The Lavender Hill Mob is a British heist movie from 1951 starring Alec Guinness ("A Foreign Field"). The story is told by a man at a fancy club, and, as his tale unfolds, we see exactly how he fits into the story. The heist itself is pretty good. The characters are relatable and there are both genuinely tense and funny moments. But, perhaps I need more flash. Or more grit. Or more something. Good film, but not great. Though this has obviously influenced modern heist films, especially with the group dynamic.
I have heard so much praise for Cache that it was almost inevitable that it not live up to my expectations. A couple begin receiving videotapes of their everyday activities. They don't know who's sending them, but as the videos are non-threatening, the police cannot help. The film then focuses on a possible suspect and how the tapes and his information affect the family dynamic. It's interesting, with a slow, methodical, unsettling pace. Juliette Binoche ("Paris") is gorgeous. I didn't love it, but I might appreciate it more with repeat viewings.
Scoop is just a light Woody Allen ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona") comedy starring Scarlett Johansson ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), Hugh Jackman ("Happy Feet") and, of course, Allen himself. The premise is sort of interesting. A reporter, Ian McShane ("Deathrace"), gets some information after his death, as he's crossing the River Styx. So he jumps off the boat and appears to a student journalist, Johansson, and tells her that Jackman, a wealthy nobleman, is a serial killer. Then hilarity is supposed to ensue. And some of it is funny. Jackman is very good, and I didn't find Johansson as annoying as some of my friends did. But it's Allen that really ruins every scene he's in. Maybe he's just too old to act now, or past being able to pull of a certain kind of line (funny ones). Or maybe he's just become a caricature of himself so it is difficult to take him seriously. Or maybe he just wrote himself terrible lines. I don't really know. But I do know that I rolled my eyes whenever he came on screen. I feel bad saying that.
An early Stanley Kubrick ("Eyes Wide Shut") movie, The Killing is a film noir heist film. The heist is pretty elaborate, with many, many players. I guess that's why the filmmakers deemed the narrator necessary, but I think I could have muddled through without it. Also, the "femme fatale" was a really annoying character. I thought the film got a lot better once it got into the actual heist. Up until then, I wasn't really sold on it. Still, a good watch.
Based on the 1951 novel by Robert A. Heinlein ("Starship Troopers"), the story of The Puppet Masters is pretty much a template for quiet alien invasion movies throughout the years. In this film version, Donald Sutherland ("Fool's Gold") stars as a government agent investigating a reported UFO. When he and his team reach the crash site, it appears to be a hoax, though all of the townspeople are acting strange. The lady on the team, Julie Warner ("Stick It"), confirms this by trying to draw attention to her breasts. The government people try to study the alien, looking for a weakness, all the while trying to figure out which of their members are under alien control. Tense and interesting.