The Judge (1949)

 I chose to watch 'The Judge' the other night because it was free on Prime, I could use it as an excuse to watch another film with the same title in the near future (2014's 'The Judge'), I was in the mood for something black and white and it's really short (70 minute run time). I wasn't paying a ton of attention to it at first, until it started to get weird and then it got my interest. 

'The Judge' appears to be more or less an independent feature, put out by a company called Emerald Productions, and I can see now why no major studio at the time would have made it. The judge of the picture (Jonathan Hale) is only a minor supporting character, though he provides the narration. The film is actually about a lawyer name Martian Strang played by Milburn Stone. Stone had a forty year career in front of the camera, half of which was spent playing Doc Adams on 'Gunsmoke', and he's quite good in this picture, though the supporting cast is largely poor to mediocre. 

So here's the story. A man Strang got off on an a murder charge kills again, a young boy. Strang feels the man is obviously crazy, which he is, and that he shouldn't stand trial but go to the mental hospital. Only the court appointment shrink fines him competent to stand trail and Strang's got to defend him again. Around this time Strang finds out that the shrink is having an affair with his wife. So he goes home to kill himself, and we learn that the man's brother was also a suicide, only before Strang can pull the trigger he is interrupted by his wife. Which is counter productive for her because she and her lover have been trying to push Strang to end his own life. 

Upon realizing this Strang decides he wants revenge. He aggress to take the case of a man who killed a police office, having some inside information that will allow him to get this killer off on a technicality. Now Strang knows that volunteering to defend this man will cost him what is left of his reputation. Only he doesn't care, tells the killer that he will defend him for free in exchange for an unnamed favor to be called in after he is acquitted. Now it appears that Strang wants this man to kill his wife and/or lover. But he actually has that man kill HIM, after planting evidence to make it look like the court shrink was his murderer. That is how this movie ends, Strang is dead and the man he framed is executed. This is a trippy picture, especially for its time, I don't know how I'd not heard of this before, and how it doesn't have a cult following. 

This movie was a big surprise to me, it's not great but it's just so strange, a real 'how did this get made' mystery of a movie. **1/2

Pig (2021)

'Pig' is a film in which Nicolas Cage's prized truffle sniffing pig is abducted, and he will stop at nothing to get said pig back. So right away your probably thinking this is basically 'John Wick', but it's not. This isn't some stylized action, revenge caper, but rather it's a reflective indie. 

The back story for Cage's Robin "Rob" Feld is parsed out gradually. When we first meet him he is a heavily bereded hermit living out in the Oregon woods with only his pig for company. Once a week Amir (Alex Wolff) comes over to collect the truffles which he supplies to high end Portland restaurants, but the two's relationship is strictly business, until the pig is abducted. 

Having no other options, his own car long un-operational, Robin hikes to the closest place with a phone, a road side restaurant, and calls for Amir. A reluctant Amir agrees to take him to a nearby hippie camp where they learned that the abductors sold the pig to someone from the city. So Amir takes Robin to the city and we plunge into the unexpectedly dark underworld of foodies and the competitive gourmet restaurant business. 

You see Robin was of that world once, celebrated in it, a local chief still spoken of in reverence 15 years after starting a self imposed exile following the death of his wife. Robin returns to his old haunts and visits the few people still around who really knew him. Amir gains increasingly respect for Robin and we slowly learn his back story, which is also a sad one. 

One of the things that makes Robin such an interesting character is that he is a man of few words, but every time he speaks it is to say something to the point, or emotionally penetrating. This movies premise seems like parody on the surface, and certainly Cage comes with baggage, but he manages to give one of the most quietly affective  performances of his career. In fact 'Pig' currently has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomato's, making it the single best reviewed movie of Nic Cage's career. Which says a lot. I highly recommend. ****

Cruella (2021)

The current fad of Disney live action remakes of their animated classics I have largely ignored. For one thing I'm really not their target audience, and for another the originals can't be surpassed. A straight forward retailing of these stories holds little interest to me, but if the material or characters are approached in a off center, revisionist way I may be interested. 

Such is 'Cruella', an origin story for the classic villain of '101 Dalmatians'. Set in the 1960's and 70's this is not a prequel to the 1961 animated movie, the 1956 novel it was based on, nor the 1996 live action reboot with Glen Close. For one thing Anita is played by actress Kirby Howell-Baptiste and the other incarnations of this character are all white. For another Cruella is played by Emma Stone, and you just can't hate Emma Stone. 

While I know what it's not, I'm still not exactly sure what this film is. For one thing, while generally kid friendly it's not particularly a kids movie. I mean how many kid's movie's do you know set in the competitive world of high fashion? Telling the tale of petty thief and aspiring fashion designer Cruella's grappling with her origins, the film is part heist feature, part revenge flick, and part Greek myth? 

A darker reimaging of Disney tropes then one might think Disney would allow, I'm not kidding when I say that 'Game of Thrones' came to mind when I was watching this. The film boasts a fine cast including Emma Thompson, Mark Strong, and Paul Walter Hauser, the latter being one of the most intriguing and surprisingly versatile youngish actors to come along in a while. The period sound track to this film is also particularly strong. 

This is such an odd, unusual, authorial piece for Disney. Directed by Craig Gillespie of all people, who did 'Lars and the Real Girl' and 'I, Tonya', playful movies with hart, but very non Disney. I frankly marvel a little that this even exists, but I'm glad that it does. I think this is easily the most interesting of the Disney live action reimaging's.  ***1/2

Absolution (1978)

 'Absolution' would have been a very different film had director Anthony Page gotten his first choice for the lead role, Christopher Lee. If Lee had helmed this film it's vaguely 'Hammer Horror' subtexts would have been front and center, but with Richard Burton in the lead his seriousness and gravitas gives the film a weight that allowed it's twist to work in a way that it wouldn't have with Lee. 

Burton plays Father Goddard, a priest and teacher at a Catholic boys boarding school in England who has apparently been doing that job too long and has lost much empathy and patience. He neglects a cripple boy desperate for his attention, in favor of a charismatic one he hopes to steer towards the priesthood. When that favored boy starts to evidence signs that he may be a psychopath, and a threat on the life of the cripple, Father Goddard's very sanity may be at stake. 

A solid film, notable for a troubled release history, it didn't American distribution until 1988, this movie is also Billy Connolly's feature film debut, he plays a hippie drifter. ***

Nobody (2021)

 I went to see 'Nobody' in the theater and nobody was in the theater. This is that Bob Odenkirk action movie, a mild mannered man with a mysterious past finds circumstances reawaken a self that he thought long since gone. Such a perfect concept, Odenkirk taking an off kilter try at Willis and Neeson territory, I thought for sure they'd screw it up. Action film are generally so disappointing anymore, but 'Nobody' manages to walk it's fine line and not lag, though the ending is perhaps a little over done. 

To begin with this is a very efficient movie. The post title sequence where we see in montage two weeks of Odenkirk's very repetitive life, very effectively conveys all we need to know. Coming in at an hour and thirty two minutes the movie is both briskly paced and not in a hurry.  We get everything we need from the characters arc wise, and many fun and engaging sequences, the soundtrack as well is stand out. This movie also has a great, somewhat complicated villain (Aleksei Serebryakov) who is a satisfying counter weight to Odenkirk. You also get to see an octogenarian Christopher Lloyd shoot at stuff. 

This movie really exceeded my expectations, the plot itself is nothing that special but it's all executed so well. I left the theater with a smile on my face, and not just because I got a private showing. ***1/2 

Of Mice and Men (1939)

 'Of Mice and Men' is produced by comedy impresario Hal Roach of all people. The film is an adaptation of the 1938 play based on Steinbeck's 1937 novel of the same title. Unlike John Ford's adaptation the next year of another Steinbeck classic 'The Grapes of Wrath', this movie lacks the quality and sense of awe that makes that later film one of cinema's all time greats. Though both novels and films are very much works of their time, 'Wrath' has a timelessness that 'Mice and Men' lacks, which is not to say there is not good stuff in it, it's just dated in a way the later production isn't. 

Good performances from Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr., the latter's being subsequently much parodied, and a little uncomfortable now. The old man and his dog, well that could have been very saccharine, but Steinbeck's pathos here seems just about right.***

The Star Trek Project: Next Generation Season 3 Highlights

Curated selections do attempt to take into account, characters, races and subject matter that Rob has expressed some interest in. 

Episode 4 "Who Watches The Watchers"

Episode concerns prime directive and cultural interference issues on a primitive planet.

Episode 6 "Booby Trap" 

The Enterprise must escape an ancient alien booby trap. 

Episode 10 "The Defector" 

A Romulan defector to the Federation comes with warnings of an impending attack, but is he telling the truth? 

Episode 13 "Deja Q" 

Because Q. 

Episode 15 "Yesterday's Enterprise"

A time rift displaces the Enterprises immediate predecessor, vastly changing history.

Episode 17 "Sins of the Father" 

Worf faces formal censure, dishonor, and possible death for the alleged treason his late father. 

Episode 19 "Captain's Holiday" 

Picard's vacation turns into a vaguely Indiana Jones style adventure. 

Episode 26 "The Best of Both Worlds" 

The Borg incursion on Federation Space Begins. 

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The next two episodes, from season 4 constitute a direct continuation from the season 3 final, I recommend you watch both. 

Episode 1 "The Best of Both Worlds Part II"

The Borg ship makes its way to Earth for a final battle. 

Episode 2 "Family" 

The crew reconnect with family on Earth while The Enterprise is being repaired from it's encounter with the Borg. This episode is in form different from every other episode of Next Gen.