Movie review - "Roxie Hart" (1942) ***

 I know I'm projecting but this film feels as though it wants to be a musical - everyone bursts into song in one scene, and in another Ginger Rogers does a dance, and it just always feels like people want to sing.

It's a fun tale, quite cynical. They added George Montgomery to be pure of heart, as a journalist who loves Roxie (Ginger) but he mostly just watches her, and narrates the story... he doesn't influence the narrative. The ending which reveals they got married and had six kids with another on the way is kind of depressing.

Ginger is having a great time. The perm isn't very attractive. I didn't mind the censor changes.

I'm not a massive fan of this story but it is fun and cynicism ages well.

Book review - " Strictly Dynamite The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez" by Eve Golden

 I'm mostly familiar with Velez as a punchline in various Hollywood stories - rooting Gary Cooper, marrying Johnny Weismuller, Mexican Spitfire movies being on a double bill with Magnificent Ambersons, suicide in Kenneth Anger's book. So I'm glad Golden gave her a bio.

She did a good job. There's probably a few too many reviews and recaps but a strong picture does emerge. Velez was lively, fun, nice, with a sex drive... she became a star quite quickly (stage appearance, then picked in The Gaucho) and Golden argues she had potential to do more than she did. I haven't seen enough of her work to comment but she definitely kept employed for her life as a name, which is not be be sneezed at.

Golden admits that Velez maybe wasn't her own best ally - she kept leaping from bad relationship to relationship, was involved in domestic violence situatiosn - but the author makes a good case as to Velez films to check out, which I will. She made a lot of them and not many are well known.

The ending is moving. The suicide seems to have  caused by a number of things - pregnant, getting old, career going downhill.

Book review - "Wild Bill Wellman : Hollywood rebel" by William Wellman Jnr

 Not bad look at the life of the should-be-better-known director. I would've liked more personal insight and memoir of the writer's relationship him being his son. It waffles on a bit - for example there's a lot of plot recapping. The book could've done with a more vigorous edit.

Still, Wellman's an interesting guy - war service, great skill as a director. He seemed to make a classic every five films or so.

Movie review - "Track of the Cat" (1954) **1/2

 Disappointing! It starts so well, with this great melodramatic missed up family in the 1900s and a panther on the loose. Bob Mitchum is causing trouble amongst his family, there's two brothers, William Hopper and Tab Hunter, and Hunter wants to marry the older Diana Lynn, and mum Beulah Bondi is a crone and dad's a boozer and sister Teresa Wright is bitter and it's all very William Inge. 

But the problem is Hopper and Mitchum go hunting for the cat then come back home and we're stuck at home with Bondi, Hunter and the others. It's all stagnant and there's too much Acting and the scenes don't progress. They needed to be all out there hunting for the cat, Mitchum messing with Hunter's head and so on... it dissipates the drama. Philip Tonge as the dad has endless scenes boozing and prattling. There neeed to be a gal hot for Mitchum.

Interesting use of colour and it is unconvientional. Hunter works in these callow torn youth roles, Mitchum is ideal, Bondi is fun... I just wish they'd knocked the story into shape.

Movie review - "The Lawless" (1950) ***

 Pine-Thomas' only real attempt to make a "critics' picture" is pretty good, helped by some quality talent - Daniel Mainwaring wrote the script, based on his novel, and Joseph Losey directed. It uses some Paramount stars, Macdonald Carey and Gail Russell, who are effective. Russell's sad eyes suit the role.

It's about prejudice against Mexicans in a California border town. The emphasis is on white Carey, a journalist, who doesn't really have skin in the game... but I recognise that sort of compromise is needed to make the movie work.

There's a satisfying riot and a good deal of intelligence. It's a shame they had to rely on a "fake rape" narrative and a kindly rich white man to come along at the end and fix things. Tab Hunter has a small part - it was his debut.

Movie review - "Lafayette Escadrille" (1958) **

 William Wellman's passion project, sometimes called his last movie even though he made Darby's Rangers after (it was released first because this was held up so Warners could launch a record label for Tab Hunter).

Hunter is fine in the lead. I know Wellman wanted James Dean and Paul Newman. Hunter isn't the issue. The female lead doesn't help but she isn't the issue either.

The problem is the story. I was confused why Wellman struggled to get this made til I saw it... it's about a man who goes to fly in France in World War One... then punches out a French officer and deserts and hangs out with his hooker girlfriend most of the time planning his escape. This, in a war film. Why would anyone want to go see that?

It's not the ending. (Changed from the original where Hunter was supposed to die.) Or the title. Or the stars... 

It was making a flying film about a flyer who spends most of the film trying not to fly.

That story is only fine if it's a subplot. Tell the story of a heroic pilot and Hunter is the best friend. Or three guys - make it a three guy movie like three girl movies.

There's only one big flying /fighting sequence at the end. It needed more flying. That final battle is the best thing about it but it's too short.

The support cast includes people like David Janssen and Clint Eastwood but so do a lot of old movies, some starring Francis the Talking Mule.

Movie review - "It: Chapter Two" (2019) **1/2

 A drop in quality. The adults aren't as good actors as the kids - Bill Hader is outstanding and James Ransome quite good but everyone else seems disinterested (Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy) or just not up to it. There's no chemistry, sense of the group, or personal drama.

Why get at least some good actors and not have them interact with drama? From memory there were subplots with the novel - Chastain had this abusive husband who came after her, and McAvoy was going to leave his wife who crashed the mission, and there was a love triangle between McAvoy and Jay Ryan.

That's cut out. Instead there's a bunch of ordinary set pieces and a bloated finale. The running time is so long. They would've been better off cutting the running time, increasing spookiness and having more character interaction, like a love triangle. Why have that dumb thing where a character's suicide is heroic instead of being terrifying? That's dumb.

I did enjoy the cameos from Steven King and Peter Bogdanovich and there's some nice shocks and Hader is amazing.