Category: Movie Reviews

“Johnny Eager” (1941) starring Robert Taylor, Lana Turner, Edward Arnold, & Van Heflin

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Robert Taylor ‘N Lana Turner – TNT – They’re Dynamite in JOHNNY EAGER -Tagline

Johnny Eager (Robert Taylor, 30 y.o.) is a recent parolee pretending he has quit the rackets (gambling) and working as a taxi driver in NYC. However, he’s still deep into crime; he’s desperate to get a permit to open a dog track. One day, Johnny happens to meet Lisbeth Bard (Lana Turner at just age 20), a college student/step-daughter of the DA, John Benson Farrell (Edward Arnold).

Director Mervyn LeRoy originated the “TNT” idea to promote this movie; it was a box office hit for MGM. I’d never seen Taylor act before, BUT I knew that he was married to Barbara Stanwyck. Life imitated art here, as Taylor fell in love w/ Turner on set and asked his wife for a divorce. Stanwyck is said to have injured her wrists after learning of the illicit romance. Turner quickly broke up w/ Taylor; she was maybe NOT in love w/ him. They do have good chemistry onscreen; those heated looks and kisses aren’t all make believe.

I was curious to see this film noir after learning that it was Van Heflin’s 1st role. He’d been encouraged by Katharine Hepburn (his co-star on Broadway) to try Hollywood. Heflin (looking V slim/youthful) plays Jeff, Johnny’s alcoholic/intellectual best pal. Jeff has some great lines in the movie; Heflin ended up winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor!

[1] The glamorous Ms. Turner is at first a little hard to believe as a student studying social work, but she does acquit herself well in some powerfully dramatic scenes with Taylor. Paul Stewart, Glenda Farrell and Edward Arnold chip in fine supporting performances while Van Heflin delivers a magnificent one. Heflin as Eager’s alcoholic sidekick and pickled conscience is not only effectively moving, but also lends a droll sense of wit to the film with his sardonic observations.

[2] The film would never have stood out but for the script (Grant and Mahin) and the direction (LeRoy). The opening sequence and the ending sequence are well crafted and can stand alongside the best of film noir.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Alice, Darling” (2022) starring Anna Kendrick

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Sometimes the hardest thing to see is the truth. -Tagline

Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air; Pitch Perfect) plays Alice, an early 30s woman in NYC experiencing great stress, as she’s dealing w/ a (psychologically) abusive live-in bf, Simon (Charlie Carrick). In the past year, she hasn’t been seeing friends much and even cut down on work. Simon (a few yrs older) expects Alice to be available to support his growing fame/career as a painter. While on vacation (in upstate NY) w/ her 2 BFFs (Tess and Sophie), Alice rediscovers herself and gains some new perspective.

IF you consider yourself to be sensitive viewer, then you can watch it (IMO); this story doesn’t contain the (typically melodramatic) portrayals of DV. Instead, we get a look into Alice’s mind, as she tries to cope w/ complicated feelings (anger, sadness, shame, etc.) I was surprised to see how well Kendrick handled the serious material; she is more known for comedies. The friends (who’ve known her since childhood) are perceptive and caring; they’re genuinely worried for Alice. This indie drama (w/ an international cast) was directed by Mary Nighy, the daughter of veteran British actor Bill Nighy. Wow, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree; she’s a talented/sensitive filmmaker! I think young people (or those w/ less experience w/ relationships) esp. should watch this movie. Abuse can come in many different forms.

[1] I thought Anna Kendrick was amazing as the mentally anguished and tortured Alice, who’s fairy-tale romance had turned out to be anything but, as she finds out what friendship and love really can be, when those close truly care.

[2] A very important point is that the film is very realistic. Of course, each person’s case is different, but the whole point is abusive relationships and how being in them affects people’s inner world and mental health. People feel trapped, like they have no other choice, they think that their partner is treating them badly out of love.

[3] It’s such a deeply contemplative film. The imagery is stunning. The way it takes a single moment and fleshes it all the way out is true artistry.

The simplicity of the storyline is what makes this such a good story.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“May December” (2023) starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, & Charles Melton

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie May December (2023) streaming on Netflix.

Gracie: I thought you were taller. You look taller on television, but we’re basically the same size.

Elizabeth: We’re basically the same.

Natalie Portman (who plays an actress named Elizabeth) brought the script to director Todd Haynes as a potential collab; he loved the script and suggested Julianne Moore (w/ whom he worked on 4 other films) for Gracie. This film was acquired by Netflix for $11M following its premiere at Cannes (May 2023). It was shot in 23 days on location in Savannah, Georgia. Charles Melton (Riverdale) gained 40 lbs. for his role as Joe. Melton’s mother is an immigrant from Korea; she met her white/American husband while he was serving overseas in the military. A prolific character/NYC theater actor, D. W. Moffett (Gracie’s ex-husband Tom), heads the film and TV dept. at the Savannah College of Art and Design; students from the acting program appear in the movie.

Joe: [to his son] God, I can’t tell if we’re connecting, or if I’m creating a bad memory for you in real time, but I can’t help it.

Gracie and Joe met at the pet store where they worked when she was 36 y.o. and he was 13 y.o. As some of you MAY recall, the story IRL was even more problematic: Vili Fualaau was only 12 y.o. and Mary Kay Letorneau (39 y.o.) was his teacher. The 3 lead characters are a LOT more complicated than they initially appear. We start at a backyard BBQ of a (seemingly happy) family headed by Gracie Atherton-Yoo (a baker in her 50s) and her handsome/36 y.o. husband, Joe Yoo (a X-ray tech). They have 3 teen children together; one daughter is in college and the twins (a boy and girl) are preparing to graduate H.S. Through Elizabeth’s eyes, we gradually begin to learn more about this couple. It’s hard to understand why Gracie acts the way she does. Can she truly be as naive as she acts? Joe is still a boy in his mind, though w/ an adult’s body and responsibilities. His kids are half his age, BUT seem to be more mature.

You’re kinda dangerous in this movie. I never knew what she [Gracie] was gonna do. -Annette Bening commented to Moore during Variety’s Actors on Actors interview

This story NOT only delves into the predatory relationship btwn Gracie and Joe, it also comments on how (self-important) actors can predatorily insert themselves into strangers’ lives. For a woman who has transgressed in a big way, Gracie is V concerned w/ appearances and image (publicly). She has a V feminine (girly) persona; she speaks sometimes w/ a lisp (a decision Moore made to sound younger). Weirdly, as she gets to know Gracie more, Elizabeth copies the lisp. Melton walks as if he’s being dragged forward by an unseen force; he often has his shoulders hunched (to make himself smaller). Elizabeth flirts w/ Joe when they’re alone at the hospital during her observation of his work life.

There is an unsettling kind of tension that permeates this movie. Though I loved the acting (incl. from the kids), I was NOT a fan of the (cheesy) soundtrack. Haynes chose it from a ’70s drama he discovered. The (grainy/sun-drenched) visual style works here IMO, though it may be unappealing to some viewers. Is this supposed to be a comedy or a drama? As I was watching, I thought it had elements of a dark comedy. There are unexpected scenes, though I did guess what happened at the climax. Check it out for yourself!

[1] …this is a very well done movie about adults who are really just children. They never healed from their traumas and what ensues is a vision of how life is when you ignore that stuff. […]

The movie is for people that love film as art – not narrative. It is very well done. All the acting is based on nuanced subtext. The score and the cinematography are also very well done (I love slow zooms…sue me).

[2] Elizabeth is polite and apologetic as she initially treads carefully in asking probing questions of the family and their friends. Her approach generates some awkward moments, and although Gracie seems to hold firmly to her did-nothing-wrong stance, it’s Joe who begins to question things… mimicking the slow development of the Monarch butterflies he breeds.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Carmen” (2022) starring Melissa Barrera & Paul Mescal

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Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame… -A tagline for the movie

To escape a cartel, a young Mexican dancer, Carmen (Melissa Barrera), heads north to the US (California). Her route takes her through a desert guarded by the US Border Patrol, as well as a small group of (coded as fanatical) white men who seem to hunt ppl for sport. Mixed among these men is a newcomer/Army veteran, Aidan (Paul Mescal), desperate to earn money for the mortgage on his humble family home. Soon, the mismatched pair meet and start toward LA together. Carmen’s goal is to seek refuge in a club run by her deceased mom’s best friend, Masilda (Rossy de Palma).

This is the 1st film of choreographer/dancer Benjamin Millepied (ex-hubby of Natalie Portman); he and the actress met while working on Black Swan (2010). As some of you MAY know, they had a bad break-up (after he cheated w/ a younger woman). Jamie Dornan was originally going to play Aidan, BUT was replaced by Mescal (who is much younger). Barrera (who I’d never seen before) appeared in Lin Manuel Miranda’s movie musical In the Heights (2021). Recently, Barrera made comments on social media (re: Israel-Hamas); she was fired from the upcoming Scream movie. This movie was shot in Australia; Elsa Pataky (Chris Hemsworth’s wife) has a small role. I recall seeing her in the (short-lived) TV series Queen of Swords (2000-2001).

IF anyone asks for an example of an undercooked movie, then refer them to Carmen! The characters are V shallow (as in drawn w/ a broad brush); there is barely any plot. Perhaps worst of all, the dancing (NOT an expert here) looks basic/easy! I’m a fan of Mescal (who is Irish and just 27); here we see that he’s NOT yet 100% comfortable w/ an American accent. He does some dancing, which was pretty good (IMO). Hey, let’s give him a break here; youth is for trying new things, making mistakes, and growing! The filmmakers needed to realize that you can’t just rely on attractive actors/settings. As the Youngbloods say, this is “just vibes.” I’d suggest y’all check out Carmen Jones instead.

[1] I had high hopes for this feature. I’m a ballet and opera fan and am familiar with Benjamin Millepede. Unfortunately this was a sometimes excruciatingly slow movie to watch. There were some highly stylized scenes that were memorable… most of them were not. The scenes for the most part did not hang together to form a whole storyline.

[2] As it’s heralded as Carmen, and clearly veering towards Carmen Jones, I am utterly confused as to what this mess was. […]

I’m just so confused as to how this had none of the operatics. It was awful and yet I was SO excited to watch this. It was a mismatch of desultory exchanges and unexciting conversations.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“The Bigamist” (1953) starring Edmond O’Brien, Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, & Edmund Gwenn

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Wanted by two women! -A tagline for the film

Harry Graham (Edmond O’Brien) and his wife of 8 yrs, Eve (Joan Fontaine), are trying to adopt a baby; they have a successful/small business. The head of the adoption agency, Mr. Jordan (Edmund Gwenn), senses that Harry is hiding something, so does some investigating. There are several in-jokes about Santa Claus here; Gwenn played Kris Kringle in the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947). The agent soon discovers that Harry has done a LOT of traveling from his (luxury/condo) home in San Fran to L.A. Mr. Jordan goes to a lovely house in LA, where Harry has a 2nd wife- Phyllis Martin (Ida Lupino, also the director)- and (shocker) a baby! Desperate to explain himself, Harry reveals to Mr. Jordan (via flashbacks) how he ended up w/ 2 lives.

Writer/producer Collier Young was then the husband of Fontaine; he’d previously been married to Lupino. Wow, Hollywood is a small world! This is the ONLY time Lupino directed herself; she’s one of the 1st female stars to direct herself. Her best known film is the “The Hitchhiker”(1953) which also co-starred O’Brien. All of Lupino’s (small-budget/indie) films are marked by a concern for the lives of ordinary folks.

Harry Graham [re: meeting Phyllis]: For the first time, I felt needed; I loved Eve, but I never felt she needed me.

This is a small gem of a film that MAY surprise you; the issues delved into are modern. The acting from the 3 main actors is V good. Some reviewers commented that their sympathies were mostly w/ Eve; after she became “career-focused,” Harry felt like he was NOT needed. It turns out that Eve is a great assistant to her husband, so they BOTH benefit from the resulting success. Phyllis is a waitress who lives in a rented room; she’s NOT the type of woman who’d be “threatening” to most men. As this is in the public domain, so you can watch it for free.

[1] I found this to be an interesting film; it certainly wasn’t the sort of topic I expected to be explored in a film of this era… especially given its sympathetic portrayal of Harry. […] Edmond O’Brien does an impressive job as Harry and gets fine support from Joan Fontaine and Ida Lupino as Eve and Phyllis. Ida Lupino also does an impressive directing…

[2] The movie is shown through flashbacks. And, despite the sensational plot, the movie is actually done very sedately and avoids sensationalism. Instead, it tries to portray O’Brien in a pretty sympathetic light–while not excusing his actions. And, by doing so, the movie really gets you thinking. An excellent job of acting by all, but the star of this picture is Ida Lupino…

[3] Lupino and the script manage to provide an honest look at the situation with few hindrances from the strict production code of the era. Only at a couple of odd moments can you tell that they had to shift gears slightly, so as to placate the censors. Although the movie is low-key and straightforward, it’s a commendable effort, and it makes for good drama.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews