Hey, Stop Stabbing Me! (2000)

 'Hey, Stop Stabbing Me!' is a horror comedy, alternately broad and dry, made by a 22 year old Josh Miller and his friends in suburban Minnisota over the course of the summer of 2000. I would describe it as a better version of something I might have been tempted to do around the same time. Done with basically no budget, but some real wit, it really brought me back to my suburban experience of the Clinton years, while also foreshadowing later online content, like the spoof movies done by Channel Awesome during the Obama years. Josh Miller would go on to write the Christmas comedy 'Violent Night' as well as all three Sonic the Hedgehog movies. **1/2

Tower of Evil (1972)

 The titular 'Tower of Evil' is an abandoned lighthouse on a rocky Scottish island, though much of the films Evil occurs in the caves underground and is associated with Baal worship. Hippies, scientists and locals all visit the island for various reasons and most end up dead. The film has a promissingly weird and visceral start, then settles in for prolonged dull, standard fair. *1/2

I Married a Communist (1950)

 In 'I Married a Communist' aka 'The Woman on Pier 13', Roosevelt, Utah native Laraine Day plays the woman who inadvertintly marries a communist. More accurately a lapsed communist played by Robert Ryan. The communists come looking for him however, as having changed his name and become a person of some authority at the San Francisco docks, he could be useful to them. Blackmail ensues and most of the major characters end up dead. A mixture of film noir and propaganda, these basic themes are explored as well or better in other period films such as 'I was a Communist for the FBI' and 'Red Menace'. *1/2

Hell's Half Acre (1954)

 From the fancy clubs to the squalid slums of Honolulu, 'Hell's Half Acre' is a flawed experiment in making a Hawaiian set (and shot) Film Noir, or 'Tiki Noir' as I've read it called. I started this as part of a Marie Windsor movie kick, she's fourth billed but dosen't appear on screen until 43 minutes in, she turns out to be a relatively minor character. There is also a character here called "Tubby" Otis, a name I consider to be a virtue in and of its self. The plot concerns a woman coming to Hawaii when she learns the husband she thought she lost in Pearl Harbor might still be alive, only to find that he has reinvented himself as a kind of mid level gangster. Does he even remember her?, the film keeps you guessing, but first it drags you through some mostly dull times, punctuated by Elsa Lanchester trying to provide some light moments. I did however rather like the ending, which earns this film an extra half a star, leaving us with a rating of **

The Miracle Mile (1988)

 'The Miracle Mile' starts out as an L A set romantic comedy featuring the likable coupling of Anthony Edward's and Mare Winningham, whose relationship we see just starting out. Then, around a third into the movie, by chance Anthony Edwards receives advanced warning of an impending nuclear attack in about an hour. Much like 'The Birds', it's as if one movie is hit broadside by another movie, and its all the more effective for that. 

Much of the film is chaotic, a diverse and surprisingly queer friendly assortment of characters bumping up against each other. The seeming randomness of both good luck and bad luck is the major through line; The best of people and the worst of people. A great sense of energy and tension and the unexpected, as well as troups and clichés affirmed and subverted. That in the end it all comes together in a strange symmetry, both horrible and beautiful is a testment to something hard to put into words. I've seen some movies that explore similar themes, but the execution here was both unexpected and top notch. I anticipate this is a movie that will really reward repeat viewing. ****

We Can't Go Home Again (1976)

 Though he would appeare later in films as both actor and documentary subject, Nicholas Ray's last film as a director was the appropriately titled 'We Can't Go Home Again'. Through a more then decade long decline in which Nic's erraticism made him essentially unemployable in both Hollywood and European film making, he managed to land a job as a professor at small Binghamton University in rural south central New York. Ray made this film along with his students over several years in the 1970's. There are multiple cuts of the film, I think the one I saw was the 1976 cut.

Basically the film is very meta, depicting Nic and his students as versions of themselves attending his classes and getting to know each other. Seems like no script, just improvising. The film is edited together in an unusal fashion, with multiple shots often appearing on the screen together, sometimes over lapping, sometimes distorted. Actor and Ray family friend Sterling Hayden on seeing the movie at a foreign film festival, reportedly told the director's wife the film was best viewed while high, to which she responded, why not, he  certainly filmed it high.

Going into this I was expecting a mess, and it's a mess, but it's a creative and oddly endering mess; perhaps best received in small douces. I feel pretty confident that Ray slept with at least one of these students, I wonder if she's showed this movie to grandchilden. ***

Hellfire (1949)

 In this religiously tinged western William Elliot plays a card sharp who turns to God after a preacher takes a bullet for him. Promising the dying man that he would complet the church he was trying to build, Elliot determines that a sacred building can not be financed with ill gotten gain, so sets off to find other ways to raise the money. He finds one in the form of a $5,000 bounty on a notorious female bandit played by Marie Windsor. William quickly finds her and discovers he is more interested in saving her soul and winning her heart then the bounty money. He sort of teams up with her, in an effort to set her straight, and keep her from apprehension by both the law and her embittered former associates. Enjoyable western is enjoyably different, kind of a find. ***

Casino (1995)

 I've seen 'Goodfella's' and I've seen a documentary history of Las Vegas, so at three hours long 'Casino' was just superfluous. At a mear 2 hours I would have given this three stars for the quality of production and respect for Scorsese; I deducted half a star for each half hour it ran over that. **

The Church (1989)

 A German cathedral built on the site of a medieval massacre begins to manifest its evil during renovations. I watched this yesterday and I can already remember hardly anything about it. Produced by Dario Argento and featuring his daughter Asia as an adult like young teen and Barbara Cupisti as a child like young women. Originally intended as the third film in the 'Demonds' franchise, it had its connections to the earlier films waterd down over the course of production. Film still looks great, but otherwise just kind of there. **

The Hound of the Baskeevilles (1959)

 Solid if unremarkable adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes story by Hammer Studios. Intended as the first of a series of Holmes adaptations, it's box office was tempered by lack of a monster, proving to be at odds with Hammer's buisness model of the time. Notable chiefly for the presence of Hammer's two biggest stars, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. **

The Beach Girls (1982)

 Three female friends just out of high school decide to throw a massive party at the beach home of one of their uncles; also they find trash bags full of Marijuana jettesoned by panicy drug runners. 80's teen sexy comedy really delivers on its premise, with lots of boobs and drugs and reasonably good humor. I had previously coined the term "4-star-3-star-movie' to refer to a film that I couldn't rightly give more the 3 stars, but which delivered to the full extent of its potential, well 'The Beach Girls' is a '3-star-2-star-movie'. 

10 to Midnight (1983)

 Youtube critic Brad Jones' favorite Charles Bronson movie and I can tell why. This movie does what it sets out to do extremely well, in spirit it is essentially a remake of Dirty Harry, with a great villian you love to hate in the form of Eugene M. Davis, who would go on to menace Bronson again five years later in 'Messinger of Death'. Lisa Eilbacher ups the emotional investment as my favorite of Bronson's on screen daughters. ***

Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case (1959)

 Inspector Maigret returns to the country Chateau where he lived as a boy when he is father was the grounds keeper. The Countess de Saint-Fiacre (Valentine Tessier), who had been a beautiful young bride when Maigret last saw her and is now an elderly widow, has received  a death threat and asked his assistance in investigating. Shortly after Maigret's arrival the Countess dies of a heart attack, an attack Maigret is convinced was deliberately triggered; he finds a surprisingly large collection of possible suspects. Jean Gabin plays the character more world weary then did Albert Prejean, but that really works here. A satisfying mystery that consistently held my interest. ***

Tokyo Pop (1988)

 Aspiring American rock and roller Carrie Hamilton (daughter of Carol Burnett, who sadly died from cancer at the age of 38) travels to Japan hopping to break into its pop music scene. Carrie does become moderatly successful there with her boyfriend/ band mate Yutaka Tadokoro, but the question of could she make it in America continues to occupy her thoughts. A sweet, pleasant and modest picture. ***

Strange Darling (2023)

 Non linear, Tarantino influenced horror thriller about the end of a serial killing spree; set in 2020 Oregon. Kyle Garner and Willa Fitzgerald play cat and mouse, lots of twists and turns, lots of expectation subversion. I'd probably have cut 1/3 to 1/2 of the coda at the end, but this is an exciting and creative movie. ***

Barbara (2012)

 East Germany, 1980. Barbara (Nina Hoss) is a doctor who applies for an exit visa so she can be with her West German lover. The State dosen't like that, so they reassign her from a prestigious Berlin hospital out to the sticks. She's a good doctor, does right by her patients, but plots an escape. Ronald Zehrfeld is another doctor, the cheif doctor, at that rural hospital, he's a great guy who goes above and beyond for his patients. The two have a real chemistry, you root for them to get together, yet you also get the draw of the of the warmth of the West contrasted with the muted cold of the East. There are several engaging sub plots, all of which comes to tie into the main narrative and movie it forward. I really enjoyed this, and think it could be adapted into a pretty strong TV series. ***1/2

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

 Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue give arguably career best performances in this poignant tale, wherein the former plays a suicidal Hollywood executive who travels to Las Vegas to drink himself to death, and the latter a high end prostitute who is moved by his plight and falls in love with him. Despite its very American settings of LA and Vegas, this feels more like a European film then an American one. Not in a hurry, reflective, the film boasts some left field cameos and a really individual soundtrack. I wasn't emotionally moved as much as I was hopping to be, but the movie still produces an idocentric form of wonder and awe that is memorable. ***1/2

The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968)

 'The Girl on a Motorcycle'  is a French produced film released in the United States under the more provocative title of 'Naked Under Leather'. The film stars singer Marianne Faithful as a young women torn between her bland but loving French husband (Roger Mutton) and a dashing German (Alain Delon) with whom she is having an affair. Beautifuly shot with appropriately psychedelic style by the legendary Jack Cardiff. The film's structure focuseing on a motorcycle cycle trip from France to Germany is a also very trippy, there are dream and fantasy sequences as well as flash backs within flashbacks; it can be a little hard at times to keep the narrative straight, but the film was intended to have a dream like logic to it. Mid film I predicted how I thought this would end, planned on hating that, but when it did unfold as I predicted, by that time I was fine with it. ***

Boccaccio 70 (1962)

 An anthology of four short films by name Italin directors (who I will not bother to name) inspired by the works of the 14th century Italian humanist writer Giovanni Boccaccio. We have a story of two newly weds dealing with a lack of privacy in her parents small apartment; a wealthy young couple rocked when the husband's chronic cheating makes the tabloids; a giant Anita Ekberg tormenting a prudish scold; and a semi secret carnavale lottery where the grand prize is a night with Sofia Loeren. All solid and none overstayed it's welcome, even with a running time of 3hrs 25 minutes. It came out in 1962 so I'm guessing the 70 refers to the use of 70 millimeter film. ***