What classics did you see last week, Mar 20 to Mar 26?

California Suite (1978) 7/10

Red Skies of Montana (1952) 7/10

Canyon River (1956) 6/10

“Spencer”   Distributed by Neon Films, 111 Minutes, Rated R, Released November 05, 2021:

Their lunch arrives before they do.

It’s a military operation: The meal arrives in a dozen coffin-sized munitions cases, carried by soldiers who transported the food from Buckingham Palace in half a dozen British Army transport vehicles for the casual enjoyment of The Family, arriving presently.

The Royals travel in a parade of chauffeured Rolls-Royce limousines, with one seemingly reserved for the exclusive use of the Queen’s pampered pedigree Corgi pups. That’s the way it is for Elizabeth II and her court--indifferent to the inconvenience they cause others, life is a series of gilded museum-like mansions and candlelight banquet tables. That’s the benefit, and the curse, of having royal blood flowing through one’s veins.

Meanwhile Diana, the Princess of Wales, commoner wife of the Queen’s eldest son Charles, tools around the countryside unescorted in a fuel-efficient drop-top Audi compact. Hopelessly lost on the rural Norfolk roads, Diana pulls over and strides casually into a roadside diner to ask if anyone knows the way to the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. The Family is gathering there to celebrate Christmas, and the Princess is late...again. One must never, never arrive after the Queen. The customers in the diner just gape at her, too stunned by her Royal countenance to reply.

Within the first minutes of “Spencer,” the psychological drama from Neon Pictures and Topic Studios, the audience already knows what the movie’s going to be about--the central conflict, the opponents, and which side they’re gonna be on. Our fascination with England’s Royal Family is infinite, and the story of Princess Diana is a tale many of us already know by heart. Some of us first heard the story in our crib.  It’s Cinderella, of course. It’s what happened to Cinderella after Prince Charming fit the Glass Slipper onto her delicate foot.

In “Spencer,” Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) is a woman at odds with herself, her life, and her surroundings. One decade beyond her storybook 1981 wedding to the dashing heir to the throne Prince Charles (Jack Farthing), she’s a woman scorned. On Christmas of 1991 Diana finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage to an effete philandering snob, surrounded by a disloyal staff anxious to use her shortcomings to curry favor with Queen Elizabeth II (Stella Gonet)...who already resents Diana for her glamorous image and global popularity.

Under the stern watch of the Queen’s Equerry Major Gregory (Timothy Spall), Diana has few friends among the royal staff. Maggie, Diana’s Royal Dresser (Sally Hawkins), was a sympathetic soul but has been reassigned, betrayed to the disapproving Queen by conniving staff members. Solitary, isolated, drifting into emotional collapse, Diana in her loneliness begins to imagine nighttime visits from the spirit of King Henry VIII's second wife Anne Boleyn (Amy Mansion)...executed for treason in 1536 for resisting a divorce from her unfaithful royal spouse.

Viewers expecting a salacious tell-all or a viable biographical chronicle of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, are likely to be disappointed. Self-described in an opening title as “a fable from a true tragedy” and filmed through a soft-focus lens that gives the movie a storybook quality as if the story’s being told through the mists of time, “Spencer'' is an unabashed tabloid fantasy, a feverish gothic nightmare. This is the true story as it might’ve been imagined by the editors of one of the supermarket horoscope-and-gossip newspapers.

Directed by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain (2016’s “Jackie”) from a script by Steven Knight (2002’s “Pretty Little Things”), “Spencer” becomes in a way a composite retelling of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” with Kristen Stewart’s Princess Diana cast not so much in the role of Scrooge but performing a kindly and benevolent Lady Cratchit surrounded by a dozen or so Royal Scrooges. And she’s guided through an alternate, often paranoic vision of her isolated existence not by the Ghost of Christmas Present, but by a martyred sixteenth-century casualty of Royal avarice and excess.

Driven to near hysteria and even bulimia by both an intrusive media and the emotional indifference of the arrogant and elitist Royals, Diana’s trapped in her storybook life by bitter in-laws who seem to want to punish her for her popularity. She finds neither sympathy nor encouragement from the Queen, despite the monarch’s grandmotherly television persona. “They take a lot of photographs of you don’t they?” the Queen coldly asks Diana. “The only photograph they take that really matters is the one they put on the ten pound note. And they took that one.”

Diana’s philandering husband is equally unsympathetic to her needs. Quietly soliciting a compliment on her appearance when she joins the family for a Christmas breakfast, Charles mutters an indifferent “You look fine” before admonishing her, “The chicken laid the eggs, the fishermen caught the fish, the bees made the honey--they all made such an effort to bring you breakfast, please do them the courtesy of not regurgitating it all into the lavatory bowl before the church bells even ring.” It’s also not lost on Diana that she’s been deliberately seated near an immense, glowering portrait of King Henry VIII.

But the real reason to view “Spencer” is the performance of Kristen Stewart as the beleaguered Princess of Wales. While it’s not an imitation, Stewart has her subject down cold--the square-shouldered stride with arms unmoving at her sides, the husky, urgent dulcet whisper of a voice that somehow suggests she’s sharing a sexy secret. Stewart brings to the role her own shoulders-hunched, head-lowered posture and cautious, ironic smile, possibly affectations caused by her own frequent skirmishes with the supermarket tabloids. Her idiosyncrasies fit her performance.

In a way, “Spencer” does for Kristen Stewart the same thing “The Godfather” did for Marlon Brando--the film, and the performance, make us overlook the years of thankless appearances in indifferent pictures that were beneath her enormous potential. In “Spencer” Kristen Stewart recasts her mold and recalibrates her career…and might even earn an Academy Award. While her performance never quite persuades us she’s the authentic Princess of Wales, it compels us to look beyond her personal image and tabloid persona and remember what a superb actress she really is.

“Spencer” has been endorsed by Princess Diana’s personal bodyguard Ken Wharfe, who was reportedly present during the Christmas festivities which provide the film’s backdrop. Filmed in Sandringham, Norfolk, England and on locations in and around Potsdam and Brandenburg, Germany, “Spencer” is rated R for adult language and mature situations, and for brief partial nudity.



“CODA”   Distributed by Apple Films, 111 Minutes, Rated PG-13, Released August 13, 2021:

In music terms, a coda is an alternate ending, the result of a detour in a musical piece’s written score.

In the movie “CODA,” the word has an alternate meaning: ”Child of Deaf Adults.” But in the context of this charming, insightful, and moving little comedy, both the music term and the acronym are richly appropriate.

In “CODA,” Gloucester, Massachusetts high school student Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is the daughter of hearing-impaired parents, the only member of her commercial fishing family who’s able to hear and speak. Socially awkward, sometimes the object of ridicule from her classmates, Ruby secretly nurses a crush on popular classmate Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). And when casting about one day for an elective to fill out her class schedule, Ruby impulsively follows Miles into the school choir.

Although Ruby’s shy demeanor results in a rocky beginning with the choir, under the tutelage of the choir’s exacting director Mr. Villalobos (Eugenio Derbez) she begins to sing--beautifully, naturally, and with the instinctive precision of a professional. As Mr. Villalobos encourages Ruby to apply to a prestigious music college and pursue a career as a singer, the shy young girl begins to dream of a future she never imagined...and dread the thought of how her family will maintain their foundering fishing business in her absence.

Written and directed by freshman filmmaker (and Carnegie Mellon University graduate) Sian Heder, based on the 2014 French film “La Famille Belier,” “CODA” is a picture that gets under the viewer’s skin and quickly finds its way into his heart. Filled with revealing details and with an eye toward the idiosyncrasies that make us human, the movie not only creates a compelling narrative but populates the tale with performances that don’t seem at all like performances.

In a film filled with perception, humor, and occasional heartbreak, writer and filmmaker Heder recognizes the central truth that all teens have awkward moments, and are often sensitive about their parents. Ridiculed in school as a result of her family (“I talked funny when I first started,” Ruby confesses to Mr. Villalobos), Ruby naturally assumes she’s an outcast because her parents are unique and different. And as Ruby emerges from her shell and into a larger world, she’s surprised to discover how special her mom and dad really are among other parents.

One of the film’s most uproarious running gags is Ruby’s parents’ enthusiastic sex life. As Ruby and her secret crush Miles are selected to perform a duet at the school’s spring concert and repair to Ruby’s house to rehearse, the two singers are interrupted by the unmistakable sounds of her parents coupling in another room. When Ruby knocks on their bedroom door to tell the parents to knock it off, she unwittingly invites a lecture by her father, for the benefit of both herself and Miles, extoling the merits of safe sex--a discourse he delivers, to Ruby’s horror, in pantomime. The scene is simultaneously sidesplitting and cringeworthy.

“CODA” doesn’t hold up Ruby’s family to ridicule--far from it. But neither does the film sanctify the family because of their disabilities. And that’s an important point--Ruby’s parents work hard and love their kids...but occasionally they’re jerks, as are all parents. In a picture about handicaps, the Rossis are distinguished by their normalcy. Late in the picture Miles envies Ruby’s “perfect” life, telling her, ”Your parents are madly in love. It’s a home, and you work together, and laugh. My family’s not like that.” Ruby’s stunned--she never thought of her life in those terms.

Nineteen-year-old Emilia Jones is a revelation as Ruby. In preparation for her role, the young performer spent some nine months learning American Sign Language, studying music and attending singing lessons, and even learning to operate a fishing trawler. That’s commitment, and it shows in the film. When at the end Ruby signs to her family the message “I Love You,” sharp-eyed viewers will notice her pinky and ring fingers crossed, a distinction to ASL which implies “--with all my heart.” Only a studied professional thespian would’ve added that detail.

During the school concert at the end of the picture--Ruby’s duet with Miles, the film’s narrative climax--Heder removes all sound from the movie’s audio track, and allows the audience to experience the girl’s performance from the perspective of her deaf parents: Mom and dad gaze around the auditorium at the tapping feet, the smiling faces, and the tears of listeners emotionally moved by the sound of their daughter’s voice. It’s an epiphany for them, a lovely and powerful moment (and not to worry--we hear Ruby’s performance later in the film, in all its power and glory).

Filled with rich performances and clever details, moving dialogue, and outrageously funny scenes, “CODA” is a real winner, a movie to watch out for. Filmmaker Sian Heder and her wonderfully talented cast find a way to place a unique spin on the well-worn premise of a coming of age drama, and reduce you to tears...for all the right reasons.  You might well be hearing the title "CODA" called out when the Academy Award is announced for Best Picture.

Filmed on location in Gloucester, Massachusetts and also starring Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin as Ruby’s mom, the terrific Troy Kotsur as her dad, Daniel Durant as her brother, and the wonderful Amy Forsythe as her best friend Gertie, “CODA” is rated PG-13 for strong sexual content and language, and scenes of liquor consumption.



“The Lost City”   Distributed by Paramount Pictures, 112 Minutes, Rated PG-13, Released March 25, 2022:

There’s star power to spare in “The Lost City,” the new adventure comedy from Paramount Pictures now playing on movie screens across the US and Canada. But star power can’t save a movie that relies on believability to succeed…and doesn’t supply a shred of it.

In “The Lost City” recently widowed Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock), the author of a hysterically successful series of romance novels featuring the adventures of globetrotting hero Dash McMahon. Still grieving the death of her husband, Sage is lured out of seclusion to embark on a promotion tour supporting her new book…in tandem with Alan Caprison (Channing Tatum), the inept, vain, and hopelessly shallow cover model who personifies Dash McMahon for millions of readers.

During their first appearance, Caprison is dismayed to learn that Sage intends to kill off his character in her next novel. But when the author is abducted by obsessed fan Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe), a gazillionaire playboy who believes Sage holds the key to an actual long-lost treasure, the clumsy and incompetent Caprison decides to emulate the fictional he embodies by rescuing his creator…with the assistance of the absurdly handsome soldier-of-fortune and adventurer Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt).

A scattershot, scatterbrained variation on the classic 1984 comedy adventure “Romancing the Stone,” “The Lost City” aims straight for slapstick and silliness and yields a surprisingly low percentage of genuine laughs. The picture tries to coast along on the goodwill generated by teaming the charismatic Sandra Bullock with the photogenic Channing Tatum, but doesn’t get very far in a plot that’s wildly contrived from the first scene until the last. It doesn’t help that Bullock’s been playing variations of the same character since “Speed” in 1994.

Directed by Adam Nee and Aaron Nee from a script concocted with Dana Fox and Oran Uziel, “The Lost City” plays as if each of the four writers selected one of the film’s stars to write for and then worked separately. The film stuns the audience by abruptly killing off one of its main characters about an hour into the proceedings, and never recove its momentum. Worse, the picture tries to josh the audience out of its shock while the character’s brains are still splattered in plain sight. Even in the context of the wildly contrived plot, the death and aftermath are in absurdly bad taste, especially in a picture rated PG-13.

“The Lost City” also loses points by establishing its own set of rules and then violating them by having the movie’s characters behave in uncharacteristic ways. Tatum’s cowardly and inept Alan becomes inexplicably brave and capable when scaling a cliff with Bullock’s Loretta, while Radcliffe’s Fairfax starts out addled and ends up dangerously unbalanced. Brad Pitt has fun spoofing his heroi Hollywood image but doesn’t stick around long enough to rescue the movie, while Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nunez, and SNL’s Bowen Yang are wasted in peripheral supporting roles.

Surprisingly mean-spirited for a comedy, some laughs are there if you’re not too particular where they come from. But all things considered, file this picture under “What Were They Thinking?!” “The Lost City” is one tourist destination that should’ve remained lost.

Filmed in the Dominican Republic, “The Lost City” is rated PG-13 for violence and some bloody images, suggestive material, partial nudity (Tatum’s bare butt), and adult language.



“The Outfit” Distributed by Focus Features, 106 Minutes, Rated R, Released March 18, 2022:

Academy Award-winning actor Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies”) gets a chance to display his versatility in “The Outfit,” the new crime drama from director Graham Moore and Focus Features now playing in select theaters. Clever, witty, and entertaining, the only trouble with the film is that after it’s over Rylance’s versatility is pretty much all the viewer’s left with.

Set in 1956, in “The Outfit” Rylance plays Leonard Burling, an aging Chicago tailor--er, cutter--who once ran his own clothing shop on London’s famed Savile Row (“I studied for decades to be a cutter,” Burling asserts proudly at one point in the picture, “Anyone with a needle and thread and fifteen minutes can be a tailor”).

Having forever departed London following a tragedy that resulted in his clothing shop burned down and his life in ruins, Burling emigrated to Chicago and arrived with only his cutter’s shears in his possession. His very first customer, Chicago mobster Roy Boyle (Simon Russell Beale), was pleased with his work and helped the struggling tailor--er, cutter--to establish a thriving clothing business on the mean streets of the Windy City.

With mostly Chicago mobsters as his clientele, Burling along with his apprentice and receptionist Mable Shaun (Zoey Deutch) now operates a successful business. But the times are a-changing: Mable longs to see the world beyond the Chicago clothing shop, and local mob kingpin Roy Boyle wants to take his clandestine operation into the big time and become part of The Outfit, a national network of mob activities coordinated from coast-to-coast.

When Boyle’s hot-headed son Richie (Dylan O’Brien) turns up at Burling’s clothing shop late one night with a bullet wound in his side, in the company of a ruthless armed accomplice (Johnny Flynn) who insists Burling tend to the injury and keep his mouth shut, the fastidious cutter is drawn more deeply into the neighborhood’s underworld activities than he ever wanted to be. And his life grows even more complicated when a rival gang’s matriarch (Nikki Amuka-Bird) arrives at the shop wanting a piece of the action.

Directed by author and screenwriter Graham Moore (“The Imitation Game”) from a script he concocted with an assist from prolific television writer Johnathan McClain, “The Outfit” is easy to mistake for a stage adaptation, with virtually the entire 106-minute film taking place on one set in Burling’s Chicago clothing shop. If that sounds boring, it isn’t--fast-moving direction and an intricately-plotted script keep the audience on its toes from the first scene until the surprising conclusion.

Sort of a combination of “Reservoir Dogs” and “Deathtrap” with a touch of “Goodfellas,” the effectiveness of “The Outfit” relies on the cast’s distracting the viewer’s attention from a plot that grows more and more outrageous by the minute, as each of the characters transitions from victim to hero to villain and sometimes back again. And that’s part of the trouble with the picture--despite the film’s containing only a handful of characters, the audience might well need a scorecard by the end to keep track of who’s who, and what’s what.

Although in his Broadway career Mark Rylance seems to be afforded more of an opportunity for versatility, winning Tony Awards for plays as diverse as the venerable 1960s farce “Boeing-Boeing” and Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” (and even more flexibility on the London stage, where he’s been awarded both an Olivier Award and a knighthood), in his motion picture work the actor’s mostly been limited to variations on the same character.

Rylance in “The Outfit” employs the same basic personality he displayed in “Bridge of Spies,” “Dunkirk,” and “The Trial of the Chicago Seven” as a baseline for a character who becomes by turns sympathetic, wily, confused, manipulative, calculating, deceptive, and even vicious. The role of Leonard Burling affords the actor a wonderful showcase to display the full range of his acting skill…but might not be enough for a two-hour mystery movie to hang its hat on.

Still, the talented cast manages to pull it all off--barely. Clever but not particularly deep, “The Outfit” is like a game of chess played with the rapid speed of a championship tennis match. It’s all in fun, as long as you don’t think about it too hard. Distracting but not particularly involving, smart rather than intelligent, the film’s an agreeable enough way to waste two hours. But when you’re on your way home afterward, you might be thinking more about the popcorn than the movie.

Filmed entirely on London soundstages in March of 2021, “The Outfit” is rated R for adult language and some bloody violence.

PARALLEL MOTHERS (2021). My Rating: 9 out of 10. Highly Recommended. A superb Penelope Cruz could win an Oscar for her performance here.
  










JACKASS FOREVER (2022). 7 out of 10. Recommended to fans of the Jackass movies, everyone else beware. I found it vulgar, tasteless, gross and funny.







TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2022). 5 out of 10. 





 

5 AGAINST THE HOUSE (1955). 5 out of 10.

Here is the mixed pot of what Tele have seen lately;


Ford vs Ferrari 2019 directed by James Mangold and based on real events.
I have no idea about motor parts, and how they works, as long as they works it's fine with me.
Le Mans races is something I know very little about, heard about them though, thanks to a Steve McQueen movie.
Somehow the story managed to drag me in as it's more about the characters than the cars.
7/10 interesting micro history.
I loved cars when I was a kid, had lots of Corgi and Dinky toys cars in the 60's.


The Lighthorsemen 1987 directed by Simon Wincer and based on history.
Australian movie, and this time I wish I had sub-titles, since I didn't get what Aussies said.
Takes place during WWI, and the charge against the Turks and Kaiser Germans in Beersheba, and those scenes are impressive, with thundering hoofs, coming so fast that the Turks couldn't adjust their canons fast enough.
That was the good part, the rest is not that interesting with a rather flat story of love and comerade ship, and some acting that felt like it belonged in some Australian soap opera.
7/10 thanks to the charge scenes, plus it's the only Australian movie I know of, telling their part during WW1, except Gallipoli 1981.
An interesting movie for sure!


Zorro 1975 directed by Duccio Tessari
I kind of like the idea of Alain Delon as Zorro and Welsh actor Stanley Baker as his opponent in a sweeping swashbuckler movie, so I can't help but feel that this was a missed opportunity. Since this was the 1970's it relied too much on slapstick humor ala Terence Hill-Bud Spencer movies that was popular at the time.
This Zorro isn't in Old California, but in Northern South America, where they speak French.
5,5/10 since it had potential to be something better and more memorable.


Assignment Paris 1952 directed by Robert Parrish (and uncredited Phil Karlson) and based on a story by Paul and Pauline Galilco.
Paris news correspondents sniffs up news about opposition in then Red Hungary, sends top reporter to Budapest who get's too close to the truth and get's jailed.
This could have been good but is too cliché filled, though Dana Andrews and George Sanders are are good, Sanders in a rare tough but good guy role.
6/10
Swedish co-star Martha Torén acted in a few international movies, who had tons of personal problems, this was her last English speaking role. She didn't commit suicide as some old movie guides said.


Wake of the Red Witch 1948 directed by Edward Ludwig and based on a novel by Garland Roark.
Swedish distributors called it Tough Times in the South Seas, translated to English. I somehow can understand the Swedish title, because this is an other kind of John Wayne story. Playing a dark and greedy character and one of his best acting before Liberty Valance.
Merchant ships and smuggling by the side, and greed for pearls and gold, back in the tall ship days with sails.
7/10, it drags in some parts, in an otherwise interesting storyline.


It's a well known story how Wayne got the idea for the name of is company from this movie, bit it was also the first movie he wore a toupé. He must have used some superglue since he made a few underwater sequences, even fighting an octopus. That octopus is said to be the same Bela Lugosi fought in Bride of the Monster 1955, recreated in Burton's Ed Wood. Whatever device there once was to make that octopus work, Wayne seems to have made all the work when it attacked him.


The Time of Their Lives 1946 (Excuse Us, But We are Ghosts, Swedish title translated English) directed Charles Barton.
Abbott and Costello, either you love them or hate them, or maybe like me a little in-between.
This actually has a good story, the team isn't a team this time, and Abbott get's all the kicking. It's like an old Tom and Jerry cartoon. one of the few were Tom actually wins.
Costello and Marjorie Reynolds are restless souls since they were killed during the war of independence USA, in contemporary times they have a chance to get even, but they are no that good in doing ghostly stuff.
7/10 the amusing parts outwins the obvious parts, and Gale Sondergaard plays a medium.


(Swedish poster) The Prisoner on Shark Island 1936 directed by John Ford and based on real events.
Any movie directed by John Ford is interesting, including this one, even if it's mostly fiction.
After the murder of Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth searches a doctor (Warner Baxter as Dr Mudd) who helps an injured leg, not knowing who he helped. (In real life they were well acquainted).
Since a President was murdered normal juridicial procedure was not used, and those considered guilty were condemned to hanging, or sent to Dry Tortugas, where sharks circles. Redeeming himself during a yellow fever outbreak.
Warner Baxter was a huge star during the 1920's and 1930's but is now largely forgotten.
7,5/10 Though it plays with facts it's still an interesting and good movie from a master who knows how to tell a story.


Gloria Stuart played Mrs Mudd, more than 60 years later she would be Oscar nominated.

Interesting week, but a bit weak.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).



Parasite (2019).



The Nun (2018).



Doctor Strange (2016).

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ONCE AND AGAIN (2002) “One Step (Parent) Backward.” 20TH ANNIVERSARY this week. Judy tries to connect with Sam’s son, with mixed results. Originally broadcast on March 18 2002. YouTube presentation of Recording of Lifetime Broadcast.

URUSEI YATSURA (1982) “Sleep Serene Springtime Classroom/ Peach Blossom Poetry Contest” 40TH ANNIVERSARY this week. Japanese with English Subtitles YouTube.

OLIVER TWIST (1982) 40TH ANNIVERSARY this month. TV adaptation of the Dickens novel, directed by Clive Donner and starring George C Scott as Fagin Michael Hordern, Tim Curry, Cherie Lunghi, Eileen Atkins, and Timothy West (in brief roles are Lysette Anthony as Oliver’s mother- she played both mother and Rose in the 1985 TV Serial- and Timothy Spall as a constable- he played Fagin in the latest BBC adaptation). Two years later, Scott, Director Donner, Executive Producer William F Storke, Composer Nick Bicat, Costume Designer Evangeline Harrison, and Editor Peter Tanner would tackle Dickens again with the memorable 1984 TV version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. First saw this on the Disney Channel in the mid 1990s. I had thought this was. Norman Rosemont production, but I was in error. YouTube.

THE TOWER OF LONDON: THE INNOCENT (1969) BBC TV play that was James Maxwell’s first take on Henry VII. The drama focuses on pressure from the Spanish Court for Henry to deal with the Pretender Perkins Warbeck (Corin Redgrave) and Richard III’s nephew (and strongest claimant to the throne) the Duke of Warwick (Robert Powell) once and for all to finalize his son Arthur’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. I first saw this drama before viewing THE SHADOW OF THE TOWER (it was an extra on the disc). I view it again in recognition to the upcoming episode. BBC Video DVD.

ICE AGE (2002) 20TH ANNIVERSARY this month. CGI Animated feature of the adventures of an antisocial Mammoth, an annoying Lemur, and a predatory Sabretooth Tiger trying to get a human baby to its tribe. With the voices of Ray Romano, John Leiguzomo, and Dennis Leary. FoxVideo DVD.

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35TH ANNIVERSARY:
-NCCA II CHAMPIONSHIP WESLEYAN Vs GANNON (1987) Basketball championship between Gannon University of Pennsylvania and Wesleyan University of Kentucky. VHS Recording of ABC Broadcast 1987.

-SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1987) “Bill Murray/ Percy Sledge“ VHS Recording of Premiere NBC Broadcast. Promos include a trailer of LETHAL WEAPON with Mel Gibson (with his accent) and a non-made-up Danny Glover presenting it.

30TH ANNIVERSARY
-SAILOR MOON (1992) “The Mysterious Sleeping Sickness: Protect the Girls in Lave!” Usagi confronts Jadiete for the first time, while growing infatuated by the mysterious Tuxedo Mask (and getting annoyed by her constant crossing paths with an insulting college student). Although the third episode, it was the second to be dubbed and broadcast in the US. Japanese with English Subtitles ADV DVD.

-THE COMMISH (1992) “Sex, Lies, and Kerosene” Anchor Bay DVD.

THE ALVIN SHOW (1962) “Disc Jockey/ Crashcup Invents Birthday“ 60TH ANNIVERSARY Bootleg DVD.

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TARZAN THE APE MAN (1932) 90TH ANNIVERSARY The most familiar version of Edgar Rice Burroughs Jungle Lord (if not the most accurate) made its debut in this MGM actioner (using unused location footage from TRADER HORN) starring Johnny Weissmuller in a two-decade role, with Maureen O Sullivan as Jane, C. Aubrey Smith and Neil Hamilton. First saw this on one of the Movie channels in Spring 1991. Warner DVD.

MGM WHEN THE LION ROARS (1992) “Part One: The Lion’s Roar” 30TH ANNIVERSARY 3-part TNT Documentary on the rise and fall of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer hosted by Patrick Stewart (around a huge set and miniatures symbolizing the studio as some monumental palace in the heavens). The first part spans from the Studio’s beginning via its merging with three studios in 1924 by Louis B Mayer and Irving Thalberg, to the latter’s death in 1936: topics include the founders, the coming of sound, censorship, etc. with collective focus on John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Buster Keaton, Lon Chaney, Marion Davies, Joan Crawford, Marie Dressler, Jean Harlow (and the Murder of her husband Paul Bern), Clark Gable, Tarzan, David O Selznick and clips from their films (the silent films clipped here are the Thames-Carl Davis composed versions, with exception to LA BOHEME, THE CAMERAMAN and the Chaney films). Interviews by story Editor Samuel Marx (Pro-Mayer), Freddie Bartholomew (both Marx and Bartholomew died around the series’ broadcast, getting an epitaph at the end), Editor Margaret Booth, Maureen O’ Sullivan, Jackie Cooper, and Helen Hayes (who is anti-Mayer), with archival bits from Eleanor Boardman (with her now-disproven recollection about a fight between Mayer & Gilbert) Joan Crawford, Groucho Marx, Lillian Gish, King Vidor, and Clarence Brown. The Coffeetable book was the GIMME gift of Christmas in 1991 (and the big gift alongside LESLIE HALLIWELL’S FILMGOERS AND VIDEO VIEWERS COMPANION) then I learned about the series (a little later, although the fact was on the book jacket) and saw it that March 22 1992. I got this episode on VHS for my Birthday in 1996, so it got the most mileage before getting the full series on the Warner DVD in 2009. I viewed this on said DVD (probably the least altered episode).

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30TH ANNIVERSARY:
-MGM WHEN THE LION ROARS (1992) “Part Two: The Lion Reigns Supreme” The second part of the TNT Documentary covers from 1936 to 1945. Louis B Mayer gaining full control, the death of Harlow, departures of Shearer, Garbo, and Crawford, the coming of Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, and Hedy Lamarr (whose nude scene in ECTASY gets a clip here, untouched; then again the topless paraders in BEN-HUR A TALE OF THE CHRIST, and several exposed scenes from TARZAN AND HIS MATE also were left untouched to my knowledge). Series like THE THIN MAN, DR KILDARE, ANDY HARDY and the Eddy-MacDonald operettas. Child stars, OZ and GONE WITH THE WIND. World War II and Animal-themed films. With interviews by Samuel Marx, Luis Rainer (who comments about her falling out with Mayer), William Tuttle, Roddy MacDowall, Jackie Cooper, Mickey Rooney, Van Johnson, Lew Ayres, with archival bits from Katherine Hepburn, Myrna Loy, and Dore Schary. I recall missing the last part of the original broadcast (fell asleep), viewing the rest on a marathon the following Sunday. Betamax Recording from its original encore TNT broadcast (1 AM) on March 24, 1992, a complete version of the episode (the DVD splits it onto two discs, as well as omitting the Fred Astaire-Eleanor Powell dance from BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940). Promos include a future airing of HOW THE WEST WAS WON (my intro to the film) and a preview of the final episode, featuring footage of Fred Astaire dancing with Lucille Bremer and a coat rack. Too bad I won’t be seeing that…

-NORTHERN EXPOSURE (1992) “Wake Up Call” Universal DVD.

THE SHADOW OF THE TOWER (1972) “The Fledgling“ 50TH ANNIVERSARY The penultimate episode has Henry VII deal with the shadow of the tower- the now adult Duke of Warwick (here played by Christopher Neame). The episode covers the same ground as Maxwell’s earlier Tudor drama TOWER OF LONDON THE INNOCENT (1969). Unlike Robert Powell’s lonely manchild who conspired out of getting befriended by Perkins Warbeck, Neame’s Warwick is a frightened manchild who gets involved with Warback (not in delusional fantasy in this episode) out of fear for his life. Arthur the Prince is here played by Jason Kemp, who played Edward VI in ELIZABETH R. BBC Video DVD.

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URUSEI YATSURA (1982) “Duel: Ataru Vs Ataru!/ Wake Up to a Nightmare” 40TH ANNIVERSARY This was the first episode I ever saw after viewing BEAUTIFUL DREAMER (whose antagonist appears in this episode). I saw the VHS at a comic book shop and bought it at a sale in July 2001. Japanese with English Subtitles. AnimeEgo VHS.

DARIA (1997) “Cafe Dissafecto” 25TH ANNIVERSARY Bootleg DVD.

MGM WHEN THE LION ROARS (1992) “Part Three: The Lion in Winter” 30TH ANNIVERSARY The finale episode starts in the mid-1940s with coverage of the MGM Musicals by Arthur Freed, Joe Pasternak, Esther Williams, and Gene Kelly (but NO Fred Astaire although his image appears in the opening), the creative differences between Mayer (wholesome entertainment) and his new partner Dore Schary (darker message films), Judy Garland’s problems (Aside from Jackie Cooper’s criticism of MGM implied body-shaming Judy, the docu glosses over the studio’s role in her problems), the threat of Television, CinemaScope, Elizabeth Taylor, Mayer’s departure, and things going downhill from there (despite quality films like SINGIN IN THE RAIN, JULIUS CAESAR, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, GIGI and BEN-HUR). Interviews from Mickey Rooney (who, after a warm remembrance of Judy last episode, defends MGM as innocent of Judy’s drug abuse, blaming it on herself), Esther Williams, Cyd Charisse, Debbie Reynolds, Ricardo Montalban, Charlton Heston, Richard Brooks, June Allyson and Richard Chamberlain with archival bits from Vincente Minnelli, Dore Schary, and John Huston. Like the others I saw this on premiere night. I recall being discomforted by a clip from the TV version of DR KILDARE of a suicidal victim slashing her wrist. Anyway, after the series’ broadcast, Fred Astaire’s widow Ava asked that any future releases of the documentary remove all of her late husband’s scenes. I had hoped the MGM/UA VHS I was viewing as a source escaped that revision, but no.

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HOMEFRONT (1992) “Obstinancy or Constancy?” 30TH ANNIVERSARY Kelly Rutherford’s barmaid moves to town, and after reopening the Factory, the workers go on strike. VHS Recording Of TV Land Broadcast Spring 2000.

40TH ANNIVERSARY:
-POLICE SQUAD (1982) “Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)” Paramount BluRay.

-THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER (1982) Based on the Banjo Petersen poem, this Australian drama stars Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton, and Kirk Douglas in a dual role as two brothers. I first saw this on one of the Encore channels in the millennium. FoxVideo DVD.

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OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (2013) Arts & Entertainment Broadcast.

THE SIMPSONS (1992) “Colonel Homer” 30TH ANNIVERSARY After a tiff with Marge (his fault), Homer befriends a beautiful singer Lorleen Lumpkin (Beverly D’Angelo). I was probably watching this at the same time HOW THE WEST WAS WON was being broadcast on TNT (as part of its “Our Favorite Movies” with a featurette that explained about Cinerama. Pretty much from fall 1991 to spring 1994, at Thursday 8 PM, I would juggle viewing THE SIMPSONS with TNT’s “Our Favorite Movies” featurette, usually missing the first minutes of the former). FoxVideo DVD.

Saw Parts Of:
THE ODESSA FILE (1974) VHS Recording of a Late Night NBC Broadcast (airing after the Bill Murray SNL).

THE PATTY DUKE SHOW (1965) “Party Meets a Celebrity” VHS Recording of Nick at Nite Broadcast 1987

DELIVER US FROM EVA (2003) TV Broadcast.

STAR WARS (1977) TNT Broadcast.

SPIDER-MAN INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018) FX Broadcast.

LITTLE WOMEN (2019) FX Broadcast.

NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (2017, 2018) “The Accident”, “Sins of the Father”, “Sheepdogs”, “Tick Tock” TNT & ION Broadcasts.

THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME (2018) Bravo Broadcast.

POMPEII (2014) Syfy Broascast.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) TNT Broadcast.

THE WEDDING RINGER (2015) VH1 Broadcast.

THE GODFATHER (1972) Paramount Broadcast.

BAD BOYS (1995) Syfy Broascast.