All posts by scottmet99

#182 Favorite Film, 1971 Films, Drama, Glenda Jackson, John Schlesinger, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Peter Finch, Top 250 Films

Sunday Bloody Sunday-1971

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Sunday Bloody Sunday-1971

Director John Schlesinger

Starring Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch, Murray Head

Top 250 Films #182

Scott’s Review #1,062

Reviewed September 15, 2020

Grade: A

Whether it’s the late 1960s style with British sophistication or the ahead-of-its-time subject matter, John Schlesinger’s Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) is a brazen and mature piece of filmmaking.

With fantastic acting mostly on the part of Glenda Jackson and Peter Finch, the film is subdued enough to contain the drama while letting the underlying plot marinate and flourish rather than being forced or overdone.

That’s not to say Sunday Bloody Sunday is an easy watch. The main characters stew and simmer rather than explode as the audience comes to grips with their feelings, emotions, and motivations as painful as they can be.

Schlesinger offers the complexities of the characters as we get inside their heads during multiple scenes as cameras carefully pan in on their facial expressions. The intention is to read their minds or think we know what they are thinking.

The three characters featured are Alex (Glenda Jackson), a divorced and restless recruitment worker, a young, free-spirited artist, Bob (Murray Head), and a gay, Jewish, doctor named Daniel (Peter Finch).

Bob openly dates both Alex and Daniel, who are aware of the existence of the other and even have common friends. Instead of scheming against the other in hopes of poisoning their character with Bob, they deal with acceptance and a host of other emotions.

A triangle ensues, though not one with a clear couple to root for, nor is it clear who we want to root for. Sunday Bloody Sunday is not that trite or simplistic and this is the beauty of the film.

Each character can be analyzed for individual motivations, peculiarities, and desires that sometimes overlap. The added perk of one character being straight, one character being bisexual, and one character being gay only adds flavor and lustful desire. Sunday Bloody Sunday is a character study if ever there was one.

Screenwriter, Penelope Gilliatt, writes a piece so bristling with the unpredictability that the characters and situations are deep and troubling. My favorite character is Daniel, the most adjusted of the three, but a character who would typically be written as the most maladjusted.

Schlesinger had directed the brilliant Midnight Cowboy (1969) two mere years earlier, a film that depicted gay characters as troubled and self-hating. Gilliatt crafts Daniel as confident, successful, and masculine, avoiding all stereotypes.

I immediately had thoughts of Ken Russell’s masterpiece, Women in Love, made only one year earlier in 1970, and starring Jackson. Featuring four characters rather than only three, both films are British and feature the complexities of sexual orientation, jealousy, and loneliness.

Women in Love is a slightly better film, but only by a small margin, probably because there is one additional character to consider. Both explore then barely touched territory when it was still taboo to explore homosexuality in film.

Adorable is a scene at a Bar Mitzvah given to Daniel’s nephew. As the merriment commences several women are bound to be interested in Daniel, what with him being a successful doctor. He doesn’t have any interest naturally but politely makes small talk with one woman.

The scene is so natural and at ease that it is wonderful and reaffirming to see a gay character treated with such dignity and richness, his problems not being a result of being gay but of being a human being.

Daniel and Alex compete for Bob’s affection but in a polite way. Instead of hating each other, they hate the situation. Bob is not the nicest guy in the world so the question can be raised as to why they both feel the way they do about him.

But this hardly matters when the heart wants what it wants.

The most interesting and realistic scenes occur when each couple lies in bed together or makes small talk over a meal. This offers a glimpse of what day-to-day treasures they each could enjoy.

Those in the mood for a film rife with emotion and psychologically complex feelings wrapped inside a good drama will find Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) a pure treat. Trimmings like glimpses of the gorgeous city of London lend themselves to added nuances.

Each time this film is viewed it could easily be watched from the perspective of either Alex, Bob, or Daniel.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director-John Schlesinger, Best Actor-Peter Finch, Best Actress-Glenda Jackson, Best Original Screenplay

#183 Favorite Film, 1967 Films, Alan Bates, British, Drama, Epic, John Schlesinger, Julie Christie, Period Drama, Peter Finch, Prunella Ransome, Robert Powell, Romantic Drama, Terence Stamp, Top 250 Films

Far from the Madding Crowd-1967

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Far from the Madding Crowd-1967

Director John Schlesinger

Starring Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Alan Bates

Top 250 Films #183

Scott’s Review #315

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Reviewed January 1, 2016

Grade: A-

A sweeping, gorgeous epic made in 1967, Far from the Madding Crowd is pure soap opera (this is not a negative), done very well, featuring a woman with three male suitors and many similarities to another brilliant epic, Gone with the Wind (1939).

The cinematography, score, and writing are excellent, and at close to three hours, it is a lengthy experience.

The film is based on the popular novel written by Thomas Hardy.

The setting is lovely, rural England, the landscape green and lush- mostly farmland, where Bathsheba resides, having recently inherited her Uncle’s enormous estate and is, frankly, overwhelmed with the heavy responsibility required to run it successfully.

Three men appear in one form or another to lend a hand, and each falls madly in love with her- she had her choice of any of them. Throughout the film, each is given a chance to win her heart, and each faces trials and tribulations.

The wealthy neighbor, William Boldwood, is older and insecure. Frank Troy is a bad boy who is a cavalry sergeant, and Gabriel, a former farmer, has lost all of his sheep.

Having only seen this film twice (so far), I notice more and more the similarities to Gone with the Wind. Both are set around the same period (the 1860s), and both films feature powerful, independent, gorgeous female characters with multiple male suitors.

Unlike Gone with the Wind, though, Bathsheba is not self-centered, but wholesome and honest.

Julie Christie was undoubtedly the “it” girl during the time the film was made, having recently starred in Darling (1965) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), among others, and Far from the Madding Crowd is a perfect film for her, focusing on her beauty and earnestness.

She is exceptionally cast.

What I enjoy most about the film is that we do not know which of the men Bathsheba will wind up with…if any of them. Gabriel (Alan Bates) is my personal favorite, but at the beginning of the film, she rebuffs his marriage proposal.

In a heartbreaking scene, one of his dogs goes mad and leads his entire flock of sheep to their death. He is then forced to work as her shepherd, a job beneath him. He is the most likable of the three men, and it is fun to root for their ultimate union. But is he prone to bad luck?

Frank Troy is dashing- a clear lady’s man, yet I did not root for him. A character, whom I found to have strange motivations, impregnated and almost married a young lady named Fanny, only to turn her away based on a misunderstanding, then ultimately changed his mind about Bathsheba.

In one scene, he manipulates the citizens into getting drunk on brandy, which leads to a crisis. He is charismatic and used to getting his way.

Finally, Boldwood is wealthy, sophisticated, and appealing to Bathsheba in a certain way (primary stability). Still, there is also something I find “off” about the character throughout the film- unstable, maybe, needy? I did not find his character likable either.

The overlap and the relationships between the men are also interesting aspects of Far from the Madding Crowd. Will they become friends? Would they kill each other for Bathsheba’s affection?

Many emotions run through all four characters, which makes the film rich in character development.

Grand, sweeping, and beautiful are words that describe Far from the Madding Crowd, a film I enjoy exploring and evaluating with each viewing.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Music Score

#184 Favorite Films, 1955 Films, Charlotte Greenwood, Eddie Albert, Fred Zinnemann, Gloria Grahame, Gordon MacRae, James Mitchell, Musical, Rod Steiger, Shirley Jones, Top 250 Films

Oklahoma!-1955

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Oklahoma! -1955

Director Fred Zinneman

Starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger

Top 250 Films #184

Scott’s Review #51

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Reviewed June 20, 2014

Grade: A-

Oklahoma! (1955) is one of a slew of memorable Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals to emerge from the 1950s and 1960s Hollywood and to be based on a popular stage version.

The film has an old-west, homespun, comfortable appeal. It is best enjoyed during the summer months.

While Oklahoma! seems a bit too hokey and is not my favorite musical compared to other more sophisticated stalwarts such as My Fair Lady (1964), An American in Paris (1951), or The Sound of Music (1965), it emits a flavor and tasteful appeal of the West.

The plot focuses on a love triangle between a good old boy, Curly, a good girl, Laurey Williams, and brooding Jud, though the real rooting couple is Curly and Laurey.

The trio is supported by many townspeople who gossip about them and help Curly and Laurey admit their true feelings and unite as a couple.

Of course, Jud is the villain, and conflicts come into play throughout the production.

A lesser couple, Will Parker and Ado Annie, also enter each other’s arms amid traditional small-town events such as a lively summer fair.

Stars Gordon MacRae (Curly) and Shirley Jones (Laurey) are very handsome and likable in the lead roles, making for a nice pairing.

Gloria Grahame is as appealing and comical as Ado Annie, especially in her rousing turn bellowing out, “I Can’t Say No,” Charlotte Greenwood is the moral voice of reason as Aunt Eller.

What works best in the film are the settings of Oklahoma, as the viewer experiences such a feel for life in the heartland long ago (though the exteriors were shot in Arizona).

It’s pure fantasy enjoyment with a magical Wizard of Oz feel, though no cyclone or munchkins are anywhere in sight. The film version closely follows the original stage version.

The musical numbers are pretty catchy (“Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” “I Can’t Say No,” and “Oklahoma” are my favorites). The controversial mid-number “Dream Ballet” is provocative, artistically enjoyable, and jarringly different from the rest of the traditional tale.

This jaw-dropping number mirrors a similar spectacle in An American in Paris.

Perhaps Oklahoma! is not entirely on par with other musicals of its day but darned close.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (won), Best Sound Recording (won), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing

#185 Favorite Film, 2013 Films, Art, Favorite Film of the Year, Jonathan Glazer, Scarlett Johansson, Science Fiction, Top 250 Films

Under the Skin-2013

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Under the Skin-2013

Director Jonathan Glazer

Starring Scarlett Johansson

Top 250 Films #185

Scott’s Review #219

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Reviewed January 31, 2015

Grade: A

Under the Skin (2013) is a tough film to review- in a word it is mysterious.

The consensus is that people either love the film or hate it- it is one of those types of films. I love it and it appears on many 2013 top ten film lists.

The visual creativity alone astounds me.

To summarize, Scarlett Johansson plays the female alien presumably sent to Earth to meet young men and lure them, using her feminine wiles, into a pool of dark liquid where they are entrapped and subsequently peeled, their skin used for an unknown reason.

The oddity of the story is as appealing as it is confusing, but somehow fascinating beyond belief.

The film is set in Glasgow, Scotland, during present times. The film has a cold, dark tone to it and the city itself seems bleak.

Johansson, in an unnamed role, takes the clothes of a dead human woman and begins traversing the streets of Glasgow, picking up the men as they walk home or go to the grocery store.

She carefully selects men who will not be missed- men who are loners or family-less.

As the film goes along Johansson becomes more sympathetic. She yearns to become a human and to do what humans do- she goes to a diner and attempts to eat a delicious slice of cake and vomits the contents.

She has a strange man on a motorcycle following her, making sure she completes her assigned tasks. Some of these conclusions are surmised as the lack of dialogue in the film adds to the mystique.

A particularly frightening scene, and my favorite in the film, involves the female alien meeting a swimmer on the beach, who is on holiday in Scotland.

Her flirtation with him as she attempts to accost him is thwarted by a family in peril. A father, mother, and infant son are enjoying a day on the secluded beach.

Suddenly, their dog begins to drown as the waves become too intense. The mother struggles in a panic to swim to the dog and rescue it- the father then does the same.

What happens next is very sad and the female alien and the motorcycle man both leave the screaming infant to die without so much as a second glance.

This poses a few questions- are they, aliens, without emotions for human suffering? Do they not care? Do they revel in the misery? Do they simply not realize what is going on? The viewer will ponder these questions and others long after the film ends.

Later, the audience is confused further as the female alien meets a severely deformed man, and they bond as she drives him to, presumably, his death. She loves his hands and is fascinated by his tenderness towards her. As they talk she shows signs of caring for a human being as they begin a sweet friendship.

Why does she bond with this disfigured man instead of the more handsome men she meets? Does she relate to him due to her growing feelings of being a misfit and desiring to be human?

Visually the film is creative. Spellbinding is the sequence involving the men being submerged in the black fluid as they slowly disappear leaving only the skin. Their transformation is slow, methodical, and imaginative and one relishes what is going on.

The score is reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby (1968) in its eeriness and visually the film must have been influenced by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Under the Skin (2013) is a fantastic journey through a weird, perplexing, sometimes confusing world, but leaves me thinking and glued to the activity onscreen.

It is an art film that breaks barriers and provokes interest and intrigue not catering to mainstream expectations. It is what art films are meant to do- challenge.

More films should take risks like these.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best International Film

#186 Favorite Film, 1970 Films, Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Children, Christmas, David Collings, Edith Evans, Frances Cuka, Gordon Jackson, James Cossins, Kay Walsh, Kenneth More, Laurence Naismith, Musical, Ronald Neame, Roy Kinnear, Top 250 Films

Scrooge-1970

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Scrooge-1970

Director Ronald Neame

Starring Albert Finney, Alec Guinness

Top 250 Films #186

Scott’s Review #561

Reviewed December 25, 2016

Grade: A

A classic perfect for watching around the holidays, perhaps accompanied by a roaring fire and a bit of brandy, Scrooge (1970) is a magical, musical experience; the entire family should adore it.

The film is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ 1843 story, A Christmas Carol.

Set in London with spectacular London-style art direction, it is perfect in its depiction of life around the holidays in the historic city, circa the nineteenth century.

To be clear, this is the musical version of the popular tale, not to be confused with the 1935 or the 1951 versions of the story.

The film is not as dark or scary as those films are. Instead, the 1970 Scrooge would be a fantastic companion piece to the 1968 classic Oliver!, both based on Dickens stories and both mixing fantastic musical scores with dramatic elements.

Albert Finney takes center stage in flawless form as the old, cantankerous, miser Ebenezer Scrooge. He plays the character as both an older man and, through flashbacks, a young man (Finney was merely 34 years old at the time of filming).

Guinness, indeed a high-caliber actor, is effective as the ghost of Jacob Marley- Scrooge’s former business partner. Scrooge is a moneylender, mainly to the working class, and is unforgiving in his collection of debts.

Filled with hatred for all things good, especially the Christmas holiday, Scrooge refuses to attend a family Christmas dinner hosted by his nephew, Fred, or to give to any charities. He begrudgingly gives his minion and bookkeeper, Bob Cratchit, Christmas Day off.

Finally left alone on Christmas Eve night, Scrooge is visited by the spirit of Jacob Marley, who tells Scrooge that three ghosts will visit him during the night.

In a chilling scene, Marley takes Scrooge on a journey through the sky, where he is greeted by spirits doomed to traverse the Earth, as Jacob is, with shackles acquired from their life as living beings.

Since they are greedy and wicked, they are doomed in the afterlife, just as Scrooge will be if he does not change his ways.

In an excellent subplot, we get to know the Cratchits, led by their father, Bob, a poor but earnest man. The family has little, but makes the most of what they do have, and appreciates the glorious holiday. They prepare a meager Christmas bird and savor being together as a family.

Their youngest, Tiny Tim, is lame, and he lusts over a lavish train set in the local toy shop. Cratchit epitomizes goodness and richness of character, contrasting with Ebenezer Scrooge.

As Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and Christmas yet to come, he slowly realizes he needs to change his ways before it is too late. The audience is treated to stories of Scrooge’s youth, as we understand what has made him the miserly older man that he is today.

The clear highlight of this film is its musical numbers that will leave even the most tone-deaf humming along in glee. Throughout each sequence, we are treated to various numbers.

My favorite is “Thank You Very Much”, as it first appears during the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come sequence.

By this time, feeling more sympathetic and appreciative, Scrooge merrily dances and sings along with the townspeople, unaware of the fact that they are celebrating his death and are dancing on his coffin to celebrate the fact that their debts are now free and clear.

This catchy tune is a reprise at the end of the film.

Other cheery numbers are “Father Christmas” and “I Like Life”, which perfectly categorize the film as a merry, holiday one, despite its occasional dark tone. This is necessary to avoid making Scrooge too bleak.

I also adore the vivid set designs as the gorgeous city of London is perfectly recreated to show the festive Christmas holiday. The film is not high-budget, but it makes the most of it by using small yet lavish sets.

Scrooge is a perfect holiday film, with fantastic tunes and a meaningful story that comes across on screen as a celebration of life, never edging toward contrived or oversaturated.

A wonderful holiday feast.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Song Score, Best Original Song for the Picture-“Thank You Very Much”, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction

#187 Favorite Film, 1968 Films, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Gabriele Ferzetti, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Keenan Wynn, Sergio Leone, Top 250 Films, Western

Once Upon a Time in the West-1968

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Once Upon a Time in the West-1968

Director Sergio Leone

Starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale

Top 250 Films #187

Scott’s Review #886

Reviewed April 17, 2019

Grade: A

At one time dismissed as either frivolous or cartoon-like, the derogatory genre classification “spaghetti western” was originally played for laughs or featured a comical slant, often with bad lip-syncing.

Many of these films have aged tremendously well, though, and are now more widely appreciated and have become a part of the cinematic canon.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) is a lesson in camp art that marinates like a fine steak, drizzling with texture and a good atmosphere across a sprawling two-hour-and-forty-six-minute landscape.

In a great sequence, the film begins with a mysterious harmonica-playing gunman (Charles Bronson), dubbed “Harmonica” for reasons eventually revealed, shooting three men sent to kill him.

Meanwhile, to get his hands on prized railroad land in Sweetwater, disabled railroad baron Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) hires killers, led by blue-eyed baddie Frank (Henry Fonda), who murders property owner Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) and his family.

The film immediately exudes intensity, with a severe revenge theme.

The story develops further, with romance mixed in a Western style, as McBain’s newly arrived bride, Jill (Claudia Cardinale), inherits the land instead.

Jill is a former prostitute who catches the eye of most of the men she encounters. Both outlaws, Cheyenne (Jason Robards) and Harmonica, take it upon themselves to look after Jill and thwart Frank’s plans to seize her land.

With standard Western flair, they are both attracted to Jill and yearn for her affection while also feeling protective of her.

Not professing to be enamored with the Western genre- the stereotypical Cowboys and Indians and token damsel in distress have their limitations- Once Upon a Time in the West is a feast for the eyes and the ears with cinematography on par with Lawrence of Arabia (1963) and a killer musical score.

While the story may have a traditional backbone, the nuances are astounding. The sweeping mountains of the western United States are heavily featured, and the tension-infused music sets up every thrilling scene with gusto and foreboding.

Hot on the heels of another similarly themed masterpiece, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966), Leone delivers the goods at every turn, most notably setting up each scene with sizzling elements that emit a clear sense of danger.

The audience knows trouble is about to transpire, but not exactly when the shit will hit the fan. The family death scene is paced astoundingly well as the family merrily goes about preparing a delicious summer meal, unaware that destruction is around the corner.

Sure, the cast is a mix of American and Italian actors with varying degrees of accents, not exactly mirroring the Wild West.

Yes, Jill wears heavy mascara and a hairstyle straight out of the 1960s, and one character has brightly dyed red hair, but these intricacies give the film character rather than turn the production into a disheveled mess.

Forever known for heroic or everyman roles, Fonda plays against type, cast as the central, sadistic villain, and the result is superlative.

Leone’s ability to cast a legendary star in production with little expectations is quite a feat, and Fonda seems to revel in role-playing him dangerously and straight.

With his piercing blue eyes and a gaze sure to make children run away in terror, his brutal villainy is fully realized only at the film’s conclusion.

Dozens of iconic comparisons to Quentin Tarantino’s modern directing style can be drawn. The director undoubtedly watched and studied this film repeatedly, as numerous qualities mirror his movies.

Viewers will delight in drawing these comparisons, including a harmonica reference, a revenge story, and the climactic reveal at the end of the film via flashback, which pulls all the pieces together.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) is a quality film that has finally gotten its due. Tremendous and compelling storytelling is combined with flavorful qualities and a dusty atmosphere.

The film is the sum of all its parts, and while at first underappreciated, it has finally risen to the ranks of a high-quality masterpiece.

Influencing many great directors, including Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, and Tarantino, is quite a testament to its staying power.

#188 Favorite Film, 1965 Films, Comedy, Drama, Federico Fellini, Giulietta Masina, International, International Comedy, International Drama, Italian, Mario Pisu, Sandra Milo, Top 250 Films, Valentina Cortese

Juliet Of The Spirits-1965

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Juliet Of The Spirits-1965

Director Federico Fellini

Starring Giulietta Masina, Sandra Milo

Top 250 Films #188

Scott’s Review #725

Reviewed February 15, 2018

Grade: A

A true Fellini film in every sense and perhaps his most personal film, 1965’s Juliet of the Spirits, is a colorful and masterful experience with fluid art direction and stunning sets and costumes.

As with most of his films, the story and its intricacies are odd and do not always make perfect sense, but the film is meant to be absorbed and felt and exhibits more of a central plot than some of his other works.

Juliet of the Spirits is undoubtedly a must-see for fans of Fellini or any novice who wants an introduction to the great director.

In a compelling tidbit of background information, lead actress Giulietta Masina, wife and muse of director Fellini and sometimes deemed the female Charlie Chaplin, plays a true-to-life character.

In real life, the woman suffered from a philandering husband- Fellini himself!

For this reason alone, the film is fascinating as a true-to-life story, leading the audience to empathize with Giulietta and her life of doldrums and turmoil.

Giulietta Boldrini (Masina) is an affluent woman living in Italy with her successful and dashing husband, Giorgio (Mario Pisu). Despite wealth, two housekeepers, and free time to do whatever she pleases, she is dissatisfied with her life and surroundings.

This occurs mainly after she hears her husband mutter another woman’s name in his sleep. Concerned and intrigued, Giulietta hires investigators to unravel the mystery, which spawns an adventure for her.

Instead of being a cookie-cutter film with a basic plot explained above, in proper Fellini form, the character of Giulietta embarks on a journey into the dreamlike and odd experience, tapping into her repressed desires and innermost thoughts while being exposed to her larger-than-life and sexy neighbor, Suzy (Sandra Milo).

The oversexed Suzy enlightens Giulietta to the joys of her mansion, treehouse, dazzling, weird friends, and bubbling sensuality.

Juliet of the Spirits is a joy to watch and quite a bit more linear than other complex masterpieces, such as the 1960s La Dolce Vita or 1969’s Fellini Satyricon.

The plot is spelled out presently- Giulietta is depressed and anxious for something new and exciting. Her journey into this new life, marked by her wrestling with demons and resistance, makes this film so much fun.

Styles and colors are brilliant and lavishly loud. Take the gaudy and glamorous nest that Suzy calls home. Her palace is both tawdry and sophisticated, with a built-in underground swimming pool where she bathes after lovemaking and velvety red walls and furniture.

Fellini uses gorgeous reds, greens, and blues throughout the film to create dazzle and spectacles with larger-than-life characters.

To further focus on Suzy for a minute, the blonde bombshell frequently visits her very own treehouse, complete with a swing. She flirts with handsome young men who gaze up at the scantily dressed beauty as she tosses her high-heeled shoe down to them in a suggestive manner.

When they come up to the top of the treehouse by way of a mechanical basket, presumably for sex, this is too much for the overwhelmed Giulietta, who returns to the safety of her own home.

But she is excited and scared.

The film belongs to Masina, and we cannot help but wonder if Fellini created Juliet of the Spirits for the actress because of his reported years of cheating. Regardless, Masina plays a confident woman on the outside- insecure on the inside, flawlessly.

With her expressive eyes and a nice smile, Masina enthusiastically embraces the role, making her a perfect fit for a Fellini film.

Juliet of the Spirits mixes several film genres, including fantasy, drama, and light comedy, and contains interesting supporting characters.

Suzy’s seemingly clairvoyant mother is a great side character. Upon meeting Giulietta, she immediately sees that the woman is troubled. Giulietta’s father, whom we meet when she is a little girl appearing in a religious play, is boisterous and spirited.

I was fortunate enough to stay at the Grand Hotel in Rome, a lavish yet strange establishment where Fellini spent many nights as a guest. While watching Juliet of the Spirits, I fantasized that he drew inspiration for this film from the hotel.

The grand red textures, which appear in both the hotel and the Fellini film, could have created a truly inspiring facility.

Stalwart, creative, and masterful director Fellini once again crafts a stylish film that warrants thoughtful consideration after a solid viewing.

Too much analysis, however, will ruin the enchanting experience. Juliet of the Spirits (1965) is best enjoyed as a treat that will mesmerize you in glamorous fashion.

Oscar Nominations: Best Art Direction, Color, Best Costume Design, Color

#189 Favorite Film, 1975 Films, Burgess Meredith, Donald Sutherland, Drama, Geraldine Page, Gloria LeRoy, Jackie Earle Haley, John Hillerman, John Schlesinger, Karen Black, Natalie Schafer, Richard Dysart, Satire, Top 250 Films, William Atherton

The Day of the Locust-1975

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The Day of the Locust-1975

Director John Schlesinger

Starring William Atherton, Karen Black, Donald Sutherland

Top 250 Films #189

Scott’s Review #1,460

Reviewed January 16, 2025

Grade: A

I love films set in Los Angeles, especially those dealing with Hollywood and/or the dark underbelly of the City of Angels. With its lights and allure, there is a murky side laden with drama, jealousy, and loneliness.

John Schlesinger’s dark period piece The Day of the Locust (1975) examines the bleak lives of several aspiring people in 1930s Hollywood, just before World War II.

The prominent themes are alienation and desperation, whose aspirations of success do not come true, emphasizing the sad saying, ‘The road to Hollywood is paved with broken dreams.’

It’s a brilliant adaptation by screenwriter Waldo Salt, based on Nathanael West’s 1939 novel of the same title. The film horrifically depicts the Hollywood film industry in all its artificial glitz and glamour.

In 1930s Los Angeles, sunny Hollywood shined like a beacon to helpless people across the city who were looking for fame, fortune, or a quick buck.

In one apartment block, blond bombshell Faye Greener (Black) aspires to be an actress, artist Tod Hackett (Atherton) seeks legitimacy, and a frightening child actor named Adore (Jackie Earle Haley) performs a grotesque homage to Mae West.

Introverted accountant Homer Simpson (Donald Sutherland) watches as society collapses under greed and ambition.

From a romantic standpoint, Homer and Tod vie for Faye’s affection in a tragic triangle fraught with jealousy and competition.

Schlesinger knows his way around dark, influential, intelligent films. He created stalwarts such as Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Sunday Bloody Sunday (1975), both unconventional and controversial, the former being the only film ever to win Best Picture and garnering an X rating.

The Day of the Locust is no different.

There is scarcely a likable character in the cast, but I ascertain that Tod is the most stable and trustworthy in the rogues gallery.

He appears grounded and the voice of reason, though he mocks Homer later on at a party, so he’s not exactly Prince Charming. He arrives to work as an art department production illustrator at a major film studio and rents an apartment in the same community as the other characters.

Gently, he places a lovely flower in a crack in the wall.

Tod is smitten with Faye, a callous vixen who beds not one, not two, not three, but four men and makes no bones about it. Not exactly a feminist, she is more concerned with rising to move star status at any cost.

We meet Faye as she works as an extra in a lavish production. She smacks gum and then snaps into character as a royal sophisticate, revealing a tacky and tawdry presence to the audience.

Later, during the grand finale, she tries to glimpse the big stars arriving in limos at a premiere event at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, one in a crowd of thousands.

She’s a lost soul, filled with self-deluded importance, desperately wanting the spotlight in whatever form she can.

Her father is played by Burgess Meredith, who nearly steals the show as an elderly, washed-up ex-vaudevillian.

Despite the outstanding performances, the production design and cinematography are flawless and seamlessly portray what life was like in Hollywood in the early days.

My favorite sequences are in the movie sets filled with pizazz, glamour, and intricacies.

The most significant scene, though, occurs at the star-studded event, a premiere of The Buccaneer, when all hell breaks loose, and a tragic death occurs, leading to subsequent bloodshed and further death and destruction.

It’s a spectacle, supposed to be the movie event of the year, with champagne and the ultimate celebration of film, but the stark nature of one’s rage overtakes the beautiful moment.

During this pivotal scene, we see the darkness of humanity counterbalanced against the glitz and glamour of movie stars.

Schlesinger masterfully takes us through this journey of human depravity with flawless ease.

The Day of the Locust (1975) is a brilliant film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor-Burgess Meredith, Best Cinematography

#190 Favorite Film, 1974 Films, Crime Drama, Drama, Keith Carradine, Louise Fletcher, Robert Altman, Shelley Duvall, Top 250 Films

Thieves Like Us-1974

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Thieves Like Us-1974

Director Robert Altman

Starring Keith Carradine, Shelley Duvall

Top 250 Films #190

Scott’s Review #1,071

Reviewed October 16, 2020

Grade: A

The first time I saw Thieves Like Us (1974) I was not blown away. I have forgotten what my original gripe was, but my lackluster star rating on Netflix years ago is confirmation of such.

All is now forgiven and like a fine wine, this film gets better and better with each viewing.

It’s a gangster film, but a heart-wrenching story containing one of the sweetest romances in cinema history.

Based on the novel of the same name by Edward Anderson, director Robert Altman, famous for allowing his actors to ad-lib their lines to their heart’s content and peppering his films with overlapping, “real-life” dialogue, limits this technique this time around.

His stars, Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall, regular fixtures in his films, are the main attraction, but supporting players like Louise Fletcher, Bert Remsen, and John Schuck give tremendous performances.

Set in the 1930s United States, Deep South Mississippi, the time-period and location are key elements to the success of the film.

Having never set foot in this geographical area, I nonetheless found myself escaping there and ruminating about what it would have been like to live there in the Great Depression era.

The many outdoor sequences with trees, forests, country roads, and home-cooked meals provide a luminous atmosphere and texture.

Small-town living never felt so good and cozy.

Wisely, Altman steers clear of any racial overtones or dialogue within the film. The film is not about that.

There appear many black characters mostly in the background, townspeople scenes, or as prisoners which add flavor. But they are represented as living among other folks without any aggression or stereotypes. They simply are and it feels like the South.

Altman crafts an experience of understated, good storytelling, proving a quality film can be quiet and proud, not needing explosive bells and whistles to prove showy. The dialogue crackles on its own and is smart.

The plot is compelling. Bowie (Carradine) is an escaped convict who embarks on a crime spree with fellow former prisoners Chicamaw (John Schuck) and T-Dub (Bert Remsen). While in hiding between bank robberies, Bowie meets a young woman named Keechie (Duvall), and the two quickly fall in love.

A life of crime doesn’t sit well with Keechie, however, so she and Bowie try to settle down, but the law is determined to bring him to justice.

The fun is in watching romance blossom between Bowie and Keechie. Despite Bowie being a criminal, his character contains sweetness and purity that match like a glove with the whimsical truth and simplicity of Keechie.

Throughout the length of the film, I compared the characters to the legendary icons, Bonnie and Clyde, from the self-titled cinema masterpiece.

They are similar but different. The pair sit quietly on the front porch talking about life and the future, optimistically planning their lives together unaware of what fate has in store for them. Their innocence and their goofy humor made me fall in love with them.

The relationship between the three men is apt. They have each other’s backs and are loyal to a fault. The men are convicts and cause death and injury, but there is a humanity that Altman gives to each character.

We do not think of them as derelicts.

When Bowie poses as a sheriff to break Chickamaw from prison, we root for the escape and not for the warden. Bowie kills the warden, shocking Chickamaw. Even with dispute comes caring between the men.

It does take patience to get into this film, probably I did not give the film its due on my first watch. Once the film ended I was left with a feeling of having experienced something of value and an artistic cinematic visionary story.

The homespun characters eating a feast of meat and southern biscuits and discussing the day’s events are rich and atmospheric.

Carradine and Duvall would reunite a year later in another Altman masterpiece, Nashville (1975) playing vastly different characters, both unlikable, so a recommendation is to watch both films back to back to appreciate the dizzying morphed characterization.

Thieves Like Us (1974) is no mere opening act for Nashville but of a different ilk.

The film is a treasure.

#191 Favorite Film, 1967 Films, Barbara Parkins, Darlene Conley, Drama, Jacqueline Susann, Lee Grant, Mark Robson, Patty Duke, Paul Burke, Richard Dreyfuss, Sharon Tate, Susan Hayward, Tony Scotti, Top 250 Films

Valley of the Dolls-1967

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Valley of the Dolls-1967

Director Mark Robson

Starring Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Sharon Tate

Top 250 Films #191

Scott’s Review #657

Reviewed July 3, 2017

Grade: A-

Based on the best-selling novel written by Jacqueline Susann a year earlier, the film version of Valley of the Dolls (1967) has become a cult classic in the years following release- it has earned the dubious description of “it’s so bad it’s good”.

The film dives headfirst into the soapy, dramatic world of Hollywood and Broadway, and the trials and tribulations three young women encounter as they try to “make it” in the backstabbing business.

The film teeters on camp, but it is a favorite of mine, as I love the theme of aspiring stars in La La Land. The set design and groovy styles of the late 1960s are also noteworthy.

Bored with her life in sleepy New England, Anne Welles decides to move to the bright lights of Manhattan, seeking fame, fortune, and excitement.

After she lands a secretarial job for an entertainment lawyer, who handles temperamental Broadway star Helen Lawson (Susan Hayward), Anne meets and befriends two other struggling young actresses.

Neely O’Hara (Patty Duke) is a vivacious, gifted singer, and Jennifer North (Sharon Tate) is a gorgeous blonde with limited talent but looks to die for.

The three women wrestle with the ups and downs of show business as they each achieve various levels of success and failure.

The film centers on both the love and the losses of each woman, and at times it’s rather soap-opera-like, especially the bitchy feud between Neely and Helen, but it’s a fun, entertaining experience.

Various men come in and out of the trio’s lives. The “dolls” referenced in the title are a nickname for pills that the girls readily pop, and alcohol is also used in the film.

One interesting aspect of the film I like is that the three women are very different from one another.

Anne is the most sensible of the three and arguably the most intelligent. Neely is wild, reckless, and constantly battles drugs and alcohol, yet she is both the most successful and the most talented. Jennifer is gorgeous but lacks the talent or the vigor to succeed in Hollywood.

Two of the three women do not have happy endings in their stories.

Some are admittedly a bit uneven, especially the performance of Duke as Neely. She plays the role wildly over the top, especially during her shrieking, drug-saddled tirades, but rather than find the performance irritating (some indeed might), I find the role loud, bombastic, yet sympathetic.

We root for Neely because she has talent despite her shortcomings, and she is a likable character to me, as I want her to find happiness.

Also playing up the camp is Hayward, as she fills Helen with fire, spite, and gusto, doing everything to make the audience view her as a queen bitch. Helen was scheduled to be played by the illustrious star Judy Garland (she would have been perfect!), but was reportedly fired for showing up for work drunk.

An enjoyable aspect of Valley of the Dolls is the humor, though sadly, the laughs are not always intentional. The finale involves a catfight between Neely and Helen in the classy ladies’ room of a famed theater.

With sheer delight, Neely yanks off Helen’s bright orange wig to reveal her natural head of hair. In campy fashion, Helen’s real hair is excellent- more shocking would have been if she were bald or had thinning hair, but her hair is bleached blonde and full.

In melodramatic fashion, Helen waltzes out of the theater sans wig.

Valley of the Dolls is a late-night treat that can be enjoyed and not taken overly seriously- the film differs vastly from the actual novel, and even the time (the 1960s versus the 1940s through the 1960s) is changed.

The film was followed by a much campier and satirical film, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, made in 1970 and directed by Russ Meyer.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score

#192 Favorite Film, 1962 Films, Buddy Hackett, Morton DaCosta, Musical, Robert Preston, Ron Howard, Shirley Jones, Susan Luckey, Top 250 Films

The Music Man-1962

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The Music Man-1962

Director Morton DaCosta

Starring Robert Preston, Shirley Jones

Top 250 Films #192

Scott’s Review #929

Reviewed August 9, 2019

Grade: A

The big-screen offering of The Music Man (1962) is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, written by Meredith Wilson, and one of the most upbeat Hollywood renditions of stage productions.

Featuring talented stars like Robert Preston and Shirley Jones, the former appearing in the stage version, the film was one of the biggest hits of the year to be watched and re-watched whenever the mood strikes for sing-along tunes and a cheery story told from a purely Americana viewpoint.

In the summer of 1912, deceitful traveling salesman Harold Hill (Preston) arrives in River City, Iowa, intent on swindling the town folks out of their money. Masquerading as a traveling music instructor, he plans to trick parents into enrolling their kids in a marching band and selling the instruments.

He uses scare tactics to incorporate fear into the gullible parents and romantically sets his sights on the local librarian, Marian (Jones). Marian, distrustful of men, slowly falls in love with Harold, and his plot is eventually discovered, resulting in a witch hunt.

Of the plethora of musical releases bombarding Hollywood throughout the 1950s and 1960s, The Music Man arguably possesses the catchiest tunes and spirit.

It is impossible not to hum along to or tap one’s foot to the songs, which stick in the viewer’s heads for days after watching the addictive production.

My favorites are “Seventy-Six Trombones”, “Gary, Indiana”, and “Pick-a-little, Talk-a-little” as each has distinctive melodies, rhymes, and rapid-fire dialogue.

The soundtrack always pleasures the gloomiest days and speaks volumes about the legs the musical contains.

Besides the tunes, The Music Man’s best aspect is its romantic storyline. Preston and Jones’s chemistry is complete, and they are perfectly cast.

The studio wanted “a big name,” so Preston nearly didn’t make the cut, which would have been a shame. By infusing life and humor into a character who could be perceived as dastardly, he tips the likability scale and makes the character the hero.

Jones is a treasured singer and is just as good as Preston, playing the mousy and serious Marian. Her “slice of the Midwest” innocence and blonde hair portray her as corn-bred, but the actress makes the character work for her. Together, the duo is sensational.

The best sequence in which the pair appears is the remarkable “Marian the Librarian,” a sneaky and naughty number—the most adult rendition. Their mutual attraction becomes evident, and the film brings the audience to its knees at this moment.

The musical is purely a slice of Americana, which may limit its popularity across oceans, but it works and feels authentic. This is no surprise, given that composer Willson hails from the Midwest.

With an uplifting message and a nostalgic ode to a country once filled with promise and innocence, the film is arguably even more critical in today’s divisive environment.

The piece wisely does not celebrate small-town cliches but instead offers a wholesomeness. The townsfolk sing and dance together and celebrate life as a neighborly bunch; this nuance is refreshing.

The supporting cast adds flavor and comedy to the production. A very young child actor, soon-to-be-famous director Ron Howard, offers a heartfelt performance of “Gary, Indiana.”

Character actors Paul Ford and Hermione Gingold offer delightful hysterics as Mayor Shinn and his wife, Eulalie.

Oklahoma (1955) and Picnic (1955) are thematically similar, at least from geographical and time-period perspectives, but distant relatives in mood and drama. All three could be watched in one marathon weekend.

The Music Man (1962) provides the most warmth and, at its conclusion, will fill even the most stone-faced individuals with beaming smiles.

The film version is a perfect example of a stage musical successfully brought to the silver screen with energy and gorgeous singing and dancing.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Scoring of Music-Adaptation or Treatment (won), Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Color, Best Costume Design, Color, Best Film Editing

#193 Favorite Film, 2007 Films, British, David Cronenberg, Drama, Favorite Film of the Year, Mob, Naomi Watts, Tatiana Maslany, Top 250 Films, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel

Eastern Promises-2007

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Eastern Promises-2007

Director David Cronenberg

Starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts

Top 250 Films #193

Scott’s Review #205

70059994

Reviewed December 15, 2014

Grade: B+

Eastern Promises is a 2007 Russian mafia thriller directed by David Cronenberg (The Fly, A History of Violence) that stars Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, and Vincent Cassel.

The film is an uneven experience, seemingly meshing two stories together- one fascinating, one unnecessary.

Watts plays a British-Russian midwife named Anna, who works at a London hospital. She attempts to find the family of Tatiana, a fourteen-year-old girl who dies during childbirth leaving a diary written in Russian along with her newborn.

Anna struggles to unravel the mystery surrounding the girl which ends up involving the mafia.

Mortensen plays Nikolai, the mysterious chauffeur to crime lord Semyon, and Cassel plays Kirill, the disturbed, alcoholic son of Semyon.

The plot segues into a story of a somewhat relationship between Nikolai and Anna that is not quite romantic and also a much more intriguing relationship between Nikolai and Kirill as a brotherhood of sorts develops between them.

This relationship is complex- Kirill wants Nikolai to prove he is a straight male by having sex with one of several female prisoners he and his father keep as part of a sex trafficking group.

During this scene, and a few others, the two men seem close, almost too close, given the sexual nature of what is happening during the scene, so this relationship is left vague, but intriguing nonetheless.

The latter story holds more interest to me, whereas the former seems contrived and rather uninteresting. Was the intention of the film to imply a romantic interest between Anna and Nikolai?

I found zero chemistry between the two and wondered if the audience was supposed to root for them as a couple or not.

The four principal characters in Eastern Promises are interesting to unravel. I found the characters of Nikolai and Kirill complex and interesting.

Not so much with the character of Anna. Why did I not find her so compelling? Besides a skimmed over the mention of how she lost a baby what vested interest did she have in mixing with the Russian mafia and putting her mother and uncle in harm’s way?

Sure, anyone would want to find an orphaned baby’s family, but why not just call the police? This seems like a large plot hole. Conversely, Nikolai is a fascinating, layered character played wonderfully by Mortensen.

What are his true motivations? Is he a good guy or a bad guy? His attempts at being accepted by Semyon and the family to join the mob family make him seem dangerous- but his kindness towards one of the Ukrainian prostitutes is sweet.

Kirill is a despicable character, but what is his sexuality? Does that make him get so drunk and angry? How does one explain his conflict over the baby shifting his character too sympathetic?

Ultimately, Nikolai and Kirill are complicated- Anna and Semyon are more one-note.

I would have preferred the story solely revolve around the mafia family and the Godfather-type scenes, specifically the two throat-slashing scenes violently done, and perhaps leave out Watts’s character and story altogether.

A gritty scene that takes place in a steam room pits Nikolai against two rival mafia men. The scene is long and intense. Mortensen performs the scene completely naked, which adds to the rawness and the brutality of the fight.

It is one of the most masculine scenes I can remember watching.

At times compelling, but riddled with plot holes and requiring some suspension of disbelief, Eastern Promises (2007) is an entertaining Russian mafia film that remains a decent watch.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor-Viggo Mortensen

#194 Favorite Film, 1975 Films, Art, Drama, Giancarlo Giannini, International, International Drama, Italian, Lina Wertmüller, Top 250 Films

Seven Beauties-1975

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Seven Beauties-1975

Director Lina Wertmüller

Starring Giancarlo Giannini, Shirley Stoler, Fernando Rey

Top 250 Films #194

Scott’s Review #1,364

Reviewed June 3, 2023

Grade: A

Italian Director Lina Wertmüller was the first female ever nominated for the coveted Best Director Oscar. She did not win the award but the nomination is a bold victory for women artists in 1975 and a testament to her visionary approach to filmmaking.

With Seven Beauties (1975) she tackles the painful subject of concentration camps during World War II with artistic merit and a powerful message of survival by her lead character, Pasqualino, brilliantly played by Giancarlo Giannini.

Through Pasqualino’s backstory, Wertmüller provides comic relief and a sizzling Italian style. This counterbalances the terrifying German elements with cultural and sometimes humorous sequences set in Italy. Pasqualino’s family hijinks are explored.

Back in 1930s Italy, Pasqualino is a struggling low-level Sicilian thug who accidentally kills a man who disgraced his unattractive and vulnerable sister Concettina (Elena Fiore). He escapes imprisonment by joining the military but goes AWOL when things get too severe.

Eventually, Pasqualino is captured and sent to a concentration camp where he vows to do anything to survive. He attempts to seduce an evil and obese female German camp commander (Shirley Stoler) but this comes at a deadly price.

I’ll argue that Stoler should have received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. Her callous nature only deepens as her character is peeled back and Pasqualino’s hope that she has a glimmer of kindness in her is dashed. She is one of the best screen villains of all time.

Seven Beauties is an art film with gorgeous visuals especially potent in the concentration camp and surrounding forest. The greyness of the camp is perfectly opposite the pizazz of Italy.

As Pasqualino and comrade Francesco wander around the looming German forest the camera points upwards to the sky in a blurry and dizzying form.

At the start of the film, black and white footage of World War II encompasses the screen, and slivers of the tyrants Mussolini and Hitler are displayed.

If not for the macabre dark humor we see in Italy, Seven Beauties might be too much of a downer. Pasqualino’s seven sisters are unattractive and one is living the life of a struggling stripper and prostitute. He also manages to cleverly chop a body to bits and stuff the body parts into suitcases.

Back in Germany, the scenes between Pasqualino and the female commander are frightening. He is forced to provide sexual pleasures in exchange for his survival but when she callously orders him to select six mates to be executed her viciousness is apparent.

Giannini is a fabulous actor and heartbreakingly reveals Pasqualino’s vulnerabilities as the film plows forward. His good-natured innocence is lost forever and the man he winds up as is darker.

But the caveat is that the character is never purely good but rather layered in complexities. Always, Giannini emotes deep expressionism through his powerful green eyes.

Similarities between Seven Beauties and Fellini’s Amarcord (1973) or Fellini’s Roma (1972) are evident. Had I not known Wertmüller directed the film I would have thought Fellini had. This is more so because of the Italy sequences featuring a bevy of zany, homely characters which adds flavor and humor.

Fernando Rey, well-known for playing the villain in The French Connection (1971) appears as a doomed prisoner who ends up in a large tub of shit rather than suffer a forced execution.

The executions are sob-inducing as lines and lines of prisoners being callously shot and killed are tough to watch. But, the core of the film is about the viciousness of humanity and this must never be forgotten.

Wertmüller delivers a masterpiece that I’ve now seen only twice. I plan to watch this film again and again for the content to sink in more.

The comic elements of Seven Beauties (1975) never diminish or lighten the horror of the Nazi’s actions since they are not done in parallel. The back and forth between periods only add value and balance to a powerful subject matter.

Oscar Nominations: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director-Lina Wertmüller, Best Actor-Giancarlo Giannini, Best Screenplay-Written Directly for the Screen

#195 Favorite Film, 1962 Films, Angela Lansbury, Frank Sinatra, Janet Leigh, John Frankenheimer, John McGiver, Laurence Harvey, Political Thriller, Thriller, Top 250 Films

The Manchurian Candidate-1962

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The Manchurian Candidate-1962

Director John Frankenheimer

Starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey

Top 250 Films #195

Scott’s Review #852

Reviewed January 3, 2019

Grade: A

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is an enthralling film that perfectly captures the political landscape of the time and continues to be relevant in present-day politics. Taut mysterious and filled with great twists and turns, the film flows nicely and climaxes with a shocking crescendo.

With compelling performances by all and a brilliant musical score, the film fires on all cylinders and can be watched and enjoyed repeatedly.

Events began in 1952 during the bloody Korean War. A United States platoon consisting of several men is accosted by the Soviets and sent to communist China for experimentation.

Three days later, the men return as if nothing happened, and Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) is proclaimed a hero and awarded the Medal of Honor for saving the men’s lives. When the war ended, the men returned to the United States to resume their everyday lives.

Years later, Captain Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) suffers from recurring nightmares in which Shaw murders two missing soldiers in front of a panel in a bizarre brainwashing demonstration. When another soldier in the platoon has the same nightmares, Army Intelligence begins an investigation.

Further complicating the plot is Raymond’s ambitious mother, Eleanor Iselin (Angela Lansbury), and her attempt to use any means necessary to guide her husband, Senator Iselin (James Gregory), to further power.

The Manchurian Candidate is a film that requires attention to appreciate and understand.

The plot is highly complex, but that is a testament to the film’s composition and hardly a complaint. The viewer must stay on course to appreciate the intricate details.

Director John Frankenheimer is fantastic at adding unique dramatic effects and imaginative film-making. A prime example is the brainwashing sequence, as dialogue is interspersed between what the soldiers think is happening (a peaceful grandmotherly horticulture demonstration) and reality (a dastardly experiment involving murder and programming).

Despite Sinatra being billed as the lead in the film, the most treasured props go to Lansbury as Eleanor and Harvey as Shaw. Raymond is the most developed character, and he has several sides. He is primarily a loner who appears cold and harsh due to his being programmed to assassinate.

A sequence involving the love of his life, Jocelyn (Leslie Parrish), and a romantic summer they share is beautiful and innocent, contrasting with the dismal and manufactured “new Raymond.”

Lansbury has never been cast in a more challenging role. Eleanor is determined to stop at nothing to ensure her husband will reach the presidency and connives and cheats her way to the top. Still, the part is written as such to avoid making her a complete one-note character despite her ways.

In an eerie scene close to the finale, she vows payback for what has been done to Raymond and then plants an incestuous kiss on his lips. An odd and disturbing moment, the scene also justifies in her mind the lengths she has gone to get what she wants.

The musical score is lovely and contradicts the dour backstabbing and espionage throughout. Romantic and sweet melodies abound, and classic hymns like The Twelve Days of Christmas and The Star-Spangled Banner are included in the film.

As a result, The Manchurian Candidate’s score feels multi-faceted, patriotic, and artistic with enchanting results.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is a stellar film with a perfect blend of thrills, deceit, politics, and creative filmmaking to make it a bold classic. The final sequence is jaw-dropping in its finality and brutality.

Remade in 2004 with a great cast yet a poor script, avoid that one at all costs and enjoy the power and lasting effects of the original.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actress-Angela Lansbury, Best Film Editing

#196 Favorite Film, 1978 Films, Christopher Plummer, Curtis Hanson, Daryl Duke, Elliott Gould, John Candy, Susannah York, Thriller, Top 250 Films

The Silent Partner-1978

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The Silent Partner-1978

Director Daryl Duke

Starring Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer

Top 250 Films #196

Scott’s Review #1,120

Reviewed March 10, 2021

Grade: A-

The Silent Partner (1978) is an exceptionally thrilling film that is relatively unknown to most moviegoers but is well-regarded by cinema lovers, especially fans of 1970s relics.

Watching the film in tandem with Brian DePalma’s clever and steamy Dressed to Kill (1980) one will immediately notice some similarities and will be able to draw comparisons.

Might have DePalma even patterned his film after The Silent Partner?

Even the finest of directors borrow snippets of greatness from other directors. That’s the way it works.

It’s a shame so few realize that the film even exists.

Starring Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer, admittedly the late 1970s was not the best-known time for Plummer but saw Gould in his heyday.

The film also is peppered with notable sequences reminiscent of Frances Ford Coppola’s 1974 masterpiece, The Conversation.

I can best describe the film as a Canadian heist film but this might imply that it’s cookie-cutter or generic in some way. It’s not. It’s not even a “guy film”- it’s way more cerebral than that.

There is a style and momentum in The Silent Partner that is individual with unique and unexpected trimmings along the way. The cat-and-mouse dynamic adds trickery and a murky nature that makes the film work.

Daryl Duke, unfamiliar to me and primarily known for television work, is at the helm as director, crafting from a screenplay written by Curtis Hanson.

Hanson adapted his work from a Danish novel and should be familiar to movie fans for his participation in the thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) and the neo-crime thriller L.A. Confidential (1997).

Miles Cullen (Elliott Gould) plods along during the holidays at his bank teller job at the local mall. It’s Christmastime and Miles is down because he attempted to ask out his co-worker Julie Carver (Susannah York), who is more interested in dating their married boss- for now!

After discovering a secret plot by the mall Santa Claus (Christopher Plummer)to rob the bank at which he works, Miles cunningly hides a large portion of the cash in his safe deposit box.

After the robbery, it is discovered that Santa is a deranged master criminal named Harry Reikle.  He discovers that he’s been duped by Miles and puts horrific pressure on Cullen to hand over the money.

I adore the added romantic angle that blossoms amid the cat-and-mouse antics between Miles and Harry. No sooner than Julie softens toward Miles a mysterious and gorgeous woman enters the scene claiming to know Miles’s father.

Elaine (Celine Lomez) is flirtatious and immediately wants to bed Miles but what is she up to?

From a character perspective, Miles and Harry are great studies. Related to the aforementioned films, Miles exhibits qualities similar to Harry Call in the brilliant The Conversation. Suspicious, paranoid, and intelligent, he is the perfect counterpart to Harry.

Michael Caine played a transvestite in Dressed to Kill and Harry’s mascara, long nails, and fishnet top made me feel he possessed those qualities though the film never confirms this.

Psychologically speaking, Harry is disturbed based on his treatment and the perceived hatred he expresses towards women. He picks up and beats a young prostitute unconscious.

Is there a gay vibe? Most certainly especially when Harry looks longingly at Miles during more than one scene as he watches Miles in his apartment and proclaims, “You know we are partners, right?”

Plummer is great and I can’t recall seeing any role of his being so villainous and he plays it superbly. A far cry from the musical patriarch in The Sound of Music (1965).

The Silent Partner contains one of the most gruesome murder scenes I’ve witnessed in cinema. It involves decapitation and a fish tank and is so shocking and unexpected that viewers may audibly gasp during the scene.

Nearly rivaling this is the great finale and a justified death on the mall escalator. It is fun to revisit the time when malls were flocked to, especially during the Christmas holidays.

The Santas, decorations, big crowds, and music made The Silent Partner walk down memory lane.

A great and sadly lost gem, The Silent Partner (1978) is a film for movie lovers to check out, embrace, and fall in love with. A perfect watch would be around the Christmas holidays.

Hopefully, with due word of mouth, this film will be rediscovered.

#197 Favorite Film, #26 Favorite Horror Film, 1975 Films, Horror, Katharine Ross, Mary Stuart Masterson, Science Fiction, Thriller, Top 250 Films, Top 40 Horror Films

The Stepford Wives-1975

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The Stepford Wives-1975

Director Bryan Forbes

Starring Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss

Top 250 Films #197

Top 40 Horror Films #26

Scott’s Review #1,395

Reviewed September 4, 2023

Grade: A

The Stepford Wives (1975) is a film that has deservedly achieved cult status over the years and its title became iconic in meaning.

Everyone knows what a ‘Stepford wife’ is and what it depicts. Usually, a tall, leggy, brainless rich white woman from Connecticut is a sufficient enough image.

The film is a personal treasure to me since I am a resident of said state. The fact that ‘Stepford’ sounds like ‘Stamford’ where I live is uncanny and ironic. The film was shot in various areas of Connecticut so it’s fun to see the towns, grocery stores, and houses in the mid-1970s.

It also resonates quite well with my husband who lived in Manhattan for many years and then transplanted to nearby Connecticut just like the main characters do.

Besides my fondness, it’s a damned good thriller. It paces nicely and takes its time getting to the stunning conclusion.

The film was written by William Goldman (All the Presidents Men-1976), who based his screenplay on Ira Levin’s 1972 novel of the same name. Levin also wrote Rosemary’s Baby which was turned into a 1968 film.

The Stepford Wives and Rosemary’s Baby would make an outstanding double feature.

Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) moves to the quiet town of Stepford, Connecticut, with her husband Walter (Peter Masterson) and children. The town seems idyllic and maybe just a little too perfect for her tastes.

Along with best friend and fellow Stepford resident Bobby (Paula Prentiss), the women notice that the other housewives are not quite ‘normal’. They obsess over housework and are willingly subservient to their husbands.

Joanna and Bobby are determined to solve the mystery especially when they realize there used to be a large women’s liberation group in Stepford.

In a lesser film, the final product could dive headfirst into campy horror. A tepid remake made in 2004 and starring Nicole Kidman did. But the original version stays the course and provides thrills and psychological facets.

The audience knows pretty soon that the men have a secret club that women are not permitted to attend. Named the Men’s Association, a major clue surfaces when Walter invites the men over to his house and they secretly look Joanna up and down.

What we don’t know is the how. Joanna, Bobby, and another neighbor Charmaine Wimperis (brilliantly played by Tina Louise) are the only ‘normal’ wives. Realizing which one of them is the next intended victim is part of the fun.

The women’s portraits are drawn by one of the men and we learn that the previous women have ‘turned’ after going away on a romantic weekend with their husbands.

What’s inside the creepy mansion that holds the Men’s Association meetings? Will Joanna sneak inside? What will happen next?

Delicious sequences occur that reveal that housewives are robots. After a minor fender bender in the local shopping center parking lot, Carol (Nanette Newman) begins acting strangely at an outdoor cocktail party. She repeatedly frets and repeats the same line over and over again.

Her husband blames her odd behavior on alcohol but the audience knows better.

Unforgettable is the stellar grocery store finale when the women are dressed to the nines and robotically shuffle through the aisles. They absent-mindedly take items off the shelves and place them into their carts while acknowledging each other with a pleasant ‘Hello, Charmaine”, or “Hello, Carol”.

My favorite scene is close to the finale between Bobby and Joanna. Horrified at Bobby’s transition to an uptight, well-dressed housewife obsessed with a clean kitchen, Joanna impulsively plunges a butcher knife into Bobby’s midsection.

With no bloodshed proving Bobby is a robot, Bobby calmly scolds Joanna by saying over and over again, “Now why would you do a thing like that?”

The scene is creepy, startling, and powerful given the close relationship between the women.

These scenes and others make The Stepford Wives (1975) part of pop culture and a reason I can watch the film several times over.

Featuring a cast of good actors led by Ross who successfully provides Joanna with both likability and sensibility the film is never over the top or ridiculous.

#198 Favorite Film, #27 Favorite Horror Film, 1955 Films, French, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Horror, International, International Horror, International Thriller, Paul Meurisse, Simone Signoret, Thriller, Top 250 Films, Top 40 Horror Films, Véra Clouzot

Diabolique-1955

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Diabolique-1955

Director Henri-Georges Clouzot

Starring Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, Paul Meuisse

Top 250 Films #198

Top 40 Horror Films #27

Scott’s Review #878

Reviewed March 16, 2019

Grade: A

Diabolique (1955) is a masterful French thriller as compelling as frightening. It will have an insurmountable influence on future generations.

Shamefully remade and Americanized in 1996, starring Sharon Stone, a waste of time if you ask me, the original is the one to discover.

The film perfectly blends psychological intrigue, never-ending suspense, and even a good mix of horror that Hitchcock would find impressive (more about him later). Its pacing and frequent twists and turns make it brilliant.

Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, Les Diaboliques is set in a crumbling boarding school in Paris. Sadistic headmaster Michel Delassalle (Paul Meuisse) runs a tight ship but works for his Venezuelan wife, Christina (Vera Clouzot), who owns the school.

Michel is immersed in a torrid affair with schoolteacher Nicole Horner (Simone Signoret) and regularly abuses both women as well as his students. The two women embark on a plot to kill Michel, but when they succeed in their plan, Michel’s body goes missing.

The women panic.

In a few fun trivia tidbits, director Clouzot optioned the screenplay rights right after finishing Wages of Fear (1953), preventing Hitchcock from making the film. This movie helped inspire Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960).

Robert Bloch himself, the author of the novel version of Psycho, has stated in an interview that his all-time favorite horror film is Diabolique. If the film displays nuances incorporated in Psycho, this is undoubtedly the reason.

Clouzot also directs his wife, Vera, in the prominent role of Christina.

Hitchcock could have made the brilliance since the entire experience has his stamp and influence even though his best works lay ahead of him in 1955.

Still, from the Gothic mood to the “can’t believe your eyes” twisted, blood-curdling ending, the director immediately comes to mind every time I watch the film. The “shock” ending only exceeds expectations with a fantastic delivery.

The film takes an unusual stance on the dynamic between the two women, Christina and Nicole. Rather than take a traditional route and make the women rivals for the man’s affections, Clouzot makes the pair co-conspirators.

This only deepens their relationship as events unfold and take a darker and more dire turn.

They rely on each other as teammates rather than despise each other over their love for another man. Intelligently, they spend their energy ensuring the insipid man gets his just comeuppance for his dirty deeds.

Nicole leads Christina in the direction she needs to go.

The black-and-white cinematography is highly influential on the mood. With each unexpected twist or scene of peril, the lighting radiates suspense. The camera juxtaposes the frequent glowing of the white against the dark black, exuding a frightening, ghost-like presentation.

The entire setting of the school is laden with dark corners that provide good elements of foreboding and sinister moments to come.

As the women become more and more unnerved by the limitless possibilities that the missing body presents, many questions are asked but are impossible to answer. “Where is the body?”, “Could Michel be alive?” “If he is alive, is he hell-bent on revenge?” The viewer will also ask these questions throughout most of the final half.

When an unknown person begins to call the women, the questions multiply.

Clouzet uses frequent shots of objects to enhance the tension even further. There are close-ups of a dripping bathtub, a typewriter with a man’s hat and gloves, a woman’s feet as she removes her shoes, and a woman running in terror through the school.

These facets only enhance the overall experience as the suspense and the terror begin to mount.

Diabolique (1955) is considered one of the greatest thrillers of all time, and I concur with this assessment. A French version of Psycho (1960) that combines an acclaimed director’s ingenious subtle ideas into a giant web of delicious filmmaking.

The surprise ending is never seen coming, even if the viewer thinks they have the plot figured out. This point alone is reason enough for the film to realize its greatness.

#199 Favorite Film, #28 Favorite Horror Film, 1973 Films, British, British Horror, Britt Ekland, Christopher Lee, Edward Woodward, Horror, Top 250 Films, Top 40 Horror Films

The Wicker Man-1973

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The Wicker Man-1973

Director Robin Hardy

Starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee

Top 250 Films #199

Top 40 Horror Films #28

Scott’s Review #245

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Reviewed May 31, 2015

Grade: B+

The Wicker Man is a cult horror film from 1973 that is considered one of the finest by horror critics.

While the film does not enamor me quite as much as some other favorites in the horror genre (Halloween, Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, Dressed to Kill, and Suspiria) immediately spring to mind while thinking of 1970s-style horror gems, I cannot help but admire The Wicker Man’s creativity and religious overtones.

Despite not awarding the film a solid “A” rating, I look forward to viewing this film again and, perhaps over time, as some films do, it will see an adjustment in scoring.

Set on an island in the Scottish Hebrides, named Summerisle, a devout Christian (Edward Woodward) named Sergeant Howie travels to the island in search of a missing young girl named Rowan Morrison, thought to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

The inhabitants are vague, aloof, or hostile towards the policeman. He immediately is disturbed to notice the group worships Celtic gods and notices other strange acts of worship and sexual behavior (a naked dance), which he resists and disapproves of.

He is tempted by a gorgeous seductress, Willow, played by Britt Ekland- most notably known as a Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun, and butts heads with the island leader, Lord Summerisle, played by horror legend Christopher Lee.

As he attempts to locate the missing girl, he uncovers some very dark goings-on around the island as the annual Mayday harvest celebration is about to occur. He deduces that Rowan is slated to be the sacrifice at the celebration and he races to find her before it is too late.

But is there more to the island than meets the eye?

The Wicker Man is not mainstream fare and that is what I admire most about it, as well as its British flare. It strives to challenge the norm in horror and question who is right and who is wrong and who the audience should champion.

Religion and the occult have been portrayed in horror films for eons, but rarely given a normal face. Typically, the villains are scary, horrid, or even cartoonish, clearly defined as bad.

Despite all of the townspeople being in on the sacrifice, they are seemingly ordinary appearing. They raise their kids, farm, run stores, and teach the kids in a classroom setting.

On the surface, they appear wholesome and that is part of what makes The Wicker Man so scary. Rosemary’s Baby did the same thing.

Typically, any sort of satanic overtones or human/animal sacrifices, frighten audiences, especially if the culprits could be their neighbors, friends, or even loved ones. The realness is unnerving.

Differing, controversial, religious beliefs are a prevalent theme throughout The Wicker Man as are elements of good vs. evil.

The film is not predictable. It delves into questions of morals and beliefs- for example, Howie is a virgin- saving himself for marriage and trying to be a good, decent person.

He is the moral center of the film and, in his belief, everyone on the island is either perverted, crazy or a sinner.

By this logic, Howie looks down on others who are dissimilar to him and comes across as preachy. I do not get the impression that the film wants the audience to love Howie- or hate him.

The balance between the old gods (Christianity) and new gods (Celtic paganism) makes the film interesting.

The shocking conclusion involving an enormous, life-sized burning wicker man is terrifying beyond belief and by far the best part of the film, as the hero must come to terms with his fate.

The final thirty minutes are quite spectacular from the final twist through the ending.

My lack of an exceptional grade for The Wicker Man stems from it being a tad too slow-moving. Perhaps a few additional jumps or frights along the way would have been beneficial, but, on the other hand, it is not a scary film, nor does it try to be.

It is, however, quite intelligent and, I suspect will increase my enjoyment with each subsequent viewing.

A fine addition to the relics of classic horror, The Wicker Man (1973) is a creative, mysterious, and left-of-the-center film.

#200 Favorite Film, 1979 Films, Beverly D'Angelo, Favorite Film of the Year, Milos Forman, Musical, Top 250 Films, Treat Williams

Hair-1979

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Hair-1979

Director Milos Forman

Starring Treat Williams, John Savage, Beverly D’Angelo

Top 250 Films #200

Scott’s Review #664

Reviewed July 14, 2017

Grade: B+

Hair is a 1979 musical film that, in addition to catchy singing and dance numbers, possesses quite a serious theme- that of the Vietnam War.

This film is not your traditional Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer style musical prevalent in the 1950s. Rather, the entire experience is a unique one with an underlying dark tone and is presumably a message film with a liberal slant.

Made in 1979, set in the late 1960s, Hair centers primarily around two young men, along with a bevy of hippie friends, while most of the action is set in New York City.

Despite the time, the film does not always succeed in the authenticity category- many of the costumes and hairstyles scream the late 1970’s. The film also has the late 1970s “look”, on the cusp of the 1980s with poofy hair associated with the times.

This forces the viewer to escape into a world largely of make-believe.

Claude (John Savage) is a naïve young man from folksy Oklahoma, having lived a sheltered and religious life,  proper and away from big city living.  He is drafted and sent to the Big Apple, where he will wait for the assignment.

Charismatic Berger (Treat Williams) and company befriend Claude after he gives them spare change, soon becoming the best of friends. Claude falls in love with socialite Sheila Franklin (Beverly D’Angelo) in town from neighboring Westchester County, NY and a love story ensues.

When Claude, Berger, and company interrupt a lavish dinner party hosted by Sheila’s parents, a hilarious yet informative scene develops.  While  Sheila secretly is gleeful at the arrival of her new friends, Sheila’s parents are none too pleased, which results in a standoff between Berger and  Sheila’s family.

Partly comical, this scene also displays the severe class distinctions between many of the characters.

The rest of the film centers on the friend’s antics involving drug use, and relationship trials and tribulations, and culminates in a cross-country drive to desperately see Claude before he is shipped to Vietnam.

Multiple scenes involve songs concerning the turbulent race issues of the times- my personal favorites are the opening number, “Aquarius” and the scandalous, “Black Boys” and “White Boys”, performed by Nell Carter.

Never one to be disappointed with a film set in Manhattan, Hair is a film basking in fantasy and the entire production seems to be one big dream as the carefully crafted musical numbers interspersed with the more dramatic elements.

Still, much of the film consists of the group prancing around Manhattan, and wonderful areas such as Washington Square Park are featured as well as several changes of seasons, giving the film a slice-of-life feel.

My favorite performance is that of Treat Williams as Berger. Part showman, part jokester, and part earnest, he fills the role with dynamic energy that comes full circle in the last act when he drastically changes his appearance for the sake of a friend.

The ending of the film is melancholy and an inevitable reminder of the coldness and finality of war about human life.

The encompassing song is “Let the Sunshine In”, a powerful and worthy conclusion to the film as the gang visits Arlington National Cemetery, to join an anti-war peace rally and say goodbye to a friend.

The film version of Hair (1979) may be drastically changed from the stage musical version,  a version I shamefully have yet to see, but on its own merits, the film is a poignant, powerful, and wholly entertaining musical adventure.

#201 Favorite Film, 1977 Films, Bernardo Bertolucci, Burt Lancaster, Donald Sutherland, Drama, Epic, Gerard Depardieu, Period Drama, Robert De Niro, Stefania Sandrelli, Top 250 Films

1900 (Novecento)-1977

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1900 (Novecento)-1977

Director Bernardo Bertolucci

Starring Robert De Niro, Gerard Depardieu

Top 250 Films #201

Scott’s Review #984

Reviewed January 28, 2020

Grade: A

An epic to rival all epics, 1900 (Novecento) (1977) is a grandiose offering of monumental proportions featuring legendary actors and created by a brilliant director.

With a running time of a whopping three-hundred and seventeen minutes in its original version, 1900 is known for being one of the longest commercially released films ever made.

The cinematography is breathtaking, and the historical values, like friendship, class distinction, and rivalry are outlined and explored in depth.

The key is to let the experience marinate and blossom with a slow and patient build.

Brilliant director Bernardo Bertolucci’s tale follows the lives of two Italian men, a peasant named Olmo (Gerard Depardieu) and landowner Alfredo, (Robert De Niro), both ironically born on January 1, 1900.

Inseparable as children, the two become estranged as their differing social status pulls them apart. Their conflicts mirror the political events in Italy, as both fascism and socialism gained prominence in the country.

Here is a bit of background on the film.

Due to its length, the film was presented in two parts when originally released in many countries, including Italy, East, and West Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Colombia, Pakistan, and Japan.

In other countries, such as the United States, a single edited-down version of the film was released.

The latter is not the way to watch this film. I do not like severely edited films, especially in an epic such as 1900, so the full-length version is highly recommended.

The film opens on April 25, 1945, the day Italy is liberated from the fascists, and this is key to the political message Bertolucci crafts. As peasants revolt against the owner of the land, Alfredo (De Niro), and female laborers wield deadly pitchforks, the resulting ambiance is one of chaos.

We know nothing of Alfredo yet but know enough to realize he is rich and perceived as a tyrant. The natural reaction is to sympathize with them because they are oppressed.

As the film backtracks to the turn of the century, a more elegant scene emerges with the birth of two infants, Alfredo and Olmo. The sequence is sweet, both babies are bright and filled with promise.

Sadly, this is not meant to be.

A railway track is an important addition to the film and one that culminates in the climactic finale.

The most interesting aspect of the film is the dynamic development of Alfredo and Olmo as they grow. Alfredo resents his family’s wealth and sides with Olmo, a socialist. Alfredo sees his family as false and Olmo and his family as genuine.

This aspect is timeless and can be related to by any viewer with any intelligent sense of the world today. The obvious analogy of the haves and have-nots cannot be clearer in this film. Frightening, is that some have-nots are convinced they will one day become the haves.

The messages and feelings that 1900 elicited are emotional and strong. Aren’t all men created equal? On the surface they are, but Alfredo and Olmo are not equal. As the birth scene reveals and as Bertolucci makes clear, they are born with advantages and disadvantages.

These characteristics simply are what they are, and as human beings grow and learn social norms the financial differences become more robust and the humanistic connections weaker.

If the social aspects of the film or the brilliant cinematography are not enough to please a viewer, the historical lessons presented are second to none. One can revel in the political and historical excitement that existed in Europe throughout the forty-five years in which the film is set.

I wish Hollywood made more films like this.

1900 (Novecento) (1977) can be enjoyed as both a grandiose dramatic period piece, revered for its majestic and flourishing design style, or as a thought-provoking message film, about the unresolved social class distinctions that exist in the world.

I found the film a treasure that works on all levels and showcases just how good a director Bertolucci is.

This film is not his best-known work, but for fans of cinema as an art form, this is a must-see.

#202 Favorite Films, 1981 Films, Brian De Palma, Dennis Franz, John Lithgow, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Thriller, Top 250 Films

Blow Out-1981

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Blow Out-1981

Director Brian De Palma

Starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen

Top 250 Films #202

Scott’s Review #574

Reviewed December 31, 2016

Grade: A-

The follow-up to the 1980 masterpiece that was Dressed to Kill, Brian De Palma carves a web of intrigue and mystery with Blow Out, a film starring some of the same cast members from Dressed to Kill (1980) and from 1976’s Carrie.

Comparisons can be drawn to the trio as they are all in the psychological thriller/horror vein- notwithstanding, the predecessors are the superior films.

Blow Out is not quite on the level with those masterpieces but is still a worthy effort and a must-see for fans of De Palma’s work.

John Travolta and Nancy Allen are the stars of the film-recreating their chemistry from Carrie. In that film, the pair are the clear villains, but in Blow Out they are the heroes and have a rooting value.

Dennis Franz appears as a shady thug and John Lithgow is superb as the dastardly  Burke, hired to commit a crime, and enjoying it all too much.

Travolta plays Jack Terry, a sound effects technician, working and living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He works on low-budget horror films and is highly respected for his craft. Alone in a remote park, recording sound, and video, he records a car careening off a bridge into a creek.

He saves Sally (Allen) from the sinking car and this is the point in the film where the intrigue takes off. The driver of the car is a governor and he has died- Sally was having an affair with the governor and his aides are intent on covering this up.

To make matters more complicated, Jack has detected a gunshot on his recording-just before the crash, leading to obvious foul play.

I adore the beginning sequence of the film- my favorite. The film begins as a slasher film, unbeknownst to the audience. A collection of dizzy college girls dance, drink, and shower, as the cameras are placed outside of the dorms.

We see all of the action through the glass windows, then the steady cam is used from the killer’s point of view. This is a highly effective scene and rather humorous too. Inevitably, a creepy killer appears in the shower to butcher one of the college girls until the real beginning of the film starts.

This aspect is clever on the part of  De Palma. Why not trick the audience early and keep them guessing?

Also compelling is the villain of the film- Lithgow. Typically playing sweet-natured characters, it was interesting to see him as a maniacal killer- and reminiscent of the crazed killer from Dirty Harry, in his harried, grotesque facial features.

One particularly chilling scene involves the murder of a prostitute at the train station. I like this scene because the audience gets to know her a bit before she meets her fate- adding a level of empathy for the victim.

Enjoyable are the location sequences of Philadelphia, which give authenticity to the film. Specifically, the train station. Grizzled, dirty, and bustling, the locales set the tone of the film.

The chemistry between Travolta and Allen is decent, though I found more chemistry between them in Carrie. I did not care for Allen’s use of an accent- intended to be a Philadelphia accent, it seemed a New Jersey one to me and simply does not work at all in the film.

This distraction is the only weak point of the film.

All in all, Blow Out is a very good film. It combines mystery, political intrigue, and the famed De Palma stamp- which in itself is worthwhile enough to watch.

Blow Out (1981) contains a dream-like element- as Carrie and Dressed to Kill before it did, which only enhances the mystique. The not so happily-ever-after ending is superb.

#203 Favorite Film, 1975 Films, Al Pacino, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, Sidney Lumet, Top 250 Films

Dog Day Afternoon-1975

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Dog Day Afternoon-1975

Director Sidney Lumet

Starring Al Pacino, Chris Sarandon

Top 250 Films #203

Scott’s Review #185

450423

Reviewed October 13, 2014

Grade: A-

Director Sidney Lumet successfully sets the smoldering hot summer afternoon in New York City for his 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon, as Al Pacino plays Sonny, an unemployed, desperate man who, while married with two kids, has a gay lover, Leon, (brilliantly played by Chris Sarandon) who he is attempting to help finance a sex change operation.

Based on a true story, Sonny, along with his dimwitted friend Sal- played by John Cazale, decides to rob First Brooklyn Savings Bank.

Predictably, their plans go awry when Sonny burns a ledger during the robbery attempt and a pedestrian sees the smoke and alerts the police.

As the police become aware of the attempted heist, a standoff ensues between Sonny and the cops, led by Detective Moretti, played by Charles Durning, and the robbery receives media coverage.

Most of the action is set inside the stifling hot bank and directly outside on the street and gradually the supporting characters come into play- the hostages, Sonny’s mother, wife, and lover all make contact with Sonny in some way or another and his motivations become clearer to the audience.

Dog Day Afternoon is a somewhat message movie that is anti-establishment, in this case, anti-police and questioning of the government and the financial establishment, (Lumet also directed Network, challenging establishment).

This is evidenced when after a standoff with police, the crowd sides with Sonny as he chants Attica! Attica!, which is a direct reference to a recent prison riot.

Sonny speaks for the working class- the poor, struggling, underpaid workers who cannot afford to feed or adequately take care of their families.

The heat and humidity compare perfectly to the pressure felt by most middle-class people that still resonates today and leaves the viewer contemplating his or her life.

Sonny relates to the bank tellers who do not make much money. Besides, Sonny is sympathetic to the audience in another way. Leon, recently hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital, is emotionally dependent on Sonny. He would be lost without him.

They share a lengthy and heartfelt phone conversation that is the heart of the film- gay romance had not been explored this way by 1975 in cinema, and the romance was neither shoved down the audience’s throat nor was it looked past entirely.

Their relationship is tender and deep, yet still somewhat ambiguous.

Would they stay together? What would become of Sonny’s wife and two children? Would he leave them for Leon in a world that was not ready to accept two homosexual men together? Is that the reason for Leon’s desire for a sex change operation?

Chris Sarandon, in too small a part, is wonderful as the gay lover, struggling with a sexual identity crisis. Al Pacino gives, per usual, a brilliant portrayal as he takes on a complex character who is far from one-dimensional.

Perhaps not a masterpiece, Dog Day Afternoon, is a very good film, but neither is it strictly a gay-themed movie nor an action/thriller- it’s more complex than that.

Ironically, Sonny is portrayed as the hero of the film as it is not a standard good police versus bad bank robber type of film- quite the contrary. It is much, much more than that.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Sidney Lumet, Best Actor-Al Pacino, Best Supporting Actor-Chris Sarandon, Best Original Screenplay (won), Best Film Editing

#204 Favorite Film, 1964 Films, Anthony Eisley, Constance Towers, Drama, Film noir, Michael Dante, Samuel Fuller, Top 250 Films, Virginia Grey

The Naked Kiss-1964

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The Naked Kiss-1964

Director Samuel Fuller

Starring Constance Towers, Michael Dante

Top 250 Films #204

Scott’s Review #1,346

Reviewed February 25, 2023

Grade: A

A pure treat for me is seeing a film, especially a classic film, that exudes creativity and a left-of-center approach. In the 1960s, cinema films started to break away from the tried-and-true and safe, telling sinister stories of macabre and unusual human behavior.

Samuel Fuller bravely created The Naked Kiss (1964), a film that goes beyond well-meaning but straightforward offerings. Dusting off the film noir genre, it is riddled with perfections like the tarnished glitter of small-town Americana and the secrets beneath the surface.

It also dares to delve into the lustful and perverse depths of abnormal human psychology, a feat few films achieved in the old days.

The film is a B-movie with black-and-white filmmaking, enhancing its power and lurid nature.

Eager to start a new life, a prostitute named Kelly (Constance Towers) arrives in a small town but finds the sunny veneer and the residents’ cheery, wholesome dispositions to be a sham.

Kelly meets the handsome town sheriff, Griff (Anthony Eisley), and her eventual fiancé, Grant (Michael Dante), but ultimately, both men have something to hide.

Hard to believe, but we do anyway, is the haughty incorporation of a secret small-town brothel with one gorgeous prostitute after another. It is led by the evil madame Candy, portrayed by Virginia Grey.

Constance Towers easily carries the film as Kelly. Towers did not make many films, but later became well-known in theater circles before becoming a legendary villainess on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital.

Kelly is sultry yet highly learned and intelligent. She is not afraid to use her smarts to get ahead. She calculates and wisely pursues opportunities to stay on the straight and narrow while using a man or two to get what she wants and needs.

Despite this, she is kind and revels in caring for children of all colors and backgrounds. She also watches out for her fellow nurses. One of them, Buff, nearly stumbles into a life of prostitution if not for Kelly daringly describing what her new glamorous life would ultimately become.

Thanks to Towers, Kelly relays every possible emotion to the audience, from comedy to love, horror, and controlled manipulation.

I don’t think I’ve seen any other projects by director, writer, and producer Fuller, but I want to. Perhaps only a coincidence since the films were made in the same year, but comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie (1964) are noticed.

Kelly briskly combs her blonde hair while looking into a mirror and smirking, reminiscent of Marnie doing more or less the same in Hitchcock’s classic. Both characters are tall and leggy blondes with a secret or two to hide and damaged psyches to preserve.

They also each arrive in a new town, presumably to start over. Boldly carrying a suitcase and wearing a bright grey business suit, they proudly walk down a suburban street with possibilities ahead.

The Naked Kiss is a very progressive and feminist film.

During the first scene, Fuller shows what few directors ever would- a female character with a shaved head. Kelly has been humiliated for the last time and takes her owed $75 from her pimp. Kelly’s honest personality is revealed in this scene since she could have quickly taken $900 from him and fled.

The cagey and spiteful underbelly of suburban life is exposed. A  pointed critique of small-town hypocrisy and the exploitation of women is nearly at every turn.

Another comparison to the masterpiece The Night of the Hunter (1955) is worth mentioning since the use of child characters in haunting form appears in both films.

The theme of pedophilia is powerful and sickening, but portrayed with a warped sense of a fairy tale.

Finally, the cinematic use of harsh, glowing white light makes many characters appear angelic, which works tremendously well.

Because of Fuller’s direction and Towers’s great acting, Kelly’s character is portrayed well. As a result, we get a character study to savor and a strong female character to root for. Both aggressively champion their respective areas of expertise.

The Naked Kiss (1964) challenges the rules of early 1960s filmmaking and storytelling. It is a brave journey through humankind’s dark natures, breaking every rule as it progresses.

#205 Favorite Film, 1955 Films, Burl Ives, Drama, Elia Kazan, Epic, James Dean, Jo Van Fleet, John Steinbeck, Julie Harris, Lois Smith, Period Drama, Raymond Massey, Richard Davalos, Top 250 Films

East of Eden-1955

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East of Eden-1955

Director Elia Kazan 

Starring James Dean, Julie Harris, Jo Van Fleet

Top 250 Films #205

Scott’s Review #1,092

Reviewed December 17, 2020

Grade: A

James Dean wasn’t with us for very long, tragically dying at the tender age of twenty-four, but he made three films: Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Giant (1956), and East of Eden (1955), all-powerful showcases and unique.

Dean gives a brilliant, humanistic, and sometimes tragic performance.

East of Eden, his first film, is the only one he got to preview. I hope he liked it because it will live forever as a gem.

Based on the John Steinbeck novel of the same name, the story is also a biblical retelling of Cain and Abel, brothers who clash and spar. Director Elia Kazan, famous for supporting and using Method actors in his films, gave a tremendous performance as Dean, which was key to the film’s empathetic nature.

The key to East of Eden is that it reflects on several characters, who are both good and bad, possessing qualities of both, detailing their struggles.

Nobody is completely good or completely bad. The story analyzes good versus evil and the multitude of layers between both extremes, making the experience juicy, truthful, and brilliant.

Set in 1917, during World War I, two sunny coastal California towns are the backdrop for the action. Cal Trask (Dean) perceives his father, farmer Adam (Raymond Massey), as favoring Cal’s brother, Aron (Richard Davalos). This leads to much resentment, jealousy, and conflict. Aron is the apple of Adam’s eye, and we wonder why.

Furthering the drama is Cal’s love for Aron’s girlfriend, Abra (Julie Harris), who doesn’t rebuff any advances. Cal and Aron’s mother, Kate (Jo Van Fleet), who they think is dead, is alive and well and running a brothel in a nearby town. Assuming a different name, she harbors secrets.

Before you get the impression this is some cheesy soap opera, East of Eden, like the novel, is heavily character-driven and nuanced with development. It ultimately draws the audience in and envelops everyone in its simmering qualities.

East of Eden is packed with powerful scenes after powerful scenes, and in more than one, the allegiances and rooting values shift from character to character.

Some of the best moments are when Cal self-destructs after his father refuses his birthday gift, or when Cal cruelly reveals the true nature of their mother’s profession to the innocent and unsuspecting Aron.

Finally, Cal and Abra’s kiss atop a Ferris wheel is filled with smoldering desire and deadly consequences.

The acting was tremendous across the board. Much of the credit must go to Kazan for pulling fabulous performances out of the players, a talent only a Method acting director can achieve.

While the cast is exceptional, the film belongs to Dean, who provides enough emotion and vulnerability to sustain his character’s topsy-turvy, tortured existence. Knowing that the actor died soon after filming gives the film an eerie and sentimental feel.

This is comparable to a more modern-day example when Heath Ledger died after giving a brilliant performance in The Dark Knight (2008).

This is hardly a war film or a guy’s film, as the ladies also get to shine with rich characters. Julie Harris and Jo Van Fleet portray flawed characters in juicy roles rife with meaty scenes filled with conflict.

As with most of Steinbeck’s works, specifically The Grapes of Wrath, the landscape is a character, and East of Eden is no exception. With dusty roads and mountainous backgrounds, events ooze with atmosphere and beauty.

The lush northern coastal California landscape portrays a grandiose magnificence that counterbalances the conflict its inhabitants are experiencing.

The central note to take away from East of Eden (1955) is that we are complex creatures with a mixture of good and evil. We sometimes want to do the right thing, but in doing so, we hurt those we love. The main characters suffer from pain, regret, good intentions, poor decisions, and loss.

The rich dialogue, adaptation, acting, and cinematography make the film near perfection.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Director-Elia Kazan, Best Actor-James Dean, Best Supporting Actress-Jo Van Fleet (won), Best Screenplay

#206 Favorite Film, 1945 Films, Alfred Hitchcock, Favorite Film of the Year, Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman, Leo G. Carroll, Michael Chekhov, Thriller, Top 250 Films

Spellbound-1945

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Spellbound-1945

Director Alfred Hitchcock

Starring Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck

Top 250 Films #206

Scott’s Review #1,015

Reviewed April 24, 2020

Grade: A-

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s early American films, after his voyage from his home base in London to the United States soil, proved profitable and critically acclaimed.

Spellbound (1945) followed Rebecca’s box office and awards success (1940).

Probably the most spoofed of all the Hitchcock works in the 1977 Mel Brooks parody High Anxiety, Spellbound provides a psychological storyboard that uses enough vehicles like amnesia, hypnosis, and danger to impress any daytime soap opera writer.

Not in the director’s top arsenal or remembered well, but a stellar effort.

Youthful Doctor Anthony Edwardes (Gregory Peck) arrives one day at the sprawling Green Manors Mental Asylum as the new director.

After falling for each other immediately, the beautiful Doctor Constance Petersen (Ingrid Bergman) discovers that Edwardes is not who he claims he is. Instead, he is a paranoid amnesiac impostor, more reminiscent of a patient. This gives new meaning to the phrase “the inmates are running the asylum.”

Constance becomes obsessed with answering the following questions: What happened to the real Dr. Edwardes? If Edwardes has been kidnapped or murdered, who is responsible? Who is the gorgeous man she has just fallen head over heels for?

The intelligent psychoanalyst must practice what she preaches by becoming a sleuth and figuring out what is happening. The action occurs in bustling New York City and snowy Rochester, New York.

I love the progressive nature of the story.

To have a leading female character with a lofty professional status is admirable, given the year 1945, when female roles were beginning to evolve.

While most of the roles that Hollywood heavyweight Bette Davis portrayed in the 1930s and 1940s were vital and substantial, this was the exception and not the norm.

Bergman, quite beautiful, does not need to play sex kitten to make her character sexy. She does well with that by wearing glasses and a lab coat, using her character’s intelligence to her advantage.

In 1945, Alfred Hitchcock was still considered a “new” director by most and was only beginning to make his mark on audiences unfamiliar with his work. His cunning and masterful use of lighting and shadows to produce suspense is evident in Spellbound.

The faces of Constance and Anthony glow with a combination of warmth and suspicion, and both are wonderful at eliciting emotion through subdued facial expressions. While Peck is slightly wooden, it does add a dimension to his uncertain character.

With Hitchcock, the atmosphere is everything. The treats are magnificent, like shots of the old Penn Station and Grand Central Station, monumental parts of everyday New York City life. They provide a glimpse of bustling commuter life in the 1940s before most of us were born.

Undoubtedly, many extras and non-actors were used to enrich the scenes and offer what regular people looked like in those days.

As Constance and Anthony team up to determine what secrets lie beneath his subconscious, they board a train for the seclusion of upstate New York, where more secrets are revealed. A heavy dose of psychoanalysis and hypnotism allay the film’s best scene.

Anthony sinks into a dreamlike world where he sees strange objects fraught with symbolism: a man with no face, scissors, playing cards, eyes, and curtains. What do they all mean? Fans will have fun piecing together the clues to solve the mystery.

The works of Salvador Dali, a famous surrealist artist known for bizarre and striking images, are displayed during the dream sequence. Though limited, they envelop the scene with fright and mystique and are a perfect addition to the odd sequence.

Shot in black and white, the final scene adds a blood-red image as a character turns a revolver on themselves and commits suicide. When Anthony drinks a glass of milk, the camera is inside the bottom of the glass, creating a hallucinogenic effect.

While Peck does his best with a peculiar character, Anthony is not as interesting as Constance, Doctor Alex Brulov (Michael Chekhov), or Doctor Murchison (Leo G. Carroll). I would have loved more scenes or a backstory for Brulov, as it would have allowed me to get to know him better.

Anthony has some light annoyances, such as when he inexplicably passes out whenever events become too much for him.

Spellbound (1945) is the perfect accompaniment for a snowy winter night, with its warm and cozy look, soothing atmosphere, and musical score.

Perfect to watch in tandem with High Anxiety (1977) for a double punch of suspense and appreciation for the film, with the humor and satire it furnishes. While not the best of Hitchcock films, it stands proudly on its merits.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Motion Picture, Best Director-Alfred Hitchcock, Best Supporting Actor-Michael Chekhov, Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (won), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Special Effects