It's been ages since I saw the movie but I gather from what I've read the two differences between this and the final film were this had more scenes involving Scylla at the beginning and alsouo the ending was different. In Goldman's account Babe meets Szell takes him out to the lake and shoots him. This version I read may have been the one with some Robert Towne doctoring because Szell seems to cut himself here... or is he shot? I wasn't sure. He doesn't eat the diamonds though.
Never mind, you can still tell it's mostly Goldman - page turning, gripping stuff with this bleak nihilistic tone. Babe really goes through the wringer: his professor doesn't like this thesis, he gets mugged, his girlfriend is a spy, his brother is a spy, he gets tortured by Szell, Janeway pretends to be his friend and betrays him. But he is a good runner and has a handy gun and those things turn out to save his life.
I never quite believed the scene where Babe blew away three toughs, crack shot or not, but the twists are great: Elsa is spying on Babe, Babe is Doc's brother, Babe is killed, Janeway is a traitor.
Goldman's New York feels like a horrible place, with its road rage, airport baggage chaos, bullying crims, muggers, corrupt officers, sweltering heat. Adds to the intensity of the piece.
The best character is Scylla, torn, broken, loves his brother... though some of his "we're too old for this" spy dialogue is clunky.
This is one of Goldman's best works but be warned, it is a bit depressing, with its torture and hero losing everyone close to him.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Movie review - "Blood Frenzy" (1987) *
Hal Freeman was a porn director who wanted to get into more legit fields so he paid for this slasher movie. A bunch of people go camping in the desert - not teens, though, they're adults, psych patients of a doctor who wants to do therapy with them. That's got novelty, as does the cast, which includes Mr Lyn Redgrave, John Clarke; Lisa Loring, one time Wednesday Addams; Hank Garrett.
They and the other leads get the chance to emote and act with their nutty characters. There's a Vietnam Vet, a drunk, a tramp, a frigid girl, a lesbian... The acting is of varying quality, to put it politely. Everyone commits to the role.
The handling is competent rather than inspired - it feels like a movie made by an experienced porn director who wanted to move into another field rather than say someone who really loved cinema and/or horror movies.
There's a nasty scene where the tramp is seduced by the lesbian and then is tortured and killed. This was nasty and is why I gave it one star. People who like this genre may get more out of it.
They and the other leads get the chance to emote and act with their nutty characters. There's a Vietnam Vet, a drunk, a tramp, a frigid girl, a lesbian... The acting is of varying quality, to put it politely. Everyone commits to the role.
The handling is competent rather than inspired - it feels like a movie made by an experienced porn director who wanted to move into another field rather than say someone who really loved cinema and/or horror movies.
There's a nasty scene where the tramp is seduced by the lesbian and then is tortured and killed. This was nasty and is why I gave it one star. People who like this genre may get more out of it.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Movie review - "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (1949) ***
The majority of Esther Williams movies were focused on her - she was the big attraction, the story was devised to get her around a pool, etc. They were extremely profitable - I think only Jupiter's Darling lost money - but never enjoyed the critical kudos of the musicals made by the Freed unit.
This was her one experience with that unit - she didn't enjoy it, which is a shame because this is a fun movie. It's got A list talent all over the place - Busby Berkley directed, Gene Kelly, Frank Sintara and Jules Munshin do numbers, Betty Garrett supports... many of these went straight into On the Town.
The story is a bit all over the place. Kelly and Sinatra are vaudvillians who play baseball - so they want to make it in vaudeville and baseball, which splits focus. Williams inherits the baseball team bt doesn't seem to have many plans for it. Sinatra likes Williams and so does Kelly but Sinatra backs off pretty quick so the drama is minimised. The "baddie" Edward Arnold is introduced in the last third.
Kelly and Sinatra are lively, as is Betty Garrett. Williams isn't as sparky as she is in her best vehicles; she said she didn't enjoy filming and you can tell. I so didn't like this movie as much as I thought I would; it's very messy, doesn't seem to love baseball that much. It's still got all that MGM skill.
This was her one experience with that unit - she didn't enjoy it, which is a shame because this is a fun movie. It's got A list talent all over the place - Busby Berkley directed, Gene Kelly, Frank Sintara and Jules Munshin do numbers, Betty Garrett supports... many of these went straight into On the Town.
The story is a bit all over the place. Kelly and Sinatra are vaudvillians who play baseball - so they want to make it in vaudeville and baseball, which splits focus. Williams inherits the baseball team bt doesn't seem to have many plans for it. Sinatra likes Williams and so does Kelly but Sinatra backs off pretty quick so the drama is minimised. The "baddie" Edward Arnold is introduced in the last third.
Kelly and Sinatra are lively, as is Betty Garrett. Williams isn't as sparky as she is in her best vehicles; she said she didn't enjoy filming and you can tell. I so didn't like this movie as much as I thought I would; it's very messy, doesn't seem to love baseball that much. It's still got all that MGM skill.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Movie review - "Million Dollar Mermaid" (1953) ***1/2
Esther Williams is entirely appropriate casting to play Annette Kellerman, little remembered today but in her day a big swimming star.
Australian audiences will get a kick out of this - Kellerman was an Aussie, the early scenes are set in Australia, there's Aussie references through the script (Kellerman makes Australian stew which is like Irish stew "only the beef's down under"; Victor Mature has a boxing kangaroo). It's not that Australian, it has to be admitted... it's really more MGM land than anything else... but something is better than nothing.
It's handsome to look at, and there's some impressive musical numbers. There's some sure fire moments like dad Walter Pigdeon being concerned about his daughter's polio stricken legs and her going off swimming anyway, and Kellerman/Williams being arrested for wearing a one piece. Film buffs will enjoy the appearance of Rin Tin Tin (a character in the film), the making of Neptune's Daughter.
Esther Williams gives her normal Esther Williams performance - but she's pretty and game as usual, and very likeable. Victor Mature is ideal as her love interest - I understand very different from the real guy, but he suits the part as written (a lively showman with a heart of gold). Walter Pidgeon is also well cast as her father. David Brian has a thankless role as the false love interest, who provides the threat in the last act. Jesse White is fun as Mature's sidekick.
It's a solid, entertaining film with extra appeal to Australian viewers. It gets dull in the last act but it's one of Esther Williams' best movies.
Australian audiences will get a kick out of this - Kellerman was an Aussie, the early scenes are set in Australia, there's Aussie references through the script (Kellerman makes Australian stew which is like Irish stew "only the beef's down under"; Victor Mature has a boxing kangaroo). It's not that Australian, it has to be admitted... it's really more MGM land than anything else... but something is better than nothing.
It's handsome to look at, and there's some impressive musical numbers. There's some sure fire moments like dad Walter Pigdeon being concerned about his daughter's polio stricken legs and her going off swimming anyway, and Kellerman/Williams being arrested for wearing a one piece. Film buffs will enjoy the appearance of Rin Tin Tin (a character in the film), the making of Neptune's Daughter.
Esther Williams gives her normal Esther Williams performance - but she's pretty and game as usual, and very likeable. Victor Mature is ideal as her love interest - I understand very different from the real guy, but he suits the part as written (a lively showman with a heart of gold). Walter Pidgeon is also well cast as her father. David Brian has a thankless role as the false love interest, who provides the threat in the last act. Jesse White is fun as Mature's sidekick.
It's a solid, entertaining film with extra appeal to Australian viewers. It gets dull in the last act but it's one of Esther Williams' best movies.
Movie review - "Yoga Hosers" (2016) **
Kevin Smith redoes Clerks and throws in some weird arse 80s sci fi. I get what he was going for but it doesn't quite work. I find Canadian jokes as funny as the next man but the constant "aboot"s and "eh"s get wearying. The Instagram chapter titles don't work either - because they're not done how it's done.
Clerks worked in part because Smith knew what he was talking about. He doesn't seem to know how teen girls talk - it feels taken from movies.
The inserts of websites and Instagram shots with video game music is really annoying, the girls are far too passive a lot of the time, it felt confusing that there were Satanists and Nazis running loose separately, the goal of killing art critics feels like a shaggy dog joke rather than decent stakes.
Sometimes this is spot on: Harley Smith and Lily Rose Depp have nice chemistry; Depp is so good looking that I foresee a strong film career for her; it is fun to see Johnny Depp in scenes with his daughter; the girls fighting off the Bratzis is lots of fun, as are the times they play the guitar.
But Smith's director and script don't service his ideas well. It feels sloppily written and directed, and never quite achieves the sense of fun it's aiming for. These sort of movies are harder to do than they look, as he found with Cop Out.
Clerks worked in part because Smith knew what he was talking about. He doesn't seem to know how teen girls talk - it feels taken from movies.
The inserts of websites and Instagram shots with video game music is really annoying, the girls are far too passive a lot of the time, it felt confusing that there were Satanists and Nazis running loose separately, the goal of killing art critics feels like a shaggy dog joke rather than decent stakes.
Sometimes this is spot on: Harley Smith and Lily Rose Depp have nice chemistry; Depp is so good looking that I foresee a strong film career for her; it is fun to see Johnny Depp in scenes with his daughter; the girls fighting off the Bratzis is lots of fun, as are the times they play the guitar.
But Smith's director and script don't service his ideas well. It feels sloppily written and directed, and never quite achieves the sense of fun it's aiming for. These sort of movies are harder to do than they look, as he found with Cop Out.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Movie review - "Naked After Midnight" (2014) **
A late entry in the woman-going-undercover-as-stripper-to-solve-crime genre. It's not particularly lively or energetic, but I enjoy watching Fred Olen Ray movies, in part to see how he goes about getting the best production value (i.e. actors doing scenes all clearly done in one day).
Richard Grieco is good value as a creepy shrinky and Tawny Kitaen even better as the lively owner of a strip club. The undercover stripper isn't that great but there's some decent support and a strong twist at the end.
Richard Grieco is good value as a creepy shrinky and Tawny Kitaen even better as the lively owner of a strip club. The undercover stripper isn't that great but there's some decent support and a strong twist at the end.
Book review - "The Nisbis War 337-363: The Defence of the Roman East" by John Harrel (2016)
A typically strong military history from publishers Pen and Sword. This looks at the series of wars between Rome and the Sassanids during the 4th century - a period perhaps best known for the Emperor Julian, star of the Gore Vidal book (that was my introduction to the period certainly).
It's full of colourful characters - Julian, Constantius II, Shapur. Very well researched and clearly written.
It's full of colourful characters - Julian, Constantius II, Shapur. Very well researched and clearly written.
Movie review - "Message from Space" (1978) **
I saw this film on VHS as a kid but could never get anyone to believe me that it existed - a Japanese sci fi with white leads and a scene where some people in space where chasing fireflies... So I thought I dreamt it but when I read that book on New World Pictures I realised I didn't... it was Message in Space.
It's a Star Wars knock off, of course - though interestingly enough it seems inspired by Seven Samurai, the year before New World made their own Samurai knock off, Battle Beyond the Stars. An alien planet is facing invaders; a wise old men sends these eight seeds out into space to recruit heroes to save them which seems to me to be leaving a lot to chance.
God (or some other higher power) is looking after these people because the seeds wind up in very specific places: the spacecraft of some hot rod pilots, the drink of Vic Morrow (as a general who retires after his robot dies... was the robot his lover?), the tomato can of a wacky buck-toothed comic relief.
It's oddly structured. I thought the stakes were going to be all on this race of people on the planet (led by a princess) but about half way through the film the baddies discover about Earth and want that and the movie becomes about Earth... and Vic Morrow and the other leads are from Earth. There's a character who gets a seed who is the brother of the baddy but that brother is not introduced until half way through.
There were some really good bits: the alien people realise their whole planet must blow up if the baddies are to be defeated; an old crone dies as the baddies read about her dreams of earth (they'd never heard of it before?); one of the group is a traitor; I like how the head baddy had an evil crone mother; there's a girl among the pilot heroes.
But a lot of it is very hookey. The seeds have these mystical powers which drives far too much of the story; the special effects aren't very good (though their slap dash nature is part of the film's charm); the film varies in tone.
It's a ramshackle mess, really best watched by kids on VHS in the early 80s, but it is fun.
It's a Star Wars knock off, of course - though interestingly enough it seems inspired by Seven Samurai, the year before New World made their own Samurai knock off, Battle Beyond the Stars. An alien planet is facing invaders; a wise old men sends these eight seeds out into space to recruit heroes to save them which seems to me to be leaving a lot to chance.
God (or some other higher power) is looking after these people because the seeds wind up in very specific places: the spacecraft of some hot rod pilots, the drink of Vic Morrow (as a general who retires after his robot dies... was the robot his lover?), the tomato can of a wacky buck-toothed comic relief.
It's oddly structured. I thought the stakes were going to be all on this race of people on the planet (led by a princess) but about half way through the film the baddies discover about Earth and want that and the movie becomes about Earth... and Vic Morrow and the other leads are from Earth. There's a character who gets a seed who is the brother of the baddy but that brother is not introduced until half way through.
There were some really good bits: the alien people realise their whole planet must blow up if the baddies are to be defeated; an old crone dies as the baddies read about her dreams of earth (they'd never heard of it before?); one of the group is a traitor; I like how the head baddy had an evil crone mother; there's a girl among the pilot heroes.
But a lot of it is very hookey. The seeds have these mystical powers which drives far too much of the story; the special effects aren't very good (though their slap dash nature is part of the film's charm); the film varies in tone.
It's a ramshackle mess, really best watched by kids on VHS in the early 80s, but it is fun.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Book review - "Leading Lady Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker" by Stephen Galloway (2017)
Sherry Lansing seems too nice and normal to be a truly legendary Hollywood exec, like Leo B Mayer, Robert Evans or even Dawn Steel. But she was/is smart and tenacious and had an excellent track record as an exec - she even developed her own genre, Sherry Lansing thrillers, like Fatal Attraction.
This is a pretty good book, benefiting considerably from close access to its subject matter. Lansing had a happy/sad childhood - her mother fled from Nazi Germany, her adored father died at a young age when Lansing was only nine, mum's new husband could be aloof (though they grew close). Se was smart and pretty and went to work as a teacher, but her passion, initially was for acting. She got some decent roles including in Rio Lobo for Howard Hawks. However her enthusiasm for the craft dimmed. She found a new career when she went to work as a script reader - this led to a job as an executive.
The acting and good looks would have come in handy navigating the tricky world of Hollywood studio politics. She had some mentors too such as Dan Melnick (I didn't know he was a coke fiend), James T Aubrey (who was a boyfriend), Stanley Jaffe. She was appointed president of 20th Century Fox in 1980 but really made her mark as a producer in the 80s and head of Paramount in the 90s.
Lots of time in the book is devoted to the struggles of films that became successful: Fatal Attraction (a real fight and I believe it because no one in it was a big draw, not Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Adrian Lynne), Titanic, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, The Accused, Indecent Proposal.
There are a number of irritating errors: Jonathan Kaplan had directed way more than one movie before The Accused; Tom Berenger wasn't in Southern Comfort.
But this is compensated for by all the entertaining stories: Lansing reading the riot act on Mike Myers, who had adapted Passport to Pimlico for Wayne's World 2 without clearing the rights;
There's some unexpected sweetness in Lansing's relationship with her father and Aubrey and finding true love with William Friedkin; Robert Redford was easy to deal with on Indecent Proposal; the machinations of people like Frank Price and Alan Hirschfield; Dustin Hoffman being a prick to Meryl Streep on Kramer vs Kramer.
And it's got a great "arc" in that Lansing was a woman who battled incessant prejudice and sexism (overt and subtle) to get where she was. It's a good read.
This is a pretty good book, benefiting considerably from close access to its subject matter. Lansing had a happy/sad childhood - her mother fled from Nazi Germany, her adored father died at a young age when Lansing was only nine, mum's new husband could be aloof (though they grew close). Se was smart and pretty and went to work as a teacher, but her passion, initially was for acting. She got some decent roles including in Rio Lobo for Howard Hawks. However her enthusiasm for the craft dimmed. She found a new career when she went to work as a script reader - this led to a job as an executive.
The acting and good looks would have come in handy navigating the tricky world of Hollywood studio politics. She had some mentors too such as Dan Melnick (I didn't know he was a coke fiend), James T Aubrey (who was a boyfriend), Stanley Jaffe. She was appointed president of 20th Century Fox in 1980 but really made her mark as a producer in the 80s and head of Paramount in the 90s.
Lots of time in the book is devoted to the struggles of films that became successful: Fatal Attraction (a real fight and I believe it because no one in it was a big draw, not Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Adrian Lynne), Titanic, Braveheart, Forrest Gump, The Accused, Indecent Proposal.
There are a number of irritating errors: Jonathan Kaplan had directed way more than one movie before The Accused; Tom Berenger wasn't in Southern Comfort.
But this is compensated for by all the entertaining stories: Lansing reading the riot act on Mike Myers, who had adapted Passport to Pimlico for Wayne's World 2 without clearing the rights;
There's some unexpected sweetness in Lansing's relationship with her father and Aubrey and finding true love with William Friedkin; Robert Redford was easy to deal with on Indecent Proposal; the machinations of people like Frank Price and Alan Hirschfield; Dustin Hoffman being a prick to Meryl Streep on Kramer vs Kramer.
And it's got a great "arc" in that Lansing was a woman who battled incessant prejudice and sexism (overt and subtle) to get where she was. It's a good read.
Script review - "The Wild Bunch" by Walon Green and Sam Peckinpah
This movie is famous for its slow motion, violence, craggy actors and nihilism but it comes from a superb script, very clear in its vision, solidly structured, with well defined characters and a sense of realism.
The action breaks down into key sections:
1) initial disastrous robbery - horribly realistic with innocent people being wiped out (something most action films never show)
2) fleeing into Mexico - giving it great pace with Deke and his bunch chasing after the Wild Bunch
3) meeting Mapache and arranging to do a robbery for him
4) committing the robbery - this robbery goes well, showing how skilled the Bunch actually are
5) exchanging the rifles with Mapache - Pike is no fool, but they lose Angel
6) the final shoot out
7) the epilogue with Deke going off to join the revolution.
It's well paced and exciting. Green and Peckinpah expertly sketch all the leads: Pike the leader, driven, smart, tormented (we didn't really need the flashbacks); loyal Dutch, who doesn't like alcohol or women though kills as many innocents as everyone else, and acts as a sort of moral counterpoint for Pike; Deke, terrified of going back to prison, super smart, forced to work with incompetent mercenaries (I like that touch especially); the loathsome Gorch brothers who do everything together; cackling old Sykes, a once super bad man who is still given good skills; Angel, the tough nut Mexican who shoots his ex, but has loyalty to his village.
The big weakness: all the female characters are whores or religious nuts. As in all of them.
It's an action film full of exciting moments, great characters, which is about something (the importance of honour). Peckinpah's masterpiece.
The action breaks down into key sections:
1) initial disastrous robbery - horribly realistic with innocent people being wiped out (something most action films never show)
2) fleeing into Mexico - giving it great pace with Deke and his bunch chasing after the Wild Bunch
3) meeting Mapache and arranging to do a robbery for him
4) committing the robbery - this robbery goes well, showing how skilled the Bunch actually are
5) exchanging the rifles with Mapache - Pike is no fool, but they lose Angel
6) the final shoot out
7) the epilogue with Deke going off to join the revolution.
It's well paced and exciting. Green and Peckinpah expertly sketch all the leads: Pike the leader, driven, smart, tormented (we didn't really need the flashbacks); loyal Dutch, who doesn't like alcohol or women though kills as many innocents as everyone else, and acts as a sort of moral counterpoint for Pike; Deke, terrified of going back to prison, super smart, forced to work with incompetent mercenaries (I like that touch especially); the loathsome Gorch brothers who do everything together; cackling old Sykes, a once super bad man who is still given good skills; Angel, the tough nut Mexican who shoots his ex, but has loyalty to his village.
The big weakness: all the female characters are whores or religious nuts. As in all of them.
It's an action film full of exciting moments, great characters, which is about something (the importance of honour). Peckinpah's masterpiece.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Script review - "Nostromo" by Robert Bolt and David Lean
It would have looked amazing - the visuals bounce off the page, starting with the image of a skeleton underwater. The setting of a fictitious South American country is an interesting one. I'm sure the acting would have been fine.
But it's a dull story, despite death and greed. I can't imagine why Lean wanted to make this. I'm not surprised Steven Spielberg bailed on it. I wasn't sure why we were meant to care. Or what we were meant to feel other than admiration of the photography and production design.
The story involves a British man wanting to work his father's silver mine. There's an Italian Nostromo who is meant to be awesome, I think, then becomes a bit corrupted. There's a dodgy doctor, some dodgy generals. The male characters aren't very interesting or believable but at least they're more active than the female characters. I simply can't see what Lean saw in this unless it was the novelty of the South American setting.
But it's a dull story, despite death and greed. I can't imagine why Lean wanted to make this. I'm not surprised Steven Spielberg bailed on it. I wasn't sure why we were meant to care. Or what we were meant to feel other than admiration of the photography and production design.
The story involves a British man wanting to work his father's silver mine. There's an Italian Nostromo who is meant to be awesome, I think, then becomes a bit corrupted. There's a dodgy doctor, some dodgy generals. The male characters aren't very interesting or believable but at least they're more active than the female characters. I simply can't see what Lean saw in this unless it was the novelty of the South American setting.
Movie review - "X the Man with X-Ray Eyes" (1963) ***1/2 (reviewing)
Saw this at the New Beverly with an introductory Q and A from Roger Corman, with Joe Dante doing the "Q". Corman is over 90 now so Dante had to do a lot of the running - Corman didn't quite speak into the mike, but still told some funny stories, two about Don Rickles (he got Rickles to relax on set by encouraging him to insult a member of the crew), and the one about the film at one stage being about a jazz musician.
I felt this was half a really good movie. There's a lot of intelligence, with plenty of interesting concepts - the notion of sight, and what you'd do with x ray vision.
There is strong acting across the board. Ray Milland is effective in the lead - it's actually a very good role, you get to act all over the place (wry, dedicated, flirty, mad). I wasn't that familiar with Diana van der Vlis but she's good as the girl (she's a doctor too so her character has status). Don Rickles is impressive.
The special effects are of their time but the limitations are expertly hidden and some of them are extremely effective, such as Milland's creepy eye make up. Memorable ending.
I felt the main problem was the story. All the right elements were there, it just didn't seem to flow the right way. Milland's accidental killing of the doctor felt very abrupt, and easily explained away. It didn't really make sense he'd go from that straight to working in a sideshow alley, or that it took so long to figure out that he could read cards for money. I was unsure of his overall goal. He had the power to cure, which was fantastic... but the piece lacked narrative drive. All the elements are there (using the powers for comic perving, saving lives, making money) but it felt like they were in the wrong order. I wish Charles Beaumont or Richard Matheson or Charles Griffith had done a pass on the script.
This is definitely a film from Corman's oeuvre that should be remade.
I felt this was half a really good movie. There's a lot of intelligence, with plenty of interesting concepts - the notion of sight, and what you'd do with x ray vision.
There is strong acting across the board. Ray Milland is effective in the lead - it's actually a very good role, you get to act all over the place (wry, dedicated, flirty, mad). I wasn't that familiar with Diana van der Vlis but she's good as the girl (she's a doctor too so her character has status). Don Rickles is impressive.
The special effects are of their time but the limitations are expertly hidden and some of them are extremely effective, such as Milland's creepy eye make up. Memorable ending.
I felt the main problem was the story. All the right elements were there, it just didn't seem to flow the right way. Milland's accidental killing of the doctor felt very abrupt, and easily explained away. It didn't really make sense he'd go from that straight to working in a sideshow alley, or that it took so long to figure out that he could read cards for money. I was unsure of his overall goal. He had the power to cure, which was fantastic... but the piece lacked narrative drive. All the elements are there (using the powers for comic perving, saving lives, making money) but it felt like they were in the wrong order. I wish Charles Beaumont or Richard Matheson or Charles Griffith had done a pass on the script.
This is definitely a film from Corman's oeuvre that should be remade.
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Movie review - "Duchess of Idaho" (1950) **1/2
When Van Johnson and Esther Williams started making movies together he was the bigger name but she gradually overtook him - though audiences would really only accept her in one kind of movie.
This is a cheerful musical with Esther trying to help BFF Paula Raymond get her mits into boss John Lund. The plot gets increasingly idiotic as it goes on - too many scenes of people trying to make others jealous, or getting jealous and... anyway it got really complicated towards the end and there was so no reason to.
There's some interesting bits - spoken credits (sung, rather); guest appearances from Eleanor Powell (she looks great and dances as well as ever... it's a shame they didn't give her Raymond's part), the Jubalaires, Red Skelton, Lena Horne.
John Lund gets on my nerves as always. Raymond is pretty but lacks spark. Williams and Johnson work well together; Johnson gets to sing and dance a few numbers.
This is a cheerful musical with Esther trying to help BFF Paula Raymond get her mits into boss John Lund. The plot gets increasingly idiotic as it goes on - too many scenes of people trying to make others jealous, or getting jealous and... anyway it got really complicated towards the end and there was so no reason to.
There's some interesting bits - spoken credits (sung, rather); guest appearances from Eleanor Powell (she looks great and dances as well as ever... it's a shame they didn't give her Raymond's part), the Jubalaires, Red Skelton, Lena Horne.
John Lund gets on my nerves as always. Raymond is pretty but lacks spark. Williams and Johnson work well together; Johnson gets to sing and dance a few numbers.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Movie review - "This Filthy World" (2006) ***1/2
I enjoy John Waters' non fiction and stand up more than a lot of his movies - he's such a lively, witty writer and performer, which such a fresh take on things, it's hard not to like him. He does an entertaining run through his life and work - growing up in Baltimore, meeting Divine, the early movies, later movies, etc. Sometimes it's hilarious other times a bit off. It's a shame he isn't making movies any more but he is clearly still a force.
Script review - "24: Legacy - Pilot" (2016)
Decent pilot script with plenty of twists and turns. Some things feel very familiar, like the baddies being mean Arabs. Other things feel mean, like the fact soldiers and their families were tortured. Some things are fresh, like the hero being black and having a gang king pin for a brother.
Monday, June 19, 2017
Movie review - "The Girl from Starship Venus" (1975) *
I saw this at the New Beverly - apparently Quentin Tarantino is a fan. But surely he was being perverse, for this is an exceedingly dull, unsexy, unfunny movie from auteur Derek Ford.
It's got a bright central idea - an alien arrives on earth in the body of a blonde woman (Monika Ringwald) who walks around and has a series of sexual encounters. None of these are sexy, at least not to me; there's not a lot of nudity or sex; much of it I found downright uncomfortable because the alien walks around parts of sleazy 70s England: a porno theatre (where she's felt up by an old goat), a strip club, a massage parlour, a porn shop, a wedding, a drycleaners, a sex photographer's studio.
Everyone wants to cop a feel - the only person nice to her is a nice guy who lets her crash on his couch. They get together at the end, which is the only feel good aspect of this movie. There's all these creepy middle aged and old man leching about.
It just depressed me. Scenes go on forever. Jokes aren't funny. A mess.
It's got a bright central idea - an alien arrives on earth in the body of a blonde woman (Monika Ringwald) who walks around and has a series of sexual encounters. None of these are sexy, at least not to me; there's not a lot of nudity or sex; much of it I found downright uncomfortable because the alien walks around parts of sleazy 70s England: a porno theatre (where she's felt up by an old goat), a strip club, a massage parlour, a porn shop, a wedding, a drycleaners, a sex photographer's studio.
Everyone wants to cop a feel - the only person nice to her is a nice guy who lets her crash on his couch. They get together at the end, which is the only feel good aspect of this movie. There's all these creepy middle aged and old man leching about.
It just depressed me. Scenes go on forever. Jokes aren't funny. A mess.
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Movie review - "War Machine" (2017) **1/2
Patchily impressive account of the war in Afghanistan with Brad Pitt. There's a lot of narration - I mean a lot of narration that mostly describes stuff that could and maybe should have been dramatised. It also describes things that we go on to see without enriching it somehow.
I wanted this to be better than it was because I'd love a smart look at American strategy in Afghanistan and the modern day military. And occasionally this is first rate - Anthony Michael Hall is superb as a bug eyed officer; there's an unexpectedly touching depiction of the marriage between Pitt and his wife, played by Meg you-haven't-seen-me-in-ages Tilly; it actually takes a critical look at Obama's foreign policy without being a moronic Fox News take; raises some interesting issues (could it have worked defending a smaller perimeter?).
But it never quite digs in beneath the surface. Brad Pitt acts his heart out, puts on the voice, does the jog - but it's still Brad in a funny wig. We never really understand why his character does what he does - or the others. I kept expecting Topher Grace and Hall in particular to do something spectacular but they never do.
The film felt like it was made by a smart uni student - someone who'd read a couple of books on the subject, but who didn't really understand war or the men who wage it. For instance, the journalist (who I feel the film seems to empathise with more than anyone else, even though he doesn't appear until well into the running time and doesn't do much except hang around and pass judgement via voice over), confidentially asserts that counter insurgency never works, overlooking the Indonesians in West Irian Jaya, the British in Oman and Malaysia and Borneo, the Chinese in Tibet etc. There's no great insight on the Allies or the locals either.
There's a great movie in here struggling to get out. Maybe if Michod had a co writer.
I wanted this to be better than it was because I'd love a smart look at American strategy in Afghanistan and the modern day military. And occasionally this is first rate - Anthony Michael Hall is superb as a bug eyed officer; there's an unexpectedly touching depiction of the marriage between Pitt and his wife, played by Meg you-haven't-seen-me-in-ages Tilly; it actually takes a critical look at Obama's foreign policy without being a moronic Fox News take; raises some interesting issues (could it have worked defending a smaller perimeter?).
But it never quite digs in beneath the surface. Brad Pitt acts his heart out, puts on the voice, does the jog - but it's still Brad in a funny wig. We never really understand why his character does what he does - or the others. I kept expecting Topher Grace and Hall in particular to do something spectacular but they never do.
The film felt like it was made by a smart uni student - someone who'd read a couple of books on the subject, but who didn't really understand war or the men who wage it. For instance, the journalist (who I feel the film seems to empathise with more than anyone else, even though he doesn't appear until well into the running time and doesn't do much except hang around and pass judgement via voice over), confidentially asserts that counter insurgency never works, overlooking the Indonesians in West Irian Jaya, the British in Oman and Malaysia and Borneo, the Chinese in Tibet etc. There's no great insight on the Allies or the locals either.
There's a great movie in here struggling to get out. Maybe if Michod had a co writer.
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Movie review - "Sniper: Special Ops" (2016) **
The meeting of two legends, in their own way... Steven Seagal and Fred Olen Ray. Seagal's best days are behind him; Ray has enjoyed a more consistent career trajectory.
It's a perfectly acceptable low-ish budget action film. A special team go rescue a congressmen, but have to leave some blokes behind... they then return to get them. Complicating things are a sexy photojournalist and an Arab woman.
Several elements of this are underserviced - I wish they'd made more of the Arab woman (relative of a local leader)... but we never get to see her and it's possible Ray didn't hire an acress. The Congressmen was forgotten - wish he'd paid off.
Seagal's scenes look like they were shot in a day. He's in the movie for around 20 minutes and spends most of it sitting down and talking, sitting down and shooting, or standing and shooting. He walks for a bit.
The real star is Tim Abell, who I liked - a good bearded tough guy. I felt they could've done more with the set up and situations but it's decent enough.
It's a perfectly acceptable low-ish budget action film. A special team go rescue a congressmen, but have to leave some blokes behind... they then return to get them. Complicating things are a sexy photojournalist and an Arab woman.
Several elements of this are underserviced - I wish they'd made more of the Arab woman (relative of a local leader)... but we never get to see her and it's possible Ray didn't hire an acress. The Congressmen was forgotten - wish he'd paid off.
Seagal's scenes look like they were shot in a day. He's in the movie for around 20 minutes and spends most of it sitting down and talking, sitting down and shooting, or standing and shooting. He walks for a bit.
The real star is Tim Abell, who I liked - a good bearded tough guy. I felt they could've done more with the set up and situations but it's decent enough.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Script review - "Veronica Mars - Pilot" by Rob Thomas
Pilot to the dazzlingly good tv show which is deservedly adored by so many. It's all there from the pilot - Veronica's snappy narration, plucky character; her loneliness and touching friendship with Wallace; her love for her dad; the world of Neptune with its haves and have nots; the humour and clever mystery; the rich support characters, such as Logan. Thomas is a wonderful writer. This would have to be one of the most successful genre mash ups of all time.
TV review - "Frontier - Season 1" (2016) ****
Canadian history is a hell of a lot more interesting than it generally gets credit for - this is a bloody look at the battles faced by the Hudson Bay Company in the seventeenth century, trying to keep its monopoly while dealing with a renegade trapper.
The HBC is still going. I wonder what they think of this depiction of their company - ruthless, manipulative, prone to torture and murder. Maybe they're too polite to mention anything.
There's strong acting - Jason Momosa is the star and Katie McGrath was the only other actor I recognised but everyone was pretty good (they're mostly Canadians, I think). Alun Armstrong is a scary villain. I liked the period detail and the historical background was fresh.
The baddies are the British and the goodies tend to be Indians, women, Irish and Scots. I felt the writers occasionally overused "person being killed" as a device to get some jolt out of the viewer instead of developing character and theme. And a lot of stories felt like set up. But it gripped me and I enjoyed it.
The HBC is still going. I wonder what they think of this depiction of their company - ruthless, manipulative, prone to torture and murder. Maybe they're too polite to mention anything.
There's strong acting - Jason Momosa is the star and Katie McGrath was the only other actor I recognised but everyone was pretty good (they're mostly Canadians, I think). Alun Armstrong is a scary villain. I liked the period detail and the historical background was fresh.
The baddies are the British and the goodies tend to be Indians, women, Irish and Scots. I felt the writers occasionally overused "person being killed" as a device to get some jolt out of the viewer instead of developing character and theme. And a lot of stories felt like set up. But it gripped me and I enjoyed it.
Movie review - "Tidal Wave" (1975) **
Roger Corman love (d) to buy foreign films, chop them up and add new footage - he did it with Soviet sci fi in the 60s and here he raids Japanese disaster movies. The original was called Submersion of Japan and apparently it's not bad - the American version isn't that great. The human drama has been truncated meaning there's few characters you can emphatise with and dramatic situations feels undercooked (eg one minute they're worried about disaster then, bang, disaster has hit).
Lorne Greene pops in as the US ambassador and there's some interesting stuff with what to do with all this refugees. Australians will enjoy a scene with an Australian ambassador. The special effects are well done. But as a drama it's a let down.
Lorne Greene pops in as the US ambassador and there's some interesting stuff with what to do with all this refugees. Australians will enjoy a scene with an Australian ambassador. The special effects are well done. But as a drama it's a let down.
Friday, June 09, 2017
Movie review - "Carnosaur" (1993) ** (warning: spoilers)
Roger Corman's output from the mid 1980s tended to be less adored by film buffs. This was one of his more successful titles, a knock off of Jurassic Park that proved popular enough for several sequels and rip offs.
I was hoping this would be more fun than it was. There's some cute dinosaurs, interesting desert locations, solid acting, with Diane Ladd given a rare lead role as the mad scientist. I always liked pretty Jennifer Runyon.
But it's a leaden movie. It lacks pace and excitement. It's got a very early 90s vibe with its pair of heroes - a slacker security guard (Raphael Sbarge) and environmental activist (Runyon) - but remains derivative: in particular of AIien (women getting pregnant and giving birth to dinosaurs - Corman loved ripping off creature birth, it appeared in The Terror Within and other of his films); Piranha (genetically modified testing caused it all); Night of the Living Dead (heroes shockingly killed by quarantine happy gunmen at the end).
Runyon's role is too small and passive, Sbarge is a bit of a damp squid. It takes itself too seriously and doesn't have the chops (sfx-wise, story-wise, handling-wise) to pull it off.
I was hoping this would be more fun than it was. There's some cute dinosaurs, interesting desert locations, solid acting, with Diane Ladd given a rare lead role as the mad scientist. I always liked pretty Jennifer Runyon.
But it's a leaden movie. It lacks pace and excitement. It's got a very early 90s vibe with its pair of heroes - a slacker security guard (Raphael Sbarge) and environmental activist (Runyon) - but remains derivative: in particular of AIien (women getting pregnant and giving birth to dinosaurs - Corman loved ripping off creature birth, it appeared in The Terror Within and other of his films); Piranha (genetically modified testing caused it all); Night of the Living Dead (heroes shockingly killed by quarantine happy gunmen at the end).
Runyon's role is too small and passive, Sbarge is a bit of a damp squid. It takes itself too seriously and doesn't have the chops (sfx-wise, story-wise, handling-wise) to pull it off.
Thursday, June 08, 2017
Movie review - "Dinosaur Island" (1994) **1/2
Great fun from Jim Wynorski and Fred Olen Ray, two very much kindred spirits whose careers have so many similarities. They directed this enjoyable pastiche of 50s American-men-crash-on-all-female-island movies - with the additional twist of the island containing dinosaurs.
I wish there had been more dinosaur action because the stuff of the soldiers blasting machine guns at them is entertaining - I assume this was due to budget. There are however plenty of cave girls, who are sometimes topless... the thing that brings this into the 90s. The style of acting and dialogue and stories are all very 1950s.
This starts off well with the very overweight soldiers crashing on the island and battling stop motion and puppet creatures, and meeting the cave girls. Some of the wisecracking of the soldiers may put viewers off; personally I preferred the straight acting of Ross Hagen, as the senior soldier.
The two main flaws of this film I felt were the fact that, after a flying start, the story got bogged down. It was a lot of hanging around the girls, and repetitive romance/sex stories, instead of building momentum. Secondly, the humans were quite mean to the dinosaurs, taking their eggs and being a nuisance - I felt sympathetic to them.
But I totally got where Wynorski and Ray were coming from and it's a high spirited fun movie. Roger Corman helped finance it.
I wish there had been more dinosaur action because the stuff of the soldiers blasting machine guns at them is entertaining - I assume this was due to budget. There are however plenty of cave girls, who are sometimes topless... the thing that brings this into the 90s. The style of acting and dialogue and stories are all very 1950s.
This starts off well with the very overweight soldiers crashing on the island and battling stop motion and puppet creatures, and meeting the cave girls. Some of the wisecracking of the soldiers may put viewers off; personally I preferred the straight acting of Ross Hagen, as the senior soldier.
The two main flaws of this film I felt were the fact that, after a flying start, the story got bogged down. It was a lot of hanging around the girls, and repetitive romance/sex stories, instead of building momentum. Secondly, the humans were quite mean to the dinosaurs, taking their eggs and being a nuisance - I felt sympathetic to them.
But I totally got where Wynorski and Ray were coming from and it's a high spirited fun movie. Roger Corman helped finance it.
Saturday, June 03, 2017
Book review - "Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the People's Temple" by Jeff Guinn
Powerful, exhaustively researched account of one of the world's most famous cult leaders, who had a third act to beat all third acts. The first act was surprising liberal - Jones had a genuine hatred of racism and determination to do something about it; and he and his people did do some wonderful things: helped overturn some bad laws, educated people, looked after the old, young and sick.(It was sad reading this realising a whole bunch of racists that Jones took on would, after, 1978, have been super smug and felt justified about their racism, eg "well Jim Jones was against it, enough said").
The second act he became increasingly power crazed - megalomaniacal, drug affected, sexual exploitative. All cult leaders seem to head in a similar direction. The third act he went out of control.
On the whole, it's an all too easily believable path. The lust for power, and flesh - judgement affected by a lack of checks and balances, and drugs, and paranoia. The scope and extent of the final massacre though does take your breath away - the thoroughness of it, people holding children doing and insuring they ingest poison, shooting people. All that isolation in the jungle - and a hard core group of lunatic followers who ensured Jones' wishes were followed. A full on experience. I read the final chapters with my baby daughter asleep on my chest which made the killing of kid stuff especially kick home.
The second act he became increasingly power crazed - megalomaniacal, drug affected, sexual exploitative. All cult leaders seem to head in a similar direction. The third act he went out of control.
On the whole, it's an all too easily believable path. The lust for power, and flesh - judgement affected by a lack of checks and balances, and drugs, and paranoia. The scope and extent of the final massacre though does take your breath away - the thoroughness of it, people holding children doing and insuring they ingest poison, shooting people. All that isolation in the jungle - and a hard core group of lunatic followers who ensured Jones' wishes were followed. A full on experience. I read the final chapters with my baby daughter asleep on my chest which made the killing of kid stuff especially kick home.
Friday, June 02, 2017
Movie review - "Sandcastle" (2017) **
This starts off interestingly with Nicholas Hoult as a soldier in Iraq who deliberately injures his arm to get out of service. It's a scene I hadn't seen in an Iraq movie, especially from the protagonist, but it doesn't stop him from being assigned on The Mission, and things get pretty conventional after that.
I guess it's a bit different The Mission is to repair a well the Americas blew up. But the bulk of this felt very familiar. The natives are mostly hostile, some are friendly, the friendly ones suffer from helping the Americans, a couple of good men die, there's an end of second act death which prompts a kick arse mission, a bit of poignancy at the end.
It's all professionally done - production design, some decent action sequences, good photography, solid acting. It's just so familiar. Maybe if it had a really interesting character or situation - but the characters still feel to be along the old "newbie"/"tough sergeant" lines. Nicholas Hoult and Henry Cavill are in it.
I guess it's a bit different The Mission is to repair a well the Americas blew up. But the bulk of this felt very familiar. The natives are mostly hostile, some are friendly, the friendly ones suffer from helping the Americans, a couple of good men die, there's an end of second act death which prompts a kick arse mission, a bit of poignancy at the end.
It's all professionally done - production design, some decent action sequences, good photography, solid acting. It's just so familiar. Maybe if it had a really interesting character or situation - but the characters still feel to be along the old "newbie"/"tough sergeant" lines. Nicholas Hoult and Henry Cavill are in it.
Documentary review - "Five Came Back" (2016) ****
Lots of books get written about Hollywood, but only a few get the deluxe documentary treatment - I'm guessing this got up because it focuses on directors who were so idolised by A list baby boom directors who agreed to appear on camera - this has Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo de Toro, Lawrence Kasdan, Paul Greengrass.
It is a good story - some leading Hollywood directors going off to war and being affected by the experiences: John Huston, John Ford, George Stevens, William Wyler, Frank Capra. All were characters of very different stripes: Huston was an adventurer, who couldn't help bucking against army authority, making several masterpieces including one on PTSD; Ford loved the military, probably had a high old time but was affected by it - took great delight in tormenting John Wayne while making They Were Expendable, and saw action; Wyler was a Jew, very conscious of the Jewish issues underlying the war; Capra was an Italian-American patriot (well they were all patriots), determined to show his new country how loyal he was; Stevens a great liberal.
The war affected them in several ways: Capra never really recovered his former position; Stevens lost his sense of humour.
The fact this is a documentary means you can see the films, especially important for the war films. The directors interviewed, not surprisingly, are good communicators. It's very touching how much del Toro feels a kinship for Capra, and Spielberg and Coppola's enthusiasm is always winning. Kasdan is a very bright analyst.
It is a good story - some leading Hollywood directors going off to war and being affected by the experiences: John Huston, John Ford, George Stevens, William Wyler, Frank Capra. All were characters of very different stripes: Huston was an adventurer, who couldn't help bucking against army authority, making several masterpieces including one on PTSD; Ford loved the military, probably had a high old time but was affected by it - took great delight in tormenting John Wayne while making They Were Expendable, and saw action; Wyler was a Jew, very conscious of the Jewish issues underlying the war; Capra was an Italian-American patriot (well they were all patriots), determined to show his new country how loyal he was; Stevens a great liberal.
The war affected them in several ways: Capra never really recovered his former position; Stevens lost his sense of humour.
The fact this is a documentary means you can see the films, especially important for the war films. The directors interviewed, not surprisingly, are good communicators. It's very touching how much del Toro feels a kinship for Capra, and Spielberg and Coppola's enthusiasm is always winning. Kasdan is a very bright analyst.
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