Moderns and Classics

L.A. Confidential (1997)

2008-02-28T22:35:00.000-08:00

L.A. Confidential is a very good film. Set in 1953 Los Angeles it tells the story of deep police corruption and murder. Guy Pearce plays Ed Exley, a Lieutenant who is not well liked within the force for snitching out his fellow officers when they beat a bunch of prisoners who were accused of beating a cop. Exley, however, is a very smart and incorruptible cop who is good at his job. Russell Crowe plays Bud White, also a good cop but in much different ways than Exley. White is a hot head that will beat the truth out of a witness and has a penchant for violence. When there is a murder at a local coffee shop in which White's former partner is killed the mystery begins. The case gets solved but something doesn't smell right. White does his own behind the scenes investigation, while Exley works with Sergeant Jack Vincennes, a narcotics officer who does a lot of behind the scenes dealings with tabloids, to try and figure out exactly what is going on. White and Exley hate each other for various reasons, but when all this stuff goes down they are forced to work as a team. L.A. Confidential is a great homage to the 1940's film noirs, and has fantastic performances from Crowe, Pearce, Spacey, Basinger, et al. Definitely a film that everyone will enjoy, succeeds at everything that De Palma tried to do with The Black Dahlia and failed. Overall 3.5/4 Stars Grade = B+

Love with the Proper Stranger (1963)

2008-02-29T22:48:00.000-08:00

Love with the Proper Stranger is not at all what I expected going in, however it was still a very good film. Steve McQueen plays Rocky Papasano, a struggling jazz musician in New York who while at what seems to be a job fair he is paged by a young woman, played by the beautiful Natalie Wood, who tells him that she is pregnant with his child. Angie Rossini, the young woman, works at Macy's and lives at home with her mother and three overprotective older brothers who drive her crazy. At first when Rocky finds out that she is pregnant he is obviously stunned, but as he comes to his senses he realizes that it is his responsibility. They seriously consider abortion, but decide against it, and he decides to marry her. However Angie has no desire to be in a loveless marriage that would leave everyone unhappy. For the time being this suits Rocky just fine, until they both come to realize that they are in love with each other even if they won't admit it to anyone but themselves. A very well done film by director Robert Mulligan in his follow-up to To Kill a Mockingbird, and fantastic performances by Wood and McQueen make this film worth seeing. Hopefully they will release it on DVD sometime soon. Overall 3.0/4 Stars Grade = B

Notorious (1946)

2008-03-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

Notorious is yet another clinic on how to direct a movie by the master Alfred Hitchcock. Although I don't consider Notorious to be one of Hitchcock’s masterpieces, even his lesser films are still extraordinary. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, whose beauty I believe is overrated but acting ability most certainly is not. Ms. Bergman plays Alicia Huberman, the daughter of a German-American found guilty for treason and working with the Nazi government. Alicia does not agree with her father's politics, and the American government is aware of this and sends in T.R. Devlin, played by the masterful Cary Grant, to try and persuade her to come and work for them down in Rio de Janeiro to take down some prominent Nazi leaders who have taken refuge in Brazil. Devlin succeeds in convincing her and they are soon aboard a flight to Brazil. The mission that they will be working on together is still in the developmental stages so the two of them have some free time to get to know each other, and end up falling in love. This, of course, becomes a problem when the mission is revealed to them and involves Alicia's convincing of her father's old friend Alex Sebastian (who has been in love with her for a long time) that she is in love with him. In order for Devlin to deal with this he becomes very brash towards Alicia, which causes her to become very deeply involved in this undercover mission. Notorious is a fantastic film, definitely worth seeing. However it gets off to a rather slow start, but don't be disheartened. Overall 3.5/4 Stars Grade = B+

Father of the Bride (1950)

2008-03-01T20:15:00.001-08:00

Father of the Bride is a good film, however it is certainly not Spencer Tracy nor Elizabeth Taylor's best. Tracy plays Stanley Banks, a middle class lawyer with three children. Elizabeth Taylor is his twenty-year-old daughter Kay. Upon arriving home from work one evening, Stanley notices that his daughter seems to be glowing from the inside with happiness. At the dinner table Kay reveals to her father that she is to be married to a gentleman named Buckley Dunston (portrayed by Don Taylor). At first Stanley and his wife (Joan Bennett) are extremely worried about this marriage, with the standard concerns of parents who's daughter is about to be wed, such as finances and whether or not the gentleman is a louse. Upon meeting and getting to know Buckley these fears are alleviated, but new problems are soon to arise. Although both Kay and her father want a small ceremony, it soon comes to fruition that this is not possible. With all the extended family and important business associates the guest list soon reaches nearly 600 people. Throw on top of that all the dresses, tuxedos, rentals, caterers and Stanley has himself a very expensive situation. There ends up being many other problems that arise, and much more drama ensues but as they show you at the beginning everything works out just fine. The script is pretty good, with a lot of great one-liners and there are some good bits of physical comedy from Tracy. All in all it is a good film, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way to see it unless you're a huge Spencer Tracy or Elizabeth Taylor fan. Overall 3.0/4 Stars Grade = B

The Red Desert (1964)

2008-03-01T23:51:00.000-08:00

Michelangelo Antonioni's The Red Desert is a very good, yet very deep and complicated film. Monica Vitti plays Giuliana, a severely depressed and co-dependant wife of a factory owner whose plant pollutes the air and rapes the land. Giuliana tries her best to keep her mental illness secret from her husband Ugo, played by Carlo Chionetti, and does so by leading him to believe it is just side effects from an automobile accident in which she suffered severe shock. One day while visiting her husband at the plant with their son she meets Corrado (Richard Harris), one of Ugo's business partners. Corrado is immediately taken by the lovely Giuliana, and sets his mind to wooing her. Throughout the film Giuliana's mental condition seems to deteriorate more and more, and when Ugo leaves for South America and her son fakes Polio to get out of going to Kindergarten it pushes her over the edge which sends her running into the arms of Corrado who is just dying to take advantage of her. Antonioni's direction is outstanding and some of the cinematography is just mind-blowing. Vitti gives an outstanding performance; Harris and Chionetti are also quite good. Worth watching, but pay close attention or you will be lost faster than you can say Antonioni. Overall 3.0/4 Stars Grade = B

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

2008-03-02T22:17:00.000-08:00

John Huston's The Maltese Falcon is one of the greatest film noirs of all time. The legendary Humphrey Bogart stars as Sam Spade, a private detective who has just been hired by Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor), under the false name Wonderly, to tail a man named Floyd Thursby who she claims is running away with her sister. Spade's partner Miles Archer goes on the job, and is murdered, presumably by Thursby. Spade is informed of his partner’s death, and goes down to see the body and shortly afterwards Thursby turns up dead. Spade is obviously the top suspect in the case, so he has detectives showing up at his place at all hours throughout the film. Not long after this, a man named Joel Cairo (played by Peter Lorre) comes into the picture. Cairo is willing to pay Spade $5,000 if he is to come up with an enamel falcon which Cairo claims Miss O'Shaughnessy is in possession of. The film continues on with a lot of great twists and turns in one of the most classic stories of all time. Huston's direction is superb, and I don't think I need to tell you how great Bogart and Lorre are as that is a given, but the rest of the cast is quite good as well. The script is absolutely fantastic and has given us such classic lines as "When you're slapped you'll take it and like it", and "The stuff dreams are made of". Definitely one of the best film noirs, a must see for any film fan. Overall 4.0/4 Stars Grade = A

This Property Is Condemned (1966)

2008-03-03T01:17:00.001-08:00

At first while I was watching This Property Is Condemned I kept thinking, "wow, this is a really underrated film", but once I saw the ending I understood why it isn't talked about anymore. Natalie Wood is at her best, both aesthetically and with her performance, portraying Alva Starr a young woman in a small Southern town during the depression. Alva lives with her mother and sister in a boarding house they run for all the railroad people that come and go. As Willy, Alva's sister portrayed by Mary Badham would put it "Alva is the main attraction". Because of her beauty, and seeming overall love of life, Alva is lusted after by each and every one of the railroad workers including her mother’s beau. Alva's mother also notices how then men lust after her and is constantly whoring her out to a rich man from Chicago so that she can further herself in life. Alva seems both aware of this and in denial at the same time. One day a man named Owen Legate (Robert Redford) comes to town. Owen is a man who works for the railroad and his job is to figure out who is to be laid off. Alva is immediately attracted to Owen, but he doesn't seem interested in her at all and his "smart alec" attitude seems to enrage her and at the same time multiply her attraction. Eventually, after a big argument about what it is he is doing in town with the layoffs, they end up sleeping with each other and falling in love. The characters are fantastic, and Natalie Wood and Robert Redford put in incredible performances. As I mentioned earlier, this film is great up until the end. They seem to just cut off the main story, and go back to the narrative taking place a few years in the future to tell you what happened. If they had taken the time to go a little further and actually show you, it would have been much more powerful and possibly even become a tear-jerker. If the ending had been done correctly this would have been a four star film. Overall 3.0/4 Stars Grade = B+

The Nightcomers (1972)

2008-03-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

I wasn't particularly impressed with Michael Winner's The Nightcomers, a prequel to The Turn of the Screw, although I can't say I was terribly surprised as I went in expecting a very mediocre film and I got a very mediocre film. The story is about a pair of very wealthy orphans named Flora and Miles who live in a large mansion somewhere in England. The children are cared for by the cook and maid Mrs. Grose (Thora Hird), their nanny Miss Jessel (Stephanie Beacham) as well as Peter Quint, the gardener (Marlon Brando). The children seem to be normal kids, they enjoy the normal things that eleven year olds do, and they are very fond of Quint. They spend much of their day hanging around Quint who tells them stories and teaches them the way of the world as he sees it, which is not always correct but the children believe anything he says. Quint and Miss Jessel in the meantime are having a sadomasochistic relationship, but all the children know is that they love each other. Miles is very curious about sex, but doesn't understand anything about it, and being that it is 1901 no one is willing to explain it to him, so he spies on Quint and Miss Jessel while they explore each other in very unconventional ways. Miles will then go and mimic these actions with his sister. Mrs. Grose is aware of this relationship between Quint and Miss Jessel, and does not approve. One day Miss Jessel and Mrs. Grose hear struggling and screaming from the children, and go to investigate and discover them mimicing in a very dangerous manner one of the encounters they had witnessed between Miss Jessel and Quint. This of course forces Mrs. Grose to fire Miss Jessel, which upsets the children greatly and that's when the story gets disturbing. I can't say I would recommend The Nightcomers, or anything else by Michael Winner for that matter as this is my second Winner film and I have come to discover he is a very sub-par director. The acting is also very poor, especially by Thora Hird and the children. Not worth your time. Overall 1.5/4 Stars Grade = C-

Rebel Without A Cause (1955)

2008-03-04T00:53:00.000-08:00

James Dean stars as Jim Starks, a teenager who has just moved into town and is already getting into trouble. Jim is a rebellious young man, although he is really a good kid. He is just starved for discipline. His father, played by Jim Backus, is a bit of a wimp and doesn't stand up for himself or anyone else and this upsets Jim greatly. Jim is a man who stands for honor and believes you have to stand up for yourself no matter what, and is really quite ashamed of his dad. On his first day of school in this new town, Jim meets Judy (Natalie Wood), a very popular girl who hangs with the rough kids. Although Jim immediately seems taken by Judy, she as well as her friends sees him more as a "disease". It is not until after a fight with a boy named Buzz, and a run of "chiky" (where two cars speed towards a cliff and the drivers jump out), which goes awry and kills Buzz, that he gains her affection. There is also Plato (Sal Mineo), an effeminate yet seemingly mentally unstable boy, who quickly befriends Jim. Plato really sees Jim as a father figure, and becomes completely dependant on him for approval, and when he thinks Jim has deserted him it really sends him off the deep end. The entire film takes place in one day, from the first meeting, to the accident, to Jim, Judy and Plato running from Buzz's friends who want to severely beat Jim to keep him from going to the police. My only problem with the film is that it seems Judy, who was Buzz's best girl, gets over Buzz's death within a matter of hours and I found that to be quite unrealistic. James Dean and Natalie Wood give great performances, and the direction is really good in this classic story. You should definitely put Rebel Without a Cause on your list. Overall 3.5/4 Stars Grade = B+

Les Enfants Terribles (1950)

2008-03-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Les Enfants Terribles was a good film by Jean-Pierre Melville, however I feel that if it had had Jean Cocteau's masterous touch at direction and not just the screenplay I feel it would have been much better. The story is about sixteen year old Paul, played by Edouard Dermithe, a fragile boy who becomes bedridden after being hit by a snowball at school. He lives with his invalid mother and psychotic sister, Elisabeth (played by Nicole Stéphane), who looks after their mother. Not long after Paul becomes ill, their mother passes on and it is just the two of them. They bicker constantly, even when company is present (company mostly being Gerard, Paul's friend from school). After a large fight between Paul and Elisabeth, Elisabeth decides to go get a job modeling for Gerard's uncle's high-end clothing store. While modeling Elisabeth befriends fellow model Agathe (Renée Cosima) who moves in with Paul and Elisabeth. This upsets Paul greatly, as he feels Agathe is invading his space. Through this job of Elisabeth's she meets a rich American named Michael, who for some strange reason has fallen in love with her and they are to be married. Michael owns a large eighteen-room mansion, which pleases Paul greatly because it will get both Elisabeth and Agathe out of his home. Unfortunately, however, Michael is killed in an automobile accident directly after the wedding and not soon thereafter Agathe, Paul and Gerard all move in to the mansion with Elisabeth where all kinds of drama ensues thereafter. Les Enfants Terribles is worth watching, especially due to Cocteau's fantastic script and narration. Dermithe and Stéphane give outstanding performances as the siblings constantly at each other's throats, and Jacques Bernard (Gerard) and Renée Cosima are also superb. Worth watching for sure, I just wish Cocteau had directed. This is not a slight against Jean-Pierre Melville it is simply stating Jean Cocteau's mastery behind a camera. Overall 3.0/4 Stars Grade = B

La Dolce Vita (1960)

2008-03-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

La Dolce Vita is a look into the life of Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni), a Roman journalist trying to find himself. Yvonne Furneaux is Emma, Marcello's live-in girlfriend who is very insecure and suicidal mostly due to Marcello's playboy ways. Throughout the film Marcello and Emma are constantly at each other’s throats, yet everything always seems to work out in the end between them due to Emma’s undying love towards Marcello. The film follows Marcello during one week in his life while he meets new people, conquers new women, and attends high society parties with the paparazzo always close behind. The first of these encounters is Maddalena, played by Anouk Aimée. Maddalena is an heiress to some kind of fortune, who seemingly bored with her life and spends time with Marcello and ends up sleeping with him in a whore's bedroom. Next is big time Hollywood actress Sylvia (Anita Ekberg), whom Marcello is extremely attracted to but who is already in a tumultuous relationship with fellow actor Robert, who seems to be a big American star as well. Following a large fight with Robert, Sylvia runs off into the night with Marcello who makes his attempts to woo her but finds her short attention span and high maintenance attitude tiring. He then attends an intellectual party at his troubled friend Steiner's apartment. Steiner is a writer who seems very balanced, but ends up murdering his children and killing himself for no apparent reason. There are many other encounters like these, all just as interesting with characters just as deep and flawed as the ones previously mentioned. La Dolce Vita is a very long and complicated film, so make sure when you watch it you are at full attention and awake throughout so as to no miss anything. Federico Fellini is an amazingly talented director, and this is definitely a beautiful film with some shots that will absolutely blow your mind. Overall 3.5/4 Stars Grade = B+

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

2008-03-06T22:13:00.000-08:00

Darren Aronofsky's disturbing masterpiece Requiem for a Dream is a chillingly graphic film that makes you wonder how anyone could let themselves become an addict. The film opens up with Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) stealing his mother's television to pawn for heroin money, they give you the impression that this is a common occurrence. Along with Harry is his friend and fellow addict Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). While Harry is the brain of the operation, Tyrone is the one who puts the plan into effect. There is also Harry's girlfriend Marian, played wonderfully by Jennifer Connelly, who seems to have the most level head of the three but is drawn in by the junk as well. At first the three of them really seem to be making it work. Harry and Tyrone are distributing and making good money, while Marian is designing dresses and clothing so that she can set up a clothing store. Unfortunately, a rival soon kills their connection and Tyrone ends up in jail and thus thrusts them back to the poorhouse. As you view the film you just sit and watch as the three of them circle down the drain and throw their lives into a living Hell where the only thing that can pull them up is another fix. In the meantime Harry's mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn) has found out that she has won a contest and is going to be competing on television. It is very important to Sara to fit into an old red dress she has that her late husband was very fond of, so she goes to a doctor to get diet pills. Unfortunately the only thing that the doctor cares about is getting paid, so he gives her no information about the pills that she is taking and soon she becomes strung out on speed. Requiem for a Dream is a very harsh, very graphic, very disturbing film. It is very hard to watch, but it is most certainly a masterpiece. Ellen Burstyn's performance ranks up there with the best all time, and the music by the Krono's Quartet is magnificent. A definite must see film for anyone that can stomach it. Overall 4.0/4 Stars Grade = A

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976)

2008-03-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

The 1976 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Laurence Olivier, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood and Maureen Stapleton is a lesser-known, yet still outstanding version of this classic play. Natalie Wood plays Maggie the Cat, a middle-aged woman married to an ex football star who is no longer in love with her and has turned to alcohol to deal with the death of a friend. Robert Wagner is Maggie's husband Brick, who just wants some peace and quiet so he can relax and drink his whiskey. Brick and Maggie are visiting Brick's father Big Daddy, played by Laurence Olivier, who has just been diagnosed with cancer on this his sixty-fifth birthday. Big Daddy is a multi-millionaire who owns a 28,000-acre plantation in Mississippi. Big Momma is having a birthday party for Big Daddy so the entire family is at the estate and everyone is creating drama. Big Daddy’s eldest son Gooper and his wife Mae and their five children seem to be the cause of most of the drama. This isn’t their intention of course, it’s just that they are very loud and very brash and don’t exactly keep to themselves and aren’t exactly cordial. Gooper and Mae aren’t alone at fault, as Big Daddy himself has a few outbursts and Brick and Maggie’s marital problems are very obvious whenever they are together. At first it is kept from Big Momma and Big Daddy that Big Daddy has cancer, they are told that his tests were negative in order to let Big Momma enjoy the birthday party. It is inevitable however that they tell Big Momma the truth about Big Daddy’s cancer something that kind of hangs over their heads throughout the story. The film is done with Tennessee Williams' screenplay and has outstanding performances by Olivier and Wood. The film is really shot and acted more like a stage play and not like a movie. What I mean to say is that it is very theatrical and not cinematic. This isn’t a problem of course; it just takes a couple minutes to get used to. I didn't think Robert Wagner was all that great, he is more of a film actor and less theatrical but he got better as the film went on. This version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is definitely worth watching, especially if you're a Tennessee Williams fan. Overall 3.0/4 Stars Grade = B

Splendor in the Grass (1961)

2008-03-09T00:30:00.000-08:00

Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass is really an outstanding picture. When I first saw it I was about sixteen, and I did not feel that way at all. I think this was probably due to the very slow pace of the film, because as we all know Mr. Kazan takes his sweet time. Natalie Wood plays Deanie Loomis, a high school girl in the late 1920s. Deanie is dating Bud Stamper (Warren Beatty in his first big screen role) who is the captain of the football team and son of oil tycoon Ace Stamper. Deanie and Bud are madly in love, but Bud is becoming increasingly frustrated with not being able to sleep with Deanie and his father not allowing them to be married. Meanwhile Deanie is also becoming frustrated because of her strong physical feelings for Bud but her mother telling her that nice girls don't feel that way. All of Bud's frustrations take hold of him on New Year's Eve 1928, when he finds his drunken flapper sister in a car with one of Deanie's friend’s date. This incident makes Bud feel that he is not being fair to himself or Deanie knowing that all he wants is sex at this time in his life. He doesn’t want to cheat on Deanie with the local flapper Juanita Howard, so he calls it off with Deanie. This sends Deanie into an emotional downward spiral, eventually leading to her attempted suicide that lands her in a mental hospital Wichita. Natalie Wood gives an absolutely incredible performance that should have won her the Oscar, which went to Sophia Loren instead. Warren Beatty is great as well in the role that made his career. Splendor in the Grass is a great story with even greater characters, definitely one to see if you're old enough to appreciate it. Overall 3.5/4 Stars Grade = B+

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

2008-03-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hotel Rwanda is an incredibly harrowing and emotionally draining film depicting the genocide of the Tutsi's in Rwanda in 1994. The true story of Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle who got an Academy Award nomination for his role) and his courageous actions to save 1,200 Tutsi and Hutu refugees. Paul was the manager of the Milles Collines Hotel, a four-star hotel in the city of Kigali, Rwanda. Being the hotel manager Paul was able to make valuable connections and friends with many important and influential people including Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte) of the UN and General Bizimungu (Fana Mokoena) of the Rwandan army. The Hutus had discriminated and fought against the Tutsis for many years. This is all because when Belgium occupied Rwanda, they classified all Rwandans into two categories based on their height, nose and color of their skin. These two categories were Hutu and Tutsi, and the Belgians put the Tutsis in charge. However when the Belgians left, they left the Hutus in charge and the Hutus sought out revenge on the Tutsis who had been in power for many years prior. The Hutu president of Rwanda had just signed a peace treaty that meant better times for all people of Rwanda, but Tutsi rebels assassinated soon the president leading the country into all-out civil war. At first Paul's only concern was to save his family, but once he realized that there would be no help from the United Nations or anyone else he knew that he could not just let all his neighbors and innocent countrymen be slaughtered in the genocide. Paul then opened the Milles Collines to the refugees, and used his connections within the UN for some protection. He also bribed General Bizimungu to have Rwandan police guarding the entrance. An incredible film by director Terry George that will leave you emotionally wrecked. Outstanding performances by Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo, who played Paul's wife Tatiana, lead the film with other outstanding performances by the rest of the cast. Hotel Rwanda is definitely a must see film, if not to just shed light on what happened in Rwanda and is still happening in other African countries today. Overall 4.0/4 Stars Grade = A

Caché (2005)

2008-03-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

I was very disappointed in Caché. Throughout the film, you feel that it is building up to some grand conclusion but then is just piffles out into nothing. Daniel Auteuil stars as Georges Laurent, a wealthy television host of some kind of literary talk show. When he starts receiving strange video's at his door that show hours of surveillance on his home he starts fearing for the safety of himself and his family. Georges and his wife Anne (Juliette Binoche) go to the police, but the police are not concerned until this stalker proves to be dangerous. The tapes start becoming more frequent, and an anonymous caller keeps calling Anne asking for Georges, but the police still do nothing. On the third tape Georges thinks he has figured out who is sending the tapes, and goes to the suspect’s home for a visit. The gentleman is someone Georges knew as a child, someone who may feel that he was treated unfairly by Georges and out for revenge but there is never closure on the subject. There is also a tape of Georges confronting the man that is sent to his wife and his employer, which makes you think that it could be blackmail, but they never really go into depth on the subject and it is dropped without any real explanation. The acting is quite good, and at times there is a fair amount of suspense but the suspense never amounts to anything. Normally I don’t have a problem with films that go unresolved, but Caché just left me feeling completely unfulfilled. I suppose if anything can be said of Caché it is that it is an interesting look into the lives of people who feel endangered. I don't think it's really a film worth watching, it's certainly not terrible but it's not particularly good either. Overall 2.0/4 Stars Grade = C

Kings Go Forth (1958)

2008-03-11T00:28:00.000-07:00

Kings Go Forth is the story of Lieutenant Sam Loggins (Frank Sinatra) and Corporal Britt Harris (Tony Curtis). On a weekend leave the Lieutenant and his outfit take holiday in Nice where Sam meets the beautiful Monique (Natalie Wood). Monique was born in American, but moved to France as an infant and was raised French. Sam immediately falls in love with Monique, but she is less than receptive. She likes Sam, but only as a friend. After a few weeks of Sam coming down to Nice to see her, she confesses to him that her father was a "negro". Of course because of the way American's viewed interracial relationships in the 1940's she never expected to see him again. Sam struggles with this information all week, but at the last minute he decides that this isn’t as big an issue for him as he initially had thought and heads back down to Nice. Monique and her mother are ecstatic to see he has returned, and it looks as though a romantic relationship might happen between the two. In celebration, Sam takes Monique out on the town where they run into Cpl. Harris. Harris is quite the smooth operator, and Monique immediately shows fondness towards him. It seems that her father being black is not an issue for Britt, and Sam just wants Monique to be happy so Sam and Britt continue to come see her every Saturday. As the weeks go on it is apparent that Monique and Britt are falling in love. After a long night, Britt comes back to the hotel and informs Sam that he and Monique are to be married. Sam seems apprehensive, but ultimately wishes Britt the best. Britt, of course, isn't all he's cracked up to be as you will come to learn and as you will have suspected from the very beginning. Kings Go Forth really isn't that great of a film, it is really very mediocre. Frank Sinatra isn't bad but Tony Curtis definitely doesn't give his best performance and the usually magnificent Natalie Wood is not believable as a French woman. The story isn't very original either, and some of the scenes are really pretty cheesy. I'd only see this if you are an enormous fan of the stars or director Delmer Daves. Overall 2.5/4 Stars Grade = C

Last Tango in Paris (1972)

2008-03-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

The Last Tango in Paris is a slightly interesting film about two people. Marlon Brando is Paul, a man trying to cope with the recent suicide of his wife. Maria Schneider is Jeanne, a young woman seemingly trying to find herself. Paul and Jeanne’s paths cross one day while they are both looking at an apartment to rent in Paris. They immediately have intercourse, and Paul ends up taking the apartment. For some period of time, Jeanne comes to see Paul for sex and sex alone. He refuses to talk about himself, and wants to know nothing about Jeanne, not even her name. As soon as she brings up anything even remotely personal Paul gets very hostile. Paul and Jeanne truly have a no-strings-attached, entirely sexual relationship. In his personal life, Paul runs a run down hotel that is frequented by hookers and junkies. His mother-in-law has recently come to stay at the hotel due to her daughter’s death and this does not please Paul, they often get into fights about religion and the way to deal with her daughter’s funeral. In Jeanne’s personal life she is engaged to a man named Tom who is a young filmmaker. Tom latest project is a story of love in which Jeanne is the main subject. Tom is constantly following Jeanne around with a camera and crew and Jeanne doesn’t much care for this. It seems that the afternoons of sex is the only escape that Paul and Jeanne have from their stressful and depressing lives. I wasn’t particularly impressed with The Last Tango in Paris, the storyline wasn’t very original and the characters really weren’t that interesting. Maria Schneider is beautiful as Jeanne and gives a good performance, and Brando isn’t bad either. The script at times seems to be needlessly dirty, Bernardo Bertolucci appears to just be going for as much shock value as he can get. All in all The Last Tango in Paris is an okay film, but I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to see it. Overall 2.5/4 Stars Grade = C

Alfie (2004)

2008-03-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

I have got to think that the original 1966 Alfie was better and more original than this version. Jude Law plays the title character, a British playboy using the island of Manhattan as his own personal playground. Charles Shyer's film documents Alfie in a quasi-documentary style following him throughout his relationships with many different women, all while he looks directly at the camera and narrates. First there is Dori (Jane Krakowski), a beautiful wife of a husband who doesn't appreciate her. Alfie gives her the sexual pleasure her husband has no interest in, but when she starts to fall for him he runs the other direction. Then there's Julie (Oscar winner Marisa Tomei). Julie is Alfie's "glorified booty call". A single mother, Alfie goes to her when the night is done and essentially uses her for a bed and food. Julie is really Alfie’s favorite, but he doesn’t realize it until it’s too late. There's the high class Liz (Oscar winner Susan Sarandon), who Alfie ultimately falls for but since she is the female version of him it is not to be. Then we have the beautiful but crazy Nikki (Sienna Miller) who seems to be a rip-off of Kate Winslet’s character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Nikki is so gorgeous that Alfie totally lets his guard down and becomes involved with her and she moves into his apartment. She’s so nuts though, that it really makes Alfie realize that T&A aren’t everything. Of course throughout the film you come to realize that Alfie really isn't happy in his playboy lifestyle. He is lonely, and really has no friends he hasn't alienated. This is of course what you have probably expected watching this film, because it has been done hundreds of times but with different actors and different characters. Alfie is so full of clichés that it’s ridiculous. The film has its moments of humor, and Jude Law gives a very decent performance, but the movie just isn't all that impressive. If all you want in a movie is a menagerie of beautiful women, then Alfie is for you but if you want an actual decent film then go elsewhere. Overall 2.0/4 Stars Grade = C

Three Days of the Condor (1975)

2008-03-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

Three Days of the Condor is a well-made thriller by director Sydney Pollack. Robert Redford is Joe Turner, code name Condor, a CIA man who's job it is to read and analyze books to see if they have any new ideas or if they're on to anything the CIA is trying to accomplish. One day upon returning to the office after lunch he discovers all of his colleagues murdered. Turner immediately calls the head offices, and they tell him to meet his supervisor behind an alley so they can pick him up, but upon his arrival the man shoots at Turner and Turner is forced to kill him. Turner isn’t a field agent, so he has no real training in evasion or on how to stay alive, so all he can really rely upon is his gut and what he’s read in adventure stories for the government. Turner doesn't know whom he can trust or where he can hide, so he kidnaps Kathy (Faye Dunaway) in a snap decision and forces her to take him to her apartment. When Turner first tries to explain to Kathy what is really going on she of course doesn't believe a word he says, but as time goes on she begins to realize he is telling the truth and wants to help him. The two of them then roam around New York trying to keep Turner alive and trying to expose the corruption from within the CIA. Robert Redford does a fantastic job, he has many previous collaborations with director Sydney Pollack (This Property is Condemned, The Way We Were and Jeremiah Johnson) and it shows with his performance. It’s always nice to see the great Max Von Sydow as well; he plays the killer for hire and does a fantastic job as usual. A very interesting story that is very suspenseful will have you on the edge of your seat. Three Days of the Condor is definitely worth watching. Overall 3.0/4 Stars Grade = B

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

2008-03-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Although the 1958 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a bit tamer than the Tennessee Williams play, it is still a damn good film. Liz Taylor plays Maggie the Cat and Paul Newman plays her husband Brick. The two of them are visiting Brick's father Big Daddy (Burl Ives) on his sixty-fifth birthday mainly to find out the tests on whether or not he has cancer. Big Daddy unfortunately does have inoperable terminal cancer, but Big Momma (Judith Anderson) and Big Daddy have both been told by the doctor that the tests were negative; presumably so that Big Daddy could enjoy his last birthday. Also up for the occasion are Brick's older brother Gooper (Jack Carson) and his wife Mae (Madeleine Sherwood) and their five little "no-neck monsters". No one in the family seems too fond of Gooper and his wife; they come across as very self-centered and greedy, only out for Big Daddy's fortune. Gooper and his wife are also quick to point out Brick's drinking problem (which stemmed from the death of his best friend Skipper) in order to prove him irresponsible and unworthy of inheritance, and the fact that he doesn't seem all that fond of his wife who obviously is still madly in love with him. Big Daddy himself doesn't seem to like anyone, except for Brick and Maggie and with Brick's severe drinking problem Big Daddy is wondering whether he can trust Brick with his plantation. Brick has no interest in the plantation, for all he cares Gooper can just have it, however since Big Daddy is not at all fond of Gooper this is not a reasonable solution. As Brick puts it in the film, family crisis brings out the best and the worst in everyone and that is certainly apparent in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Liz Taylor is absolutely superb in her performance; and Burl Ives, Paul Newman and the rest of the cast are spectacular as well. The film completely skirts over the homosexual undertones of Brick and Skipper's relationship, no doubt due to the time it was produced and I felt that that took a bit away from the film, but it is still outstanding. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is definitely worth watching, one of Elizabeth Taylor's greatest roles. Overall 3.5/4 Stars Grade = B+

The Shining (1980)

2008-03-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a masterpiece of horror in the truest sense of the word. Jack Nicholson stars as Jack Torrance, a writer who has agreed to be the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel during the winter season. At the interview for the job, Jack is told of a tragedy that occurred at the hotel ten years earlier. A man named Delbert Grady was the caretaker of the Overlook and had lost his mind, murdering his wife and two daughters with an axe and then blowing his brains out. This does not dissuade Jack from taking the job, he assures the gentleman in charge that this will not happen to him. Along with Jack are his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and young son Danny (Danny Lloyd). Danny has a special skill, something which allows him to see into the past and the future. Upon arriving at the Overlook Danny meets the head chef Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers). Hallorann has the same special ability as Danny, and he calls it shining. The first month at the Outlook is smooth sailing. Danny is enjoying himself, riding his big wheel around the hotel and Wendy is keeping herself busy with the upkeep of the hotel while Jack works on his book, but things are about to take a turn for the worst. Jack has a bad case of writer's block, and is becoming irritable and suffering from insomnia. One afternoon, Danny rides his big wheel past room 237, a room which has a bad feeling about it and which Hallorann has warned him to stay away from. The door to room 237 is open, and Danny goes in. At the same time, Jack is screaming in his sleep and Wendy awakens him and he tells her he had a terrible nightmare where he killed Danny and her with an axe. This is really the beginning of the end, as Danny comes down traumatized and bruised. Wendy accuses Jack, and this really causes Jack to go off the deep end. He starts seeing things and talking to people that aren't there, including Delbert Grady the man whom ten years prior had murdered his family and committed suicide. There are many strange things that happen beyond this point which lead you to question whether or not Jack is actually crazy, and whether the things which he sees are illusions or real life. The Shining is the greatest horror film of all time in my opinion; it works on so many levels. Kubrick's direction is a work of art; the scene with Danny riding his big wheel around the hallways is the single greatest piece of film work this reviewer has ever seen. Jack Nicholson gives the performance of a lifetime, and young Danny Lloyd is incredible. It's a shame Mr. Lloyd never pursued an acting career after The Shining. A must see film for any fan of cinema. Overall 4.0/4 Stars Grade = A

Double Indemnity (1944)

2008-03-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

Fred MacMurray is Walter Neff, a slick talking insurance salesman in LA. When he stops by the home of a Mr. Dietrichson to speak with him about his auto insurance he meets the femme fatale of the picture Mrs. Phyllis Dietrichson played by Barbara Stanwyck. Mrs. Dietrichson is very eager to talk to Walter about accident insurance on her husband, who is an oilman, which she considers to be very dangerous work. Mrs. Dietrichson seems very concerned about her husband's well being, but all Walter seems concerned with is Mrs. Dietrichson. The more Phyllis talks to Walter about this accident insurance for her husband, the more Walter sees that she just wants to kill him and collect the money. He tries to explain to her that she doesn't stand a chance, she'll got caught and she'll get the chair; but she really seems to have taken a hold on him. The next day when she comes to deliver his hat to his apartment, Walter realizes that he loves her and offers to kill her husband so they can take the money and run away together. Since Walter is in the insurance business he knows exactly how to do it so they won't get caught. It must be done on a train, so they can collect double indemnity on the insurance. And they must work together to do it. It has to be absolutely perfect. After the dirty deed is done, everything seemed to be going swimmingly. The claims investigator Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) who has caught every phony claim to come his way in 26 years doesn't suspect a thing. The head of the company suspects suicide, but Keyes sets him straight. However the smooth sailing doesn't last long, choppy waters are ahead. All of the sudden it doesn't sit right with Keyes. He knows it was murder, he knows it was two people, and he knows one of them was Phyllis Dietrichson. Double Indemnity is a superb film noir, with a great story of seduction, murder and deception. The film has great performances by Stanwyck, MacMurray and Robinson with a good performance by Jean Heather as Mr. Dietrichson's daughter Lola. A must see film for film noir fans especially, but worth seeing by anyone else who can appreciate good cinema. Overall 3.5/4 Stars Grade = B+

The Missouri Breaks (1976)

2008-03-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

Jack Nicholson stars as Tom Logan, a horse thief in the Wild West. He and his gang have recently robbed a train (for the first, and last time) and have some money lying around. They buy a ranch and set up shop. The problem is however that one of Mr. Logan's neighbors, a one Mr. David Braxton (John McLiam), is very concerned with horse thieves in the area and has hired a famous "regulator" named Robert E. Lee Clayton (Marlon Brando) to come in and hunt down and assassinate these thieves. A regulator is a sort of man-hunter. Someone who is hired to come in, locate someone, and kill them. At first Braxton has no reason to suspect Logan, but after Logan starts seeing his daughter Jane (Kathleen Lloyd) he begins to despise Logan and starts to notice things, things that Clayton himself has also noticed about Logan’s character and business. Clayton gets all the evidence he needs after a botched trip to Canada in the attempt to steal 60 of the Mounties’s horses. After the Mounties catch up to Logan's gang, they split up and Little Tod (Randy Quaid) runs into Mr. Lee Clayton. Clayton assumes a false identity in order to extract information from Tod, but Tod won't talk so Clayton drowns him. This, of course, means war between Logan and Clayton. Jack Nicholson is outstanding in the film, and that's the only thing that makes the film worthwhile in my opinion. Thomas McGuane's script has its moments of humor, and Arthur Penn is a good director but this certainly isn't his best. Marlon Brando is ridiculous as an Irish cowboy, completely unbelievable. Fact of the matter is, when Jack isn't on screen the movie drags. The Missouri Breaks is only worth watching if you're a big fan of one of the leads, or director Arthur Penn. Overall 2.0/4 Stars Grade = C

Autumn Sonata (1978)

2008-03-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Ingmar Bergman is one of the greatest directors of all time, however Autumn Sonata was not one of his best. That's not to say it is a bad film, quite the contrary, its just saying that it is not quite at the level as some of his other films. The film revolves around Eva, played by Liv Ullmann. Eva lives at her home with her husband Viktor (Halvar Björk) and her invalid sister Helena (Lena Nyman) whom she cares for. Eva has not seen her mother for seven years and after hearing about the death of a close friend of her mother’s Eva sends a letter to her mother inviting her to come visit. Her mother, Charlotte (Ingrid Bergman), is a world famous classical pianist who spent most of Eva's childhood on tour. At first Eva is ecstatic that her mother has come, but as Ingmar makes apparent, Charlotte is a very selfish woman with seemingly no true feelings for anyone, so this happiness is not to last. It starts with a few minor issues; comments on Eva's interpretation of Chopin, the obligatory visit to Helena, and the attire worn to dinner. Despite these petty issues, everything seems to be going fine; just the minor arguments common within families. During the night Charlotte has a nightmare from which she awakens with a yelp. She heads downstairs to calm her nerves, but her yelp has also awakened Eva who comes down to see if everything is all right. Unfortunately, with this late hour the two of them end up having a long discussion about Eva's childhood where Eva lets out years of pent up rage and hatred towards her mother. Eva even comes out and blames her mother for Helena’s illness. Autumn Sonata is not quite as depressing as most Bergman films, but it’s certainly not cheerful. Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Bergman put out stellar performances, and Ingmar's direction is superb. Björk is also quite good as Viktor, and Lena Nyman does a great job in the role of Helena. Worth seeing if you are a Bergman fan (Ingmar or Ingrid), but I don't think the average American would enjoy this film. Overall 3.0/4 Stars Grade = B