The Age of Consent (1932)

Serious youth Michael is frustrated by the flighty behavior of his best girl Betty, who appears to be receptive to the advances of the campus alpha-douche. Events have Michael in the arms, and other places, of young waitress Dora. Come morning they are discovered, and Paw goes for the preacher and shotgun.

Memorable for the amusing dialog lampooning promiscuous college attitudes Michael’s traditional values are in stark contrast to his college peer’s but with dad’s downright Victorian views. Michael knows he must do what’s right even if it dashes all of his life’s plans.

There are themes here, but don't go thinking this is a deep film. On the topic of promiscuity, I believe it is suggesting a "moderation in all things" approach. I don't believe a deeper investigation is warranted. Future pin-up girl Betty Grable has a blink-and-you'll-miss-her scene. I had blinked.

Age of Consent is a pretty clumsy early talkie, partially redeemed by the risque theme (Dora, the sexual aggressor, is a minor) and the somewhat amusing dialog:

“You know, you'd be much nicer if you'd loosen your morals.”
“I would be much more comfortable if you would loosen your grip.”

And at 63 minutes, it also has the virtue of brevity. But this gets us only so far. It's fairly dull film. AMRU 2.5.

Downhill (1927)

After taking the blame for an indiscretion he was innocent of, young Roddy’s (Ivor Novello) life heads in some sort of negative slope analogy.

Produced directly after the success of The Lodger, Alfred Hitchcock returned to his star, Ivor Novello. Unfortunately, Downhill wasn’t nearly as successful, and it shouldn’t come as surprise. All the mystery and intrigue of the previous film was replaced with “bad stuff happens to good guy”. No mystery, no suspense.

Metadata on IMDb implies gay coding with the Roddy character, but I don't see it. Novello himself was openly gay, but I sense this is commentary on Roddy not responding to Mabel's advances. I don't see that interpretation anywhere else.

Novello is an interesting character. A bona fide matinee idol at the time, the 35ish Novello believably played a high school boy. Ah, what acting talent, pancake makeup, and grainy film stock can do. He co-wrote the play on which the film is based, along with many other plays and songs. His film career would be fairly brief, but would continue to write. The Ivor Novello Awards are still presented for songwriting and composing.

Hitch wasn’t quite Hitch, not just yet. He played with elements of visual style uncommon of the day (some of which he would later criticize) but the film is a bit of a snoozer. Not a painful watch, but not a very compelling one either. AMRU 2.5.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

A boozy couple (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) with a complicated relationship entertain a young couple (George Segal and Sandy Dennis) after hours. Mental games are played and secrets are revealed. Will love bloom? That’s not quite right. Everyone lived happily ever after? Let’s go with “It’s complicated”.

The film has only four credited actors, and all four were nominated for Academy Awards. Liz, believably playing a woman twenty years older than herself, won her second Oscar. Sex kitten roles, by design it seems, were in her rear view mirror at this point. Dennis also won as the ‘slim hipped’ young wife too drunk to understand what’s going on.

Taylor and Burton again made it difficult on set, refusing to start work until late, not working past 6, and taking extra long lunches. As they were in every scene, it’s a wonder the film was completed.

Quite engaging for a two plus hour film mostly of just people talking. Based on the Edward Albee play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? touches themes of expectations and reality. Both couples serve as foils for each other, and maybe a vision of the future for the younger. Much is going on and much is revealed over the course of the night. And, I expect, much more to be revealed on a second viewing. AMRU 4.

What else I watched, 2024Q1

Last year I included non-blog films in my end of year wrap-up, and the list was rather long. Too long to go into any depth. I want to try something different this year. Instead I will post quarterly. It will allow me to go into better depth without resorting to a novel-length piece that would give Spider-Bot pause. Let’s see how it goes.

Newer films:
Asteroid City (2023)
I am a big fan of Wes Anderson and went into Asteroid City aware of a certain amount of hand-wringing. I didn’t know what to expect of this Most Wes Anderson Wes Anderson film and it delivered on that ambiguity. It is his lowest rated film and I get that. The film insists on not being what the viewer expects it to be. Despite or because of this, it may be my favorite. From a watch for enjoyment perspective Grand Budapest is very much tops, but Asteroid City certainly demands a second viewing. AMRU 4+. 

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
Origin story for President Snow. Didn’t know this film even existed. Has some good stuff, some not so good. It’s pretty dark in parts and I liked that. I’d have more of an opinion were I a Hunger Games fanboy, which I am not. Now, if you will excuse me, I will go back to not knowing that this film exists. AMRU 3-. 

The Mercy (2018)
Truish story about a sailing amateur who enters an around the world, non-stop sailing competition. Things don’t go as planned. Interesting watch but I was taken out of the story by the contradiction between how the main character is portrayed (sober, rational, family man) and the choices he makes. Colin Firth is always great, but the flaw remains. There are a few videos that detail the actual events. AMRU 3.

Past Lives (2023)
I could describe the story but it would sound boring. First time film director Celine Song wrote the script and was nominated for best screenplay and best picture. Filmmaking, it’s been said, is about making good decisions. As director and screenwriter, Song made some amazingly brave and wise decisions. It’s a simple yet complex story, intensely moving but not manipulative. It’s a film about adults acting like adults. I’ve already scheduled my second viewing, this time with others. Better than Barbie. AMRU 4.5.

Documentaries:
John Ford: The Man Who Invented America (2019)
I knew very little about the enigmatic John Ford. The man directed 122 features and won four Oscars, but I've only seen two of his films. This documentary was very enlightening and motivated me to watch more of his work. A bunch are already on my DVR. Stay tuned. AMRU 3.5+. 

The Heart of New England (2023)
iMax film that explores the heart of New England, from Boston to the coast of Maine, to Boston, and did I mention Boston? I think they mentioned Connecticut once. It was fun and encouraged me to start jogging. I didn’t, but wanted to while watching. AMRU 3. 

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
In the 1970’s and 80’s there was a pay cable channel that would broadcast uncut films of all categories, and was so popular with cinephiles that it died before 1990. I would have loved a channel like this back then. This documentary covers the rise and fall of Z Channel and its charismatic program director Jerry Harvey. The channel's commercial failure despite the adoration of film lovers interestingly mirrors the plight TCM finds itself in now. An adored, singular source of quality cinema that is in constant danger of being cut by profit obsessed executives. The parallels are profound. I'm sure completely by accident, once recorded, Magnificent Obsession was titled The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970) on my DVR. AMRU 4. 

The Power of Film (2024)
A six part series focusing on various topics of filmmaking, featuring retired film studies professor Howard Suber. Interesting if not exactly enlightening, it seemed to insist on explaining things by not explaining them. Sometimes these elements are like this and sometimes like this. Pleasant, but a bit of a fluff piece. AMRU 3. 

VOIR (2021)
Tony Zhou, famous for his Every Frame a Painting youtube channel, was involved in producing this six part special for Netflix. While it doesn’t match his best youtube content, it was still excellent and informative viewing. Tony’s segment was the least interesting. AMRU 3.5.

Four narrative films, three documentaries, two short series. I've struggled to find time to watch anything in recent months, but that is a temporary situation. It has encouraged me to be more selective in the meantime.

Algiers (1938)

A Paris jewel thief (Charles Boyer) hides in the Casbah of Algiers, outside the reach of the authorities. There he is safe, but also a prisoner. He takes a shine to lovely tourist Gaby (Hedy Lamarr). Will love bloom?

It’s hard not to compare this film with Casablanca. There are many parallels. Exotic North Africa location, problematic love story, and elements of danger and intrigue. The later film was certainly inspired by the first. Warner Brothers even wanted Lamarr to play Ilsa but MGM refused to loan her. When Casablanca’s screenwriter tried to explain Casablanca’s plot, he finally exclaimed "Oh, what the hell! It's going to be a lot of shit like 'Algiers'!" The similarities are many but the differences are legion.

Old friend Alan Hale has a sizable role. I remember seeing him in a film when I was young and was convinced he was The Skipper. It’s too bad there never was an Alan Hale III in film and TV. Prolific character actor Gene Lockhart also lurks in the Casbah underbelly. Daughter June is pushing a hundred and still occasionally does voice work. Leonid Kinskey has a very small part. Some may remember him as Sasha in Casablanca, so there we go again.

Algiers is based on the French film Pépé le Moko from way back in the previous year. True to form, the producers tried to destroy every copy of the previous work. I tried to find a translation of the lead character’s name, but the best I could do was “Pepe the Moko”. The Looney Tunes character Pepe le Pew is based on Boyer’s performance.

While Casablanca is so much better in so many ways, let’s not lose sight of the fact that Algiers is not Casablanca. And Algiers is not a bad film. Some of the scenes are stilted and awkward, and the accents and poor audio quality made it hard to follow sometimes, but the story holds up well. It’s a fair watch, so long as you don’t keep comparing it to a vastly superior work. AMRU 3.

Storm in a Teacup (1937)

Pretty Victoria (Vivien Leigh) returns to her small Scottish village to learn that her Provost father (Cecil Parker) is running for Parliament. An English reporter (Rex Harrison) is instructed to write a fluff piece, but put off by his manner, decides to write a hit piece. Will love bloom? Arf, arf, arf!

Hollywood legend Vivien Leigh appeared in, let me check …. nineteen films? That’s all? The only other film I have seen her in was the one about slave owners having their lives destroyed. A slim, 30 year old Rex Harrison was almost unrecognizable, though I admit I’ve only seen him in two other roles: as a gruff sea captain ghost and a stodgy old man who makes advances on a young cockney woman.

Provost seems to be an appointed position somewhat akin to mayor. Everyone, including some family, called him by his title. The principal conflict surrounds a woman who has her dog taken away because she cannot pay the license fee. Provost takes a hard line while campaigning how he is a man of the people.

I haven’t much to say about Storm in a Teacup. The stakes aren’t that high, the comedy isn’t that funny, and thick accents and confounding dialog doesn’t help. But the performances were pretty good and there were some interesting cinematic choices. In the end it’s a very watchable, pretty forgettable little rom-com. AMRU 3.

Two on a Guillotine (1965)

Pretty Cassie (Connie Stevens) inherits the estate from her estranged, eccentric, magician dad (Cesar Romero), and is required to stay one week in his spooky mansion. A charming reporter (Dean Jones) weasels his way into the story. Will love bloom?

I grew up with the Love Bug movies. Dean Jones starred in two of the five or six in the Herbie Cinematic Universe. Ken Berry replaced him for the first sequel which may explain why I confuse the two actors. Jones, like Stevens, specialized in the lightest of light comedies. Connie was hoping to expand her acting range with this film, but it turned out to be a serious flop.

The movie was directed by William Conrad, whom my set will remember as TV’s Cannon (or from Jake and the Fatman for the slightly younger). He did a fair amount of TV directing, but only four features. He was known for getting a lot done on a tiny budget.

My problem is that Two on a Guillotine doesn’t know what it wants to be. It's labeled Horror but it’s really a horror themed mystery rom-com. There is space for light horror (looking at you, William Castle), but this was light to the exclusion of any real horror element. Which is a shame because the setting could have led into some great atmosphere, but we are only teased with it. Dead dad booby-trapped his mansion and I would have liked to have seen more of that.

All that aside, Two on a Guillotine is a reasonable watch. There are some clever elements in there. Just temper your expectations. It's a fair rom-com, but it could have been so much more. AMRU 3.

High Society (1955)

With the help of a reporter, C.K. Dexter-Haven crashes his ex-wife’s wedding in order to HEY! What are the Bowery Boys doing here?

It was my intention to record the 1956 Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly musical, but what I got was the 1955 low rent comedy of the same name. And I was not alone in making this mistake. This 61 minute jokeless comedy received the Academy Award nomination for best writing, motion picture story. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences actually nominated the wrong film! The writers graciously declined.

So, I watched it anyhow. A man trying to scam a boy out of his inheritance discovers a dumb guy (Huntz Hall) at a service station with a very similar name. He produces fake documents to push him as the proper heir so that he can scam him out of the fortune.

The history of The Bowery Boys is quite long and fairly complicated. They started as the Dead End Kids in a 1937 play, which led to a series of seven films. After a few iterations and imitations they eventually rebranded as The Bowery Boys, where they were featured in forty eight films over thirteen years! I’ll let that sink in. That’s more than three and a half films per year for over a decade. That sounds exhausting.

High Society is a pretty joke-free comedy. If you don’t find their gags amusing, and I didn’t, then we are looking at a laugh free zone. Other than one quick snicker at a malapropism, I just watched in silence. Skippable, forgettable, AMRU 2.5.

Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts

Every year a local cinema exhibits the Oscar nominated short films, animated, live action, and documentary. This year I got to see the nominated animated short films. The live action and documentary shorts played only during business hours, so I had to skip them. Here are the nominees.

in Our Uniform (Iran) an Iranian woman reminisces about the school uniform she was forced to wear. It is not the biting social commentary it might have been, just a personal story about her experiences. The animation style is quite original and it was a pleasant watch.

In Letter to a Pig (Israel and France) a holocaust survivor speaks to school children about his experience. Running from Nazis, he was forced to hide in a pigsty. He recites a letter to a pig that he feels saved his life. Again, the animation style was very original and quite effective. I admit I was left a little confounded. I suppose it was commentary on how the Jews saw pigs as filthy animals, like how the Nazis saw Jews. A second viewing would be in order.

Pachyderme (France) is a very personal story of a young girl's experience staying with her grandparents over the summer. If there was a larger theme, I missed it. Still, it was very heartfelt and imaginative film. You can watch it on YouTube.

WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko (USA) is the story of two soldiers playing chess by homing pigeon during trench warfare. Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon (as Sean Ono Lennon) are executive producers. WAR IS OVER! might be the least visually and narratively original story but it was still emotionally effective. The graphics were apparently created using Unreal Engine.

Ninety-Five Senses (USA) took me by surprise. It starts with an old man with a southern accent talking about kids these days but the story takes us in unexpected directions with surprising complexity and impact. It too is available on YouTube.

In addition to the five nominated shorts we were treated with two additional stories.

I’m Hip (USA) is an amusing short featuring a cat singing a jazzy song about, quite ironically, being Hip. The song was recorded by David Frishberg (of I’m Just a Bill fame) back in 1957. Amusing and visually interesting, but not much for depth. I got an Aristocats vibe.

Wild Summon (UK), narrated by Marianne Faithfull, reads like a pretty standard nature documentary, describing how salmon travel back upstream to spawn in the same place they were born. In fact, it could have been taken in whole cloth from a PBS special. The only difference is that the fish are depicted as tiny humans in salmon colored wet suits and flippers. It is quite graphic at times and really brings the carnage home.

Each short film was quite entertaining and imaginative, and I won’t be disappointed whichever wins. Knowing the Academy, I’m guessing WAR IS OVER! will win because the story is the most accessible and it ends with the John Lennon song. My vote, however, would go to Ninety-Five Senses. I've rewatched the two available on YouTube, but they all deserve a second viewing.

The Aristocats (1970)

Rich, eccentric cat lady names her cats heir to her fortune. Faithful butler overhears this and decides to dispose of them. Duchess (Eva Gabor) and her kittens, with the help of O’Malley the Alley Cat, make the long journey home. Cartoon antics ensue.

Many great voice actors are featured here, too many to mention. June Foray was brought in to do cat screeches and Paul Winchell plays a racist stereotype. He was also Tigger. June was everybody. Monica Evans and Carole Shelley play sister geese Abigail and Amelia. They played the Pigeon sisters in The Odd Couple play, film, and TV show, and also Maid Marion and Lady Kluck in the Disney Robin Hood. 

The Aristocats is entertaining enough, and it was fun to see a film I hadn’t in several decades, but it’s a lesser Disney. I felt the story, comedy, and songs were average at best. At least it was out of my usual range. AMRU 3.

Queen Christina (1933)

The brash young queen of Sweden (brash young Swede Greta Garbo) puts her reign into jeopardy when she falls in love with the Spanish envoy (John Gilbert).

Pretty racy, even for the pre-code era. Greta’s Christine kisses the pretty Ebba full on the lips and later flies into a jealous rage when she learns of her plan to marrying a man. All is forgiven later when Christine herself later falls for a man while dressed as a boy. No one in the tavern doubts that she is a young man, even for a minute, but it’s not very convincing to the viewer.

John Gilbert, Greta’s former fiancee, plays her Spanish lover. Laurence Olivier was originally cast but the notoriously difficult Garbo insisted they had no chemistry. Gilbert is a member of a club of big Hollywood stars that could not make the transition to talkies. His fall from grace appears is a little complicated but seems to include drink and a lack of friends among the studio executives. Solid in the role, Queen Christina should have revived his career but that didn’t happen. He appeared in only one more feature film and died from a heart attack three years later. He was only 38.

Everyone’s favorite elderly Englishman C. Aubrey Smith is Christina’s faithful man at arms. Her cousin and potential suitor was played by Reginald Owen, who would later play my third or fourth favorite Scrooge.

Whether it be women’s empowerment or lesbian subtext, Queen Christina is a fascinating watch. It is an engaging, progressive, and surprising story. Based on real events, but let’s not pester historians with any questions. AMRU 3.5.

“Of course. It has to be. I felt it. I felt it! The presence. Oh, life is so gloriously improbable.”

Corvette Summer (1978)

When a restored Corvette is stolen from a high school shop class, an obsessed twenty-something student (Mark Hamill) travels to Las Vegas to find it. Along the way he meets up with a hooker with a heart of gold (Annie Potts). Will love bloom?

Fresh off his success with Star Wars and with the Holiday Special on the horizon, Hamill wanted to do something different, and playing a 26 year old high school virgin apparently fit the bill. This was Potts’ first film role. Interestingly, both actors were injured in serious car accidents just prior to filming.

In addition to Luke Skywalker and Ghostbusters' Janine there are quite a few familiar faces. Dick Miller, who has appeared in just about everything, has a small role. Danny (Partridge) Bonaduce is one of Luke’s schoolmates, as is Wendie Jo Sperber. She was all over television and light comedies in the 80’s, most notably Bosom Buddies and Back to the Futures, one and three.

If not for the cast, Corvette Summer would have been long forgotten. It’s mostly about a broke teen in Las Vegas chasing a Corvette with no plan on what to do if he finds it. I watched it for Mark and Annie, others may want to skip. AMRU 2.5.

It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)

The US Navy, with help from two scientists, fights an enormous hextopus. Will love bloom?

Released two years after “It Came from Outer Space”, it helped solidify the “It Came From” cliche for B movie titles. And say what you will, it is an accurate description of where the It came from. But one big difference between this film and the former is the budget. While From Outer Space was a B movie, From Beneath had practically no budget at all. Ray Harryhausen created his monster with only six legs to save money. Because it’s never seen in full, it is not noticeable. What is sometimes noticeable is that many scenes only got a single take. If it was good enough, it was good enough.

All the tropes of the subgenre are here. Military type partners with nerdy scientists, one being a pretty woman (Faith Domergue), to do some detective work and eventually save the day. Think of films like Them!, Cosmic Monsters, and The Monster That Challenged the World. 50’s audiences were always flabbergasted that a young, attractive woman could be an actual scientist. 50’s sexual politics rears its head again when Commander Pete pursues Domergue’s Professor Joyce a little too aggressively.

Short, watchable, and forgettable, It Came from Beneath the Sea is one of many also-rans of the era. It offers nothing new or interesting. The best think I can say is that it is inoffensive. Unless you are a woman scientist. AMRU 2.5.

Design for Living (1933)

Two friends, an artist (Gary Cooper) and a playwright (Frederic March), meet a pretty woman (Miriam Hopkins) on a train and proceed to fall in love. Unable to choose between them, she decides they should all live together. Only no sex.

Pre-code films can be, in addition to other things, pretty risque. And when it comes to risque dialog, Design for Living just may be the pre-codiest. It begins with Hopkins' Gilda (pronounced Jilda) suggestively placing her legs between those of the sleeping men, and it escalates from there. Many times pre-code films will gratuitously show the lead actress undress down to a fairly unrevealing nightgown or make a sly comment about sex, and it wouldn't even hit my radar. But the dialog in Design for Living was downright scandalous.

Based on a Noel Coward play, it was reportedly rewritten by Ben Hecht, retaining only one line. But the sharp dialog is the highlight here. Several changes were made to get it past the Hays office, but it would be denied a certificate for re-release in subsequent years.

Playing Gilda's boss is distinctive character actor Edward Everett Horton. He has shown up in a variety of 1930's films. Frequently an unlikable if not villainous character, he is always memorable. The bulk of his film roles were prior to 1950 but he continued to work until his death in 1970.

Design for Living is a surprisingly entertaining watch and perhaps my favorite Gary Cooper performance. Miriam Hopkins was deviously adorable and I loved every minute of it. AMRU 4.5.

"For the good of our immortal souls!"

Strange Bargain (1949)

An assistant bookkeeper, struggling to provide for his family, gets a peculiar offer from his boss. One might say, a Strange Bargain. The boss, despite living a lavish lifestyle, is absolutely broke. Not wanting his family to abandon the lifestyle they've come accustomed to, he decides to commit suicide. He offers ten grand to good man Sam to make it look like murder, you know, because of the insurance. A young Harry Morgan is the hot shot investigator.

While there is mystery here, we know Sam’s exact role in the operation. Involved but not guilty of any real crime, he decides to lie to the investigators and act as guilty as humanly possible. Colonel Potter takes notice.

I suppose we call this film noir, but it lacks much of the attitude we come to expect, ambiguity in particular, but it is what it is. On an interesting side note, Harry Morgan would reprise his role thirty eight years later for an episode of Murder, She Wrote, although I understand the story details differ. Its available on Prime, and I'm curious.

Strange Bargain is an entertaining, but ultimately forgettable film. For much of the film we just worry that a good man doesn’t get in trouble for his role in insurance fraud. Or accidentally accused of murder. Morgan, impressively charismatic in his role, would have made for a better protagonist. And better movies have better protagonists. AMRU 3.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

After yet another cold war informant is executed, a British operative (Richard Burton) goes on one last mission. He offers carefully crafted information for sale to the East that will incriminate his adversary. Not everything goes to plan.

First Richard Burton film, like, ever. Haven’t seen his sometimes wife for the blog yet and I expected to get a two for one with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, still on my DVR. Burton wanted Taylor to play his love interest but Claire Bloom was cast instead.

Slow, plodding, and dreary, the story is surprisingly engaging. Burton played a borderline drunk, which must have been quite a stretch for him, what with him being a roaring drunk. Filming would occasionally be interrupted by his and Taylor’s drunken behavior. The character’s age was changed from 50 to 39, Burton’s age at the time, but he looked every bit of 50, and more. He would die at fifty eight.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a compelling if confounding story. Its tone is quite different from most movies of the day and the viewer is tossed in many directions. Also, Burton barely emoted at all. It will stand up to a second viewing. I still have one puzzle about the ending to solve. AMRU 4.

“Fiedler's a Jew, of course, and Mundt's quite the other thing.”

2023 Retrospective

Once again, here is my year-end wrap-up to lament the films I felt like watching versus the films I should have watched. Nevertheless, I feel I’ve managed to see some good stuff within my pile of forgettables. This will be a long one.

My favorite film of the year may have been The Sweet Smell of Success (1957), with honorable mentions to It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962), Mildred Pierce (1945), and Paper Moon (1973). Mad World was a surprise even though I loved the film as a kid. Despite its length, it’s a real pleasure to watch and never drags. Oh, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) is the only other true comedy with an intermission, but they used it comedically.

Ingagi (1930) was the worst film for so many reasons.

Of the 44 films I watched in 2023 for my blog, two were best pictures, two were silent, and only one was foreign language. So much for ticking off those boxes. And speaking of arbitrary lists, I never managed to see a single Hitchcock film. I lost a couple when my DVR went south, but that’s not a real excuse. I think I have two harder to find ones on there now.

I watched one each of Buster Keaton, Preston Sturges, and James Bond. Maybe I will get back to the 007 series, maybe not. I’d like to finish off the William Castle films, but they are a little difficult to find. I have one on my DVR.

I saw 27 other films this past year. These are films that were either rewatches or outside of the blog scope. I’ve tried to keep the description brief. Here they are in the order I watched them:

Hearts Beat Loud (2018)
Nick Offerman is a record store owner with a smart daughter, dead wife, and issues. Very watchable, pretty forgettable. 3 / 5.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
I watched before the ceremony and thought it would never win Best Picture because the Academy doesn’t reward artistic merit. I was delightfully surprised. 4 / 5.

Half Nelson (2006)
Ryan Gosling is a white teacher in an inner city school and tries to help an at-risk student, but needs more help himself. An interesting deconstruction of the white savior trope, but an unpleasant watch. 2 ½ / 5.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Aristocrat masquerades as a gay man to hide his revolutionary heroics. Think a French Zorro: the Gay Blade. Jane Seymour and Ian McKellen are in supporting roles. Made for TV. 3 / 5.

A Man Called Ove (2015)
Interesting character study of a grumpy old man dealing with, well, some stuff. Smart and very enjoyable. There is a Tom Hanks remake I may see someday. 3 ½ / 5.

Pinocchio (2022)
I don’t care much for animated films, but I am heartened that Pinocchio won the Oscar. It was amazing and a far cry from the commercial, emotionally manipulative crap that usually wins. Don’t get me wrong, Coco was fine, but it adhered to all the genre’s tropes. 4 / 5.

The Naked Gun (1988) - Rewatch
Loved the Naked Gun series back in the day, and the Police Squad! series that spawned it, but I don’t think it holds up. It was fun to reminisce, but that’s all. 3 ½ / 5.

Some Like it Hot (1959) - Rewatch
Probably my favorite classic Hollywood comedy. The comedy holds up, has a smart script, good story, and Marilyn at her finest. 4 ½ / 5.

Practical Magic (1998) - Rewatch
Star power, fine performances, interesting setting, lack-luster rom-com. Not a bad watch, but should have been more. 3 / 5.

Dial M for Murder (1954) - Rewatch
Seldom does a crime/caper film make such perfect sense from the criminal’s perspective. It’s an underappreciated Hitchcock, and the second best film he made that year. 4 / 5.

Words and Pictures (2013)
Silly competition between high school art and literature teachers. Very good elements and some excellent performances (Juliette Binoche), but the premise is silly and they failed to stick the landing. It should have been better. 3 / 5.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) - Rewatch
Rewatched with a group, many of which had not seen it. The film really benefits from a second viewing and with a crowd. I noticed a lot I missed the first time. “Joy? Why are you dressed all stupid?”

Sunset Boulevard (1950) - Rewatch
This film should be on permanent rotation. I notice something new each time I watch it. 4 ½ / 5.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Visually impressive but perhaps a bit too much. Maybe the most effective anti-drug film I’ve ever seen, but if there was a larger narrative, I missed it. 3 ½ / 5.

The Hangover (2009)
Mildly amusing crass comedy. Somewhat smarter than I expected. Heather Graham is adorable. 3 ½ / 5.

The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
By the numbers “Good genius faces adversity”, this time detailing the real life story of Srinivasa Ramanujan. 3 / 5.

Renfield (2023)
Action horror with Nick Cage and Nicholas Hoult in the title role. Excellent action sequences, fun script, campy performances, visually fascinating, it was a pleasure to watch. Comic gore at its best. It failed to make half its budget back. 3 ½ / 5.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) - Rewatch
Really, an underrated Rom-Com. I return to it frequently. It very much mirrors my wedding, except my wife is the pretty one. 4 / 5.

Cinema Paradiso (1988) - Rewatch
A love letter to and an obituary of traditional movie theaters. Strong Italian neorealism vibe and a lot going on. 4 / 5.

To Be or Not To Be (1942) - Rewatch
Wonderful film. Definitely one of the thirty or forty films on my top ten list. 4 ½ / 5.

The Uninvited (1944) - Rewatch
I think I liked it even more this viewing. However, Roderick’s pursuit of young Stella felt a little creepy. 4 / 5.

Ransom for a Dead Man (1971)
The second Columbo made-for-TV feature length film. Pretty forgettable. 3 / 5.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Mockumentary about a tchotchke trinket dealing with loss of family. I wasn’t as charmed as much as I expected. 3 / 5.

The Man who Invented Christmas (2017)
Biopic about Charles Dickens while he is creating A Christmas Carol. Pleasant watch and apparently fairly historical. 3 ½ / 5.

Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)
2 / 5. Nuff said.

Barbie (2023)
Good film. Perhaps not a #GreatFilm, but definitely had good stuff in there. I felt it dragged a bit in the third act. 3 ½ / 5.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Absurd, consequence-free action sequences are a bit exhausting, and seeing a de-aged Indi on top of a moving train gave me Polar Express vibes. Still, better than Crystal Skull. 3 / 5.

If it seems that my films from late July through August follow a theme, it’s because I went on my first ever trip into the Pacific time zone. August isn’t the greatest time to be in the desert, but that’s when the conference was. But my mid-year Vegas film binge encouraged me to watch another Bond film and my first Elvis flick. Neither were terrible. I won’t see another, unless the situation demands it.

Which brings me to the Arbitrary List part of the show. Stanley Kubrick directed only thirteen films, two outside of the blog’s scope. I’ve covered six of the eleven, and four of the five remaining are well over two hours long. Hey, TCM: please rerun Killer’s Kiss (1955). My DVR promises not to eat it this time.

William Castle directed fifty six features, but it’s his gimmick horror starting in the late 50’s that interest me. It’s a hard list to define, but I could stand to see four or five more. They are hard to watch, without paying Amazon four bucks for a poor quality public domain copy or slogging to the local library and to deal with scratchy discs. A more concise list is Buster Keaton silent comedies. There are twelve and I have four left. They are much more accessible.

Preston Sturges directed only thirteen films and I am unsure why so few. He started a little late and died at sixty, but thirteen is still a pretty small number. I have seven more to go.

No predictions for 2024. I guess I will continue to watch what I watch. I need to see more foreign films, but I say that every year. I also want to see more films Oscar nominated for the current year, but it is what it is. Barbie isn’t going to win best picture.