Reviews

Story author / producer / director Peter Bogdanovich kept the spirit of 1930s "screwball" comedies - "Bringing Up Baby" in particular - with this riotous farce set in San Francisco. Ryan O'Neal plays Howard Bannister, an uptight, nerdy musicologist in town to apply for a grant, and he gets mixed up in an elaborate plot involving four identical plaid overnight bags - one containing his collection of igneous rocks, one containing valuable jewels belonging to Mrs. Van Hoskins (Mabel Albertson), one containing secret government documents, and one containing the wardrobe of carefree Judy Maxwell (Barbra Streisand), a kooky character who keeps involving herself in Howards' life and causing all sorts of chaos.

The ingenious, cleverly convoluted screenplay is the work of Buck Henry, David Newman, and Robert Benton. It's the kind of story where credibility is gleefully tossed right out the window (nobody ever bothers to check the contents when they first acquire one of the bags). It's all a set-up for some absolutely hilarious gags, and while it would behoove me not to spoil them all, this plot *does* involve one memorable set piece, a masterfully orchestrated vehicle chase through SF locales.

O'Neal is actually very good here, while Streisand is a delight playing her attention-getting, scene-stealing character. They receive *excellent* support from Madeline Kahn (in her film debut), Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Michael Murphy, Sorrell Booke, Stefan Gierasch, Liam Dunn, John Hillerman, George Morfogen, Graham Jarvis, Randy Quaid, and M. Emmet Walsh.

This is top entertainment with high energy and an impressive amount of genuine belly laughs; it's appropriate that it takes its title from Bugs Bunny's catch phrase, since it has a zany comic sensibility to also match any Looney Tunes short.

Highly recommended.

Eight out of 10.

Gene Hackman plays Harry, a Seattle steel worker whose long-term marriage to wife Kate (Ellen Burstyn) is not what it used to be. He seizes upon a chance for newfound happiness by hooking up with sexy barmaid Audrey (Ann-Margret). Of course, by doing so, he must deal with the consequences, knowing that he has deeply hurt his family, especially his angry daughter Sunny (Amy Madigan).

Produced & directed by Bud Yorkin, and wonderfully written by Colin Welland, "Twice in a Lifetime" is the kind of intelligently done, reasonably realistic adult drama some people say we don't get to see often enough. It feels mostly believable throughout, offering no easy solutions nor any promise of a "fairy-tale" ending. It benefits from showing how these different characters react to the break-up, and allows us to feel the highs and lows experienced by the characters. When we see Harry and Kate in their separate good times, it's all too easy to share in that happiness.

Some people may feel that Madigan is a bit over the top (ex. Acting out in a supermarket), but the passion of the character is impossible to deny. Madigan *was* nominated for the Supporting Actress Oscar, in any event, losing to Anjelica Huston who won for "Prizzi's Honor". But the whole cast is superb, especially Hackman and Burstyn. They receive excellent support from Ally Sheedy (as Harry's younger daughter Helen), Brian Dennehy (as Harry's good pal Nick), Stephen Lang (in his feature film debut, as Harry's son-in-law Keith), Darrell Larson, Chris Parker, and Micole Mercurio.

Nicely scored, by Pat Metheny, and well shot, on location in Washington State, "Twice in a Lifetime" truly does a superb job in engaging viewer emotions.

One irony is that Yorkins' own 30 year marriage broke up during the making of the film.

Eight out of 10.

That icon of Spanish genre cinema, co-writer / director / star Paul Naschy, here plays a guy named Paul, married to a beautiful heiress (Julia Saly) with serious heart problems. It's determined that the best way for him to help her is to take her out of Paris, to his ancestral home in rural France. She *does* get better, for a while, until numerous macabre visions threaten to push her right over the edge.

This effort from Naschy doesn't have that much to do with the traditional horror genre. Although it gets *fabulously* gory, it's more of a crime picture focusing on a truly despicable bunch of self-serving heels. Genevieve is practically the only sympathetic character! That said, once I got over what this movie is not, I really enjoyed it for what it *is*. It's wonderful soap opera style trash, complete with well-appreciated nudity as well as graphic violence. Although the story deals with an old "legend", the supernatural doesn't really figure in until the finale, with the ultimate bit of comeuppance. Granted, some of the writing was predictable - but some of the twists were fun. The young ladies present (also including Frances Ondiviela as Julie and Silvia Miro as Mireille) are real stunners, especially Ondiviela. Naschy himself is in fine form, and Lola Gaos, who plays the maid Mabile, has a great character face.

Well recommended to lovers of cult European cinema, Naschy aficionados in particular.

Seven out of 10.

The great David Hemmings ("Deep Red") stars as John Ebony, a former advertising man who's taken a new job as teacher at a secluded, coastal boys' school. His "form", or class, is Lower 5-B, and they're an unruly lot who don't take kindly to being told what to do. They also all tend to stick together. One of their first orders of business is informing John that they in fact murdered the man whom he replaced. He must "toe the line" regarding his treatment of them, or he WILL be sorry.

This wonderfully sinister, creepy sleeper has languished in obscurity for far too long. Based on a play by Giles Cooper, and directed with style by John Mackenzie ("The Long Good Friday"), it tells a compelling story with a nifty premise. It's easy to get hooked and wonder where it will take you; even though the answer to the burning question facing John is no great surprise, it's still devastating when you think of the reason *why* the murder of Mr. Pelham was proposed in the first place.

"Unman, Wittering and Zigo" (the title refers to the last three names on the roll call, although Zigo is always mysteriously absent) is able to get fairly explicit (there is some sex and nudity, but no real gore) while also not overplaying its hand in the portrayal of these very manipulative, self-serving students.

Well acted by all concerned, and infused with a great rural British atmosphere, this is one film worth checking out for the uninitiated - or re-discovering, if it's been a while since you've seen it.

Eight out of 10.

In this very memorable adaptation of a Stephen King novel (scripted by William Goldman), James Caan plays Paul Sheldon, the author of a series of successful romance novels. After a snowy car crash, he's nursed back to health by local resident Annie Wilkes (Oscar winner Kathy Bates). But her manner is ultimately more akin to that of Nurse Ratched than Florence Nightingale. She's his super-obsessed "number one fan", and intends on keeping him prisoner there so she can have him all to herself.

Bates totally deserved her Oscar in what is a true tour de force performance, as she ably captures all the facets of Annies' personality, from adoring & childlike to absolutely menacing. Caan, who at first seems incredibly miscast, is actually quite good himself, completely selling the frustration of being vulnerable and victimized in an isolated location. Basically, nobody but Annie knows that Paul is still alive.

The film is directed with gusto by Rob Reiner, who does well with his first thriller. It's sometimes tense in a true nail-biting way, and gripping all the way through. The ever-endearing Richard Farnsworth and Frances Sternhagen provide wonderful support as the local sheriff and his sassy wife. Lauren Bacall has what amounts to a "special guest star" appearance as Pauls' agent; J. T. Walsh appears unbilled as a state trooper addressing the press. But the film truly belongs to Caan and especially Bates, as they take us step by step through this complicated relationship between fan & prisoner.

Extremely well scored, by Marc Shaiman, and shot, by Barry Sonnenfeld, "Misery" entered the pop culture in a big way. It might not be THE final word when it comes to stories about obsessed, dangerous fans, but it's certainly right up there. It keeps you right on the edge of your seat, until the rather conventional but effectively visceral finale guaranteed to have some viewers cheering.

Followed years later by a stage version.

Seven out of 10.

Matthew Vaughn (who produced "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch" for Guy Ritchie) debuted as director with this ultra-slick British crime thriller starring future 007 Daniel Craig as the nameless cocaine dealer anti-hero of the story. He figures to get out of the business, but longtime associate Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham) asks of him two favors first. One is to find a runaway girl, the other is to move a million ecstasy pills - which were actually stolen from a rival drug lord (Marcel Iures) by a lowlife known as Duke (Jamie Foreman).

"Layer Cake" is clearly the kind of movie that commands multiple viewings. It's got such a heavily involved, twisty story (written by J. J. Connolly, based on his novel) that one could easily get lost. It deals with several back stories. But it's fundamentally a good, compelling tale, complete with some effectively brutal violence, a bit of sex (Sienna Miller certainly is one very lovely lady), a top soundtrack (including The Cult, Duran Duran, and Joe Cocker, among other artists), and a *fantastic* British cast. Craig has a great sense of cool here that served him so well that it got him on the map when it came time to recast James Bond. Cranham, and fellow veteran Michael Gambon, are standouts as the crime kingpins, but there's so much other talent here as well: Tom Hardy, Sally Hawkins, Burn Gorman, George Harris, Tamer Hassan, Colm Meaney, Rab Affleck, Dexter Fletcher, Ben Whishaw, et al. Jason Flemyng has a cameo within the flashbacks.

Well-paced and visceral, this has some positively great moments, and works well as a portrait of the whole drug business where you can have shady characters up against even more ruthless and nasty people. Craig & the other actors make the whole journey worthwhile, giving life to these honorable and not so honorable individuals.

Seven out of 10.

An adorable Kristy McNichol is nicely showcased here as a disabled classical musician who wades through a series of losers through the course of her romantic life. For once, she would like to find a guy who won't get awkward when they discover her disability. So, she goes on a vacation to a French ski resort with her leg-brace hidden inside a cast - so she can see, for once, how people will treat her when they don't *know* that she's disabled.

Although burdened by some flaws - a rather conventional, sentimental second half, a protracted dance sequence, an unfortunate personality change in the McNichol character in the second half - this still manages to be interesting and charming, in the hands of director Edouard Molinaro (of "La Cage aux Folles" fame). In the end, the story (written by Allan Burns) *does* have a good message about self-esteem, and benefits from a capable, attractive cast of familiar faces: Michael Ontkean (as a VERY patient love interest, an always on-the-move photographer), Kaki Hunter, Robert Carradine, Lance Guest, Alexandra Paul, Catherine Salviat, Andre Dussollier, Tim Daly, Patrick Cassidy, etc.

This was shot on some extremely scenic locations in Haute-Savoie, has an engaging music score by Vladimir Cosma, and is generally quite pleasant and easy to take. Lovers of the romantic comedy genre are sure to get some entertainment out of it.

Seven out of 10.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Bobby "Green", a successful young man who runs a nightclub in late-80s Brooklyn for a Russian father figure (Moni Moshonov); he's actually estranged from his real dad (Robert Duvall) and brother (Mark Wahlberg), both of them experienced NYPD officers. He has no problem ignoring the shady goings-on at the club, until his Russian associates target his biological family, and he has to decide where his loyalty really lies.

"We Own the Night" may not be rife with surprises, but it's overall a good, solid example of the whole crime-fiction genre, written & directed by James Gray. It tells a compelling, meaty story with the backdrop of the war on drugs making it topical as well. The whole idea of the lead character having to make this choice, and the fact that this guy originally occupies a grey moral area, makes his character flawed, realistic, and believable, and Phoenix (he and Wahlberg were also two of the producers) just knocks this role right out of the park. Two standout sequences are an action scene in the rain (shot on an actual sunny day, with the storm added in digitally), and the tense finale shot among a woodsy area where anybody could sneak up on anybody else.

Phoenix is ably supported by the wonderful Eva Mendes (playing his girlfriend), Wahlberg, Danny Hoch, Alex Veadov (effectively menacing in a great low-key manner), Paul Herman, Duvall (once again, effortlessly authoritative), Antoni Corone, and Tony Musante.

Convincing and potent (without getting too melodramatic), and intelligently handled by filmmaker Gray, "We Own the Night" is a nice slice of "neo noir" for admirers of the genre.

Seven out of 10.

"Ladyhawke" is a solid medieval fantasy taking place in Aquila, where Gaston (Matthew Broderick), a petty thief, escapes from prison. Eventually, he makes the acquaintance of a solitary traveler named Navarre (Rutger Hauer), and a mysterious beauty named Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer). He can only be seen during the day, and she only appears at night. The reason for this is that these two romantically entangled souls were cursed once upon a time by a vengeance-crazed bishop (John Wood).

For the most part, this is an engaging example of the genre from director Richard Donner, complete with good swordplay, and impressive widescreen photography. Hauer & Pfeiffer are wonderful as the couple at the core of the story, and they receive excellent support from Wood, Leo McKern (a scene stealer as the helpful Imperius), Ken Hutchison, and Alfred Molina. However, Broderick is not a good fit for this sort of setting, and he just feels out of place throughout. It doesn't help that he can't seem to decide if he wants to attempt an accent or not. Also, the score, composed by Andrew Powell, and overseen by Alan Parsons, likewise feels too contemporary for this sort of thing. A lot of the time, it just doesn't work.

Which is too bad, because this film *had* potential. It's slickly filmed, entirely in Italy with a largely Italian supporting cast. The production & costume design are certainly evocative. All in all, it does manage to be memorable even with its flaws; it's an appealing story from start to finish.

Seven out of 10.

Dixie Peabody ("Night Call Nurses") plays "Dag", a young female biker utterly destroyed by the killing of her brother Dennis. She sets out on the road with two male sidekicks, Bernie (Clyde Ventura, "'Gator Bait") and Jonesy (Terry Mace, "Sixpack Annie"), toting a shotgun and coldly determined to get revenge.

"Bury Me an Angel" is oft-promoted by cult movie aficionados as a rare "feminist biker movie", given that it's written & directed by a woman filmmaker (Barbara Peeters, "Starhops" and "Humanoids from the Deep") and features a strong female character in the lead. Having seen it now, I *can* safely say that the script is actually pretty good, and occasionally insightful. Of course, being a product of Roger Cormans' New World Pictures, it serves as both female empowerment *and* exploitation, with the statuesque Peabody removing her clothes for a skinny-dipping scene. Still ... it sometimes meanders and just marks time, with maybe a little too many shots of the main trio riding down the highway. The big fight scene in the bar comes off as perfunctory and overly silly. (Then again, that may have been Peeters' point: to show how silly she thinks scenes like this are.)

But the cast is good: Peabody leaves a memorable impression in the main role, and she & Mace & Ventura have decent chemistry. The supporting players include Joanne Moore Jordan ("Faces"), Gary Littlejohn ("Badlands"), Beach Dickerson ("Attack of the Crab Monsters"), and Dan "Grizzly Adams" Haggerty in an engaging bit as a struggling artist who takes a liking to Dag. Film director Richard Compton ("Macon County Line") plays one of the pool players.

Overall, "Bury Me an Angel" packs a pretty big punch with its bombshell of an ending, showing just how troubled our anti-heroine was and once again proving that revenge is not what it's cracked up to be.

Seven out of 10.

"Daisy Kenyon" is a fairly powerful romantic melodrama that serves as an effective showcase for Joan Crawford as she plays the title character. Daisy is a NYC artist caught between two men: married attorney Dan O'Mara (Dana Andrews) and WWII veteran Peter Lapham (Henry Fonda). O'Mara is a slick, smarmy type who refuses to divorce his wife - yet he is not irredeemable, as he does exhibit a degree of compassion, and he is also a good father to his two girls (Peggy Ann Garner, Connie Marshall). Lapham is a basically decent, well-intentioned man, yet he is not strictly one-dimensional, either.

Very well directed by Otto Preminger, "Daisy Kenyon" features an appealing performance by Crawford, who later stated that she felt that the reason it worked to any degree was because of Preminger. And yet, Crawford is not the whole show, as both Andrews and Fonda are equally well-utilized. It's especially fun to see Andrews cast against type as this cad who was overdue for some humanity / humility. The strong supporting cast also includes Ruth Warrick as the cuckolded wife, Martha Stewart (no, not THAT Martha Stewart), Nicholas Joy, Art Baker, Mae Marsh, Roy Roberts, and Tito Vuolo. John Garfield, Damon Runyon, and Walter Winchell all make cameo appearances.

Overall, this is an intelligent & sensitive story (scripted by David Hertz from a novel by Elizabeth Janeway) for adults with no easy answers or solutions. The characters are properly fleshed out and not unrealistic; these are real human beings with both assets & flaws. Ultimately, it is up to our female protagonist to reaffirm her independence and admit to her true feelings.

Seven out of 10.

Cinema legend Orson Welles ("Citizen Kane") brought a prestige film to low-budget outfit Republic Pictures with this appropriately dark & moody adaptation of the legendary William Shakespeare tragedy. Welles plays the title character, a doomed Scottish lord undone by his own ambition and his even more ruthless wife (Jeanette Nolan, "The Big Heat").

A top-notch supporting cast and incredible atmosphere are heavy assets in this effective interpretation of the oft-filmed tale. Welles himself is quite properly intense as Macbeth, with Nolan a standout. But the talent assembled here is excellent right down the line: Dan O'Herlihy ("Robinson Crusoe") as the vengeful Macduff, Roddy McDowall ("Planet of the Apes") as Malcolm, Edgar Barrier ("Cyrano de Bergerac") as Banquo, Alan Napier ('Batman') as the Holy Father, Erskine Sanford ("Citizen Kane") as Duncan, John Dierkes ("Shane") as Ross, Keene Curtis ('Cheers') as Lennox, Peggy Webber ("The Wrong Man") as Lady Macduff, and Lurene Tuttle ("Psycho") as the Gentlewoman.

The poetry & power of Shakespeares' dialogue comes through well thanks to this group of actors, and I found the fact that most of the story here takes place at night quite suitable. Particularly effective are the monologues by Macbeth and his wife, who are all too believably troubled by their own actions, although we won't see evidence of this with her until the film is almost over.

It does indeed look like Welles was working within budgetary limits, but he and co-star O'Herlihy create some pretty enjoyable impressionist sets. The music by Jacques Ibert also really helps to set the mood.

While NOT a hit in its day (at least in English-speaking countries), over time people have come to appreciate this stylized and dreamlike approach to the material. It's available in two versions: the complete 108 minute version with the actors affecting Scottish accents, and an abridged version shortened by about 20 minutes.

Eight out of 10.

Sly Stallone plays Frankie Delano, loyal bodyguard to aged mobster Angelo Allieghieri (Anthony Quinn, in his final feature film appearance). Even after rival mobsters succeed in bumping off the old guy, Frankie vows to continue his mission in life of watching over Angelo's daughter Jennifer (Madeleine Stowe), who grew up completely unaware of her true parentage. Frankie & Jennifer predictably grow close while dodging numerous attempts on their lives.

"Avenging Angelo" regularly seesaws between exploiting comedic elements and trying to be genuinely poignant. While it's not completely successful, and is overall very predictable, Sly, ever-beautiful Madeleine, and the always welcome Quinn certainly make it watchable. It does deliver some decent laughs, and is at its best as it portrays the evolution of both the Jennifer character - who ends up wanting to "whack" mafia kingpin Lucio Malatesta (George Touliatos, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") - and the whole Frankie / Jennifer relationship.

Sly delivers one of his more endearing performances, and has good chemistry with Madeline, whose character starts off as rather ridiculous and gets more tolerable as the film progresses. Quinn, of course, is perfectly cast and makes the most of his brief time on screen. Raoul Bova ("Under the Tuscan Sun"), Harry Van Gorkum ("Agent Cody Banks"), and comedian Billy Gardell ("Bad Santa") co-star.

Overall, "Avenging Angelo" is absolutely nothing special, but there are still much worse ways with which to kill time. It's not up to "Oscar" in terms of Sly's lighter fare, but is at least better than "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" (admittedly, not a high bar to clear).

Six out of 10.

John Forsythe ('Dynasty') plays Kim Stanger, a composer / musician who returns to the U. S. from Paris. He's had a premonition that something was very wrong back at home. He finds that his younger brother (Warren Stevens, "Forbidden Planet"), sister-in-law (Cloris Leachman, "The Last Picture Show") and her lawyer father (George Macready, "Paths of Glory") are all being extremely cagey about the fate of Kims' father Greg.

The less you know about this solid script (by Harold Swanton), the better. As I begin to work my way through this legendary TV series, I found that there was a real delight in getting to the "big reveal", in much the same way that the later, equally memorable series 'The Twilight Zone' also worked. And then I went back over the story in my mind, and realized that the clues to the end *were* there, a proper element of good writing.

Ably directed by Robert Stevens, who guided 44 episodes of this series in total (and who also worked on 'Suspense' and the aforementioned 'The Twilight Zone'), this is fine entertainment indeed, given gravitas by an excellent cast also including character actors Percy Helton ("20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"), Harry Tyler ("The Grapes of Wrath"), and Paul Brinegar ('Rawhide').

This is even better than the first episode, 'Revenge'.

Eight out of 10.

Welsh actor Hywel Bennett ("Percy") plays Michael Rogers, a fairly aimless young working man who still wants some of the finer things in life. He falls in love with a piece of land called Gypsy's Acre, and subsequently, a luminous American rich girl named Ellie Thomsen (a gorgeous and effervescent Hayley Mills). Despite some initial misgivings on his part about carrying on with such a wealthy person, they enter into marriage, living on a luxurious estate designed by architect Santonix (Swedish actor Per Oscarsson, "The Night Visitor").

Although this seems to be a fairly unremarkable love story for much of the running time, this IS an adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, so it DOES make you curious as to where it's going. It does lead to a pretty good twist late in the game, whether the viewer sees it coming or not. Then one may realize just how much they've been manipulated up to that point.

The cast is game, with Bennett doing a particularly good job. Mills of such Disney fare as "Pollyanna" and "That Darn Cat!" makes for a VERY appealing leading lady, with the equally lovely Britt Ekland ("The Man with the Golden Gun") leaving a strong impression as a slightly overbearing character named Greta. The excellent supporting cast includes Lois 'Miss Moneypenny' Maxwell, George Sanders ("All About Eve"), Aubrey Richards ("The Ipcress File"), Patience Collier ("Fiddler on the Roof"), Peter Bowles ("Blow-Up"), David Bauer ("Diamonds Are Forever"), Helen Horton ("Phase IV"), Madge Ryan ("A Clockwork Orange"), Windsor Davies ('It Ain't Half Hot Mum'), and Walter Gotell ("The Spy Who Loved Me").

Atmospheric handling, by screenwriter-director Sidney Gilliat ("The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery"), and slick film-making make this a reasonably absorbing story with a finale that made the whole thing worthwhile for me.

Six out of 10.