98 minute running time so just under the sacred 100 minute mark. A real film noir with blackmail, a femme fatale, multiple murders, Los Angeles and sleazy Mexico locales (once again, see Touch of Evil and The Hitch-Hiker), double-crossing dames, old wartime buddies, and sex — not graphic sex of course, but a more explicit approach, surprising for a movie made in 1949. My copy from “Alpha Video” was in terrible shape, but apparently there’s a restored version on Blu-ray available now. The movie wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad, and it’s a must-see for noir fans.
Movies Watched -- Swing Time (1936)
103 minute running time … some great dance scenes, lovely songs by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields (The Way You Look Tonight, A Fine Romance, and Never Gonna Dance — the last has the best dance scene, really moving, I shed a tear) … goofy story / comedy in between the musical numbers. I’ve always liked Fred Astaire’s singing. He does one scene in black-face, which will drive the PCs crazy, but those were the bad old days. Certainly a top ten movie from 1936, but I haven’t seen them all. Recommended if you like song and dance.
Movies Watched -- The Arbor (2011)
90 minutes, so the perfect length, but I only made it an hour in before quitting because it was just too depressing. Another horror story from a British housing project, just awful stuff … poor, dumb, foul-mouthed, miserable people — why watch them? Some toff down in London published the play, slumming it. Avoid.
Movies Watched -- Touch Of Evil (1958)
95 minute running time but feels much longer. I’d seen this one in the past and forgot about it. Old Orson Welles grumbling and bumbling around… some really neat camerawork, no doubt the man was way ahead of his time. Dumb story though. Mexican lesbian dopers a novelty in 1958. Sleazy California-Mexico border town featured (same as in The Hitch-Hiker). Welles as corrupt cop, Marlene Dietrich as fortune teller… Aiding justice, partner! Wasn’t thrilled with it, though it’s something every movie buff oohs and aahs over, but it’s just not that well put together, the story is no good. You can give it a miss.
Movies Watched -- Widows (2018)
128 minute running time so at least 30 minutes too long. Dumb, dumb story. Just ridiculous. A twist in the middle, but still, just bad. I have a soft spot for Steve McQueen (the director) because he made “Shame,” which I thought was brilliant, but this was just lousy. One good shot as they showed a car driving from the ‘hood in Chicago to a more gentrified part of the city, a short drive, well done, clever, but doesn’t make a movie. Bobby Duvall comes out of a crypt to swear a blue streak… way too much profanity in this movie. And some really graphic violence. Not recommended.
Rex, as usual, gets it right: “I never believed these grieving widows could ever form a workable alliance of lady gangsters.“
Dick Brody also didn’t like it: “These details … fit together with a technically impressive coherence that’s also dramatically ridiculous.“
Movies Watched -- The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
70 minutes, so on the shorter side, nothing wrong with that. Rare 1950s movie directed by a woman … story of a psychopathic killer who takes two men hostage and into the Mexican desert … some interesting dialogue about the guys being soft and not being able to escape because they cared about each other … one truly scary scene where the bad guy forces one of the men to shoot a tin can out of his buddy’s hand; you could see a psycho doing such a thing. It wasn’t a terrible movie, but I don’t recommend going out of your way to see it.
Flavorless Beer Made By Machines
Garrett Oliver of the Brooklyn Brewery … sharp guy:
The Sideshow Is Now the Audience
There’s a new season of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. I watched the episode with Melissa Villaseñor, whom I’ve never heard of, but thought was funny (despite her annoying laugh, and the false hilarity that fills most episodes). Anyway, Jerry said the following, which I loved:
"People in the circus sideshow, huge, fat, tattooed ... these are the people in the audience now. What used to be the sideshow is just regular people now."
Here’s a YouTube thing that Villaseñor did called “Bjork’s Vlog,” which made me fall off my chair laughing:
Movies Watched -- The Naked Kiss (1964)
91 minute running time, so the perfect length, but this was a weird one, and proved to me that Sam Fuller wasn’t a normal guy, he had some kinks for sure… Written, Directed, and Produced (W.D.P.) By Fuller … a story about a prostitute who tries to make a clean break … I don’t want to spoil anything, well… after the hour mark (beginning of the third act) pedophilia unexpectedly enters the picture, and you just don’t know what to make of this deeply twisted story. Not recommended.
It may be that Sam Fuller only made one great movie (Pickup on South Street), but I’ll keep watching his others just to confirm it.
From an essay: “[Fuller’s movies] appeared to rise whole from a private fever dream.”
Movies Watched -- The Long Goodbye (1973)
111 minute running time, but I quit after 30 minutes because this was terrible. Real clinker by Robert Altman, and whoever thought Elliot Gould and his cigarette should play a Jewish Philip Marlowe was insane. Sort of interesting to see post-60s Malibu, but 1973 was pretty much rock-bottom in recent American history. Just awful, give it a miss.
(This guy has his head up his ass.)
Movies Watched -- Pickup on South Street (1953)
80 minute running time so the perfect length. I loved this one, great movie. Interesting characters, story, dialogue… first Fuller movie I saw was “White Dog,” which wasn’t that great, but this movie, wow… now I need to see if this was his best. Highly recommended.
Movies Watched -- Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
96 minute running time, so the perfect length, but I quit watching after 30 minutes … poor audio and no subtitles on my DVD didn’t help … just boring and pointless. Bernie Schwartz, “press agent,” a.k.a, flack, a.k.a. “Tony Curtis," looks weirdly effeminate wearing a ton of makeup … Burt Lancaster as tough newspaperman…. only interesting things were thinking about how much power newspaper columnists used to have, back when people read newspapers, and what Manhattan looked like in the late 1950s. Give it a miss.
Selected Excerpts from Linda Raschke's Book, 'Trading Sardines'
You can buy the book here.
Movies Watched -- White Dog (1982)
90 minute running time so the perfect length. Boyish Kristy McNichol with feathered hair and flat chest hits a dog, adopts him, then discovers he’s an attack dog, and not just any attack dog but a “white dog,” which is a dog that was trained to attack black people only. Kristy seeks out animal trainer Lt. Ed Traxler, who thinks he can break the dog of its training, and I won’t give away the ending … weird one. Early 80s vibe. I wasn’t thrilled. Give it a miss.
Movies Watched -- Moonrise (1948)
90 minute running time so the perfect length. Another weird one… post-war mix of romance and violence … guy forces himself on the girl and she submits, not very politically correct … young Lloyd Bridges does some fake fist-fighting … I wasn’t thrilled with this, didn’t think the story was realistic or interesting.
Movies Watched -- Ministry of Fear (1944)
87 minute running time so the perfect length … deeply weird Fritz Lang movie made before the war ended… about a ring of German spies in London … reminded me at times (the village fête especially) of The Prisoner, the great Patrick McGoohan TV series … but I wasn’t thrilled in the end… it wasn’t interesting, just sort of bizarre. Not sure why Criterion included it in their Collection. “Suffused with dread and paranoia … an unpredictable thriller with style to spare,“ nah, not really. Give it a miss.
Movies Watched -- Shallow Grave (1994)
93 minute running time so the perfect length … had to watch with subtitles since Scottish accents so heavy … a long-haired Ewan McGregor at his most annoying … when semi-good people do bad things tale … the twist at the end was extremely dissatisfying and ruined everything that came before … I wasn’t thrilled. Criterion probably put it in their Collection because it’s low budget, the first movie made by the guys who made Trainspotting, and “stylistically influential.“ Not essential viewing in my opinion.
Movies Watched -- Mother (1996)
104 minute running time, but I only made it 50 minutes in before quitting. Albert Brooks is a middle-aged guy who moves home with Mom to figure out why he has trouble with women — it’s his Mom’s fault of course. There are some funny bits but I just didn’t want to see this Baby Boomer (Brooks born in ‘47) man-child whining to his aged mother (who must have had him when she was 15 years old) … and I had a major problem with Debbie Reynolds as his Mom since she’s a Gentile and has no business playing a Jewish mother. Marrying Eddie Fisher didn’t make her Jewish. Give it a miss.
Movies Watched -- White Heat (1949)
113 minute running time so at least 15 minutes too long, but I liked this one, it’s good. Little James Cagney plays a great psychopathic bad guy, I wonder if he was a little nuts in real life? Crime story, smoggy 1940s LA with City Hall prominently featured, a blonde double-crossing dame, a cop mole in the gang, it has all the elements. See it if you get the chance.
Chrysanthemum
I dig it… especially the opening transitions. Would be a good song to inhale to… thanks to the Spotify algo for recommending it: