Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse (2004)

 Jean Reno is back, investigating a series of murders that mimic the deaths of the 12 Apostles, so it wants to 'Seven'. Benoit Magimel is one of Reno's former students from the academy, he teams up with his older teacher when the drug running case he is investigating intersects his mentors case. Camille Natta is a sexy "religion expert" and Christopher Lee shows up briefly as the big bad. Not as good as the first one, but still gothic fun. **1/2

Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

 Tom Green's notorious gross out comedy 'Freddy Got Fingered' largely derailed his career, and even after watching Prime's new documentary on Green, I can't tell if that was intentional or not. This movie is very bad, but having recently spent some proxy time with Green, I feel like I kind of get it, and I didn't hate it. Marisa Caughlan is fetching as the love interest and Rip Torn's going all in really helps. **

The Treatment (2006)

 When his long time off and on girlfriend (Stephine March) gets engaged to another man, a mild mannered private school teacher (Chris Eigeman) takes the advise of his grouchy, Argentinian therapist (Ian Holm) and persues a beautiful widow (Famke Janssen) on his schools board. Based on a novel I now want to  read, this is a very charming feature from director Oren Rudavsky, who principly does documentary. Great performances from a strong cast, especially Famke and the under known Chris Eigman, he's charming and should have had more of a leading man career as a kind of American Colin Firth. Harris Yulin, who I was surprised to learn is still alive, does some very good work as Eigman's loving but distant father. ***

The Crimson Rivers (2001)

 French thriller, based on a novel. Set in rural France, two detectives working two different cases come to find that their mysteries intersect. Jean Reno is a solemn, noireish detective sent from the city to investigate the ritual murder of the young head librarian at an isolated college; Vincent Cassel is a local, more action movie type detective, investigating the desecration of a child's tomb and a break-in at a Grammer school. This does a real good job pulling you in and maintaining an unsettling feeling, though frankly the ending gets kind of silly. Film does a pretty good job of blending styles, this is essentially two different movies which come together a little more then half way through. Solid, very watchable. ***

Insomnia (1997)

 Later remade by Christopher Nolan, 'Insomnia' is a Norwegian thriller about a detective investigating the murder of a high school girl in the far north, during the time of year that it is daylight 24/7. Stellan Skarsgard is the detective, a troubled loner, the constant light keeps him awake, growing more unhinged and increasingly creepy the longer this goes on. It's been a long time since I last saw the American version, which is set in Alsaka, the stories are for the most part really similar, though notably they have different endings. Fairly basic as a mystery, good as a mode piece and great as a character study. There's a reason this got enough attention to prompt an American remake. ****

Salvation! (1987)

 A man and his sister-in-law blackmail a televangelist into launching his wife's music career. One of the blurbs I read about this movie said the only thing it really has going for it is its topicality, being released during the wave of televangelist scandles of the 1980's. The movie is bad, one of the worst I've seen in editing, structure, story, acting, though the look of the film I genrally liked. At times hard to follow, only sporadically engaging. There are like 3 music videos shoehorned into this thing, the pacing is horrible. A wasted premise. Viggo Mortensen plays the husband. *

The Sessions (2012)

 Based on the true story of the polio paralyzed writer Mark O'Brian's use of a surrogate to experience sexual intimacy for the first time at the age of 38. Helen Hunt plays the therapist and sex surrogate, it's always nice to see Helen, and we do see alot of her in this film. William H. Macey has a good turn as an unusally understanding priest and the supporting cast including Moon Bloodgood is all top notch. This is however John Hawkes movie. I am used to seeing him in more "tough guy" kind of roles, but his work as the good humored, sympathetic, poet souled, pious Catholic trapped in a very physically limited body is career best stuff; it's wrong that he didn't get an Oscar nomination for this. ****

Princess Tam Tam (1935)

 Author Albert Prejean and his assistant Robert Arnoux travel to colonial Algeria for inspiration, they meet pretty theif Josephine Baker and decide to "Pygmalion" her and then return to France and try passing her off as an exotic princess. I was aware of Josephine Baker but this was the first time I'd seen her in a film, she is rather spunky and charming, I get why the French loved her; Americans not so much, this film didn't clear the production code. There is a scene near the end of the film where non white characters Baker and Jean Galland share a "white people sure are oblivious moment". Also, great Busby Berkley style dance number near the end. ***

Tango & Cash (1989)

 "Tango & Cash" is 80s movie concentrate and should be studied in a lab. Sylvester Stallon and Kurt Russell are the respective L.A. hero cops, they are framed for drug running and murder and must go on the lamb to trade quips and prove their innocence. Teri Hatcher does a sexy dance, Jack Palancr chews the scenery. **

The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

 Spend a little time looking into 1950's British science fiction and your sure to come across this title. 'The Quatermass Xperiment' started off as a tellaplay, then was adapted into this movie which would yield sequels and revivals into the 21st century. Bernard Quartermass (Brian Donlevy) is a brilliant scientist, he's also more then a bit of a single minded asshole, which makes him interesting. His initial rocket mission returns days later with two crewmen missing and one near catatonic. This is an "astronauts brought something alien back with them" story. Quatermass is teamed reluctantly with Scotland Yard Inspecter Lomax (Jack Warner, but not "that" Jack Waner). There are some close calls but the world is saved, after which Quatermass immediately sets to work preparing a second space flight, that man is out of control, he will kill us all. **1/2

Conclave (2024)

 The unexpected death of a liberal Pope, under mysterious circumstances, leads to a contentious "conclave" to determine his successor. Large cast of heavy weights including Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isebella Rossellini. This a church politics, behind the scenes, power struggle kind of movie, with plenty of twists and turns. However, it is also a different kind of movie, and seeming disconnect between those types of films caused me some trouble processing it at first. I wasn't sure how much of it I could really "believe", but on reflection what at times might seem awkward was really well constructed. The final shot of the movie tied a ribbon around it. Some might say it's blasphemy, but I'm giving it ****

Swamp Thing (1982)

 Brilliant scientist turned into a green, mossey "swamp thing", lives in what looks like the Florida everglades. Based on a DC comic book, directed by a pre Freddy Kruger Wes Craven. There was a 1990's Swamp Thing TV series which was watched regularly by, of all the people in the household, my mother. I recall that show as being oddly somber, this is less so. Staring Ray Wise and  Dick Durock as pre and post transformation Dr. Alec Holland respectively. Adrienne Barbeau, then the only true "scream queen" competition to Jaime Lee Curtis, is the love interest. While Louise Jordan is a better Bond villian here then he would be in Octapussy the next year. **1/2

To the Stars (2019)

 In rural 1961 Oklahoma a shy and awkward girl (Kara Hayward) is befriended by the outgoing new girl in town (Liana Liberato) resulting in a friendship that will change both their lives. Beautiful little movie, nicely restrained, elegantly put together and quite endering. You really get a sense of the time and place, the aura of the whole community. Strong central players with a supporting cast that really fills out the world of the film. Not the subtlist movie in its messaging, but also doesn't hit you over the head with it. Maybe the best portrayal of early 60's America I've seen since Mad Men. ***1/2

In the Land of Women (2007)

 When Los Angeleno Adam Brody's movie star girlfriend breaks up with him, he takes the opertunitie to visit his ailing grandmother in Michigan, only to be drawn into the drama of a neighbor family and become an object of desire for both mother Meg Ryan and daughter Kristen Stewart. (Run on sentence run on). Perfect vehicle for Brody to do his charming thing, strong performances from all the principles. Likable. ***

Cabin in the Sky (1943)

 MGM musical adapted from the Broadway musical of the same name. 'Cabin in the Sky' has an all black cast, essentially unheard of in a major studio film of its time. Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, best known as Jack Benny's sidekick on his very popular radio program, plays Little Joe Jackson, a well meaning fellow with an unfortunate weakness for gambling.

 After Joe is shot and killed in a gambling dispute, his wife (played by Ethel Waters) prays to the Lord to have him back. God obliges, wipes Joe's memory of the afterlife and gives him a 6 month probation to prove he really did intend to mend his ways. He is watched over by an angel played by Kenneth Spencer and by Lucifer Jr played Rex Ingram, who employs the sultry Lena Horn in an effort to lead Joe off the straight and narrow. Employing stereotypes of its time the film is still well meaning, creative, and musically solid, including Duke Ellington as himself and Louis Armstrong as one of Lucifer Jr's devil helpers. ***

Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Neckless (1962)

 Lose German adaptation of Doyle's final Sherlock Holmes novel, 1915's The Valley of Fear. We have an English Holmes and Watson (Christopher Lee and Thorley Walters respectively) but the rest of the cast is principally German. Film just feels off, low budget, pacing issues, often stilted acting. An oddity. *1/2

My Old Ass (2024)

 Just weeks before heading off to college 18 year old Canadian Elliot LeBrant (a marvelous Maisy Stella) takes a bunch of mushrooms and ends up meeting her 39 year old self (played by a marvelous Aubrey Plaza). Remarkably after their night in the woods together the two find  out they can still communicate by cellphone, with the older Elliot giving the younger Elliot advice on how to avoid mistakes in their future life. A movie like this has a very narrow lane that it can inhabit without slipping into being either overly goofy or overly sentimental, and this movies does an exquisite job of staying in that lane. One of the best and most surprising films of last year. ***1/2

Dr. Who and the the Daleks (1965)

 I had never watched any Dr. Who before and thought it would be funny to start with one of the non canonical feature films in which Dr. Who is not an alien, but rather an absent minded professor type played by Peter Cushing. Here the doctor takes his two granddaughters and the older ones boyfriend on an adventure in his newly constructed Tartis. They wind up on a ravaged planet where they help a blond haird pacifist people against the genocidal Daleks. This movie owes much to/ cribes much from H. G. Wells The Time Machine. Still I found it entirely satisfying as adventure serial type stuff. **1/2

Psychout for Murder (1969)

 Italian Giallo film in which the lovely Adrienne Larussa is tricked by her boyfriend into some compromising photos, then is carted off to a mental institution by her wealthy family in an effort to save face. This double betrayal breaks Adrienne and upon her relasse she sets out to extract revenge on those who wronged her,  let's just say she succeeds. A tight and violent 90 minutes critique on hypocrisy. ***