Movie review - "Heaven Only Knows" (1947) **

 Angel fantasy which had more potential - Bob Cummings is an angel sent down to reform Brian Donlevy who has grown up bad as a scowly saloon owner in the old West when he's meant to be good. Cummings is ideal as a breezy angel and Donlevy as a baddy and the Western setting had potential because it's full of violence.

While the film has good moments, notably Majorie Reynolds as a saloon gal taken by Cummings and the death of Edgar Kennedy with a sobbing boy, the film never quite works. It takes itself too seriously when it needed to be lighter. It could've lent into the Western tropes more. There's a dull pastory in the town and the action screeches to a halt when boring school teacher Jorja Curtright (the future Mrs Sidney Sheldson) had scenes with Donlevy. Like, give her some life and fun.  The whole movie could've been more fun. More matchmaking from Cummings, more Donlevy-Cummings by play.

I was confused by the mum giving up the kid at the end - so he's meant to die? She gives her kid up to die? I was just a little confused.

Movie review - "Lovin' Molly" (1974) *

 This film is an abomination.

The credits started I thought "this is okay" but it's sunk within the first two minutes with Tony Perkins (then 40) as a young cowboy and Beau Bridges and Blythe Danner (both around 30) as his friends. They needed to be the same age and played by young actors.

I think the rationale was "well they're playing older later in the film let's get older actors" but there's 50 minutes of them being young.

Perkins is spectacularly bad. Danner is sweet and lovely and might've succeeded in another film but goes down with the ship. Beau Bridges is too chunky. He's not as bad as Perkins but isn't great either.

Susan Sarandon's part - quite big in the book - is blink and miss.

The whole thing feels fake. The friendship. The sex. The mood.

It's awful.

Movie review - "Star Trek: Generations" (1994) ***1/2 (warning: spoilers)

 Smart, very well done, has an ace up its sleeve in that it allows Kirk to meet Picard and shows the death of Kirk. Those are great "posts" for the film to swim towards.

Malcolm McDowall has played this sort of villain role a lot but what they heck. Starts strong with Kirk, Chekov and Scotty and some action - plus Alan Ruck as the guy taking over from Kirk! Then cuts to the new gang. Some talk and action... there's decent spectacle. Strong last third.

Movie review - "Tell It To the Judge" (1949) **1/2

 One of Rosalind Russell's many comedies of remarriage and she's excellently teamed with Bob Cummungs who is in superb form, as is she. They are so terrific and the film full of possibilities and some strong support (Gig Young) that it's frustrating the filmmakers couldn't cobble it together.

Rosalind Russell is up for being a judget and is getting over the divorce from her ex Bob Cummungs. That's promising as are other bits - Cummings giving testimony from gangster's moll Marie McDoanld who gangstes are to get, Gig Young romancing Russell being a suave possible criminal.

Why don't they use the gangsters? Why don't they have life and death stakes? It would justfiy the lying. Why not have MacDonald love Cummings?

So many dumb ideas like Rusell being continually upset about MacDonald when there's a perfectly good reason for him to be with her, and Cummings not wanting Russell to be a judge in the first place, and not using gangsters, and MacDonald being scared all the time and Cummings fobbing her off.

Have Cummings as a prosecutor, Russell an co worker becoming a judge, make the blonde more Machiavellian and less trust worthy, have Cummings under strict instructions to lie to Russell, have Russell applied to the case, have people trying to shoot them, use the gangster, have Young be either super virtuous or super villainois.

So frustrating. Nice photography.

Movie review - "Star Trek 6 The Undiscovered Country" (1991) ***1/2 (warning spoilers)

 Nick Meyers' return to the series acts as a tonic - it's a first rate story and done wittily, with solid stakes (Kirk arrested for murder). It could have done with extra pesonal connection. -like maybe the traitor should have been Kirk's ex, mother of dead son, as well as or instead of Kim Cattral.

It feels low budget - has a TV episode feel. Like it lacked an extra $5-10 million to do the action or something. Star Trek 4 had whales, I don't know, felt bigger. Maybe a romance would've helped. Or a relative.

But it's very enjoyable. Tight, Fun. Christopher Plummer adds dash as does Kim Cattrall, Iman, Brock Peters. The film loses some poionts having Shatner do a Bodyguard style dive at the end. Maybe this is more a three star movie. But it's the last one with the old gang, so...

Movie review - "The Bride Wore Boots" (1946) **

 A comedy of remarriage that shoud've been a romantic comedy. Because they split up for dumb reasons so I didn't care, and it's so contrived keeping them apart. It's a dumb script.

The set up would've worked as a rom com. Barbara Stanwyck is a horsey outdoorsy woman who falls for booking Robert Cummings who writes about the Civil War. Both can play comed and would be ideal casting - Stanwyck looks physical Cummings can play nerds. But this central conflict isn't dramatised. It's mostly Cummings having literary groupies particularly Diana Lynn who tries to kiss him all the time and Stanwyck eventually sues for divorce. It makes everyone an idiot. Break them up for a solid reason. I mean they've got two kids one of whom is Natalie Wood.

Classy cast includes Robert Benchley, Willie Best. Patrick Knowles is dull as a rival for Stanwyck.

Book review - "Sonny Boy" by Al Pacino (2024)

 Fun. Actor-y. Rambles. I listened to the audio book. Helped a lot. He's a man child. A creature of Greenwich Village. Thought nothing of playing gay characters in the 70s. Loves the process. Keeps dating actors (good taste: Diane Keaton, Beverly d'Angelo, Tuesday Weld, Marte Keller, Jill Clayburgh, Kathleen Quinlan). Hopeless with money. As in, a kid. Bumbles through life. Loves his craft.

Some great stories like Diane Keaton going to Pacino's accountant after he was broke "don't you know who this man is? He's an idiot! A child!" Pacino going to the Oscars stoned.

Leaves out stuff, like Lyndall Hobbs.

Enjoyable read.