What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

[Markgway]

You're Next (2013-USA) **½
Ultra-violent home invasion pic. Not bad of its type with a strong, gutsy female heroine.

[Markgway]

Hey Markgway I don't remember these mini reviews when you were at KFC.com. Is this a B&B exclusive or am I just being an idiot and I somehow didn't see the minis at KFC?

B&B exclusive.

I don't do reviews for Kung Fu movies/Hong Kong cinema as I'm saving them for my book.

Due out in 2046 at this rate.

[HungFist]

Hey Markgway I don't remember these mini reviews when you were at KFC.com. Is this a B&B exclusive or am I just being an idiot and I somehow didn't see the minis at KFC?

B&B exclusive.

I don't do reviews for Kung Fu movies/Hong Kong cinema as I'm saving them for my book.

Due out in 2046 at this rate.

Readers will be disappointed when it turns out the book consists of reviews Mark wrote in the 1960's.

[Markgway]

Readers will be disappointed when it turns out the book consists of reviews Mark wrote in the 1960's.

[Markgway]

It's unlikely now.

[Markgway]

Pre-orders? I'm not Stephen King! I'm still in the writing stage... and have a looooong way to go. If someone asks me for my opinion on a HK movie I'll happily give it, but no reviews. I post quick takes for non-HK movies because I've no plans to do anything with them.

Regarding a KFC return, it's very unlikely Teako will back down, and I know I won't, so it's probably best not to waste your energy. Besides, the forum is, I'm sure, doing fine without me.

[Markgway]

Nuts (1987-USA) ***
A high class call girl (Barbra Streisand) fights for her right to be tried for manslaughter rather than be declared unfit for trial. Arresting drama, passionately acted - though some may find Babs' relentless belligerence overdone.

[Markgway]

Sorry, but your pre-order payments have already been spent on a holiday home in Bermuda. With all this sun, sand, and sex I don't think I'll bother continuing with the book.

You have a team? Is it like The Expendables?

If I was invited back... I would seriously consider it. That's all I can say.

[Markgway]

Roxanne (1987-USA) **½
Pleasant romcom update of Cyrano D'Bergerac written by and starring an on-form Steve Martin. Lots of charm, though it seems to go on a bit longer than it should, since the audience is way ahead of the characters at every predictable turn. Nice try.

[Markgway]

Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987-USA) *
So dire I couldn't even make it to the half way point...

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

... If I was invited back... I would seriously consider it. That's all I can say.

Whenever you have given me information here, I have credited you on KFC. I do wonder if some of the newer members are wondering who Mark is (well that is if they read my posts.) The name droppings have not been removed, but I also do not think there has been any mod movement (teako) in giving Mark another go. Unfortunately I'm thinking there is as much chance as HKMDB opening up its forums again.

[Markgway]

Thanks for the info. I probably would have bought this.

...and miss genius like this...?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KyBdPeKHg

[Markgway]

Madman (1981-USA) *
Another unimaginative Friday the 13th rip-off.
Crap.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

7th Cavalry (1956: Joseph H. Lewis): I am a big Randolph Scott fan so I will pretty much watch anything with him in it. The movie’s cinematography and is done by a Joseph H. Lewis who is known for film noirs such as The Big Combo and Gun Crazy (I like this film quite a bit.) I just found out right now that he directed fifty-one episodes of The Rifleman a series I have been watching recently. If the movie just had a better ending I would have been happier with it. The plot is solid though with Randolph Scott as Capt. Tom Benson in a typical stoic role who had been on leave to get his fiancé to bring back to the fort. However, in the meantime General Custer had led his men (and others) to the infamous Little Big Horn (FYI: June 25–26, 1876). He returns to an empty fort and a battered reputation as he is accused of avoiding combat and his life is seen as an affront to the living wives of the lost soldiers. In order to gain his reputation back he accepts a mission from the President Grant (though his name was not used) to gather the bodies of the dead mean for proper burial. However that land has become holy to the Sioux.

This might make a good double-header with the also historically incorrect They Died With Their Boots On (1941: Raoul Walsh) with Errol Flynn as General Custer.

[Markgway]

Casual Sex? (1988-USA) *½
Bland "sex" comedy aimed at young women.
Very little sex and even fewer laughs.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

The Women (1939: George Cukor): If I can I like to go into a film with as little information as possible. I prefer watching the trailer after a movie and the same goes for extras (obviously when you study film you are going to go over spoilers Ad Nauseum, but I still try to avoid when I can.) As I was watching this it dawned on me that I did not see any men in the film – at all. An interesting approach as it gave a lot of actresses a chance to shine – even if much of the conversation was about men (I later saw in the trailer the title and parenthesized subtitle: “The Women” (AND IT IS ALL ABOUT MEN.)) Funny, that reminded me of the The Bechdel Test.

Cukor was recently fired from Gone With the Wind* and this was his next assignment. He was known as a “women’s director” a title he did not like and felt that it hurt him in getting different type of directorial jobs. Not surprisingly you can glean salient information about him in Katharine Hepburn’s autobiography Me. Cukor does an admirable job in this film. I do feel there is too much “men talk” in the film and I can see how some might think of this film as sexist because in some scenes it is as it appears that marriage is the ultimate goal for women – though it is true that some women would think like these characters.

It is a rather simple plot. Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford) is the conniving man-stealer who is going after Mary’s (Norma Shearer) husband. Joan is good in her role, but it is really Rosalind Russell’s portrayal of Sylvia that steals the show for me. She is a relative of Mary and really is the catalyst for many events in the film. Crystal is honest is what she is trying to accomplish, Sylvia is a nefarious Janus. She has this hatred of Mary that is almost Iago-to-Othello in scope. It is jealousy tinged with an evilness that was impressive. You do not want to have friends and/or relatives like her. But for some reason her group of friends kept hanging around her. Maybe for laughs.

The end wraps up too neatly for the events that preceded.

* A rumor was around that it was because Clark Gable did not want to work with a gay director. This is most likely false as it appears that it really was disconnect between producer David O. Selznick and Cukor. Regardless, Cukor’s reputation was not hurt (from this firing/leaving) and he would continue to be highly sought after for quite some time.

George Cukor TCM Biography
The Women Trailer

[Markgway]

High Spirits (1988-USA-UK) **
An Irish castle on the verge of closure reinvents itself as a haunted house to attract visitors.
Chaotic mess of a farce wastes many of its cast but is oddly watchable all the same.

The Lady in White (1988-USA) **
Atmospheric ghost story for older children comes from a place of nostalgia (imagine The Wonder Years revisited by Stephen King) but is too ambitious for its own good (attempts at dramatic weight and resonance are only sometimes successful). The plot is severely problematic throughout and could be picked apart at will. The emotional resolution(s) are ham-fisted, plot threads are left dangling, and the blue screen work is pretty lousy even for its time.

Night of the Demons (1987-USA) **
Trashy comic horror with some splatter and T&A (and bush).
Less obnoxious than the remake.

[HungFist]

Godzilla (USA, 2014) [DCP / 2D] – 2.5/5
Quite a passable attempt at American Godzilla; however, it’s nowhere near the greatness of Pacific Rim. The latter was to monster/mecha movies what Kill Bill was to genre films: a love letter that understood something about the genre mechanics. The new Godzilla is a standard CGI monster flick where nothing really fails, but nothing stands out either. Watanabe and Cranston aside the cast is forgettable, action mostly filmed in dark, monster design uninspired, CGI not especially great, there are kids and dogs as cheap tools for drama, and the soundtrack is rather bland. Nevertheless, the film does entertain alright, some references are nice, and the build-up is pretty good.

And contrary to the popular belief, the general public in Japan don't think the new Godzilla is too fat. That was someone purposefully interviewing a couple of hard core Godzilla worshippers who had not even seen the movie. The film only opened in Japan last week, and is no.1 at the box office at the moment.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

The Uninvited (1944: Lewis Allen):

I am happy that this was finally released by Criterion though it took me almost a year to see this. It has been a ghost story film I have heard about, but have not seen. It takes a typical horror plotline (even more typical by today’s standards) of a brother (Ray Milland) and sister (Ruth Hussey) who fall in love with a rustic place on the Cornish coastline of England and are able to buy it seemingly at an undervalued price from the peevish proprietor Commander Beech (Donald Crisp). Though his daughter Stella (Gail Russell) is upset at the transaction. But beautiful bargain priced abodes usually come with an unaccountable price. This one is haunted. Not just one spirit, but two.

The cinematography by Charles Lang Jr. (who was nominated for an Oscar), especially the chiaroscuro, and direction are hauntingly elegant. There are some effectively chilling scenes. This was Lewis Allen’s first full-length directed film and the second one I have seen from him that was not TV. His TV career is more prolific than his movie one including 42 episodes of Bonanza.

What I have seen of Gail Russell I have liked including one of my favorite westerns Seven Men From Now. Her life was a tragic one, which you can see in the documentary link below. But she is effective here as the center of all the otherworldly issues. I found it interesting that Crisp was not that fond of having her on the set because of her inexperience though Crisp's acting style to me was often the most wooden among the actors (not the only time I have found him to be too stiff.)

The homosexual undertone with two of the characters (possibly three) is so obvious that one wonders how it got past the Hays Code (though after previously watching The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944: Preston Sturges) from the same year I think maybe someone was snoozing there.*

I do think that the reputation of this film will increase in stature now that there is a BD and DVD release of this (if you follow critic best of lists it is not uncommon for a Criterion release to help push a lesser known film into the limelight; I would even guess that the aggregate list They Shoot Pictures Don’t They might include this next year.)

There should have been more extras on this. I was disappointed with the visual essay by Michael Almereyda which fragments itself with its short running time by going over too many areas too tersely. It also has an unneeded segment on parapsychology that annoys a skeptic like myself. You get too little information on this film, though there is a decent amount of Ray Milland (the author of this is a fan of his, though he does admit to not seeing The Thing with Two Heads – I need to see this as well.) How awesome would it have been to have the sequel The Unseen (1945) included with this? This release also includes a trailer, two radio adaptations, one essay worth reading by Farran Smith Nehme The Uninvited: Spirits by Starlight and a print interview with Lewis Allen and Tom Weaver that is my favorite among the extras.

I believe this is all of James Agee’s mini-review on the film in The Nation (March 11, 1944 | Agee on Film (pg. 65)):

The Uninvited, through an adroit counterpointing, syncopating, and cumulation [sic] of the natural and the supernatural, turns a mediocre story and a lot of shabby clichés into an unusually good scare-picture. It seems to me harder to get a fright than a laugh, and I experienced thirty-five first-class jolts, not to mention a well-calculated texture of minor frissons.

* I am joking. The directors both did a good job of obeying the code, but not staying in the spirit of the code.

DVD Savant
The John Wayne Stock Company: Gail Russell documentary

[Markgway]

Scarecrows (1988-USA) *½
Inept horror in which a bunch of criminal military types are stalked by scarecrows. As bad as it sounds. The film was directed, written, produced, and edited by William Wesley. There's a reason you've never heard that name.

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988-USA) **
Black comedy horror sequel. Pamela Springsteen is fun as the deadly psycho Angela (replacing the original's Felicia Rose) but on the whole the movie is undistinguished in its execution of slasher formula.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Godzilla (USA, 2014) [DCP / 2D] – 2.5/5
Quite a passable attempt at American Godzilla; however, it’s nowhere near the greatness of Pacific Rim. The latter was to monster/mecha movies what Kill Bill was to genre films: a love letter that understood something about the genre mechanics. The new Godzilla is a standard CGI monster flick where nothing really fails, but nothing stands out either. Watanabe and Cranston aside the cast is forgettable, action mostly filmed in dark, monster design uninspired, CGI not especially great, there are kids and dogs as cheap tools for drama, and the soundtrack is rather bland. Nevertheless, the film does entertain alright, some references are nice, and the build-up is pretty good.

And contrary to the popular belief, the general public in Japan don't think the new Godzilla is too fat. That was someone purposefully interviewing a couple of hard core Godzilla worshippers who had not even seen the movie. The film only opened in Japan last week, and is no.1 at the box office at the moment.

Some spoilers ...

I was so-so on the film. I still cannot believe that got rid of Cranston and then put such a benign lead. I thought there were some excellent scenes (not surprising that they are in the trailers), I liked the use of the monster, but I thought Pacific Rim was easily the better experience in the theater. In fact the movie made me appreciate Pacific Rim more.

[Markgway]

I still cannot believe that got rid of Cranston and then put such a benign lead.

I haven't seen the film, but I think I can take a stab at this...

Bryan Cranston - aged 58
Aaron Taylor-Johnson - aged 24

Hope that helps...

[HungFist]

We do have spoiler tags available. Added them.

What I can't believe is that (not a big spoiler >) they gave a nuclear bomb (!!!) to this potential loonie they never met before and who claimed to be a soldier and some kind of expert in bombs. They didn't even bother checking his ID before handing over the bomb. God save us all...

[HungFist]

All You Need is Kill (Edge of Tomorrow) (USA, 2014) [DCP] – 3.5/5
This sci-fi action based on the Japanese manga All You Need is Kill (also the film’s title in Japan) is a rare beast among mega-budget Hollywood films: it’s a plot driven movie. Typically films of this budget are super hero film and/or SFX fests which may feature a story of some sort, but they are based on epic setpieces or familiar characters. All You Need is Kill does feature the former, but it’s mainly based on the plot which is the main attraction. That, with top notch technical execution and unexpectedly solid supporting performance by Emily Blunt makes it an enjoyable film, even if there’s a bit too much repetition in the middle third, and the finale scene takes place in the dark (again?). Also a big plus for featuring Bill Paxton in the kind of role he was born to play: an army commander.

Sadly, the film hasn't been a hit. Perhaps that suggests modern audiences don't feel comfortable with movies that feature a plot anymore.

[Markgway]

I haven't seen EDGE, but am interested in doing so. It's a shame that it hasn't done better given the positive critical response, yet the universally drubbed Transformers movies make a ton.