God's Gun (1976)

 'God's Gun' is an Israeli produced spaghetti western credited to director Frank Kramer (real name Gianfranco Parolini). Lee Van Cleef is a priest who founded a prosperious little Catholic community near the Mexican boarder in the latter half of the 1800's. He has the courage to stand up to Jack Palance and the Clayton Gang but is ultimelty gunned down for his trouble. Alter boy Leif Garrett manages to track down the padra's identical twin gunslinger brother. As the Batman says "criminals are a superstitious sort", so you know where this is going, though I do wish they had played it up more.

Still it's perfectly serviceable and short. Richard Boone plays one of those sheriff's who won't really do his job until the tide has turned on the bad guys. Sybil Danning plays Garrett's mother. **

Bladerunner 2049 (2017)

 I'm not a huge fan of the original 'Bladerunner' from 1982, you could say that I "appricate it" more then I "like it". But when I first saw the previews for the much belated 2017 sequal, the visuals were so impressive that I wanted to see it. However the length of the movie, 2 hours and 43 minutes, was a turn off. I'll gladly sit through some very long movies, but something about this one made me not want to put down money for a theater ticket. I wanted to soak in all the visuals and not having to miss some to pee. I figured I'd probably only ever see this thing once, so why risk missing some of it. I think I made the right call. 

'Bladerunner 2049' looks great, wonderful visual sense to the thing. Set design, special effects, shot composition, all first rate. There are some really interesting ideas here to. Most people of means have left the Earth for colony worlds, Terre Firma is all but dead, most plants and animals gone. Major cities like Las Vegas abandoned, most of Los Angeles is empty buildings, with small populated corridors along what had been major roads. A new generation of replicants live longer and are more docile, but still long to be human. While new intellegent holograms long for the physicality even a replicant enjoys. There is a lot of neat stuff to 'Bladrunner 2049', so it's a real shame that it is such a slog to sit through. 

It's just way too long, and its slow. Harrison Ford's character from the first film dosen't even show up until about 2/3rds in. I was annoyed when he finally came because it meant there was still a bunch of movie left.

The films director Denis Villeneuve is a very talented guy, particularly in the realms of visuals and ideas. As far as creating engaging characters go I find him far less interesting. He is capable of eleciting passionate performances, his film 'Prisoners' is great in that regard. Characters in his sci-fi work tend to be far more muted. Now this can be approprate for the story, I thought it really added something to 'Dune', many of those aristocratic characters would seem detached. The same could logically hold for a replicant, but it also keeps you at a distance which is not engaging. Of course Ryan Gosling is that kind of actor anyway, but every character here seems emotionally wanting. Ana de Armas's sexy holographic girlfriend has more soul and substance then any of the physical characters bothered manifesting.

So '2049' is a mixed bag, but none of its good points could for me outweigh the weaknesses which made the viewing experince such a plodding one. I don't think I'll ever see this again. If your interested in the visuals and ideas it may be worth seeing, if you want story and character don't bother. **1/2

Glass Onion (2022)

 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' is a sequel to the surpise box office success of 2019 'Knives Out' ($313 million world wide off a budget of $40 million.). Netflix gobbled up the sequel rights for more mystery adventures by the southern fried detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). The film is being given a short theatrical run, before becoming exclusive of its streaming service.

In this outing Blanc finds himself invited to the private Greek island of a Musk-ish billionaire (Ed Norton), to solve a 'who a done it' among a group of guests who all have reasons to wish their host ill. This Christie worthy assortment includes Norton's former buisness partner (Janelle Moane), the governor of Connecticut (Kathryn Hahn), a scientist (Leslie Odom Jr.), a fadding supermodel (Kate Hudson) and a "men's rights" social media star (Dave Bautista).

'Glass Onion' is not as good as 'Knives Out', but not by that much. I probably enjoyed my first watch of this more then the original, because I had a better sense of what it was going to be going in. This movie is more cock sure of its self then the first one was, there's some overselling to the piece, but it's still enjoyable. It's 'Death on the Nile' with a sense of humor. I enjoyed Blanc's online gaming buddies and Norton's Kato Kaelin like house guest (Noah Segan), "That's Derol, he's just staying here while he figures some stuff out." ***1/2

The Fabelmans (2022)

 Steven Spielberg has always been a fairly personal filmmaker, espically as regards his Jewish heritage (Schindlers List, Munich). In terms of his own life he's touched on being a child of divorce (E.T.) and even a Boy Scout in the desert (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). With 'The Fabelmans' Spielberg goes all out autobiographical, adapting his own childhood with the help of Tony Award winning playwright and past collaborator Tony Kushner (Lincoln), who helps keep the basic structure but fictionalize the details, putting the "fabel" in Fabelmans.

There are two principle throughlines to the piece (and a couple additional minor ones). His love of movies and moviemaking of course, but also his relationship with his parents, the mildly indulgent but fair Burt (Paul Dano) whose a skilled enginer, and the freespirted Mitzi (Michelle Williams) who had wanted to be and almost was a professional pianist. 

Those familiar with Spielberg's life story, espically if you have seen the excellent documentary "Spielberg" of a few years back, will recognize many of the events here depicted. The very first sequence of the film shows the then 5 year old taken to see his first movie, the Cecil B. DeMille circus epic "The Greatest Show on Earth". I had seen that movie before but seeing clips from it on a big screen, which look excellent, really drive home how impactful that experince must have been for a young boy who had never seen a movie before. 

This experience stays with our Steven surrogate Sam, changes his life, becomes an obession, he must recapture the magic of that experience. At first dismissed by his father as an expensive hobby, Sam starts by filming his toy train as a young child, to becoming the family chronicler of vactions, to making increasingly elaborate films in the desert with friends after the family moves to Arizona for dad's work. Family drama and a late in high school move to California prompt Sammy to try and leave filmmaking behind him, become serious. However an opportunity to film the senior class beach trip presents its self, and Sam's back behind the camera and deterimended that filmmaking must be his life.

In counterpoint to this passion is the slow breakdown in his parents marriage, his fathers work obsession feeding into emotional, if not (at least at first) physical infidelity by his mother. Sam loves and respects his father, but the emotional kinship and sense of connection was with the mother. As he pieces together Mitzi's feelings for a close family friend (Seth Rogan), copping proves very difficult.

There is a lot going on in 'The Fabelmans", I haven't even touched on Sam's three sisters and extended family, his friends and enamies at school, the girls he likes, one in particular (Chloe East). There is the stress of the moves, the efforts to find purpose and direction in life, as well as encounters with suburban anti semitism. 

Gabriel LaBelle is an excellent and sympathetic surragate for Speilberg, he captures the earnest sincierity, the excitement and awkwardness that is easy to imagine in Steven as a young man. The large cast is solid, in addition to those already mentioned Julia Butters as sister Reggie is a standout. Though I want to take a moment and circle back to Michelle Williams, she really is one of the greatest actresses of her generation, you forget just how good she is and then you see her in someting, an Oscar finally for her please.

A very personal and in some ways small scale story, "The Fabelmans" is still worth seeing on the big screen. It's what his parents would want you to do, to best experince the magic of it. This is a film that Steven Speilberg had to make, and it's probably the best movie of the year.****

The Swinging Cheerleaders (1974)

 Director Jack Hill, who is still with us at 89, is principally rememberd for three things, making some women in prision pictures, launching the career of Pam Geir, and this movie. With a title like 'The Swinging Cheerleaders" you instantly know why this picture got a green light and basically what its going to be about. Hill delivers the requist T & A but decided that while has was at it, he might as well try to make it a good movie in the bargain.

Svelte burnett Jo Johnston plays Katie, a student at the fictional Mesa State, who goes undercover on the cheersquade to write an expose on those "swinging cheerleaders" for a small underground newspaper, because 1970's. While on the squade she earns the ire of the head cheerleader played by the buxom Colleen Camp, and befriends others, principly Rosanne Kayton (token black beauty) and the illfated genra regular Rainbaux Smith. Katie also discovers that the football coach, and some in the faculty and alumni assocaition, are fixing games to win at gambling. Katie slowly convinces the team's star player Buck (Ron Hijak) that the coach's recent odd calls are part of this scheme. She also has sex with Buck who is dating Colleen's character so catieness. 

The acting is decent. The story well constructed and smarter then it needs to be. There is even some pathos to Rainbaux Smith's character and her reluctance to go all the way with nice guy boyfriend Ross (Ric Carrott). Of course Rainbaux over compensates in trying to overcome her fear of sex and ends up in an orgy courtesy of the smarmy Ron (Ian Sander).

While the movie gets slightly heavy at times it's surprising engaging throughout, even when everybody is cloathed and just talking. The ending, when Buck has been kidnapped to prevent him from playing in and winning the big game, and our lead cheerleaders and a small group of allies must rescue him before Mesa State loses, well that's right out of a period Disney film, only its not Kathleen Cody trying to rescue Kurt Russell.

"The Swinging Cheerleaders" is trying to be a bunch of different types of movies at once, and does a remarkably good job of balancing it all. It is exploitive yes, silly definitely, but it managed to avoid feeling dumb or needlessly gross, which is quite the accomplishment. ***

Morals for Women (1931)

 'Morals for Women' is a kinda lose sequel to the 1925 silent film 'Morals for Men' (which I have not seen). The carry through between the two seems to be confined to similar titles, presumably similar themes, the presence of actor Conway Tearel (though he plays a different character in each), and that both movies were produced by the same low budget studio. Tiffany Films was a "poverty row" studio which operated from 1921 to 1932, upon  bankruptcy its film stock was sold to MGM and it's lot to Columbia.

The film stars Bessie Love on loan out from MGM, she had stared in 1929's Oscar best picture winner 'The Broadway Melody", which was a huge hit making Love a big get for Tiffany. At the time this movie came out however musicals were in decline, so Metro seemed to be losing interest in Love, or maybe they were just trying to punish her producer husband William Hawks for something.

'Morals for Women' isn't a musical, comedy or adventure film, the genras Love was best known for at the time, rather it's a drama. Love plays Helen Houston, a pretty young woman who leaves Albany for New York City to work and help support her financially strained family (papa tends to drink and lose jobs), after her intended (John Holland) heads out to seek his fourtune. The young man finds his fourtine then tracks Helen to the big city with the intent to marry her.

When Holland finds Love she acts a little awkward, non commital, keeps saying they have to discuss something, then Holland has to go away on a short buisness trip before things are resolved. Though this is a pre code film, it seems awfully reluctant to say perscially what it is Love has done to be ashamed of. As beast I can figure Love's boss, the afore mentioned Conway Tearel, was paying her a vastly inflated office salery to be sexually avilable for himself and his buisness associates. That's some solid set up for conflict, could have been intersting, but nothing much happens in this film, and Love apparently tells and is forgiven by Holland off screen, in the final scene the two are in a loving embrace.

The film isn't horrible, but it's not exactly good, besides Love the best thing it has going for it is only being around an hour in length, so you don't have much time to get bored. It also sent me on a modesty interesting dive through Wikipedia looking for something to talk about. *1/2

Loving You (1957)

 Lizabeth Scott had retired from film acting just the previous year, but came out of her early retirement as a favor to Hal Wallis, the producer most responsable for her career and a sometimes lover. 'Loving You' was only the second film to star Elvis Presley and is sandwiched between the better remembered 'Love Me Tender' and 'Jailhouse Rock'. 'Loving You' is a sort of surragate Elvis origin story, Mr. Presley playing Deke Rivers, an orphaned Texas roustabout with a beautiful voice and sex appeal, and Ms. Scott as a statuesque, blond, female version of Tom Parker, only with superior ethics.

Featuring a very loose plot, even by the standards of Elvis flicks, it is a bland mediocrity of a movie. Lizabeth was 14 years older then Elvis so she is given a love interest in the form of Wendell Corey, who plays a cowboy singer who Ms. Scott manages, and also happens to be her ex husband (they never got over each other). Elvis's love interest is a cowgirl singer played by the more age appropriate Dolores Hart in her film debut. Ms. Hart, a real girl next store type, would have a modest film career of about 5 years, including a second apperance with Elvis in 'King Creole' the following year, before famously giving up acting to become a Benedictain Nun. She is still with us at 84.

Other then some associated trivium 'Loving  You' is a very forgettable movie. Unless your a commited Elvis complitest it's probably not worth seeing. Even my Elvis fanatic sister is luke warm on this one. *1/2

She Said (2022)

 One of my favorite films of 2019 was 'Bombshell', which told the story of the Roger Ailes sexual harassment scandal at Fox News. Conservative media is an easy target for Hollywood, and in my review at the time I mentioned how the far closer to home story of Harvey Weinstein's crimes, needed to be told in a major motion picture as well. Now they have been.

'She Said' chronicles the 2017 investigation by New York Times reporters Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) into the sex crimes of the A-List producer, which finally ended Weinstein's career in the movies, lead to his prosecution and conviction (with still more cases pending) and helped inaugurate the MeToo Movement. It is an investigative journalism picture in the tradition of 'All the President's Men' and 'The Post', and easily the best such film in the genra since 'Spotlight'.

Weinstein's assults and harasments against famous Hollywood actresses most captured the public imagination in the aftermath of the New York Times story. This of course is a major part of the movie, with actress and Weinstein victim Ashley Judd appearing as herself in the film, another Rose McGowan is played by a voice actress in telephone conversations. But it is the stories of Weinstein's lesser known victims that are here more resonate. The production assistants, and various office personal who were victimized and often forced into restrictive NDA's, essentially blacklisted in the industry, careers destroyed.

Samantha Morton plays Zelda Perkins, a young employee at Miramax Studios London office in the 90's, her career was ended for standing up for one of Weinstein's victims. She has only one long scene in the movie, and it is Oscar worthy. Jennifer Ehle and another apparently uncredited actress play Laura Madden in the 2010's and 1990's respectively. Her story opens the film, the young woman coming across a movie shoot in her native Ireland, getting a small job behind the sceens, then shown running in tears through the streets after Harvey attacked her.

The film chronicles our two reporters as they spend often fustrating months investigating the story, looking for ways to get and confirm sensitive information, trying to persuade victims to come forward, and even current Weinstein employes to take personal and professional risks to get the truth out. It's all well done and very effective in the genra tradition. What 'She Said' adds is an unusual emphasis on the personal lives of the reporters themselves, both working mothers of daughters, this is personal to them, but they are also consummate profressionals with an excellent sense of ethics. Our leads performances as with most everyone in the film, including Patricia Clarkson and Andra Brougher as their NYT bosses, are excellent.

'She Said' is a deservedly strong contender for multiple Oscars, which puts the film in a weird place. Will Academy voters chose to honor a film depicting evils many of them turned a blind eye to, when it was one of Hollywood's most open secrets, what the seemingly beloved Harvey did to women. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario for many in the industry, and for many a deserved damning. But as a film 'She Said' is a first rate drama, and as an expose of what is still a systemic problem in Hollywood and beyound, its an important one. ****

Bad Times at the El Royal (2018)

 'Bad Times at the El Royal' is one of the better Quntion Tarantino imitators. It's got a solid cast full of recognizable names, plays with structure, has long dialogue sequences, stylized violence, some cool sets, great music and period flair. There's 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Pulp Fiction' here, but the Tarantino film it felt most reminiscent of did not come out until the following year, 'Once Upon A Time in Hollywood'. 

Both films are set (in El Royals case after a brief teaser segment in the late 50's) in 1969, and both films feature a charismatic but violent cult leader with devoted, mostly female followers. In this case the cult leader is played by Chris Hemsworth, but he dosen't show up until late in the film. 

The bulk of our main cast show up in the first 10 minutes and include an aspiring singer (Cynthia Erivo), an elderly priest (Jeff Bridges), a vacuum cleaner salesman (Jon Hamm) and a rather terse young woman (Dakota Johnson). They all arive for various reasons to stay at the El Royal, a once thriving now largely empty hotel, just outside Lake Tahoe and sitting literally on the California/Nevada state line. None of them are exactly what they seem, even the tired young man who runs the place (Lewis Pullam) has secrets.

There are overlapping plots and unethical behaviors amongst our core group, and philosophical rumintations to be had on matters of faith, conscience, and loyalty, among other things. The movie proves a rather stealth character piece, and the violence was less then I expected, though this is still one of those films where you may be surprised by who lives and who dies. Wrtten and directed by Drew Goddard, who is best known for his writting on movies like 'World War Z' and 'The Martian' and TV series like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Lost'. ***

Spirited (2022)

 'Spirited' is one of those movies that seemingly came out of nowhere, I knew nothing about it until it was in theaters. This is probably because it was produced by Apple for their Apple+ streaming service. It has been given a fairly wide theatrical release, which is good and probably because of its big stars and how much money they spent on it ($75 million). I worry that after its theatrical run the movie will mostly disaper, exiled to a it's lesser watched streaming service, this would be a shame because 'Spirited' is actually quite good.

Unlike so many recentish Christmas movie theatrical relasses, which have a brief run and then are forgotten, like 'Four Christmases'  and 'Fred Claus', 'Spirited' could have some real staying power, provided people have options to see it in the coming years.

'Spirited' is deconstructed 'A Christmas Carol' by way of buddy comedy. Jacob Marley (Patrick Page) and his team of ghosts have been putting Scrooge types through the paces since the mid 19th century, each year selecting a different grouch for potential salvation, and amassing a very solid success record. But it's all become kind of pat for Ghost of Christmas Present Will Ferrell, who craves a challange and something on a bigger scale then a neighborhood Karen or jerk boss. While scouting out the next year's potential candidate, an a-hole Canadian hotel manager, Present stumbles upon Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds). 

Briggs is a media consultant who specializes in fomenting manufactured outrage, he's done a lot of karmaic damage to the world and has been labeled "unredemable" by whoever in the celestial bureaucracy makes those calls. But Present is sure that he can save him, redeem his soul, have a big positive impact on the world, and releave the self doubt he's been hidding. However things go off script early in the hunting and Present and Briggs end up on a wild, comic adventure of mutual self discovery.

It works. I hadn't thought of Reynolds playing "Scrooge" before but the moment you hear the concept it makes perfect sense. Ferrell makes Present a mildly depressive counterpart to his Buddy the Elf,  committed, deeply sincere, and wanting to see the best in everyone. The two leads have a good chemistry, and the supporting cast which includes Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani, and the voice of Tracy Morgan as The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, are solid. This is also a musical, catchy songs that I've been listing to in the days since seeing the movie. 'Spirited' is spirited, an enjoyable watch I hope to see again, provided I can find access to it. ***

Mama Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)

'Mama Mia! Here We Go Again' is the sequel to the massive hit (and a massive hit in its own right) 2008 film adaptation of the 1999 jukebox musical featuring the songs of ABBA. I'm going to get this out of the way and say yes this is the better movie. It benefits from established characters and not being composed for the stage, so this is a much loser and I thought funner movie.

It has more of a story as well, even if we have heard much of it before. The framing story is set 5 years after the events of the first movie. Meryl Steeps's Donna has passed away from unspecified cause the year before, and Amanda Seyfried's Sophie has had the hotel remodeled in her honor and is prepering for a grand re-opening, which will reunite the characters from the first film.

The second story is a flashback to 1979/1980 and concerns a young Donna's first coming to the island and her relationships with Sophie's three possible father's. This part of the film is made by the luminous presence of Lily James as the young Donna, I found her much more believable as this free spirited character then I ever did Streep. I also thought that the musical numbers in both the flash back and present day sequnces were better stagged then in the first film. 

Featuring a large and likable cast and finally working in my favorite ABBA song 'Fernando', I had a much better time with this movie then then the first, even though at heart they're not all that different. I watched this yesterday evening and perhaps there was something in the air that night.**1/2

The Boss and the Worker (1975)

 Watching a genuine Italian sex farce one realizes that half of Billy Wilder's filmography was just toned down English language versions of these. The Boss is tightly wound, suffering from impotence, he becomes obssessed with a laid back, liberten Worker. At times The Boss tries to punish The Worker, make him miserable out of jealousy. At times The Boss thinks The Worker can help him with his problems, but it always backfires. They pick up a couple of Swedish hitchhickers, but The Worker ends up with both. The Worker sets The Boss up with a communist, but class distinctions get in the way of romance. The Boss tries to get even with The Worker, thinking the he will similarly have no luck on a cruise full of the stuffy rich, he ends up sleeping with The Boss's sex starved wife. I've never watched one of these before, the novelty of the unrepentant 70's Euro sexiness, tounge in cheek and more playful then dirty, it worked for me. I don't know if I'll feel the need to see another, but I'm glad I saw one. ***

Father of the Bride Part II (1995)

 I recently revisited 1991's 'Father of the Bride' for the first time in roughly 30 years, I thought it held up. Now for me the question was how is the sequel which I had never seen.

 The original 50's 'Father of the Bride' staring Spencer Tracey as Father and Elizabeth Taylor as Bride had a sequel, it was called 'Father's Little Divedend' and was about Taylor's character having a baby. 'Father of the Bride Part II' tries to top this in a gimmicky way with both Steve Martin's daughter Kimberly Williams and wife Diane Keaton pregnant at the same time. I worried this might result in a case of sequel over reach like in 'City Slickers II', but I thought this worked.

In fact in some ways it worked better for me the any of the other 'Father of the Bride' movies, both 50's and 90's. The film is of course a comedy, and a decent though unexectional one, but what it really has going for it is that family. The Banks's, McKenzie's and even Frank. I love them, I'm up for whatever they want to do. Since here I've known them longer as we've already been through the first one together, I love them more. This even followed through to the also gimmicky Covid era short film 'Father of the Bride Part 3ish' which you can find on YouTube. I would be totally up for a theatrical length continuation of this clans story. ***

Trader Horn (1931)

'Trader Horn' is one of those movies where the things that happened off camera are arguably more interesting then what happened on screen. Based on the memoir of ivory hunter/adventurer Alfred Aloysius "Trader" Horn (born Alfred Aloysius Smith; 1861–1931), the film was surprisingly innovative in its development and execution. It is largely a travel log and nature film in which Horn (played by famed westerns actor Harry Carey) leads the son of an old friend (Duncan Renaldo) on safari. This gives a narritive excuse for a guide to be explaining things about African wild life and culture to the audiance throughout the film.

Eventually a fictional narrative takes center stage as the expedition procedes to "rescue" the daughter of white missionaries (Edwina Booth) from the natives. Actually it is her who rescues them, she had been largely raised in and as result successfully integrated to native society, she gives her old life up for the pretty face of Duncan Ranaldo.

The film was shot largely in then colonial Africa. The cast and crew traveled by boat to the dark continent along with film and sound equipement, which was carted around on a long an exhausting shot. Though production began in 1929 the film took a long time to put together and would not hit movie screens until 1931.

Though tremendously expensive to produce  it was also tremendously successful. Costing $1.3 million to make 'Trader Horn' brought in $4.2 million world wide. Though stilted by modern standards it was a massive novelty at the time, people had never seen anything like it on film before. The movie is more then a little bit sexist and racist, but Horn's genuine love for Africa and it's people comes through. The film was even nominated for a  best picture Oscar.

The production difficulties behind the scenes are legendary, but the stand out in this regard is the story of the films female star Edwina Booth, which is the main reason I decided to finally see the film. Edwina was born Jospehine Constance Woodruff to a a prominent Mormon family in Provo, Utah in 1904. The family moved to California for her fathers health in the early 20's and Edwina (who adapted her stage name from those of a favorite uncle and grandfather) was  discovered on a beach by director E.J. Babille and eventually signed with MGM. She worked small supporting roles for a couple of years and 'Trader Horn' was to have been her big break, it proved to be a nightmare.

The long, grueling shot overseas and away from her family saw Edwina fall from a tree, get cut by elephant grass, suffer sun stoke, insect bites, and contract malaria which may have rendered her sterile. In addition she was sexually harassed, and reported being forced to sunbath nude, at least in part to have a consistent skin tone for her skimpy and itchy costume made of monkey fur and lions teeth.

It took years for Edwina to recover her health, which combied with her suing the studio effectively ended her career just as it was taking off. She would appear on screen a few more times, mostly in adventure serials capitizling off of the success of 'Trader Horn'. She would make her last screen apperance in 1932 and marry three times, with the first annulled and her outliving her second two husbands. She was a commited member of the LDS Church and would serve as an ordinance worker in the Los Angeles Temple before dying in 1991 at the age of 86.

Though she kept a low profile after the end of her film career she would donate her personal papers to BYU. It was from these that we learn that she settled her lawsuit with MGM for $35,000, or approximately $600,000 in 2013 dollars. Booth will always be best remeberd for 'Trader Horn' and shows a real star quality in it. One wonders where her career could have gone had she not gotten sick or sued her studio.

The completed film was very much a product of its time, but also unlike other films of its time in the risks taken in front and behind the camera. There is a massive scope to the look of the film, and while generally played broad there are subtleties. Carey effectively conveys a listless jealousy of Ranaldo over Booth, he knows he is too old to have the spirited and beautiful young woman, he regrets this, but comes to reluctantly accept it. 'Trader Horn' managed to make something unique and memorable come from much pain and effort. ***

Blue (1993)

 Spoilers

'Blue' is the first film in director Krzysztof Kieślowski's "Three Colors Trilogy", with each film taking its title from one of the colors of the French flag, and each film it's theme from one of the words in the French moto, "Liberty, Egality, Fraternity".  'Blue' is the "Liberty film", though not in the words political sense.

Juliette Binoche plays Julie, the wife of a famed composer who is killed in a car crash along with their five year old daughter. Julie is so severely injured that she is stuck in the hospital and unable to go to their funneral, which is almost a state affair. Once finally able to walk she creates a distraction at night so that she can break into the pharmacy with the intent to steal pills and kill herself. With pills in her mouth she finds she is unable to swallow and aborts the attempt. 

Upon her relase she puts her husband's family estate on the market, sells the fancy city apartment, prepars a trust fund for her alzhimers stricken mother, and moves into a small apartment with the intent to spend the rest of her life cut off as much as possible from human contact. But again she finds despite her sincer efforts she can't quite do this.

Her husband's friend and assistant who has long nursed a crush on her insists on tracking her down to make sure she is okay, she is drawn to the plight of a neighborhood street musican, and finds that she can't keep from visiting the mother who no longer recognizes her. Her attempt to avoid involvement by refusing to sign a petition to kick a prostitute out of her building, causes the troubled young woman to adopt her as a champion.

She see's a TV news piece on her husband containing pictures of him with a woman she doesn't recognize, she is able to learn that he was having an affair and proceds to track the woman down. When she goes to confront her she finds the woman late in pregnancy with her husband's child, and something again breaks inside her. 

However her response now is not to try and break further away, but to engage again with the world. It is beautiful, I cried. Despite the worst that life could throw at her Julie works through her grief and again finds her "liberty". 

The Polish born Kieślowski first made a name for himself in late communist televison. 'Dekalog' is what we would now call a limited series and takes a similar approach to 'Three Colors'; set in a sprawling state housing project each episode is a story inspired by one of the ten commandments. One episode was expanded into a movie titled 'A Short Film about Killing' and it is devastating, though not in the way you might expect. 

That film was all I had seen of the writer/directors work before 'Blue' and I simply need to see more. Kieślowski, who died in his mid 50's,

 had a sense of and empathy for the human condtion that is simple extraordinary. 'Blue' is a truly beautiful film. ****

Machete Kills (2013)

 'Michete Kills' is the sequel to the 2010 film 'Machete', and middle chapter of a likely never to be completed 'Michete' trilogy. Danny Trejo is again Michete, a Mexican avenger whose girlfriend from the first movie Jessica Alba is killed in the film's opening minutes. He is there after recruted by a U.S. President played by Charlie Sheen to take down a crazed Mexican revolutionary played by Damian Bichir, his point of contact is played by Amber Heard.

The film contains much over the top violence and much beautiful women. Michelle Rodriquez and Tom Savinei return from the first movie, Sofia Vargas and Alexa PenaVega join the large cast; which contains many recognizable names often in small cameo style roles, such as Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderis, Cuba Gooding Jr., Walter Goggins, Vanesa Hudgens, and even Elon Musk appearing as himself.

Mel Gibson plays what is essentially a Bond villian, with plans to flee to space and start a nuclear war. In fact there is something very Bond like about this entire enterprise, from babes to baddies and even Q branch style weapons, like a lazer that turns people inside out. It's all overplayed of course and put through a grindhouse style filter. I found it all a little blah, though this may have been a slight improvement on the original film. **

You're Not You (2014)

 Based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Michelle Wildsen, 'You're Not You' stars Hilary Swank as a wealthy Houstonite stricken by ALS, and Emmy Rossum as the wreck of a college student who becomes her caretaker. I wasn't expecting too much from this, another inspiring in the face of illness/ changed my life through helping others movie. But this platonic version of 'Me Before You' worked. I was surprised and had to watch it again to make sure.

Hilary Swank gives a very commited performance, you watch her slowly degrade from the degenrative illness. it gets to where you can hardly understand her words, her face must do most of the communicating. Emmy Rossum does a fine a job. Good supporting cast includes Josh Duhmal, Stephanie Beatriz, Jason Ritter, Marcia Gay Harden, Lorreita Devine, Ernie Hudson, and Ed Beagly Jr. Francis Fisher plays Swank's mom, which means that along with 'Million Dollar Baby' both movies to feature a paralyzed Swank contain one of Francesca Eastwood's parents. ***

Starcrash (1978)

 Made cheaply in Italy to cash in on the success of 'Star Wars', 'Starcrash' is pretty awful. It's hard to overstate how cheap it looks, comparing it to the 'New Hope' of the previous year it looks about a decade older. A silly, non sensical, derivative story, poorly conceived and executed. Yet somehow they got John Barry to do the score and Christopher Plummer to appear, playing the Emporer of the Galaxy, who in this case is one of the good guys. Predictably the movie was distributed within the United States by Roger Cormen's New World Pictures.

Caroline Munro, a Hammer Horror regular who the previous year had been a Bond girl in 'The Spy Who Loved Me', is a space pilot and adventurer. Her navigator is played by Marjoe Gortner, a former Pentecostal preacher and subject of the Oscar winning 1972 documentary 'Marjoe'. The two are caught and  briefly imprisoned for various crimes, allowing Munro to be minimally cloathed in bikini style prison attire (which she retains through much of the film), before being freed by the Emporer to hunt for his son and heir, whose ship crashed "starcrashed" while on a reconicense mission against an evil duke. The galaxy is in civil war you see.

There is a robot who talks with a Texas accent, and a green skined Telly Savalias type, and Amazon women, and Marjoe develops force powers and even fights some stop motion robots with a light sword. Also David Hasselhoff is in this. It's all pretty rediculus, yet because and not in spite, of its many faults remains watchable. Yet I can't bring myslef to call this anything other than what it is, which is a bad movie. *

Intruder in the Dust (1949)

That this movie exists at all is remarkable, that it was produced by MGM, the poshist of all studios is even harder to believe, that it lost money, now that part makes sense. Based on the 1948 novel of the same name by William Faulkner, 'Intruder in the Dust' is the story of a black man accused of a murder he didn't commit, and the efforts of a group of liberal whites to make sure he's not killed for it.

The film hasn't dated entirely well, its the story of a black man told from the point of view of a group of whites, who are actual savior figures for him. But for the time and place of its creation the film is exceptionally progressive, and the performance by Juano Hernandez as the wrongfully accused man, proud, head unbowed, I can't think of anything like it from the Hollywood of the time.

There is something a little 'Hardy Boys' about the actual mystery. Claude Jarman Jr, who had won a special "Juvinale Oscar" three years earler for 'The Yearling', and is still with us at nearly 90, is the chief audiance surrogate figure. David Bain is noble but bland as his uncle the lawyer. While Elizabeth Patterson is endering as a stubern old white woman willing to sacrifice her life to prevent injustice. All three characters seems rather wish fulfilment, out of place in their convictions for the world in which they were born. Not impossible people, but unlikely ones.

The film is a relatively strong condemnation of racial bigotry, and has a few standout scenes with good tension, though these are mostly in the first half of the movie, before it becomes largely concerned with conventional sleuthing. But the film remains most notable for the no nonsense nobility of its lead black character, that he had to be presented within the context of a mostly middling southern fried 'who done it', is an understandable concession for the time. ***

Source Code (2011)

 A top secret government project can send Jake Gyllnenhaal's consciousness back in time, but only for 8 minute at a streach. He's sent back into the mind of a teacher on a commuter train that's about to blow up. They don't want him to stop the bombing, they don't think that he can, rather they want him to figure out who did it and report back. The plan is for him to live, die, repeat until the mission is accomplished.

Surprisingly effective premise, makes for good tension. Michelle Monaghan is the love interest, even though they just meet she repeatedly throws him for a (time) loop. Jeffrey Wright is the head of the project, Vera Farmiga is Gyllengaal's contact and chief allie. A satisfying thriller that becomes a feel good, sentimental romance. ***

Mama Mia! (2008)

 Rob surprised me with this one for the podcast, it's possible I never would have seen it otherwise. 'Mama Mia!' the film is based on the 1999 ABBA jukebox musical of the same name, both were big hits with the "Wine Moms", that's a real thing you can look it up. 

Amanda Seyfried tricks her three possible father's into attending her Greek island wedding, hoping to determine which of them is her real daddy. Her mom Meryl Streep is not pleased to see them, high jinks and musical numbers ensue. 

This movie is perhaps most famous for Pierce Brosnan doing a really bad but earnest job singing, that didn't disappoint. However the movie its self is very much not for me. I like ABBA as much as the next guy but found the proceedings silly and somewhat grating. Though I thought it improved some as it went along, and I liked Seyfried and her three dads, this just wasn't my cup of Aphrodite's spring water. **

Miss Meadows (2014)

 What is this? Who is it for?

In 'Miss Meadows' Katie Holmes is the titular Miss Meadows, an elementary school substitute teacher of Disney Princess level positivity, who is also a muderious vigilante. She brings her own kind of justice to her decaying suburban Ohio neighborhood; she has a romance with a good hearted sheriff (James Badge Dale), who knows somethings off with her, but she's still Katie Holmes so he does his best to ignore his growing suspensions.

Miss Holmes just dominates this strange little film, giving what after 'Pieces of April' is probably my favorite Katie Holmes performance, it's just so odd. This low budget film has a deliberately artificial air, feels insubstantial and not fully develped, and needless to say there are tonal issues, but Holmes makes it watchable and weirdly charming. I don't know quite what to make of it, but I liked it. **1/2