Movie review - "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962) ***

 Famous Burt Lancaster movie with a troubled history - original director Charles Crichton was fired during filming and replaced by John Frankenheimer.

Frankenheimer wanted to make it for TV. The story does suit it but the director is glad he didn't because of the issue with birds. 

A good movie - serious, intelligent, well made and all that. Lancaster brilliant. But a hard slog. Such a hard slog.

It doesn't deify Stroud at all, it's fairly clear he's a brute. It shows how dehumanising prision is and I think people felt guilty so lashed out at the film "glamourising" Stroud. 

Movie review - "Interrupted Melody" (1955) ***1/2

 Decent biopic which has terrific source material - Aussie girl seeks to become opera singer, falls for doctor, they argue over career versus marriage, she gets polio, makes a comeback singing to troops.

Eleanor Parker is a little dull just playing ordinary but comes alive in opera scenes and when she emotes in wheelchairs and considers suicide. Roger Moore is okay as the brother - probably needed to be more of an atagonist. Glenn Ford is strong - has something to play. Cecil Kellaway as dad.

Aussie touches are limited - opening scenes up until around 10 minutes, and with Lawrence/Parker singing 'Waltzing Matilda' to Aussie troops. 

Movie review - "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma" (2026) ****

 There's a lot going on - satire of Hollywood, feminism, queer text, blood, silliness, camp. Takes bold swings, loves its genre.

TV review - "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - Pilot" (1958) ***

 Famous sitcom arrived fully formed. It helped that it was based on pre existing IP, the stories of Max Schulman, but the producers cast it beautifully - Dwayne Hickman coming off years on The Bob Cummings Show in the lead, Bob Denver full of energy as his beatnik friend, and Tuesday Weld as the materialistic Thalia... but her materialism is well motivated because her sister married a deadbeat.

Production values are fine, the jokes are solid albeit of their era - Hickman's dad continually talks about wanting to kill his son, Hickman stalks Weld even when she says she's not interested. The device of talking to the screen works a treat.

Movie review - "Rally Round the Flag Boys" (1958) **

 George Axelrod complained he and Leo McCarey came up with a bold plan to adapt this novel but Fox backed out and so Axelrod left. Maybe his approach would've been better. But it's hard to see even that working with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in the leads. Both are attractive and obviously talented actors but their comic timing is a mess and they seem too young - as does Joan Collins. Newman's trying to be Cary Grant but he doesn't seem like a family man especially one with an itchy eye. Maybe Tom Ewell? 

Joan Collins is better - too young as well but she's hugely fun. She would've been better a decade older but I liked her. She's stronger than Jayne Mansfield (the original choice vetoed by the Newmans) would have been.

Tuesday Weld is perfect as their yappy babysitter. She is involved in a very funny love triangle with Dwayne Hickman as a Marlon Brandon worshipper and some yokel soldier. This is funny. Jack Carson is funny too as a bombastic soldier.

But Newman wrecks it, basically. 

Movie review - "Blowing Hot and Cold" (1984) **

 Rosa Colosimo was a produced who figured out 10BA enough to finance a batch of films including this. It's a buddy flick about a colourful Italian (Joe Dolce) whose car needs fixing by a mechanic (Peter Adams) - Dolce can't pay so Adams makes him work it off and Dolce gets drawn in to Adams' life which includes shagging married Elspeth Ballantyne and chasing after adducated daughter Kate Gorman.

The cast is of interest - Dolce was iconic because of his song, and Adams because of his performance as JJ in Cop Shop. There's also Denise Drysdale, Mary Coustas, Ballantyne, people like that. 

The culture clash doesn't really work - boorish Dolce is a little too similar to boorish Adams. Some more conflict would've worked - like I don't know a soccer versus Aussie rules thing, or paying cash or concrete.  

Nothing wrong with a subplot involving gangsters - Ken G Hall would do that all the time - but they took their eye off the comedy. 

Briab Trenchard Smith was going to make this at one stage. 

Movie review - "Roadhouse" (1948) *** (re-watching)

 I was in the mood for this - some low rent melodrama with Ida Lupino in a Joan Crawford role hooking up with Cornel Wilde despite Richard Widmark. Everyone is young and hot Lupino wears a swimsuit and sings off key. Celeste Holm impresses though her character should've done more. Wilde teaches Lupino how to bowl.