Movie review - "Desperate Hours" (1990) **

 I think the theory was good - take a well worn story, which almost always works (siege/home invasion), and add a hot star like Mickey Rourke, some great actors like Mimi Rogers and Anthony Hopkins, and give it to Michael Cimino.

It's got 90s bloat which we saw in a lot of remakes around this time (eg The Getaway). I think Cimino struggles with cramped, indoor stories. His famous films - all of them until here - were basically oudoor stories. Even the indoor sequences felt spectacular eg Russian Roulette in Deer Hunter, the restaurant in Year of the Dragon.  The scenes set outdoors here - Kelly Lynch on the opening, for instance, or when David Morse escapes - has a life the indoor stuff doesn't.

Cimino struggles with character interactions. Desperate Hours should be full of them - we keep waiting to see humanity in Rourke towards Hopkins/Rogers/Smith... but don't. Sexual attraction/repulsion, an understanding, people realising stuff about themselves, interesting gang dynamics... none of that is really there. I kept waiting for a psycho convict to do something... no. There's a nice moment where a convict recognises a video game played by Hopkins' son and waited to see that relationship developed... No. Smith is a bratty teen and I waited to see a convict fall for her (or Rogers) - or threaten them. No. Yes, cliches, or tropes, but at least drama. Hopkins acts all tough, which is foolish when people have your family. He has a younger lover he left Rogers for who would be a great person to turn up... instead there's a real estate agent who is killed. Also Smith's boyfriend appears but they don't move there.

It's one of those films where maybe they were too afraid of cliches.  So they didn't do the cliches but they didn't replace them with anything.

The movie needed to be directed by, I don't know, John Badham or someone. That's no diss on Badham - I think that director was better with characterisation and more conventional material.

Movie review - "The Siege of Pinchgut" (1959) **1/2 (re-viewing)

 Such a great idea and amazing start,  with all the excitement sucked out of it via treatment.

- unrealistic casting

- wishy washy goal of convicts

- confused motivation other convicts (why does Victor Maddern go along with everything)

- wet performance from Neil McCallum

- doing absolutely nothing with Heather Menzies

- making the convicts too unscary

- not raising stakes

Movie review - "El Condor" (1970) ***

 Larry Cohen nwas called in to rewrite this - he whinged about what was done to his script, as he often did, but although his script may have been better it's an enjoyable movie with Jim Brown and Lee Van Cleef as a left-field double act trying to get gold in Mexico with the help of Apaches.

Rousing music, impressive set, a surprising amount of nudity (there's a raid at night to kill soldiers in bed with prostitutes - most of them are naked), Marianna Hill is beautiful, Patrick O'Neal a worthy adversary, the Apache roles are underdone.

The rushed rewriting of the script is notable, and I got confused here and there.

But generally a decent late period Western.

Movie review - "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992) ***

 Better than I thought in part because while it remakes the first film in terms of structure it has enough points of difference: New York rather than the suburbs, a hotel rather than the house, a bird lady rather than old man (this story felt as though it lacked a beat - her being reunited with someone).

Creepy Trump is in it alas but I liked Eddie Bracken, Pesci and Stern and Culkin was such an amazing star.

Movie review - "Apache Drums" (1951) ***1/2 (warning: spoilers)

 Val Lewton's career ends on a strong note. It's not given a lot of love - if had been in horror and in black and white I think it would have, but it's a Universal Western from the unfancied Hugo but it's a realised film. The colour photography is beautiful though TBH it might've worked better in black and white - the superior last act in particular with the townsfolk holed up in a church and the unseen Apaches outside.

Still it's very effective. There's some solid B list star power - Steve McNallay is a gambler who loves good girl Colleen Gray who loves him but kind of is also drawn to decent dull blacksmith Willard Parler. Barry Fitzergerald's brother is a man of God who leads the sieged people singing 'Men of Harlech' - Zulu ripped off this film! Just as Goldfinger ripped off Bedlam! 

Plenty of intelligence. It feels like a realised movie in the way most non-horror Lewton films do. In hindsight, Universal was ideal for Lewton - like RKO is was a studio that wasn't up itself, and appreciated a bit of class on a budget. Who can blame Lewton for going to Paramount and MGM but if he'd gone to Universal imagine the movies he could've made...

Some slow bits but like the RKO Lewtons full of interesting touches. Poor old Willard Parker does nothing wrong and winds up with a spear in his back.

Movie review - "Home Alone" (1990) ****

 No kidding. Four stars. I think it ages well. Big late 80s hair of course but Culkin is tremendous and the film has wonderful heart. That old actor got the role of a lifetime and delivered. Dan Stern and Jo Pesci are fun, Catherine O'Hara a lovely mother, John Candy brings it home. The little kids are so awful! It all works.

Movie review - "Riot" (1969) **

 A really strong director would've made this sing. Buzz Kulik can't bring it. It should be good: solid story, real life locations, taciturn Jim Brown teams well with more chatty Gene Hackman.

But it's so lethargic. No excitement in the riot, or suspense in the siege, or sense of urgency. All the elements are there. I think James Poe wrote a good script.

A disappointment.

Movie review - "The Rats of Tobruk" (1944) (re-viewing) **1/2

The good stuff is good. The photography is beautiful - gorgeous in the way so many Aussie films are. The sets are terrific - the production design, costume, etc. Looks a treat.

I liked the acting. Grant Taylor, Peter Finch and Chips Rafferty are a fine trio - Finch much better than Pat Twohill.  Full of culturally interesting touches.

A lot of the film's flaws were understandable. Such as:

* Opening scene at the homestead. You've got visuals, sheep, horses, etc. Set up Taylor and Pauline Garrick's history. Quite adult. Taylor a walking red flag. But... you could cut it out.  Doesn't impact story. Betty Bryant was integral. Not Garrick. I'm sure Chauvel discussed maybe having an Italian woman character in the siege. That would've possibly been too melodramatic for how he wanted to do it. They should've just focused on the nurse romance. I would've kept Garrick stuff but had her die. Have Taylor coming home or going to visit and she carks it. So he's got a death wish. Would've given it some point.

* No progressive story. A scene of vignettes. You need a relationship to tie it together. Love story would've been fine. Kill Garrick and have the love story between the nurse... Taylor doesn't want to love again. Finch loves the nurse. Triangle.  Problem though: they evacuated the nurses.

*Could have a rival within the camp. A Pole or Brit. They learn to respect each other. Maybe too late.

*I get desire to have comedy. But it clunks. Joe Valli alright. George Wallace not he looks so old.

*Make it clearer why the siege was important. Maybe this wasn't an issue in 1944. But surely it could have been dramatised? People preparing to evacuate Cairo or something? They could've dramatised a scene or two with the Germans, surely?

*The ending PNG sequence feels very tacked on, as it was. But apart from the photography it is memorable for one thing - when Taylor kills the Japanes soldier. They fight, he shoves the guy's head under water. Holds it there til the guy drowns. Brutal. Tough, Depicted uncompromisingly.

Movie review - "Bitter Springs" (1950) ***

 After stumbling with Eureka Stockade Ealing tried to repeat the success of The Overlanders by copying that film more closely. It's a trek across the outback once more, again headed by Chips Rafferty, with a comic relief Englishman (Tommy Trinder, who is top billed), another shy Englishman (well, Scot - Gordon Jackson) who has a romance with a spirited beautiful blonde woman with long hair (Nonie Piper), plus a cute kid (Nicky Yardley), a pioneering couple (here Rafferty is one), a bad egg (Charles Tingwell), Henry Murdock as an Aboriginal stockman.

The opening repeats Overlander sequences - rolling rocks down mountains, sheep instead of cattle, wagons getting stuck, Pommy migrants joining the trek, etc

Then it becomes a pioneer family trying to make a farm story. And the rest of mostly clashes with Aboriginals, with a little bit of romance.

There is a lot of good stuff here. The photography is beautiful. It seems to have been mostly shot on location. Location work very good. The acting is excellent. Rafferty gets to play a tougher character and is effective. Jackson is amiable. Piper doesn't have much to do (she cocks a gun in one sequence) but is pretty enough. Superb stuff involving Aboriginals. Trinder is engaging - he gets to do the bulk of the heroic stuff rescuing Yardley. He copped criticism for the part but I liked him, felt he was well integrated. The mum makes some speech.

The ending is a siege - Aboriginals attacking a homestead. Very very briefly. So briefly you sense Ralph Smart  Then Michael Pate leads a cavalry to the rescue (called by Tommy Trinder).

A fascinating combination of audience pleasing stuff - cute kid, scenery, an attempt at a happy ending with Rafferty and an Aboriginal shearing. The film veers away from other things which might have made it more popular - the romance is really really short, scenes like Trinder and Murdock getting help aren't even shown, there's little suspense in the siege. Tingwell's character should die dramatically but he doesn't.

Some of it is depressingly realistic. Pate's matter of fact acceptance when Tingwell kills a black. The fact the authorities simply support Rafferty's claim.

How to make this work? I think there needed to be a proper white villain who whipped up trouble and died. Yes less realisstic but ti would've ended the piece with some catharsis. You've got Tingwell who is racist and bad but redeems himself with a brave waterhole dash and is allowed to live. Tingwell should've played another farmer, a really racist one - play out love triangle with Piper and Jackson. Have the family consist of two daughters, so one can hook up with Trinder. 

Look a fascinating movie. Thought provoking.

Movie review - "Rock All Night" (1957) ** 1/2 (re-watching)

 I saw I gave this two stars the last two times I watched it - now it's up to two and a half. I enjoyed it more. The cheapness. The oddness. The cheekiness of a film padded from a 30 minute siege play, with some musical acts, Roger Corman stock company, Abby Dalton singing badly, The Platters singing two songs at the top and never being seen again (how would Corman have used them more? as a hero?), Mel Welles as a beatnik agent (very Charles Griffith), Barbara Mouris as a boxer's wife, Beach Dickerson as a boxer, Ed Nelson as a person who gets killed.

It's not really believable Miller can talk down gangster Russell Johnson at the end but there's lots going on. The film has a charm and it's only 60 minutes.

Book review - "Flashman and the Angel of the Lord" by George MacDonald Fraser

 I think most Flashman fans, hearing Flashman was on his way back to America, were excited - would this be his Civil War tale so often alluded to, where he changed sides, worked for Lincoln, helped resolve the war... or his experiences with Wild Bill Hickock... but no, this one is an account of a small scale incident, though an admittedly interesting one: John Brown's Raid. Brown is a fascinating story (and character) but not really big enough for a whole Flashman - or at least so says I, used to Flashman adventures that entailed wars and massive campaigns. Also this book has far too much of Flashman's attitude on race and too much time spent on the black agent,Joe. It just goes on and on.

I mean it's not badly written, the observations are lively and the action (when it comes) is fine. But there's too little of it. Not enough twists, spectacle, cleverness. Some of it felt lazy like Flashman sneaking off during the Brown siege and rooting this black woman then coming back. The story is bodgy. The weakest Flashman to date, even more so than Flashman and the Dragon. Ok, Fraser didn't want to do Civil War but if only he'd done one on the Mexican American War, Khartoum, Zulu War...

Book review - "Flashman and the Great Game" by George MacDonald Fraser

 Another classic. Read it countless times. The most seamless Flashman in a way - Flash for Freedom was like an action serial, Flashman at the Charge, Flashman's Lady and Flashman and the Redskins are  two books together. This is a cohesive whole but with enough epic sweep to make it compelling (which the later ones in the series had). The Indian Mutiny is such a rich field and it gives rise to splendid/harrowing sequences: the initial mutiny at Meerut, the siege of Cawnpore and escape, relieving the siege at Lucknow, the final battle at Gwalior. It has some of the all time best sequences in the book: the endless terror of Cawnpore, the comedy of helping Kavanagh, the final section on the cannon. Great ending with the publication of Tom Brown's School Days. It also has powerful emotional undercurrents because of the extreme violence, the relationship with the Rani of Jhansi, the death of Scud East.

Movie review - "Assault on Precinct 13" (1976) ***1/2 (re-watching)

 A film of wonderful mood: endless deserted streets, sun going down over baked roads, gangsters walking around killing people at random (ice cream truck guy, little girl), isolated phone booths, cut off precincts.  It's horror as much as action.

This version has mystery missing in the remake: the gang kill people at random, we don't know what the death row prisoner is in for or what happened to him. It's a super Hawksian take with these professionals banding together - the gal, the cop, the prisoners - to defeat the enemy. The death row prisoner channels Gary Cooper the cop John Wayne.

Very enjoyable. The low budget causes some dramas but it's compelling.

Book review - "The Last Valley" by Martin Windrow

 The story of the Siege of Dien Bien Phu, an epic saga, Exhaustively researched, intelligently written. I found the drama got weighed down by all the details and descriptions, especially the numbers of various units and what not. Some compelling incidents sneak through - the French officer who killed himself during the initial attack, the swashbuckling soldiers - but not enough.

Movie review - "Cry Baby Killer" (1959) **

 It took Jack Nicholson a long time to become a star but he did star in this feature film quite early in his career - it just took him another ten years to hit Easy Rider. 

This was made by Allied Artists with Roger Corman kicking in the finance. Corman didn't cast Nicholson, as is commonly assumed, but he did okay him and put in the money. One of the writers was Leo Gordon, who worked with Corman and his brother a number of times.

It's a juvenile delinquent picture - jazz soundtrack, black and white photography. The plot has Nicholson as basically a decent kid whose jealousy sees him get in a fight - he grabs a gun, it goes off, and Nicholson is now a killer. Then he takes three people hostage - a black man, a mother and her baby.

The female lead, Carolyn Mitchell, later married Mickey Rooney and was killed in a murder-suicide with her lover. Flloyd Crosby and Haskell Wexler worked on the crew. It is nicely shot.

It makes a mistake I think with Bretty Halsey, the guy who beats up Nicholson, being shot so early. Corman has a small role as a cameraman. Ralph Reed gives off Sam Petrillo vibes as a delinquent.

Story wise too much time is spent with boring cops finding out stuff the audience already knows. Really they should have had more interesting hostages, like the blonde girl and the bad boyfriend.

The finale has some decent suspense as we're not sure if Nicholson will be killed or not.

Movie review - "The Siege of Pinchgut" (1959) ***

 For a long time this movie was dismissed in histories of the Australian industry. Its reputation has risen in recent years. It's a frustrating film to watch because the central idea is brilliant and there's good things about it.

The opening is brilliant - an ambulance racing through Sydney (love the location footage) with anxious staff and driver and a bandaged patient. They get pulled over, then have to take a genuine sick person, and wind up at a hospital.

But instead of building the tension by keeping the gang stuck at the hospital there's a cut and bang they are at this safe house. How did they get there? Why have them go there? Why not get them on the boat.

They get on the boat and it breaks down, so you don't actually need that opening sequence. They arrive at the fort... take it over. Aldo Ray is so apologetic about it, it robs the piece of tension.

Some tourists arrive on the island. They don't seem to be in much danger of being busted. Then Grant Taylor comes and it gets exciting. But then Aldo Ray lets him go. His co conspirators are justifiably annoyed.

Ray's character is so dumb - always whining about wanting a new trial. We never find out if he's innocent or guilty by the way - the harsh copper says he's guilty and he's not disproved. He's too nice, no threat. He goes a little mad at the end.

There's no other threat among the group. Victor Maddern's character should have been harsh but he's amiable. Makes no sense he's along. Why not make him bad? How are they going to get off the island? 

Grant Taylor is in this as a cop who gets chased off the island then shoots Maddern. Watching this I felt maybe Taylor was justifably annoyed he wasn't playing that role. Taylor had a strength and gravitas that the hijackers could have used. They should have shot some people.

I liked the other Aussies. I guess I would but does anyone like the Brits in the cast: Heather Sears in a typically poor Ealing female role, Carlo Juistini has someone who seems as if they're going to be interesting but isn't, Neil McCallum is very poor as Ray's brother, Barbara Mullen as the mother who just whimpers (why not have her be a sex bomb who wants Ray or something.

Kenneth J Warren is a very good booming voice commissioner - I hadn't heard of him before. Gerry Duggan is great too. Ray might have been fine had he been given something to play.

The location is tremendous. Sydney Harbour looks fantastic. It does build effectively. 

I just wish they'd kept the original idea of making it about Germans in World War Two, and used more Aussie actors who would've been better.

Movie review - "Eureka Stockade" (1949) *** (re-watching)

 Three stars is generous but I am Australian.

The pros

- spectacular production value - it was the most expensive Australian film made until that time, apparently, but a lot of that is up on screen - spectacular sets of the mining camps and settlements and stockade, and teems of extras... it's a shame they didn't re-use the sets for another film or two, or at least re-use the footage.

- I appreciate the effort it went to to get the historical facts right.

- The action sequences are very well done - the attack on the stockade, the murder of Scobie, the miners rioting.

- the photography is beautiful.

- the editing and other technical aspects are first rate.

- Gordon Jackson and John Fernside manage to create living, breathing characters with very little. 

- I loved that random bug eyed doctor who cut off Lalor's arm at the end.

- they do show an occasional POC such as one of the Eureka people standing trial and the very occasional Aboriginal.

The cons

- the script isn't great - Harry Watt whinged about Australian writers, justifying importing Walter Greenwood - it goes through the events without managing to dramatise them.

- the characters aren't characters they are people who say speeches - there's no life say in the Chips Rafferty-Jane Barrett romance, Rafferty spouts platitudes (Lalor has been de-Irished), I didn't know what Finch's character was (he just appears as an Important Person - I had to google him)

- Commissioner Rede twirls his moustache but is depicted as being so reasonable (surely motivated by fear out of offending the establishment) about his position it sucks the piece clear of drama (it kind of hints maybe he's interested in Jane Barrett but it's only a hint).

- the only people who seem real are Gordon Jackson, the doctor and John Fernside - Fernside is best because he is a spy, just a good old fashioned villain.

- the miners come across as a bunch of whingers - complaining about having to pay a fee (should they have it for free?), Scobie is a drunken brat who throws something through a window (I mean it was harsh he was killed but he wasn't like this innocent victim).

- it wasn't worth importing Jane Barrett, or any of the cast they brought in, except maybe Jackson - the British cast are dull, lacking charisma and surely had no name value at the box office.

- Peter Finch or Grant Taylor should have played Lalor and Muriel Steinbeck could've played Alicia.

- I barely recognised Grant Taylor, in whiskers as a cop.

Actually they shouldn't have focused on Lalor - that straightjacketed them to history. They should have had a fictitious love story-  maybe center around two brothers in love with the same girl or something else simple but effective.

The waste of it gets me irritated at times because it didn't have to cost as much money, be so hokey or have such a miscast star. I get Harry Watt was feeling confident after The Overlanders but not so much that he could leave history - he leant into it. Which is fine, we all make mistakes, but he spent too much money.

Still, there is much to admire about it.

Script review - "Close to the Roof" by Rex Rienits (1960)

A 1960 TV play Rienits, a copy of which is in the National Archives of Australia. It's a strong basic set up - two crims hide out after a robbery in the attic of an old Greek. There's some awful on the nose expository dialogue to start things off with the two kids of the old Greek but it picks up - all the characters are distinct, I like how it touches on the immigrant wishing he was at home, and it builds until the final shoot out. You actually didn't need to cut away to pool halls. Dramatically very sound.

Movie review - "The Rats of Tobruk" (1944) ** (re-viewing)

The drop in quality between this and Forty Thousand Horsemen is remarkable. That film had so much energy and pep. This starts well with loving shots of cattle in the outback but is soon bogged down by Peter Finch's dreary narration. It was like Chauvel had made too many pompous self important propaganda documentaries during the war and it leaked into this movie.

Finch introduces himself and his mates Rafferty and Taylor who are never allowed to have any fun. The characterisations are fine, all three are capable - Finch is an improvement over Pat Twohill, just dull. The concept of a writer getting to know Australians isn't very exciting - why not have him a man in disgrace or something.

Taylor has a decent character to play - shiftless, womanising, brave. But he's a downer too. You don't see him having any fun womanising. It's all glum.

I liked Pauline Garrick as Kate the squatter's daughter but she's a misery guts. Mary Gay's nurse is a pure trope though she makes sense from the delusional mind of Peter Finch.

Chauvel's tendency was to melodrama with location shooting. I think he was hampered here by the fact he couldn't go full melodrama - or didn't want to.  I did like how Finch would write to Garrick which made Taylor jealous.I think they should have made this a proper love triangle - it would have given the piece some meat. Or had love triangle with Mary Gay.

Some of the visuals are impressive - the night fighting, the dingy trenches. But it's a movie of scenes and moments rather than a coherent narrative. Those scenes include vaudeville bits - they run into Joe Vallie to do some comic acting in the sand dunes, and George Wallace does some wacky antics with a barber chair. Then there's a tacked on finale in New Guinea.

The movie is definitely of historical interest but it's lame.

Movie review - "Assault on Precinct 13" (1976) ***1/2

As an action film this is actually kind of clunky - the gang members lumber at the station like zombies (apparently George Romero was an influence) with the heroes blasting away from them.

But it has a wonderfully creepy mood helped by Carpenter's classic score, the nihilistic feel (the faceless gangs swarming, the ice truck man randomly killed - as well as the girl... this is scarier than the corrupt cops in the remake), the visuals of the empty streets and broken down buildings, glass on the floor.

The acting is erratic in places but effective  -Austin Stoker as the taciturn cop just trying to do his job, Darwin Joston in the showiest role as the death row prisoner who becomes a hero, Laurie Zimmer as the sweater wearing receptionist who kills as many as any of the guys (Carpenter seems to accentuate her chest).

Tony Burton went on to be Apollo's trainer in the Rocky movies.