What Classics Did You See This Week? (24 June - 30 June)

^ Thank you!

I had an all murder mystery / film noir week.

The Garden Murder Case / Edwin L. Marin (1936). Running just 61 minutes, this tense, terse murder mystery proves very entertaining. Edmund Lowe takes the role of Philo Vance for this one film. He makes a good Vance, more vigorous and athletic looking than most others who have had the role. This one was based on a Vance novel by S. S. Van Dine so it is suitably complex, yet too many people die before the master amateur detective unravels the mystery and reveals the killer. Stealing the movie is actress Virginia Bruce as the major suspect in the case (so, of course, she is not guilty). Bruce, though, involves herself in the detection and is not lacking some theories of her own. I really enjoyed her in this movie.

Edmund Lowe and Virginia Bruce


Calling Philo Vance / William Clemens (1940). After a false start with a Philo Vance spy mini-adventure, this film reveals itself as a direct remake of one of the best ever Vance mysteries, “The Kennel Murder Case” (1933) starring a peerless William Powell. Except for the murder victim’s art collection being changed to secret plans for a new military aircraft, this is just the earlier movie right down to characters’ names, lines of dialog, camera setups, and even the same killer. The two dogs who help solve the case – Vance’s pup McTavish and the German Shepherd from next door to the murder house – are still part of the story even though the dog show sub-plot was jettisoned for the aforementioned spy intro. That said, James Stevenson (“The Letter”) makes a smooth Philo Vance in his only appearance in the role. For fans of animal actors: McTavish is played by Terry who just the previous year (1939) had become an international celebrity and star as Toto in “The Wizard of Oz.”

James Stevenson (right) as Philo Vance


Monument to Terry the Dog at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles (I have seen it and have my own snap of it).


Phantom of Chinatown / Phil Rosen (1940). The Poverty Row studio Monogram, trying to mount a series to compete with 20th Century Fox’s Charlie Chan films, picked the Oxford educated, San Francisco dwelling police consultant James Lee Wong and they signed Boris Karloff to play him. Five “Mr. Wong” films were made between 1938 and 1940, after which, Karloff bailed. The films had mostly been failures, weak scripts (for the most part, the first of the films, “Mr. Wong, Detective” wasn’t bad at all), low budgets, and mostly shot on cramped sound stages. After Karloff’s departure, an attempt was made to reboot the series with Keye Luke as James (Jimmy) Lee Wong, Jr. One trade paper announced that Luke had been contracted for four Jimmy Wong films a year. Alas, for Luke at least, “Phantom of Chinatown” was the only one produced. Monogram seems to have thrown more money at this one than they did on the Karloff efforts. The actions were more varied, out door locations were used (although these could have been stock footage), and, overall, more effort is put into it. Nevertheless, the script lets everybody down. Even though there are a couple of surprise developments at the very end, Jimmy doesn’t so much solve the mystery as set up a trap that brings all the culprits together. One thing to say about the whole thing is that of all the actors who floated through the Chan, Moto, Wong, and Fu Manchu movies, Keye Luke was the only person of Asian heritage to play an Asian lead. The script also shows a little progressive thinking. When it is announced that the sarcophagus of the Chinese King has arrived in San Francisco, Jimmy quips, “And a Chinese archeological expedition is digging up the grave of George Washington in exchange.” They even go all self-reverential in this exchange between Jimmy and Inspector Street (Grant Withers.):

Wong: In all the murder mysteries I’ve read and seen, the person they throw all the suspicion on is never the murderer.
Street: Maybe this is one time they’ll cross up the formula.
Wong: Oh, that’s too much to hope for.

To find out if it is or isn’t, you’ll have to watch the movie. I ain’t spillin’ the beans.

Asian-American actors Lotus Long and Keye Luke with Grant Withers


The Man Who Cheated Himself / Felix E. Feist (1950). This rarely seen film noir is really interesting. Shot on a shoestring with a lot of outdoor location filming in the San Francisco of 1950. Ed Cullen (Lee J. Cobb) is a senior detective in the homicide division of the SFPD. His kid brother Andy (John Dall – Rope, Girl Crazy) has just been promoted from uniform service. Ed chooses to mentor him. Meanwhile, Ed has got himself head over heels in a secret affair with a very rich society lady, Lois Frazer (Jane Wyatt). He realizes the Lois is not good for him but can’t break it off. Ed is with her the night her estranged husband, having set an alibi for himself, breaks into their house to murder Lois. Lois, however, kills him first. Ed, wanting to protect his lover, decides to rearrange things to suggest another scenario. But, of course, these things never go right and Andy quickly begins to suspect the truth. TCM commentator Eddie Muller seemed to find the idea of Lee J. Cobb as a romantic leading man and Jane Wyatt as a femme fatale to be amusing. He even brings up Wyatt’s role in the classic TV series “Father Know Best.” It seems a bit unfair to “type” her from a role she wouldn’t play for another four years after this film. My own take is they are both fine, playing a little against type. Cobb makes a good love-struck older man who seems to know, way down deep, that he is being used. Wyatt’s girl-next-door beauty and quiet demeanor makes her fatale even scarier when it emerges. She had already displayed another side of herself in 1948’s “Pitfall” when she showed a cold fury as a betrayed wife. A worthy film to add to your film noir list.

Jane Wyatt and Lee J. Cobb go on the run


Cobb and Wyatt at Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge, a setting familiar from “Vertigo”

Hopefully no one calls you foreign insults, Lebowskidoo, like what happened to me when I stupidly went over Zetes' head and opened this board back in IMDb December 2016.

Something that came to my attention yesterday. I recalled my first VHS recording back on June 23, 1988. My mother had been doing the recording for me. In this case it was COUNT DUCKULA on Nickelodeon, which usually aired on Saturdays but was given a temporary weekday airing that June (Nick called it 'Duck Season'). My pregnant mother was going to the hospital the next day in order to induce birthing my younger sister, so she taught me how to record. My first was 'Castle Duckula: Open to the Public.' 30 years later, on June 23, 2018, I VCR/VHS recorded a few minutes of DRAGON BALL SUPER "Come Forth, Shenron! Whose Wish Shall Be Granted?" (English version) on Cartoon Network. How about that?

DRAGON BALL SUPER (2017) "Fist Cross for the First Time! Goku VS Android 17!" The re-introduction of Android 17 into the series (aside from a cameo in the Buu Saga of DBZ). Bootleg DVD.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN THE FORGOTTEN YEARS (2002) Documentary on Chaplin's Exiled years, with interviews by children Michael, Geraldine, and Eugene, plus Peter Ustinov and Petula Clark (who performs their song "This Is My Song" on piano with misty eyes). Hart Sharp Video DVD.

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE MUSKETEERS (1967) Episode 8. Simply Media DVD.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN (2011) "As One's Friend" Viz Media DVD.

DRAGON BALL (1988) "Son Goku Finally Departs!" 30TH Anniversary. The final stage is set for the climax of the Piccolo Saga (Act 1)! Funimation DVD.

THE RICHARD PRYOR MOTION PICTURE (1983) 35TH Anniversary (this month). Okay, the actual title is SUPERMAN III, the third installment of the Christopher Reeve series (the second directed by Richard Lester), but the decision to put Pryor in this film (as well as Lester's use of slapstick) has given it some bad press as the 'jump the shark' point in the series. I do like Annette O'Toole's Lana, Pamela Stephenson's 'intellectual-pretending-to-be-a-bimbo' and Superman's inner battle in the junkyard. As a child, the scene where Annie Ross' character gets roboticized- her pupilless eyes opening!- freaked me out, as well as 'Bad' Supes growling words to 'Good' Clark (then again, each of the three Supes films had off-putting scenes for my childhood; Supes screaming over Lois' death, Non killing the Kryptonian guard ("Alert! Alert!"), and Superman having his cellular nature rearranged and depowered- looking all fleshy and skeletal). Warner DVD.

OLD TRICKS (2015) "Prodigal Sons" Amazon Prime.

Excellent week the standout highlights ..

 Shôwa zankyô-den , Brutal Tales Of Chivalry (1965)   Kiyoshi Saeki  EXCELLENT !!

                               

 Nihon jokyo-den: tekka geisha , Iron Geisha (1968) Kôsaku Yamashita   EXCELLENT !!

                          
Abashiri Bangaichi , Abashiri Prison (1965)  Teruo Ishii  EXCELLENT !!
                          
Ôdeiri , The Great Duel (1964) Kôsaku Yamashita  Excellent !
                                       
Sengo Saidai no Toba , Post War Gambler (1969) Kôsaku Yamashita  with Ken Takakura & Kôji Tsuruta  EXCELLENT !!!  reviewed at imdb ..
                                  

Hi all,along with continuing to watch the World Cup,I've recently seen:

Films of '69 trio:




The Cow. 9

Farming closer to the Neo- Realist movement than the French New Wave, writer/director Dariush Mehrjui & cinematographer Fereydon Ghovanlou give the village a dour appearance,where the subtle use of black and white shadows lining the streets reflecting what lays at the dark heart of the village. Lovingly following Hassan’s feeding of his cow, Mehrju and Ghovanlou take all that Hassan holds dear with flickering camera moves snapping Hassan’s breakdown. Dipping into the dark human horror which would be explored the same year in the Czech New Wave film The Cremator, Mehrjui whips Hassan with inhumane treatment from the the locals, captured in frenzied dissolves, fading to the overlooking figures in a landscape.

Born from Gholam-Hossein Saedi’s play,the screenplay by Mehrjui features the most prominent edge from the Iran New Wave (INW) via Mehrjui dissection of the greed and pettiness followed by all of the rural locals, with the thought they show towards giving Hassan the bad news,burning into vile outbursts as Hassan’s mental state degrades. Becoming completely separated from the villagers, Ezzatolah Entezami gives an incredibly expressive performance as Hassan,whose breakdown is treated with a gradual, earthy realism by Entezami,as Hassan looks in hope of seeing the cow on the field.




Détruire dit-elle (1969) 6



Uncle Jess's Marquis de Sade: Justine 7

Other films:



Pen huo mei ren yu (1970) 9- First IMDb review

Sending the islanders in a tizzy over the possible landing of a murderer, the screenplay by I. Fang Yeh draws an animated atmosphere with a zany pace that slings quirky mystery investigating and bubblegum pop teen romance. Pulling guitars out of the air for random songs, Yeh gives the dialogue an irresistible quirkiness which catches Jenny's romantic charms towards all the boys on the island.

Splashed with the primary colours of a Shaw Brothers production, director Chia-Hsiang Wu & cinematographer Shao-Yung Tung give Jenny's island adventure a stylish, glittering shine, as the vast wide-shots make the orange bikini-wearing Jenny and the high seas surrounding the island look beautiful. Grooving to a cartoon appearance, Wu and Tung send the camera zipping along to the catchy song numbers,and zooming-in on off-hand remarks the locals make over their suspicions of Jenny. Shimmering in a production made for her, Jenny Hu gives a breezy, charismatic performance as Jenny,with Hu giving the sweet Jenny a cheekiness which raises question over who killed the twelve lovers.



Disorder (2015) 7

Inspired by discussions with war photographers who talked about the difficult return to normal life and interviews with soldiers coming back from Afghanistan, co-writer/ (with Jean-Stéphane Bron & Robin Campillo) director Alice Winocour and cinematographer Georges Lechaptois detail the moments Vincent's PTSD rises to the surface with panning shots that single an isolated Vincent out in parties/when on guard duty. Dragging Vincent into the thankless job of taking care of an arms dealer family, Winocour takes the flick in a massive change of direction,by turning it into a home invasion Thriller,lined by tracking shots that run down darken corridors which feel like they go for miles, and stylish touch of having the attempts at home invasion take place at the edges of the screen.

Kept somewhat in the dark over how deeply involved the family is in the arms trade,Diane Kruger gives an enticing performance as Jessie,who is given a snappy edge by Kruger over the protection of the children and doubts on the level of "safety" Vincent offers. Struggling to hold things together,Matthias Schoenaerts (who only slept 2 hours a day when filming) gives a smashing performance as Vincent,who Schoenaerts (who spent 2 years with Winocour trying to get this made) gives a bone crunching anger to in the action scenes,which Schoenaerts keeps rooted to the psychological damage of Vincent's disorder.

“All the Money in the World” Distributed by Tri-Star Pictures, 133 Minutes, Rated R, Released December 25, 2017:

“Let me tell you about the very rich,” F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in 1926, “They are different from you and me.”

Had Fitzgerald been writing four decades later, he might’ve been referring to the oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty. Born in Minneapolis in 1892, Getty studied economics and political science at England’s University of Oxford, working during the summers in his father’s oil fields in Oklahoma.

Founding his own oil company in Tulsa following his graduation, Getty became a millionaire independent of his father by the age of 24. Beginning in 1949, Getty began to shrewdly invest in Saudi Arabian oil production, and through those investments eventually became one of the richest people in the world. “The meek shall inherit the earth,” Getty once said, “but not its mineral rights.”

Getty also earned a reputation as an eccentric and a miser, famously installing pay telephones in Sutton Place, his 72-room Tudor mansion outside of London.

In July of 1973, an organized crime group based in Calabria, Italy abducted Getty’s 16-year-old grandson, J. Paul Getty III, while the teenager was visiting Rome. The kidnappers demanded a $17 million ransom in exchange for the boy’s safe return.

The elder Getty flatly refused to submit to the group’s demands, claiming that paying the ransom would both place his other grandchildren at risk of copycat criminals and "guarantee...the increase and spread of lawlessness, violence, and such outrages as terror-bombings, skyjackings, and the slaughter of hostages.”

The story of the kidnapping of the teenaged grandson of the oil tycoon and older Getty’s refusal to pay the ransom is the subject of director Ridley Scott’s new motion picture, “All the Money in the World.” And while the picture is impressive enough in its own right, the production might ultimately be more notable for the events which occurred behind the scenes during its production.

Originally cast in the picture in the role of Jean Paul Getty was the two-time Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey. Based upon the footage of Spacey's performance circulated in the trailers for the picture, the 58-year-old actor was employing the extensive use of latex prosthetics to resemble the elderly Getty, who was eighty-one at the time of his grandson's 1973 kidnapping.

“All the Money in the World” had completed filming and post-production work and was in the final stages of synchronizing the music soundtrack to the film when on October 29 actor Anthony Rapp revealed in an interview that Spacey had made a sexual advance toward him when Rapp was fourteen years old.

Rapp’s allegation set off a firestorm of controversy, during which more than a dozen other men came forward alleging similar acts of misconduct or assault against Spacey. The actor subsequently issued a public apology to Rapp. On November 01 representatives of Spacey released a cryptic statement reading in part, “Kevin Spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment.”

Then, on November 9, motion picture distributor Tri-Star Pictures stunned the entertainment world by confirming that in consultation with director Ridley Scott, the decision had been made to remove the performance of Spacey from “All the Money in the World.” The removal of an actor’s characterization from a completed motion picture is unprecedented in motion picture history. Eighty-eight-year-old actor Christopher Plummer agreed to replace Spacey in the role of J. Paul Getty.

At the time of the November 9 announcement, “All the Money in the World” had been scheduled to premiere the following week, on November 16, at the prestigious American Film Institute Festival. The picture was also scheduled to be released to movie theaters across the United States on December 22—about six weeks from the time of Tri-Star’s announcement. Tri-Star Pictures withdrew “All the Money in the World” from the AFI Festival, but promised to complete the necessary modifications to the film in time for its December 25 release.

Inside the motion picture industry, still reeling from sexual misconduct accusations against producer Harvey Weinstein and others, the removal of Spacey's performance from "All the Money in the World" was viewed as a courageous and honorable decision.

“You cannot tolerate any kind of behavior like (Spacey’s),” director Ridley Scott told Entertainment Weekly magazine. “We cannot let one person’s action affect the good work of all those other people. It’s that simple.”

Actress Michelle Williams, who in the picture plays the former daughter-in-law of the elder Getty and the mother of the kidnapped grandson, agreed with Scott, telling the magazine, “This doesn’t do anything to ease the suffering of people who were personally affected by Kevin Spacey, but…it sends a message to predators: You can’t get away with this anymore. Something will be done.”

And for this reason, the director, cast and crew of “All the Money in the World” reconvened on soundstages in London and Rome during the nine days from November 21 to November 29, nearly three months after the completion of the film’s original production, to complete the necessary filming necessary to replace the performance of the disgraced Kevin Spacey.

And by all appearances, their efforts were successful—without knowing the story behind the production, a casual viewer is unlikely to identify any of the difficulties behind “All the Money in the World.”

Michelle Williams, also presently appearing in the delightful musical “The Greatest Showman,” contributes a customarily impressive performance in “All the Money in the World,” disappearing into the role of Gail Harris so completely that viewers unfamiliar with Williams’ previous performances might not even recognize the actress.

Less successful is actor Mark Wahlberg in his characterization as Fletcher Chase, a former CIA operative and advisor to J. Paul Getty who switches allegiance and begins to assist Williams’ Harris with negotiations between her and the kidnappers, as well as between her and her former father-in-law. This type of role is familiar territory for Wahlberg—the viewer gets the impression the performance is simply reheated from Wahlberg’s performances in other pictures.

Likewise, actor Charlie Plummer—no relation to Christopher—is fairly unmemorable as J. Paul Getty III, the kidnapped heir to the Getty fortune. Seemingly cast because of his close physical resemblance to the actual Getty heir, young Plummer had one or two effective scenes. But overall, with enough cosmetic enhancement the role could likely have been successfully played by any young actor…and more memorably by many of them.

But dominating “All the Money in the World” is actor Christopher Plummer in his performance as J. Paul Getty. Plummer’s Getty is obscene in his excess and gleeful in his malignant avarice: He is a monster who feeds upon the tears. Seemingly Getty’s riches aren’t enough—others must fail…miserably if possible. Plummer’s performance in this role is far, far removed from his signature characterization as Baron Von Trapp in 1965’s “The Sound of Music.”

During a scene in which Getty negotiates with his former daughter-in-law to fund a portion of the grandson’s ransom money—the portion allowed by a tax deduction—Getty’s representative reveals a stipulation—custody of the child must be relinquished to the grandfather. And although Plummer as Getty has no dialogue during the exchange, the actor watches Williams warily, suggesting with every nuance of his expression that the future care of the child is of secondary importance to the injury the elder Getty wishes to inflict on the boy’s mother. It’s a deliciously toxic moment, and Plummer pulls it off without a word.

“All the Money in the World” director Ridley Scott runs his customary tight ship on the production: Despite the family dynamic of the central drama of the story, the picture is pointedly devoid of sentimentality—appropriate for a film which attempts to describe Jean Paul Getty: Despite the excellence of the filmmaking and the quality of the production, the nature of the tale itself is distasteful, tawdry, and at times repugnant.

The picture opened on schedule, on Christmas Day, in 2068 theaters across the United States. The additional three-day delay from the announced December 22 release was not the result of production difficulties, but rather Tri-Star’s desire to avoid the continuing financial juggernaut of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

“All the Money in the World” earned $5.4 million in receipts during its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place at the box office against not only “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” but also such strong contenders as “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “Pitch Perfect 3,” and “The Greatest Showman.” The animated “Ferdinand” and “Coco” also finished ahead of the picture’s debut.

With critics, “All the Money in the World” fared somewhat better: The Rotten Tomatoes website reported an approval rating of 76% for the picture based upon the submissions of 111 critics. And Metacritic reported an average score of 73 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore assigned “All the Money in the World” an average grade of B.

Rated R for its adult nature and scenes of graphic violence including the harrowing mutilation of the young Getty by his kidnappers to provide “proof of life,” “All the Money in the World” is obviously not for younger or more sensitive viewers. But they’ll likely have little interest in the picture anyway.

It will be more interesting to learn whether “All the Money in the World” can stand the test of time on its own dramatic merit, or if the picture will ultimately become more of a curiosity—famous for its production difficulties, and as a symbol of the stand the filmmakers and the motion picture industry finally took against sexual harassment and violence.

THE VICTORS 1963 -- bleakest 1960s WW 2 war movie I have seen. Extremely demoralizing which no doubt was the intention. Predicts war mockumentary moments in Dr Strangelove by a year.
George Hamilton said of its box office fizzle: "was way too dark, foreshadowing the great paranoid movies of the later sixties, ahead of the bad times that seemed to begin with the Kennedy assassination."

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS 1968 -- I watched it for the third time and only afterwards realized it wasn't the AIP dub! Next time I will watch that version. I only listened to a snippet of it but the dubbing was far superior to the standard international version--which sounds old, but is very slap and dash.

NIGHT OF HATE -- Tomas Milian is rather muted in this crime film about thugs who hold a town hostage as they rob it. It's nowhere near as violent or abusive as one might expect, and it starts slow--but for some reason your attention is held and it builds up enough tension towards the end.

THE DEAD ARE ALIVE - 1972 watchable thriller but disappointing because it hinted at the supernatural and opted instead for a typical giallo story. The little known horror film TOWER OF EVIL from the same year could have been a template for it. John Marley does not play a Cuban band leader-he plays a Greek one.
He does a lot of yelling.