Uncle Frank (2020)

In 1973 18 year old college freshman Sophia Lills bonds with her gay college professor uncle Paul Bettany, while on a road trip from New York to South Carolina for his father's funeral. Written and directed by 'Six Feet Under' creator Alan Ball. A refreshingly modest film of some pogiency. *** 

Spontaneous (2020)

 Members of the senior class at a suburban New Jersey high school start spontaneously combusting for no aparent reason. There is a romance between Katherine Langford and Charlie Plummer, there's some comedy, and government agents, and drugs prescription and recreational, Piper Parabo plays a mom, there is prom and depression and Westboro Baptist type protesters, and 80's music, and anti Trump jokes and some poignancy. Not sure what to make of it and I think that's the point. The feels were all over the place, it was off putting, kind of pretentious but kinda almost worked. Not quite sure what to make of it, but the high concept was too high so I didn't really like it, though pieces worked well enough. Would have liked to have the lead couple in a more normal movie. **

Clueless (1995)

 I finally saw this. Lose remake of Jane Austin's 'Emma' set among the "vapid" and privileged of Beverly Hills high schoolers. Strong cast and surprisingly smart and likeable. I really enjoyed this. ***

Shockproof (1949)

 Cornell Wilde seems the best kind of earnest liberal, a well liked parole officer who goes above and beyound for his clients. Patricia Knight is a gorgouse muderess for whom Wilde goes even more beyound, getting her a job as his blind mothers live in help, because he just knows he can save her, and did I mention she's gorgouse. 

The two stars were married at the time of filming. Interesting as blend of the styles of melodramest director Douglas Sirk and hard boiled writer Samuel Fuller. Unfortunately the blend dose not gell and the movie works less and less well the longer it's goes on. I just didn't find Knight's falling for Wilde convincing, nor the extent to which Wilde was willing to f-up his life for Knight. Movie was okay going in but by the end I was hating it. *

Matewan (1987)

 Story of a 1920 West Virgina coal strike that went integrated when Italin and black "scabs" joined in. Exceptional writting and directing by John Sayles. Strong cast includes Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, David Strathairne, Mary McDonnell and Bob Gunton. This might be the best film about a union. ****

The Long Goodbye (1973)

Elliot Gould is such a different take on Phillip Marlowe from the iconic Humphrey Bogart portrail, but I thought it worked. Off beat adaptation of the 1953 Raymond Chandler novel updates things to a burnt out 1973. Lots of seemingly counter intuitive decisions by director Robert Altman as to casting (this is now my second favorite Sterling Hayden performance, and I usually don't care for him), pacing, and various digressions (a subplot concerning Marlowe's cat takes up an astonishing amount of screen time). I found the picture just fascinating and very odd. Not entirely sure what Altman was going for beyound proving the flexabilty of filmic adaptions, but that is more then enough. ***1/2

Too Die For (1995)

 Satire of 1990's tabloid culture. New Hampshire weather girl gets high school kids to kill her husband for her, media circus ensues. Came on kind of heavy at first but it grew on me. Film is anchored by a commited performance from Nicole Kidman. ***

American Griffiti (1973)

 George Lucas directed and co-wrote this movie about the variou misadventures of four high school friends one Saturday night in the Modesto, California of 1962. This movie has an interesting relationship to the television series 'Happy Days', which started out as a segment on 'Love American Style'. Plans to adapt the segment had been losing steam but the unexpected success of 'American Griffiti' revived them. Ron Howard of course was a lead in both the movie and the series.

This is the generational high school film for that silent generation, the one before the baby boomers. I've found more to relate to in Gen X high school films like 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' or even Gen Z ones like 'Book Smart'. 'American Griffiti' is more of an artifact, and it was intended to be one. 1962 was chosen because it was before the Kennedy assination and the British invasion, the mores, music, dance and behavior in the freshman dance sequence have more in common with 1952 and 1942 then 1972.

One thing I did like about the film is that the kids, while really good kids, were still swearing it up and horny, and various mostly petty crimes are committed. This movie isn't 'Happy Days', it's a little rawer and more cynical. It's also strucured losley, it's kids driving around in their cars on a Saturday night looking for chicks and listing to the radio, so I was unexpectedly reminded of 'Once Upon A Time in Hollywood'. The performaces pretty much across the board are good. This is even a subtilty significant film in a number of ways, though I don't think I could call it a great one. ***

Laal Singh Chadda (2022)

 'Laal Singh Chadda' is an Indian remake of the 1994 American film 'Forrest Gump'. Here Gump's baby boomer American epic is translated to roughly four decades of recent Indian history. Laal Singh Chadda is a pure hearted "dimwit" whose decency, enthusiasm and love for childhood friend Rupa, propel him through a greatest hits milieu of the subcontinents Gen X experince.

The film largely follows the beats of its American prediscessor with regional and period modifications. Forrest tells his story to strangers on a park bench, Laal recounts his to passengers on a train. Forrest's mother gets her mentally challenged son into school by exchanging sexual favors with the principle, Laal's does so by doing chores for a Catholic priest headmaster. Forrest's running abilitie makes him a colloge football star, while Laal's allows him to excel at track. Forrest becomes a millionaire in the shrimping industry, while Laal does so by making men's underwear. Forrest has Jenny, Buba and Lt. Dan, Laal's got Rupa, Bala and Mohammad Paaji.

The film does make several major changes from the American version. Laal's Lt. Dan equivalent is not his commanding officer but rather a fanatical Pakastani who Chadda rescues by mistake during fighting in mid 1990's Kashmir. Having lost his legs and ashamed to go home Mohammad Paaji stews in resentment for a long time, reconnects with Laal almost by accident, makes a success of his underwear business and deradicalizes by exposer to Laal and other Indians who are decent people, not the monsters he thought they were. After the Mumbai terrorist attacks Paaji decides to return to Pakastan and start a school with the intent of keeping young people from falling stray to radical Islam. This whole story line was unexpected and I liked it.

A little less successful I thought was the Rupa (Jenny) storyline. Rupa wants to be a Bollywood star and hooks up with a producer who also turns out to be an organized crime figure. When she leaves Laal after they finally have sex it's not because of a vauge feeling of unworthyness, but because she is brought in by the Indian FBI to partcipate in an opertaion to bring down her ex lover. 

The film ticks boxs off the recent Indian past, the assination of Indira Ghandi, various riots which were semi common in India, boarder wars, political campaigns, a World Cup and Miss Universe win. These are mostly in the background, though the technology for doing so has improved Laal and company are seldom inserted into period footage, though Laal get a medal from a mid 90's Indian Prime Minister, and we see Rupa in the background of a (presumably famous) Bollywood film of the aughts.

Aamir Kahn plays Laal as probably a little more retarded then Hank's Forrest, he (too) often has an exagerated smile on his face. Kareena Kapoor is both striking and sympathetic as Rupa, and possibly a slightly better person then Jenny. Manav Vij was the standout for me as Mohammed Paaji.

When I learned this movie existed I felt more or less obligated to see it, the perfect kind of quirky, off the beaten path film offering for me. I wasn't expecting too much however but found this to be a worthy reimaging of the tale. 'Forrest Gump' was once one of my favorite movies, I saw it again within the past year after more then a decade and thought it held up fairly well. 'Laal Singh Chadda' is a sweet hearted film, simplistic yes but it seems to come from a good place. The movie has a number of original songs but they are not done as the big production numbers we often associate with Indian cinema, but rather are played over the action. I would recommend this movie as a good introduction to India cinema, not least because the plot is familiar so it's easier to take in when dropped in such a foreign setting. ***

Mesa of Lost Women (1953)

 A sinister scientist played by a pre Uncle Fester Jackie Coogan is conducting experiments in the desert involving beautiful women, little men, and giant spiders. An escaped mental patient holds a half dozen hostages on a small plan that is forced to land nearby. Also there is some over the top narration. Despite all this potentially entertaining stuff jamed into 70 minutes the movie is often dull and largely incoherent. My favorite line is when the doctor states of the spiders that he "found I could  communicate with them telepathically", no further explanation bothered with. Actress Sandra Quinn who plays the vixin tarantula woman appeared in five films total, all but one of which was a 1953 release. This movie is unusually bad, even for its type. *

13 Lives (2022)

 Ron Howard made '13 Lives' for Amazon Prime, his previous film 'Hillbilly Elegy' was made for Netflix and Disney+ is doing a sequel series for his late 80's fantasy film 'Willow', the director is firmly ensconced in a streaming stage.

 Streaming water is the villain of '13 Lives', an unexpected pre monsoon season storm causes flooding,  trapping a youth soccer team and their coach in a cave in rural Thailand. You might remember this true story from the summer of 2018, people came from around the world to help including British cave rescue divers here played by Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton and an almost unrecognizable Vigo Mortensen.

Finding the 13 survivors dosen't prove too difficult for the Brits, geeting them out is far more complicated as it involves a trip that takes hours underwater. The chance of the boys panicking is just too great so an unorthodox solution is hit on. Joel Edgerton's character is an anesthesiologist for a day job, so they knock the kids and their coach out, wrap them up tightly, fasten air tanks, and swim them out unconscious. It's quite the achevment.

The story is compelling though its told mostly on a technical level, the 'how they did it'. The 'why they did it' is obvious though the characters aren't plumbed at any great depth, despite their diving under water. This is very much of the docudrama school, an approach to story which can be kind of dry, even when the characters get wet. It's still good though I couldn't come up with a 3rd pun. Technically very well handled and it's neat to see that part of the world featured in a human interest story. This is "best of humanity' stuff, though at times can feel rather surfacy. There's that third pun. ***

South of Saint Louise (1949)

 Joel McCrea, Zachary Scott and a lesser known third actor go after, and later become, gun runners in Texas, which is technically south of Saint Louise, but so is Brazil. Anyway will saloon hall girl Alexis Smith steal McCrea away from fiance Dorothy Malone? Surprisngly yes, though it's more complicated then it sounds. The main bad guy here is played by Victor Jory, one of classic Hollywoods most prominate Mormons. Set during the civil war. Also in color. **1/2

Law and Order (1953)

 Marshall Ronald Reagan has the town of Cottonwood ban all guns within city limits after his brother is murdered. Yep old gun control Ronnie makes for some irony in an otherwise unremarkable western, also staring the Professer from 'Gilligans Island' and McCloud from 'McCloud'. Dorothy Malone has little to do as the love interest while Preston Foster is a decent villain. In color. **

The Fast and the Furious (1954)

 'The Fast and the Furious' was Roger Corman's 3rd film, he now has around 400 credits (in this one it's for 'story by'). Lady race car driver Dorothy Malone is taken hostage by a jail breaking John Ireland, who is trying to make his way to freedom in Mexico. For a movie with 'Fast' in its title it's fairly slow, and more flirtatious then furious, Ms. Malone gets some serious Stockholm syndrome. At one point in an effort to save Ireland Dorothy sets the cabin she's trapped in one fire, an extremely stupid idea. Apperinging in something so low rent could Dorothy have imagined that she was just two years away from an Oscar? No relation to the later franchise. **

Waiting for Guffman (1996)

 'Waiting for Guffman' is a Christopher Guest mockumentery about a small Missouri town town putting on a musical for their sequacentennial. I have an oddly distinct memory of listing to an NPR story on this film while doing my German homework one night in high school. Other then that I don't have much to say about this movie, though I liked it, it is reasonably clever and pretty funny. ***

A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)

 Charlie Chaplin would make his final film as a director a decade after his final film as a star, 1957's 'A King in New York'. 'A Countess from Hong Kong', in addition to being Chaplin's last film, would be his only movie in color and one of two he directed in which he didn't star, the other being 1923's 'A Woman of Paris'.

'A Countess from Hong Kong' is very losely inspired by a true story and a project Chaplin started developing in the 1930's as a vehicle for his then wife Paullett Goddard. Ultimately filmed in England the story concerns an American diplomat (Marlon Brando) who goes to a party in Hong Kong to get drunk after not being named Secretary of State. He comes to the next day in his state room on a ship bound for Hawaii, he quickly discovers stowed away Sophia Loren, a hereditary Russian Countess who has lived all her life as a stateless person and is desperate to get to America. The two had hit it off at the party only he dosen't remember her.

The comedy is mostly of the 'hide the girl in the closet' variety and is remarkably uninspired for the comic legend. The movie is dull if not unpleasent, the only character who really made me laugh was Patrick Cargill as Brando's valet. The two leads predictably fall in love with things complicated by Loren's lack of ticket and passport, and Brando's career ambitions and estranged wife played by Tippi Hedron.

Chaplin has a small cameo apperence, his children Sydney and Geraldine have supporting parts, and several other of Chaplin's eleven children have walk-ons. Production was apparently unpleasant with Chaplin old (in his mid 70's at the time of filming) and ornery. Brando, who suffered both appendicitis and the flu during filming had to be talked out of quiting mid production. The film got generally poor reviews and under performed at the box office. Of interest mostly as a curiosity, this is probably Chaplin's worst movie, a retiries vanity project. *1/2

I Want You Back (2022)

I'm not a big romantic comedy guy but I rather enjoyed this. 'I Want You Back' is an Amazon prouduction and stars Jenny Slate and Charles Day as two recent dumpees who befriend each other and hatch a plan to sabatoge their exes (Scott Eastwood and Gina Rodriguez) new relationships. I loved the dry humor of the leades, it's a witty film with relaxed stakes. ***

Vengence (2022)

 With 'Vengence', writer, director, star B. J. Novak seeks to create a cinematic document of our time, a movie designed to date, a time capsual of American cultural dysfunction in the early 2020's. Here we have our love of true crime podcasts, or regional cultural divides, rampant conspiracism, our highly connected digital lives and highly fragmented interpersonal ones.

Novak plays a writer for The New Yorker who travels to rural Texas to attend the funeral of a casual hook up, who (for reasons reveled in the course of the film) left her family with the impression that the two were a serious item. She had died of an opiate overdose, an all too common story, but her family is convinced she was murdered. Not believing this, but sensing an opportunity to break into podcasting, Novak starts an investigation and it's not long before even he starts to think there was more to this death then a simple overdose.

It's a solid screenplay, there are clues suddely hidden throughout, and the mix of comedy and weighter matters generally works. The characters are all fairly easily typed, but enough of them are given just enough complication to be interesting as people. Novak's trademark mix of the likable and shallow serves him well here as audiance avatar. The film is reasonably observant, what it has to say is not particularly deep, but it's way of saying it intrigues. Many of the film's more notable asides are put into the mouth of Ashton Kutchner as an eccentric small town record producer, he's never sounded so deep.

A smart and subtle satire, refreshingly different, bitting with some really good bits, but comes a little short of its full ambitions. ***1/2

The Last Run (1971)

 The tremendous success of 'Patton' made George C. Scott suddenly a bankable star in his mid 40's, the next decade or so would be particularly prolific for him. Now able to work off a cinematic bucket list, high on Scott's priorities was playing a "Humpry Bogart type role." He believed he found it in 'The Last Run', the story of a former Chicago getaway driver living in exile in Portugal, bored he decides to take what should have been an easy job, it proves to be anything but.

Shot on location in Europe the film was to have been helmed by legendary director John Houston. Houston however was never particularly invested in the project and kept having screenwriter Alan Sharp make changes mid production. Eventually Houston had to be removed from the film and veteran action director Richard Fleischer ('The Vikings' , 'The Boston Strangler') was brought in to try and save it.

Those production woes aren't actually the most interesting thing to happen on set however. Scott's then wife Collen Dewhurst has a small role in the film, after her part wrapped filming she took the couples children with her back to the states. Subsequently Scott hooked up with the films much younger female lead Trish Van Dever.

Scott would divorce Dewhurst (for the second time) and the following year marry Van Dever. In spite of how it started Scott's 5th marriage would be no short term affair, the couple would stay together until his death in 1999, the two often co-staring in films.

The finished picture did middling buisness and got apropertly middling reviews. It starts slow, which I liked, but stayed slow for too long. The movie picks up in its second half and has a couple really good chase scenes going for it. Secondary male lead Tony Mustnta is kinda blah, he and Van Dever, who is supposed to be his girlfriend, have little chemistry, though she lights up around Scott. Portugal does make for some nicley scenic filming locations. **1/2