Films I have seen the last few weeks:
The Unholy Partners (1931) Ronald Colman, Fay Wray, Estelle Corbin. Colman plays his suave gentleman thief who is after a rumored fortune hidden by the blind father of our heroine. We are at a desert hotel in the middle of the Sahara, with a motley bunch of thieves, cutthroats and ne'er do wells. There is a plot to steal the blind mans fortune if they can find it. There is also a vamp who is trying to get Colman to give it up and come back to her. In the end he is off in an open car with his untrustworthy pal leaving his love, the money, and all problems behind. Okay look at early talky and one of the great speaking voices of the era. Wray was a doll. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022523/
Hands Across The Table (1935) Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, Ralph Bellamy, Whitey the Cat. Gal and guy meet and are attracted to each other, but are both broke. She is a manicurist at a snooty, posh hotel; he a former rich playboy that lost it all in the stock market crash. He is setting his sights on a rich pineapple heiress. Fine and dandy because Reggie has met a rich paraplegic ex-aviator Allen Macklyn, who has an eye for Reggie. She does his nails you see. How Reggie ends up with her broke playboy is a fun romp. And Reggie's cat Whitey is bored by it all, naturally. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026452/
Girl Of The Golden West (1938) Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Walter Pigeon, Buddy Epson. Story of young girl and boy who become central to each others lives across the years, but only meet after they are adults. A lovely song the young Mary sings around the campfire is overheard by bandits and their young orphan protege. These two grow up to be the bandit Ramirez, and 'girl' the owner of The Poker saloon, which she inherits from her grandpa. She is romanced by the sheriff Jack Rance, but she is not in love with him. The music from this film was all composed for it and is the only one of the duo's films that did not originate on the stage. It is entertaining and the music is first rate. 9/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030182/
Cry 'Havoc' (1943) Women on Bataan at the beginning of the Japanese takeover of the island. The army nurses are short staffed because of deaths and injuries and burnout. A group of women refugees from all over the island end up at this camp and are asked to stay and help out with what are called the 'dirty' jobs. A few do and this is a film about them and the two women officer/nurses who run this so-called hospital. This was when they were sure MacArthur would be able to rescue them. But as the weeks go on, it is obvious that is unlikely. They finally get official word that the island has fallen to the enemy. All the petty jealousies and conflicts are wiped away and the final scene is the two worst antagonists, arms around each others waists, going up the stairs to their fate. It would take two long years, but MacArthur finally returned. We don't know how many nurses and civilians survived. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035770/
Callaway Went Thataway (1951) Fred MacMurray, Howard Keel, Dorothy McGuire, Jesse White. Entertaining little film with Keel playing a duo role; Stretch Barnes / Smoky Callaway. Fred and Dorothy as Mike and Deborah, ad agents who buy up some old movies starring Smokey to put on TV. Overnight success. Have to find him. Do. But he has become a drunken womanizing bum. Quick. Hire a lookalike - Stretch. Introduced on TV and then a cross country personal appearance tour, escorted by Deborah. Falls for big lug. What happens next? Guess! Nice little film. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043371/
The Dead (1987) Angelica Huston, Dan O'Herlihy. Donal McCann. I confess, I do not understand the Irish sensibilities. This is the final film of great director John Huston, and some of his family - Tony (as the screenwriter) and Angelica (as main character Gretta Conroy) - are involved in the location filming in Ireland. The story is about a Christmas dinner party at the home of musician spinster aunts for various family and friends. Remembrance's bring sadness and Gretta seems heartbroken and her husband gets her to tell a long tale of her great love when she was a girl in Galway. That's about it. Since it is from a James Joyce story with this distinguished crew, some will automatically give it a thumbs up. It is barely interesting. Costumes and sets are good. But how those ladies and gents got up and down those snowy steps without breaking something is a mystery. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092843/
Murder at 1600 (1997) Diane Lane, Wesley Snipes, Daniel Benzali. How does a local D.C. homicide detective do his job when everything is off limits and/or redacted? His liaison with the White House secret service detail is agent Nina. But she is controlled by chief-of-staff Spikings and he is arrogant and unwilling to help in any way. Good thriller with people we want to win. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119731/
The long hot spell is finally over and we have lovely evening and mornings to be outdoors.
1 comment:
I haven't seen "Cry Havoc" in a while, but recently watched "So Proudly We Hail" and have started reading a book about the nurses in Bataan called "We Band of Angels". Fascinating and heartbreaking history.
I really like Howard Keel in "Callaway Went Thataway". He really had the opportunity to show his versatility.
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