La venganza (1958) - 7.5/10 - Juan returns home to his Spanish village after 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. His sister makes him swear an oath to kill the man she thinks is responsible for framing him, but later regrets that oath when she falls in love with the man. This is a nice film with pretty good acting overall.
Youth (2015) - 8/10 - Michael Caine is a retired composer and conductor who is vacationing in the Swiss Alps along with a film director friend (Harvey Keitel) and others. An emissary of the Queen wants him to conduct a special performance, but he isn't interested. His daughter is also having some marital problems. Caine gives a very nice performance and I certainly enjoyed this a lot more than the other Sorrentino picture I watched recently, The Great Beauty.
A Simple Story (1978) - 8/10 - Marie is 39 and is divorced with a 16 year old son. She finds out that she is pregnant about the same time that she has decides to leave her current partner, seeing no future with him. The film follows Marie and her friends and family over the next few months. It's a very nice film.
The Time Machine (1960) - 7.5/10 - I liked this adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic. The special effects were a bit primitive in places, but it was decent overall.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Flower Drum Song (1961) - 7.5/10 - Mei Lee and her father arrive in San Francisco illegally to meet Sammy Fong, a nightclub owner whose mother set up an arranged marriage. However, Sammy is in love with one of his singers and Mei Lee soon meets someone else as well. This is a decent musical and I'm glad that they used a mostly Asian cast for the film.
Incendies (2010) - 8.5/10 - When their mother dies, French-Canadian twins Jeanne and Simon are given envelopes from to be delivered to the father that they thought was dead and the brother they didn't know existed. They travel to the Middle East to track them down and learn who their mother was and what she went through before emigrating to Canada. It's an excellent film.
Incendies (2010) - 8.5/10 - When their mother dies, French-Canadian twins Jeanne and Simon are given envelopes from to be delivered to the father that they thought was dead and the brother they didn't know existed. They travel to the Middle East to track them down and learn who their mother was and what she went through before emigrating to Canada. It's an excellent film.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Bells are Ringing (1960) - 7.5/10 - Judy Holliday stars as a lady who works at an answering service. She is really popular with the customers, but is very shy with guys in real life. She decides to help out an out of work actor, a dentist with musical aspirations, and a playwright with writer's block. It's a fun musical, thought its stage roots are pretty obvious.
A Man Called Ove (2015) - 8.5/10 - Ove is a grumpy old man who is very particular about things. He used to run the condominium association where he lives until he got voted out. He is strongly affected by his wife's recent death and is looking forward to joining her. His life changes when a young woman named Parvaneh and her family move in. I enjoyed this one a lot.
A Man Called Ove (2015) - 8.5/10 - Ove is a grumpy old man who is very particular about things. He used to run the condominium association where he lives until he got voted out. He is strongly affected by his wife's recent death and is looking forward to joining her. His life changes when a young woman named Parvaneh and her family move in. I enjoyed this one a lot.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Moonfall (Roland Emmerich, 2022) 7/10
The world and especially Hollywood should be eternally grateful that once upon a time Karen Black, playing a stewardess, proved such an expert in avionics when she effortlessly (if a little cross-eyed) flew and landed (with a tad help from "Moses") a crippled Boeing 747. That moment became a defining moment and allowed so many ordinary folks to take on the mantle of Ms Black and prove to be experts at flying planes, trains, automobiles and even a spaceship as in this film. A nerd and conspiracy theorist (John Bradley) by chance discovers that the moon is no longer moving around on its own set axis and could come tumbling down and hit earth. Of course nobody believes him until tidal waves sweep onto land destroying cities along with showers of moon debris causing more mayhem. It becomes a desperate race for a disgraced astronaut (Patrick Wilson) and his former co-pilot (Halle Berry) to try and reach the moon - which they now see has developed a huge crater from which emerges an alien-like substance that is the menace causing all the destruction. While the two take off in a derelict space ship to try and destroy the alien - with the nerd nervously along for the ride - their children are on their own on earth struggling to reach a government shelter in Colorado while being chased by gun-toting yahoos. The plot keeps getting more and more outrageous as earth begins to crumble with an explanation of what's really on the moon a real doozy. Hilariously camp film easily joins so many such ridiculously over-the-top films and nestles comfortably on one's list of films that are guilty pleasures. Wilson, Berry and especially Bradley prove to be heroic in a bat-shit crazy kinda way. Great fun.
The Reivers (Mark Rydell, 1969) 7/10
Old fashioned road film, based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by William Faulkner, is also a coming-of-age story. A dimwitted but high-spirited handyman (Steve McQueen) and a young boy (Mitch Vogel) decide to journey from Mississippi to Memphis in a new 1905 Winton Flyer car which they take from the boy's grandfather (Will Geer) who happens to be out of town to attend a funeral. Stowing away with them is a wily black worker (Rupert Crosse) from their farm. The story follows their adventures on the road, their stay in a brothel where the handyman's girlfriend is a prostitute (with a heart of gold), the kid discovers the joys of seeing bare female breasts and discovers what happens inside a brothel, the black man sells the car to buy a temperamental horse (that loves sardines) and their attempt to buy back the car for their return journey by making the horse win a race. McQueen is no comedian but its an interesting change of pace role from his usual bag of brooders. Crosse is delightful as the happy-go-lucky bumpkin who has a few tricks up his sleeve and was nominated for an Academy Award as was John Williams wonderful music score. Charming Americana with many familiar character actors - Clifton James, Ruth White (as the bordello madam), Michael Constantine, Juano Hernandez, Lonny Chapman, Diane Ladd, Dub Taylor - in brief but colorful roles.
Outrage (Ida Lupino, 1950) 6/10
Groundbreaking film - never before tackled by Hollywood due to censorshio - handles the subject of rape in a sensitive if rather bland manner. A girl (Mala Powers) with everything in her favour - youth, beauty, good job and a marriage just around the corner - is followed by a man after work and raped. The attack is not shown but its repercussions on the girl are hard as she tries to adjust to life but filled with shame and guilt (she keeps blaming herself) moves to another town. She is not harmed physically but psychologically she is maimed for life not helped by society's sexism. The plot then takes on a preachy mode as her isolation from family results in meeting new people who remain unaware of her trauma until one day she has a breakdown on the dance floor and attacks a man who comes on a bit too strong. Melodramatic film is now remembered as one of Lupino's many directorial forays into noir territory. This was starlet Mala Powers' first big film.
Ordinary People (Robert Redford, 1980) 9/10
Casting Mary Tyler Moore as the mother in this film was a stroke of genius although it was only Redford who saw her in the part quite contrary to her sunny tv persona. It's to her credit that she does not make her character into a villain although she treads a thin line. She's the most believable character in the film - a woman who does not think that personal feelings should be laid bare in front of others. Keep it churning inside, suppress it forcefully and brush it under the carpet or wherever it cannot be seen. A traumatic event has a family treading on egg shells refusing to face the tragedy as an emotional three-way standoff ensues between a man, woman and their son. Parents lose their elder son in a drowning accident while the younger son (Timothy Hutton) tried to save him but couldn't. So grief and guilt combine to bring on a suicide attempt which fails but results in a lot of confusion and suppressed anger. Not only by the young teenager but also his distant, cold mother (Mary Tyler Moore) who deep down resents that her favourite son died. Confused and worried the father (Donald Sutherland) tries to bring some semblance of peace between his wife and son. Redford uses picture postcard shots of the Chicago suburb while manoeuvring his camera through the lives of this broken family. Intimate, intelligent but jarring look at a family in crisis is beautifully acted by the entire cast including Judd Hirsch as an upbeat psychiatrist, and Elizabeth McGovern and Dinah Manoff as two of Hutton's friends. The movie famously defeated Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" at the Oscars, winning Best Picture, for Hutton's debut performance, for Redford's direction and for Alvin Sargent's screenplay adapted from the novel by Judith Guest. Both Moore and Hirsch received nominations while Sutherland, magnificent as the father, was snubbed. The film's soothing score has Pachelbel's Canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel.
Fly By Night (Robert Siodmak, 1942) 6/10
Snappy little "B" film takes pointers from Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" with its man-on-the-run who takes a woman along with him at gunpoint. An escaped patient from a mental asylum seeks aid from a medical intern (Richard Carlson) and tells him that he was being held prisoner in order to get information out of him on a secret military invention. When he is murdered the police suspect the intern who then makes a run for it taking along a sketch artist (Nancy Kelly) from the apartment next door. The screenplay mixes elements of screwball within the noir plot and adds Nazis into the mix which made it topical coming right after Pearl Harbor during WWII.
The world and especially Hollywood should be eternally grateful that once upon a time Karen Black, playing a stewardess, proved such an expert in avionics when she effortlessly (if a little cross-eyed) flew and landed (with a tad help from "Moses") a crippled Boeing 747. That moment became a defining moment and allowed so many ordinary folks to take on the mantle of Ms Black and prove to be experts at flying planes, trains, automobiles and even a spaceship as in this film. A nerd and conspiracy theorist (John Bradley) by chance discovers that the moon is no longer moving around on its own set axis and could come tumbling down and hit earth. Of course nobody believes him until tidal waves sweep onto land destroying cities along with showers of moon debris causing more mayhem. It becomes a desperate race for a disgraced astronaut (Patrick Wilson) and his former co-pilot (Halle Berry) to try and reach the moon - which they now see has developed a huge crater from which emerges an alien-like substance that is the menace causing all the destruction. While the two take off in a derelict space ship to try and destroy the alien - with the nerd nervously along for the ride - their children are on their own on earth struggling to reach a government shelter in Colorado while being chased by gun-toting yahoos. The plot keeps getting more and more outrageous as earth begins to crumble with an explanation of what's really on the moon a real doozy. Hilariously camp film easily joins so many such ridiculously over-the-top films and nestles comfortably on one's list of films that are guilty pleasures. Wilson, Berry and especially Bradley prove to be heroic in a bat-shit crazy kinda way. Great fun.
The Reivers (Mark Rydell, 1969) 7/10
Old fashioned road film, based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by William Faulkner, is also a coming-of-age story. A dimwitted but high-spirited handyman (Steve McQueen) and a young boy (Mitch Vogel) decide to journey from Mississippi to Memphis in a new 1905 Winton Flyer car which they take from the boy's grandfather (Will Geer) who happens to be out of town to attend a funeral. Stowing away with them is a wily black worker (Rupert Crosse) from their farm. The story follows their adventures on the road, their stay in a brothel where the handyman's girlfriend is a prostitute (with a heart of gold), the kid discovers the joys of seeing bare female breasts and discovers what happens inside a brothel, the black man sells the car to buy a temperamental horse (that loves sardines) and their attempt to buy back the car for their return journey by making the horse win a race. McQueen is no comedian but its an interesting change of pace role from his usual bag of brooders. Crosse is delightful as the happy-go-lucky bumpkin who has a few tricks up his sleeve and was nominated for an Academy Award as was John Williams wonderful music score. Charming Americana with many familiar character actors - Clifton James, Ruth White (as the bordello madam), Michael Constantine, Juano Hernandez, Lonny Chapman, Diane Ladd, Dub Taylor - in brief but colorful roles.
Outrage (Ida Lupino, 1950) 6/10
Groundbreaking film - never before tackled by Hollywood due to censorshio - handles the subject of rape in a sensitive if rather bland manner. A girl (Mala Powers) with everything in her favour - youth, beauty, good job and a marriage just around the corner - is followed by a man after work and raped. The attack is not shown but its repercussions on the girl are hard as she tries to adjust to life but filled with shame and guilt (she keeps blaming herself) moves to another town. She is not harmed physically but psychologically she is maimed for life not helped by society's sexism. The plot then takes on a preachy mode as her isolation from family results in meeting new people who remain unaware of her trauma until one day she has a breakdown on the dance floor and attacks a man who comes on a bit too strong. Melodramatic film is now remembered as one of Lupino's many directorial forays into noir territory. This was starlet Mala Powers' first big film.
Ordinary People (Robert Redford, 1980) 9/10
Casting Mary Tyler Moore as the mother in this film was a stroke of genius although it was only Redford who saw her in the part quite contrary to her sunny tv persona. It's to her credit that she does not make her character into a villain although she treads a thin line. She's the most believable character in the film - a woman who does not think that personal feelings should be laid bare in front of others. Keep it churning inside, suppress it forcefully and brush it under the carpet or wherever it cannot be seen. A traumatic event has a family treading on egg shells refusing to face the tragedy as an emotional three-way standoff ensues between a man, woman and their son. Parents lose their elder son in a drowning accident while the younger son (Timothy Hutton) tried to save him but couldn't. So grief and guilt combine to bring on a suicide attempt which fails but results in a lot of confusion and suppressed anger. Not only by the young teenager but also his distant, cold mother (Mary Tyler Moore) who deep down resents that her favourite son died. Confused and worried the father (Donald Sutherland) tries to bring some semblance of peace between his wife and son. Redford uses picture postcard shots of the Chicago suburb while manoeuvring his camera through the lives of this broken family. Intimate, intelligent but jarring look at a family in crisis is beautifully acted by the entire cast including Judd Hirsch as an upbeat psychiatrist, and Elizabeth McGovern and Dinah Manoff as two of Hutton's friends. The movie famously defeated Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" at the Oscars, winning Best Picture, for Hutton's debut performance, for Redford's direction and for Alvin Sargent's screenplay adapted from the novel by Judith Guest. Both Moore and Hirsch received nominations while Sutherland, magnificent as the father, was snubbed. The film's soothing score has Pachelbel's Canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel.
Fly By Night (Robert Siodmak, 1942) 6/10
Snappy little "B" film takes pointers from Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" with its man-on-the-run who takes a woman along with him at gunpoint. An escaped patient from a mental asylum seeks aid from a medical intern (Richard Carlson) and tells him that he was being held prisoner in order to get information out of him on a secret military invention. When he is murdered the police suspect the intern who then makes a run for it taking along a sketch artist (Nancy Kelly) from the apartment next door. The screenplay mixes elements of screwball within the noir plot and adds Nazis into the mix which made it topical coming right after Pearl Harbor during WWII.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
No (2012) - 8/10 - Gael García Bernal stars as an advertising executive in Chile who is brought in to worth with the 'No' campaign in the 1988 plebiscite to determine whether Pinochet would rule for the next 8 years. He doesn't think that a sober look at atrocities and problems under Pinochet's regime will work and is determined to have a brighter, happier, and more upbeat campaign to win over those who are undecided whether to vote. It's a very good film and mixes in archival footage pretty seamlessly.
The Nest (1980) - 7.5/10 - Don Alejandro (Hector Alterio) is a wealthy widower who leads a somewhat lonely life. One day in the woods, he is left notes by a bright 13 year old girl named Goyita (Ana Torrent) that give him clues that he follows. This starts a (platonic) relationship between the two that is dominated by the girl. Alterio and Torrent are both really good here and the film is also very good, even if it doesn't rise to the level of The Spirit of the Beehive and Cria Cuervos.
The Nest (1980) - 7.5/10 - Don Alejandro (Hector Alterio) is a wealthy widower who leads a somewhat lonely life. One day in the woods, he is left notes by a bright 13 year old girl named Goyita (Ana Torrent) that give him clues that he follows. This starts a (platonic) relationship between the two that is dominated by the girl. Alterio and Torrent are both really good here and the film is also very good, even if it doesn't rise to the level of The Spirit of the Beehive and Cria Cuervos.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Psychiatric Nursing (1958) - 7.5/10 - A surprisingly good film for its age about taking care of mental patients in a women's ward.
The Face of Genius (1966) - 7/10 - This documentary was Jason Robards and covers the life of playwright Eugene O'Neill. It's fairly standard, but is decent enough.
The Gates of Paris (1957) - 7.5/10 - Juju likes to drink and spends much of his time hanging around the local bar and with his friend, Artist. A search starts for a criminal who is suspected to be in the neighborhood and the two meet him at gunpoint in Artist's house. Soon, they help him of their own accord when he becomes ill.
Tlayucan (1962) - 8/10 - Most of the people in this small Mexican town are mired in poverty, but get by somehow. The church shames them to give more than they actually have to give. One man is driven by desperation to steal when his son is deathly ill, but it doesn't turn out as expected. There's a wealthy and lecherous old man, a blind beggar, and others as well who add to the drama and humor of the story.
Madame Rosa (1977) - 8/10 - Simone Signoret plays a retired jewish prostitute who survived Auschwitz and now cares for the children of prostitutes, though money can be a bit of a challenge. The oldest child in her care is an Algerian boy nicknamed Momo who has been with her for 11 years. I liked this version more than the recent version with Sophia Loren, though that was a good movie too.
The Face of Genius (1966) - 7/10 - This documentary was Jason Robards and covers the life of playwright Eugene O'Neill. It's fairly standard, but is decent enough.
The Gates of Paris (1957) - 7.5/10 - Juju likes to drink and spends much of his time hanging around the local bar and with his friend, Artist. A search starts for a criminal who is suspected to be in the neighborhood and the two meet him at gunpoint in Artist's house. Soon, they help him of their own accord when he becomes ill.
Tlayucan (1962) - 8/10 - Most of the people in this small Mexican town are mired in poverty, but get by somehow. The church shames them to give more than they actually have to give. One man is driven by desperation to steal when his son is deathly ill, but it doesn't turn out as expected. There's a wealthy and lecherous old man, a blind beggar, and others as well who add to the drama and humor of the story.
Madame Rosa (1977) - 8/10 - Simone Signoret plays a retired jewish prostitute who survived Auschwitz and now cares for the children of prostitutes, though money can be a bit of a challenge. The oldest child in her care is an Algerian boy nicknamed Momo who has been with her for 11 years. I liked this version more than the recent version with Sophia Loren, though that was a good movie too.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Sherni (Amit Masurkar, 2021) 7/10
Fascinating look at wildlife conservation as seen through the eyes of a Divisional Forest Officer in India. The screenplay is a strong critique on government bureaucracy and the different hinderances that staff have to face - from local political goons hoping to get elected by getting votes from villagers, hunters on a rampage and the villagers themselves who find themselves, their livestock and livelihood at stake due to predators in the jungle. The screenplay is broadly based on "Avni", a tigress that was preying on humans and livestock in a forest in Maharashtra (although the film was shot in Madhya Pradesh). The Forest officers, led here by a female (Vidya Balan) - the character is based on a real person - face many problems but diligently work as a team trying to capture the animal in order to release it on a reserve. She forms a team of female forest guards who are in touch with the villagers. She also laid out camera traps in order to tackle the tigress and track her movements. Tracking becomes a problem as villagers want it dead, politicians provoke the simple (and frightened) villagers for votes in exchange for the tiger's death at the hands of a professional hunter (Sharat Saxena), while the officers try to stick to the law in conserving wildlife. The film highlights the ground problems of foresters and the landscape management issues. Balan, in an understated performance, is the soul of the film - the word "sherni" also refers to her pluck in dealing with patriarchal attitudes amongst her male colleagues, many of whom kowtow to politicians, as she balances her job while also trying to promote the skills of women in the villages - weaving bamboo baskets - so that they are not only dependent on farming. Vijay Raaz, as a college professor and her ally, provides good support. Beautifully shot film captures the stillness of a forest as the camera moves through bushes and trees catching glimpses of insects and animals along the way.
Air Force One (Wolfgang Peterson, 1997) 8/10
This is one prepostrous action film and an incredible guilty pleasure. Air Force One is hijacked by a Russian radical (Gary Oldman) and his goons who hold hostage the U.S. President (Harrison Ford), his wife, daughter and members of his staff who are all on board. The hijackers demand the release of a political prisoner (Jürgen Prochnow) who is held in Moscow. While the Vice President (Glenn Close), the Defence Secretary (Dean Stockwell) and the Attorney General (Phillip Baker Hall) attempt to negotiate with the hijackers the President acts with the dexterity of James Bond (he got his skills while in Vietnam) and proves to be a wily foe on board. The Americans are all incredulous that such a thing could happen to their President and someone says with great arrogance, "No one does this to the United States". Clearly the screenplay or that thought did not anticipate 9/11 which was just a few years on. Ford makes a perfect action hero as he tussles both verbally and physically with Oldman and even flies the plane â la Karen Black (who did it just as well in "Airport '75"). The film's various action set pieces are completely over-the-top as the giant 747 dodges missiles, a mid-air refueling takes place, hostages jump out of the plane with parachutes, the President hangs out of the plane's hatch held only by his hand and the final escape using a wire between two airborne planes. The film's erratic effects and all the holes in the screenplay can be ignored as the non-stop action and suspense hold you by the neck and take you on this roller coaster ride of thrills. Great fun.
Marry Me (Kat Coiro, 2022) 4/10
This corny-cute film takes off from where "Notting Hill" left off - superstar marries ordinary joe and a bumpy life begins. Here the superstar is not a movie star but a singer (Jennifer Lopez) who, on her planned gaudy concert-wedding on stage, discovers toyboy lover (Colombian reggaeton Maluma - who he?) has betrayed her so she gets married to ordinary joe divorced-single dad-math teacher (Owen Wilson) who just happens to be in the audience at her concert. The pop duo make more hits - Lopez sings - and hubby wonders if he has lost wifey to toyboy. And there is a mathalon where his kid participates which Lopez crashes just in time wiggling her butt in a tight red dress and hobbling on Louboutin stilletos. All rather tiresome actually.
Twice Round the Daffodils (Gerald Thomas, 1962) 5/10
A lot like one of the Carry On films but with less smut. In fact based on the same play, "Ring for Catty", as Carry on Nurse. Comedy set in a sanatorium where five male patients arrive to be treated for tuberculosis. They soon find themselves in a lather over the nurses - Juliet Mills (as Nurse Catty), Jill Ireland and Amanda Reiss. Amusing amongst the patients are the woman-chasing RAF pilot (Donald Sinden), the supercilious bachelor (Kenneth Williams) with the timid letter-writing sister (Joan Sims) and the sensitive trainee chef (Ronald Lewis) in love with Reiss. Playing two of the visiting wives are Sheila Hancock and Nanette Newman. Typically tame British sex farce which has more talk and barely any sex.
Fascinating look at wildlife conservation as seen through the eyes of a Divisional Forest Officer in India. The screenplay is a strong critique on government bureaucracy and the different hinderances that staff have to face - from local political goons hoping to get elected by getting votes from villagers, hunters on a rampage and the villagers themselves who find themselves, their livestock and livelihood at stake due to predators in the jungle. The screenplay is broadly based on "Avni", a tigress that was preying on humans and livestock in a forest in Maharashtra (although the film was shot in Madhya Pradesh). The Forest officers, led here by a female (Vidya Balan) - the character is based on a real person - face many problems but diligently work as a team trying to capture the animal in order to release it on a reserve. She forms a team of female forest guards who are in touch with the villagers. She also laid out camera traps in order to tackle the tigress and track her movements. Tracking becomes a problem as villagers want it dead, politicians provoke the simple (and frightened) villagers for votes in exchange for the tiger's death at the hands of a professional hunter (Sharat Saxena), while the officers try to stick to the law in conserving wildlife. The film highlights the ground problems of foresters and the landscape management issues. Balan, in an understated performance, is the soul of the film - the word "sherni" also refers to her pluck in dealing with patriarchal attitudes amongst her male colleagues, many of whom kowtow to politicians, as she balances her job while also trying to promote the skills of women in the villages - weaving bamboo baskets - so that they are not only dependent on farming. Vijay Raaz, as a college professor and her ally, provides good support. Beautifully shot film captures the stillness of a forest as the camera moves through bushes and trees catching glimpses of insects and animals along the way.
Air Force One (Wolfgang Peterson, 1997) 8/10
This is one prepostrous action film and an incredible guilty pleasure. Air Force One is hijacked by a Russian radical (Gary Oldman) and his goons who hold hostage the U.S. President (Harrison Ford), his wife, daughter and members of his staff who are all on board. The hijackers demand the release of a political prisoner (Jürgen Prochnow) who is held in Moscow. While the Vice President (Glenn Close), the Defence Secretary (Dean Stockwell) and the Attorney General (Phillip Baker Hall) attempt to negotiate with the hijackers the President acts with the dexterity of James Bond (he got his skills while in Vietnam) and proves to be a wily foe on board. The Americans are all incredulous that such a thing could happen to their President and someone says with great arrogance, "No one does this to the United States". Clearly the screenplay or that thought did not anticipate 9/11 which was just a few years on. Ford makes a perfect action hero as he tussles both verbally and physically with Oldman and even flies the plane â la Karen Black (who did it just as well in "Airport '75"). The film's various action set pieces are completely over-the-top as the giant 747 dodges missiles, a mid-air refueling takes place, hostages jump out of the plane with parachutes, the President hangs out of the plane's hatch held only by his hand and the final escape using a wire between two airborne planes. The film's erratic effects and all the holes in the screenplay can be ignored as the non-stop action and suspense hold you by the neck and take you on this roller coaster ride of thrills. Great fun.
Marry Me (Kat Coiro, 2022) 4/10
This corny-cute film takes off from where "Notting Hill" left off - superstar marries ordinary joe and a bumpy life begins. Here the superstar is not a movie star but a singer (Jennifer Lopez) who, on her planned gaudy concert-wedding on stage, discovers toyboy lover (Colombian reggaeton Maluma - who he?) has betrayed her so she gets married to ordinary joe divorced-single dad-math teacher (Owen Wilson) who just happens to be in the audience at her concert. The pop duo make more hits - Lopez sings - and hubby wonders if he has lost wifey to toyboy. And there is a mathalon where his kid participates which Lopez crashes just in time wiggling her butt in a tight red dress and hobbling on Louboutin stilletos. All rather tiresome actually.
Twice Round the Daffodils (Gerald Thomas, 1962) 5/10
A lot like one of the Carry On films but with less smut. In fact based on the same play, "Ring for Catty", as Carry on Nurse. Comedy set in a sanatorium where five male patients arrive to be treated for tuberculosis. They soon find themselves in a lather over the nurses - Juliet Mills (as Nurse Catty), Jill Ireland and Amanda Reiss. Amusing amongst the patients are the woman-chasing RAF pilot (Donald Sinden), the supercilious bachelor (Kenneth Williams) with the timid letter-writing sister (Joan Sims) and the sensitive trainee chef (Ronald Lewis) in love with Reiss. Playing two of the visiting wives are Sheila Hancock and Nanette Newman. Typically tame British sex farce which has more talk and barely any sex.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Badhaai Do (Harshavardhan Kulkarni, 2022) 5/10
A cop (Rajkumar Rao), who is a closet homosexual, and a physical education teacher (Bhumi Pednekar), who is a closet lesbian, decide to get married to shut up their families who nag them persistently to marry the conventional way. They find it a perfect situation where each can live their life according to their preference. The film passionately advocates for inclusivity and acceptance but unfortunately does not know where to go once the premise is set. Corny jokes, lovers that cause problems, family pressure to produce a child, patriarchy rearing its ugly head and adoption as an answer to their problem are some of the plot points churned out by the screenplay. Interspersed are unnecessary song and dance sequences which take the film to an inordinate length. The two stars are good as always but they don't have good material to play with and the film just drones on and on.
Vacation From Marriage / Perfect Strangers (Alexander Korda, 1945) 7/10
A dull marriage gets a kick of adrenalin after a couple part for three years when war breaks out. A mousy accountant (Robert Donat), married to a sickly, timid young woman (Deborah Kerr), go through the motions of marriage while living in their drab London apartment. When war breaks out he joins the Royal Navy and she joins the Wrens. For three years they are apart as their holidays never coincide. While away from each other both experience great change. He is heroic, gets wounded and finds a bit of platonic romance with a nurse (Ann Todd) while she gains confidence in her job and at the urging of her friend (Glynis Johns) forms a sort of platonic attraction to an officer (Roland Culver) who is in love with her. Their gradual transformation into completely changed individuals results in both not wanting to go back to their previous lives and decide that divorce is the best option. When they finally meet face to face both confront their feelings and much to their surprise discover the drastic change in each other. Clemence Dane won the Oscar for Best Original Story which is an interesting time capsule vividly capturing London during the Blitz with blackouts and showing the bravery and comraderie of the British people during an intense period in their lives with bombed out London a metaphor for the couple's marriage. Both Donat and Kerr are sublime. He was at the end of his tenure at MGM while this was the start of her stardom and eventual life in Hollywood.
Patriot Games (Phillip Noyce, 1992) 7/10
The one where rogue IRA members come after Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) after he "interrupts" a terrorist attack on a member of the Royal family (James Fox) in London. He kills a young terrorist and has the boy's brother (Sean Bean) captured. When he escapes prison with the help of the rebel head (Patrick Bergin) of an IRA splinter group it is only a matter of time before they retaliate which they do by attacking Ryan's wife (Anne Archer) and daughter (Thora Birch). Clancy disowned the film, fans complained it was different to the book, yet the film was a boxoffice success. This is by no means a premium Ford actioner although he plays cat-and-mouse with the trio of Bean, Bergin and Polly Walker as they lay siege to his home which later segues into a boat chase to the death during a storm at sea where he displays the best of Indy Jones. Many familiar faces - Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, Richard Harris - appear in brief roles. Alec Baldwin, who had created the part of Jack Ryan in a previous Clancy adaptation, chose instead to play Stanley Kowalski on Broadway and so Ford got the part.
Clear and Present Danger (Phillip Noyce, 1994) 6/10
The one where Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) takes on the President of the United States and a Colombian drug lord. With help from a rogue CIA agent (Willem Dafoe) and their dying mentor (James Earl Jones) they both not only rescue trapped soldiers but Jack brings down the National Security Advisor (Harris Yulin) who under instructions of the President initiates illegal covert operations in Colombia to destroy the cartel. Ford, in his second outing at Ryan, is stiffly stoic while Anne Archer is wasted in a nothing role as his devoted wife. Lots of loud jungle action with bombs going off brought the film two Oscar nominations in the sound department.
A cop (Rajkumar Rao), who is a closet homosexual, and a physical education teacher (Bhumi Pednekar), who is a closet lesbian, decide to get married to shut up their families who nag them persistently to marry the conventional way. They find it a perfect situation where each can live their life according to their preference. The film passionately advocates for inclusivity and acceptance but unfortunately does not know where to go once the premise is set. Corny jokes, lovers that cause problems, family pressure to produce a child, patriarchy rearing its ugly head and adoption as an answer to their problem are some of the plot points churned out by the screenplay. Interspersed are unnecessary song and dance sequences which take the film to an inordinate length. The two stars are good as always but they don't have good material to play with and the film just drones on and on.
Vacation From Marriage / Perfect Strangers (Alexander Korda, 1945) 7/10
A dull marriage gets a kick of adrenalin after a couple part for three years when war breaks out. A mousy accountant (Robert Donat), married to a sickly, timid young woman (Deborah Kerr), go through the motions of marriage while living in their drab London apartment. When war breaks out he joins the Royal Navy and she joins the Wrens. For three years they are apart as their holidays never coincide. While away from each other both experience great change. He is heroic, gets wounded and finds a bit of platonic romance with a nurse (Ann Todd) while she gains confidence in her job and at the urging of her friend (Glynis Johns) forms a sort of platonic attraction to an officer (Roland Culver) who is in love with her. Their gradual transformation into completely changed individuals results in both not wanting to go back to their previous lives and decide that divorce is the best option. When they finally meet face to face both confront their feelings and much to their surprise discover the drastic change in each other. Clemence Dane won the Oscar for Best Original Story which is an interesting time capsule vividly capturing London during the Blitz with blackouts and showing the bravery and comraderie of the British people during an intense period in their lives with bombed out London a metaphor for the couple's marriage. Both Donat and Kerr are sublime. He was at the end of his tenure at MGM while this was the start of her stardom and eventual life in Hollywood.
Patriot Games (Phillip Noyce, 1992) 7/10
The one where rogue IRA members come after Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) after he "interrupts" a terrorist attack on a member of the Royal family (James Fox) in London. He kills a young terrorist and has the boy's brother (Sean Bean) captured. When he escapes prison with the help of the rebel head (Patrick Bergin) of an IRA splinter group it is only a matter of time before they retaliate which they do by attacking Ryan's wife (Anne Archer) and daughter (Thora Birch). Clancy disowned the film, fans complained it was different to the book, yet the film was a boxoffice success. This is by no means a premium Ford actioner although he plays cat-and-mouse with the trio of Bean, Bergin and Polly Walker as they lay siege to his home which later segues into a boat chase to the death during a storm at sea where he displays the best of Indy Jones. Many familiar faces - Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, Richard Harris - appear in brief roles. Alec Baldwin, who had created the part of Jack Ryan in a previous Clancy adaptation, chose instead to play Stanley Kowalski on Broadway and so Ford got the part.
Clear and Present Danger (Phillip Noyce, 1994) 6/10
The one where Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) takes on the President of the United States and a Colombian drug lord. With help from a rogue CIA agent (Willem Dafoe) and their dying mentor (James Earl Jones) they both not only rescue trapped soldiers but Jack brings down the National Security Advisor (Harris Yulin) who under instructions of the President initiates illegal covert operations in Colombia to destroy the cartel. Ford, in his second outing at Ryan, is stiffly stoic while Anne Archer is wasted in a nothing role as his devoted wife. Lots of loud jungle action with bombs going off brought the film two Oscar nominations in the sound department.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Call Me Madam (1953) - 8/10 - Ethel Merman is a socialite who is appointed as ambassador to Lichtenburg, a small European duchy. I saw the stage musical many years ago and this was a lot of fun. My favorite scene is the one with Donald O'Connor and the balloons.
Qivitoq (1956) - 8/10 - A teacher travels from Denmark to surprise her fiance, a doctor, in Greenland only to find that he is now in a relationship with his nurse. She is embarrassed and wants to get home as quickly as possible, but the next ship is at least a week or more away. She ends up spending her time in a small fishing village and gets to know the manager of the trading post there. There is a lot of great scenery, including glaciers and icebergs, and it is a decent story as well.
Nine Lives (1957) - 8/10 - Jan Baalsrud was a Norwegian commando who was trained in England and was part of a commando team into Norway in 1943 on a mission that went wrong. He was the only one to escape the Germans and survived with the aid of Norwegian patriots while also battling against snow, ice, frostbite, gangrene, and having to cross mountains and water to get to safety in Sweden. The movie does a good job depicting his ordeal.
Qivitoq (1956) - 8/10 - A teacher travels from Denmark to surprise her fiance, a doctor, in Greenland only to find that he is now in a relationship with his nurse. She is embarrassed and wants to get home as quickly as possible, but the next ship is at least a week or more away. She ends up spending her time in a small fishing village and gets to know the manager of the trading post there. There is a lot of great scenery, including glaciers and icebergs, and it is a decent story as well.
Nine Lives (1957) - 8/10 - Jan Baalsrud was a Norwegian commando who was trained in England and was part of a commando team into Norway in 1943 on a mission that went wrong. He was the only one to escape the Germans and survived with the aid of Norwegian patriots while also battling against snow, ice, frostbite, gangrene, and having to cross mountains and water to get to safety in Sweden. The movie does a good job depicting his ordeal.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Belfast (2021) - 9/10 - Kenneth Branagh wrote this based on his memories growing up in Belfast in 1969/1970. The Troubles are in full swing and start to affect the street where Buddy, our protagonist, lives. It's a mixed neighborhood of Protestants and Catholics and they seem to get along fairly well until agitators show up with their ultimatums. I thought it was a very nice film with solid performances all around, especially Caitriona Balfe as Buddy's mother. Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, and Ciaran Hinds were all really good as well. There was actually a pretty good crowd in the theater for a Monday afternoon showing of a movie that has been out for three months.
It Should Happen to You (1954) - 8/10 - Judy Holliday stars as Gladys Glover, a model who recently lost her job. She meets Pete (Jack Lemmon), a documentary filmmaker and strikes up a friendship while walking in Central Park. Soon after, she gets the idea to rent a billboard and put her name on it, thus setting off a series of events that get her pretty well known in the city. I thought Holliday and Lemmon did a very nice job and this is a pretty entertaining film.
It Should Happen to You (1954) - 8/10 - Judy Holliday stars as Gladys Glover, a model who recently lost her job. She meets Pete (Jack Lemmon), a documentary filmmaker and strikes up a friendship while walking in Central Park. Soon after, she gets the idea to rent a billboard and put her name on it, thus setting off a series of events that get her pretty well known in the city. I thought Holliday and Lemmon did a very nice job and this is a pretty entertaining film.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Death on the Nile (Kenneth Branagh, 2022) 6/10
Walking out of the movie my 85-year old dad said, "they've certainly jazzed up this film version". Indeed they have.......starting, or rather ending with Poirot in love with a *gasp* black blues singer. That's not all. The screenplay fiddles around with a number of characters, adding new ones - a sapphic couple, a renowned painter (Annette Bening) and her son (Tom Bateman). The character of romance novelist Salome Otterbourne and her daughter (played in the previous film version by Angela Lansbury and Olivia Hussey) here become a black blues singer (Sophie Okonedo) and her niece/manager (Letitia Wright) who are invited aboard the Nile steamer "Karnak" as part of the wedding party of a rich heiress (Gal Gadot) who has stolen the boyfriend (Armie Hammer) of her best friend (Emma Mackey). Also on board are the bride's maid (Rose Leslie), her former fiancé (Russell Brand), her cousin/lawyer (Indian actor Ali Fazal), her communist godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and her maid/traveling companion (Dawn French). When the bride is found dead of a gunshot wound to the head every passenger becomes a suspect. But never fear because Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) and his little grey cells are also on board to solve the mystery. Shot in Morocco all the Egyptian historical sites, including the three pyramids, the sphinx and Abu Simbel are courtesy of CGI which gives the film a terribly fake feel throughout - even the flaura and fauna (a snapping crocodile) alongside the Nile are CGI. Luckily the old steamer is authentic and a marvel of production design allowing the cast members to flit about the endless state rooms and corridors either murdering each other or trying to avoid being killed. Compared to the gorgeous 1978 version, with its magnificent cast, none of the actors here stand out. Agatha Christie's story remains fool proof so its worth sitting through although its all too ridiculous of Branagh to add all the changes - its so obvious that he ticked off assorted boxes in his head and added them all into the plot to appease today's woke audience - a white man in love with a black girl, a gay couple and two black ladies traveling on a first class steamer down the Nile in 1937. Pleasing to one's sensibility, wishful thinking but hardly authentic.
Dil Bechara (Mukesh Chhabra, 2021) 4/10
Maudlin, relentlessly downbeat film, based on the novel " The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green about terminal cancer patients. Girl (Sanjana Sanghi), fighting thyroid cancer, meets boy (Sushant Singh Rajput) who is in remission from Osteosarcoma. He wants her to co-star with him in a film being directed by his buddy (Sahil Vaid) who is suffering from glaucoma and already blind in one eye. I think that's enough said about the plot as no amount of lightness these three characters try to conjure up via jokes and crazy antics is actually enough to put the audience into a receptive mood. Saif Ali Khan cameos as a reclusive lyricist living in Paris - allowing the two leads to traipse all over the city of lights and in particular up the Eiffel Tower - who turns out to be a wacky asshole. This was Rajput's last film released many months after his tragic suicide. The film received Filmfare nominations for Rajput, A.R. Rehman's music and for Farah Khan's choreography of the title tune where Rajput dances solo with Michael Jackson-like movements. Skip this one.
A Very British Scandal (Anne Sewitsky, 2021) 7/10
Scandal amongst the high society crowd as a couple go hammer and tongs at each other in a highly public divorce that was then the longest, nastiest and most prurient divorce case in British history. Ian Campbell, the Duke of Argyll (Paul Bettany), an alcoholic, emotionally cruel, pill popping layabout with violent tendencies, divorces his third wife Margaret, the Duchess of Argyll (Claire Foy) when she finally refuses to give him more money - she has already spent a fortune renovating his family estate up in Scotland. So he accuses her of salacious behavior with 88 men - she does like to have sex and is very good at it - and hits the roof when he discovers some polaroid pictures of his wife, dressed only in her signature pearls, fellating a naked man who's face cannot be seen. The photos were presented in court during the trial and there was much speculation in London of the 1960s as to the identity of the mysterious man - rumors were rife that it was either a famous actor, a politician or even someone from the Royal family. Foy superbly goes through the story dressed to her teeth and a string of pearls around her neck as the presiding judge passes judgement on her saying she "was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men". The Duchess got her divorce but never revealed the name of her lover which to this day has caused constant speculation amongst an assortment of suspects.
Walking out of the movie my 85-year old dad said, "they've certainly jazzed up this film version". Indeed they have.......starting, or rather ending with Poirot in love with a *gasp* black blues singer. That's not all. The screenplay fiddles around with a number of characters, adding new ones - a sapphic couple, a renowned painter (Annette Bening) and her son (Tom Bateman). The character of romance novelist Salome Otterbourne and her daughter (played in the previous film version by Angela Lansbury and Olivia Hussey) here become a black blues singer (Sophie Okonedo) and her niece/manager (Letitia Wright) who are invited aboard the Nile steamer "Karnak" as part of the wedding party of a rich heiress (Gal Gadot) who has stolen the boyfriend (Armie Hammer) of her best friend (Emma Mackey). Also on board are the bride's maid (Rose Leslie), her former fiancé (Russell Brand), her cousin/lawyer (Indian actor Ali Fazal), her communist godmother (Jennifer Saunders) and her maid/traveling companion (Dawn French). When the bride is found dead of a gunshot wound to the head every passenger becomes a suspect. But never fear because Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) and his little grey cells are also on board to solve the mystery. Shot in Morocco all the Egyptian historical sites, including the three pyramids, the sphinx and Abu Simbel are courtesy of CGI which gives the film a terribly fake feel throughout - even the flaura and fauna (a snapping crocodile) alongside the Nile are CGI. Luckily the old steamer is authentic and a marvel of production design allowing the cast members to flit about the endless state rooms and corridors either murdering each other or trying to avoid being killed. Compared to the gorgeous 1978 version, with its magnificent cast, none of the actors here stand out. Agatha Christie's story remains fool proof so its worth sitting through although its all too ridiculous of Branagh to add all the changes - its so obvious that he ticked off assorted boxes in his head and added them all into the plot to appease today's woke audience - a white man in love with a black girl, a gay couple and two black ladies traveling on a first class steamer down the Nile in 1937. Pleasing to one's sensibility, wishful thinking but hardly authentic.
Dil Bechara (Mukesh Chhabra, 2021) 4/10
Maudlin, relentlessly downbeat film, based on the novel " The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green about terminal cancer patients. Girl (Sanjana Sanghi), fighting thyroid cancer, meets boy (Sushant Singh Rajput) who is in remission from Osteosarcoma. He wants her to co-star with him in a film being directed by his buddy (Sahil Vaid) who is suffering from glaucoma and already blind in one eye. I think that's enough said about the plot as no amount of lightness these three characters try to conjure up via jokes and crazy antics is actually enough to put the audience into a receptive mood. Saif Ali Khan cameos as a reclusive lyricist living in Paris - allowing the two leads to traipse all over the city of lights and in particular up the Eiffel Tower - who turns out to be a wacky asshole. This was Rajput's last film released many months after his tragic suicide. The film received Filmfare nominations for Rajput, A.R. Rehman's music and for Farah Khan's choreography of the title tune where Rajput dances solo with Michael Jackson-like movements. Skip this one.
A Very British Scandal (Anne Sewitsky, 2021) 7/10
Scandal amongst the high society crowd as a couple go hammer and tongs at each other in a highly public divorce that was then the longest, nastiest and most prurient divorce case in British history. Ian Campbell, the Duke of Argyll (Paul Bettany), an alcoholic, emotionally cruel, pill popping layabout with violent tendencies, divorces his third wife Margaret, the Duchess of Argyll (Claire Foy) when she finally refuses to give him more money - she has already spent a fortune renovating his family estate up in Scotland. So he accuses her of salacious behavior with 88 men - she does like to have sex and is very good at it - and hits the roof when he discovers some polaroid pictures of his wife, dressed only in her signature pearls, fellating a naked man who's face cannot be seen. The photos were presented in court during the trial and there was much speculation in London of the 1960s as to the identity of the mysterious man - rumors were rife that it was either a famous actor, a politician or even someone from the Royal family. Foy superbly goes through the story dressed to her teeth and a string of pearls around her neck as the presiding judge passes judgement on her saying she "was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men". The Duchess got her divorce but never revealed the name of her lover which to this day has caused constant speculation amongst an assortment of suspects.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Bachelor Mother (1939) - 8/10 - Polly Parrish (Ginger Rogers) is a department store clerk who is mistaken for the mother of a baby left at a foundling center. The center enlists the son of the department store owner (David Niven) to try and convince her to keep 'her' baby rather than giving it up. This was a fun romantic comedy.
Timbuktu (2014) - 8/10 - The story takes place during the time that Islamist militants had taken control of Timbuktu and were enforcing their own religious views on the people there, including banning music and football plus requiring women to wear socks and gloves. One of the main characters is a cattle farmer who lives with his wife and daughter in the dunes outside the city. He gets into an altercation with a fisherman. The film has kind of a laid back style while still dealing with serious matters. I think it is a very good film.
Timbuktu (2014) - 8/10 - The story takes place during the time that Islamist militants had taken control of Timbuktu and were enforcing their own religious views on the people there, including banning music and football plus requiring women to wear socks and gloves. One of the main characters is a cattle farmer who lives with his wife and daughter in the dunes outside the city. He gets into an altercation with a fisherman. The film has kind of a laid back style while still dealing with serious matters. I think it is a very good film.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Shershaah (Vishnuvardhan, 2021) 7/10
War stories reeking of patriotism is a genre that unfortunately comes with a double-edged sword as it also flames hatred towards the "enemy". Bollywood, under PM Modi's rule, has gone into overdrive producing patriotic films with subjects set in the distant and not too distant past. Unfortunately since the easy villain to point fingers at is the neighbour we get to feel the full brunt of every such screenplay's wrath. Karan Johar's Dharma productions, which usually only preaches about love and family, has also now gotten in on the patriotic act - "Big Brother" aka Modi is indeed watching him closely. A screen biography of a military hero - Captain Vikram Batra (Siddharth Malhotra) of the Indian Army who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest military decoration of the Republic of India, for his actions during the 1999 Kargil War, where he led one of the most difficult mountain warfare operations in Indian military history; Batra was killed in action by Pakistani troops during the two-month-long conflict. The screenplay depicts Vikram's obsession with joining the army, romance with a Sikh classmate (Kiara Advani), skirmishes with Kashmiri militants - one encounter involving hand-to-hand combat is straight out of a Bond movie. There are amusing bits showing the Pakistani President (Pervez Musharaf) talking about breaking the Simla Accord and the Geneva Convention by sneaking an attack onto Kargil, an ice-bound area in the Himalayan Range of mountains. The final death defying attack is to recapture a mountain top from the Pakistani Army during nightime. Boyishly handsome Malhotra makes an appealing lead while the heroics are handled with aplomb. Very amusing bits full of profanity as soldiers from both sides abuse each other over the wireless. At the end one wonders if one is a traitor for rooting for the enemy but here tears turn to guffaws seeing the hero dying in such an over-the-top melodramatic way although the funeral scene is very moving with the camera capturing Advani's anguish.
Chehre (Rumy Jafery, 2021) 6/10
An adaptation of the 1956 German novel "A Dangerous Game" (by Friedrich Dürrenmatt) that has seen various screen incarnations in different languages including a Hollywood version (with George Segal, Trevor Howard, Robert Morley). A business tycoon (Emraan Hashmi) strays down a country lane during a heavy snow storm, is rescued and brought to a huge mansion in the middle of a forest. The house belongs to a retired judge (Dhritiman Chatterjee) who along with three close retired friends - a public prosecutor (Amitabh Bachchan), a defence attorney (Annu Kapoor) and a hangman (Raghubir Yadav) - play a game of law where they put strangers on trial for murder and then condemn them to death if proved guilty. The story here is an attempt to show the state of criminal justice in India but it also allows the cast of septuagenarians to ham it up - Bachchan uses his baritone voice to good effect as this very talky film depends on the actors to use their personal acting tics to liven up the proceedings. Since its a Bollywood production a flashback involves a song sequence - between Hashmi and femme fatale Krystle D'Souza - with whom his secret affair and a murder proves his undoing at the mock trial. Preachy talkfest is also a look at how today's youth views crime. A twist ending involves the femme fatale.
Loophole (Harold B. Schuster, 1954) 7/10
Neat little B-noir - bank teller (Barry Sullivan) comes up short at his till and is accused of theft. With a rabid insurance cop (Charles McGraw) on his tail he has to find the cunning thief who stole the money. Providing solace is his wife (Dorothy Malone) while Mary Beth Hughes is the hard boiled dame using the middleaged crooked banker to do her bidding. Engrossing if old fashioned thriller with a fascinating look at Malibu when it was only a stretch of beach without the houses.
Celebrity (Woody Allen, 1998) 6/10
A series of quirky vignettes involving assorted vapid celebrities woven around two characters caught at a crossroad in their lives - a failed writer turned sleazy journalist (Kenneth Branagh) chasing celebrities for interviews who announces to his neurotic school teacher wife (Judy Davis) that he wants a divorce. Branagh channels Woody's nebbish persona while Davis has a series of truly hilarious meltdowns (not unlike the ones in "Husbands and Wives") before finding love and stability with a loving television producer (Joe Mategna). Half baked Allen still has a number of memorable moments - Leonardo DiCaprio as a coked up young actor who destroys a hotel room while beating up his girlfriend (Gretchen Mol), Melanie Griffith as a self centered film star gurading her virtue but quite upto giving a blowjob, an attempt at a fling with a waitress-turned actress (Winona Ryder), an almost fling with a long-legged model (Charlize Theton) who has a body that causes orgasms through the slightest touch and who ends up causing his prized Aston Martin to crash and Davis being taught how to fellate using a banana by a hooker (Bebe Neuwirth). Shot in "pretentious" black and white by an almost blind Sven Nykvist who had to be told by Allen what was on the set so Nykvist could shoot. Even Donald Trump makes an appearance.
Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021) 6/10
A refugee in Denmark relates his harrowing escape from war-torn Aghanistan. Highly acclaimed film, executive produced by Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, managed to create a record by getting nominated for an Oscar in three different categories - Animated feature, International feature and Documentary feature. Very ordinary film, although well made, which seems to have hit a positive international nerve probably because the Afghan refugee is gay, escapes persecution and ends up happy and married. The flashbacks where the man relates his childhood, escaping Afghanistan for Russia, getting separated from his mother and siblings and ending up frightened and alone as a teenager in Denmark seems too by the numbers - although the story is true and because of certain events in the refugee's life annonymity was mandatory.
Executive Decision (Stuart Baird, 1996) 7/10
Deliciously campy airplane disaster film brings back hilarious memories of "Airport 1975". For the first two-thirds of its running time this is a standard terrorists-on-a-plane wanting fellow madman leader to be released. He has been captured by the Americans so his second in command (Poirot himself, aka David Suchet) decides to bomb London and hijacks a commercial airliner loaded with a bomb, nerve gas cylinders and a group of murky Asian-Arab types - the kind Hollywood liked to believe were always in the wrong and their "cause" was just not right - who hold the passengers hostage throughout the plane. Since the Yanks are always in command of every kind of disastrous situation - at least in Hollywood films - a group of armed commandos (John Leguizamo, B.D. Wong, Joe Morton and others), a nervous engineer (Oliver Platt) and an intelligence analyst (Kurt Russell) are secretly transferred onto the 747 mid-flight (shades of Charlton Heston being lowered onto a similar plane in "Airport '75). The last third of the film is a real doozy as the commandos storm the plane picking off the terrorists while the engineer tries to disarm the bomb and the analyst tries to land the plane - both pilots are shot dead by nasty Poirot - helped by the plucky stewardess (Halle Berry) who comes up very short compared to Karen Black, the stewardess in the previous movie, who found her hysterical self in the pilot seat trying to fly the plane via verbal instructions. Russell and Berry banter delightfully as he attempts to land the plane - the crash landing is spectacularly filmed. Steven Seagal, who started off with an equal role to Russell's, suddenly gets short shrifted with his role shorn. Apparently there were altercations on the set between him and Leguizamo plus accusations of sexual harrassment and domestic violence so Russell refused to work with him. Otherwise the film is great fun!
War stories reeking of patriotism is a genre that unfortunately comes with a double-edged sword as it also flames hatred towards the "enemy". Bollywood, under PM Modi's rule, has gone into overdrive producing patriotic films with subjects set in the distant and not too distant past. Unfortunately since the easy villain to point fingers at is the neighbour we get to feel the full brunt of every such screenplay's wrath. Karan Johar's Dharma productions, which usually only preaches about love and family, has also now gotten in on the patriotic act - "Big Brother" aka Modi is indeed watching him closely. A screen biography of a military hero - Captain Vikram Batra (Siddharth Malhotra) of the Indian Army who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest military decoration of the Republic of India, for his actions during the 1999 Kargil War, where he led one of the most difficult mountain warfare operations in Indian military history; Batra was killed in action by Pakistani troops during the two-month-long conflict. The screenplay depicts Vikram's obsession with joining the army, romance with a Sikh classmate (Kiara Advani), skirmishes with Kashmiri militants - one encounter involving hand-to-hand combat is straight out of a Bond movie. There are amusing bits showing the Pakistani President (Pervez Musharaf) talking about breaking the Simla Accord and the Geneva Convention by sneaking an attack onto Kargil, an ice-bound area in the Himalayan Range of mountains. The final death defying attack is to recapture a mountain top from the Pakistani Army during nightime. Boyishly handsome Malhotra makes an appealing lead while the heroics are handled with aplomb. Very amusing bits full of profanity as soldiers from both sides abuse each other over the wireless. At the end one wonders if one is a traitor for rooting for the enemy but here tears turn to guffaws seeing the hero dying in such an over-the-top melodramatic way although the funeral scene is very moving with the camera capturing Advani's anguish.
Chehre (Rumy Jafery, 2021) 6/10
An adaptation of the 1956 German novel "A Dangerous Game" (by Friedrich Dürrenmatt) that has seen various screen incarnations in different languages including a Hollywood version (with George Segal, Trevor Howard, Robert Morley). A business tycoon (Emraan Hashmi) strays down a country lane during a heavy snow storm, is rescued and brought to a huge mansion in the middle of a forest. The house belongs to a retired judge (Dhritiman Chatterjee) who along with three close retired friends - a public prosecutor (Amitabh Bachchan), a defence attorney (Annu Kapoor) and a hangman (Raghubir Yadav) - play a game of law where they put strangers on trial for murder and then condemn them to death if proved guilty. The story here is an attempt to show the state of criminal justice in India but it also allows the cast of septuagenarians to ham it up - Bachchan uses his baritone voice to good effect as this very talky film depends on the actors to use their personal acting tics to liven up the proceedings. Since its a Bollywood production a flashback involves a song sequence - between Hashmi and femme fatale Krystle D'Souza - with whom his secret affair and a murder proves his undoing at the mock trial. Preachy talkfest is also a look at how today's youth views crime. A twist ending involves the femme fatale.
Loophole (Harold B. Schuster, 1954) 7/10
Neat little B-noir - bank teller (Barry Sullivan) comes up short at his till and is accused of theft. With a rabid insurance cop (Charles McGraw) on his tail he has to find the cunning thief who stole the money. Providing solace is his wife (Dorothy Malone) while Mary Beth Hughes is the hard boiled dame using the middleaged crooked banker to do her bidding. Engrossing if old fashioned thriller with a fascinating look at Malibu when it was only a stretch of beach without the houses.
Celebrity (Woody Allen, 1998) 6/10
A series of quirky vignettes involving assorted vapid celebrities woven around two characters caught at a crossroad in their lives - a failed writer turned sleazy journalist (Kenneth Branagh) chasing celebrities for interviews who announces to his neurotic school teacher wife (Judy Davis) that he wants a divorce. Branagh channels Woody's nebbish persona while Davis has a series of truly hilarious meltdowns (not unlike the ones in "Husbands and Wives") before finding love and stability with a loving television producer (Joe Mategna). Half baked Allen still has a number of memorable moments - Leonardo DiCaprio as a coked up young actor who destroys a hotel room while beating up his girlfriend (Gretchen Mol), Melanie Griffith as a self centered film star gurading her virtue but quite upto giving a blowjob, an attempt at a fling with a waitress-turned actress (Winona Ryder), an almost fling with a long-legged model (Charlize Theton) who has a body that causes orgasms through the slightest touch and who ends up causing his prized Aston Martin to crash and Davis being taught how to fellate using a banana by a hooker (Bebe Neuwirth). Shot in "pretentious" black and white by an almost blind Sven Nykvist who had to be told by Allen what was on the set so Nykvist could shoot. Even Donald Trump makes an appearance.
Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021) 6/10
A refugee in Denmark relates his harrowing escape from war-torn Aghanistan. Highly acclaimed film, executive produced by Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, managed to create a record by getting nominated for an Oscar in three different categories - Animated feature, International feature and Documentary feature. Very ordinary film, although well made, which seems to have hit a positive international nerve probably because the Afghan refugee is gay, escapes persecution and ends up happy and married. The flashbacks where the man relates his childhood, escaping Afghanistan for Russia, getting separated from his mother and siblings and ending up frightened and alone as a teenager in Denmark seems too by the numbers - although the story is true and because of certain events in the refugee's life annonymity was mandatory.
Executive Decision (Stuart Baird, 1996) 7/10
Deliciously campy airplane disaster film brings back hilarious memories of "Airport 1975". For the first two-thirds of its running time this is a standard terrorists-on-a-plane wanting fellow madman leader to be released. He has been captured by the Americans so his second in command (Poirot himself, aka David Suchet) decides to bomb London and hijacks a commercial airliner loaded with a bomb, nerve gas cylinders and a group of murky Asian-Arab types - the kind Hollywood liked to believe were always in the wrong and their "cause" was just not right - who hold the passengers hostage throughout the plane. Since the Yanks are always in command of every kind of disastrous situation - at least in Hollywood films - a group of armed commandos (John Leguizamo, B.D. Wong, Joe Morton and others), a nervous engineer (Oliver Platt) and an intelligence analyst (Kurt Russell) are secretly transferred onto the 747 mid-flight (shades of Charlton Heston being lowered onto a similar plane in "Airport '75). The last third of the film is a real doozy as the commandos storm the plane picking off the terrorists while the engineer tries to disarm the bomb and the analyst tries to land the plane - both pilots are shot dead by nasty Poirot - helped by the plucky stewardess (Halle Berry) who comes up very short compared to Karen Black, the stewardess in the previous movie, who found her hysterical self in the pilot seat trying to fly the plane via verbal instructions. Russell and Berry banter delightfully as he attempts to land the plane - the crash landing is spectacularly filmed. Steven Seagal, who started off with an equal role to Russell's, suddenly gets short shrifted with his role shorn. Apparently there were altercations on the set between him and Leguizamo plus accusations of sexual harrassment and domestic violence so Russell refused to work with him. Otherwise the film is great fun!
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Waltzing Regitze (1989) - 8/10 - Karl Aage and his wife Regitze host a garden party during the summer for their family and friends. The event is pretty lively and Regitze is the life of the party, but Karl Aage spends much of the time lost in thought, thinking back on his marriage from the time he first met Regitze during the war, living together, raising a son, and so on. It's very nicely done.
Shorts
On My Mind (2021) - 8/10
Ala Kachuu - Take and Run (2021) - 9/10
BoxBallet (2020) - 8/10
Animated
1 Robin Robin
2 Boxballet
3 Affairs of the Art
4 The Windshield Wiper
5 Bestia
Documentary
1 Audible
2 The Queen of Basketball
3 When We Were Bullies
4 Lead Me Home
5 Three Songs for Benazir
Live Action
1 Ala Kachuu - Take and Run
2 Please Hold
3 On My Mind
4 The Dress
5 The Long Goodbye
Shorts
On My Mind (2021) - 8/10
Ala Kachuu - Take and Run (2021) - 9/10
BoxBallet (2020) - 8/10
Animated
1 Robin Robin
2 Boxballet
3 Affairs of the Art
4 The Windshield Wiper
5 Bestia
Documentary
1 Audible
2 The Queen of Basketball
3 When We Were Bullies
4 Lead Me Home
5 Three Songs for Benazir
Live Action
1 Ala Kachuu - Take and Run
2 Please Hold
3 On My Mind
4 The Dress
5 The Long Goodbye
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Marie Antoinette (2006) - 8/10 - I enjoyed this biopic that starts with Marie Antoinette's journey to France to marry the Dauphin at age 14 and goes through the family fleeing Paris during the Revolution. I think that the modern soundtrack works pretty well here and the costumes and scenery are all very nice. Dunst does a very good job in her lead role.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) - 8.5/10 - Three drag queens buy a bus and set out from Sydney on a road trip through the desert to a show they have booked in Alice Springs. Along the way they have a few adventures. The performances are excellent and the movie is very funny as well.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) - 8.5/10 - Three drag queens buy a bus and set out from Sydney on a road trip through the desert to a show they have booked in Alice Springs. Along the way they have a few adventures. The performances are excellent and the movie is very funny as well.