Movie review - "Honeymoon Hotel" (1964) **

 The sort of movie that you want to just enjoy but it keeps stuffing up. Decent set up - Robert Morse gets dumped so best friend Robert Goulet takes him on his honeymoon. That's Forgettig Sarah Marshall. But the film runs out of ideas. What's at stake? Morse misses his fiance, Goulet tries to keep Morse apart.

Nancy Kwan seems ill at ease in this piece - it's great there's some colour blind casting (Goulet has a black secretary too) but she's not very good. 

The film is full of scenes were you go "why don't they have someone sing?" like when Goulet and Kwan walk around. It's meant to be in the Caribbean but all feels like the backlot. Couldn't they afford any second unit work? 

Keenan Wynn and Jill St John liven things up at the end but it's all so contrived.

Goulet and Morse might've become movie stars but their luck was rotten. This isn't good. 

Movie review - "The Gallant Blade" (1948) **1/2

 Tight Columbia swasbuckler with a neat idea - some French officers at the end of the 30 year war try to stop villainous Frenchy Victor Jory from trying to start up war again. George MacCready is a good generaal the hero is Larry Parks who feels very American. But its amicable and fun. Margureite Chapman has a meaty role as Jory's spy/mistress who falls for Parks - she's got something to play.

Some beautiful diction on display with Jory and Macready. Henry Levin keeps it fast. From a Dumas story. 

Movie review - "Where the Boys Are" (1960) **** (rewatching)

 This just works. Location photography, lovely cast, splendid camraderie - the four girls are friends, but they befriend other girls, find boys, the boys become mates.

Dolores Hart has perhaps her best role - spirited, smart, liberated, attracted to George Hamilton. Hamilton brings some second tier star power. Jim Hutton v affable, Paula Prentiss hugely likable, as is Connie Francis who isn't asked to do too much - she gets Frank Gorshin who is engaging, though I'm sure Francis wanted someone better looking. The sexual assault done on Yvette Mimieux is very well handled. The film shows aspects of its time but has aged far better than other movies from this era. 

Book review - "Flashman" (1969) by George MacDonald Fraser (re-reading)

 Re-read this. Totally works. Fraser had great control from the start. Full knowledge of his character and tone. Full of memorable set pieces - I think his journalism training really paid off. The duel sequence, the riots in Scotland, the initial days in India, the attack that gave rise to Bloody Lance, the fighting in the cell with the pit of snakes, the murder of Sekundar Burnes, the murder of McNaughten, the spectacular collapse of the British army retreating from Kabul., the final battle.

Would it be possible to do this at anything approaching a reasonable budget? Well, the London scenes could be done indoors. You could condense India. There are some Afghans scenes that don't have to be huge budget - stuff in prison cells, the final fort battle. The murder of McNaughten could be done off screen. The retreat itself though that would be hard. 

Book review - "The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows" by Dolores Hart

 Great book. Fascinating. More than half is nun stuff. I got lost in some Catholicism but there's plenty of human conflict in those abbeys. 

She seems like a nice person. Not without desire - she was up for kissing Stephen Boyd (they later clashed over his scientology). Henry Levin's wife was jealous of her and wrote a letter in the abbey calling her selfish. She had boyfriends. Said she wanted to kill Debbie Reynolds when she found out Reynolds had been cast in the film.

Full of interesting sketches - George Peppard looked down his nose at her during Pleasure of His Company,  Elvis was shy and awkward, Anna Magnani was terrifying but then nice, Where the Boys Are was a dream, Lois Nettleon became a friend as did Karl Malden and Patricia Neal, she helped Neal get back in the saddle after Roald Dahl left her, Paula Prentiss was a mate, Michael Curtiz was a bully on King Creole.

Seems like a nice person. Not in a two dimensional way. Her parents sound like pieces of work. 

Movie review - "Wild is the Wind" (1957) **

 Hal Wallis' follow up for Anna Magnani after The Rose Tattoo. There's lots of emoting and yelling. tThe plot has Magnani marry Anthony Quinn but be hot for his surrogate son Tony Franciosa - they have decent chemistry.

It's just not a very interesting movie. Needed a murder or something. There's some horse capture scenes. Only... who cares? Who cares if she stays with Quinn or goes off with the younger guy? That was my main problem.

Dolores Hart is enjoyable mostly by not over acting. I wish her part had been bigger. 

Movie review - "A Co-respondent's Course" (1931) **

 Short film (40 mins) about shenanigans involving people going to Portsea and men thinking their women are cheating. Not funny or even that logical but nice shots of Portsea and photograph over all. From FW Thring.