Wild Geese Calling (John Brahm, 1941) 5/10
A lumberjack (Henry Fonda) with a wanderlust (hence the film's title) follows his best buddy (Warren William) to Alaska in search of gold. However, there's a problem. He's just married a dance hall girl (Joan Bennett) who unbeknownst to him was once his friend's former girlfriend. Loud frontier drama with a lot of shouting and he-man heroics. There are some interesting stock shots of the icy ocean with waves crashing on a boat. Ona Munson steals every scene playing a variation of her Belle Watling from GWTW and there is a childbirth scene with Bennett which she takes charge of â la Scarlett. Strictly formula (which Fonda was forced to endure due to his contract at Fox) but the stars are good.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
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Good Time (Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie, 2017) 8/10
A gritty mix of Abel Ferrera and Tarantino in this film about a crime that goes awry. A grungy dysfunctional bank robber (Robert Pattinson) goes on the run with his mentally impaired brother (Benny Safdie) after a bank robbery goes wrong. When his brother gets caught and beaten up badly in prison he attempts to lift him from hospital with surprising results. Edgy thriller is filmed on location with the directors using many non-actors shot in claustrophobic closeup as the handheld camera sweeps all over the place capturing the flouroscent and surreal colours of nightime New York. The loud pulsating score adds to the sense of nightmarish confusion the characters often feel. Pattinson is superb giving an extremely raw performance full of urgency. There is a sharp cameo by Jennifer Jason Leigh, playing his girlfriend, in her typically distinct manner. Inventive storytelling filmed with edgy realism.
A gritty mix of Abel Ferrera and Tarantino in this film about a crime that goes awry. A grungy dysfunctional bank robber (Robert Pattinson) goes on the run with his mentally impaired brother (Benny Safdie) after a bank robbery goes wrong. When his brother gets caught and beaten up badly in prison he attempts to lift him from hospital with surprising results. Edgy thriller is filmed on location with the directors using many non-actors shot in claustrophobic closeup as the handheld camera sweeps all over the place capturing the flouroscent and surreal colours of nightime New York. The loud pulsating score adds to the sense of nightmarish confusion the characters often feel. Pattinson is superb giving an extremely raw performance full of urgency. There is a sharp cameo by Jennifer Jason Leigh, playing his girlfriend, in her typically distinct manner. Inventive storytelling filmed with edgy realism.
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Twin Beds (Tim Whelan, 1942) 5/10
Screwball farce which is unfortunately silly beyond belief. A man (George Brent) wants to spend alone time at his home with his wife (Joan Bennett) but they are rudely interrupted by assorted zany characters. The two stars get into the spirit of the proceedings but with middling success though it's an interesting change to see Bennett in a change of pace from her usual tough femme fatales. The sparkling supporting cast - Mischa Auer, Margaret Hamilton, Una Merkel, Glenda Farrell, Cecil Cunningham, Ernest Truex - add a touch of zest. The scene with Joan Bennett dancing the Conga with Mischa Auer (playing yet another Russian) is amusing.
Screwball farce which is unfortunately silly beyond belief. A man (George Brent) wants to spend alone time at his home with his wife (Joan Bennett) but they are rudely interrupted by assorted zany characters. The two stars get into the spirit of the proceedings but with middling success though it's an interesting change to see Bennett in a change of pace from her usual tough femme fatales. The sparkling supporting cast - Mischa Auer, Margaret Hamilton, Una Merkel, Glenda Farrell, Cecil Cunningham, Ernest Truex - add a touch of zest. The scene with Joan Bennett dancing the Conga with Mischa Auer (playing yet another Russian) is amusing.
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Never Look Back (Francis Searle, 1952) 6/10
Good courtroom melodrama - a newly appointed female QC (Rosamund John) defends a former lover (Guy Middleton) on a murder charge while her current lover (Hugh Sinclair) is the prosecutor on the case. Rare early Hammer production (before the studio became famous for its horror output) captures post-war British atmosphere with help from an excellent cast of character actors - Brenda de Banzie, Henry Edwards, Terence Longdon.
Good courtroom melodrama - a newly appointed female QC (Rosamund John) defends a former lover (Guy Middleton) on a murder charge while her current lover (Hugh Sinclair) is the prosecutor on the case. Rare early Hammer production (before the studio became famous for its horror output) captures post-war British atmosphere with help from an excellent cast of character actors - Brenda de Banzie, Henry Edwards, Terence Longdon.
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Lady in a Jam (Gregory La Cava, 1942) 1/10
Silly screwball has big city lady (Irene Dunne) go hunting for gold in Arizona with obvious corny scenes of the star roughing it out, getting covered in myd and pursued by her childhood friend - a singing cowboy (Ralph Bellamy). Her business manager (Eugene Pallette) gets a psychiatrist (Patrick Knowles) to go along with her incognito posing as her chauffeur as she appears to be nutty. Forced comic situations don't help matters. Probably Dunne's worst film.
Silly screwball has big city lady (Irene Dunne) go hunting for gold in Arizona with obvious corny scenes of the star roughing it out, getting covered in myd and pursued by her childhood friend - a singing cowboy (Ralph Bellamy). Her business manager (Eugene Pallette) gets a psychiatrist (Patrick Knowles) to go along with her incognito posing as her chauffeur as she appears to be nutty. Forced comic situations don't help matters. Probably Dunne's worst film.
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Three Hearts For Julia (Richard Thorpe, 1943) 4/10
Boring romantic comedy with both stars badly miscast. A prim violinist (Ann Southern) wants a divorce as she wants to marry a more refined person but her war correspondent husband (Melvyn Douglas) tries to disuade her. The story would have worked better if Douglas was the snob and Southern her usual zany self. Slow and predictable.
Boring romantic comedy with both stars badly miscast. A prim violinist (Ann Southern) wants a divorce as she wants to marry a more refined person but her war correspondent husband (Melvyn Douglas) tries to disuade her. The story would have worked better if Douglas was the snob and Southern her usual zany self. Slow and predictable.
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Lover Come Back (William A. Seiter, 1946) 6/10
The male double standard of "a man will be a man but a woman should only look after her home and kids" gets an amusing spin in this romp as a glamourous Lucille Ball (dressed in epic Travis Banton) takes on and teaches her philandering journalist husband (George Brent) a lesson after he returns home after a two year assignment abroad. Ball, one of Hollywood's top comic gems, unfortunately never got the credit she deserved. Hollywood's loss was television's gain where she blossomed although every one of her big screen efforts remain memorable. The two leads get excellent snappy support from Charles Winninger, Carl Esmond, Vera Zorina, Louise Beavers, Franklin Pangborn and Raymond Walburn. Silly but great fun thanks to the delightful Ball.
The male double standard of "a man will be a man but a woman should only look after her home and kids" gets an amusing spin in this romp as a glamourous Lucille Ball (dressed in epic Travis Banton) takes on and teaches her philandering journalist husband (George Brent) a lesson after he returns home after a two year assignment abroad. Ball, one of Hollywood's top comic gems, unfortunately never got the credit she deserved. Hollywood's loss was television's gain where she blossomed although every one of her big screen efforts remain memorable. The two leads get excellent snappy support from Charles Winninger, Carl Esmond, Vera Zorina, Louise Beavers, Franklin Pangborn and Raymond Walburn. Silly but great fun thanks to the delightful Ball.
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Enchantment (Irving Reis, 1948) 8/10
The flashback, an old-fashioned device once so popular in films, plays an important role in this story (based on a book by Rumer Godden) about two generations of lovers set during different time periods. You know this is going to be a lot of tosh - but in a good way - when the story is narrated by an old house on a London street. The house has been witness to various romances in the past - the love a dashing young guardsman (David Niven) has for his father's ward (Teresa Wright) who is also loved by his older brother (Phillip Friend) and an Italian suitor (Shepperd Strudwick). Their jealous older sister (Jayne Meadows) comes in between the young lovers. The story, with strong Brontë overtones, is lushly romantic as unrequited love from the past is challenged by younger members of the family (Evelyn Keyes & Farley Granger) who happen to meet years later under the same roof. The exceptional cast - Niven is very good as the young soldier in the past and the decrepit old man during the present and has great chemistry with the luminous Teresa Wright who seems to float through the film as everyone's object of desire. This was a prestigious Goldwyn production, shot by the great Gregg Toland (it was his last film) and a reminder that such romantic films were a staple in old Hollywood when films were a means of escape from the harsh realities of life and for a brief moment the audience could wallow in tears and sentiment.
The flashback, an old-fashioned device once so popular in films, plays an important role in this story (based on a book by Rumer Godden) about two generations of lovers set during different time periods. You know this is going to be a lot of tosh - but in a good way - when the story is narrated by an old house on a London street. The house has been witness to various romances in the past - the love a dashing young guardsman (David Niven) has for his father's ward (Teresa Wright) who is also loved by his older brother (Phillip Friend) and an Italian suitor (Shepperd Strudwick). Their jealous older sister (Jayne Meadows) comes in between the young lovers. The story, with strong Brontë overtones, is lushly romantic as unrequited love from the past is challenged by younger members of the family (Evelyn Keyes & Farley Granger) who happen to meet years later under the same roof. The exceptional cast - Niven is very good as the young soldier in the past and the decrepit old man during the present and has great chemistry with the luminous Teresa Wright who seems to float through the film as everyone's object of desire. This was a prestigious Goldwyn production, shot by the great Gregg Toland (it was his last film) and a reminder that such romantic films were a staple in old Hollywood when films were a means of escape from the harsh realities of life and for a brief moment the audience could wallow in tears and sentiment.
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Temptation (Irving Pichel, 1946) 4/10
Overbaked melodrama with lovely but stiff Merle Oberon playing a period femme fatale trying to poison her Egyptologist husband (George Brent) while relentlessly pursuing her faithless lover (Charles Korvin). Amazing what a long and distinguished career Merle Oberon enjoyed without an iota of acting chops instead relying on her beauty, an initial hookup with producer Alexander Korda and a pretense of "good breeding" (which was later exposed). By the time she made this film she was married to Lucien Ballard who was the director of photography on the film and shoots her alluringly through shadows. Campy film with no redeeming values as the silly protagonist makes no sense.
Overbaked melodrama with lovely but stiff Merle Oberon playing a period femme fatale trying to poison her Egyptologist husband (George Brent) while relentlessly pursuing her faithless lover (Charles Korvin). Amazing what a long and distinguished career Merle Oberon enjoyed without an iota of acting chops instead relying on her beauty, an initial hookup with producer Alexander Korda and a pretense of "good breeding" (which was later exposed). By the time she made this film she was married to Lucien Ballard who was the director of photography on the film and shoots her alluringly through shadows. Campy film with no redeeming values as the silly protagonist makes no sense.
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Murder is Easy (Claude Whatham, 1982) 5/10
A computer expert (Bill Bixby) by chance encounters a distraught old lady on a train (Helen Hayes) who is on her way to Scotland Yard convinced she knows who has killed three people in her village and a fourth who is next on the killer's list. When she is suddenly killed in a hit-and-run accident the man is convinced something is up and with the help of a troubled girl (Lesley Anne Down) tries to solve the mystery. American tv adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel has an interesting cast of suspects played by Timothy West, Olivia de Havilland and Jonathan Pryce but the story is presented in a lifeless manner totally devoid of suspense. Bixby is miscast - the original character in the novel was British and belonged to the village but because this was an American production they cast Bixby who is bland and has zero romantic chemistry with the lovely Down. The story was later adapted for tv with more zest as a Miss Marple mystery.
A computer expert (Bill Bixby) by chance encounters a distraught old lady on a train (Helen Hayes) who is on her way to Scotland Yard convinced she knows who has killed three people in her village and a fourth who is next on the killer's list. When she is suddenly killed in a hit-and-run accident the man is convinced something is up and with the help of a troubled girl (Lesley Anne Down) tries to solve the mystery. American tv adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel has an interesting cast of suspects played by Timothy West, Olivia de Havilland and Jonathan Pryce but the story is presented in a lifeless manner totally devoid of suspense. Bixby is miscast - the original character in the novel was British and belonged to the village but because this was an American production they cast Bixby who is bland and has zero romantic chemistry with the lovely Down. The story was later adapted for tv with more zest as a Miss Marple mystery.
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The Well-Groomed Bride (Sidney Lanfield, 1946) 3/10
Silly screwball has a Navy officer (Ray Milland) and a woman (Olivia de Havilland) battle it out for the only magnum bottle of champagne available in San Francisco. He needs it to launch a navy battle ship while she needs it for her upcoming marriage to a jock (Sonny Tufts). The stars play well off each other but it's all too slight to make any impact. Milland made this right after winning an Oscar for "The Lost Weekend" while this was de Havilland's comeback after three years battling Warner Brothers in court. She would follow this turkey with her own Oscar for "To Each His Own". Skip this.
Silly screwball has a Navy officer (Ray Milland) and a woman (Olivia de Havilland) battle it out for the only magnum bottle of champagne available in San Francisco. He needs it to launch a navy battle ship while she needs it for her upcoming marriage to a jock (Sonny Tufts). The stars play well off each other but it's all too slight to make any impact. Milland made this right after winning an Oscar for "The Lost Weekend" while this was de Havilland's comeback after three years battling Warner Brothers in court. She would follow this turkey with her own Oscar for "To Each His Own". Skip this.
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The Man From the Alamo (Budd Boetticher, 1953) 7/10
A man (Glenn Ford) is assigned the task of leaving the Alamo at a critical time of the battle to go warn Texas families about the outcome. Not only does he discover his wife and son have been killed but he is branded a coward for leaving the Alamo just before it fell. Tough character piece about revenge and honour with Ford giving an intense performance. The film's highlight is Boetticher's exhilarating set piece of an attack on a wagon train full of women and children which Ford helps to defend. Epic "B" western, shot in widescreen by Russell Metty, is an exciting old-fashioned outdoor melodrama
A man (Glenn Ford) is assigned the task of leaving the Alamo at a critical time of the battle to go warn Texas families about the outcome. Not only does he discover his wife and son have been killed but he is branded a coward for leaving the Alamo just before it fell. Tough character piece about revenge and honour with Ford giving an intense performance. The film's highlight is Boetticher's exhilarating set piece of an attack on a wagon train full of women and children which Ford helps to defend. Epic "B" western, shot in widescreen by Russell Metty, is an exciting old-fashioned outdoor melodrama
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Tripoli / The First Marines (Will Price, 1950) 3/10
In 1850 the United States marines battle pirates in Tripoli - with a captain (John Payne) falling for the charms of a stunning beauty (Maureen O'Hara) who is the ward of the debonair Pasha (Phillip Reed). Noisy desert romp is an absolute bore save for the superb technicolor - the film was shot by the great James Wong Howe - which was always an asset in any film starring the magnificent Maureen O'Hara. She looks stunning dressed in assorted garish colours with her fiery red hair.
In 1850 the United States marines battle pirates in Tripoli - with a captain (John Payne) falling for the charms of a stunning beauty (Maureen O'Hara) who is the ward of the debonair Pasha (Phillip Reed). Noisy desert romp is an absolute bore save for the superb technicolor - the film was shot by the great James Wong Howe - which was always an asset in any film starring the magnificent Maureen O'Hara. She looks stunning dressed in assorted garish colours with her fiery red hair.
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The Final Destination (David R. Ellis, 2009) 5/10
A variation on the slasher film which basically follows other assorted similar franchises - "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Halloween", "Scream" - where the main plot involves inventive ways to kill off the young undistinguished cast of unknowns in various grusome and inventive ways. This series involves one character having a premonition of death who manages to warn and save a group of young friends (and some bystanders) only to discover that you can't cheat death. It comes with a vengeance picking off the cast one by one. Here a crash at a racing track results in horrible deaths followed by suspense in seeing the different ways death arrives. Rubbish that is strangely compelling as one waits deliriously for each death to occur with great relish. The cheesy effects here are in 3-D.
A variation on the slasher film which basically follows other assorted similar franchises - "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Halloween", "Scream" - where the main plot involves inventive ways to kill off the young undistinguished cast of unknowns in various grusome and inventive ways. This series involves one character having a premonition of death who manages to warn and save a group of young friends (and some bystanders) only to discover that you can't cheat death. It comes with a vengeance picking off the cast one by one. Here a crash at a racing track results in horrible deaths followed by suspense in seeing the different ways death arrives. Rubbish that is strangely compelling as one waits deliriously for each death to occur with great relish. The cheesy effects here are in 3-D.
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Jinnah (Jamil Dehlavi, 1998) 9/10
Outstanding film about the life of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. The screenplay (by Akbar Ahmad) takes a unique route by showing the deceased Jinnah (Christopher Lee) being led through his life by a celestial angel (Shashi Kapoor) who gently weaves through history and offers a critique of the leader's life and events which ultimately led to the Partition of British India into two states, one of which came about through Jinnah's relentless efforts - a separate country for Muslims which was named Pakistan. Through flashbacks we see young Jinnah (Richard Lintern) - a dashing and successful lawyer - his love marriage to the Parsee beauty, Ruttie (Indira Varma), the breakdown of their relationship and her early death from cancer, his close relationship with his unmarried sister and lifelong companion, Fatima (Shireen Shah), the formation of the Muslim League after his break from the Indian National Congress, his tussles with Gandhi (Sam Dastor), Nehru (Robert Ashby) and the Mountbattens - Louis (James Fox) & Edwina (Maria Aitkin), the latter who is shown having a full fledged affair with Nehru - the caustic relationship with his only daughter, Dina (Vaneeza Ahmad) - an estrangement that began when she married a Parsee against his wishes which was ironic as her own mother belonged to that religious community. For a film that was made on a limited budget it boasts exquisite production values with the entire film shot on location in Lahore and Karachi. Lee gives a forceful and moving performance and the entire cast is exceptional. The film was very controversial with the local public up in arms over the casting of "Dracula" as the Nation's founding leader with star Christopher Lee receiving death threats. In addition there were rumours that Shashi Kapoor was playing "Archangel Gabriel" and this did not go down well with religious leaders in the country. Sadly the film was never officially released in cinemas in Pakistan until years later when it finally appeared on Dvd. An interesting companion piece to Richard Attenbrough's "Gandhi" (1982) and Gurinder Chadha's "Viceroy's House" (2017). A must-see for history buffs and an unusual take on historical events.
Outstanding film about the life of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. The screenplay (by Akbar Ahmad) takes a unique route by showing the deceased Jinnah (Christopher Lee) being led through his life by a celestial angel (Shashi Kapoor) who gently weaves through history and offers a critique of the leader's life and events which ultimately led to the Partition of British India into two states, one of which came about through Jinnah's relentless efforts - a separate country for Muslims which was named Pakistan. Through flashbacks we see young Jinnah (Richard Lintern) - a dashing and successful lawyer - his love marriage to the Parsee beauty, Ruttie (Indira Varma), the breakdown of their relationship and her early death from cancer, his close relationship with his unmarried sister and lifelong companion, Fatima (Shireen Shah), the formation of the Muslim League after his break from the Indian National Congress, his tussles with Gandhi (Sam Dastor), Nehru (Robert Ashby) and the Mountbattens - Louis (James Fox) & Edwina (Maria Aitkin), the latter who is shown having a full fledged affair with Nehru - the caustic relationship with his only daughter, Dina (Vaneeza Ahmad) - an estrangement that began when she married a Parsee against his wishes which was ironic as her own mother belonged to that religious community. For a film that was made on a limited budget it boasts exquisite production values with the entire film shot on location in Lahore and Karachi. Lee gives a forceful and moving performance and the entire cast is exceptional. The film was very controversial with the local public up in arms over the casting of "Dracula" as the Nation's founding leader with star Christopher Lee receiving death threats. In addition there were rumours that Shashi Kapoor was playing "Archangel Gabriel" and this did not go down well with religious leaders in the country. Sadly the film was never officially released in cinemas in Pakistan until years later when it finally appeared on Dvd. An interesting companion piece to Richard Attenbrough's "Gandhi" (1982) and Gurinder Chadha's "Viceroy's House" (2017). A must-see for history buffs and an unusual take on historical events.