Don't Worry Darling (2022)

'Don't Worry Darling' is one of those movies like 'Cleopatra' in the 60's and 'The Island of Dr. Moreau' in the 90's, which is destined to be better remembered for dysfunction behind the scenes then for what's actually on the screen. From Shia LaBeouf's departing mid production, to the affair between Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde and it's role in the latter's being divorced by husband Jason Sudeikis, to the apparent falling out between Wilde and star Florence Pugh who has refussed to do promotional work for the film. An awkward Cannes premier was followed by poor reviews at home but decent box office. So I went to the theater to watch a dumpster fire.

To my surprise I was more or less with the film for the first 80% or so, until it got to the twist. This is a movie which largely exists for its twist, it telegraphs that one is coming throughout and the entire marketing campaign is built around getting you curious about said twist. However this is also the kind of movie where there are only so many permutations the twist can take.

Florence Pugh is a housewife living in a seemingly idealic if isolated community full of post war prosperity, a late 50's maybe early 60's aesthetic. The men all go off to work each morning on the mysterious Victory Project out in the desert, while the women keep house, shop, and take a synchronized dance class. A friend's nervous breakdown combined with various little things lead Florence to conclude something isn't right, things are not what they seem. She proceeds to investigate, though seemingly everyone seeks to deter her.

There is a darkside to paradise, something is rotten at the heart of the American dream, the good old days weren't. This is well worn territory and I don't think Wilde or screenwriter Katie Silberman had anything that new or insightful to say about it. I'm not sure why they even decided to make this movie.

The film's chief claim to contemporary relevancy, a part of the twist, was kinda hacky and not handled all that well. It dosen't make a whole lot of sense and there are plot holes a plenty. One major clue, a pivot point in the story, is never explained, and given what is explained dosen't have any reason I can see to exist. I'd be curious to know if that explanation was cut for time.

The movie looks good, costumes, set design, people. The soundtrack is obvious and the cinematography underserves. Pugh gives a commited and sympathetic performance which is principly what makes this watchable. Wilde has talent as a director, her previous film 'Booksmart' I really enjoyed and it even made my ten best list for 2019. 'Bookmart' however had a very straightforward story construction, 'Darling' is far more complicated and it just seems to have gotten away from her. **

Marry Me (2022)

 A Modest hit earler this year 'Marry Me' made just over $50 million at the box office on a $23 million budget. In some ways this movie makes a big show of being about the here and now world, social media is practically the third lead. But in other ways the film is very rooted in the romantic comedy conventions of the past, and exercises it's formula variation on 'Notting Hill' in a very by the book fashion. It's the story of a single father / middle school math teacher who marries a world famous pop star in a public relations stunt gone bad, or perhaps gone right. The easy chemistry between stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez and the films overall spirit of lite pluck, make the whole corny thing work  better then it has a right to. I enjoyed watching this one, and I started it with the intention of using it as background noise. **1/2

Bad Lieutenant (1992)

I came to 'Bad Lieutenant' through the podcast, and the podcast came to 'Bad Lieutenant' through a movie we reviewed a while back called 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans' (2008). The relationship between these two films is kind of complicated, not a sequel and not really a remake, these cinematic cousians do cover similar terrority, corrupt cops with substance abuse issues.

Both films are manic, 'Port of Call' in a surreal way quite appropriate for its director Werner Herzog and it's star Nicholas Cage. The original 'Bad Lieutenant' is more fouced on the gritty, it stars Harvey Kietel in the lead in some very on the nose casting. Kietel's never formulary named character is supplying police recoverd drugs back to dealers, he abuses cocain, herion, alcohol, and frequents prostitutes despite being married and having a family. Throughout the film he countinues to double down in betting on a fictional Dodgers/Mets World Series getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. His actual police work seems very secondary to his life.

The film is not just a catalogue of one man's sins however, but seeks to probe into his soul. B.L. becomes obsessed with the case of a nun brutally raped in a church, she knows who attacked her because they are from the neighborhood but refuses to name them because she has forgivin them. This blows something in the Keitel characters mind, an embittered nominal Catholic who views the Church as a racket, combined with his own numerous crimes and personal sins (including a disturbing scene of a kind of oral rape), he can't comprehend such grace. His life already in free fall this adds an existential element to his criseses and opens a small window onto a potetenial salavation. Kietel gives a powehouse performance here and elevates what at first seems just an explotive and dirty movie into one groping at the sublime. A real surprise of a watch that I am still thinking about. ***1/2

Lifeforce (1985)

 Schlocky Isreali producing cousins Golan & Globus hire horror movie maven Tobe Hooper for an adaptation of a book titled 'The Space Vampires', and still spring for Henri Mancini and the London Symphony Orcheatra. A joint British\American space mission finds a derelict ship behind Halley's comet, and inside it some perfect looking bodies in suspended animation. Bringing them back to Earth proves to be a mistake.

Like a bigger budgeted Roger Corman production, 'Lifeforce' features some trippy special effects, droll pacing and the stunning body of 20 year old French actress Mathilda May in her screen debut. This movie is an extremly odd blend of styles, everything from Disney's 'The Black Hole', to 'Return of the Living Dead', to a dry British police procedural, to 'Ghostbusters', to the George Pal version of 'War of the Worlds'. It's B movie bad but also ambitious, slow but ocassionaly arrrsting, strangely earnest and persistently cheesy. *1/2

Confess, Fletch (2022)

 In the 1980's Chevy Chase stared in two movies ('Fletch' 1985 & 'Fletch Lives' 1989) as sardonic investigative reporter Irwin M. Fletcher, a character created by author Gregory McDonald and featured in 9 novels over the better part of two decades (in addition the late Mr. McDonald would write two 'Son of Fletch' novels). Now more the 3 decades after the last Fletch movie, and after multiple failed reboot attempts, comes 'Confess, Fletch' based on the 1976 novel of the same name and introducing a new Fletch, Jon Hamm.

Hamm, who has never anchored a comedy before, proves to be a right choice, he gets who this character is and offers a suitably laid back interpretation full of amussing quips. While there is ultimately not that much to the mystery he is tasked to unravel, one involving art theft, kidnapping, and murder, which takes him from Rome to Boston, getting there is where the fun is. Ably assisted by a supporting cast including Kyle MacLachlan, Marcia Gay Harden, Lorena Izzo and Hamm's old 'Mad Men' co-star John Slattery. With stand out work by Roy Wood Jr. and Ayden Mayeri as a Boston Inspector and his trainee. A solid comedy, nicely low key, enjoyable throughback, though updated to include jokes about millennials, podcasts and Uber. ***

Wings of Desire (1987)

 'Wings of Desire' is a highly regarded Europen art film of the mid 1980's which is probably the reason you know the name Wim Wenders, that is if you know the name Wim Wenders. It is also the source material for the 1998 American film 'City of Angels'. ' Wings of Desire' has long been on my to watch list and I unexpectedly got a chance to see it last Thursday night for the podcast. Selected by my co-host 'Wings of Desire' was a revelation, a fantastic film that I waited too long to see.

Like its much infrior American remake 'Wings of Desire' is about an angel (Bruno Ganz) who falls in love with a human woman amd choses to become mortal to be with her. However this movie is much more then that, Ganz's translation to mortality not occurring until around 90 minutes into a 130 minute film.

Shot principly in black and white the film is an ode to the city and people of Berlin, where the film was set and shot late in the life of the Berlin Wall. Ganz and his fellow angels walk unseen through the gorgeously shot city. They can hear peoples thoughts and seek to help where they can, comforting the sick, seeking to dissuade by their touch the suicidal. Their ability to influence human kind is limited, they can not override agency, they can just hope to inspire. Mostly they watch, listen and record the thoughts and doings of their mortal counterparts.

This is a beautiful, reflective film with moments of humor, mostly provided by the actor Peter Falk playing a version of himself. It took around 15 minutes to get going for me but after that I was entranced. Seeing the American version does not quite prepare you for the singular accomplishment that is 'Wings of Desire', a film rightly regarded as one of the greats. ****

Mask (1985): Directors Cut

 Surprisingly understated film based on the true story of Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz) who suffered from the rare facially disfiguring disorder craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. Co staring Cher (as Rocky's mom) and Sam Elliot as her love interest, while Laura Dern (whose character is blind) is the object of Rocky's affection.

Film goes in some unexpected directions. Most of the Cher characters friends are bikers and she has drug problems, Rocky is arguably better adjusted. When Rocky expresses to his mother his concern about never making it with girls, she hires him a prostitute. I also liked how most people are really decent to Rocky, I thought the carlessness of others towards his feelings was gonna be a much bigger part of the story.  

 Peter Bogdonovich's return to film making after a four year hiatus following his fiance's murder. It was also Bogdonovich's first hit since the mid 1970's, making $48.2 million off a $7.5 million budget. Great soundtrack. ***1/2

The Taming of the Shrew (1967)

 Sumptious Franco Zeffirelli adaption of the Shakespeare comedy about domesticating a wife. Not exactly PC. The energy between married leads Elizabeth Taylor and Richrd Burton is electric. Has more easy watchabilty then the average Shakeapear film adaptation. ***

The Meanest Man in the World (1943)

 The old George M. Cohan play retooled as a Jack Benny vehical. Benny is a nice guy lawyer who tries to remake his image and over compensates. Prisicalla Lane plays the love interest. Movie is very short, about 57 minutes. Amussing lite comedy, but has racial humor that is rather dated. **1/2

55 Days at Peking (1963)

 Director Nicholas Ray's last studio film '55 Days at Peking' is the story of 900 foreign nationals (400 of them solders) from 10 nations traped for two score and 15 days inside a walled diplomatic compound at the Chinese capital during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. David Niven plays a British diplomat, Charlton Heston an American Major and Ava Gardner a Russian baronness.

Receving mixed reviews and making a break even $10 Million at the box office, it's handsomly mounted but bland. People dying in proximity to Gardner becomes something of a running gag. The scheme that Heston and Niven come up with to blow up the munitions depot is the funniest part of a movie that really shouldn't be this dull. Theme song performed by Andy Williams. **

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

 A series of brutal murders of women rock Summit County, Utah. and they may be the work of a werewolf. Film has a different approach to seemingly familiar territory, including the tone and they do some kind of odd editing. In an interesting choice the lead deputy isn't particularly likable, he's a recovering alcoholic with anger issues covering for his Sheriff father who should have long retired. The film was released by recently reconstituted Orion Pictures and has an 80's vibe though set in roughly the present day.**1/2

Hannie Caulder (1971)

 Raquel Welch is title character Hannie Caulder, she teams up with bounty hunter Robert Culp in pursuit of the men who killed her husband, raped her, and burnt down her home. Director Burt Kennedy, who had been making Westerns since the 50's, at times approaches the material as a kind of diet Sam Peckinpah, two members of The Wild Bunch (Ernest Borgnine and Strother Martin) are among the badies. But the tone is all over the place, it takes stabs at being the kind of womens revange picture that was becoming a thing in the 1970's, but then other impulses take over and the man who made 'Support Your Local Sherif' tries for comedy. After a surprisingly intense early rape scene, comic ogling of Ms. Welch feels particularly icky.

The movie is simply not very good, not well written, weak performances throughout, only servicably directed. It just feels wrong, with the budding romance between Welch and Culp being one of many examples. The parts that aren't bad mostly feel so so, Christopher Lee plays a gun smith who thinks of himself as an artist, and the promise of that conceit feels never fully realized. Fading British sex symbol Diana Dors late in film apperance is a simlar let down. It's like some good movies have been digested and this is the shit that came out the other end. *