From Here to Eternity (1953)

Private Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) transfers from his bugle corp to a fighting unit in Hawaii. He was a boxer and doesn't want to box anymore, personal reasons. He is reunited with old friend, forty year old buck private Maggio (Frank Sinatra). His new CO is Captain Holmes, but the unit is run by hard-ass Sargent Warden (Burt Lancaster).

It seems Captain Holmes needs another boxer and won't take no for an answer. Prewitt takes all the abuse he can dish out. While off duty, Prewitt and Maggio seek out the company of the ladies. And by "company", we mean "have polite conversation with while they wear overly complicated dresses", nudge nudge, wink wink. Prewitt falls for one such lady (Donna Reed) even though her bland conversation and total lack of exposed skin is available to any man willing to pay for it.

Well, Maggio strikes up a great friendship with Sargent Fatso (Ernest Bognine, Mermaid Man, boys and girls!), Sargent Warden falls for single girl "Mrs. Captain Holmes" (Deborah Kerr), Prewitt learns to play nice, some young Japanese gentlemen stop by for a picnic, and everyone lives happily ever after. Except the people who die.

So, the question is this. Is From Here to Eternity a war movie masquerading as a love story, or a love story masquerading as a war movie? More on that later.

Montgomery Clift was totally miscast as Prewitt. I didn't believe him as a soldier, let alone a boxer. The fact that he got nominated for an acting Oscar either means academy voters were enthralled with this movie or I don't know anything about acting. I'm open to either interpretation.

The famous scene, you know the one, with Lancaster and Kerr (not a cur!) making out on the beach totally didn't play out as I expected. They run into the surf, wash ashore while kissing, run to their blankets, and Lancaster accuses her of being a slut. Not what I expected.

It won a ton of Oscars, and deserved them I would guess. It is a very well made movie with some good acting. Sinatra was good in his role. Oscar worthy, I don't know, but good. AMRU 3.5.

And to answer my question, totally the latter.

The Pink Panther (1963)

Hot Princess Dahla (Claudia Cardinale) owns one heck of a jewel. She is on vacation and brings it along. Famed jewel thief Charles Lytton (David Niven) takes an interest. Charles' playboy nephew (Robert Wagner) arrives to complicate matters. Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is on the case.

A while ago I got my boys interested in Clouseau. We watched the 1970's slapstick movies and even dabbled in the crappy 1980's versions before Netflix saw fit to take them away. They became fans. I thought I might be able to convince my boys to see the somewhat drier original. Two out of three, not bad.

Here are some funny facts: Clouseau had a wife (Capucine), there was no Cato, no Dreyfus, no silly accent. Or at least, not over the top. Much of that came with A Shot in the Dark, which came out three months later and wasn't supposed to be a Clouseau movie to begin with. More on that after I see it.

Actually, The Pink Panther wasn't supposed to be a Clouseau movie. The story centered around Lytton, but Sellers, quite literally, stole the show. Niven thought this could turn into a series of movies for him, much like The Thin Man. Interestingly, Niven played a Nick Charles parody in Murder by Death, also starring Peter Sellers.

Well made and slapstick in it's day, but in a time when a pie in the face is considered understated, it can be a little slow to the younger viewers. That said, A Shot in the Dark won't be too hard of a sell to the boys. For two of them, anyways. AMRU 3.5. Mmmmm, Elke Sommer ....

Curse of the Cat People (1944)

The makers of Cat People got together and said "That seemed to have worked. Let's do a sequel." But instead they made a different movie and called it Curse of the Cat People.

The principle actors are back but now the story surrounds little Amy. She's a strange girl who doesn't play with the other children and believes in a fantasy world. Mom and Dad grow concerned. Amy befriends a crazy old shut-in, talks to ghosts, and is watched over by calypso singer Sir Lancelot. I won't say more lest I spoil the original. I'll say this, though. Ollie never does learn to act.

Curse of the Cat People has no cat people and, in my estimation, no curse either. What it does have are nuanced scenes and good atmosphere. But there is little to confuse with the original. Or horror movies in general. It's a thriller, I suppose, but despite elements of the supernatural, not horror. It falls short of the original, but still well worth watching. AMRU 3.

Cat People (1942)

Flavorless dork Ollie (Kent Smith) sees the exotic Irena (Simone Simon) at the zoo and falls in love. Creepily, he invites her up to his apartment and she, as a friendless stranger in an unfamiliar city, agrees. Love blooms.

But Irena has a problem. Apparently her Serbian village was cursed many years ago and if she were to become "intimate", she would turn into a savage cat-beast and devour her true love. Ollie comforts her by saying things like, that's foolish, and you should have your head examined, and that's foolish. For some reason that doesn't comfort her much, but they get married anyhow.

By the way, "intimate", in 1942's Hollywood lingo, meant to kiss. We don't see the actual marriage ceremony, so I'm not sure how that went over.

Anyhow, hot Irena agrees to see the shrink (Tom Conway) who'd like to test that, and some other, theories out, nudge, nudge, wink, wink. When marriage troubles start to get poor Ollie down, he starts to seek out the company of plain-jane co-worker, Alice. Also, jealousy too will summon the evil cat-beast.

Is it all in her head? Will Poor Ollie ever learn to act? Will the Doc get his comeuppance? Dark and moody, you should watch to find out.

I was sure I had saw Kent Smith before. His blank stares and cardboard acting struck me as familiar, but I hadn't seen anything else he was in. He had a very Buster Crabbe quality about him. Simone Simon, despite being the advanced age of 32, was absolutely captivating. Her accent was adorable. She alone is worth the cost of admission.

But the movie has more to offer. It's slower pace and ambiguous ending differed greatly from the genre of the 30's. Producer Val Lewton was also responsible for I walked with a Zombie and The Body Snatcher which had a similar tone. I will look for more of his work.

I like to end with a good quote, but the one I wanted to use I can't find. The doctor asks Irena something like "You think if I were to kiss you, you would turn into a vicious animal?" and Irena responds "I know that I wouldn't want you to". Cute. AMRU 4.

Horrors of the Black Museum (1959)

Pretty woman receives a pair of binoculars as a gift from an anonymous admirer. When she puts them to her eyes, metal spikes spring out and pierce her brain. We all scream in horror as we watch ... her friend scream in horror.

Police are stumped by the murders. The foppish Bancroft (Michael Gough) and his curly haired boyfriend enjoy lording over the police with their haughty, condescending attitudes. It seems Bancroft is a murder writer and the killings make great fodder for his work. He has his own subterranean dungeon replete with implements of torture. I wonder ...

The culprit (whoever that is) starts having to commit murders not for his writing career (if that's what he, or she, did for a living) but to cover his (or her) tracks. When his (or her) girlfriend gets mouthy he (or she) is left with no alternative but to ... ok, ok, Alfred the Butler is the murderer. There, I said it. Not that it was much of a mystery.

Despite having the same Victorian feel as The Fly, Horrors is set in the modern day. Unlike The Fly, it has no staying power. The first of the murders is the most clever and there are few mysteries for the viewer to unravel. I suppose I'm glad I watched it. The production quality wasn't bad but was a little boring in parts. I'll be a little generous. AMRU 3.

"No woman can hold her tongue. They're a vicious, unreliable breed!"

The Sting (1973)

Movies before the year of my birth is such an arbitrary date.

It's the 1930's Chicago, and Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) is a young, hunky grifter. While doing a con with James Earl Jones' father, they make a big score. The owner of that score is a big time New York mobster he decides to pay them a visit. Exit senior Jones. Hooker wants pay-back. And not to be killed. He needs help.

Hooker enlists the help of Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman). He is wise and jaded. Together they concoct a sting. It has something to do with horse racing. What follows is two hours of the construction and operation of an elaborate scam, the details of which we learn as we go.

A movie like this, a very dense two hours nine, requires some endurance from younger viewers. My 15 year old gave up on it after a half, so I paused it and made him watch the rest later. He liked it a lot. What I liked was the amazing supporting cast. Robert Shaw (Jaws), Ray Walston (Martian and Fast Times), Charles Durning (just about everything), Eileen Brennan (Murder by Death) to name a few. Even Harold Gould, who was on Soap, when Jody was in the hospital having a sex change, (I just finished watching the entire series - a big moment in my life).

Great script, perfect story (that is, it makes complete sense from every character's perspective), top notch acting, and excellent sets and production. I can't say enough about it. Seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, plus three nods. AMRU 4.5.

Hooker: He's not as tough as he thinks.

Gondorff: Neither are we.

Lonnegan: Your boss is quite a card player, Mr. Kelly; how does he do it?

Hooker: He cheats.

Rain (1932)

A possible cholera outbreak on a passenger boat forces them to stop over in Pago Pago until they get the all clear. The passengers include the Davidson's, religious missionaries, and Sadie Thompson (Joan Crawford), a nasty, dirty whore.

Well, they all rent rooms in a general store, while many US marines rent room in Sadie Thompson. This doesn't go over at all well with reformer Alfred Davidson (Walter Huston). He aims to reform her, which is what reformers do, after all. What follows is a battle of wits and a battle of wills. Who will win out? Before you guess, remember that this sucker is pre-code.

Well, Joan looked ridiculous, the movie dragged, and the atmosphere was a drab as the weather (it "rained" a lot). But it wasn't a total loss. It was kinda interesting at time. I picked this up at the library. It was a double feature with Lady of Burlesque, billed as Hollywood Divas, what with Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck. Had I realized that both movies were available streaming from Netflix, I wouldn't have bothered. Rain, I managed to choke through, but the other barely got 20 minutes of my time. AMRU 2.5.

"I've no doubt you've a sufficiently good opinion of yourself to bear mine with equanimity."