AMERICAN HUSTLE

The cast of American Hustle

AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013). Director: David O. Russell.

"Sometimes all you have in life are fucked-up, poisonous choices."

Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a married con artist/loan shark with a really elaborate comb-over who works with his lover, Sydney (Amy Adams), in conning desperate and larcenous people out of their money. They get caught by arrogant, ambitious agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), who tells them they can stay out of jail if they help him in a sting operation. The target for entrapment is Atlantic City mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner of Mission Impossible -- Ghost Protocol), who needs money to bring gambling to AC (this takes place in the late seventies). When Polito begins making deals with gambling experts who happen to be mobsters, such as Victor Tellegio (Robert De Niro), Richie, who begins an affair with Sydney, figures he can bring down even bigger fish than Polito. Realizing they are the ones the gangsters will go after when the whole thing blows up, Irving and Sydney come up with a secret counter-scheme, but will Irving's jealous wife, Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), cause more problems than they can handle? 

American Hustle is an okay movie with some clever moments and a fairly satisfying ending, but it's incredible that it won an Oscar as Best Picture -- all four lead actors won Oscars as well --  proving that studio backing and aggressiveness can and often is more responsible for the garnering of awards than genuine quality. The acting is okay (but never outstanding) for the most part -- one could single out Bale [American Psycho] for his character role -- but the cast members all seem to be exuding personality in a naturalistic manner rather than acting (a common occurrence in modern-day movies). Also the movie is played as a black comedy, which is also typical of many new movies, and has not a single likable character. It also has senseless scenes, such as a girl-on-girl kiss between wife and startled mistress in a ladies room, that seem thrown in for titillation and nothing else. American Hustle also tells an 80 minute story in two and a half hours! It in no way compares to great con man/film noir classics of the past such as Too Late for Tears/Killer Bait.

Verdict: This isn't terrible, but a masterpiece with truly great acting it is not. **1/2.

THE HONEY POT

Cliff Robertson and Rex Harrison

THE HONEY POT (1967). Writer/director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz.  

At his palazzo in Venice, wealthy Cecil Fox (Rex Harrison) has concocted a scheme inspired by Ben Johnson's classic play "Volpone." He has hired out-of-work actor William McFly (Cliff Robertson) to help him "stage manage" the situation when he pretends to be dying and invites two ex-wives and a long-time lover to Venice, where he will tease them about which will inherit his money. The ex-wives include actress Merle McGill (Edie Adams of The Oscar) and Princess Dominique (Capucine of The Queens), and the lover is Mrs. Sheridan (Susan Hayward of I Thank a Fool), who brings along her nurse, Sarah (Maggie Smith). Complications ensue when Mrs. Sheridan reveals that she is Cecil's common law wife. Then one of the women is murdered, and Cecil's own life seems to be in danger ... 

Capucine, Susan Hayward, Maggie Smith

For much of its length, it isn't certain exactly where The Honey Pot is going nor what the audience is supposed to think of it. It eventually emerges as a light-hearted murder mystery with some clever (if suspect) touches. As with most of these tricky pictures, the plot may not hold up under intensive scrutiny, but while the movie seems oddly disjointed at times, it can't quite be called boring. Because it's necessary to hold secrets from the audience, the characters aren't that well-developed, although the actors give it the old college try. Harrison is as marvelous as ever, Robertson better than expected, and of the ladies Hayward probably makes the best impression, although the others are also good. The ending may seem cute but it ignores some niceties of law. It's interesting that Cecil's dream was to be a ballet dancer, and he and a double dance to the strains of the ballet music from Ponchielli's La gioconda at one point (Allan Sherman used the melody for his "Camp Granada" novelty song.) 

Verdict: An interesting oddity that doesn't quite work but entertains in spite of it. ***. 

BLITHE SPIRIT (1956).

Noel Coward and Claudette Colbert

BLITHE SPIRIT on Ford Star Jubilee Season One, episode five (1956). Director: Noel Coward. LIVE. 

Charles Condomine (Noel Coward of The Astonished Heart) and his second wife, Ruth (Claudette Colbert of Thunder on the Hill), invite the medium Madame Arcati (Mildred Natwick of A Woman's Vengeance) to their home for a seance. Unwittingly the somewhat vague Arcati summons up the ghost of Charles' first wife, Elvira (Lauren Bacall of Sex and the Single Girl), who can be seen by Charles but is invisible to Ruth. Eventually Ruth acknowledges that Elvira truly exists and is occupying their home, and schemes to send her back to the ether. Meanwhile Elvira is scheming to have Charles join her forever in the "hereafter," but her plans may go awry ... 

Coward with Lauren Bacall

This live TV adaptation of Noel Coward's famous very dark comedy is worth seeking out as it's quite funny and wonderfully acted by all. Coward, of course, knows just how to handle this material, and while she might seem like a lightweight in this company, Bacall is much better than expected as Elvira. Then we have Colbert, proving again what an acting powerhouse she is as Ruth -- she nearly walks off with the whole show. In one of her earliest roles Marion Ross of Happy Days and Lizzie is wonderful as the frenetic maid, Edith, and there are fine turns by Philip Tonge as Dr. Bradford and Brenda Forbes as his wife. Mildred Natwick is so good as Madame Arcati that she almost makes you forget Margaret Rutherford's superb portrayal of Arcati in the 1945 film version. Can one detect a definite if unintentional note of misogyny in this play -- possibly -- as at least one of these women certainly doesn't deserve her fate. One can imagine Condomine going off to the nearest gay beach when the play is over!

Verdict: Exciting, beautifully-acted live theater on TV! ***1/2. 

BLITHE SPIRIT

Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati

BLITHE SPIRIT (1945). Director: David Lean. Based on the play by Noel Coward, who also produced the film.

To do research for his next book, writer Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison) and his wife Ruth (Constance Cummings) invite well-known psychic Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) to dinner and a seance. Everyone at the dinner party thinks the madame is slightly nuts, and definitely a phony, but to Charles and Ruth's surprise she inadvertently manages to call back the spirit of Elvira (Kay Hammond) -- Charles' first wife, leading to expected -- and a few unexpected -- complications! 

Rex Harrison

One critic called the source material for the movie, the play of the same title by Noel Coward, "a wearying  exhibition of bad taste" and indeed it is the sort of dark comedy/farce in which tragic situations are milked for laughs and characters sort of suppress natural human emotions for the sake of the story. Many will feel there's a definite streak of (probably benign and possibly unintended) misogyny running through the movie as well. Harrison and Cummings are fine as the husband and his second wife, but Kay Hammond -- although her performance isn't bad -- has so affected and unnatural a voice, with its jutting lower lip and distasteful inflections, that she becomes positively repulsive as Elvira. Margaret Rutherford, on the other hand, is as delightful as ever as the medium and steals the movie from everyone else. Blithe Spirit is not exactly a laugh-riot (although any pathos the situations might have had goes unexplored) but it is amusing and entertaining. A bonus on the remastered DVD of the film is an interview with Coward scholar Barry Day, who provides much interesting information  on the background both of the play and movie, and also explores the many differences between the two -- and Coward's reaction to the film as well; Day is marvelous. The play was also turned into the cute if mediocre musical "High Spirits." 

Verdict: Certainly worth a look. ***.

PRIZZI'S HONOR

Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner

PRIZZI'S HONOR (1985). Director: John Huston. 

Hitman Charlie Partanna (Jack Nicholson), who used to be engaged to the disgraced Maerose Prizzi (Anjelica Huston of Crimes and Misdemeanors), meets and becomes instantly smitten with Irene Walker (Kathleen Turner) at a wedding. The two fall in love and get married, even after Charlie finds out Irene has a husband whom Charlie murders. Irene is hiding a deadly secret, and it isn't long before both husband and wife are being told by different factions to off the other. Now the question is: will they actually be able to murder their own spouse, and which one of them will get it first?

Anjelica Huston and Nicholson

Prizzi's Honor is a black comedy that hasn't worn well with time, although I think it was quite over-rated, even by me, when it was first released. Nowadays there are far too many movies with rather loathsome "heroes" or anti-heroes that we're supposed to care about, even though in real life most of us would do our best to avoid them. The innocent victims in the movie are shunted aside as if they had no importance, which they don't in the world of the Prizzi's and their associates. If this film, based on Richard Condon's novel, is meant to be an indictment of these sleazy people, it doesn't come off that way -- it just doesn't have that much on its mind.

Stealing the movie: Lee Richardson

Nicholson and Turner are okay in the leads playing impossible parts. Although Huston won a supporting Oscar, which she didn't really deserve, she's not that memorable. (I thought she was terrific on Smash, however.) The supporting cast of more experienced actors is much better, with Lee Richardson [The Fly II] taking top honors and John Randolph [Seconds] a close second. The best I can say about William Hickey as Huston's vengeance-filled grandfather is that he's quite odd, and I liked him better in his appearances as the crazy and annoying old man on episodes of Wings. 

Verdict: One of those movies that makes you wonder what you ever saw in it. Still, it is entertaining. **3/4.

MUMSY, NANNY, SONNY & GIRLY

Howard Trevor, Vanessa Howard, Pat Heywood, Ursula Howells

MUMSY, NANNY, SONNY & GIRLY (aka Girly/1970). Director: Freddie Francis. 

On an isolated if beautiful estate with a sprawling mansion, a weird family -- consisting of mother Mumsy (Ursula Howells), daughter Girly (Vanessa Howard of The Blood Beast Terror), her brother Sonny (Howard Trevor), and their cheerful nanny (Pat Heywood of 10 Rillington Place) -- collect people and keep them prisoner for bizarre fun and games. If they don't obey the rules they are "sent to the angels." Their latest victim is the "New Friend" (Michael Bryant of The Ruling Class), who after a period of adjustment, so to speak, begins "servicing" Mumsy and Girly, with a jealous Nanny and Sonny becoming more and more agitated. Whose head will wind up boiled in a big pot on the kitchen stove?

Michael Bryant with Howells

Based on a play ("Happy Family") which utilized only the characters but not the rest of the plot, Mumsy is a weird -- too weird -- black comedy that is, unfortunately, devoid of laughs aside from one or two moments (one of which might be the boiling pot, although it's a wonder that nobody smells anything). Although the actors are very, very good, handling these oddball, irritating roles with aplomb, it's hard to take any of them, especially the brother and sister, almost from the start. Things begin to get more interesting towards the end, when the quartet turn against each other, but by then it's too late. These psychos never come off remotely like real people. Freddie Francis only made the picture because he'd always wanted to film inside the impressive setting, Oakley Court. 

Verdict: Proof positive that even homicidal weirdos can be dull. *1/2. 

HE LAUGHED LAST

Frankie Laine and Lucy Marlow

HE LAUGHED LAST (1956). Director: Blake Edwards. 

When prohibition mobster Big Dan Hennessy (Alan Reed of I, the Jury) is wiped out by an ambitious underling, Max (Jesse White), the latter discovers that the dead man has left everything to an employee, singer-dancer Rosie (Lucy Marlow), including his stake in all of his rackets. This causes problems for Rosie because she is engaged to a cop, Jimmy Murphy (Richard Long). Surveying all this while having little impact on events is the late Dan's benign henchman, Gino Lupo (Frankie Laine), who also sings now and then. Max cooks up the idea of having handsome dancer Dominic Rodriguez (Anthony Dexter of Fire Maidens of Outer Space) become Rosie's partner and romance her, hoping to win her heart and hand and control of the rackets for Max. But Rosie may have other plans. 

Dick Long with Marlow

After the success of the film version of Guys and Dolls the previous year, there were all sorts of Damon Runyonesque-type stories featuring comical gangsters, of which He Laughed Last is one of the worst. Despite the title, the movie has virtually no laughs, and no one in the cast is remotely amusing. Frankie Laine, whose character doesn't really have much to do in the story, has no great comic skill, Jesse White is as annoying and unfunny as ever, Richard Long is certainly no comedian, and although Lucy Marlow plays it cute she's not a barrel of laughs, either. Blake Edwards script is, in a word, a stinker, an idea that should never have seen the light of day. 

Marlow with Anthony Dexter

He Laughed Last is not an actual musical, although Marlow is given two numbers and Laine sings a couple of times as well. The one and only highlight of the picture is when Rosie and that Latin Lover Boy Dominic dance a sexy tango together and the movie is (very) temporarily scintillating. Dexter had played Valentino five years earlier and uses the smooth assurance he displayed in that film to good affect in this, but he doesn't have enough screen time. Blake Edwards also directed Bring Your Smile Along, his first film, which also featured Marlow and Laine. It's a question why Laine even chose to appear in this picture. This might be the only time Richard Long was billed as "Dick Long."

Verdict: One tango does not a worthwhile movie make. *1/2. 

THE NOTORIOUS LANDLADY

Kim Novak and Jack Lemmon

THE NOTORIOUS LANDLADY (1962). Director: Richard Quine. 

Newly arrived in London, Bill Gridley (Jack Lemmon) of the U.S. Embassy, looks for a flat to rent and winds up in the beautiful townhouse of Carly Hardwicke (Kim Novak). His boss, Ambruster (Fred Astaire) thinks the name of his employee's new landlady sounds familiar, and he is horrified when someone in the research department reminds him of just who Mrs. Hardwicke really is. It seems that her husband vanished without a trace several months ago, and now everyone is convinced that the "notorious" woman murdered the missing man! Before Ambruster can order Bill to find new quarters, Inspector Oliphant (Lionel Jeffries) importunes him to stay where he is and find out whatever he can about the supposed black widow. 

Jack Lemmon and Fred Astaire

The first half of The Notorious Landlady is delightful, full of suspense, and bolstered by fine performances from the entire cast. Astaire makes his character more likable than he might have been had he been played by another actor. There are also good turns from Estelle Winwood [The Magic Sword], Maxwell Reed [Daughter of Darkness], Henry Daniell [Siren of Atlantis], and Phillipa Bevans. The second half of the film, after certain revelations have been made, goes a bit awry, with perhaps too much running around and the hasty unveiling of tricky plot points, but it recovers at the end with an amusing and exciting chase sequence backed up by the strains of Gilbert and Sullivan. Good show!

Verdict: The picture and the cast have a lot of charm! ***

WEIRD NEW MOVIE: THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN

Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (2022). Written and directed by Martin McDonagh. 

In 1923 on the dreary if beautiful island of Inisherin off the Irish coast, a crisis develops between two long-time friends and drinking buddies. Colm (Brendan Gleeson of Troy) starts shunning Padraic (Colin Farrell of Fright Night) and finally tells him, in essence, that life is too short and Padraic is too dull. Colm wants to concentrate on his music and also wants his former friend to just leave him alone. Padraic has few enough friends as it is, although he has a good relationship with his sister, Siobhan (Kerry Condon). Padriac is also friends, sort of, with young Dominic (Barry Keoghan), who is considered the village idiot but is smarter than he seems. He is not only beaten by his father, the village policeman (Gary Lydon), but possibly molested as well. Things take a dark turn when Colm makes it clear that if Padraic keeps bothering him he will literally cut off his fingers one by one, a vow he intends to keep. 

Barry Keoghan as the sad Dominic

Well first let's look at the good things about Banshees. It is stunningly photographed by Ben Davis, it is extremely well-acted by the entire cast (four of whom were nominated for Oscars), and one has to say that it is certainly different. It's also generally absorbing, can be quite funny, and has a degree of suspense and fascination, with some interesting characters (most of whom, however, are under-developed). On the debit side, the movie and its situations are kind of unreal, and as the story progresses it perhaps becomes too strange to take seriously. One of the main characters is clearly mentally-unbalanced, but this is barely addressed, even as certain situations are ignored in the medical sense. Banshees is typical of so many modern movies and TV shows that things happen less because they are realistic but more for shock value. There are good lines and sobering developments but no real resolution. A scene between Colm and a priest at confession is very amusing but again, not at all real. The potshots at the cop, who is admittedly an awful person, also seem more trendy and political than anything else. 

Verdict: A slice of life that has interesting elements but in the long run seems a bit phony and contrived. **3/4. 

NASTY HABITS

Glenda Jackson and Sandy Dennis

NASTY HABITS (1977). Director: Michael Lindsay-Hogg. 

When the elderly abbess Hildegarde (Edith Evans) passes away, a battle ensues between two factions of nuns in Philadelphia. On one side is Sister Alexandra (Glenda Jackson), who wants to remain aloof as the Prioress Sister Walburga (Geraldine Page) and Mistress of Novices Sister Mildred (Anne Jackson) conspire with the somewhat addle-pated Sister Winifred (Sandy Dennis) to spy upon the other faction and trip them up at every turn. On the other side is the younger Sister Felicity (Susan Penhaligon) who sneaks out into the woods outside the convent for romantic rendezvous and hot sex on a regular basis. She wants all of her nuns to have a steady beau. Both groups are not above using hidden mikes and cameras to find out what the others are up to. When Felicity is excommunicated, she goes public, telling all on The Mike Douglas Show. Is this the end of this oddball Philly faction of possibly Catholic nuns? 

Jackson, Jackson and Page

Frankly, the notion of setting the whole Watergate story in a nunnery is brilliant, and while the execution may be flawed, Nasty Habits emerges as a memorable motion picture. The actors are all wonderful, but Glenda Jackson is simply superb as the quietly ferocious manipulator behind the scenes. One of her best sequences has her addressing the other nuns as to the difference between ladies and the bourgeoisie, but she is wonderful throughout. Nasty Habits may not be a laugh riot a la Night at the Opera, but it is consistently amusing. Keeping it in the family, a few of the cast members' husbands are also in the film: Rip Torn; Eli Wallach, and Jerry Stiller -- all play priests (Stiller's wife Anne Meara is a gum-chewing nun from Joisey.) Vatican scenes with Stiller and Wallach examine whether or not the Philly nuns are a true order or not, a sop to the Catholic Church, of course. Melina Mercouri is also fun as a nun who travels the world as a missionary and advises Sister Alexandra by telephone. 

Verdict: This very funny movie should have been a TV series! ***. 

SHANKS

Marvel Marceau and Marcel Marceau

SHANKS (1974). Directed by William Castle. Subtitle: William Castle Presents a Grimm Fairy Tale.

Deafmute Malcolm Shanks (Marcel Marceau) makes puppets and lives with his shrewish stepsister (Tsilla Chelton) and her husband Mr. Barton (Philippe Clay) in their home, where they berate and abuse him on a regular basis. One day Malcolm goes to work for the elderly Professor Walker (also Marceau) who shows him how he uses special technology, like magic, to reanimate the corpses of frogs and roosters. When the professor dies, Malcolm decides to reanimate him, but there is just a walking physical shell, no mind. Later on Malcolm turns his deceased sister and brother-in-law into "living" corpses to do his bidding, a situation that both fascinates and repels the young Celia (Cindy Eilbacher). Into the professor's mansion, where Malcolm has taken up residence, come a group of hard core and thuggish bikers who try to take the "living dead" technology away from Malcolm.

Chelton, Marceau and Clay

Shanks is William Castle's most original and possibly most interesting picture -- it was also the last film he directed (he also served as executive producer). Using occasional title cards like a silent film and a spirited, quirky score by Alex North [The 13th Letter], the movie proceeds, as it should, like a dream or nightmare. Because of this approach viewers might not look too closely at the rather ghoulish actions of the protagonist, well-acted by Marceau, who is sympathetic despite the fact that he turns corpses into large performing dolls. Marceau only speaks when he plays the professor. The other performances are excellent as well, although the casting of sixteen-year-old Eilbacher, who looks even younger, adds a bit of a creep factor as she sort of becomes the love interest for 51-year-old Marceau and comes to a highly unpleasant fate as well. This reminds me of the kind of films Tim Burton makes, with their weird subject matter and lapses in good taste, and I would not be surprised if that filmmaker was influenced by Castle's work in general and this film in particular. Photographed by Joseph F. Biroc [Forty Guns]. Castle appears as a grocer, and there is an interesting attack-by-rooster. 

Verdict: Although Castle's direction may not be not top-notch, and criticisms of the film are not without merit -- especially the deliberate pacing --  Shanks is still an unusual and worthwhile picture, a fitting end to his directorial career. ***. 

MARS ATTACKS!

The Martian Ambassador

MARS ATTACKS! (1996). Director: Tim Burton. 

"They blew up Congress, ha, ha, ha!" -- Grandma.

President Dale (Jack Nicholson of The Fortune) and his military advisers, including hawkish General Decker (Rod Steiger) and General Casey (Paul Winfield), prepare to welcome Martian visitors, not certain if they are friend or foe. When the Martians open fire, initially it is all blamed on a miscommunication, but when the Martian ambassador and his envoys disintegrate all of Congress, it is clear they are up to no good! 

Jack Nicholson as the president

Mars Attacks! is based on a bunch of trading cards that were packaged with sheets of bubble gum, so with source material that looney you know you're not going to get anything that serious, especially not from Tim Burton. My opinion on this film has gone from liking it to hating it and back again -- it would be all too easy to tear it apart, as it is monumentally silly, and I'm not certain that the black comedy approach is the best idea when you're dealing with an alien invasion that will leave thousands dead. But I have to say this is not an unmitigated disaster like Burton's Dark Shadows, and good taste was never the filmmaker's strong point. 

In the Kennedy Room: Martin Short and Lisa Marie

There is a lot of funny stuff in the picture, especially the sexy, buxom alien visitor (Lisa Marie of We Are Still Here) who winds up in the White House in the--get this! -- Kennedy Room for a supposed assignation with the press secretary (Martin Short). Most of the actors -- the cast includes everyone from Glenn Close to singer Tom Jones -- play this stuff just the way it was intended, with the cast stand-outs being Nicholson (who plays two roles) and Steiger. The cinematography and FX work are excellent -- including a homage to Ray Harryhausen's flying saucers in Earth vs the Flying Saucers -- and there's an especially exciting sequence when a giant, Martian-controlled robot chases pell mell after Richie (Lukas Haas). It's nice that his elderly grandma (Sylvia Sidney) survives and even becomes a hero of sorts. There are occasional flashes of humanism, but mostly this is just weird fun. 

Verdict: Unless you're in a peculiar mood, you might prefer to watch The War of the Worlds, either version. **3/4. 

MURDER AT THE GALLOP

Margaret Rutherford and Robert Morley

MURDER AT THE GALLOP 

(1963). Director: George Pollock.

Jane Marple (Margaret Rutherford) is up to her old tricks of sticking her nose in police business and exasperating Inspector Craddock (Charles Tingwell). This time the old lady sleuth is out to find out which of four heirs did away with a wealthy old man found dead in his enormous mansion. Suspects include Michael Shane (James Villiers of Some Girls Do), George Crossfield (Robert Urquhart), and Hector Enderby (Robert Morley of Theater of Blood). Much of the story takes place at Enderby's inn and riding academy. 

Rutherford with Flora Robson

Murder at the Gallop is the second of four Miss Marple films starring Rutherford. The original novel, entitled After the Funeral or Funerals are Fatal, actually featured Christie's Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot instead of Marple. The murder methods have also been changed to death by horse and engine. Much of the humor of the film is derived from the comical antics of those two old pros, Rutherford and Morley, but the film does not stint on the suspense, making this a near-perfect blend of laughs and mystery. Rutherford is marvelous as this alternate-Marple, and the other performances from those named -- as well as Stringer Davis as Marple's friend and Flora Robson as Miss Milchrest -- are uniformly excellent. 

Verdict: Good show! More well-done fun with Miss M. ***1/4. 

THE FORTUNE

Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson

THE FORTUNE 

(1975). Director: Mike Nichols. 

In the 1920's Nicky Wilson (Warren Beatty) wants to marry heiress Freddie Bigard (Stockard Channing) for her money, but his divorce from his wife hasn't come through. He importunes zany buddy Oscar Sullivan (Jack Nicholson) to marry the lady so he won't get in trouble over the Mann Act, which prohibits moving a woman across a state line for "immoral purposes." The three set up housekeeping in a cottage where Nicky pretends to be Oscar's brother. The two men both vie for the charms of Freddie, but then decide they will have a better chance of getting her money if the woman is dead. The two dim-bulbs then hatch a plot ... 

Our "heroes" with Stockard Channing

Old-time screwball comedies, of which The Fortune is an imitation, often featured "heroes," such as Groucho Marx, who were reprobates and scallawags, decided con artists, but Nicky and Oscar are essentially sociopaths who have no hesitation in deciding to off the woman who loves them. Admittedly, Freddie can be shrill and overbearing, and might be considered an unsympathetic victim. A bigger problem is that director Mike Nichols again uses the long take approach, when comedies like these need expert cutting and pacing. A manic three-way fight sequence doesn't work at all. In spite of that, The Fortune is frequently amusing -- thanks to the performances, with Nicholson taking top honors -- and has at least one hilarious scene set on an airplane. While the film is farcical enough not to be offensive, it perhaps needed to be even more farcical. 

I suppose there are those who will argue that underneath the comical tone The Fortune is about cynical human nature, women who can't accept reality when it comes to their men, how relationships are instantly disposable when things go awry, and so on. But I think The Fortune doesn't really have that much on its mind. I shouldn't like the film at all, but I confess I found it quite entertaining. But, yes, it could have been a lot better. Stockard Channing gives it the Old College Try, but for better or worse this is the boys' show. 

Verdict: For once Nicholson is the character he plays instead of himself. ***. 

GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH

an evil gremlin on the loose!

GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH (1990). Director: Joe Dante. 

Billy (Zach Galligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates) from Gremlins are engaged and living in New York City. Both of them work in real estate developer Daniel Clamp's (John Glover) Trade Centre, which is a fully-automated "smart building." Billy discovers that little Gizmo from the first film has been put in a genetics lab in the building after the death of his Chinese owner, Wing (Keye Luke). Billy frees Gizmo from the lab, but the cute little fellow gets wet and before you know it the Trade Centre is over-run with ferocious if fun-loving evil gremlins! Billy comes up with a brilliant if risky plan to get rid of them. 

Galligan, Cates and Glover with Gizmo in a box

Like its predecessor, Gremlins 2:The New Batch is a pretty silly movie, but it's hard to dislike because of its constant, generally amusing, references to films and popular culture. Galligan, Cates and Glover are perfectly amiable and adept performers, but they are lost in a virtual sea of weird-looking puppets and aging, lovable character actors. One gremlin drinks a special "brain formula" and turns into an erudite pseudo-British type voiced in great style by Tony Randall. We have a hilarious turn or two by the wonderful Kathleen Freeman, who plays a cooking hostess who loves her cooking sherry and finds a slimy-looking gremlin in her stew. I have no idea why Al Lewis didn't play the horror movie host because the character in this is obviously modeled on "Ole Grandpa" from The Munsters, but Robert Prosky does a good enough job impersonating him. There are also some fun supporting turns from Dick Miller and Jackie Joseph, and a funny bit from Kenneth Tobey. 

Gizmo does a dance for the twins and Lee

Three other performers deserve a special mention: Christopher Lee gets right into the manic spirit of the piece in his portrayal of the head of the genetics lab; Robert Picardo offers a snappy portrait of the no-nonsense heartless corporate assistant type who ignites the passion of the one female (?) gremlin in the bunch; and Haviland Morris is utter perfection as Billy's also-lustful boss who has her eyes on him as well as on the prize. Walking into a web spun by a giant spider-gremlin she says "This is new." Gremlins 2 also features a charming scene when Gizmo comes out of his cage to boogie to some rock music and twin assistants dance along with him as Lee looks on with disapproval. Then there's the very clever bit when the Gremlins invade a projection room and set fire to a print of -- you guessed it -- Gremlins 2!

Two other items I must mention. I enjoyed the stop-motion work in the film, which includes a flying bat-gremlin that attacks Dick Miller and turns into a gargoyle -- this was done by the Doug Beswick studios. And then there are the guest appearances by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, especially the latter. Watch the closing credits to watch lovable Daffy's reaction to how damn long the credits to movies are these days!

Verdict: One could easily denounce this as stupid and note that the pacing is often off, but the darn thing can be inventive and amusing in equal measure. ***.

EVIL DEAD 2

EVIL DEAD 2 (1987/AKA Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn). Director: Sam Raimi. 

Not so much a sequel as a revisioning (and parody) of Raimi's cult hit, The Evil Dead. Ash (Bruce Campbell) is back in a cabin, has to murder his possessed girlfriend again, and then not only has to deal with demons trying to take him over but with the possessed bodies of the cabin's occupants and visitors, including Annie (Sarah Berry), the daughter of a scientist (whose dead, devious wife is rotting and plotting in the cellar). Even more of a comic book than the original, the burlesque, black comedy tone of the film probably made it more influential on the alleged "horror" films (actually gory comedies) that came later. There's a naked, headless corpse dancing ballet in the woods, an eyeball that shoots out of another suppurating corpse and into Annie's mouth, and it becomes very clear that this is nothing that anyone, even the filmmakers, could possibly take seriously. Sporadically amusing and entertaining, but basically too ultimately schlocky to care about. There are some decent stop-motion monster effects near the end. The climax has Ash sucked through a warp into another dimension, setting up another sequel. Bruce Campbell manages to preserve his dignity no matter what shit the script puts him through, acquiting himself nicely in a performance that has to balance [ersatz] horror with humor, and definitely displays star charisma. But while the "Evil Dead" movies may have put him on the map, in the long run they probably didn't do him all that much good. 

Verdict: Some inventive stuff but overall the same old grind. **.

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT

Highly punchable: David Niven

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (aka Happy Ever After/1954). Director: Mario Zampi.

"We could be very happy in an unhappy sort of way." -- Jasper.

Aged General O'Leary of Rathbonie Ireland is determined to make a dangerous jump on his horse as he does every year, but this time he has an accident and eventually dies. His estate goes to relative Jasper O'Leary (David Niven of Death on the Nile), who sets the entire town against himself by refusing  to honor his uncle's death bed bequests and the old man's forgiving of certain debts. Meanwhile the recently widowed Serena (Yvonne De Carlo), who had hoped to snare handsome former fiance Dr. Michael Flynn (Robert Urquhart of The Curse of Frankenstein) against her sister Kathy's (Noelle Middleton) wishes, deides that it might be better to set her cap for the obviously interested new Squire, Jasper. But now all of Jasper's many enemies decide the only thing to do is to assassinate Jasper ...

Barry Fitzgerald and David Niven

Black comedies can work --witness the wonderful The Wrong Box -- but Tonight's the Night is an appalling concoction and only has three solid laughs throughout its ninety minutes running time. For one thing the two lead characters, the  heartless priss Jasper and the gold-digging Serena, are too loathsome to be amusing. Character flaws can make people funny, but these two, Jasper in particular, are utterly worthless individuals. One feels sympathy for the wronged townspeople -- Jasper wants to evict one elderly man out of the home he's lived in for decades -- until they start indulging in IRA tactics including bombs and the like. One plan to kill Jasper has to do with tying a rope across the road in the hopes that Jasper will be beheaded when he drives by in his motorcar! Such lovely people!

Robert Urquhart and Yvonne De Carlo

Much of the second half of the film is taken up with the town folks' bumbling attempts at murder, which makes them resemble especially malevolent variations on the Bowery Boys but with even less laughs. Niven, although playing someone whose face you want to punch almost from the first, gives a good performance (nobody could be more obnoxious than Niven when playing a detestable prig); De Carlo is snappy and has an okay Irish brogue; the supporting cast does its best; and Barry Fitzgerald nearly steals the picture -- not that he would necessarily want it -- in his portrayal of Thady, the tippling butler. Niven and De Carlo don't have that much chemistry, and the characters of Kathy and the doctor are never sufficiently developed. A highlight of the film is when a talented Irish tenor sings the lovely ballad "My Heart is Irish." Mario Zampi also directed The Naked Truth, another dark comedy that was much, much better than this..

Verdict: Essentially unfunny and atrocious but for Fitzgerald and the tenor. *1/2. 

THE MAN WHO LOST HIMSELF

Brian Aherne and Kay Francis

THE MAN WHO LOST HIMSELF (1941). Director: Edward Ludwig.

John Evans and Malcolm Scott (both played by Brian Aherne of My Son, My Son) both look  exactly alike, so alike that no one, including Scott's wife, Adrienne (Kay Francis of The Keyhole), can tell them apart. Evans wakes up in Scott's bed -- sans Scott -- and the household staff, including lovable Paul (S. Z. Sakall of Lullaby of Broadway)  assume he is their employer. Evans discovers that "he" died in a fall in front of a subway train, when the dead man is actually Malcolm Scott. When John realizes that he is attracted to Adrienne, who is on the perpetual verge of divorcing Scott, he decides to assume the other man's identity. And this is a comedy?

Glamorous Kay

The Man Who Lost Himself offers some intriguing situations but hasn't much idea what to do with them. Evans doesn't seem the slightest bit upset when he learns of Malcolm's death, but this is made somewhat palatable when we learn that Scott was a bit of a bounder. The cast, including a very enthusiastic Aherne, the glamorously caparisoned Francis, and especially the wonderful "Cuddles" Sakall do their best with the material, but there's a kind of grotesque seriousness underneath the silliness that strips the film of its alleged fun quotient. The picture could have been a funny movie but aside from one or two chuckles it just isn't. It may have worked better as a drama.

"Cuddles" Sakall and Brian Aherne

Other cast members include Henry Stephenson as the family lawyer; Dorothy Tree as a girlfriend of Scott's nicknamed Boobie Woobie; Nils Asther as an admirer of Adrienne's; Marc Lawrence as a would-be blackmailer; Sig Ruman and Barlowe Borland as psychiatrists; Henry Kolker as a business associate; and Eden Gray as Scott's sister Venetia. They all give it their best but it just isn't enough. Of all the films about doubles taking the place of someone else, this is one of the least interesting. There is no explanation for why the two men look like identical twins but apparently aren't.

Verdict: Lots of possibilities that add up to very little. **. 

TO DIE FOR

Nicole Kidman

TO DIE FOR (1995). Director: Gus Van Sant.

"You're not anybody in America unless you're on TV." -- Suzanne Stone.

Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman of Eyes Wide Shut) is determined to have a career in broadcasting, and using her perch as weather girl for a local channel, works with some young people on a documentary that she hopes will get attention. Suzanne is beginning to believe that her loving husband, Larry (Matt Dillon), will only hold her back from her ambitions. Beginning an affair with the boy Jimmy Emmett (Joaquin Phoenix of The Village), Suzanne tells Jimmy that the only way they can be together permanently is if Larry is out of the picture ...

Joaquin Phoenix

To Die For was inspired by the real-life Pamela Smart case as seen in the earlier telefilm Murder in New Hampshire. It may seem in bad taste that this story -- although the names have been changed along with certain incidents, and Suzanne is much more over-the-top than the real Smart -- is played as a very dark comedy, but the film has a serious undertone throughout, and "Larry's" death is in no way made fun of. The one person who comes in for drubbing is Pamela/Suzanne, who is depicted as a self-absorbed and narcissistic monster. The audience laughs at her and her outrageousness, not with her. Based on Joyce Maynard's novel, Buck Henry's screenplay delves into celebrity, sociopathology and other trenchant topics in very entertaining fashion. 

David Cronenberg

Nicole Kidman is perfect as Suzanne, and there is also good work from Phoenix as her young lover; Dan Hedaya as Larry's father; Holland Taylor as Suzanne's mother; Illeana Douglas as Larry's sister; Casey Affleck as one of Jimmy's murdering buddies; Alison Folland as Lydia, a friend of Jimmy's; and an uncredited George Segal as a slimy newsman who gives Suzanne some sexist tips. David Cronenberg, who directed many of his own movies, shows up at the end as a hit man pretending to be a Hollywood producer. Suzanne's final fate in this movie is perhaps more satisfying than what happened to Pamela Smart, who is still in the penitentiary as of this writing!

Verdict: Absorbing, very darkly amusing film with a strong lead performance. ***. 

I MARRIED A WITCH

Veronica Lake and Fredric March

I MARRIED A WITCH (1942). Director: Rene Clair.

In the 17th century, the witch Jennifer and her father Daniel are burned at the stake (off-screen), but not before Jennifer places a curse on the family of her chief accuser, Jonathan Wooley (Fredric March): "Each Wooley must marry the wrong woman." A series of funny vignettes illustrates how the curse is working until we are 270 years into the future, and Wallace Wooley (also March), who is running for governor, is about to marry his attractive if harpy-like fiancee, Estelle (Susan Hayward), on election day. A bolt of lightning hits the tree under which the remains of Jennifer and Daniel are buried, and their spirits are immediately freed.

Cecil Kellaway

Eventually father and daughter get bodies (the logistics of this are glossed over), with Jennifer emerging as Veronica Lake and Daniel materializing in the form of Cecil Kellaway [The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]. Daniel believes that Jennifer had the right idea with her curse, but that it would be better if she made Wallace fall in love with her and then reject him, causing a lifetime of pain. But when she prepares a love potion, she accidentally drinks it herself. Soon father and daughter are pitted against one another as Jennifer fights even harder to get Wally away from Estelle and Daniel has trouble causing mischief because he can't remember the words to his spells. All havoc breaks out during a wedding ceremony, and there are even more complications after that.

Robert Benchley and Fredrick March

I Married a Witch boasts a very funny script and excellent performances, with March (who not only plays Wallace but all of his ancestors) proving a very adept comedian. But Lake is no slouch -- she not only gets across the kittenish sexiness of her character, but successfully plumbs the vulnerabilities and insecurities of Jennifer. Susan Hayward is cast in the thankless role of foil and straight woman, but she delivers, and there are fine turns by Elizabeth Patterson as Wally's scandalized housekeeper; Robert Benchley [Nice Girl?] as Wally's pal; Robert Warwick as Estelle's apoplectic father; and -- right up there with March and Lake -- Kellaway in his impish yet malevolent portrait of the quirkily sinister warlock, Daniel. Rene Clair also directed And Then There Were None.

Verdict: Black comedies like this either work beautifully or they don't work at all. This one works every step of the way. The hilarious wedding sequence is alone worth the price of admission. ***1/2.