his previous film. The Cold War globe-trotting espionage thriller Torn Curtain contains all the elements that made his films succeed and is FAR stronger and more entertaining. His other 'departure' films like The Trouble With Harry are still identifiably Hitchcock (and watchable.)

Topaz film can be divided into three parts. 1-New York/Washington, 2- Cuba, 3-France. It starts off strong and each part becomes duller than the last. The further the film goes along, the action subsides and the film just devolves into characters sitting around and talking. You should get a prize if you're still awake during the third segment!

Though it does have its moments, Topaz is recommended for completists only. If you want to see Hitchcock weave his magic with Cold War intrigue, see Torn Curtain.

Scream Blacula Scream

1973 - American International
Directed By Bob Kelljan


SYNOPSIS

Police suspect a voodoo cult after several blood-less bodies turn up with puncture wounds on their neck. The recently-revived Blacula (William Marshall) is the real culprit and he needs a voodoo master (Pam Grier) to help extricate the demon inside of him so he can become human again and die peacefully.

MY THOUGHTS

This sequel is far superior to the original, not that that's saying much...

Scream Blacula Scream is uneven and has tone problems. Is it camp or is it horror? It seems to be wrestling with itself the entire way. The suspense of several chilling vampire attack scenes is deflated by many cheesy or downright ludicrous moments that occur way too frequently. (Blacula turning into a clearly animated bat, among others)


Those are not the film's only problems.There is little to no action and the makeup effects and the biting/gore are kept to a minimum (likely because of the tiny budget.)
Then there's the ending. It just ends. There's no resolution to the plot. Do the cops get Blacula? Does Blacula get de-vampired? Does Blacula become Pee Wee Herman's King of Cartoons? We'll never know.

William Marshall shows more dimension to the Blacula role here than in the first. He has a great screen presence and stands almost equal to the best of the big screen's vampires. The screenplay helps by almost making him a sympathetic monster like a King Kong. The little humanity left in him wants to extricate the demon inside so he can die and find peace. The inner battle of human vs. monster of the vampire was rarely touched-upon until this film (and later perfected on TV's Buffy The Vampire Slayer.)

Pam Grier showed boatloads of charisma in her star-making blaxploitation classics Coffy and Foxy Brown (made around this time.) Here, she's leaden and dull. But there's not much to her character. She's an expert in voodoo. That's about all we learn. But Marshall and Grier play off each other well.

Scream Blacula Scream is far from the perfect vampire film, but it is still good enough to hold interest for fans of the genre.