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. ***

Please, Not Now! (1961)

 French love quadrangle comedy stars Brigitte Bardot and was directed by her then ex husband Roger Vadim. Shades of 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' here. A fun and free kinda film, a sort of screw ball comedy, and damn sexy. ***

The Girl in Black Stockings (1957)

 A series of murders rock the resort community of Knab, Utah. A pretty solid B picture with a good cast of characters. The resolutions a little on the silly side, thought the most unrealistic thing about the picture might be that the sheriff drinks coffee and beer. Ann Bancroft and Mamie Van Doren are it's least forgotten cast members. **1/2

Russ Meyer's Supervixens (1975)

 When corrupt cop Charles Napier murders  young mechanic Clint's (Charles Pitt) hypersexual girlfriend Shari Eubank and then frames him for it, our hero is forced to go on the lamb in rural Arizona. Sex comedy/action flick, is over the top but largely good humored. While on the run Clint finds himself repeatedly and aggressively sexually persued by extremely busty women, then violently persued by the men in their life. Still Clint finds love with a look alike (same actress) of his dead girlfriend  before a final confrontation with Charles Napier. Russ Meyer writing and directing at the top of his game, the man loved his work. This movie made $17 million at the box office off a budget of $100,000, a 17 fold return on investment. ***

Cecil is Dead (1944)

This is another Jules Maigret mystery staring Albert Préjean. The body of a headless woman is found in a cheap hotel and a families long held secrets are in danger of exposure. I liked this one alot more then the other of these that I watched, consistently engaging. ***