What classics did you see last week? (17 Jul to 23 Jul 2017)

This has been a pretty pathetic week for me, working extra shifts to cover vacations and it's eating into my viewing time. The only movie I saw all week from start to finish was Filth (2013), starring James McAvoy, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh. Really enjoyable, maniac fun. I did start Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016), but I haven't found time to finish it yet, I need some days off! I did watch some TV though, finished Fargo, season 3, oh jeez ya, and many episodes of Elementary. I have consecutive days off on the horizon, will post something more interesting next time.

1st views -

The Lawnmower Man (1992) Interesting but unoriginal premise starts well but jumps the shark (whatever that means) and stumbles badly by the end. 3/10
The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) A Scottish priest (Gregory Peck) finds his vocation as a missionary in China. 7/10
Patriots Day (2016) Marky Mark saves the day after the Boston marathon bombing. 6/10
The Witch (2015) Original but not my cup of tea. 3/10

Revisits -

The Last of Sheila (1973) Nearly as much fun as a movie can be. 9/10
Red River (1948) Simply awesome. 9.5/10
Margin Call (2011) Excellent drama of a financial firm on Wall Street as THE crisis looms. 8/10
The Bourne Identity (2002) Superior spy thriller. 8/10
Land of the Pharaohs (1955) Age HAS withered her....silly but entertaining with a most memorable ending. 6/10
National Velvet (1944) Last seen in the days of black and white television, this felt new and exciting. 7.5/10

He's the only person I've known to dislike Sheila. This was at least my 10th viewing going back to seeing it on the big screen.

The Witch (2015) Kind of interesting, but it seemed to jump into the plot before establishing the characters. Dialogue was pseudo-Old English which I also found interesting. Main problem was the ending seemed to come out of nowhere.

Red River was my old black and white DVD, as opposed to my last couple of viewings which were the colourized version which shows up on TV here every few years. The only reason it's only a 9.5/10 is the slightly compromised ending. Otherwise a perfect movie - and the best version of Mutiny on the Bounty.

Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004)--the title pretty much sums it up: Quill is a Labrador Retriever whose life is traced from birth through puppyhood to guide dog training, and eventually to his partnership with a very reluctant owner who initially
resists having a guide dog, but ultimately warms to him through the dog's skill and loyalty. Those who find dog movies cutesy and cloying would likely appreciate this movie, as the dog is never anthropomorphized as animals often are in recent movies, but instead is portrayed in a realistic, dignified way. Those who appreciate Old Yeller and other movies about REAL dogs may
enjoy this (but be ready to get weepy at the end).

The Defiant Ones (1958)--I'm generally not a big fan of Stanley Kramer's films, as he has a tendency to get preachy, but this is definitely one of his better movies as the message plays out in the actions of the characters. Great drama, plus a little bit of odd comic relief from Carl ("Alfalfa") Switzer, who has a wordless running gag throughout the movie.

Do the Right Thing (1989)--a re-watch, which I came across on one of the cable channels on, fittingly, one of the hottest days of this summer. Beautifully shot, and still timely.

All About Eve (1950)--another re-watch, simply because it was on TCM last night, and if it's on, I gotta watch it. Who doesn't love George Sanders at his most suavely lizard-like?

1941, Raoul Walsh with Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Leslie (and a young Cornel Wilde). After being released from prison, notorious thief Roy Earle is hired by his old boss to help a group of inexperienced criminals plan and carry out the robbery of a California resort. First time Bogart showed a human side. 8/10


 1950, James V. Kern, with Robert Young, Betsy Drake, John Sutton. Ellen Foster, visiting her aunt on the California coast, meets neighbor Jeff Cohalan and his ultramodern clifftop house. Ellen is strongly attracted to Jeff, who's being plagued by unexplainable accidents, major and minor. That home is out of this world by the way. Since this in public domian, and this was a bad copy, I had a hard time hearing all that was said. Noirish style thriller. 6/10

Jaws 1975, Steven Speilberg with Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss. Doen't need much presentation. A new kind of blockbuster when it came. The first half is the best, out alone in theboat got a little tiring. 9/10

Jaws 2 1978, Jeannot Szwarc, with Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton. Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters. Not too bad, Brody's oldest son must have aged more that 3 years (not the same actor) since the last movie. Not the classic as the first movie, offcourse. 6/10

Cocoon 1985 Ron Howard with a great ensambe of old actors led by Don Ameche, Gwen Verdon, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Jack Gillford. When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigour. Mixes Science-Fiction, comedy, sentimentality, drama, tragedy and thrills, and succeeds. 8/10

Cocoon: The Return 1988 Daniel Petrie, The same great old ensamble plus Elaine Stritch (and a young Courteney Cox). The old age pensioners that left at the end of the first film come back to earth to visit their relatives. The freshness of the first film isn't there, and it's a rather unnessesary sequel, though seeing the elder actors is still a joy. 6/10

Into the Woods 2014 Rob Marshall with Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine. A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree. Since I'm rather unfamiliar with this musical, I was not really sure what to think about it, and I might have been that wrong audience for it. 6/10

Nalkarj

I know that you like The Last of Sheila and I was wondering, is it worth investing as much as $1.67 to see it ?

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I watched What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Whales of August one "too hot and humid to be outside " afternoon. Coincidentally, Mary Steenburgen was in both films.

Lillian Gish is still so beautiful in Whales.


Leonardo does such as amazing job as Arnie.
I remember when the film came out people were wondering how a boy like Arnie could remember his lines and act so well.

She Done Him Wrong / Lowell Sherman (1933). A huge hit for Mae West and a big boost in Cary Grant’s incipient career. A film version of West’s stage his “Diamond Lil,” her talent for sultry but subtle double entendres is in full force. “You’re a good woman,” someone compliments her. “Best woman who ever walked the streets,” she drawls. A little later she talks about how poor she was: “There was a time when I didn’t know where my next husband was coming from.” She managed to get those and many more past the watchful eyes of the Production Code sheriffs who knew she was up to something but couldn’t put their finger on what it was. West plays Lady Lou, the mistress of rich saloon keeper Gus Gordan (Noah Beery) who runs rackets (including sex trafficking) on the side so he can afford to buy her diamonds and keep her happy. Next door to Gordan’s joint is a rescue mission run by upright Capt. Cummings (Grant) who comes around occasionally to be hit on by Lou (“Why don't you come up some time and see me?) and to remind her that there is still a good person under the cynical surface. Meanwhile, the word is on the street that an unknown undercover supercop is closing in on Jordan. A true classic of early sound; a witty melodrama that is dominated by a Hollywood legend – and, no, I don’t mean Cary Grant (who wasn’t “Cary Grant” at the time), but the great Mae West.

The Big Sleep / Howard Hawks (1946). One of the biggest hits of 1946, “The Big Sleep” remains a fan favorite in spite of – or maybe because of – its convoluted plot and one of the most famous Loose Ends in film history. The film also benefits mightily from the almost tangible chemistry and electricity between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in their second film together. The film is based on Raymond Chandler’s 1939 novel of the same name, the first featuring Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe. Marlowe is hired by the rich General Sternwood to deal with a blackmailer who claims that the General’s youngest daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers) owes gambling debts. The General also mentions an employee and friend, Shawn Regan, who left suddenly without a word. Before leaving the house, Marlowe encounters flirtatious Carmen (“She tried to sit on my lap while I was standing up”) and Carmen’s older sister, Vivian (Bacall) who tries to discourage Marlowe’s investigation. This is just the start. Along the way we encounter a bookstore with a sideline in blackmail fronted by the sarcastic Agnes (Sonia Darrin, wonderful but, incredibly, not credited). Marlowe: “You do sell books, don’t you.” Agnes: “What do these look like, grapefruit?” After the bookstore owner is murdered, Marlowe follows a trail to low-life Joe Brodie (Louis Jean Heydt) who is associated with mobster Eddie Mars (John Ridgely) whose main enforcer is Canino (Bob Steele) who kills a harmless hustler (Elisha Cook, Jr.) which make Marlowe mad and…anyway, all this whizzes by at about 90-miles an hour so don’t try to figure things out until your third or fourth viewing.

Lady In The Lake / Robert Montgomery (1947). Early 1947 saw the release of two Philip Marlowe films from two different studios. On January 24, MGM sent this picture to theaters. Director and star Robert Montgomery decided on a radical experiment. To try to duplicate the first person narrative of Chandler’s novel (the fourth of seven with Marlowe), we see everything from Marlowe’s viewpoint through the camera. Montgomery is only seen when he narrates directly to the audience and in a couple of mirror shots when he is looking at himself. The experiment wears out its welcome after about five minutes. Another thing very wrong is Montgomery’s voice acting. Marlowe can be sarcastic and is quick to crack wise, but Montgomery delivery is very rough and rude. He sounds like he is deliberately insulting and trying to aggressively antagonize people. When, early in the film, a suspect punches him in the face, I laughed and applauded. ‘Bout time. That said, the mystery is a good one and the supporting cast superb. The great Audrey Totter hires Marlowe to find her boss’s missing wife but her motives are obscure. Lloyd Nolan is a cop with an agenda that goes beyond finding a murderer. Jayne Meadows is a delight as a scatterbrained landlady. Or is she? These three players – Totter, Nolan, and Meadows – make this a worthwhile watch.

The Brasher Doubloon / John Brahm (1947). One February 6, 20th Century Fox released this film (from the novel “The High Window.”) Another Montgomery – western star George – takes the role and is quicker and lighter with a quip than Robert (no relation between the two actors). Rich Old Lady: “I expected someone older, more intelligent looking.” Marlowe: “I’m wearing a disguise.” Rich elderly grump Mrs. Murdock (Florence Bates) hires Marlowe to find the title valuable coin which has disappeared from her late husband’s collection. There are plenty of people in the Murdock household who look mighty suspicious including Mrs. Murdock’s unaccountably loyal and servile secretary (Nancy Guild) and Mrs. Murdock’s creepy son (Conrad Janis). This doesn’t have the seriousness of “The Big Sleep” or the would-be seriousness of “Lady in the Lake.” It tends more toward B-movie territory and, as such, is a good evening’s entertainment.

Marlowe / Paul Bogart (1969). Contrary to the end, my favorite Philip Marlowe novel is the almost never talked about “The Little Sister” (1949, the fifth of seven Marlowe mysteries). I am fascinated by the icky Quest family from Manhattan, Kansas; two evil siblings and a sister who wants to escape them. James Garner essays Philip Marlowe in this one. Garner has a lot of potential for the role but not all of it is realized. For one, his line delivery of Marlowe’s wisecracks are, like Robert Montgomery’s in “Lady in the Lake,” too harsh and aggressive. For two, even though he drives a beater and works out of the usual dingy office that movie P.I.s always have, he dresses in very expensive, top-of-the-line business suits. Marlow is hired by innocent, naïve-looking Orfamay Quest (Sharon Farrell) to find her brother Orrin P. Quest, who hasn’t written home in some time. Meanwhile, we have already seen Orrin taking surreptitious and explicit photographs of a famous TV star, played by Gayle Hunnicutt, who for a couple of years in the late ‘60s seemed to be everywhere. There is the usual complex Chandler plot with blackmail, gangsters, and Marlowe finding murdered bodies wherever he goes. This is another Chandler film that requires several visits to suss out all of the details. In support, Carroll O’Conner and Kenneth Tobey are great as the cops who hound Marlowe for details of his investigation. My favorite performance is by a luminous and delightful Rita Moreno, as the main gal-pal of Hunnicut’s TV star. Paul Stevens makes a big impression as a doctor with a mysterious past. But, personally, my whole outlook of life and the movies was changed with the first American, English language debut of Bruce Lee, as an enforcer from the mob. After Marlowe refuses a bribe, Lee proceeds to destroy his office with chops and strikes. But when Lee kicks out the light fixture in the ceiling, my bottom jaw was on the movie theater’s dirty floor. The era of Asian martial arts had arrived. And not a moment too soon.

Bruce Lee

Farewell, My Lovely / Dick Richards (1975). In Chandler’s first novel “The Big Sleep” (1939), he portrayed Philip Marlowe as, underneath the wise cracks, as aging, cynical, and tired. Robert Mitchum is the perfect embodiment of this in the film from the second Philip Marlowe novel. Set in an often stylized 1940s, Marlowe is hired by the human tank Moose Malloy (Jack O'Halloran) to find “my Velma.” Again, Marlowe finds himself knocking heads with the Mob and finding his way through a labyrinth of characters and situations. This is, with the possible exception of Bogart’s “The Big Sleep,” this is the perfect embodiment of Philip Marlowe.

Pet Fooled / Kohl Harrington (2016). In 2007, ten years ago, the pet food industry was rocked by the recalls required after it was discovered that melamine, a chemical used as a fire retardant, had been added to wheat gluten (to boost the protein count) sold to Menu Foods by a Chinese supplier for inclusion in pet food. Amazingly, this was the first time in over 100 years of commercial pet food manufacturing in America that the industry had come under intense scrutiny by consumers and regulators. What was learned is that pet food in the U.S. is “self-regulated,” that is, major companies are members of an organization that they themselves have formed and whose “regulations” they have themselves written and agree to abide by. Most of the regulations are either vague, benefit the companies rather than the pets, or are designed to hide what they mean. For example, if a can of cat food has the word “dinner” one it, it has to have a certain amount, I think 30%, of the meat mentioned on the label (Chicken Dinner in Savory Gravy). On the other end, “flavor” means that spices or other means rather than meat are used (with Salmon Flavor). Not much different from human marketing. As George Carlin said: “What does ‘rich chocolaty flavor’ mean? No f***ing chocolate! Fresh lemony flavor? No f***ing lemon!” It is the same with pet food. “Salmon flavor”? No f***ing salmon! According to the evidence in this documentary, commercially manufactured pet food has little to nothing to do with how the digestive systems of dogs and cats have evolved. This is especially true of “dry” food – kibbles. Supermarket or large pet store chains (Pet Not-So-Smart) do not sell much, if any, food that is species appropriate. The film makers back up their claims and discuss ways to feed your furry family member in a way they are suppose to be eating. One last tip: read the label on your canned pet food. If the name of an actual animal comes up in the first or second ingredient (Water, chicken…) you might want to take a chance on it. “Bi-products” are the nasty bits of animals that cannot be used commercially in any other way. There are usually bi-products in all pet food. However, if the label has just the word “meat’ all by itself or, even worse, “meat bi-products” then you are feeding your pet, your little sweetie bumpkins, the lowest grade product of a rendering plant. Drop that can and run.