To the Devil a Daughter (1976)

To the Devil a Daughter is a rather heavy re-working of the 1953 Dennis Wheatley novel of the same name. Updating the setting from the 1950's south of France to contemporary England and Germany, the story leaves out a lot from the book, omits some characters, condenses others, and changes the gender and nationality of the protagonist from an English woman to an American male (here played by Richard Wydmark). There are a few lightly interesting ideas in the movie, and it did keep my attention, but it only vaguely resembled the book on which it was based and was on the whole a disappointment. While Christopher Lee makes all things better, sadly he alone can not save all things. **

The Piano (1993)

Romantic drama that won Oscars for Holly Hunter (lead actress), Anna Paquin (supporting actress) and Jane Campion (screenplay), Campion was also nominated for best director, only the second woman to ever be nominated in that category, the first being  Italian director Lina Wertmuller for the 1976 the film Seven Beauties. The Piano is set in the mid 19th Century and concerns a mute Scots woman (Hunter) who takes her daughter (Paquin) with her to New Zealand when she is basically solid in marriage by her father to a man she has never meet (Sam Neill). Hunter is  essentially cold to Neill, but over course of time slows falls in love with Harvey Keitel, a white man who has largely gone native and who Hunter is suppose to be giving piano lessons too, though mostly she just plays and he stares at her.

The Romantic dynamics are a little odd, Neill is awkward but nice to her, and Keitel kind of a creeper, but I suppose you could say that the prior is false as a person while the later genuine, if a little pervy. The film consists of a lot of build ups and slow burns, primary among these being what the heck is Neill going to do when he figures out his wife is cheating on him, and what he does is not pleasant. This film is largely a mode piece but contains impressive acting from all of the primary cast, but especially Hunter who is silent save for book ending narrations in voice over at the beginning and end of the film, and Paquin who at 11 would be the 2nd youngest person to win a best supporting actress Oscar, after Tatum O'Neal who was 10 when she won hers. A powerful and intense little movie that surprised me and prompts (albeit confused) reflection. ****

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

My sister really liked this movie and I wasn't opposed to seeing it for two principle reasons: 1) I was familiar with John Green, the author of the book the movies based on, as he his also a minor internet celebrity from his Crash Course educational videos and I enjoy his sense of humor, and 2) I've really been won over by Shailene Woodley. The Fault in Our Stars is a teen romance picture, not a genera I have a lot of experience with, nor do I desire such experience, but you can just tell this movie is smarter and quirkier then most films that aim for the teen girl demographic. The romance here is among cancer patients, a likable pair played by Woodley and Ansel Elgort, who ironically play siblings in the Divergent series. Anyway Woodley and Elgort are kind of obsessive fans of  a fictional novel about teenage cancer patients called An Imperial Affliction and its reclusive author Peter van Houten (played by Willem Dafoe), and through course of events they get to go visit him in exile in Holland, and it turns out he's a jerk. Then some other things happen which I won't spoil, but it's still pretty predictable considering the films set up. For the most part the resolution is handled well, and I genuinely enjoyed the film. Man I've been pretty easy on Young Adult flicks as of late, should I be concerned. ***

The Awesome 80's Podcast Episode Index

The Vatican Museums 3D (2014)

A short tour of some of the more famous art to be found within the Vatican Museums, including the Belvedere Torso, Augustus of Prima Porta, Stefaneschi Triptych, da Vinci's St. Jerome in the Wilderness, and of course Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling. The best thing short of actually going there, The Vatican Museums also boasts both expert commentary and some of the best 3D I've ever seen. I love the shots where your just going down the hallways in 3D and are free to look at whatever you want, and of course the shots of the Sistine Chapel are just breathtaking, I only wish this was longer then just 70 minutes. Not much of a movie per-say, but still a strong cinematic experience. ***

Diary of a Country Priest (1951)

Based on the 1936 novel of the same name by Georges Bernanos, Diary of a Country Priest tells the story of a sickly young priest on his first assignment, a small parish in the north of France. The Priest (Claude Laydu, then little more then an amateur) is never given a name beyond his title, he is sickly (a chronic stomach aliment which limits his diet) but sincere, he doesn't really know what he's doing and is not free from doubt, but he tries, and though he makes a lot of mistakes, and his effect on his parish is limited, he improves with time.

The plot, from Wikipeida:

"A young priest arrives at Ambricourt, his new parish. He is not welcome. The girls of the catechism class laugh at him in a prank, whereby only one of them pretends to know the Scriptural basis of the Eucharist so that the rest of them can laugh at their private conversation. His colleagues criticize his diet of bread and wine, and his ascetic lifestyle. Concerned about Chantal, the daughter of the Countess, the priest visits the Countess at the family chateau, and appears to help her resume communion with God after a period of doubt. The Countess dies during the following night, and her daughter spreads false rumors that the priest's harsh words had tormented her to death. Refusing confession, Chantal had previously spoken to the priest about her hatred of her parents.

The older priest from Torcy talks to his younger colleague about his poor diet and lack of prayer, but the younger man seems unable to make changes. After his health worsens, the young priest goes to the city to visit a doctor ....& a... former colleague, who has lapsed and now works as an apothecary, while living with a woman outside wedlock."

A poignant, beautiful film it helped to establish the careers of both its star Laydu, and its director Robert Bresson. A thoughtful, reflective piece of cinema, that I can highly recommend. ***1/2

The Human Factor (1979)

Now director Otto Preminger's later films have a reputation of being not good, now its a little hard for me to independently verify this as most of the movies Preminger made in his last working decade have not been released on DVD, and are thus hard to come by. I can generally agree however that I find his later films, says those made 1965 and after, like Skidoo and Bunny Lake is Missing, to lack the gravitas of his great movies like Anatomy of a Murder and Advise and Consent. Preminger's last film however, The Human Factor, showed the man very much back on his game. Now this film had a very small budget, and thus has a look far from that of the epic drama's of the directors heyday of the late 50's and early 60's, but like many of Preminger's early films it can boast strong performances and is thrilling as human drama.

Based on author Graham Greene's same titled novel of the previous year, The Human Factor is a sort of spy movie by way of human interest story. It tells how Marcus Castle (played expertly by the sadly under-known Nicole Williamson) an otherwise loyal mid-level member of the British intelligence service became a Soviet Spy. The movie starts out with British intelligence, by way of its own double-agent in Moscow, having becomes aware of a leak in its Africa section, and sending one  Colonel Daintry (Richard Attenborough) in to investigate. The film follows mostly along a contemporary narrative and then revels, by way of a couple of long flashback's, how Castle came to aid the Soviets following a series of disillusioning incidents while on assignment in South Africa around eight years prior.

The film is thus mostly a character study of Castle, and Williamson imparts to his character an appropriate level of depth, but never makes him more then what he is, a moderately capable, kind of soft hatred guy, who gets in a situation beyond his ability and not to his liking. Castle is a character who at one point tells his Soviet contact pointedly that he is not a communist, doesn't want to defect, but may have to. All of these events which are ultimately set in motion by Castle's desire to be with the black African woman he has fallen in love with, and who also loves him, may ironically result in his never being with her again. The film is made more pungent by a nice twist of a dramatic topper at the end that reframes everything you've seen before in a new light.

The movie loaded with good character actors like Derek Jacobi and Robert Morley who provide brief tastes of interesting subplots and make the world of the movie all the more rounded, and tragically ironic. In The Human Factor everyone is a real or potential traitor, which just serves to lend the proceedings a lite flavor of the tragically Kafkaesque. ***

Bright Leaf (1950)

Michael Curtiz directed melodrama set in 1890's North Carolina. The plot concerns conflicts between cigar makers and a new class of cheap cigarette makers, so its hard to know who to route for. The film features a couple of love triangles and a good hate triangle. This Overwrought offering reteams stars Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal from the previous years similarly over-the-top The Fountainhead. Lauren Bacall and Jack Carson are also along for the ride. Story is loosely based on the rivalry of tobacco tycoons Washington Duke and John Harvey McElwee, or so says McElwee descendent Ross McElwee in his 2007 documentary film also titled Bright Leaf. This movie reminded me that while I like it when similarly iconic star Jimmy Stewart plays dark, I don't like it when Cooper does. This films a bit of a mess. **

The Return of Count Yorga (1971)

The sequel to the 1970 vampire in California film Count Yorga, Vampire. Now it might seem that it would be a little difficult to make a sequel to Count Yorga, Vampire, in that at the end of the original film the titular Count Yorga is turned to dust, however it was not difficult because the filmmakers simply chose to ignore the events of the first film, retaining only the character of Count Yorga and a contemporary California setting. In this film Yorga (still played by Robert Quarry) prays on the staff of an isolated orphanage, but makes the mistake of falling in love with one of the teachers there(Mariette Hartley, interesting face) which of course leads to his downfall, only now its a downfall from which no subsequent sequel would ever arrive to rescue him. Not as good as the first Count Yorga film, the movie does a mediocre job of building to something and then never quite pays it off. This movie is perhaps most notable for the appearance of a young Craig T. Nelson in a small role as a police officer. **

Grumpy Cat's Worst Christams Ever (2014)

Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever holds the distinction of being the first movie based on an internet meme. This Lifetime  Network  production is a kind of break-the-forth-wall meta comedy that finds internet star Grumpy Cat unwittingly trapped in a syrupy TV holiday movie plot, and you know it works. Aubrey Plaza proves great casting a the voice of  Grumpy Cat as she gives a running, lightly sarcastic commentary on the events of her own movie. The tried and true 'must save the pet shop or school or church or what have you from bankruptcy before Christmas' plot is appropriate here as well. I also enjoyed the rife on magic movie Santa Clause's with the obviously fake seeming mall Santa who turned out to be magic after all. The goofy crooks worked too. I hope Lifetime take advantage and puts another Grumpy Cat TV movie into production soon. **1/2

The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast