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Reviews
Curious Caterer: Foiled Plans (2024)
The best Curious Caterer yet!
I am really enjoying the slow build and mature relationship being built between caterer Goldie and Detective Tom. This was a departure in that it takes place over less than twenty four hours at a costumed fundraising function at a gorgeous vintage building in a snow storm. Goldie has been asked to cater the event, her daughter is participating in a fencing demonstration, and both her ex husband and Tom are invited as guests for the event.
Trapped together because of the snow storm, their host is murdered and Goldie, Tom, his two fellow detectives, a U. S. Marshal who showed up uninvited looking for Tom's father who is a recently escaped prisoner, Goldie's daughter and her best friend all work together to try to solve this murder.
The costuming was fun and I loved Goldie's dress it was very flattering. I loved the romantic repartee between Tom and Goldie throughout this episode. I also appreciated the pacing and twists added to this plot and even though I had worked out the mystery, I still enjoyed it.
This Hallmark Mystery series is based on the books by Diane Mott and while I haven't read one yet...they are encouraging me to do so.
I recommend this series to my fellow Hallmark mystery fans and am really looking forward to the next one. The acting is great and so far the storytelling is interesting.
Legend of the Lost Locket (2024)
Natasha is lovely in this antique driven Hallmark mystery.
It was nice seeing both Natasha Burnett and Viv Leacock outside of their roles as a married couple on When Calls The Heart. It was also really nice to hear Natasha's actual speaking voice for a change.
The story is about a London based British antique dealer named Amelia Scott, who together with her business partner is carrying on her mother's research and search for the missing half of the fabled true love locket which she believes may have made its way to America via Jamestown, Massachusetts. Once she arrives to Jamestown, Amelia keeps her business secret but is aided in her search by the local sheriff.
I found the story to be a little bit problematic and the ending even more so. But it was a lighter mystery and it was nice to see it involve a sampler, paint restoration and antiques. I might watch another, but it's not quite on my recommendation list.
The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
Paul Newman and Orson Welles crackle in this Southern family drama.
Paul Newman plays the drifter Ben Quick, from the infamous barn burning Quicks. Young and hungry, Ben comes into a town where everything has one man's name on it Varner...specifically Will Varner played by Orson Welles.
Will Varner himself used to be young and hungry and sees something of himself in young Ben. So much so he strikes a few bargains with him...including offering up marriage with his only daughter Clara.
Clara is played by Paul Newman's real life wife Joanne Woodward, and the two definitely have chemistry. Clara, a school teacher, has been saving herself for a local mama's boy but then gets a little steamed up when Ben pokes the bear.
This is a quintessential southern story, complete with southern drawls, lemonade and wrap around porches. My favorite southerner was actually Agnes Stewart played by Sarah Marshall. It was fun to see Angela Lansbury as the great Varner's in town girlfriend Minnie. And the character Eula Varner played by Lee Remick was hilarious and lovely as only a vapid southern beauty could be.
Interesting southern family drama that Paul Newman fans will. It was a decent character study and should be on classic film fans' to see list.
Inside Man (2022)
Professor T (Belgian) and Lieve Mama (Dutch) mashup in this British American dark comedy thriller.
"A good reason and a bad day, everyone is a murderer...you just have to meet the right person."-that made me laugh (probably wasn't supposed to be funny, but it did appeal to my dark sense of humor).
This is a darkly comedic short BBC series (season 1 has just four episodes) which combines season three of Professor T (the original Belgian series-with a brilliant imprisoned criminologist solving crimes) and the short Dutch series Lieve Mama (with an initial crime followed by bad decisions and a husband and wife cover-up).
Even though I did find it derivative of two tv series that I had just recently watched on Walter Presents, I still enjoyed this short run production and thanks to season one episode four's post credits' scene...I look forward to more. I love Stanley Tucci and have enjoyed David Tennant (he is still my favorite Dr. Who), both were perfectly cast in their roles as murder and potential murderer.
I think this is an enjoyable comedic thriller, that left enough questions on the table for a follow-up season. I think I would recommend this to fans of Professor T and fans of dark comedy who don't mind watching the cascading effects of poor decision making...and a vicar no less!
Standout acting all around, but I particularly enjoyed the performances of Kate Dickie, who played the questionable Morag and Dolly Wells, who played tutor and victim Janice Fife.
Not Your Romeo & Juliet (2023)
This felt very much like a school project...a Christian school project.
This felt very much like a school project...a Christian school project, and that is not a criticism per se but a commentary on the low budget production quality. My favorite part of this film was the side story of Micki's mom Toni going back to school, giving a fake name, having a crush on her teacher and him giving her famous names for pseudonyms. Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Betty White, etc. It added a fun charming note to the film and became my favorite part.
As for the main romantic storyline it was a bit cliched. Two student newspaper writers spar in print, fall in love in person, and then discover their true identities after a brief fake out. In the end they lean into their faith, start a clean slate and become friends. It was ok, but not a recommendation from me to my fellow romantics.
Irish Wish (2024)
Probably not a top tier romantic comedy, but colorful with a great backdrop.
The Irish countryside and beautiful manor are really the best parts of this film. It's a romantic comedy, so the bar is set pretty low...but I would say this one is just middle of the road. One highlight was Jane Seymour...who was fantastic, as always, but very underused as Lyndsey Lohan's character's mother. I was quite confused as to why the Saint Brigitte character was wearing an East Indian Salwar Kameez? And while I appreciated the color that they added to the sets, it was particularly obvious that the flowers in the lily pond were fake, along with the flowers on the tree at the wishing bench, and flowers in the field. Is nature not beautiful enough? Does everything have to look like an animated Disney set like Bambi? I think the lush green countryside of Ireland is beautiful all by itself...it did make me wonder what James Joyce would have said to all the artificial enhancements.
The film was more surreal than real, but some like fantasy...it's not generally my thing, particularly in the realm of romantic comedies. I did like Ed Speleers in the romantic lead role, especially since he has been a lot of villains in works like Outlander, You and Downton Abbey. It was nice to see him be charming for a change.
Not quite a recommendation from me for my fellow romantics...unless you are big fans of the animated Disney Princess fantasy.
The Secret Lives of Big Cats (2020)
Right up my alley as a huge fan of big cats...can't wait to see more.
There can never be enough footage of big cats, in my opinion. This nature series focuses on capturing big cats in the wild and where it excels is in some rare footage using both moonlight and infrared cameras. The new technology does not mean that the camera crew wasn't met with challenges of their own, from large territories to tremendous speed to just sheer elusiveness, the big cats are always a challenge to capture in the wild. It was interesting to see how the industry of tourism and interaction with regular humans are impacting what we are now able to see and observe in the wild. The cats captured are tigers, snow leopards, lions, leopards, pumas, jaguars, and cheetahs.
The series may be light on the science, focusing more on certain hunting techniques while ignoring others. There is some never before seen footage that make the series completely worthwhile, for example Jaguars hunting sea turtles on a Costa Rican beach, a death defying plummet of a snow leopard with an ibex for prey, seven pumas sharing a kill, the inner city antics of leopards in Mumbai, and a night time hunting technique by a pride of lions involving a chaser and multiple catchers.
If you are a big cat fan like me, this series is not to be missed...so what if the narrator has difficulty pronouncing Montana. :)
Lonely Wives (1931)
A few to many girls in this pseudo wife-swapping precode comedy.
Edward Everett Horton gets to not only play the lead Richard 'Dickie' Smith in this uproarious pre-code comedy but a dual part as the supporting character a famous theatrical impersonator named Zero. Dickie is a lawyer whose wife is out of town, for which he is trying to make the most of it as a ladies man. Unfortunately his mother-in-law
Mrs. Mantel keeps foiling his plans...that is until the famous impersonator Zero shows up requesting to do Dickie in his act. Dickie agrees on one condition, that he play him convincingly overnight with his mother-in-law so he can meet two dolls out at a club. This plan is working out great till Dickie's wife surprises Zero by coming home early...and that is when all the hilarity ensues.
I love Edward Everett Horton, but the show stealer in this film is the Canadian actress Maude Eburne, who plays Mrs. Mantel the mother-in-law as she cleaverly tries to get herself some grandkids!
Cute by today's standards but very risqué for all it's pre-code innuendos. While not high on my list I still think classic film fans will enjoy this one. And the clothing is to die for!
Berlín (2023)
The supporting cast and high production value are the reasons to tune in to Berlín.
I really enjoyed the Casa de Papel (Money Heist) series, but I can't say that I liked the character of Berlin. So, you might understand why I wasn't really eager for this series...but it did pleasantly surprised me primarily thanks to the supporting cast.
The series takes place chronologically before Casa de Papel, when Berlin himself has amassed a team to pull of a fairly elaborate heist of priceless jewels from a highly guarded vault before an auction. The plan is fairly well laid out, the team members each have their roles...and then Berlin himself puts it all in jeopardy when in becomes infatuated with the mark's wife while performing surveillance. It was unbelievably annoying and part of why I never liked the character of Berlin from the start.
I did however love some of the other romantic stories...like between Keila (Michelle Jenner) and Bruce (Joel Sánchez), Cameron (Begoña Vargas) and Roi (Julio Peña) and Damien(Tristán Ulloa) and his wife. I was thrilled to see Julio Peña outside of his roll of Ares Hidalgo in A Través de mi Ventana. This definitely was not Casa De Papel, it just didn't have the same levelheaded leadership...what do you expect when Berlin is the boss. The crew is almost entirely made up of young members who are also apt to make mistakes and rash decisions.
To recap, my expectations were very low as the series was built around a character that I already didn't like and I enjoyed it more than expected because I liked the supporting cast and as a romantic I loved the romantic intrigue between all but Berlin and Camille. I am not sure who I would recommend this to, but the production quality was as high as La Casa De Papel. It will be interesting to see if this gets green lit for a second season.
Review based on watching in it's original Spanish language with English subtitles.
Which Brings Me to You (2023)
These two hot messes meet at a wedding and have a therapy-like coming together.
Lucy Hale, who I discovered in "The Hating Game", is absolutely lovely...but plays the hot mess Jane in this film. Together with Nat Wolff, who plays Will, they make up the romantic duo which starts as a simple wedding guest hook-up...but quickly and somewhat awkwardly morphs into the potential for more.
These two are well suited for one another, Hale and Wolff, with excellent chemistry. The story is unusual for a romantic comedy, in fact it tells itself rather inside out. We learn about all of their past failed relationships...the why you wouldn't want to be in a relationship with either one, but at some point you start pulling for these two.
I am not going to say this is the most romantic film, but I think young people today might identify with their plight. While not on my recommendation list, I didn't hate it. I enjoy some of the dialogue and the idea of being brutally honest from the start.
Blind Date Book Club (2024)
Absolutely loved it! Buckley and Krakow are golden in this book focused romance.
I enjoyed the blind date with a book concept being added to this Hallmark romance starring When Calls The Heart's Erin Krakow and Robert Buckley from iZombie. I really like Robert Buckley, he seems so genuine in every role I have seen him play. He plays famous YA fantasy writer Graham Sterling. He owes his publisher book at of his famous YA series, only instead he has written a historical romance novel which his publisher not only doesn't want, but doesn't want his name even associated with. Determined to try this new genre, Graham self publishes his romance under a pseudonym and when he hears a public radio interview of a Nantucket bookstore owner who has combined her self cultivated "blind date with a book" books with a book club, he hightails it to Nantucket where he hopes to get her to choose his book for some honest and unbiased criticism.
This is a sweet slow build romance that highlights how people's love for books brings them together. I loved the concept and who could say no to Robert Buckley's sensational smile and charm? I wish there were more book clubs like this because I would absolutely join and I really like highlighting the importance of small independent bookstores for introducing smaller and lesser know authors...and just bringing people together over their love of books. This is a strong recommendation to fellow romantics, particularly book lovers and want to be writers. Positive, inspirational and romantic.
The Gentlemen (2024)
Not for the faint of heart, but loaded with comedy and great characters, the pairing of Theo James and Guy Ritchie is gold.
I love Theo James and tuned in strictly based on his starring role in this series...but I was even more pleasantly surprised to discover Guy Ritchie's touch. My family loves Guy Ritchie's work, particularly his "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"...in fact my parents still refer to themselves as a certain type of horticulturist. Having said that this series started in a classic Guy Ritchie fashion...so you either love it or hate it. He has a particular colorful high flash style, with violence and comedy.
Theo James plays Eddie Horniman, current U. N. soldier and soon to be Lord. He is sent home for the death of his father who passes over the eldest son Freddy to bestow the lordship on the more stable second son Eddie. It doesn't take long to discover why...and to discover where the Lord was getting large sums of money as we are introduced to Susie Glass.
There are some great characters in this series, highlighted by a dramatic pause and typeset appearing across the screen Ritchie style. The series is short at eight episodes and after the first couple it settles down into a bit of a pattern involving identifying a problem, coming up with a solution to a problem, then being thrown a curveball, then having to get out of an even bigger problem.
Flashy with good sets, costumes and music, I found the series highly enjoyable. It is loaded with comedy, but also drugs, foul language and lots of violence. I know it's not for everyone's tastes. However, If you are a big Guy Ritchie fan or a big Theo James fan, I can highly recommend the series.
I do like the unexpected and the chicken scene, which seemed to be going on an inordinately long time ends in an unexpected surprise...so I would like to say that I disliked the scene and that it was unnecessary...but then you would have missed the surprise.
That Uncertain Feeling (1941)
A screwball comedy that was more sad than funny.
I think a better title for this film is "the hiccup". A well to do housewife goes to be psychoanalyzed and ends up divorcing her husband of six years for a neurotic pianist. Melvyn Douglas, Harry Davenport and Eve Arden are the best part of this screwball comedy. I found both Burgess
Meredith and Merle Oberon hard to watch.
I think Larry Baker should have left Jill and found a more loyal and sensible wife...of course that wouldn't make a very good comedy. The pianist Alexander was the most screwball character and I just can't believe someone would leave Melvyn Douglas for him.
As you can tell this film left me scratching my head instead of laughing. This does not make my recommendation list as I think there are far better films out there even with these exact stars.
Wonka (2023)
Disappointed and I struggled to get to the end.
I would say I am not a fan of musicals...but that is simply not true, I just like musicals from the golden age of Hollywood with music by Gershwin, Berlin, Kern, etc. This, I don't know what this was...it was melancholic and didn't seem to appeal to any audience, let alone children like the original did. It didn't make the candy appealing and it didn't offer up an intriguing story. It looked like a live theater set and much of the acting was too campy or over the top to draw you in.
I'm not sure if the campy style was meant to be funny or not, but I felt that it fell flat. It's a shame because I think the origin story of the infamous Willy Wonka could have been really interesting. It was also unfortunate that they didn't choose an actor that would be more believable as Gene Wilder's younger self...think crazy eyes and frizzy blonde or red hair. That in and of itself might have been more interesting than this ultra tame Timothée Chalamet version of a young Willy.
I didn't know going into this film that it was a musical and unfortunately I was ready to leave within the first fifteen minutes. Nit a recommendation from me.
Odd Man Out (1947)
This was almost like watching a game of hot potato only played with a human.
I am not a James Mason fan, but this was more of a character study of humanity. A subversive Irish group perpetrates a theft to fund their cause. During the crime their leader is mortally injured and eventually left behind. The film is his journey through the city, which made for a fascinating story as there were those willing to help him, those who felt obligated to help out of human compassion, those who wanted to profit off of his location, a painter who wanted to paint him...but most of all this overwhelming desire of most individuals he encounters to not want to get caught anywhere near him.
There is also this love story as one woman races to find and save him. Unusual for a film, but bleak...not just in how it was filmed but in how the story was told. There are some overly dramatic scenes...but in my opinion that is just classic James Mason. Different enough I might recommend it to hard core classic film fans...but for most I would say give it a pass.
The Chase (1946)
This is an exceptional film noir that has some great deceptions.
This noir has a lot going on and so many great scenes which keeps it on my Film Noirs to recommend list. It starts with this wonderful scene with little to no dialogue that conveys a lot. We see a possibly homeless Robert Cummings drooling in front of a window where they are cooking hamburgers, where he finds a wallet on the sidewalk. After using money from the wallet to buy a large meal, our down on his luck former soldier Chuck Scott travels a good distance to return the wallet to it's rightful owner. The rightful owner happens to be a brutal mobster named Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran) who has a laconic henchman named Gino (Peter Lorre). Before Chuck meets Eddie, we see a scene in which Eddie is abusive to his female manicurist and barber in his palatial home. Eddie hires Chuck to be his chauffeur after being impressed by his honesty...but feels the need to test him in a special car in which he has the gas and breaks rigged to be bypassed for controls in the backseat. The trouble...and there is always trouble in a good film noir, is in the form of Eddie's wife Lorna Roman (Michèle Morgan). She is unhappy and desperate to escape Eddie and her life with. She has taken to long solitary walks on the Florida beach at night...that is until she convinces Chuck to help her sneak aboard a steamship.
And this is where the noir ratchets up to be a great mystery thriller as Lorna is murdered in Cuba and Chuck is blamed when they go ashore for some entertainment and to celebrate their freedom. On the run and desperate to prove his innocence is when Robert Cummings and this noir hits it's stride.
This is a film noir that I highly recommend to noir fans. The villain is very sinister, Cummings is a great every man, the backdrop is picturesque, and mystery is divinely convoluted. Noir at it's best!
Boomerang! (1947)
A singular prosecuting attorney is the draw for this courtroom drama based on a real life crime.
Based on the real life senseless murder of a Catholic priest, this recreation focuses on the prosecuting attorney's journey for justice. We start by seeing the initial crime and it's witnesses. There is a strong overshadowing narrator who tries to bring familiarity to the city and make the crime personal for the viewer. The prosecutor seems tenacious and determined, but the witnesses have all identified a suspect that they have in custody and there is major pressure to get what seems to be a slam dunk conviction. The public is wound up and have amassed in a mob mentality for the conviction and to add to the pressure local politicians and businessmen are adding political aspirations to the prosecuting attorneys resume.
The film works hard to lead you down a path, but I was very happy wit( the actual results which left you guessing until the bitter end in some courtroom theatrics. While not my favorite film it was interesting and might be a good recommendation for anyone interested in our justice system.
One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2024)
Hannah is back...teaching, running the bakery and solving a murder and I just can't get enough.
Hannah Swensen Mysteries has consistently been one of my three favorite mysteries on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, along with Aurora Teagarden (the Candace Cameron Bure version) and Mystery 101. This entry has Hannah teaching a baking class at the local community college where she collaborates with literature professor Bradford Ramsey...who not only seems enamored with Hannah, but ends up dead quite literally stabbed in the back with one of Hannah's own knives. This unfortunately puts Hannah on the suspect list.
This entry introduces us to Lake Eden's own all business "I don't have a sweet tooth" county prosecuting attorney, Chad Norton (played by the suave Victor Webster). Most of the cast favorites have returned like Hannah's beloved mom who is played so delightfully by Barbara Niven and our favorite partner-in-crime and local dentist Norman (played by the consistently wonderful Gabriel Hogan). There were some noticeable absences like Hannah's brother in law police officer Bill, but probably more noticeable is Hannah's fiancé the beloved detective Mike, who has been played from the very first film by Cameron Mathison. The story was given that Mike went to Quantico to join the FBI? I am really sad to see Cameron Mathison go, as I really like him as an actor and thought he and Alison Sweeney had amazing chemistry together. On a side note I did enjoy Alison Sweeney and Victor Webster in the Wedding Veil series of movies, they were well matched and it will be interesting to see what develops here.
The series is based on the cosy mysteries written by Joanne Fluke, but this film was actually written by Alison Sweeney herself. The mystery was decent, but what really keeps this amongst my favorites...if not my favorite, is the camaraderie amongst the cast being lead by Alison Sweeney herself. Barbara Niven is not only lovely, but lends so much great comedy to this series. This entry has Delores deciding to be an private investigator...think big hats, sun glasses and trench coats.
Highly recommend this fun mystery series to all the cosy mystery fans out there.
The Sphinx (1933)
Plucky reporter vs a confident killer...with a secret.
Prominent stock brokers are showing up dead and plucky newspaper reporter Jack Burton is convinced that the generous wealthy donor to a variety of charitable organizations named Jerome Breen is the murderer. The problem is in spite witnesses seeing Breen at the scene of the crime, he is a prominent figure and deaf and dumb...giving him the nickname "the sphinx". It is this detail that trips up the witnesses as they each distinctly recall him talking.
Jack Burton has a girlfriend on the newspaper, a society columnists named Jerry Crane and when this lovely girl goes to do a multi page story on Jerome Breen, she finds herself right in the middle of the mystery. This is a decent low budget mystery that doesn't have a lot of fluff padding the film. I think fans of early1930's mystery movies will enjoy it. Lionel Atwell plays the lead Breen, but I think it is the plucky reporter Theodore Newton who steels the show, especially as he gets more and more desperate to save his girl.
The Intruder (1933)
This is beautifully costumed 1933 murder mystery set on a steam ship and then a tropical island with a bizarre Tarzan like character.
This film starts with a murder aboard a steamboat that already contains a detective who immediately goes to work investigating. He starts by gathering all the suspects when the ship gets in trouble in a bad storm. Forced to evacuate, all the suspects are loaded into the last lifeboat with the captain, first mate and detective. They end up castaway on a tropical island together with a gorilla and a strange Tarzan-like character...complete with his "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaa" call. The murder victim stole precious diamonds and the detective thinks the murder is after them. The two women, Connie and Daisy, have a gorgeous wardrobe that seems to survive their ordeal...satin (or silk) and furs...not to mention their jewelry. The mystery gets solved and they get rescued by a French ship...but not before there is some unusual comedy by a drunken brother and a skeleton.
I think this is a fun historical number...but not the most interesting of mysteries and frankly I had a little trouble keeping the suspects straight. Not on my recommendation list unless you just want some light entertainment.
Decoy (1946)
This is a film noir that has to be seen in order to be believed...methylene blue reanimation, a money grubbing femme fatale, and buried money.
The first part of this noir almost comes across as a horror film when a doctor is convinced to use methylene blue to resurrect a mob criminal post electric chair electrocution...and I loved that they showed this process in detail (as a medical professional, I had so many questions!). The backbone of this story, however is a straight up film noir with a dangerous femme fatale played by Jean Gillie (Margot Shelby) at it's heart. Margot is not afraid to use her feminine wiles on anyone of the male persuasion who can help her with her plot to get her mobster boyfriend's hidden $400,000. She charms a gangster who can provide the money for the payoffs, and the doctor who has this far fetched idea to bring the boyfriend back post execution, etc. What she doesn't count on is that when her boyfriend comes back he will still be too paranoid to give them the exact directions to the buried money.
I was thrilled with all of the unique and unusual details in this noir, I thought Jean Gillie put in an exceptionally noteworthy performance as her cold and greedy character...but my favorite part of the whole film was the end. It was perfect! I highly recommend this film noir to noir fans...it is totally worth seeking out.
Easter Parade (1948)
Colorful and snappy romantic musical, with a great Easter song...only the people who should end up together don't.
There was a lot to love in this MGM musical especially the Irving Berlin score that includes such great numbers as "Happy Easter", "Drum Crazy", "I love a Piano", "Steppin' Out With My Baby", "Easter Parade", and "It Only Happens When I Dance With You". The costumes were colorful and sublime...particularly Ann Miller's Green and leopard print number and her initial Easter parade outfit (including the dogs!). The acting, dancing and singing was all top shelf with this stellar cast of Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Peter Lawford, and Ann Miller.
What left me flat however was the story itself. Fred Astaire plays a slightly famous song and dance man named Don Hewes who is in love with his lovely dance partner Nadine Hale (Ann Miller). Unfortunately, Nadine is trying to land his wealthy young friend Jonathan Harrow III (Peter Lawford)...somewhat aggressively. She also has taken a job without her partner Don. In a fit of pique, Don decides to prove to Nadine that he doesn't need her and that he can make any hoofer famous. He picks Hannah Brown (Judy Garland) out at a tavern and proceeds to mold her into the perfect dance partner. At some point Don's friend Jonathan runs into Hannah and falls madly in love.
At the end of the day, in spite of her loveliness, I thought Nadine was a despicable character and I thought the final pairings should be Jonathan with Hannah and Nadine with Don because those two deserved each other. Unfortunately, that is not how this musical ends up and I found myself incredibly disappointed. Not a recommendation to my fellow romantics, but I do think fans of Irving Berlin and the four major stars should give it a watch.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Came for the antikythera, enjoyed the return of older characters like Renaldo but hated the new character played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the contemporary social attitudes.
I grew up watching the Indiana Jones movies. Harrison Ford was fantastic and his character Indy was a fun, adventurous archeologist who was frankly inspirational to me as a young American girl, who dreamed of travel to such exotic settings as Indy found himself in. The fact that there was humor intermixed with the adventure made these films not only enjoyable but accessible to a young girl and kids in general. As an adult, I was disappointed to hear of the contemporary and controversial social attitudes that were included in this film and I probably wouldn't have watched it at all if it hadn't included the very real artifact, the antikythera. As a horologist, I have attended serious lectures on the antikythera by its foremost experts.
To say I was disappointed in this film is putting it mildly. It lacked all of the humor and charm of the original films. It was filled with ridiculous nonsense and a new character who was a wishy-washy, lying, thieving disgrace to womanhood. And while I really enjoyed some of the older characters being brought back...like Banderas' Renaldo and Karen Allen's Marion and I always love seeing Mads Mikkelson, who is fantastic..especially as villains, I hated this film and can't recommend it to anyone. In fact to save the entire horological society and community of fellow horologists...do not watch this film. There is far more entertaining material out there involving the antikythera.
Shock (1946)
The first top billing for Vincent Price, but the real star might be Annabel Shaw as his witness and catatonic patient.
This psychological noir thriller was Vincent Price's first top billing and it is a wonderful b movie noir that was shot on tight budget in just nineteen days. Knowing that explains the small number of sets and cast. There was an economy of script that suited the storyline and lent to the overall feel of the noir which tells the story of Mrs. Janet Stewart (Annabel Shaw), who went from thinking her husband was dead to finding out that he is alive and returning home after his captivity in a WWII prisoner of war camp. I loved how they showed her excitement at seeing her husband...the running off and almost forgetting to pay the cabbie and her extreme distress at finding out they misplaced her reservation at the hotel where they are to meet.
While waiting for her husband's arrival, she unfortunately witnesses a husband kill his own wife in a room across the courtyard...and it's too much for her psyche to handle, she goes in to shock which is how her husband finds her. Desperate to get his wife help as soon as possible, he has the hotel manager call the hotel doctor who suggests an expert who just happens to be staying at the hotel. Enter Dr. Richard Cross played wonderfully by Vincent Price. He not only is an expert in this particular field, but he is the murderer. Unfortunately with Janet being in shock she can't articulate that to anyone...and when Dr. Cross' nurse/lover Elaine discovers this, she is determined to keep Janet that way convincing Dr. Cross to go along with a plan that includes insulin used in higher and higher doses to shock the system and "accidentally" kill their patient.
I found Vincent Price's Dr. Cross to be somewhat sympathetic and the two women in his life to be cold, difficult and manipulative. In fact, Lynn Bari's Nurse Elaine seemed to have no redeeming qualities and the fact that she was willing to use her feminine wiles to push Dr. Cross into committing murder was chill inducing. She was a cold hearted villain that I won't soon forget. Frank Latimore was wonderful as the devoted husband Lt. Paul Stewart and Charles Trowbridge plays an exceptionally helpful and wise doctor. I really enjoyed how the case finally came together for the District Attorney...with some random break-ins leading to a helpful breakthrough.
I would recommend this film to both Vincent Price fans and to fans of noir...quickly made on a tight budget this film is almost a wonder, worth the watch for sure.
It Happened One Night (1934)
This is one of my favorite films of all time, Frank Capra at his best!
I love, love, love this film, from the dive off a ship, to it's iconic hitchhiking scene...straight through the tumbling of the wall of Jericho! I can watch it over and over, enjoying it every time. I am not the biggest Clark Gable fan, but the combination of him with Claudette Colbert in this film is fire! The two play off of each other very well.
The heiress Ellie Andrews(Claudette Colbert) has secretly married aviator King Westley to her father Alexander Andrews' (Walter Connolly) chagrin. Her father holds her hostage on his private yacht while he tries to annul her marriage, until Ellie takes an escaping dive to go on the run to her new husband played by Jameson Thomas. To avoid her father's henchmen, Ellie does the unexpected and buys a ticket on a public bus where she meets the currently unemployed reporter, Peter Warne (Clark Gable). Peter may be tipsy when he first encounters Ellie...but it doesn't take him long to figure out that she is a fish out of water. Bad with money and easy to take advantage of, Ellie is down to her last few cents and has had her luggage stolen when Peter finally steps in...and Ellie is not the most grateful recipient of his help...and there in lies the fun.
Based on the short story by Samuel Hopkins Adams, this screen play by Robert Riskin is filled with some of the best lines and best scenes in Hollywood. It's obvious why it swept the Oscars in 1935...Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director, and Best Writing-Adaptation.
Not only is this a wonderful film that every classic film fan should watch, but it is a bit of a historical time capsule for historians. The yacht, the cars, the bus, the roadside lodges...with their outdoor shared showers, the prices, the food, the cigarettes...this is a historical delight. This film comes highly recommended by me. My favorite romantic genre is the hate-to-love genre and this is that to a tee.
I originally watched this film more than three decades ago, because I had purchased a classic film blank address book that contained a photo of Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable from this film. I was so enthralled by the photo (which was my favorite in the book) that I sought out the film and have been delighting in it ever since.