Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

[Reza]

All That Heaven Allows (Douglas Sirk, 1955) 10/10

A middle class woman (Jane Wyman) incredulously observes how her life is boxed in for her by society, friends (Agnes Moorehead, Conrad Nagel) and her grown-up children (William Reynolds, Gloria Talbot) because of her status as a widow. When she embarks on an affair with her much younger bohemian gardener (Rock Hudson) the scandal threatens to uproot her life. Sirk's masterpiece may be, under the surface, a glossy tearjerker but is in fact a scathing attack on everything the American Dream holds dear as he bit by bit exposes it's hypocrisy. Gorgeously shot film - in expressionistic colour with Russell Metty's camera framing characters symbolizing their despair - is one of Hollywood's most memorable romantic films helped in great part by Frank Skinner's swooning score. Both Wyman and Hudson are at the top of their game milking their mesmerizing screen chemistry for all it's worth. A must-see.

[Reza]

Not As a Stranger (Stanley Kramer, 1955) 7/10

Stanley Kramer's directorial debut is a soap opera set amongst the medical profession and based on a bestselling novel with miscast stars playing young interns. Robert Mitchum is the self righteous dirt poor "boy" from the wrong side of the tracks - he has an alcoholic dad (Lon Chaney Jr) whom he hates - who gets married to a plain nurse (Olivia de Havilland) so she can finance him through medical school. He has a fling along the way with squinty-eyed Gloria Grahame of bee-stung lips fame before getting a rude awakening. His best pal - flippant Frank Sinatra - is swept aside as is Lee Marvin (all three are absurdly too old to be playing intern intern) - but it's all very watchable and the film moves fairly swiftly despite being of inordinate length. The two veterans in the cast - Broderick Crawford as a Jewish professor of medicine and Charles Bickford as a no-nonsense doctor in a small town - come off best. Superbly shot by Franz Planer, this is like a sexually calmer version of Peyton Place as the quietly overwrought characters go through life facing money, career and love problems. Not bad but instantly forgettable.

[Reza]

Magnificent Obsession (Douglas Sirk, 1954) 10/10

Sirk's first masterpiece in a series of grand operatic melodramas which he made during the 1950s. He took an old chestnut from the 1930s (starring Irene Dunne & Robert Taylor) and transformed the material (based on a bestseller) into something chic and meaningful while maintaining the melodrama at fever pitch. He is helped by two superb performances with actors who played their parts as if the word cliché was not invented. The plot is beyond ridiculous with one tragedy following another and when it seems nothing else can go wrong we get yet another emotional scene on a hospital bed. It seems Hollywood took its cue from Bollywood, milking each tragedy for all its worth and coming up with the necessary happy ending. A reckless playboy (Rock Hudson) indirectly causes the death of a much loved doctor. While trying to make amends with his widow (Jane Wyman) he inadvertently causes her to have an accident which makes her blind. Racked by guilt he woos her without her knowledge he is the man who has caused her so much grief. Wyman is superb as the mature woman who discovers love all over again while Hudson compliments her with his first serious role which overnight made him into a romantic matinée idol. The leads are well supported by Barbara Rush as Wyman's stepdaughter and Agnes Moorehead as her confidante and friend. Sirk's imaginative widescreen camerawork and use of stunning colour transforms this prepostrous melodrama into something quite magical. A must-see.

[CalWilliam]

''Daniel'', directed by Sidney Lumet (1983)

Based on E.L. Doctorow's masterful novel ''The Book of Daniel'', which was a staggering fictional account on Rosenberg's case. For me, one of Lumet's very best films and a great adaptation by Doctorow himself. Great cast with two wonderful performances by Timothy Hutton (right after winning for Ordinary People) and Ed Asner. Has anyone seen it? How this turned out to be such a flop? Lumet himself considered it one of his finest pieces of work, and believe me, it does make justice to its astonishing source material. A forgotten gem.

[Precious Doll]

Journey to the Shore (2015) Kiyoshi Kurosawa 7/10
Ten Years (2015) Various 6/10
Saint Amour (2016) Benoit Delephine & Gustave Kervern 7/10
Cosmos (2015) Andrzej Zulawski 5/10
Letters from War (2016) Ivo Ferreira 7/10
Anguish (2015) Sonny Mallhi 2/10
From Afar (2015) Lorenzo Vigas 7/10
The Childhood of a Leader (2016) Brady Corbet 8/10
Fukushima, Mon Amour (2016) Doris Dorris 5/10
Personal Shopper (2016) Olivier Assayas 8/10
Miles Ahead (2016) Don Cheadle 4/10
Stuff and Dough (2001) Cristi Puiu 6/10
Paterson (2016) Jim Jarmusch 9/10
Apprentice (2016) Jungfeng Boo 5/10
Mr. Pig (2016) Diego Luna 4/10
Being 17 (2016) Andre Techine 8/10
Stateless Things (2012) Kyung-mook Im 4/10
Under the Shadow (2016) Babak Anvari 6/10
The Handmaiden (2016) Chan-wook Park 7/10
Kate Plays Christine (2016) Robert Greene 4/10
Alice in Earnestland (2015) Gooc-jin Ahn 8/10

[ksrymy]

Silver Lode (Allan Dwan, 1954) 7/10

On the fourth of July, a respected citizen in a western town has his wedding interrupted by four men who arrest him for the murder of the leader's brother. McCarthyism hits the Old West again! "Silver Lode," despite its uninspired name, is actually fairly solid. John Payne is still a lug who isn't a good actor, and Lizabeth Scott is still sexy as the Cara Delevingne of the Golden Age. Dan Duryea, one of the best menacing character actors, is really good as the on-edge antagonist.

The film also looks gaudy in the best way. The town is decorated in Americana and red, white, and blues and stars and stripes. It's so obviously American, and even moreso with its messages, and, yet, for whatever reason, it feels totally in place.

I think the film hits the anti-McCarthyist notes better than its father, "High Noon," did. While "High Noon" is certainly good, it didn't quite have the balls to name its villain "McCarty" and get in-your-face about how terrible the Wisconsin Senator and his message was. "Silver Lode" digs deep and hits hard in this realm.

With better performances, this could be the classic is so wants to be. Instead, I'll settle for this and laud it as a neat, underseen film for anyone looking for a western outside of the mainstream.

Sabrina (Billy Wilder, 1954) 6/10

A valet's daughter, hopelessly in love with her father's employer's playboy son, goes to Paris to become cultured and comes back to find herself courted by the son must to the disruption of the family's plans. "Sabrina" might be the most cynical romantic comedy I've ever seen. There's suicide and massive manipulation. This should really be one of the very best films of its genre, but it's stopped by its own ambition.

I like the fact that Bogart's Linus is trying to lure Sabrina away from his brother for the sake of the family business. It creates a very real, interesting dynamic. One certainly better than the trite "our social classes can never be together" tripe. But Bogie looks tired and seems completely disinterested in the picture. He's what really holds the film back. William Holden is solid in a role he could sleepwalk through. Audrey Hepburn, sadly, doesn't get much to do other than go, "Oh!" and be sweet. It's basically the same exact character she played in "Roman Holiday." Hepburn was always better with her claws out.

I don't think "Sabrina" has much to say on love either. The obvious, sudden turnaround Linus experiences feels so forced.

To be honest, I think I may slightly prefer the Harrison Ford/Julia Ormond/Greg Kinnear remake with that incredible John Williams score.

The Far Country (Anthony Mann, 1954) 6/10

Two men looking to make money off the gold rush go far west and one becomes the object of desire for two women. The weakest of Anthony Mann and Jimmy Stewart's collaborations doesn't really offer too terribly much. Stewart seems bored with being in Mann's films. And, more than his other work with the director, I feel like I've seen him give this performance before.

The rest of the cast, though, is actually fairly solid. Walter Brennan is excellent as always in his 250th grizzled prospector role. Brennan made a career out of this character, and he plays it better than anyone else ever did. Corinne Calvet is really interesting in a sweet, tender role you typically don't get in westerns without being super damsel-in-distressy about it all. The best part, easily, is Ruth Roman who gives a tough, smart performance in a woman who could probably chew Stewart up behind the scenes if the camera ever really got there.

But "The Far Country" even feels like Mann's superior works. It's not shot as beautifully, acted as brilliantly, and edited as furiously. It feels super tame, and, for that, it suffers. It's still a good movie, but, with the Mann/Stewart duo, you expect it to be much better.

The High and the Mighty (William A. Wellman, 1954) 3/10

A veteran pilot must act quickly when an engine blows over the Pacific at the point of no return. What a quaint, hokey, little movie. "The High and the Mighty" fails to grasp a real sense of melodrama and just throws any and every typical line at us to see what sticks. It's all so bloated and stagey. How a disaster film feels confined and stagey, I'll never know because this is the only one of its ilk that I've seen that feels this way.

As for the cast and characters, there isn't much to gawk at. John Wayne plays Pilot John Wayne as he grapples with a vague, lame, clichéd past and has to overcome it. Claire Trevor is alright with her hysterics and love. Robert Stack is only interesting because it's obvious what he took from here and infused it into his "Airplane!" character. The only character with any kind of development, movement, or, really, any drama at all that doesn't revolve around crashing, is Jan Sterling's aging beauty queen. She got the Oscar nod and won the Globe probably just for the makeup removal scene because that kind of thing was super "brave" back then. Sterling's pretty alright though, for the most part. Her performance and the excellent visual effects were the reason I kept watching the film.

But it's a pretty bad film. It predates the '70s disaster craze by 16 years and feels every bit as dated. With no real direction that it wants to go, "The High and the Mighty" barely takes off.

Animal Farm (Joy Batchelor & John Halas, 1954) 3/10

After a violent barnyard revolution, a farm's pigs slowly try to gain control of the place for themselves. "Animal Farm" is a story that doesn't lend itself to film very well. In fact, an allegory so deep and smart would be nearly impossible to translate to film. And this adaptation isn't too good, sadly.

The animation is a bit primitive for its era and doesn't really match with the tone established by the creators. It's not cutesy enough to create an ironic air about it, and it isn't gritty enough to really get as dark as Orwell did in the novella.

Maybe the biggest atrocity is that the CIA or the FBI or HUAC or who-the-hell-ever blatantly changed the ending. That final quote from Orwell, “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which," is absolutely perfect. But we're given this abomination which I won't spoil because it has to be seen to be believed.

I really wanted this film to be good. It deserves to be good. But even the voice work isn't that impressive. It's a literary adaptation better forgotten.

Them! (Gordon Douglas, 1954) 7/10

Several years after the first A-bomb tests in New Mexico, residents suddenly find themselves face-to-face with giant, mutated ants. An American "Godzilla," "Them!" is a lot of fun and even more fun with that absolutely bonkers poster art.

One of the biggest successes of this film is that it takes the Lewton approach to horror. We get a lot of tense buildup before we see the first ant(s). We get that rightfully-memorable screaming little girl, who gives us our beautiful title, and a really solid score by Bronislau Kaper. I was also pretty impressed with how gruesome the film was. The ants toss around human ribcages and other corpse paraphernalia like it's nobody's business. It's obvious now that the censors were lightening up.

And while "Godzilla" is more subtle in its message about the upcoming power of the Nuclear Age, "Them!" is far more plainspoken. It basically ends with the main scientist telling us, "Hey, now that we have these bombs, who knows what more could happen?" Luckily, they didn't follow up with a series of awful sequels like the studios would love to do today.

"Them!" largely succeeds on the above-mentioned aspects and because it's played straight. The cast is mostly good with James Whitmore doing his solid, usual journeyman work.

The Caine Mutiny (Edward Dmytryk, 1954) 5/10

After a new captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardizes the ship, the reluctant first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny. Based on Herman Wouk's best-selling, award-winning novel, "The Caine Mutiny" suffers from sheer boredom. It's never truly exciting. And there's plenty of juicy material here to be exploited.

Humphrey Bogart is pretty hammy as our deranged naval captain and seems like he's trying to play another Dixon Steele but he ends up playing more of a cartoonish villain. He latches on really hard to the bug eyes here. But an off performance from Bogie is no big thing when you have possibly the most uncharismatic leading performance ever in a film in Robert Francis' insipid performance. And his chemistry with May Wynn is dreadful. Every second of the movie dedicated to their story dragged on and on. Fred MacMurray's stoic performance and Van Johnson's work were the only real shining spots in the cast. José Ferrer largely does nothing, but his end speech is actually really well done. I'm surprised he didn't get an Oscar nod for that over Tom Tully. Not necessarily because he was good, but Oscar loves honoring random things like that.

"The Caine Mutiny" is far from good. To be fair, it's never outright bad though. It's just incredibly uninspired and seems to be riding on the coattails of the book's popularity. I'm glad to see Dmytryk back in the limelight again, but I wish it were with a better film.

Dial M for Murder (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) 6/10

After finding out his wife has had an affair, a man blackmails a small-time criminal into murdering his wife. "Dial M for Murder" is mid-tier Hitchcock - maybe even lower tier - but that's a testament to his body of work. The film is largely stagey in a way that "Rope" wasn't. The film settles in one room and it feels rather stuffy quickly. It doesn't feel as claustrophobic or intense as "Rope" either. But, to be fair, the attempted murder scene is as excellent as you'd hope with furious, passionate editing, murky lighting, and great shot choice.

As for the cast, Ray Milland, our lead, is mostly dull and never feels quite convincing as a devious, murderous husband. He feels a bit awkward around much better, natural actors. Robert Cummings doesn't do much either. Grace Kelly is a small bright spot though, in some scenes, she comes off as melodramatic which is exactly what Hitchcock was not going for. No, the only cast member who really gets things done is John Williams who won a Tony Award for playing Inspector Hubbard in the stage production of this story. Williams plays this cunning, astute inspector with enough seriousness to make the film realistic and enough verve and quirk to make the character memorable and interesting. It's a fabulous performance.

Had the camera moved a little more and the film taken place in a larger room, maybe, "Dial M for Murder" would be a lot better. No matter the fact, though, it's still a good movie; it just feels disappointing because you feel like every Hitchcock film has the potential to be a masterpiece in the making.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Stanley Donen, 1954) 5/10

After the eldest of seven brothers brings home a wife, he inspires the other six to, more or less, kidnap six wives of their own after seeing the benefits of having a woman around. The film is just as sexist as that description. "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" is a confusing film. I want to like it for the Michael Kidd choreography (that barn-raising scene is a marvel) and the earworms ("Bless Your Beautiful Hide" has been in my head for the last day), but it's such a rapey, Stockholm-Syndrome-y film that it's hard to actually like it.

I know it's based on the rape of the Sabine women, and "rape" means abduction in the Latin "raptio," but so much can be inferred and implied. The kidnapping of the six wives is a little tough to sit through. It feels really, really wrong. This is very much a product of its time. "Kiss Me Kate" is much better, but maybe that's just because "The Taming of the Shrew" is both wonderfully feminist and uproariously funny.

But, like I said with the dancing and the songs, it's moderately enjoyable at times. The barn-raising scene is one of the best numbers I've seen in classic Hollywood musicals. And the ensuing fight is excellent even if, by that point in the film, the constant fistfights feel overdone.

Jane Powell is nice and interesting. She's probably the best part of the cast. I always want to like Howard Keel, but, with that deep, operatic voice, he always feels like he's in a completely different production. Some songs, like "Bless Your Beautiful Hide," really work, but then there are songs where the vibrato and basso reach a peak, and it feels super unwieldy.

Before writing this, I expected to give this a lesser score, but its good balances out its bad (mostly). It's not a film I'll rush to again, but, maybe in 15 years after I forget it, I'll rewatch it out of curiosity.

La Strada (Federico Fellini, 1954) 10/10

A woman sells her daughter for 10,000 lire to a traveling strongman whose assistant, the woman's other daughter, died under his watch. I've been waiting to see this one for quite a while, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. Fellini certainly has a love for entertainment and especially so in his early years. "La Strada" is an excellent achievement in emotion and a showcase in acting. Anthony Quinn, as Zampanò, the strongman, gives a performance I never quite expected from him. The closest thing I'd seen him do to this was his brief part in "The Ox-Bow Incident," but, even then, it's quite different from the brusqueness and subdued rage with which he fuels Zampanò. And, his rival, a highwire clown played by Richard Basehart, is another nice piece of work. Basehart's aloof, light-hearted clown gives the film some much-needed heart. Not that we don't get heart in the form of Giulietta Masina's Gelsomina but more about her later. Basehart gives us a reason to find hope in Fellini's elaborately constructed world without hope.

But Masina is the radiant jewel in the film's glowing crown. She's the ruby, the sapphire, the opal. Masina's performance is a very fine one with a stellar combination of naïveté and heartache. Any naïve lead slowly wizens up, and, while Gelsomina, in fact, does that, it's a unique kind of transformation. She never loses her sense of identity in this shift which is rare. Film has made us so used to Sweet to Slutty Sandy transitions that something like this is a rara avis.

With an excellent script and superb direction by Fellini, "La Strada" rightfully proves itself to be an influential film. It's the first masterpiece by one of our most storied, legendary directors.

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (Kenneth Anger, 1954) 10/10

Partiers in a fancy masquerade where guests dressed as mythological deities slowly wind their ways into participating in a decadent occult ritual grounded heavily in Thelema. I managed to see the 1966 version of Kenneth Anger's masterpiece, and it was one of the most enjoyable first-time viewing experiences I've had in recent memory. "Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome" takes its name from "Kubla Kahn," its philosophy from Aleister Crowley, and its style from Anger himself.

Watching this, you have to think David Lynch really admired Anger because there are a lot of style elements similar between the two directors. The color palette is astounding and majorly enjoyable. And who needs double exposure when you have sextuple exposure? Anger's experimental techniques mixed with the orgiastic, decadent material is perfect. You don't really need to know what's happening to enjoy what's transpiring onscreen. It absolutely floored me.

While I was proud to see the film because I'm ashamed on having seen so little Anger, I was also proud to finally put a face (sort of) to a name with Anaïs Nin. She's the queen of crossword puzzles because of all those useful letters. Now I just need to read her works.

"Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome" is like nothing I've ever seen, and I'll be damned if I see anything else quite like it in the future.

Salt of the Earth (Herbert J. Biberman, 1954) 6/10

A group of Mexican miners and their wives strike against the Anglo superiors for health and wage concerns. For a film so important in terms of film history, the blacklist especially, you'd think it were a little bit better than it is. To be fair, being blacklisted, they probably didn't quite have all the luxuries they were used to and/or needed, but that's not the point. "Salt of the Earth" is pretty solid. It's shot really nicely and, by the end, I felt I needed to take a shower after being with these sweaty, angry workers. It presents a good case as to why we should side with them without getting super didactic and preachy which I totally expected would happen.

Rosaura Revueltas, as our lead, is a great find and surprise on my behalf. Her performance is really well done despite a few scenes of choppy, unexpectedly off acting. The rest of the cast isn't quite as good as her. If this were a strong ensemble, we'd be looking at a potential classic. Revueltas' scenes with her husband are nice, but it's her scenes with her fellow women that really drive the film. Their jail scene(s) are too good.

From a historical standpoint, I'm glad this film exists. It's a reminder of the times and unwavering defiance of McCarthyism. But, aside from Revueltas, it leaves a bit to be desired.

Robinson Crusoe (Luis Buñuel, 1954) 5/10

A mariner becomes stranded on a remote island near the Americas and tries to survive for nearly 30 years. I think the most disappointing thing about "Robinson Crusoe" is that visionary director Luis Buñuel was castrated by the studios into making this safe, friendly, honestly boring adaptation of the work. I hear it's the most faithful and best adaptation, but, to me, that only tells me about the other works. Buñuel doesn't get to insert his masterful social criticisms or surrealist tones which could've made this film so good. What hurts even more is that there are several hallucinations or dream sequences which you know Buñuel wanted to improve. They're super straightforward and don't come off too well. They seem like something out of a community Shakespeare production.

As for the Oscar-nominated Dan O'Herilhy, I'm not sure why he was nominated. It had to have been for his voiceover because he doesn't do a whole lot of deserving physical acting.

This is a huge case of "woulda-coulda-shoulda been." I wish we could see what Buñuel could've done if he had all the creative control. But what remains is a tepid adventure film that fails to really live up to its first ten minutes.

The Barefoot Contessa (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1954) 5/10

A has-been director helps launch the career of a beautiful Spanish dancer as a favor for a wealthy, egotistical producer. "The Barefoot Contessa" is a shallow vehicle made solely to see Ava Gardner be sexy. And as sexy as she is, the film isn't helped much by it. The all-too-brief life of María Vargas is never really made whole. We witness her through the eyes of three different men - her director, her publicist, and her royal husband - but it's a real shame that we never get Vargas' perspective save for a few small bits. She's an interesting character in a Hollywood kind of way.

The problem is that "The Barefoot Contessa" is where Joseph L. Mankiewicz starts to become a peddler of purple prose. His dialogue is so ornate that it feels forced. It's like Mankiewicz wants us to think more about how great he is than anything else. And the suffering writer-director protagonist doesn't make it any less obvious. At least Humphrey Bogart is pretty alright as that character. I've never seen him at such ease and relaxation. Gardner looks good but, as usual, gives a shallow performance. Oscar winner Edmond O'Brien had to have won for the big, flashy, purple speeches and the fact that he was a beloved character actor. His oily publicist chews all the scenery.

What's more, the tragic ending, since this is basically a Greek tragedy, packs no punch. It's a real shame. And the small scenes that follow after the murder and before the funeral feel really awkward. The whole script is awkward.

"The Barefoot Contessa" thinks too highly of itself because of the man behind it. They should've given this to someone like Jean Negulesco, and we could've had something boiling.

Godzilla (Ishirô Honda, 1954) 7/10

After several ships explode near Odo Island, a scientist finds a beast mutated from years of nuclear exposure is coming to wreck not only Tokyo but the world. Toho's original film bearing the name of the 164-foot tall lizard is solid not only as a kaiju and disaster film but, obviously, as a warning of the nuclear age. And while it's a bit didactic and direct in its anti-nuclear message, it feels justified.

I think the one thing that keeps this from being great is the cast. Apart from the always-pitch-perfect Takashi Shimura, the rest of the cast feels a bit amateur and in a different film. Shimura's impassioned, fearful speeches are well-delivered, and the rest of the cast plays exactly how you'd expect the cast of an earthbound meteor film to react.

As for the effects, I'm going to disagree with the people who say this feels dated. I don't see a man in a lizard suit stomping around on miniatures at all. It all looks crisp, nice, and neat.

"Godzilla," or "Gojira" if that's your crusade to fight, is well-done. I don't expect the series to get any better from here on out, but it'll make for a highly-enjoyable marathon someday. The film is thrilling and touching where it needs to be.

Black Widow (Nunnally Johnson, 1954) 6/10

A naïve, young writer finds her way into an elite Broadway social circle only to end up dead with a happily-married producer framed for it all. Oh, what this film could have been! "Black Widow" has a really great story behind it. It's a typical color noir and has the fangs to show for it, but its cast is so entirely confusing.

Other than the gorgeous colors and sets and shots, Van Heflin is probably the one really good thing about the film. He plays hardboiled as we've seen him do before, but he plays off his castmates really well. The problem lies in the women. Gene Tierney's mostly alright in her few scenes, but I'm talking about Peggy Ann Garner and Ginger Rogers. Garner is really, really good in her first few scenes. She comes across as naïve and coy really well. Her lines are solid and she delivers them solidly. And then, after we learn about what she's really like, it turns for the worse. Garner seems clumsy as a devious woman. It counteracts all the good work she'd built up at the opening party. And Ginger Rogers is an odd case. She looks nothing like herself as a bitchy stage actress. Rogers obviously has fun in the role, but she eats the scenery, chews it up, spits it out, and then rotates between beaming and glowering for the camera. Rogers' best work comes at film's end during the Agatha Christie-esque, all-suspects-in-one-room interrogation/resolution scene. And the central mystery isn't difficult to figure out at all which is disappointing.

But, despite my displeasure with these ladies, the film is actually good. The rich, delicate sets are a pleasure and the lines are really well-written. It's just a case of two separate wheels not following the axle.

The Naked Jungle (Byron Haskin, 1954) 4/10

The owner of a South American cocoa plantation and his new wife have their lives threatened by a 2-mile-wide, 20-mile-long column of ants. "The Naked Jungle" is pretty preposterous, but, in many moments, it glides by on unintentional camp. The ants themselves look alright, and Eleanor Parker manages to outact the set pieces which is something the rest of the cast lacks. Charlton Heston is as wooden as ever. It's hard to sympathize with him, especially when Eleanor Parker makes it so easy to sympathize with her. She's the one thing that's really credible about the film.

I don't really have much else to say. The film spends an hour on a tepid pseudo-arranged marriage plot that doesn't really captivate us or go anywhere. There are points where you root for the ants (pardon me, the MARABUNTA!!!!! as you hear a hundred times). Maybe this film would be better if "Them!" didn't do it better. But the preposterousness of the film itself is enough of a detractor. "The Naked Jungle" is a mess and not a fun one. If it took itself much more seriously, as a prestige picture, the camp would be gone and so would the (little) joy in seeing it.

Track of the Cat (William A. Wellman, 1954) 8/10

The torrid dynamics of a family occur against the backdrop of the first big snowstorm of winter and an enormous panther killing everything it can get its claws on. On my journey through the films of 1954, "Track of the Cat" has to be the biggest, unplanned surprise so far. It's a film I stumbled upon based on a small recommendation, and it's a total delight. Chalk this up to the smaller, forgotten westerns that are always left out of canonical lists.

To be fair, this is more a psychological, family drama more than it is a western. But those extra layers make for an excellent bit of context and subtext. Robert Mitchum is solid as the brutish eldest brother whose bright red coat among the drab setting isn't an obvious metaphor or anything. And that's actually something that really impressed me. For a CinemaScope, boastful presentation, it's surprisingly refined and neutral in its palette. The entire inside of the house is black, grey, and white.

But back to the cast, Tab Hunter is okay as the youngest brother whose sweetheart attitude and engagement make things interesting when the film threatens to get a little overwrought. But there's a lot happening so that doesn't occur often. The best parts of the film involves its women. Teresa Wright, as a spinstery older sister, gives a solid performance though her hand-wringing and other mannerisms get a little annoying. The best part of the cast, though, is Beulah Bondi as the bigoted, zealotous mother. Bondi is so good as playing sweet, sad (grand)motherly roles that this came as a big surprise to me. This is the polar opposite of who she played in "Of Human Hearts." Bondi's anger and motivations come to light in explosive ways. There's never a second when she's on-screen that doesn't feel dull.

And, in addition to this, the film's cinematography is simply awesome. There are some cuts to ominous mountains frequently (a little too frequently, but that's not the photographer's fault) and some gorgeous shots of the snowbound house and surrounding wildnerness that are quite breathtaking. It's marvelous work from William H. Clothier.

All of this coupled with Walter Van Tillburg Clark's biting screenplay under the direction of former "Ox-Bow Incident" director and collaborator William A. Wellman makes "Track of the Cat" a classic. It's a smart, intense film and one I won't soon forget.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Richard Fleischer, 1954) 6/10

A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters a tyrannical captain in a technologically-advanced submarine. Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is an interesting film. James Mason is solid as the nefarious Captain Nemo. He was made for these kinds of roles. That demure, creeping voice does the trick alone. Peter Lorre also comes along and makes things a better with his ever-eerie presence. They're the two most interesting characters on this journey.

The film also looks really good. The effects hold up well in this age of CGI. The ship attack sequences, any underwater shot, and that squid scene all look marvelous. Practical effects were starting to really come into their own around this time. Also, the inside of the Nautilus looks super cool. It's sleek and chic and kitschily futuristic.

I wish Kirk Douglas weren't in this movie though. His presence is really awkward and makes for an unwieldy film. He looks goofy in his red-and-white striped shirt, he looks goofy singing with a seal whenever the film doesn't know where to go next, and he looks goofy delivering his lines trying his best to imitate Burt Lancaster's smile. He throws the film way off-kilter.

So the film is a good one. It has the feel of those classic adventure films people talk about when they specifically say "classic adventure films." It's nice, witty in spots, and genuinely exciting.

REWATCH: Carmen Jones (Otto Preminger, 1954) 6/10

A woman working in a parachute factory during WWII romances a soldier leading to tragic consequences when a sergeant becomes involved. This is my second trip through Otto Preminger's Bizet remake, and I like it a bit more this time. Dorothy Dandridge is radiant, sassy, and entrancing as the title character. It's not a particularly great performance, but I'll be damned if I wasn't captivated. Harry Belafonte is alright. He doesn't get to do much more than look longingly at Dandridge and brood. But the real crime is that Dandridge and especially Belafonte both had their voices dubbed. I know it was the fit with the Bizet music and, therefore, the more operatic style, but that's the main problem: the opera doesn't fit with the contemporary feel of the film. I really wish this were jazz-based because it would've worked so much better. The film looks nice as well. Particularly, Dandridge's wardrobe is a sight to behold. Oh, and one more thing: Pearl Bailey is a ton of fun in this. Her role feels similar to Queen Latifah's Oscar-nominated role in "Chicago." She has a ton of fun supporting the lead and steals most scenes she's in.

And maybe it's just because "Stella" from the following year is a better version of "Carmen," but I really think this should be better. "Carmen Jones" deserves to be a great film. And for being the first black actress nominated for a Lead Actress Oscar, this is a good example. And while the film is a bit racist, especially in Hammerstein's "de" and "dere" lyrics, it's not nearly as offensive as other products of this time. "Carmen Jones" is good fun.

Fear (Roberto Rossellini, 1954) 5/10

A married woman is blackmailed by her lover's jealous ex-girlfriend and becomes driven to a potentially deadly scheme. "Fear" is disappointing. Considering Rossellini/Bergman is usually enough to make a solid film, it's odd that "Fear" doesn't work. I attribute this mostly to the supporting cast. Ingrid Bergman herself is as reliable as usual, but everyone else seems to be either hamming it way up or acting like they took from luudes before the shoot. They dismantle much of the hard work Bergman has been building.

The tension doesn't quite work either because the stakes don't feel too real. Rossellini veers into melodrama at points here, and he should really stick to (neo)realism. The script feels all kinds of Lifetime-y. And the children, the children!, they could and should have been removed from the film. They're tiny little devices used to artificially make the stakes higher.

"Fear" is a swing and a dispiriting miss. It has many of the necessary tools to be good, but those tools aren't quite exploited well enough.

[ksrymy]

Senso (Luchino Visconti, 1954) 10/10

A neurotic, troubled Italian countess betrays her entire nation for a self-centered, sultry affair with an Austrian officer. As I've travelled through the works of Luchino Visconti, starting at the beginning, I've given his first three films, "Ossessione," "La terra trema," and "Bellissima" each a 7/10 rating. Knowing full well that there has to be a masterpiece on the horizon, I was waiting to finally getting around to seeing "The Leopard" or even "Rocco and His Brothers."

Little did I know I'd be hit with a film called "Senso" that would put me in my place. "Senso" is incredible. It's one of the most posh, self-righteous (in a good way) films I've ever seen. Visconti's sense of style and danger make this film magnificent.

Alida Valli has always been an actress I've liked. She pops up occasionally in films I like ("Suspiria," "The Third Man," and "Eyes Without a Face" among other masterpieces) and she's always a welcome presence, but, here, she proves herself a very capable actress. Her intense, angled face reads like a tome of selfishness and stomach-gnarling emotion. Her ardor for Farley Granger (who is actually really, really good here despite me not truly liking him in most anything else I've seen him in) feels terrifyingly real. It's a tremendous performance of a woman on the edge. Massimo Girotti is pleasant in support during his few scenes.

But the sets, costumes, the way they're shot, and the way they look, sound, and feel are all so perfectly done. I was shocked from the title card alone how brilliantly colored this film was. It feels so far ahead of its time. It's so muted. But, then again, maybe that's just a European thing. America didn't like to waste their Technicolor on sensible palettes; we want the sparkliest pink Monroe dresses and the deepest red curtains and the brightest blue oceans.

And the film plays Valli's character very well and realistically. It veers into soap a little bit, but it plays it off believably - especially, again, with those set pieces and costumes. Everything feels so grand and elegant and just barely about to go over-the-top. But Visconti reals everything in and makes it beautiful. It's a rejection of the neorealist style that was so dominant and synonymous with this era of Italian filmmaking. "Senso" is a masterpiece.

REWATCH: Sansho the Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954) 10/10

A benevolent governor is exiled in feudal Japan, and, as his wife and two children try to join him, the mother is sold into prostitution and the children into hard labor. Mizoguchi returns to the bleakness from "The Life of Oharu" after making the mystical "Ugetsu" and, in turn, we get a film better than both of those.

I often think about masterpieces. How many can a director make - one or many? I tend to think many. And then I think of filmographies. And then I think of time. In a span of three years, Mizoguchi managed to make three flat-out masterpieces in 1952's "Oharu," 1953's "Ugetsu," and 1954's "Sansho the Bailiff." How many other directors have ever done something remotely as impressive as this? Not including the silent era where films were cranked out like Catholic children, the only other ones I can think of off the top of my head are Alfred Hitchcock from 1958-60, Powell & Pressburger from 1947-9, and Samuel Fuller from 1951-3 (sans "Fixed Bayonets!"). That's super elite company.

And "Sansho" is so gorgeous. Mizoguchi and Kazuo Miyagawa's director/cinematographer communication is tops. Miyagawa's ways with water and natural lighting is too beautiful. It's like the man was born in nature. He knows how to get everything just right. Whether the camera is moving or sedentary, the film is a masterpiece in photography from start to finish.

And the performances are also great. Admittedly, if you're not used to the classical style of Japanese acting (there's lots of fast-paced yelling), then you might be a little turned off by Yoshiaki Hanayagi's performance as the son. But it works so well within the context of the film. He's the most desperate of the family members and it shows. His scenes where he barters for information, for his life, for anything are all superb. He shows glimpses of Toshiro Mifune. Kyôko Kagawa is also really solid as the daughter. Her scenes are rough to watch, but nothing is as rough to sit through as Kinuyo Tanaka's scenes. Tanaka's sold-into-sex matriarch rips at the heart and Tanaka's command of body language really sells this performance. The way she forces herself to walk, the way her face shows years of pain, the way she speaks - it's all so sad. It's a master class performance especially for being shunted in favor of the children's storyline. Her ending scene is a tearjerker.

"Sansho the Bailiff" is a masterpiece. It's probably one of the ten or fifteen or so best films ever made. It's impressive in every aspect. It's the greatest of all Japanese films.

The Bridges at Toko-Ri (Mark Robson, 1954) 5/10

A naval aviator is assigned to bomb heavily guarded and important bridges for the military. "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" is a pretty huge drag. The film never truly gets exciting until the final twenty or thirty minutes. The flying camera work and effects are really solid and look pretty genuine.

The problem lies in the cast. William Holden is pretty alright in a role that requires absolutely no stretch of the imagination or talent. He plays a tough military man who has to do something brave with a wife who loves him very much. It's a tired role. And, as for the wife, what the hell is the point here? Grace Kelly serves absolutely no purpose other than to add a lukewarm subplot into it all. And she's largely wasted. Kelly was a solid actress, but there's no room for her to do anything other than talk about how great her husband is and how much she loves him. It's roles like this that look really awful today.

Mickey Rooney is there for comedic relief, and, boy, is he terrible as ever. He tries to be serious, but he hams it way up. Anyone should expect that. And, apart from the effects and Holden, the only other decent part of the film is Fredric March whose supporting role brings some real weight and sobriety to the picture.

"The Bridges at Toko-Ri" is a mess and a lazy one at that. It's never really bad, but this film wouldn't suffer from being ten minutes shorter and cutting out a ton of the front end.

Broken Lance (Edward Dmytryk, 1954) 5/10

A cattle baron raids a copper mine that is polluting his water and subsequently divides his property among his sons, but his most righteous son takes responsibility for the raid and gets three years in prison while his more devious brothers scheme to tear everything apart. This western remake of "House of Strangers" doesn't ever reach the electric heights of the Mankiewicz film which, to be fair, is difficult as "House of Strangers" is one of the better low-key films noir.

But trading that Italian immigrant, inner-city setting to the Old West makes for an interesting treat. Spencer Tracy is alright as our angry, ruthless cattle baron father. He grumbles and yells his way through the role with nothing new to show us. Richard Widmark, who's usually very solid, is unintimidating as the devious brother played so well by Luther Adler in the original. Widmark is usually so good in these skeezebag roles that I was taken aback by the awkwardness of it all. He doesn't seem to embody that corrupted American Dream that he so usually does. His character does, of course, but he doesn't make it quite believable. Robert Wagner, as our loyal son, is pretty okay though he plays the role rather straight and neat. Jean Peters in western garb is as great as I'd hoped. Her role is small and, really, not necessary, but she does some decent work. She might give the film's best performance; this is odd because Katy Jurado somehow got Oscar-nominated for this instead of "High Noon." Jurado acts subserviently to Tracy, speaks in a thick accent, and plays nice. It's hardly worth mentioning.

"Broken Lance" should be a knock-in-the-teeth ensemble piece but pales due to Edward Dmyrtryk's lack of inspiration for the film.

REWATCH: Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) 10/10

A veteran samurai answers a village's request for protection from bandits, so he gathers six other samurai to help him as they teach the townspeople how to defend themselves. The prototype for so, so many films, "Seven Samurai" rightfully deserves its spot amongst the greatest films ever made. It's an obvious masterpiece in editing, direction, shot selection, and more. It's a very pretty film so being so gritty and dark without obvious shadow cinematography. The film looks good mostly through Kurosawa's mixture of close, mid-, and long range shots. It's this intricate dance between cinematography and editing that make this film so brisk and quick. And, even at three-and-a-half hours, the film doesn't necessarily drag as much as you'd think.

No masterpiece in infallible, though, and I think "Seven Samurai" has two small flaws. One: the film loves to tell and not show. There's a lot of superfluous dialogue that explains things we've already seen and not solely in a "you won't believe what happened!" way. That's super minor though. The one that bothers me a little more is that the cast, while good, isn't really as impressive as it should be. Maybe the saddest thing is that Toshiro Mifune is really wasted. He's always electric, so why does he feel so boring here? I know classical Japanese film acting, for men, involves a lot of yelling, but it's almost all he does here. Takashi Shimura, on the other hand, is excellent as our seasoned vet.

But there's no denying the film is a masterpiece. This is the fourth time I've seen it, and, this time more than any other, I've finally come around to it and loved it. I don't think it's Kurosawa's best film, but it's undeniably great.

Hell and High Water (Samuel Fuller, 1954) 6/10

A privately-financed scientist and his colleagues hire an ex-Navy officer to conduct an Alaskan submarine expedition in order to prevent a Red Chinese anti-American plot that may lead to World War III. Samuel Fuller inaugurates his first color feature with a nuclear explosion which feels ever so apropos. Sadly, "Hell and High Water" fails to reach Fuller's the level of his previous three films, saved for "Fixed Bayonets!." This is more in line with "Fixed Bayonets!" than any of his other films. Fuller's not too good with military dramas, but, from what I've heard, that changes with "The Big Red One."

The film had a typically solid Richard Widmark to keep things interesting and Bella Darvi's turn as the French researcher scientist who obviously shows the men who's boss are both good, but the rest of the cast are merely okay. The film is mostly worth seeing for its special effects. The underwater scenes are really cool, look realistic for the most part, and seem pretty inventive for the time.

"Hell and High Water" is good because its director is never bad. Fuller only made this to thank Daryl Zanuck for having his back when J. Edgar Hoover got on his back for "Pickup on South Street." It's probably the weakest film in Fuller's filmography if only because he probably had the least control over this film he'd ever had.

Fixed Bayonets! (Samuel Fuller, 1951) 6/10

A corporal in the Korean War slowly comes to terms with having to take control of his platoon after his superiors are killed one by one. "Fixed Bayonets!" is alright. It's not one of Fuller's best films, but, so far in his career at this point, it's more shocking that he hadn't yet made a not-great film. That isn't to say it's bad, because it's not, it's just lacking the verve that so famously mark all of his other films.

Richard Basehart is solid as usual. The more I see him in, the more I appreciate his steel, reserve, and also that occasional fire. The rest of the cast isn't particularly good. The film builds itself around Basehart and doesn't have much too say other than a standard 1950s sense of duty to the nation. Patriotism was America's pastime in the '50s, it seems. The film's lack of insight sets it apart from Fuller's other films. But this is expected of a majority of Fox features.

"Fixed Bayonets!" isn't too great, but I feel it would be wrong to ignore any film in Fuller's filmography. He's growing to be an all-time favorite of mine. And I'll probably watch it again in the future, but I won't rush to it as quickly as I would "The Steel Helmet" or "Pickup on South Street."

The Glenn Miller Story (Anthony Mann, 1954) 5/10

The story of bandleader Glenn Miller and his rise from poverty and obscurity to fame and wealth and success. "The Glenn Miller Story" is a saccharine, hagiographical picture that is a huge anomaly in the pristine filmography of Anthony Mann. I'm not sure how he got involved in this picture, but it lacks any darkness or seriousness that he does so well. Mann can't quite seem to handle the levity of the picture. In the hands of a studio hack or someone like William Wyler, this could've been better.

James Stewart's not doing much of a stretch as the sweet, awkward Miller. It feels a lot like a less brooding George Bailey. And speaking of "It's a Wonderful Life," the main relationship in this film gave me diabetes. But whereas George and Mary were natural together and sweet, Glenn and his wife Helen, when they aren't playing the most drawn-out "will they, won't they" I've seen on film, seem really awkward together. And not awkward as teenagers are but in a more dreadful sense. June Allyson, sweet as ever, plays an insanely subservient, '50s Hollywood wife. It's really unfair and she deserves to have a better storyline than, "Gee, Glenn, I believe in you" and "Oh, Glenn, I'm already engaged to another man!"

For what it's worth, the film sounds really good and the cameos from jazz legends are fun. But this hagiography is a bit too much for me. I'd rather see this made ten years later and potentially show how Miller may have actually died. The way they reveal his death on the radio, while realistic, feels super cliché. "The Glenn Miller Story" is probably Anthony Mann's worst film.

Suddenly (Lewis Allen, 1954) 5/10

A psychopathic hitman, posing as an FBI agent, takes over a suburban home to set up for the perfect shot when the President comes to town on a train. "Suddenly" is a cold film with enough mid-20th-century sentiment to really make for an awkward tone. We're incredibly aware of the stakes, but that Mayberry feel that constantly makes itself known really hurts the production. I know they play it up to contrast with Frank Sinatra's psychopathic assassin, but it comes off really wonky. It's very unintentionally campy at points.

The cast of characters are all fairly dreary and straight out of a book of '50s tropes. Maybe worst of all is Pidge, the son of the family whose home is invaded by the weevil that is Sinatra's John Baron. The kid's acting is unnatural compared to everyone else playing things straight. And the script uses him simply as a cheap pawn. And as for the rest of the cast playing things straight, they're mostly very lackluster and unmemorable. Even Sterling Hayden can't muster up enough energy to be as broody and sharp as he can be.

But, for all that, I have to say that Sinatra is terrific. It's a kind of role I never knew he could play. His steely reserve and gnashing teeth make Baron a classic psychopath of the screen. You don't doubt that he's the kind of simple man who would kill the President of the U.S. for a cool half-mil. What's less believable is that he would need such crones for help; Baron seems hyper-capable.

"Suddenly" is a classic example of a less-than-good film with a more-than-good performance at its center. With major buffing, this film could've been a classic. I'd like to rewatch a better copy sometime in the future, but this'll do for now.

Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (Hiroshi Inagaki, 1954) 7/10

A struggling man tries to break out of the 17th century cast system and become a powerful samurai. The first film in the "Samurai" trilogy leaves a bit to be desired despite being quite good. I've always heard this billed as "Japan's 'Gone with the Wind,'" but, at this point, it lacks the same grandeur. To be fair, I've heard the other films are better.

The first entry follows an unusually introverted Toshiro Mifune as our title hero. He's not allowed to be brash and loud, so he comes off a little awkward. It's not a bad thing though because it's good to see him showing a little range when the scenes are good. I was more impressed with Rentarô Mikuni's performance as Mifune's friend.

The film's action sequences, though, are gorgeous. There's a huge infinity-on-one hillside melée that's shot beautifully. It excellently takes the place of the montage western nations love. That scene and the scene where one of out heroes is wriggling for his life while tied up and hung high from a tree stayed with me all night after seeing them. Such a splendid eye for detail this production team had! The shots of Himeji Castle were everything I dreamed of too. It's a landmark I've always had a fondness for.

The end scene with Takuan Sôhô is really, really good, and I was sad that it didn't go on a bit longer. Using Sôhô as a villainous film figure had a lot of potential. Plus, any extra time with Otsu, played well by Kaoru Yachigusa, is excellent.

"Samurai I" is pretty good. I think it's not quite as great as it could be, but, as much as I was disappointed by him here, honestly, I can't picture anyone other than Mifune in this leading role.

Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (Hiroshi Inagaki, 1955) 8/10

After years establishing himself as the best swordsman in Japan, Musashi Miyamoto returns to Kyoto and deliberately walks into ambushes created by the top fencing school as challenges. "Duel at Ichijoji Temple" is a bit of an improvement over its predecessor. It revs up character development a little more and the action sequences are far more elaborate and beautiful. The famous scene where Miyamoto fights eighty men at once is as wonderful as you'd expect. You can really see its influence on kung fu films, wuxia films, other chopsocky films, John Woo films, and modern action films. It continues the tradition of the first, but, here, Toshiro Mifune finally seems to be coming into his own in this character. His muted expressions are far better here and seem more organic.

Also, the aesthetics here are a lot more pleasing than the first film's. "Musashi Miyamoto" has a really odd palette with the clunky use of Eastmancolor, but this sequel vastly improves on that in very little time. The use of light colors, especially in clothes and in a few sets, is refreshing and telling of the characters associated with them.

I'll be excited if the third film is even better than this one.

Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (Hiroshi Inagaki, 1956) 7/10

Musashi Miyamoto rejects the patronage of the Shogun to live off the land and help villagers in the year before he's set to duel his biggest enemy. The "Samurai" trilogy ends a little worse off than its predecessor. The whole arc looks like a bell curve albeit a less dramatic one.

"Samurai III" gives us Toshiro Mifune's best performance of the three films as he's really, truly come into character by now. His scenes as Musashi opposite Otsu are really well done. One thing I think felt superfluous was the addition of the new love interest Akemi. It felt a little shoehorned and never a serious threat to the central relationship.

As for Sasaki Kojirô, I'm glad we get more of him. Ever since his introduction in the second film, I've been craving more screentime for him. Sure, he looks every bit like a Japanese Wayne Newton, but he makes for such a good villain. And the final fight scene is gorgeous with the (admittedly poor) sunset on the beach casting itself ominously over the proceedings. It's a beautiful scene. One of the best fight scenes I've seen.

But the film fails to live up to "Duel at Ichijoji Temple" which makes the trilogy look a little poorer on its way out. Overall, I'd say the series is solid but falls short of greatness. It's great in most of the technical aspects but fails to stir up much excitement through its cast. Absolute no regrets watching this though; I'd easily recommend this to anyone looking for a good samurai film.

Riot in Cell Block 11 (Don Siegel, 1954) 6/10

A prisoner leads his fellow inmates in a protest for better living conditions which turns violent and dangerous. "Riot in Cell Block 11" feels like a good classic prison film in the line of 1930's "The Big House." There's a huge problem with this though. We're given scant information on the prisoners. One of the most consistently entertaining and emotionally important parts of prison films are the backstories. How did they there? What have they been doing since? "Orange Is the New Black" has nailed this aspect, albeit, with a ton more time with which to work. We get very, very little of that here. It's hard to care about these prisoners for any reason other than their terrible living conditions. It isn't Andersonville, but I digress.

For the rather boring cast, we do get a really electrifying performance out of Neville Brand whose charisma and body language are determined on hooking us. He's the lone star in this dull cast.

And the techs are really solid as the film is mercilessly edited and recorded and shot with an uncanny ear and eye for action. This is the first Don Siegel film to show his promise for genre work.

So while "Riot in Cell Block 11" could have been much better, it's still a lot of fun.

French Cancan (Jean Renoir, 1954) 6/10

A world-weary impresario turns a waitress into a star dancer and inspires a dance craze in Paris. "French Cancan" is Renoir slipping back toward the middle of the scale but in style and fashion. The film isn't particularly interesting. It's as dull yet beautiful as John Huston's "Moulin Rouge" which is both a compliment and an insult. The use of pastels is nice here but also a little annoying after a while. The dance sequences are all uniformly great though; I could watch them for hours. I'm not sure whether it's the choreography of the cancan itself, but something is fixating about this film. And the Technicolor is used wisely too in something that's not quite excessive.

Jean Gabin is pretty good as our wise impresario. He's the one solid part of the cast as both María Félix and Françoise Arnoul both leave a lot to be desired. Félix, in particular, because she's radiant. I'd loved to have seen a film just about her.

Renoir's all over the map in these later years. This also means he's more hit-or-miss. This is one of those awkward films that is neither. "French Cancan" is entertaining with not quite enough substance to have ever hooked me. And for as good as the costumes look, some of the sets look like they were made in a high school stagecraft class.

REWATCH: On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954) 9/10

A prizefighter who works the city's docks is caught between testifying against a brutish racketeer and risking the lackluster reputation of being a stoolie if he does. Before I get into the film, I should address what everyone else addressed when talking about this film, and it's the moral confusion between the artist and the product. This heroic tale of standing up for what's right comes across as incredibly phony coming from blacklist-happy, naming-names, HUAC-loving Elia Kazan.

But, as I often talk about with Polanski and Allen, the artist is separate from the art unless things are inherently drawn from their lives. And "On the Waterfront" is a definitively American film. Its ideas on the pursuit of happiness and its exposé on the docks (based on the Pulitzer-winning journalism by Malcolm Johnson) still feel fresh today. The film benefits from an early sense of gritty realism that feels unique. It doesn't style itself after a film noir even in the "contender" speech. "On the Waterfront" feels lived-in and worn-out in the best way. A lot of that has to do with the sets and locations. You can see the grime.

As for the cast, this is one of the best ensembles cinema's ever had. Marlon Brando is rightfully iconic in the role as he doesn't get to ham it up like he usually does. Kazan keeps him in control much like he back in 1951. Brando's quiet break from determinism to taking action is a drastic change and one he portrays beautifully under the wing of Kazan. Brando was the Daniel Day-Lewis of his day though not quite as good. This is most likely his greatest performance. That said, I think the supporting cast mostly outshines him. Rod Steiger does a swell job in his few scenes. Brando gets to eat the script during the cab ride, but Steiger sets him and every line up perfectly. It's as thankless a role as one can play. Lee J. Cobb is an excellent villain playing Johnny Friendly with fire and menace. It's also probably his best work. But none of these men hold any amount of candles to Karl Malden whose waterfront, stand-up-and-riot priest is the film's most brilliant creation. Malden's performance is electric and soothing. He hits the tone of Father Barry perfectly. His speeches are phenomenal. It's Malden's best-ever work.

If there's one complaint I have, I think Eva Marie Saint doesn't quite hit all the notes she should. She's shrill at times when she shouldn't be, and has a small tendency to overemote. But her performance is still mostly very good.

"On the Waterfront" is a piece of American brilliance. It captures the cynical soul of the nation and runs with it.

Twenty-Four Eyes (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1954) 10/10

A schoolteacher struggles to enlighten her students and maintain their positive outlooks while knowing many of them will die in the war. This movie abso-fucking-lutely floored me in a way no film has in a long, long time. "Twenty-Four Eyes" is the kind of film the word "masterpiece" was made for. Keisuke Kinoshita has made something I rarely ever find in American cinema: a moving masterpiece that features a child/children as main, important people. Child acting is one of the things I have come to like least in cinema. Kids really can't perform very well, so it's up to directors to do as best as they can. For every Anna Paquin in "The Piano," you get 500 Bobby Driscolls in anything he was ever in. And, in 1954, America still loved terrible child acting. Kids were expected to be precocious and read from cue cards. So how is it that Kinoshita gets these kids to be so amazing? For one, the setting: they're in a schoolhouse so they have to be obedient and a little rowdy. I'd be surprised if he told them to actually do anything other than go along with it all.

But even with these excellent kids, we get an absolutely, terrifically moving performance by Hideko Takamine, one of Japan's crown jewels right along Kinuyo Tanaka and Setsuko Hara. Takamine's gorgeous, expressive face takes the wheel and guides us through the decades. The worry in her eyes, the soft definition of her cheeks and the lines that form in these moments, everything about this woman is great. I'd say this is the performance of a lifetime, but she also gave one of those in "When a Woman Ascends the Stairs." This must be Japan's equivalent of Vivien Leigh's "Gone with the Wind" and "A Streetcar Named Desire" one-two punch.

And this film handles sentiment in ways I've never seen in Hollywood. It has the understated melodrama of a Douglas Sirk film and is handled similarly though less obviously.

"Twenty-Four Eyes" is incredible. The joy of the children singing, the horror of war, the love and passion one woman puts into these children. Hisako Ôishi deserves to be next to Mr. Chips and John Keating and Jaime Escalante as cinema's best teacher.

Brigadoon (Vincente Minnelli, 1954) 4/10

Two Americans stumble upon a remote Scottish village that reappears once every 100 years to preserve its beauty and atmosphere. This is a messy, messy film.

"Brigadoon" completely disregards it's concept - the "once-in-a-hundred-years" thing. It happens in large ways, but it's the smaller ways that are a bit more annoying. The townsfolk seem to know that they only appear so often but seem to have so sense of it. "Tomorrow," "yesterday," "later," they chime. They try to play it off with a typical Hollywood, "Well, you never know..." arc, but it fails miserably.

Gene Kelly is as smiley and fake as ever here. It usually comes off with such charm, but, here, it feels massively forced - especially during the musical numbers. His choreography, though, is a bit better. Much more refined and safe than usual. Cyd Charisse delivers maybe the worst Scottish accent in the long, storied history of cinema. sHer acting is as lame as ever, and her dancing is as great as ever. It's sad that she never really got the chance to show her chops, assuming she had any. Van Johnson's cynical best friend should have been an absolute slam-dunk of a role. Johnson plays his character with such a smart sense of assholism but it all comes off weird because the role is written weird. In nearly every musical, the snarky friend makes some quips while their friend breaks out into lovey-dovey song. Here, the world stops when Kelly performs. I'm guessing this was a narcissistic move by Kelly more than Minnelli simply not complying to a trope I never mind.

As for the look of it all, it looks nice enough but never with the élan that makes Minnelli movies so captivating. "Brigadoon" is a big, fat miss. It's never offensively terrible, but it should've been a home run with Minnelli and Kelly.

[Reza]

The Nice Guys (Shane Black, 2016) 6/10

Fitfully amusing buddy-private-eye comedy-drama which is more successful as an homage to the 1970s than it is as a whole. I found the humour forced and pretty flat and the action set pieces more slapstick despite all the bone crunching violence on display. A number of people involved in the making of a porno movie end up dead with the chase on to hunt for one of the leading ladies who is still at large but with a killer after her. Two frazzled detectives - Russell Crowe & Ryan Gosling - find themselves unwittingly become partners in the search for the missing girl as assorted goons try to knock them off. This is probably Ryan Gosling's finest performance to date. He is funny, goofy and is spot on with his witty drunken retorts. He is matched every step of the way by young Angourie Rice who plays his "mature" daughter. Crowe is now beginning to take on the bulk of John Goodman and makes a fine sparring partner for Gosling. The film evokes classic L.A. based films from the 1970s - Altman's "The Long Goodbye" and Polanski's "Chinatown". Kim Basinger gives the film a rather dry sort of noir reminder via her previous more memorable teaming with Crowe. The outstanding production design, the vivid costumes, the songs on the soundtrack and the cinematography all play a major role in recreating groovy L.A. of the seventies but the erratic screenplay is too chaotic and unfocused. The film is fun in fits and starts and comes alive thanks to the slapstick chemistry of the two stars. It could and should have been better.

[Reza]

Magnificent Obsession (Douglas Sirk, 1954) 10/10

Sirk's first masterpiece in a series of grand operatic melodramas which he made during the 1950s. He took an old chestnut from the 1930s (starring Irene Dunne & Robert Taylor) and transformed the material (based on a bestseller) into something chic and meaningful while maintaining the melodrama at fever pitch. He is helped by two superb performances with actors who played their parts as if the word cliché was not invented. The plot is beyond ridiculous with one tragedy following another and when it seems nothing else can go wrong we get yet another emotional scene on a hospital bed. It seems Hollywood took its cue from Bollywood, milking each tragedy for all its worth and coming up with the necessary happy ending. A reckless playboy (Rock Hudson) indirectly causes the death of a much loved doctor. While trying to make amends with his widow (Jane Wyman) he inadvertently causes her to have an accident which makes her blind. Racked by guilt he woos her without her knowledge he is the man who has caused her so much grief. Wyman is superb as the mature woman who discovers love all over again while Hudson compliments her with his first serious role which overnight made him into a romantic matinée idol. The leads are well supported by Barbara Rush as Wyman's stepdaughter and Agnes Moorehead as her confidante and friend. Sirk's imaginative widescreen camerawork and use of stunning colour transforms this prepostrous melodrama into something quite magical. A must-see.

[Precious Doll]

Neon Bull (2016) Gabriel Mascaro 7/10
Death in Sarajevo (2015) Danis Tanovic 5/10
Wednesday, May 29 (2015) Vahid Jalilvand 2/10
The Road (2015) Zhang Zanbo 4/10
Swiss Army Man (2016) Dan Kwan & Daniel Schienert 4/10
A Monster with a Thousand Heads (2015) Rodrigo Pla 6/10
Certain Women (2016) Kelly Reichardt 4/10
Julieta (2016) Pedro Almodovar 6/10
Aquarius (2016) Kleber Mendooca Filho 7/10
Under the Sun (2016) Vitaliy Manskiy 5/10
Suntan (2016) Argyris Papadimitropoulos 5/10
A War (2015) Tobias Lindholm 5/10
It's Only the End of the World (2016) Xavier Dolan 1/10
Chevalier (2015) Athina Rachel Tsangari 7/10
Spa Night (2016) Andrew Ahn 6/10

Repeat viewings

Life of Brian (1979) Terry Jones 8/10
Milou in May (1990) Louis Malle 10/10
Au Revoir les Enfants (1987) Louis Malle 10/10

[Reza]

Gideon of Scotland Yard / Gideon's Way (John Ford, 1958) 7/10

One day in the life of Chief Inspector Gideon (Jack Hawkins) of Scotland Yard as he solves crimes and interacts with his wife (Anna Lee) and daughter (Anna Massey). Standard procedural cop drama with all clichés intact is nevertheless pretty good thanks to a very dry and witty no-nonsense performance by Jack Hawkins, the lovely colour cinematography by Freddie Francis and the novelty of having the great John Ford direct an unusual subject way off base from his usual beat in Monument Valley.

[Reza]

The Long Arm (Charles Frend, 1956) 7/10

Dialogue based police melodrama with little action but a smart screenplay that efficiently goes about showing how a crime gets solved. A middle class, weary police superintendent (Jack Hawkins) is faced with solving a robbery, has a neglected wife (Dorothy Allison) and kid and goes about his work with humour. There is nothing original here by way of plot although Jack Hawkins still manages to create an interesting character while going through scenes that now seem like clichés. A solid little film from Ealing.

[Reza]

The Clouded Yellow (Ralph Thomas, 1950) 7/10

A fragile young girl (Jean Simmons), accused of murder, is helped by a former secret agent (Trevor Howard) to escape from the police. They are chased from New Cadtle to the Lake District and to Liverpool where the mystery is finally resolved. The plot suspiciously follows Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" in mood and action with the two leads being chased cross country minus the memorable handcuffs from the Hitchcock classic. Taut little thriller is helped immensely by the on location filming (with the great Geoffrey Unsworth on camera) and the chemistry of the two leads.

[Reza]

December Flower (Stephen Frears, 1987) 9/10

Charming little television film about love for the elderly. An elegant widow (Jean Simmons) arrives to visit her elderly aunt (the wonderful Mona Washbourne) who is bedridden and in an almost catatonic state. She has been all but abandoned by her son (Bryan Forbes) and daughter-in-law (June Ritchie) and lives with a caretaker (Pat Heywood) who mistreats her. Gradually, through loving care, the old lady is brought out of her sad state, reawakening her sense of humour and given life again by her doting niece. Superbly acted - by both Simmons and Washbourne - uplifting and heartwarming story. Unusual subject for director Frears who soon after this film hit it big in Hollywood. Also amusing to see an early appearance by Jim Carter (who finally made it big as the butler Carson on Downton Abbey over 20 years later). This film is a small masterpiece.

[Reza]

The Woman in Question / Five Angles on Murder (Anthony Asquith, 1950) 7/10

A slatternly fortune teller (Jean Kent) is found strangled to death and her story unfolds through the eyes of five people she came into contact with - her on again/off again boyfriend (John McCallum), her sister, a pet shop owner, a vaudeville artist (Dirk Bogarde) and her busybody landlady (the delightful Hermione Baddeley) - as the police question them. Atmospheric little Brit noir with director Asquith using Kurosawa's Rashomon-like technique to resolve the mystery. Star Jean Kent shines as the woman who appears a different person to all five "friends".