Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

This 1961 Western is the only film directed by Marlon Brando.  It had a notoriously troubled production history, going way over budget after Brando, as producer and star, had the chutzpah to dispense with Stanley Kubrick as director.   Given also that the studio re-edited the 5-hour cut Brando initially produced   one might be forgiven for thinking this must be a disaster.  It certainly was a commercial flop, and heralded a decade when Brando's career went on a seemingly terminal decline. In fact what we have is an above-average Western which has a lot going for it: a very good cast, a compelling and unpredictable revenge narrative, an unusual setting (Monterey), a great score - and it is a delight for the eyes.  And there is Brando of course, magnetic as always, and still just about young enough to play a brooding romantic hero. The film is also surprisingly coherent so whoever did the re-edit did a swell job. There are two main relationships at the heart ...

Listening to a recent episode of the excellent 'Screen Drafts' podcast which covered Grisham adaptations I was taken aback to hear the view expressed by all three drafters that this film is superior to both 'The Client' and (gulp) 'The Firm'.  So taken aback that I felt the need to check it out for myself. The first thing to say is that this is not really a legal thriller per se.  Admittedly things kick off with the somewhat unlikely assassination of two Supreme Court justices (performed in two different locations within a couple of hours of each other, by the same assassin!).  And one of the two main protagonists is a precocious legal student Darby Shaw (played by Julia Roberts). But essentially this is a conspiracy thriller, where the conspiracy might lead right up to the President himself.  And who better to direct this material than Alan J Pakula, who in the 1970s demonstrated his mastery of this subgenre?   The other protagonist is a reporter, Gray Gra...

I am always hesitant to disagree with Wikipedia but I am not convinced that this film is a Revisionist Western.  Take out a lot of the violence and what is left would not look that much out of place in the 1950s.   Certainly the underwhelming opening scenes feel very traditional as we are introduced to ‘Boss’ (Robert Duvall) and his main hired hand Charley (Kevin Costner, who also directs).  Boss is supposed to be driving a herd of cattle cross country, but he  and his three hired hands seem to spend all their time with their wagon, with no steer in sight, a bit disappointing. Things start to pick up when we meet the main villain, Baxter, an uncouth Irish immigrant and rancher who controls the local town.  Baxter is played by Michael Gambon, a surprising casting choice.  His attempt at an Irish accent is a source of pleasure throughout but there’s no doubting his commitment to the role. Things pick up still further with the introduction of the local do...

The good news is that this film isn't quite as unwieldy as the title. It's a  re-edited version of the theatrical release version of ‘The Godfather Part III’, which I may or may not have seen, I really can't remember.  So I can't speak to the changes, but the consensus is that Coppola's edits  make for a tighter narrative (thank goodness). But of course he can't do anything about the film's two main problems: the presence of Sofia Coppola and the absence of Robert Duvall. Although Sofia's performance was savaged by the critics it is not her fault that the subplot of the romance between her character (Mary, Michael's daughter) and her cousin Vincent  (played by Andy Garcia) is so poorly written and dull.  If it could have been removed in its entirety we would have been spared several excruciating scenes. It would also have cut down the running time, which wouldn’t have gone amiss. On the subject of plots that don’t add a lot, I couldn’t raise much int...

This is a memorable and original film that doesn't pull its punches,  written and directed by Emerald Fennell.   She was the show-runner for the second season of 'Killing Eve', which was precisely the point at which that show went downhill for me.  Given this, and that I am not Carey Mulligan's biggest fan, I went into this film concerned that it wouldn't live up to its positive reviews. I need not have worried. Mulligan is not an obvious choice for the role of someone consumed by righteous anger, but she is a revelation in this film. She plays Cassie, a dropout from medical school after her best friend and fellow student Nina committed suicide, having been raped at a drunken party by a fellow student Al. Now 30, Cassie is living with her parents, and working in a café by day, whilst at night she is pursuing a bizarre one-woman campaign to make young men who think they are nice realise they are not. Her chance meeting with Ryan, who was a fellow student at medical s...

This film is a classic example of Stylish Tosh.  Or, to be more generous, Very Stylish Tosh. The action and fight sequences are beautifully shot and choreographed, so much so that I wasn't bored by them.  But then again I was never excited or thrilled by them either.  They were just nice to look at.  There is no dramatic tension in them because we know John Wick will survive, because he is the protagonist and because he seems almost  superhuman.   This is a revenge narrative, which I normally enjoy, but here our hero is seeking vengeance because his dog was killed.  True, the dog in question was a from-the-grave gift from his recently deceased wife.   But by the end of the film, when dozens of people have died, including a good friend of John's, you do have to ask yourself whether it was all worth it.  Not that anyone in this film would ask themselves such a question because they all must obey the unwritten rules of their world....

I'm into Westerns for sure but horror not so much, so a film which combines both genres was always going to be an up-and-down viewing experience. The Bad Guys here are an extremely primitive and nasty bunch of cannibalistic critters known as Troglodytes (because they live in caves), so nasty that 'normal' Native Americans disavow them, which I guess is this film's defence against accusations of racism. The Troglodytes have abducted three white people, the only one of which the film is interested in is Lili, the town's doctor.  The sheriff (a nicely grizzled Kurt Russell) assembles a motley rescue party, comprising his aged 'backup' deputy, Chicory (Richard Jenkins, marvellous as always), Lili's husband Patrick, who is handicapped by a leg injury, and John, who is insufferably arrogant and vain but very handy with a gun. The film came in for some criticism for its leisurely pace during the second act when we spend a lot of time with these four, as the whe...

This film delivered what I expected: a slight tale, based on real events, of  a writer down on her luck who starts forging literary letters to pay the rent.  Melissa McCarthy gives a very good performance as said writer, Lee Israel.  I especially liked the way she doesn't try to make the character sympathetic.  In fact for most of the film she comes across as a rather unpleasant and rude person who deservedly has no friends. Well, no friends that is until Richard E Grant turns up to enliven matters considerably, in a role he could play in his sleep, a dissolute of no fixed abode going by the name of Jack Hock. Jack and Lee don't always get on, especially when her beloved cat dies whilst Jack is minding her apartment.  But they are two lost souls who enjoy drinking and straight talking, and who need each other on some level.  Their relationship gives the film some welcome warmth. The only other relationship of note is between Lee and Anna, a bookstore owner ...

The first thing that struck me about this film is the impressive cast.  Besides Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, who were in the middle of their well-documented relationship, we get Michael Caine, Barbara Hershey, Max Von Sydow, Diane Wiest, Carrie Fisher, Sam Waterson; and even the very small parts are played by the likes of Richard Jenkins (the father of the Fisher family in 'Six Feet Under').  Apparently Julia Louis-Dreyfus turns up at one point but I failed to spot her. Several of Farrow's children make uncredited appearances in the background as Hannah's children, including Soon-Yi Previn, who later became Allen's wife. This is an ambitious project for Allen, a more serious drama than we might expect from him,  generally eschewing the usual one-liners, with three female characters at its heart.  Like a lot of comedy-dramas , it is neither out-and-out funny, nor does it reach any great dramatic heights. Mia Farrow was unimpressed with a rough draft of the script, and...

This film musical was very expensive for its time - stars like Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra didn't come cheap, not to mention the cost of creating Times Square and its environs in the studio. This is one of those highly stylised and theatrical musicals where there would be no point in filming it on location because it's not interested in realism.  All the colours are bright and garish, and everyone is moving and talking in a heightened manner.   The source material for 'Guys and Dolls' is some stories by Damon Runyon, whose dialogue was slang expressed in a very formal style. This way of talking really  grated on me for some reason,  especially in the opening scenes which set up the world of illicit gambling in which the story is set. Or should I say stories, since the plot is really about two separate romances. The first is between Nathan Detroit (Sinatra) and his fiancée for the last fourteen years, Miss Adelaide (Vivian Blaine). I didn't find their relatio...

I don't think I'd seen this film since it first came out, and obviously a lot of water has flowed under Brooklyn Bridge since then. There's been all those allegations made regarding Woody Allen's private life which I have tried not to pay too much attention to, if only because I try to separate the artist as a person from the artist per se.  (I have no problem enjoying a masterpiece such as 'Chinatown' even though I am fully aware that its director is probably not a very nice person). In the case of Allen, keeping that separation is more difficult in this film where he is the lead performer and where he seems to be almost playing himself.  There is a scene here where his character Isaac lists the things that make life worth living, and it is hard to believe that this is not Allen's personal list. Things are made worse by the fact that 42-year old Isaac starts the film in a relationship with 17-year old Tracy (played surprisingly well by Mariel Hemingway). Th...

Anyone coming to this film expecting to see a full out war between apes and humans might well come away disappointed given that the  climactic battle is between two human armies, with the apes as mere bystanders. We do though get some ape versus human conflict to kick things off, culminating in Cornelia and Blue Eyes both being killed.  With the heat on, Caesar sends his tribe  off to establish a  new home, whilst with Maurice, Rocket and Luca he embarks on a mission to learn more about the paramilitaries who killed his wife and son, and maybe to exact revenge. Some adventures ensue, and while it’s nice to spend time with Caesar in this way the film’s pace in this middle section i s too leisurely - a running time of 140 minutes is quite absurd for a film which has a pretty simple plot and a small cast of characters. The man Caesar is after is known simply as the  Colonel (played by a somewhat miscast Woody Harrelson) who has what might be called an uncompromisin...

My main question coming into this film was how would the director and co-screenwriter Darren Aronofsky turn the relatively straightforward story we all know into something that would be entertaining for a full 138 minutes. The answer inevitably is to take some liberties with the story by injecting several unexpected elements.  One of these is the existence of Watchers, stone giants who are fallen angels, punished by God for trying to help Adam and Eve.  Apparently there is some basis for these in the Book of Enoch (I do the research so you don't have to).  They come around to the idea of helping Noah (Russell Crowe) after some initial hostility (being turned from angels to the equivalent of The Thing has made them somewhat grumpy). Other liberties have less basis.   In the Bible each of Noah's three sons has a wife, which is handy for repopulating the world après le deluge. In this version the future of the human race looks a bit iffy.  We can assume that N...

This is not a musical I was familiar with, and to be frank it is pretty disposable mid-50s fare, lacking as it does memorable songs and featuring a half-baked Faustian tale that combines the Devil and baseball.  The only reason for me watching it is that it features the main performance on film of the great Broadway star, Gwen Verdon, who went on after this film to become the wife and creative partner of Bob Fosse, who was the choreographer of this musical. Accordingly my interest was focused on three of the musical numbers. The first of these is 'Whatever Lola Wants' which is a showcase for Ms Verdon.  I confess to being somewhat underwhelmed and bemused by it.  Her performance is a weird mix of comedic and seductive elements.  The latter were toned down for the film which may have contributed to me not finding it at all sexy. The second is a number 'Who's Got The Pain?' performed by Verdon and Fosse.  Apparently they put it together in a couple of hours when a...

For many years I felt I ought to see this 1946 film, given that it was showered with Oscars, but I could raise little enthusiasm for it, based on its length (nearly three hours), its subject matter (war veterans returning home) and probably some disdain for the Oscars themselves.  Well, how foolish can one be? Everything thing about it is high quality but the  thing that elevates this well-crafted film into something special is the performance of a non-professional, Harold Russell. He lost both hands during the war and is therefore able to bring a dignity and authenticity to his role as Homer, and to Homer's relationship with his childhood sweetheart Wilma (Cathy O'Donnell).  All their  scenes had me tearing up.  The emotional climax of the film is their wedding, and if you are not moved when he uses his replacement hands (basically hooks) to place the wedding ring on her finger then you must have something wrong with you.  He is one of three veterans retur...

For the first few scenes of this curious film my heart was sinking at the prospect of a whimsical biopic about an eccentric Victorian who would no doubt win through after overcoming various setbacks. So predictable I thought, as we start by establishing that Louis was a talented artist and a far less talented would-be inventor, with some peculiar ideas about electricity.  My mood at this stage was not helped by the chaotic nature of Louis’s domestic life with five sisters and his mother. Thankfully things pick up greatly with the arrival of governess Emily (played by Claire Foy) whom Louis falls for and marries.  I found their relationship touching at first, and then very moving when she develops terminal cancer. During her illness Louis and Emily are very taken with a cat they name Peter.  I t is from this point that Louis starts making many drawings of anthropomorphised cats which become extremely popular.  In passing, the film suggests that prior to this time cats...

After recently watching three Grisham adaptations that were all somewhat overwrought and divorced from reality, this Francis Ford Coppola miniature was a great palate cleanser.  It’s a low-key, rather old-fashioned film which takes its time so as to allow us to get emotionally invested in the characters.  The main story is a David v Goliath set-up, in which novice lawyer Matt Damon takes on a big insurance company, represented in court by Jon Voight, who refuse to pay out in respect of a guy in his early twenties who dies of leukaemia during the course of the film. There is also an affecting sub-plot in which Damon becomes involved with a young woman, played wonderfully well by a very young Claire Danes, who has an abusive husband. Another standout performance is that of Mary Kay Place as the bereaved mother.  There is also the bonus of Danny Devito, as a para-legal who has failed the law exam several times.  He adds some humour to what otherwise might be an overly s...