Reviews
Bernard and Doris (2006)
Bad - really bad
I agree with the poster who complained that this movie was full of errors. What could have been an interesting biopic based in fact was played for farce. I wouldn't blame the Duke estate for suing HBO. Surely there was more to this woman than drinking, pot-smoking, humping the young guys who worked for her, and generally behaving like Norma Desmond. It must have been difficult to portray Lafferty as a kind, unassuming, and diligent servant with a sad drinking problem when everything else I've read about him indicates that he was little more than a hustler and a user who ingratiated himself to an aging and infirm heiress. To me, the movie was a big let-down.
Our Very Own (1950)
Cornpone at its best
Perpetually petulant Ann Blythe plays a middle-class girl who discovers a big family secret on her 18th birthday. Surprisingly, a few of the scenes are not 100% predictable and, occasionally, a character behaves in a way or says something that you haven't seen 1000 times in movies of this era. This must have been the movie that won Jane Wyatt her iconic role as the wife in Father Knows Best. By the time that series came around,she had it all down pat. My favorite character from the movie was ZaZa, Blythe's shallow but affluent best friend. ZaZa actually made you feel more sorry for her than you did for the main character! And she was the rich, pretty one! Did anyone else feel that Blythe was too old for this part? It's a perfectly fine melodrama with some surprises - not too many, though.
The Mating Season (1951)
So cute!
I stumbled upon this movie on TMC. It was shown as part of a trilogy of "mother movies" on Mothers Day. I had never heard of it but was quickly drawn in by Thelma Ritter in the opening scene. Thelma had fourth billing but she was really the star. It's a sweet movie but predictable. I loved the cars, the sets, the costumes, the implausibility of the plot. Although the story had some serious moments and a morality lesson about snobbery, it was really just an opportunity to showcase Thelma Ritter doing what she does best - wisecracking, dispensing sage but sometimes caustic advice, and stealing all the scenes. Even the glamorous Gene Tierney and the best scene-stealer of all time, Miriam Hopkins, couldn't hold their own against Thelma. Interesting also to see Ellen Corby 20+ years before her Waltons fame. See the movie for Thelma Ritter. You'll laugh out loud.
Suspiria (1977)
See it for Joan's sake
This movie is fascinating and beautifully done. However, it's really just a 70s Italian horror flick. The main reason to see it is that it's Joan Bennett's last movie. I wonder how they got her to do it. I hope she didn't need the money. She's wonderful as the prim and starchy head mistress of the ballet school. She can certainly pull off horror - just watch a couple of Dark Shadows episodes. Beautiful and talented (and funny) Joan Bennett in her last feature film. That's reason enough for any film lover to see Suspiria. I truly loved the sets and the creepy music but it wasn't the genre which enticed me to see this movie. It was the lure of seeing one of the great legends of the silver screen in her last performance. This film shows clearly that Joan Bennett was a professional and a true star to the end.
Mommie Dearest (1981)
Has anyone read the book?
If you've read the book, as I did when it was first published in 1978, you'll realize that the movie was only loosely based on it. Also, the movie was actually much better than the book! The book was poorly written and contained many more chronological errors and inconsistencies than the movie. I'm not sure how the movie was ever made. Major characters in the book (such as the adopted twins) were left out completely. From the standpoint of the sets, the costumes, the music (Henry Mancini)and the props, the movie was lush and dramatic. However, the writing was inexplicably horrible and the acting worse. When the 20 year anniversary edition of the book came out in 1998, I bought a copy but was unable to finish it. It's that amateurish - like a high school girl's diary (no offense to high school girls intended). To this day, nobody has adequately verified or discounted the abuse chronicled in this story. Makes you wonder if there was fire with the smoke.
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961)
Blanche as a aging jet-setter
I love this movie and recently purchased the 2006 DVD version with accompanying 12-minute "analysis". The analysis features an interview with Jill St. John who admitted that not once during filming did Miss Leigh ever actually speak to her. Interesting. That certainly mirrors the relationship between Karen Stone, the aging and drifting actress, and Miss St. John's irritating bimbo-starlet character in the story. Yes - Beatty's accent is horrendous and distracting but otherwise, he captures the essence of a young Roman hustler. Lenya outdoes herself and is nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her performance as the procurer. But, Vivien Leigh IS this movie with her fading beauty/fame and related insecurities mirroring those of the title character. Miss Leigh's stunning early 60s couture by Balmain, the posh sets, and that baby-blue Lincoln convertible are wonderful props for a poignant and compelling tale of loss and the loneliness and desperation that can result therefrom.
By the way, I am conflicted and unsure about the finale of the movie. I presume that's what Mr. Williams intended.
The Lookout (2007)
Fargo without the humor
I liked this movie but, without Jeff Daniels providing comic relief, it would have been insufferably serious. The young actors have lots of promise, though. Matthew Goode and Isla Fisher were creepily believable despite some obvious holes in the story (eg. what happened to Luvlee?). I think it would have worked better as a black comedy in the vein of "Fargo". The setting was certainly similar with that frosty white landscape speckled with blood, violence, and nasty language. Berg, as Cork, seemed to channel Willem Defoe. Where have I seen this character before? "Wild at Heart"? Ms. Fisher's sweet yet trashy and naive character stole the movie for me - complete with her Tinsley Mortimer hairdo. Overall, I've seen these characters and this story before. Still, it is interesting and worth an hour and 45 minutes of your time.
The Goddess (1958)
New Kim Stanley fan
I recently caught this movie on TCM and loved every second of it. Kim's accent gets a bit tiresome but the overall effect is great. Love the scene in which Patty Duke, playing The Goddess as a neglected child, pathetically tells her cat that she got promoted to the next grade in school. This movie contains all of the tried and true "money and fame aren't everything" requisites. I wish Kim Stanley had tried her hand at Tennessee Williams. She has that "Geraldine Page" affectation that Mr. Williams apparently appreciated. I remember her from "Frances". It's too bad she didn't do more movies. The Goddess is a wonderful look at late 50s Hollywood and the inherent danger in getting what you've always wanted.
Faces (1968)
A poor man's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
I suffered through this movie thinking that, eventually, it was going to provide some insight into the characters and some real drama. That was the problem - you could not perceive anything about these characters other than gender and age. In short, you really didn't care about them much. Reminded me of one of those Andy Warhol movies....