4 Pre-code Loretta Young films; 1 Connie Bennett--

FIRST VIEWINGS:

The Ruling Voice (1931) Walter Huston, Loretta Young, David Manners. Racketeers making merchants pay for protection and the head of the syndicate that makes them pay - or else. Huston is the cool top dog. He has a daughter who he sent to Europe for an education and to get her away from his 'business.' She is coming home with a fiancee but once home Houston tells her about his career and she tells him she wants nothing to do with him. Very early look at crime and films about it, is good 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022331/combined

Play Girl (1932) Winnie Lightner, Loretta Young, Guy Kibbee, Norman Foster. Title makes no sense. Two shop girls room together. The older one sets her sights on a manager. The young one doesn't want to get involved with a man. But she is beautiful and before long has married a man she thinks is a traveling salesman. He is really a gambler. When he withdraws most of their money from an account they ae saving to take care of the baby charges, she throws him out. Only a hour long, there is not a lot to this film, but young Loretta is beautiful. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023342/combined

Heros For Sale (1933) Richard Barthelmess, Loretta Young, Aline MacMahon. Saga of a man who was a hero on the battlefield but lets his bu ddy keep the medal he should have gotten when he is wounded so badly he is found near death. Hooked on morphine in his recovery, he returns to his hometown and buddy's fathers bank and is finally fired when he can't overcome his addiction. Sent to a prison farm he is finally off drugs and let go to join the thousands of people tramping the country. Finally at a flop house he meets some good people and has a job and marries a sweet kid and they have a son. Bad fortune decends again in a workers strike that becomes a riot and his wife is killed. The man leaves again and his son is left with the good friends who now run a soup kitchen. A fine look at the way it was for some of the veterans of WWI and early depression. Young is lovely in a small role as the wife. MacMahon is touching as the woman who loves but loses and is always there for this unlucky man. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024115/combined

Our Betters (1933) Constance Bennett, Violet Kemble Cooper, Anita Louise, Alan Mowbray, Gilbert Rowland. Somerset Maugham play, directed by George Cukor about the Lords and Ladies of British society is amusing and biting at the same time. They have parties and weekends at someones estate, and gossip about who is sleeping with who, and learn all the latest dance steps. Lady Greystone has been 'educated' in her betters ways by her titled husband who she learned too late married her only for her money. While he spends all his time with his mistress, she gives lavish parties for her "betters." Soon she is the top hostess among the titled and idle set. Some wicked humor by Maugham, who was an invited guest to many of the same sort of places among the same sort of people. Bennett is dazzling in her wardrobe by Hattie Carnegie and Cooper is too funny trying to keep her gigolo from straying. And the final scene with a rouged and mincing dance instructor is very funny. As in any hard times, the depression era movie goer wanted something light and amusing and not deep and real. They saw real everyday in their homes and on the streets. Kind of like today. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024421/combined

Born To Be Bad (1934) Loretta Young, Cary Grant. On the streets at 15, pregnant and homeless, Letty is given a job and a bed by a bookstore owner. When her boy is about 7 he is a terror, skipping school, and getting tumbled by a truck as he skates holding onto the back of another truck. By this time Letty is hard and as crooked as her life has made her. She coaches her son to pretend to be injured and can't walk. She gets a lawyer to sue the company the truck belonged to; Grants milk company. But Grant's lawyer get film of the boy skating and romping so the court dismisses the case and has the family court take over for the boys sake. Grant and his wife, who can't have children, decide to take the boy and the court agrees that is best. Of course Letty is mad as hell and decides to vamp Grant and get some of the goodies her son is enjoying. She moves into the house and has her way with Mr. Rich Guy. Loretta is simply gorgeous at 23 and Grant in an early role is not the smooth charmer he becomes in later films. An interesting film in the transition to the Hays Code and you can see how this film may have been compromised by rewrites and reshoots to comply with censorship. Today the more interesting film would have been what made this young woman the mean and hateful creature she became. But Loretta nails the role and it is an interesting period piece. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024906/combined

The Unguarded Hour (1936) Loretta Young, Franchot Tone, Roland Young, Lewis Stone, Henry Daniell. Dandy little blackmail and courtroom drama. Lord and Lady Deardon are on top of the world with his career on line to his becoming the Attorney General at such a young age. Dark threats and murder intervene and young wife becomes the target on the evil doers. Good plot and actors make this an enjoyable filmed play. Daniell is great as the blackmailer. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028447/combined

Call It A Day (1937) Ian Hunter, Frieda Inescort, Olivia DeHavilland, Bonita Granville, Roland Young, Anita Louise. Ah, spring! An English family awakes to a glorious day and they all have romance on their minds. Some are on the prowl themselves. Some are the targets of others romantic gestures. DeHavilland is smitten with an artist she has posed for and drives him - and us - to distraction with her silly ingenue antics. Hunter is a favorite of mine, and he is fun trying to ward off infidelity. Inescort, as the Mom, is targeted by Young who tries to woo her but she won't have it. Dreamy teen Bonita is just in love with love. Set all in one day, we see each family member deal with their spring day. Olivia had to sue to finally quit getting these kinds of roles. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028679/combined

The Devil At 4 O'Clock (1961) Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra. A priest who has lost faith and become an alcoholic and guys on the way to prison are confronted with an volcano erupting. The priest has established a hospital for lepers on the island. Will they be rescued before the last boat leaves the island? Sounds like an exciting story, but it was so boring I was barely able to finish watching it. Beautiful Barbara Luna playing a blind girl who is loved by convict Sinatra was fine. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054805/combined

Rules Of Engagement (2000) Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley. Fine courtroom drama about a leader of a squad trying to evacuate an embassy in a Muslim country. He is accused of ordering the firing on and killing, of unarmed civilians. He persuades a retired military man to be his council. The courtroom scenes are riveting and Jones investigating what really happened is interesting too. Based on reminisces of a Vietnam veteran now senator. Enjoyable. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160797/combined

ENCORES:

The Gay Sisters (1942) Barbara Stanwyke, Geraldine Fitzgerald, George Brent, Nancy Coleman. A favorite I watch at the drop of a hat. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034770/combined

Iron Man (2008) Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrance Howard. Funny, fantastic, fanciful, film of a comic book character. It works and the gadgets in Tony Starks work room, especially the one that follows him and shoots spray all over him each time something goes wrong, is hilarious. I got to like it more than some of the real characters. Better than most of the comic book films as far as I'm concerned.
8/10   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/combined

Old & New

ENCORES:

Gold Diggers of 1933 Warren William, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Aline MacMahon, Ginger Rogers. Broadway babes and wealthy stage door johnnies mix it up. Joan singing "My Forgotten Man" as staged by Busby Berkeley is an iconic film number for the Great Depression era. Listen to the words and try to understand how the "forgotten men" in the movie theater felt. Fifteen years after winning WWI one fourth of the men were homeless and jobless. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024069/combined

I'll Be Seeing You (1944) Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotton, Shirley Temple, Spring Byington. Two lonely troubled souls meet on a train and end up spending the holidays in the same town. She at her aunt and uncles home and he at the YMCA, just because he has no where else to go. They both have secrets about themselves. One of my favorite films of the holiday season and I watch it nearly every year. Lovely title song was very popular in the late 1940's. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036940/combined

Frantic (1988) Harrison Ford, Betty Buckley. Doctor and wife arrive at Paris hotel and while he is showering, she answers the phone and leaves the room and goes missing. Doc tries to find someone at the hotel who saw her after she left the room, but no one remembers her at all. Police are not helpful, and hotel staff just want him to not make trouble. Even the embassy people are not helpful He has to do it all himself. Not as exciting as it could have been. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095174/combined

NEW to me:

The Littlest Rebel (1935) Shirley Temple, Bill Robinson, John Boles. Nonsense about the civil war, but Shirley and Robinson dance up a storm. The plantation way of life and how happy the slaves are is offensive and the point of view of the south in the war, make this film cringe worthy but the charm of Shirley at 7, and the tap dancing up and down the stairs, make it worth seeing. And it is one of the only films to see the storied "Bojangles." 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026641/combined

Weekend For Three (1941) Dennis O'Keefe, Jane Wyatt, Phil Reed, Edward Everett Horton, Zasu Pitts, Franklin Pangborn, Hans Conried. Story by Budd Schulberg, screenplay by Dorothy Parker, two great names in the arts, this farce should have been funnier, but turns out to be annoying with the load mouthed guest, friend of the wife pre marriage, interfering with everything for a full weekend. O'Keefe is always good as a befuddled man and the cast of great character actors provide some chuckles, but not as much as wanted. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034378/combined

A Dangerous Profession (1949) George Raft, Ella Raines, Pat O"Brien. A "who-done-it?" story about bail-bondsmen, detectives, a murder and a wife trying to get her husband out of jail. Not as exciting as most of Raft's better films and the good cast can't save it. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041278/combined

Shame (2011) Michael Fassbinder, Carey Mulligan. Sex addiction is really so boring. Guy thinks about sex, reads sex magazines, has computers full of sex sites, has anonymous sex with strangers, masturbates all day long, and a strange a perverted relationship with his younger sister. Right. And director McQueen and Fassbinder relish in showing the whole sordid mess. How can you care about such a person? I can't and don't. Pointless. 5/5 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723811/combined

Whats Your Number (2011) Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Blythe Danner. Silly rom/com about a really dumb woman. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770703/combined

2 for the show---

NEW:  Zac Efron is cute and is lucky to have been cast in these 2 films:

Me & Orson Welles (2008) Christian McKay, Zac Efron, Claire Danes. The troupe of Mercury Players who made Orson Welles famous with the staging of Shakespeare's Julias Caesar as a modern dress drama in 1937. It is told through the eyes of a high school boy after he is cast in a bit part. He is bored with school so one day skips and rides the subway to Manhattan. During his day, he runs into Welles in front of the theater and in a conversation is given a chance to read a small part in the play. He is cast and is introduced to the young assistant to the theater manager. It is told through the eyes of a high school boy after he is cast in a bit part. He is bored with school so one day skips and rides the subway to Manhattan. During his day, he runs into Welles in front of the theater and in a conversation is given a chance to read a small part in the play. He is cast and is introduced to the young assistant to the theater manager. He makes a play for her and even though she is older, and the men of the cast call her the Ice Queen, she goes out with him when he wins a drawing for dates that Orson thinks is a swell idea so the cast can become better acquainted. They end up having sex. He falls hard for her and feels betrayed when she just blows him off later. Interesting, and illustrates the comment on how a play comes together and works - "It is a mystery." 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1175506/combine

New Years Eve (2011) Sarah Jessica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Katherine Heigl, Hilary Swank, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Jessica Beil, Robert de Niro, Ashton Krutcher, Lea Michelle, and Times Square. Turn off your mind and enjoy the night. Watched on New Years Day and again the last week of Jan. The actual story of the show is the celebration shots of Times Square. Wonderful cinematography and on my big screen HDTV it is marvelous, darlings. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598822/combined