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

[Precious Doll]

Solo (2018) Ron Howard 4/10
Stronger (2017) David Gordon Green 4/10
Paula (2016) Christian Schwochow 4/10
Mademoiselle Paradis (2018) Barbara Albert 5/10

Repeat viewings

Goodbye Mr. Chips (1969) Herbert Ross 7/10
Brute Force (1947) Jules Dassin 6/10
After the Storm (2015) Hirokazu Koreeda 7/10
Wolfen (1981) Michael Wadleigh 4/10
The Dogs of War (1980) John Irvin 6/10
The Best Man (1964) Frank J. Schaffner 6/10
The Return (2003) Andrey Zvyagintsev 6/10
Dark Blue (2003) Ron Shelton 5/10
The Square (2016) Ruben Ostlund 8/10
Planet of the Vampires (1965) Mario Bava 6/10

[Reza]

Twilight of Honor (Boris Sagal, 1963) 6/10

Overbaked court room melodrama with a good cast and a subject going into overdrive to appease the newly allowed sexual permissiveness in movies during the 1960s. A young man (Nick Adams) and his slutty wife (Joey Hwatherton) are picked up by an elderly policeman while hitchiking on the freeway. While stopping at a motel the man finds his wife in bed with the old man and proceeds to kill him. Later he is turned in by his wife who wants the reward money. The prosecuting attorney goads the man into confessing the murder but ensures that the old man's lecherous behaviour remains hidden as he and his family are pillars of society. A young lawyer (Richard Chamberlain) is assigned to defend the young man who relentlessly faces an uphill task against the prosecuting team and the community who want the young man hanged. The film has a tv movie feel to it especially with Chamberlain in the lead - it was his first leading role on the big screen even though he was already a huge star on tv courtesy of "Dr Kildare". The authentic southern background, the Oscar nominated sets and Phillip Lathrop's superb noir-like cinematography raise the film several notches. The film is stolen by Claude Rains as the lawyer's mentor in a brief but telling part while Nick Adams was inexplicably Oscar nominated for his supporting turn as the naive almost feeble minded murderer. The film has a familar feel to it coming soon after the somewhat similar if much better "Anatomy of a Murder" and "To Kill a Mockingbird".

[Reza]

Summertime (David Lean, 1955) 10/10

Venice has been on the map for centuries but this exquisite little film put this water-logged city on the map in a big way. David Lean captures the city in a very special light moreso than it actually is when you visit. Based on Arthur Laurents' play, "The Time of the Cuckoo", this is a slight tale of a repressed and lonely American spinster school teacher (Katharine Hepburn) who visits Venice on holiday. The film not only traces this lonely woman's journey but shows us a bittersweet glimpse into her love life which she hesitatingly dips into for a brief instance coming out glowing and satisfied. The film is a marvelous ode to the radiant Katharine Hepburn - one of a series of spinster roles she played during the 1950s - and is one of her most deeply moving performances perfectly capturing the essence of a woman who has resigned herself to a life of lonely solitude but to her utter surprise finds herself falling for a suave shopkeeper (Rossano Brazzi) who first acts as her guide and later gently glides her into a romance. Lean's sensitive direction not only superbly captures this woman's many moods - Hepburn is often directed in tight closeups capturing flickers of emotion on her familiar face and has never looked lovelier on screen - but also seeks out the beauty of Venice itself. The film is also a superb travelogue as Jack Hildyard's stunning camerawork captures the city's memorable locations - the Grand Canal, the Bridge of Sighs, Piazza San Marco with St Mark's Bascilica and the Doge's Palace, the many narrow alleys and the breathtaking architecture of ancient buildings with their dramatic murals and statues. Lovely Isa Miranda has a small part as the owner of a pensione and little Gaetano Autiero plays the delightful street urchin who acts as Hepburn's guide. The film's memorable score by Alessandro Cicognini is still played in cafés around Venice as an ode to this wonderful film which helped bring up the city's tourist trade. The film is also an interesting bridge in David Lean's career. All his films before were intimate studio bound dramas. "Summertime", although an intimate little film, has a grandeur about it due to the on location filming. All of Lean's subsequent five films would be shot on grand locations and be epic in nature. This little film was Lean's own personal favourite. A classic and a must-see.

[Reza]

Northern Pursuit (Raoul Walsh, 1943) 7/10

Action packed WWII propaganda film set in the snowy north of Canada. A Canadian Mountie (Errol Flynn), of German descent, captures a Nazi (Helmut Dantine) and infiltrates their group to see what they are planning. Flag waving heroics set on studio bound sets but stunningly filmed with ski chases, an avalanche and a German sub rising above and breaking ice on the ocean as its major set pieces. Notwithstanding the fake projection shots this is an exciting film with Flynn at his handsome heroic best. Flynn's bad health forbade him from joining active duty during the war so his series of Warners films about WWII set him in good stead with the public as he managed to do his "bit" for the war effort.

[Reza]

Virginia (Edward H. Griffith, 1941) 6/10

A New York chorus girl (Madeleine Carroll) comes down South to claim her property - a dilapitaded old plantation complete with her Mammy in tow (the great Louise Beavers). She finds herself pursued by a poor married Southern gentleman (Fred MacMurray), who lives with his spinster cousin (Helen Broderick) and a wife galavanting in Europe, and a dashing and much younger Yankee (Sterling Hayden). Overlong film has far too many cutesy scenes with a child actor who yammers on and on but this is an extremely rare film (a sadly faded print but in colour) and in contrast to GWTW which came out only two years before - where that production was lavish this one seems like it's extremely poor relative set during modern times. Brit Carroll makes a spirited heroine not unlike Vivien Leigh and she also ended up married to Hayden (in his film debut) off screen.

[Reza]

Washington Story (Robert Pirosh, 1952) 7/10

Slick film about dirty Washington politics. An idealistic young congressman (Van Johnson) is set upon by a reporter (Patricia Neal) to dig up dirt on him. Filmed at the height of the Red Scare the story exposes destructive elements man indulges in to create chaos with the press rightfully getting the brunt of most of the mud raking. Johnson and Neal - she of that incredibly smoky and sexy voice - both make a very attractive pair and their characters hold a remarkable resemblance to the young JFK and Jackie Bouvier. Louis Calhern is also very good as another congressman who with experience under his belt has tricks up his sleeve. Shot on Capitol Hill the film is sharply filmed by John Alton giving it a bright glow especially during the scenes set amongst the chic cocktail circuit.

[Reza]

The Jungle Princess (Willhelm Thiele, 1936) 3/10

Dorothy Lamour's sensational film debut wearing that Edith Head sarong. The film is pure hokum and absolute nonsense though it was a huge hit and got the star a career playing similar exotic jungle females wearing an assortment of sarongs. A female (Dorothy Lamour) is raised all alone in the jungle with her pet tiger and comes to the recue of a hunter (Ray Milland) and falls in live with him. Totally absurd but Lamour is charming andbalso gets to sing.

[Reza]

Till We Meet Again (Frank Borzage, 1944) 7/10

The fourth in a series of films made by the great Frank Borzage about the War and specifically about the Nazis coming to power. And the first without the incandescent Margaret Sullavan. The film's opening half hour has some of the most moving scenes in cinema history as a group of nuns in a french convent come head to head with the Nazi menace. Superbly shot sequence is like a religious psalm come to life as the Mother Superior (the amazing Lucille Watson) and a lovely young novice (Barbara Britton) clash with the German occupiers. The rest of the film is a typical WWII chase film as the young nun poses as the wife of a downed flyer (Ray Milland) helping him to escape. Along the way the innocent woman learns about the love the man has for his wife. The concluding image reverts back to the film's opening sequence with its serious religious overtones. Britton is superb as the delicate young woman whose journey brings her closer to God in more ways than one.

[Reza]

Angel (François Ozon, 2007) 3/10

Melodramatic rags to riches saga of an over imaginative writer (Romola Garai) whose romantic novels bring her a rich lifestyle, a sapphic companion (Lucy Russell), and a husband (Michael Fassbender) whom she smothers and tries to dominate. Garai's character is so over-the-top and she plays her at such a high pitch that she just doesn't seem to fit in with the actors she is sharing the screen with. Ozon, in his first english language film, appears to have intentionally created this character (along with the writer Elizabeth Taylor - no relation to the actress who was probably just as excessive during the 1960s as the character of "Angel" here) to be at odds with her surroundings as her selfish behaviour indicates that she lives in a world of fantasy which money and fame have allowed her to achieve. The only two stars who emerge unscathed from this messy film are Sam Neill as her publisher and Charlotte Rampling as his quietly incredulous wife - both giving tremendously understated performances.

[Reza]

East Side West Side (Mervyn LeRoy, 1949) 6/10

Glossy MGM soap with a dash of adultery and murder as the screenplay covers the love lives of the rich and famous. A vain businessman (James Mason) has a tremendous itch for sex which returns in the shape of his former mistress (Ava Gardner) who declares that she won't let go of him this time round. His socialite wife (Barbara Stanwyck), fed up with her philandering husband, catches the eye of a cop-turned-writer (Van Heflin) who in turn is pursued by a much younger girl (Cyd Charisse). A homicide jolts awake everyone causing each character to face upto new horizons. Superbly produced film with topnotch production values is stolen by the stunningly beautiful Ava Gardner as the bitchy playgirl who wants Mason back - her scenes opposite Stanwyck are fun to watch. The film's best performance comes from the elegant Gale Sondergaarde as Stanwyck's smiling mother who quietly deflates pompous Mason. The film has nothing new to say but the exciting cast keeps it afloat.

[Reza]

Streets of Laredo (Leslie Fenton, 1949) 7/10

An outlaw (Macdonald Carrey) separates from his two partners (Willuam Holden & William Bendix) when they decide to go clean and join the Texas Rangers. Their friendship, however, continues with a love triangle forming with the young waif (Mona Freeman) who loves Carrey while Holden loves her. The unrepentant outlaw's violent streak results in a severing of their friendship leading to death and destruction. Solid little B western stunningly shot in colour by Ray Rennahan capturing the vast landscapes. Holden was well on his way to full fledged stardom which for him was just around the corner. Freeman makes a most spirited western heroine.

[Reza]

In Search of the Castaways (Robert Stevenson, 1962) 8/10

Rousing Disney adventure film (based on a novel by Jules Verne) with star contract player Hayley Mills in search of her missing father. Along with her brother and french con-man (Maurice Chevalier) she convinces a rich ship owner (Wilfred Hyde-White) to sail the seas in search for her father. From Plymouth to the Andes in South America to Australia and New Zealand the group encounter fantastic adventures. From experiencing a massive earthquake to rolling down an icy mountain on a giant boulder to grappling with a giant condor to escaping a massive flood, finding shelter on a giant tree housing a jaguar which catches fire due to lightning to snapping crocodiles to facing rampaging Maori tribesmen to dodging an erupting volcano this film crams it all. George Sanders is around to roll his vowels and cause a mutiny on ship while secretly using their boat for gunrunning. Ignore the simplistic screenplay full of convenient potholes and dodgy effects full of horrendous matte shots and just sit back and enjoy the ride. Steven Spielberg appears to have incorporated and perfected many action shots from here into his Indiana Jones adventures. The stars are all game - Hayley Mills is pugnacious and charming with her non-stop chatter, Chevalier mugs relentlessly and sings tunes by the Sherman Brothers, Hyde-White is amusing as the stiff Brit with a jolly gleam in his eye while Sanders does his usual "Shere Khan" act dripping with charm and venom. Exciting film was a huge hit and was the first film I ever saw on the big screen over 50 years ago.

[Reza]

Summer Magic (James Neilson, 1963) 5/10

Charming Disney film for kids but quite a bit treacly for adults. A family is forced to move from Boston to the countryside after they face financial problems. Mother (Dorothy McGuire) is the typical Disney Mom with a smile on her face and loving arms to run into. She has three kids of which Hayley Mills is the precocious older child - also the star of the film - talking non-stop. There are two brothers including a tyke and a dog. The neigbors are jolly old Burl Ives, his kids (a pre-Bonnie and Clyde Michael J. Pollard) and his mealy mouthed wife (Una Merkel). The crisis they face is a bitchy young cousin (Deborah Walley) who comes to stay causing problems which in true Disney fashion are resolved by the end. They all live happily ever after while singing numerous boring songs. The film is really not bad at all but only kids will get a kick watching it. And lovely Dorothy McGuire is always a treat to watch on screen.

[Reza]

The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969) 9/10

Elegiac western that debunks the myth showing it the way it was. Set during the early twentieth century when the West was changing and the old guard were beginning to find themselves at odds with the time. Peckinpah's influential film not only depicts the "real" west but allows modern film techniques to portray violence as it was then using slow motion to hit home his point as bodies are hit by bullets with graphic scenes of blood spurting forth from mangled bodies. Although truth be told this mixture of slow motion violence coupled by staccato editing and sound was already a thing of the past courtesy of "Bonnie and Clyde" two years before. Both films brought a new form of violence to cinema. A grizzled old gunslinger (William Holden) rounds up a gang (Ernest Borgnine, Ben Johnson, Edmond O'Brien, Jaime Sánchez, Warren Oates) for one last bank job before he plans to retire. They walk into an ambush and make a run for it in pursuit by a former partner (Robert Ryan) and his posse. The film has three magnificent set pieces - the opening bank robbery, a train heist which they agree to do for a corrupt Mexican general (Emilio Fernández) and the violent finalé which decides the fate of each character. In between we get long tranquil scenes set amongst local rugged faces of men and women - the director used actual prostitutes to portray the women these men frolic with - which lends authenticity but also slows down the action especially during the scenes right after the train sequence. Superbly acted by the entire cast of veteren actors - this is clearly one of the career highs for both Holden and Ryan - the film really comes to life during the superbly shot action sequences courtesy of Lucien Ballard's astute camerawork and the astonishing editing creating scenes of balletic death and destruction. One of the great Westerns and Peckinpah's masterpiece.

[Reza]

The Great Sinner (Robert Siodmak, 1949) 9/10

Superb MGM production has a distinguished cast, a screenplay by Christopher Isherwood (based on the "The Gambler" by Fyodor Dostoevsky) which Siodmak films like a noir with a doomed fatalistic sensibility steeped in religiosity - the scene at the end inside the church is like an expressionist painting come to life courtesy of George Folsey's magnificent cinematography. A writer (Gregory Peck), dazzled by the beauty of a woman (Ava Gardner) on a train, follows her into town and discovers that she and her father (Walter Huston) are both addicted to gambling. They are in deep debt to the casino owner (Melvyn Douglas) who wants the young lady and gets her when her father wills her away to him to pay off his debts. The gallant writer hits the roulette table, wins a fortune and pays back the lady's debt only to fall prey to gambling fever losing everything - his money, his writing, his dignity and soul. Superbly acted film has possibly one of Peck's most outstanding performances as he goes from being in love to utter degradation as he lies, cheats and almost reaches the point of murdering the seedy pawn shop owner (Agnes Moorehead). The delightful Ethel Barrymore plays "Grandmother" who also manages to get the "fever" and like another elderly patron (Frank Morgan) finds salvation. There was nobody more beautiful in Hollywood than Ava Gardner. She is ravashing here and gives a lovely performance of great delicacy. The film does a great job of capturing the frenzy of gambling fever - the casino as a metaphor for hell - which was replicated (maybe as an homage) many years later by Jacques Demy in "La baie des anges". One of Siodmak's best films and a must-see.