WALLY'S WORLD

WALLY'S WORLD: The Brilliant Life and Tragic Death of Wally Wood, the World's Second-Best Comic Book Artist. Steve Starger and J. David Spurlock. Vanguard; 2006.

This book examines the life, death, and career of Wally Wood, who was considered one of the best pencillers, and especially, inkers, in the comic book business, contributing to the classic E.C. horror line and doing exemplary work for Marvel's Daredevil (creating the sleek red costume in the sixties that was later worn by Ben Affleck in the film version) and other series; he also wrote, drew and edited T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents for Tower comics and did much other illustrative work. Wood had a problematic relationship with his father, as well as with his wives, with his alcoholism and other issues especially creating tension in the latter case. Wally's World is full of testimonials from people who greatly admired his work, as well as co-workers and other artists, looks at his influence on both comics and films, and offers illustrations of some of his most interesting and effective drawings in various genres. Beset by demons and serious health problems that affected his work, as well as bitter at certain aspects of the comic book industry, Wood took his own life at age 54.

Verdict: Interesting look at the life and work of a talented illustrator. ***. 

ALL THE KING'S MEN (2006)

Sean Penn

ALL THE KING'S MEN (2006). Director: Steven Zaillian.

Willie Stark (Sean Penn) rises up from the Louisianan swamps to the governor's mansion, accompanied by reporter and associate Jack Burden (Jude Law). Jack has a father figure in Judge Irwin (Anthony Hopkins), and has long carried a torch for Anne Stanton (Kate Winslet), whose brother, Adam (Mark Ruffalo) is wooed by Stark for an important medical position. But then Jack helps Willie get information that the latter uses to blackmail the judge ... This remake of the 1949 All the King's Men is inferior in every way. Sean Penn [Mystic River] plays with his customary dynamism, but his gesticulating in certain sequences borders on the ludicrous and his southern accent is so thick that there are times you can hardly understand him. While Jude Law [Black Sea]  has his moments, through most of the movie you get the impression that he just wants to go off somewhere and get a good night's sleep. The father-son dynamic between the two men is lost because Penn and Law look around the same age, although Penn is the older by twelve years. Events that are played up in the original movie are so downplayed in the remake that it's as if they never happened. We hardly see Stark's wife, his son has been written out of the movie altogether (eliminating a development that was a key plot point in the original) , and Mercedes McCambridge's character in the original, now played by Patricia Clarkson [Far From Heaven], is practically reduced to a walk-on. Jackie Earle Haley is scary in every sense of the word. Badly directed (despite some pseudo-artistic touches), and with a poor script, as well as a cast that has done much better work in other films, All the King's Men is a tedious misfire.

Verdict: Stick with the original. **.

PATRICIA NEAL: AN UNQUIET LIFE

PATRICIA NEAL: AN UNQUIET LIFE. Stephen Michael Shearer, University Press of Kentucky; 2006.

This well-researched and well-written biography looks at the life and career of unusual movie star, Patricia Neal. Unusual, in that, while her career was important to her, it wasn't necessarily the end-all and be-all of her life. Neal shot to stardom with The Fountainhead, and she had a painful affair with her married leading man, Gary Cooper. Going from one extreme to another, Neal married the plug-ugly author Roald Dahl, almost as if she wanted to get as far away from a Cooper-type as she could. Neal's marriage to the arrogant and unsympathetic Dahl managed to last for thirty years, although it wasn't really a happy union, and he eventually left Neal for a younger woman. Just as big a challenge was Neal having a stroke, due to an aneurysm, when she was only in her thirties (during this difficult time, Dahl stood by her). Periodically returning to the stage, Neal became a highly respected actress even after her relatively brief period of Hollywood stardom was over. During her long career she appeared on the stage in everything from The Children's Hour revival to Another Park of the Forest, where she originated the role of the younger Regina from The Little Foxes. Neal's movies include The Day the Earth Stood Still (which the author wildly overpraises), The Breaking Point, Bright Leaf (also with Gary Cooper), Three Secrets (one of her favorite films), The Hasty Heart, and A Face in the Crowd; she won an Oscar for her performance in Hud with Paul Newman. Along the way the book goes behind the scenes of many of Neal's movies as well as her other romantic entanglements, such as with the actor Peter Cookson.

Verdict: Thorough, engaging look at the life of Patricia Neal. ***1/2.

FORTUNATE SON: THE LIFE OF ELVIS PRESLEY

FORTUNATE SON: THE LIFE OF ELVIS PRESLEY. Charles L. Ponce de Leon. Hill and Wang; 2006.

This slender biography of Elvis Presley provides an overview of the life and career of the singer/actor, surveying his early life, first recordings, romances, movie roles and so on. Presley first sang "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" on the Ed Sullivan show, although he was introduced by Charles Laughton. who was filling in for Sullivan (talk about two very different kinds of artists being juxtaposed). As he got more famous and wealthier, Presley was surrounded by a group of friends who jockeyed for position as Number One Yes-Man. Then there was his stint in the Army and his marriage to wife Priscilla, and his reliance on drugs as he got older, the Beatles emerged, and he struggled to stay relevant during the British invasion and the release of many if-you've-seen-one-you've-seen-'em-all movies. Elvis had his meeting with Richard Nixon as he turned into a paranoid monster who didn't trust anyone around him. Fortunate Son is a quick, entertaining read for those who may not want to plow through a more in-depth volume that has dozens of interviews. There's a lot more to say about Elvis, however, as this almost never goes behind the scenes of his movies.

Verdict: The basic facts and spirit of Elvis Presley's life. ***.

ROUND-UP OF NEW AND RECENT FILMS

Here's a round up of some new and/or recent films that were of interest but didn't necessarily cry out for lengthier reviews. This way I can focus most of my attention on the older films that are my meat and potatoes, so to speak! I will be doing this round-up periodically.

Firewall  (2006). Director: Richard Loncraine. Harrison Ford stars as a man whose family is held hostage by a group of criminals who want him to help them rob the bank where he works. Things get pretty out of control in an exciting climax. Nothing that new here, but entertaining enough, and well-acted; Ford is quite good. **1/2.

The Hole (2009) Director: Joe Dante. Teenagers discover that there's something very strange under a trap door in the basement. Dead people and demons keep coming up and/or disappearing. Descending into the hole, the kids find themselves in a strange new world. **1/2.

Last Will (2011). Director: Brent Huff. Tatum O'Neal stars as a woman who marries a wealthy older man (Tom Berenger) but comes afoul of her two greedy and highly malevolent brothers-in-law. This is minor but entertaining, with a vivid performance from Patrick Muldoon and a nifty, effective wind-up. ***.

Killer Mermaid (aka Nymph/2014). Director: Milan Todorovic. A group of vacationers come afoul of a beautiful but deadly killer mermaid in the Greek isles. Franco Nero, light years from Camelot, is the only name member of the cast. Some good bits, but not memorable. **.

The Invitation (2014) Director: Karyn Kusama. A man brings his new girlfriend to a party hosted by his ex-wife and her new boyfriend, both of whom try to indoctrinate them and other guests into a cult. Failing that ... The film is well-acted enough to hold the attention, but it has little suspense or tension until the final moments, when the abrupt change in tone is almost comical. **1/2.

Indigenous (2014). Director: Alistair Orr. Young tourists are taken to visit a beautiful spot in the Peruvian jungle, but come afoul of silently creeping, definitely creepy, very fast-moving, and decidedly carnivorous humanoid creatures. Once this gets going, Indigenous is a well-made horror film with some disquieting and effective sequences. ***.

Krampus (2015) Director: Michael Dougherty. Krampus is about a family besieged by demons, including malevolent clowns and living ginger bread cookies, at an Xmas celebration because somebody doesn't have the proper Christmas spirit. Or something like that. It's hard to figure out if Krampus is a horror film or a comedy, but it doesn't work as either. Conchata Ferrell, doing her fat old chick with attitude shtick, headlines a cast of unknowns, some of whom are effective, but the film is not. **.

Kill Your Friends (2015). Director: Owen Harris. A darkly amusing, graphic dissection of the ludicrous late 90's British music business focuses on a handsome sociopath (Nicholas Hoult) who resorts to murder to get ahead. Kill Your Friends is entertaining and well-acted, but the basic premise isn't at all original. The script allows for sexist and homophobic "frat boy" humor because the protagonist who makes these remarks is a bad guy, but one senses the filmmakers want to have their cake and eat it too. **1/2.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016). Director: Dan Trachtenberg.  John Goodman stars in this interesting and suspenseful thriller about a man who takes a young woman to a bunker and tells her that everyone is dead and the world outside is contaminated. Is the man nuts, or does he know even more than he's telling? A sort of sequel to Cloverfield that takes its own direction to arrive at its point, which may confuse many viewers. But the film is well-acted and quite entertaining. ***.

The Hatching (2016). Writer/director: Michael Anderson. A small village in Somerset is beset by both killer crocodiles and serial killers. This black comedy starts well, is well-produced, photographed, and acted, but deteriorates, becoming a bit too stupid and tedious. I'm sure some will see it as having quirky charm, but it's all kind of familiar, and some of the annoying characters don't wear very well. There are several climaxes but not the one this picture needs. A more exciting musical score might have helped. **1/2.

Justice League vs Teen Titans (2016) is a disappointing animated feature which involves the Justice League and their teen counterparts in a battle with Trigon the Terrible. This is far below the level of the entertaining stories about Trigon, and the two super-groups who battled him and each other, that appeared in the New Teen Titans comic years ago. This movie, besides having a horrible kind of rock video sequence with dreadful music, incorporates the somehow trendy and rather annoying character of ten-year-old Damian Wayne. **.

London Has Fallen (2016). Director: Babak Najafi. In this sequel to Olympus Has Fallen terrorist attacks break out in London as the U.S. President and assorted dignitaries attend a funeral for the murdered prime minister. An agent played by Gerard Butler tries to keep the president alive amid chaos. This is fairly standard action stuff and nothing more. **.

THE HOLLYWOOD BOOK OF BREAKUPS

THE HOLLYWOOD BOOK OF BREAKUPS. James Robert Parish. John Wiley and Sons; 2006.

This absorbing tome looks into the lives, loves and break-ups of both old and new, very familiar names in movies and on television: Woody vs. Mia; Aniston vs. Pitt; DeMaggio vs. Monroe; Cruise vs. Kidman; Hughes vs Peters; Eastwood vs Locke; and so on, going all the way back to the days of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Sr., while stopping to revisit the likes of Madonna vs. Sean Penn and Sonny vs. Cher along the way. There are also chapters on Petter [sic] Lindstrom's bitter split with Ingrid Bergman over lover and film director, Roberto Rosellini; Ted Danson's bizarrely appearing in blackface during his involvement with Whoopi Goldberg; the bad marriage of Cary Grant and Barbara Hutton; and dozens more. Throughout its pages, the book documents one basic Hollywood truism: that relationships in La La Land are often based more on career advancement than "love." It is amusing how people who break up relationships via affairs justify their infidelity. Anne Heche, who discarded Ellen DeGeneres as she had Steve Martin before her, seemed to blame DeGeneres for her affair because Ellen didn't trust her, but considering that Heche had an affair with a cameraman while everyone was filming a documentary about Ellen, it seems DeGeneres' fears were thoroughly justified!

Verdict: Excellent look at the bizarre nature of Hollywood relationships and the disasters they often incur. ***1/2.

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (2006)

Katie Clarke and Aaron Lazar

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. Live from Lincoln Center; 2006. Libretto by Craig Lucas. Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Directed by Bartlett Sher.

Vacationing in Florence, Italy in 1953, Margaret Johnson (Victoria Clark) is alarmed to see that her daughter, Clara (Katie Clarke), is falling for a handsome young Italian, Fabrizio (Aaron Lazar) and vice versa. Margaret is sure that there is bound to be trouble when Fabrizio's family realizes that Katie, kicked in the head by a horse, has not developed emotionally beyond a child, although she certainly looks like an adult. In spite of this the two seem perfect for each other, if only each one's father doesn't throw a monkey wrench into their plans. The genesis for this musical seems not to have been the 1962 film, but the original novel upon which it was based, as few would probably have thought of adapting the Olivia de Havilland picture into a musical. To say that this version (especially this production) is vastly superior to the film is an understatement for many reasons. First of all Tony-award winning Victoria Clark exhibits much more warmth and humor than de Havilland did in the movie; she's quite wonderful, and Katie Clarke also excels as her daughter. Lazar is perfect as the handsome, intensely passionate Fabrizio, and there's fine work from Chris Sarandon [Fright Night] as his father; Sarah Uriarte Berry as Fabrizio's mother; and Patti Cohenour as his sister-in-law, who enrages Clara when she appears to make a play for Fabrizio (a scene not in the movie); among others. It was decided to have several sequences where everyone speaks only in Italian to add European flavoring for the audience, but this device only serves to distance everyone from the [Italian] characters. Composer Adam Guettel, the grandson of Richard Rodgers, has fashioned a lyrical score which seems a bit blathery at first but emerges more melodious with repeated hearings. Some of the songs are quite memorable: ""Statues and Stories," "The Beauty Is," and "Dividing Day" in act one; and "The Light in the Piazza," "Let's Walk" and "Love to Me" in act two. The score -- sort of ersatz opera at times -- really grows on you, although it must be said that as good as it is there's nothing in it that has the aching beauty and emotional intensity of, say, Rodgers' "Younger Than Springtime," although "The Beauty Is" and especially "Love to Me" are quite lovely. Librettist Craig Lucas was also responsible for the rather horrible The Dying Gaul.

Verdict: A delightful and very moving experience. ***1/2.

FIASCO: A HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD'S ICONIC FLOPS

FIASCO: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops. James Robert Parish. Wiley; 2006.

This fascinating book looks at the back stories of some of Hollywood's most infamous flops, movies which were not only artistic disasters but in general lost literally millions of dollars for their respective studios. The movies covered include Cleopatra with Liz Taylor and Richard Burton; Ishtar and Town and Country, both of which starred Warren Beatty; Kevin Costner's two mega-bombs, Waterworld and The Postman; Showgirls; Cutthroat Island; and others. Parish explains in engaging and authoritative fashion why some of these movies were disasters-in-the-making, with bad decisions made by ego-driven movie executives who wanted to be the instigator of the Next Big Blockbuster but wound up with egg on their faces, dismal reviews and returns, and careers in tatters. What's amazing is how the green light was often given to projects in spite of the fact that similar films were turkeys of major proportions. Given the out-of-control egomania of both stars, directors, and executives, the vast number of people who tinker with each screenplay, the very bad casting decisions, and the who-gives-a-shit-let's-just-spend-and-spend attitude, it's a wonder that anything decent ever gets made. Part of the problem is the unbelievable salary demands of today's movie stars, who jack up the budget of every film to incredible proportions, sometimes sinking a property right from the start.

Verdict: Compulsory reading for every film enthusiast who wants to know more about the inner workings of Hollywood. ****.

COFFEE DATE

COFFEE DATE (2006). Writer/director: Stuart Wade. Note: This review reveals certain plot points.

Todd (Jonathan Bray) is anxiously awaiting a date at a coffee shop where he runs into Kelly (Wilson Cruz), who is also awaiting a date. It turns out that they are each waiting for the other, which is awkward because Kelly is a man and Todd is straight. Apparently Todd's brother, Barry (Jonathan Silverman), has played a mean trick on him, but Todd gets even with him by bringing Kelly home and taking him into his bedroom as a joke. Barry spreads the word to their mother, Mrs. Muller (Sally Kirkland), and before long everyone seems to know that Todd is gay, even though he keeps protesting that he isn't. As they continue to go out together as friends, Kelly begins to fall for Todd even as Todd wonders if he might be gay after all, leading to rather ridiculous developments. Coffee Date is one of those mediocre independent "gay" movies that was LGBT cable channel LOGO's bread and butter in the early days (and maybe still is). It actually starts out well, with likable characters and attractive actors, but it becomes increasingly stupid as it proceeds. Todd can't figure out if he's gay or not unless he goes to bed with Kelly -- what, at 35 he can't just tell if he's attracted to men or not?! -- but decides that he's really straight after all. Todd's flamingly gay associate Clayton (Jason Stuart) suggests that a "stiff dick knows no conscience," especially when there's alcohol involved, and it doesn't mean anything, but Todd suggests that he and Kelly get it on when he's sober, and he doesn't just lie there to be serviced -- it's a full-on bedroom sex scene (even if it's played mostly in the dark). What seems especially weird in these modern days of alleged "sexual fluidity" is that no one ever suggests that Todd might be bisexual, which would explain his (supposed) interest in women and his attraction to Kelly, and certainly makes more sense than his being "straight." [For another thing, maybe Kelly just isn't Todd's type.] For a movie that possibly was supposed to smash stereotyping on both sides, it does just the opposite, and virtually every gay character with a speaking role is swishy; even Kelly is a self-described queen and some of his lines suggest a degree of self-hatred. Like The Boys in the Band decades before, it's almost as if Coffee Date is assuring conflicted men in the audience that only campy guys are gay and everyone else is safe. What makes it more confusing is that Todd, without being a raging queen, pretty much comes off as gay from his first appearance. Both of the lead actors are good, although one suspects they may have played gay a bit too much; Sally Kirkland, even if her character is stupid, nearly steals the movie as Todd's mother. Jonathan Silverman is given a thankless role and can do very little with it. Even a silly comedy shouldn't have this many gay cliches. In fact with its narrow view of gay life, gay men, and LGBT realities, Coffee Date almost comes off as homophobic. 

Verdict: Some amusing moments of one man's dilemma, but it goes in all the wrong directions. **.

POIROT: CARDS ON THE TABLE

David Suchet and the rest of the cast

POIROT: CARDS ON THE TABLE (2006 telefilm). Director: Sarah Harding.

The enigmatic Shaitana (Alexander Siddig) invites three detectives, including Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) and the mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (Zoe Wanamaker) to dinner along with four individuals -- two men and two women -- whom Shaitana suspects of murder. Later on they divide into two groups to play bridge, and during one of the rubbers the host is quietly murdered. Now Poirot and the other sleuths must investigate the background of the guests to determine who may have killed in the past, and who then presumably killed Shaitana to protect themselves. This adaptation of Agatha Christie's excellent novel suffers because screenwriter Nick Dear thinks he is more clever than the Grand Dame of Mystery, making stupid changes in the story that only weaken the whole project. Like many others, Dear thinks introducing a homoerotic element will make the story seem more "modern" [thankfully it's a period piece, taking place more or less at the same time as the novel], but in this case it only makes it distinctly more dated, even homophobic. Worse, some of Dear's changes make nonsense out of some of the sequences that remain [for instance, without giving too much away, we're supposed to believe that a woman who detests her doctor and wants him brought up on charges will actually go to him to get her inoculations for traveling out of the country! When she probably wouldn't even want to be in the same room with him? Did no one involved in the production ever protest this development?] Dear also makes two of the characters related to one another, as they were not in the novel, in hindsight making their scenes together ridiculous, and also switches the character traits of two other characters for no good purpose. [Changes are fine if they improve a piece or make it more cinematic, but this is sheer arrogant stupidity.] At least the production is smooth and Suchet is as wonderful as ever as Poirot; the rest of the cast is also excellent with Siddig as Shaitana and Alex Jennings as Dr. Roberts especially notable. Zoe Wanamaker seems a little bit closer to Christie's alter ego Ariadne Oliver in this outing, but is still not quite right. Like most of these Poirot episodes this one is entertaining enough but the smarmy changes to the story were certainly ill-advised.

Verdict: Stick with the novel. **.

GRAYSON HALL: A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW

GRAYSON HALL: A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW. R. J. Jamison. iUniverse [self-publishing company]; 2006.

This is an interesting biography of stage, screen and television actress Grayson Hall, who was nominated for a supporting Oscar for The Night of the Iguana, but who will always be best-known for playing Dr. Julia Hoffman on the afternoon Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. The book looks into her early days before she reinvented herself as "Grayson Hall," her two marriages, her complicated relationship with her father, and the many people she knew and worked with in New York City. Jamison looks at the film that Hall denied she ever made, wherein she played a madame, Satan in High Heels, as well as the low-budget End of the Road, not to mention the two theatrical features based on Dark Shadows. Her stage work was eclectic and controversial: La Ronde, Genet's The Balcony, and even a couple of musicals. She was doing previews of The Madwoman of Chaillot when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. I remember watching Dark Shadows and wondering in how many different ways Hall could intone the phrase "I don't know" which she seemed required to say many times in every episode. Never conventionally attractive -- one might even say she possessed sublime ugliness --  Hall nevertheless proves quite glamorous in some youthful shots in the photo section. Jamison does a good job exploring the life and work of Hall, and suggests that back in the day she was almost some kind of gay icon.

Verdict: For Dark Shadows fans and theater enthusiasts. ***.

THE WICKER MAN (2006)

Nicolas Cage in a --what else? --  tense moment

THE WICKER MAN (2006).Writer/ director: Neil LaBute. Based on a screenplay by Anthony Shaffer.

A cop named Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) gets a letter from an ex-fiancee, Willow (Kate Beahan) who tells him that her daughter, Rowan, is missing. He travels to an island in Washington where Willow lives and where she has joined an odd matriarchal and religious society that has an upcoming celebration. The islanders try to convince Malus that the missing child doesn't exist, and even Willow acts strangely, finally confessing that Rowan is also Malus' daughter. Malus fears that the girl is to be used in a horrifying ritual, but on that point he may be slightly mistaken ... This remake of the 1974 British cult film The Wicker Man transplants the action to the U.S. and for some reason does away with all the free-spirited sexuality of the islanders, even as there are some hints that this is essentially a Sapphic society, giving the film a [perhaps unwarranted] homophobic cast-- at one point Cage punches out a stereotypically butch female tavern owner. Instead of Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle, we get Ellen Burstyn as Sister Summerisle, and instead of people breaking out into song we get a lot of bees buzzing about a hero who's allergic to them [but somehow survives]. This version of The Wicker Man may be intriguing (as well as confusing) to viewers who've never seen the original film, as the basic storyline is still absorbing. LaBute has cooked up a more modern-type post script for the film. Cage is not bad, but this is not a "great" performance a la Edward Woodward's in the original. Paul Sarossy's cinematography is a plus.

Verdict: The perfect film version of this story has yet to be made, but the original is better. **1/2.

ENCHANTMENT: THE LIFE OF AUDREY HEPBURN Donald Spoto

ENCHANTMENT: THE LIFE OF AUDREY HEPBURN. Donald Spoto. Harmony; 2006.

Spoto doesn't spend too much time detailing the terrible childhood and awful privations Belgium-born Hepburn suffered during the Nazi occupation of Arnhem before we're off exploring her rapid rise to stardom and her many memorable film roles. Originally trained to be a dancer, Hepburn's deportment and good looks earned her the title role in the play Gigi and many accolades from the critics of the day, although Hepburn thought she was still learning how to act throughout the lengthy run. [Whether or not she was disappointed that the role of Gigi went to Leslie Caron in the big-screen musical adaptation, Spoto doesn't say.] She had already had a good role in the British film Secret People, but now found herself working with such famed directors as William Wyler and Billy Wilder and such actors as William Holden, with whom she had a brief affair, and Humphrey Bogart and Fred Astaire, who were not always easy to work with. She was most often paired with much, much older men, such as Gary Cooper and Gregory Peck, and later, Cary Grant in Charade. She won an Oscar, had what she considered her greatest role in The Nun's Story [befriending the real-life nun and the book's author, who apparently were a long-time lesbian couple], and "stole" the role of Eliza Doolittle from Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady where she spent hours on singing lessons only to learn Marni Nixon had already dubbed all of her songs. Although Hepburn wasn't much different from other actresses in that she had affairs even while married to actor Mel Ferrer [who directed her in Green Mansions and appeared in such films as Born to Be Bad and Eaten Alive, not to mention a solid role on Falcon Crest], Spoto treads lightly, as if not wanting to spoil her image; he's very tough on Ferrer, however. Hepburn left films to become a full-time wife and mother, made a few movies of varying quality some years later [Robin and Marian; Bloodline], then had perhaps her most fulfilling role as a hands-on goodwill ambassador for Unicef, flying on military planes to such desperately hungry nations as Ethiopia and witnessing the starvation and its effects first-hand. She had two disappointing marriages, but found some happiness with companion Robert Wolders in her final years before succumbing to cancer. Enchantment is a good read, fast-paced, well-researched, and makes it clear that movie stardom is not always a recipe for lasting happiness.

Verdict: Solid and very readable biography. ***.

UNDER THE RAINBOW: AN INTIMATE MEMOIR OF JUDY GARLAND, ROCK HUDSON AND MY LIFE IN OLD HOLLYWOOD John Carlyle

UNDER THE RAINBOW: AN INTIMATE MEMOIR OF JUDY GARLAND, ROCK HUDSON AND MY LIFE IN OLD HOLLYWOOD. John Carlyle. Carroll and Graf; 2006. Foreword by Robert Osborne.

Watching an episode of the old TV show Mike Hammer, I was struck by the performance of a young actor I'd never heard of: John Carlyle. He was good-looking, but better than that, he was talented. I looked him up and discovered that he had written a posthumously-published -- Carlyle died in 2003 at age 72 -- book about his life and his relationship with Judy Garland. Actors who don't quite make it big in Hollywood, rarely write memoirs [or at least have them published] unless they are somehow linked to a famous name, so we have to take all the Judy Garland business with a grain of salt. That Carlyle was a fan of the singer and that he became one of her late-in-life friends (or hangers-on) is not in doubt, but his "affair" with Garland is a little more problematic as Carlyle is openly gay. The "romance" comes off more like Garland and a gay fan fooling around and playing house, talking of marriage the way two little kids would. (Although Carlyle never applies the term to himself, his attempts to come off as bisexual are unconvincing, almost a throwback to the skittishness of the homophobic period he grew up in.) There is much, much less in the book about Rock Hudson, but some interesting observations about agent Henry Willson. Carlyle writes quite well, even if he can't quite shed that air of affectedness that he did not betray in his performance on Mike Hammer. Carlyle's failure to become a big name or even well-known could be attributed to many factors -- his sexual orientation, his distractions with drugs and alcohol, the vagaries of fate and Hollywood, the lack of big breaks or the ability to seize upon them when they arrived -- but, if nothing else, he did have talent. Like many actors, Carlyle often comes off as superficial and self-absorbed, and frankly it's kind of pathetic that he never found his soul mate in another man but in  -- Judy Garland!? -- making the poor guy an incredibly dated gay stereotype! (He refers to the man he lived with in his later years more as a companion than partner or lover.) His passages on foreign travel are facile if glib.

Verdict: A fairly interesting and well-written look at a Hollywood insider and also-ran, but not essential reading. **1/2.

ULTIMATE AVENGERS 2 RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER

ULTIMATE AVENGERS 2: RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER (2006/Made for Video). Director: Will Meugniot and others.

Years before the big-screen live-action Avengers movie, there were full-length cartoons featuring the same characters. Ultimate Avengers -- a variation on The Avengers in the "Ultimate" universe [also published by Marvel Comics] -- was followed by this sequel in which the super-hero team travels to Wakanda, home of the heroic Black Panther, to deal with the same aliens who bedeviled them in the first animated movie. Captain America, Giant Man, the Black Widow, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, the Scarlet Witch and the Wasp all appear to battle a variety of techno-monsters. While the foes aren't the most riveting, the artwork is attractive [the animation itself is good if unspectacular] and there are some exciting sequences. Olivia d'Abo does the voice of the Black Widow; otherwise there are no real names in the cast. These super-hero characters have been around since the early 1960's; Captain America first appeared in comics in the forties.

Verdict: For the inner super-hero in you. ***.

THE PINK PANTHER (2006)

Steve Martin

THE PINK PANTHER (2006). Director: Shawn Levy.

Steve Martin is the third actor to essay the role of bumbling, lovable French Inspector Clouseau [after Peter Sellers and Alan Arkin), and he's more successful at it than you might imagine. Frankly, this version of The Pink Panther is more entertaining than the original made in the sixties which first introduced the character of Clouseau. Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) wants to take credit for finding whoever killed an athlete and stole his Pink Panther diamond [the movie never explains why the diamond has that name as the original film does] in front of hundreds of witnesses. However, as he's unable to handle the matter personally for awhile, he decides to give the assignment to a nitwit, Clouseau, who will get nowhere until Dreyfus steps in and wraps things up to unanimous acclaim. Unfortunately for Dreyfus things don't quite work out that way. The film doesn't begin well, with elderly people being horribly injured for laughs, but it improves as it goes along. Jean Reno is fine as Clouseau's new partner, Ponton, who knows he is just a dupe, and Emily Mortimer has a nice turn as Nicole, who assists Clouseau and falls for him. As the ex of the murdered man, Beyonce Knowles is pretty, but she's not really an actress and adds nothing to the film. Roger Rees is splendid as a wealthy playboy that Clouseau interviews in one of the funnier scenes. To be brutally honest, Martin and Kline are not as memorable in their roles as Sellers and Herbert Lom, but they are still quite good in spite of that, and the picture is good, dumb fun.

Verdict: You'll miss Sellers but might still be amused. ***.

THE PRESTIGE

                                                                                   
THE PRESTIGE (2006). Director: Christopher Nolan.

"Just because you're sleeping with him doesn't mean he trusts you."

Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), aka the Great Danton, and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are rival magicians, both desperate to pull off the ultimate illusion and find out how the other does his tricks. While The Prestige has some fascinating and suspenseful elements, and is well-acted [especially by Michael Caine in a supporting part], Christopher Nolan tries a non-linear approach to the narrative that insures that that the viewer is almost continuously confused. Is this happening now, in the past, the day after tomorrow -- who knows? You may not like the picture enough to go for repeated viewings, but it's entertaining enough for a one-time looksee. David Bowie is a weird scientist type, and Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall are the ladies in the magicians' lives. The movie goes in odd, almost supernatural or sci fi directions, but the approach actually limits the effectiveness of these ideas instead of taking full advantage of them. It's almost as if Nolan was afraid of making a genre picture. Still, it's certainly something different.

Verdict: Perhaps too strange for its own good. **1/2.

THE ART OF X-MEN THE LAST STAND FROM CONCEPT TO FEATURE FILM

THE ART OF X-MEN THE LAST STAND From Concept to Feature Film. 2006; Newmarket Press.

An over-sized trade paperback that covers the making of the third X-Men movie, X-Men: The Last Stand, with lots of photos, production sketches, background scenes and notes -- without giving away too many FX secrets. The book is decidedly geared towards the teenage X-Men fanatic; it doesn't have much meat for anyone else. By far the best part of the book is Peter Sanderson's overview of the history of the X-Men comic book. Otherwise the tome is mostly photographs, drawings, and captions, not that the X-Men fan will necessarily complain.

Verdict: Not as good as the comic books -- or movies. **1/2.

THE HOAX

THE HOAX (2006). Director: Lasse Hallstrom.

"No one flew you to Nassau, Cliff -- you're not that important."

In 1971 writer Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) comes up with an idea to secure respect and power in the publishing field by purporting to have worked with the infamous Howard Hughes on his autobiography. Excited by what they think they've got in their hands, his agent and publishers go along with him, quelling suspicions, until the questions become insurmountable. The film details how Irving, aided by collaborator Dick Suskind (Alfred Molina) and Irving's wife, Edith (Marcia Gay Harden), comes up with some immoral if gutsy maneuverings to outwit his doubters, rips off his publishers for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and basically disgraces himself -- although Irving himself probably wouldn't have put it that way. Irving tries to convince people that his real goal was to "take down a corrupt president" in a clumsy attempt to tie it all in with Watergate and come out smelling like a rose. Irving published a book about his experiences as a con artist, which was turned into this film, for which he was undoubtedly paid good money for the screen rights, sort of proving that sometimes crime does pay. By all rights, Irving should have been completely shunned by the publishing world but he managed to see a few more books in print. Gere is quite good as Irving, if probably less obnoxious than the real man, and an excellent Molina (Spider-Man 2) steals the show as his buddy-in-crime, the forgotten Suskind. Harden and other cast members, including the always-oustanding Eli Wallach, are also notable.

Verdict: Entertaining, but basically another hoax. **1/2.

 

THE OMEN (2006)

THE OMEN (2006). Director: John Moore.

This remake of the 1976 Omen suffers in comparison in large part because the somewhat odd-looking lead actors can't match the original leads (Gregory Peck, Lee Remick), who had more experience and more authority. Liev Schreiber plays a younger Robert Thorne, and his wife Katherine is played by Julia Stiles, who somewhat resembles a cabbage patch doll. As in the original -- this pretty much follows the 1976 movie almost scene for scene, with some differences -- Thorn unknowingly replaces his own murdered baby son with the son of a jackal, the demon spawn of Hell. Mia Farrow [interesting casting!] is not bad as the nasty nanny, Mrs. Baylock, but she isn't nearly as memorable as Billie Whitelaw in the original. The scene with the little devil boy in the zoo falls flat, but the impalement of the priest is well done, and there's a clever variation of the beheading of the photographer. The remake adds another violent death early on, as Thorn replaces the man initially chosen to be ambassador after the latter is parboiled when his car catches fire. Marco Beltrami's music is okay, but doesn't stay in the memory like Jerry Goldsmith's eerie strains for the original. Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick makes an adorable little devil, and David Thewlis and Pete Postlethwaite are effective as, respectively, the aforementioned doomed photographer and priest.

Verdict: See the original. **1/2.