Gigli (2003)

A famous failure both critically and financially, 'Gigli' is by no means good, but not quite as bad as it's reputation suggests. I think a lot of piling on against Bennafer 1.0 was at play here, with the Razzies sweep and such. Still a very razzable movie, what wants to be a romantic comedy stuffed inside what wants to be a mob movie. Affleck and Lopez are tasked with watching the kidnapped mentally retarded brother of a federal judge as part of an ill conceived extortion scheme. It's a strange film, whose general uneventful plodding is periodically interrupted by odd monologs and  unexpected guest star appearances. Arguably explotive of the handicapped, it is also unintentionally a pioneering work of gender fluid cinema. If you can make it through a turgid first hour and a so-so 3rd quarter, you will be rewarded with a final 4th that goes from thoroughly unhinged to sappely sentimental. Dare say it, kind of worth seeing. *1/2

The Great Gatsby (1974)

 Perhaps overly faithful rendering of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of the same name. This 'The Great Gatsby' has a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppolla, who you know, but was directed by Jack Clayton who you probably don't, there is probably a good reason for that. A real mixed bag, at times it works and at times it doesn't. I really liked a young Sam Waterson as the audience surrogate figure Nick Carraway, I also think the beautifully cheekboned Lois Chiles should have been in more movies. Much of the rest of the cast seems too focuse grouped (Robert Redford, Mia Farrow) and the film lacks much sense of emotion or stakes until towards the end. It reminded me in its often lathergic style of story telling of a network television mini series of the period, but with a bigger budget and a cast at prime or on its way up instead of down. Still the source material is strong and the talent manages to muddle through. **

Murphy's Romance (1985)

 Sally Field is a recent divorce who moves with her middle school aged son (Corey Haim) to a small Arizona town to board horses; she gradually develops a May/December romance with the town liberal, a widower pharmacist named Murphy played by James Garner. After some months the ex-husband (Brian Kerwin) shows up to provide complications. The ex isn't a bad man per say, he's not abusive or anything he's mostly immature, so this reinforces why Sally might find an older more substantive gentleman so appealing. That and the fact that Murphy is good to her and extremely charming, Garner has a naturally charisma but I don't know if he's every layed on the charm as much as he does here. It's rare to have the thought that a 33 year old woman should definitely marry that 60 year old man, but here you do. Directed by Martin Ritt, who was a kind of poet. Score by Carole King. ***

Get Him to the Greek (2010)

 Though principally a vehicle for writer/star Jason Segel 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' provided the breakout role for comedian Russel Brand as a very sexual British rock star. So two years later they made a sort of spin off sequel.

Something was seen in the dynamic between Brand and Jonah Hill in the first film, so they brought Hill back as well though as a different character. Hill plays a low level record exec assigned to keep an eye on Brand and escort him from his home in London to an important concert at the Greek Theater (real?) in L.A.

So the plot is a vulgar rock varation on 'My Favorite Year'.

There appears to be some continuity issue between this and the first film, principally in the amount of time that has passed and Brand's 7 year relationship with a model/singer character played by Rose Byrne, who is not mentioned in the first film. Of course in a comedy that kind of fidelity ain't that important, though I use that inconsistency to bolster my pet theory that the events of 'Greek' are but a fantasy of Hill's character in the first film. Here he is more accomplished and capable and not only gets to spend a lot of time with his idol, but basically save his life. So it's 'Mulholland Drive's lesser cousin.

This film wishes it had more to say then it does. The bones are good but the comic flesh a little lean. Elizabeth Moss looks good in scrubs. **

The Flash (2023)

 The much delayed 'The Flash' movie has finally come out to underwhelming box office and critical notices. I frankly attribute this less to star Ezra Miller's rather public personal scandals and more to a growing public fatigue with superhero/multiverse movies. I share this fatigue but kind of grandfathered this particular film in large part because I wanted  to see Micheal Keaton's Batman again. It was nice to see Keaton reprise the role, I also liked Sashe Callie as the new Supergirl and thought Miller did a surprisingly good job, he plays two versions of the same character and spends a lot of screen time playing against himself quite effectively.

 Had this film come out 2 or more years ago it might really have been something, but now it feels backward looking for a number of reasons. There is something of a stitched together feel to the piece, though it's kind of appropriate given the nature of the stories being told. The special effects are noticeably  weakly rendered, especially given how much extra time release delays gave Warner Brothers to work on them. 

Still I was mostly with it, mostly engaged, the film had some moments and the performances were generally better then the material. The fan service IP maximization got really painful towards the end and there was so much happening on screen that it was overwhelming, I shut my eyes a few time because I just needed it to stop for a moment. On the whole a mixed bag, probably the last superhero film I'll see on the big screen for a long time.

**1/2

Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)

 An epidemic of death in a small California town, men dropping dead as a result of, how do I put this, being intercoursed to death. Cast includes the expected compliment of beautiful women and Cliff Osmond, who was in a couple of Billy Wilder movies so that's how I know him. Written by, of all people, Nicholas Meyer, who would go on to pen 'The Seven Precent Solution' and 'Star Trek II' among  others. I love the guys who even knowing that men are now regularly being F'd to death in their area, still decide to risk sex with the out of their league women who are suddenly interested in them. Contains one of the strangest sequences I have ever seen in a movie. **1/2

Tender Mercies (1983)

This nicely low key film stars Robert Duvall as a once successful country-western star, who having destroyed his life and career through drink, seeks redemption through sobriety and the love of a young war widow and her son. Understated and truthfil film eschews the bells and whistles for heart felt story telling. Duvall's character at times feels baffled and unworthy of his second chance, espically as some associated characters prove not so lucky. ***