My last 10 films in 10 days----

---This is what I watched recently-----

Faithless (1932) Tallulah Bankhead, Robert Montgomery. Interesting pre-code look at how the great depression affected a very wealthy young woman and her fiancee, a guy with a good paying middle class job. He wants them to live on his $20k salary(over 290k today). She will have none of it and sees no reason why she can't use her money and live as she always has. Audiences in 1932 would know that she is being unreasonable. Most were living on a few thousand a year. The couple splits up and soon the crash on wall street wipes out the girls wealth and her trust account. Not content to live in poverty or 'work' she chases the good life and rich men to all her old haunts. She becomes ones mistress and ends up being thrown out of a rich hostesses home. After our couple get back together, he forgives her and they marry. And the soap opera begins with his accident on the job he finally got, and her having to become a street walker to save them. Best scene and very subtly done, is her talk with her landlady who realises what she is up to and tells her to put on her makeup and fix her hair. They say nothing about why, but both know.
Bankhead and Montgomery are good pros and handle their roles well. The man who plays the brother must have been someones relative to get a speaking role, because he is terrible. A fine look at a film before the censors started messing with films in the 30's. 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022873/maindetails

American Madness (1932) d. Frank Capra. Walter Houston, Pat O'Brien, Kay Johnson, Constance Cummings. Another pre-code film, this one about a banker who is above reproach in his dealings with customers and his employees. When a crisis develops involving his neglected wife, an employee and a robbery, there is a run on the bank. Pre FDIC also, so all the small depositors panic, as who wouldn't? This is an early Capra film and has many of his touches which he became famous for - especially large crowd scenes. The run on the bank is pure chaos with thousands of extras, which he films pulling back and up to an overhead shot, to see the pushing, shoving; and one woman caught and shoved against a wall, who goes down under the stampeding feet. Houston is very good and the story is not too melodramatic. Worth a look to see early Capra and why the U.S. congress enacted some of the laws it did in the 1930s. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022626/

The Letter (1940) d. William Wylers. Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson, Gale Sondergaard. One of Davis's best performances which I have commented on before. The music score by Max Steiner adds greatly to the atmosphere. One of the great 'studio' films, where they had the stars, the crew and sets to make magic, all on Warners back lot. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032701/

Shadow Of A Doubt (1943) d. Alfred Hitchcock. Joseph Cotton, Teresa Wright, Patricia Collinge, Henry Travers, Hume Cronyn, MacDonald Carey, Wallace Ford & Edna Mae Wonacott. Great cast in a fine film. Hitch had been in America only a few years and made one of the best films featuring small town life. Also one of the only times Joe Cotton played a sinister villain. He's very good at being bad. The young Wonacott is perfect as the young sister, who "knows everything about everyone." Cronyn as the neighbor who visits Travers every evening with a new way to murder his friend, is very droll. Such a great screenplay, with many normal family life scenes, all with the undercurrent of menace. One of Hitches best. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036342/

Quartet (1948-UK) W. Somerset Maugham stories. Dirk Bogard, George Cole, Cecil Parker. None of the stories were outstanding. The Kite, with Cole, was the best, which isn't saying much. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040335/

Uncle Silas (1948-UK) Jean Simmons, Katina Paxinou, Derrick De Marney. Gothic melodrama, all old mansions, hoop skirts, cobwebs, sinister musical climaxes, and Jean in peril but an innocent throughout. She was just 17 and lovely. Hollywood came calling and the rest is history. Paxinou is so over the top she is ridiculous. Like the witch in Wizard Of Oz all she needed was the broomstick. De Marney is not much better. He would be fingering a mustache in the melodramas of old. Outlandish is too mild a comment. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039492/

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) Madonna, Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn. Still laugh throughout after all these years. Just see it - you'll be glad you did. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089017/

Gladiator (2000) Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacoby. Can't help myself. Whenever it is shown on TV, I usually end up sitting and watching it once again. Great action woven into a good story of one mans betrayal and capture, to end up in the arena in Rome. The score is wonderful at setting the mood of melancholy and the end speeches - perfect. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172495/

Dracula 2000 Gerard Butler "& some other actors." Hard to believe that this film was to showcase a bunch of young actors who were given top billing. Johnny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Jennifer Esposito, and Omar Epps are listed top of the DVD. No mention of Drac/Butler, who has gone on to become a true STAR. The tale of the vampire Dracula (Butler) has be brought forward to present day and New Orleans at Mardi Gras, perfect location and time for all black floor sweeping coats and long hair. For my Halloween movie, I choose this one. Cheesy, pretty young things all over the place, and no need to pay attention if the doorbell rings with little goblins, you won't miss a thing. 8/10 that's how much I enjoy it and get my giggles. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219653/

The Upside Of Anger (2005) Joan Allen, Kevin Costner. Enjoyable film on the family dynamics after the father goes missing. Wife assumes he has taken off with his secretary for Sweden. Her anger and unhappiness keep the four daughters in constant conflict with her. Her neighbor and friend, Denny (Costner) drinks with her and offers a hand with her girls. Over the next few years they struggle along until a discovery at a new building site makes some things clear to all. Good little drama. Costner is very good as the charming drunken friend. Allen is so good at anger you almost hate her. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365885/

Daylight time is over. Days are short. Trees almost bare. Goblins and ghosts are gone again and winter is just around the corner. We'll see what develops.......