Movie review – “The Great McGinty” (1940) ***1/2

Preston Sturges became the patron saint of all writers who wished to direct by making such an impressive splash with this film. It still holds up today, as cynical tales where everyone is out for themselves tend to do. The girl who plays his wife isn’t that good looking but does her best and I loved the moment where they’re discussing marriage, he glances at her legs and she says “what’s that got to do with it?”

 

Brian Donlevy is lively and good value as the down at heel bum who becomes mayor (although if he was so clever how did he get so poor?) - his scuzzy persona and not-handsome-enough-for-traditional-leading-man looks work well. Akim Tamiroff is terrific fun as his boss and there is, as would become usual for Sturges, a rich gallery of supporting characters. 

 

Genuine pathos which works too - McGinty feeling ashamed because his step kids get in fights over him, McGinty talking about going to work when he was young (all the better because this is done wittily), and most of all the finale, with McGinty having been arrested but being allowed to escape... presumably the censor didn't mind this because he is parted forever from the women and children he loves.

Radio review – Suspense – “Trent’s last Case” (1953) **

Ronald Colman plays the amateur detective who falls in love with the wife of the man whose murder he is investigating. Colman is ideally cast but it's not that much of an adaptation - people who are fans of the story will be interested to hear it.

Movie review – “Trent’s Last Case” (1952) ** (warning: spoilers)

An attempt to repeat the success of The Third Man (although from a book which pre-dated it) with Orson Welles as another dead, mysterious much talked about figure who doesn’t appear until well into the film – the thing is this time he’s really dead, a big time financier who winds up in a golf links with a bullet in him, and when he appears it’s only in flashback. Like Harry Lime the dead man has a lad friend (in this case wife) who the hero falls in love with – but he’s not a friend. He’s Michael Wilding, an amateur detective and artist, who investigates for a newspaper.

Wilding does his airy thing well enough but Margaret Lockwood, who you think would be ideal as a possibly murderous wife, isn’t very good. Better is John McCallum as the dead man’s secretary, but Orson Welles wears a silly nose and overacts, and the ending makes the whole thing into a shaggy dog tale.

Movie review – “Die Hard 2” (1990) ***

Big, dumb and stupid but sometimes you’re in the mood for that, and the fact it’s set during a snow storm makes it visually different. The performances of the bit part actors is shocking (those British Airways passengers and staff, that hostess to talks to Bonnie Bedelia) and the one liners woefully unfunny, but it’s clever to get out of the plane by an ejector seat, the twist of the soldiers being bad too is good, the villains are imposing and different (military men as opposed to Europeans). Some irritating stuff: why is it so bad journalist William Atherton wants to report that terrorists have taken over an airport? Isn’t that something people should know?

Movie review – “How Green Was My Valley” (1941) ***

Made with such love and care it’s impossible not to be impressed but after 30 or so minutes it start to drag: vignette after vignette of life in a Welsh mining town – choir, coal mines, grace at family diner, the brothers want to establish a union and dad isn’t keen on socialism, the rituals and politeness, chapel services, dad washing his feet, gossips in church, more singing, not one but two deaths, etc. 

 

The ending is incredibly moving however – with little Roddy McDowall working through the water to find Donald Crisp who gives him a hug just before he dies. Sob.

 

McDowall is superb, whether fighting a bully at school, or falling in love with sister in law Anna Lee (who I kept thinking was going to have a bigger part than she did) at first glance, or going down the mines. Donald Crisp is excellent too, and Maureen O’Hara very good; Patric Knowles is stiff but then again when wasn’t he? You can tell why it was so loved and I always feel guilty admitting stuff like this but I found it a little dull.

Movie review – “Bridesmaids” (2011) ****

Hilarious, raunchy yet touching female buddy comedy that proved audiences will go to see a film about women friends. Superb cast across the board – I particularly liked the girl who played Erin. It does go on for a bit and some great parts from the original script I read (eg the trip to Las Vegas, Kirsten Wiig telling her booty call that no woman over thirty likes to be a booty call) weren’t in it.

Radio review – Suspense - “Murder Strikes Twice” (1950) ***1/2 (warning: spoilers)

Excellent entry with Marlene Dietrich ideal as a woman accused of murder who gets off, but finds herself blackmailed by the slimy prosecutor several years later. She gets out of it via murder suicide in a clever finale. Apparently this story was recorded before with Rita Hayworth for the same show and it's no surprise as it's very good.