Movie review - "Jenny Kissed Me" (1985) *

 A fascinating melodrama, key in the career of Brian Trenchard Smith because it was a departure in one way, being a melodrama, but in another way being a stock Trenchard Smith movie, full of action and incident. It also shows what held back his career - a lack of understanding about story and character.

Jenny Kissed Me is full of pace and character but is just too... off. Ivar Kants is such a perfect person, hard working, devoted to the child (his partner hints at incestuous feelings but this isn't developed), upstanding, muscular, handsome. And when he abducts the kid she's all for it.

Deborrah Lee Furness' mother is hot but lazy, she can't find a job, bored, best friends with a hooker, has an affair with Steven Grieves, neglects her daughter, yells at her daughter, leaves with Kants.

Trenchard Smith seems terrified someone will get bored so something's always happening - there's nudity (from Furness and others), sex scenes, a scene in a brothel pool, drugs (Nicholas Eadie is Paula Duncan's sleazy boss), drug busts, Wilbur Wilde as a handyman, fights, slaps. One hour in Kants is revealed to have a terminal brain tumour, he gets arrested, out on bail, brings a gun to abduct Jenny, a car chase ensues.

The film is so unsympathetic to Furness and so sympathetic to Kants it's unfair. Well, that's fine if it's the story you want to tell, it's just uncomfortable to watch. Kants never takes any blame for the breakdown with Furness because none of it is shown to be his fault. Kants' behaviour at the end is fairly reprehensible - having him kidnap a kid and engage in a car chase that almost kills her in a crash and take her on the lam in the bush. But at the end Furness asks for his forgiveness and teaches her how to parent.

This has been pitched at as a melodrama in the Douglas Sirk tradition but those films were aimed at women, women aren't going to like this, the woman is the villain. This film's natural target audience is divorced dads. Especially with its mean female magistrates and social workers.

The acting is pretty good. Tamsin West is terrific.

The film could've worked. Give Furness a troubled background. Like a drug habit. Make Jenny's dad a character - a real piece of shit. He gets Furness back on drugs, he gets her ito the brothel. The film needs a real baddie.

Movie review - "All Neat in Black Stockings" (1969) **

 I thought the title indicted a thriller. Actually it's more a drama - the producer called it a cross between Alfie and A Kind of Loving and that's not inaccurate. He also called it a sex comedy. There's sex but not a lot of laughs. It's moe social realism.

The star is Victor Henry who was a big stage actor, an angry young man, who was knocked over by a bus in 1972 and went into a coma until he died in 1985. I don't think he's much of a leading man. I'm sure he was a good actor but the role needs charm.

He's a womanising window cleaner - years before Confessions of a Window Cleaner - who kind of falls for Susan George, and she likes him but then at a party she shags his mate. I think he kind of rapes her, yes? Did I understand that?

She gets pregnant and he marries her and she has a mum who hates him so that's the A Kind of Loving About it.

The film looks ugly at least the print I show. Not a comedy really. A drama. 

Just not that interesting. Well worn material. George is cute just young.

Movie review - "A Kind of Loving" (1962) ***1/2

 I appreciate the artistry. Extremely well done. Empathetic to working class. Likes them. Young hot Alan Bates. June Ritchie fine if lacks charisma. Bitchy mother in law. Beautifully shot.

Most of plot has him trying to root her and she loves him but he's not really in to her. But in the end he guts it out. Conformity.

Genuine atmopshere. Sex content made it a hit. And the fact it's a romance with a happy ending ish.

Great debut for John Schlesinger.

Movie review - "Catch Us if You Can" (1965) ***

 Anglo-Amalgamated tried to do a Hard Day's Night with the Dave Clark Dive. It's not really a musical though more a sort of gloomy road movie/satire of British society with a Dave Clark Five soundtrack.

 Stunt man Dave Clark runs off with model Barbara Ferris and they have adventures - meeting beatniks, an upper class couple, going to a fancy dress party, going horse riding, encountering army maneuvres.

Look it's interesting.Songs play on the soundtrack but no one sings.

Clark is good looking but doesn't have much life. Ferris is okay but struggles a little against him.  None of the others get much of a look in.

Michael Blakemore was Boorman's assistant, Alex Jacobs was producer David Deutsch's assistant, peter Nichols wrote the script. So a lot of talent. Interesting visuals.

The film stuck with me after.

Movie review - "Nothing But the Best" (1964) ***

 Made with care, turned Clive Donner into a hot director, smart arse script from Frederic Raphael which. has some funny lines ("how did you know my size" says Mary Millicent as they drive up to a castle).

Maybe didn't have enough sex to be a hit. Or needed a murder.

Denholm Elliot is fun as a rich prat, Alan Bates is amiable. Nice Nic Roeg photographe.

Movie review - "This is My Street" (1964) ***

 Kitchen sink drama with sex, which earned Nat Cohen money via A Kind of Loving but not this one despite also starring June Ritchie.

I think that was about young people falling in love which everyone can relate to. In this one she's married to an idito and has an affair with Ian Hendry who then falls for her sister Annette Andre (very good).

It's well acted. It's a little hard to care for a married woman having an affair with an idiot. 

Sidney Hayers directed. Peter Rogers, the Carry On guy, producer.

Moving ending. John Hurt is in it.

Movie review - "Coda" (1987) ***

 Liked it. I got it. I don't think Craig Lahiff then had the skills to pull it off, quite - or the budget. But I love its ambition, the Hitchcock riffs. I love it being set at an Adelaide Uni and the second wave feminism of its four leads being women. There's something endearing in that three gave off mature age student vibes. Penny Cook can look gorgeous but here was mumsy. Liddy Clarke was like a pot smoking single aunt. Olivia Hamnet was also mumsy. Anna Marie Winchester however was spot on - campy, big, scary.

I wish Lahiff had had a little extra money to do a blood and guts feature version. A hot guy or two might've helped - if onyl to have a red herring.

Opening murder well done - one long take. Other stuff is choppy. The tight budget hurt. But endearing.