Movie review - Pink Panther#5 - "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" (1977) ***1/2

 Very funny. Simple concept - Herbert Lom tries to kill Clouseau - works brilliantly because it builds on the premise, i.e. the world sends assassins to kill him. Lesley Anne Downe is hilarious as a Russian spy who falls for him. Omar Sharif plays an assassin in a short scene.

Movie review - "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" (1982) ***

 Sweet Allen take on Smiles of a Summer Night - nice to see him in a period tale (even though it didn't really need to be), out in the country. Pleasant to look at and accomplished actors. Jose Ferrer is in the Max Von Sydow part as the imposing man with an older woman he educates (Mia Farrow in her first film for Allen).

These films have more vigour than his later ones because he was making them about people his own age (even if it was a period film).

A nice, slight Woody. Tends to be overlooked but has plenty of charm - the inventions, the rural setting, the period detail. Julie Hegarty is funny as a liberated nurse. Actually all the cast is good. Maybe having two "free love" types among the women was too much - could it not be varied?

TV review - "Love Life" (2020) ***1/2

 A great concept, quite well done. Doesn't break new ground - it's still about a single gal in New York looking for love, with sassy best friends - but the anthology nature of the piece is effective and makes you reflect about your own life. I preferred the earlier eps. I really liked the one about the mother having a break down and the flashback to high school (was that guy based on Jake Gylenhaul? Was Augie based on Edgar Wright?)

Movie review - Pink Panther#4 - "The Return of the Pink Panther" (1975) ***1/2

 Classy. Fun. Christopher Plummer looks very handsome in the beginning but his hair is messy later on. Great role for Catherine Schell. Nice locations. Sellers in good form - it's great to see him after the ten year break. This really revived his career - that and for Edwards. Plenty of style and laugh out loud moments. Herbert Lom has a ball - the supporting characters in these films were underrated.

Book review - "The Glass Key" by Dashiell Hammett

 Took me a while to get through this. The famous scenes in the movies remain vivid - Ned being tortured, then seducing a woman whose husband kills himself. You can see why it was filmed. Corruption is so vivid.

Movie review - Pink Panther # 3 - "Inspector Clouseau" (1968) **

 Weird to see Alan Arkin in this part. I get why he was cast: The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming. This isn't bad. More odd. There's European locations but it lacks Blake Edwards' style.

Delia Boccardio is good looking. Beryl Reid is funny doing a highland fling. It's not a bad plot involving the theft of jewels. There's some groovy 60s thieves, mostly male unfortunately. People like Frank Finlay and Clive Revill are in it.

Arkin lacks Sellers' dignity. His poise. He tries. Doesn't disgrace himself it just doesn't work.

Movie review - Pink Panther#2 - "A Shot in the Dark" (1964) ***

 The second Clouseau film is based on a play that had nothing to do with him, but is the one that introduced Dreyfuss (Herbert Lom) and Kato (Burt Kwouk).  It's not bad - very French. Elke Sommer is fun as the maid Clouseau believes is innocent despite all evidence to the contrary. Some slapstick. A lot of slapstick actually. I did prefer the first movie but this has it's own style. A decent mystery.

George Sanders looks old. Bryan Forbes makes a cameo in the nudist sequence.