dibot Blog

Under discussion:

Mildred Pierce  (1945)

Sabrina  (1954)

Torn Curtain  (1966)

Beneath Still Waters  (2005)

Never Cry Werewolf  (2008)

Never Cry Werewolf is a Sci-Fi Channel original movie, so, my expectations were fairly low. And then, I was pleasantly surprised. A mysterious man, who looks like a creepy-child-molesting version of Hugh Jackman, moves into a new house and attracts the attention of the two kids next door. The oldest, a teen-age girl, finds herself having some inappropriate dreams about the new comer and then notices that women keep disappearing into his house. Cheesy effects, but an alright story. Terrible werewolf transformations. But then Hercules (Kevin Sorbo, "Meet the Spartans") pops in with some comic relief.

I caught Beneath Still Waters late one night on Sci-Fi. From director Brian Yuzna ("Rottweiler"), it's got some cheesy acting, but a really interesting story. The plot involves a town being flooded for the building of a dam, demons and scary zombie-type creatures. I thought it was really creepy and fun.

Sabrina, the original (hopefully, everyone's forgotten the remake by now), is bot comic and tragic. Audrey Hepburn ("Always") is difficult to make unnoticeable, but director Billy Wilder ("Buddy Buddy ") and costumer Edith Head ("The Last Married Couple in America") do an excellent job. Hepburn plays the daughter of a chauffeur and is hopelessly in love the boss' playboy younger son. After a stint in Paris, she comes back glamorous and catches the eye of both the young playboy and his older brother, a Mr. Humphrey Bogart ("the Harder They Fall"). Hijinks and heartaches ensue. I loved it. The costumes, the brooding of Bogie. All of it.

Torn Curtain, an Alfred Hitchcock ("Family Plot") staring Paul Newman ("Cars") and Julie Andrews ("Enchanted"). Newman is a scientist who has seemingly defected fro the US to East Germany during the Cold War because he lost his funding. He tries to live his fiancee/assistant, Andrews, behind before he enters Germany, but she follows him. I found this to be very suspenseful, and, of course, well made. But not Hitch's best.

Mildred Pierce is a fabulous noir with Joan Crawford ("Journey to Murder") doing everything she can to make her spoiled daughter happy. It, of course, ends in tragedy, but not before Crawford does some fine acting and we're gripped to our seats wondering how this murder really played out. And who's going down for it.

Under discussion:

The Big Sleep  (1946)

Dark Victory  (1939)

Jezebel  (1938)

Zathura  (2005)

Little Children  (2006)

I really enjoyed Dark Victory. Bette Davis ("Wicked Stepmother") stars as a young socialite diagnosed with a brain tumor. She then must decide how to live out the last days of her life. I couldn't take my eyes off Davis, she just lights up the screen, even when she's dying. Humphrey Bogart ("The Harder They Fall") has a cameo as a horse trainer and his scenes with Davis are some of the best. Though the plot description sounds depressing and I did end up crying, it's not necessarily a sad film. There's a lot to think about here. Also, a young Ronald Reagan ("The Killers") puts in an appearance.

Jezebel is another Bette Davis film, and though this is directed by William Wyler ("The Liberation of L.B. Jones"), Davis won an Oscar for her role and the film was nominated for best picture, I had some real problems with it. I know it's set in the Pre-Civil War South and Davis plays a Southern Belle, but really, the racism was hard for me to take. I know that slavery was not even part of the story, but it kept distracting me. It's really a love story/character study of Davis' character Julie and how she looses the man she loves and does many horrible things trying to win him back. Some of it was interesting, but in the end, this is just one of the classics that doesn't live up to it's reputation.

Little Children is one of the most perfect looking films. Each shot is well composed and lit and feels right. Good job director Todd Field ("In the Bedroom"). It's also well acted, I especially loved Kate Winslet ("The Holiday") and Jackie Earle Haley ("Semi-Pro"), one of the creepiest child molester characters ever. The stories just seemed a bit off. I know everything was supposed to tie together and make us uncomfortable and think. And I was uncomfortable, several times, I just didn't think the whole added up to the sum of it's parts. It seemed like I had seen this movie before.

I always hear people say that Zathura is just another Jumanji, and that may be true. But is it really a bad thing? Director Jon Favreau ("Iron Man") has a knack for creating a bright, vivid, fun world and still not skimping on the emotion. Brothers Danny (Jonah Bobo, "Choke") and Walter (Josh Hutcherson, "Firehouse Dog") fight constantly, and this continues throughout the film in a very realistic, amusing style. But the game brings them closer together, of course, in the end. I really enjoyed this film. It's not new, but it's a good way to pass a dull evening.

The biggest reason to see The Big Sleep is the chemistry between Humphery Bogart ("The Harder They Fall") and Lauren Bacall ("The Walker"). They are just burning up the film. It's also a really interesting story that's impossible to follow. I can't really even break it down except to say that Bogart plays Philip Marlowe, a detective investigating the involvement of a society girl in the death of a pornographer. (Thank you TCM). Just see it. I plan to watch it again. And possibly even again.