bcstoneb444 Reviews

Tony Rome (1967)

good Sixties private eye movie

[7/10 · 9 September 2017]

One could make a case that 'Tony Rome' is the best private eye movie of the 1960s. Also we could argue that it's the first neo-noir, depending how one defines these things. In any case a lot of the film's success can be attributed to Sinatra, who is just terrific. The Tony Rome persona is clearly in the tradition of the classic private detective. However, Sinatra gives the character a more laid back, hip quality than the usual Old School tough detectives we saw in the 1940s, played by the likes of Bogart, Mitchum and Dick Powell.

Given the setting and lifestyle, the character of Rome is also an obvious first cousin to Travis McGee of the John D. MacDonald novels. Moreover, in its way the film anticipates Miami Vice of two decades later. The style and mood is more early than late 60s, and there is a whiff of 007 with the lush Miami Beach backdrop, zingy repartee, frequent consumption of alcohol, top-notch production values, and beautiful women. And like the Bond films of that era, some of the sensibilities are, by today's standards, decidedly un-pc. To wit: Rome's penchant for violence, to the point of sadism; and the depiction of most of the women characters as little more than sex objects. Still, the film provides a good time capsule-like view of what Miami Beach was like a half century ago. Perhaps the best thing about TR is the cast of quirky secondary characters, played to perfection by the fine supporting cast. Refreshing to see Richard Conte as a cop instead of a mobster. And Jill St. John makes for a fetching (semi)romantic interest for Rome. There's not much that's new in 'Tony Rome,' but there's not a lot that's wrong with it either.

Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson (1989 TV Movie)

strong entry in the series

[7/10 · 15 January 2017]

First, I confess that I'm not as fond of the Mason revival TV movies as the original series. I especially enjoy the early episodes from the late Fifties, which for me had more edge than the TV movies from the 80s and 90s. Perhaps it's the chronologic proximity and the black & white look that recalls the film noir ethos that I find compelling. Whatever the case, I'm making my way through the Mason TV movies and this one may be the best yet. I've seen about a dozen of them, somewhat out of order, so the introduction and evolution of the Malansky character is a little obscure for me. But this entry had a swiftly-moving, if improbable, story, all done with considerable brio. And the romantic subplot was presented with a nicely comic touch and well integrated into the main story. Best of all was Alexandra Paul as Malansky's girlfriend, who more or less steals the movie. Burr is solid as always but isn't given that much to do. It's really Moses and Paul's movie. In sum, I give this one a fairly solid seven stars.

Fatherland (2011)

offbeat, to say the least

[7/10 · 20 January 2016]

but still quite good. And it's probably a safe bet to say that you've never seen a documentary quite like Fatherland (Tierra de los Padres). Indeed there must be other movies or documentaries about cemeteries - though I can't think of a lot offhand. On one level Fatherland is a kind of historical/travel film, a highly idiosyncratic tour of the La Recoleta cemetery in Buenos Aires. Not so surprising, the property is said to be haunted by many of its interred residents in their afterlife.

The story line is: a person, presumably an actor or author, book in hand, stands in front of a tomb and reads extracts from writings penned by the dead buried inside, including Eva Peron. Then the reader vanishes, after which there's a short transition and the next reader appears. One might be forgiven for thinking this sounds like a recipe for mega boredom. However, I found myself hooked after about fifteen minutes and found it, as the saying goes, compulsively watchable.

As much as Fatherland's approach is imaginative, be advised that everything moves at a stately pace and provides precious letup in mood and tone. Thus if your thing is squealing tires, gunfights and fiery conflagrations, then better pass this one by.

A few quibbles: sometimes the individual readings go on a bit long, and the prelude and epilogue which serve as bookends might have been cut entirely without damaging the main body of the film. Still, a thought-provoking, moving work, fine as it is. But at a slow 100 minutes, it might have been an even better film had director Nicolás Prividera benefited from some judicious editing. Seven stars.

Mysteria (2011)

offbeat thriller has its moments

[7/10 · 29 December 2015]

This is one of those movies not so easy to warm to, as is evidenced by the polarized reviews here. But I found as I got more accustomed to the quirky pacing and flashback/flash forward style I liked Mysteria more and more until it became as they say compulsively watchable. It's difficult to categorize Mysteria: the closest to a broad brushstroke description would be neo-noir, but more specifically it's a kind of existential retro-thriller parody, with lots of B movie overtones, which I suppose is a more circuitous way of saying neo-noir. The story takes place in a Los Angeles-like environ in a frozen, late 80s (or thereabouts) gestalt, but it's all a little vague.

To some extent Mysteria has to be catnip to fans of noir, and of course several noir films are specifically mentioned, including The Killing, the choppy, nonlinear style of which Mysteria mimics. Other films that are referenced, either by design or no, include Dead of Night, and more recently, Usual Suspects, Memento, and especially Mulholland Drive.

Mysteria is well-cast. The familiar names – Landau, Zane, and Glover – have what amount to little more than extended cameos. But it's Robert Miano's movie and he's perfect for the role: he essays the confused, unkempt, unshaven, needing-a-shower, always late, always-smoking-a-cigarette hero in in eminently underplayed style and somehow it works perfectly.

Mysteria pulls out about every neo-noir trope in the book: along with the murky look and labyrinthine plot we have near-caricatures of the sleazy private eye and especially the down-on-his-luck screenwriter (is there any other kind?). Aleister Bain is a gin-swilling, chain smoking, disheveled, onetime success who lives in a low class hotel where he can't pay his rent, and of course he has writer's block. A bright spot in his life is a beautiful blonde film student (played by Meadow Williams) who's his biggest fan and a kind of Gal Friday wannabe.

Ultimately the story leaves quite a bit unresolved, to say the least. And I like that. Maybe I'm just easy to please but I give this one a solid seven stars.

The Killers (1946)

as noir as it gets

[7/10 · 27 November 2015]

Considering The Killers dates from early in the noir cycle it's a little surprising that it's as definitive a crystallization of the noir ethos that we're likely ever to see. Wow! Director Siodmak and cinematographer Woody Bredell are at the top of their form: they pile shadow upon shadow, scene after scene. So much going for this one: noir composer of choice Miklos Rozsa here comes through with maybe his best score ever, regardless of genre. Jangling and Stravinsky-esque, it never lets up. Burt Lancaster is fine as the doomed Swede, and of course Ava Gardner is a wonder. The visage of her in that slinky black evening dress is the very definition of the noir femme fatale. Only Rita Hayworth in Gilda gives her a run for her money. A bonus is that Ava sings her song using her own voice. And how about Charles McGraw and William Conrad, for my money the two coldest hired assassins in film history. And it is refreshing to see a young, relatively slim and more or less handsome Edmond O'Brien taking on the gumshoe role. The rest of the supporting cast is primo, especially Albert Dekker as Mr Big and, in a turn that seems to anticipate his appearance in Kiss Me Deadly a decade later, Jack Lambert nearly steals the movie as the problematic thug. Also fascinating is the inclusion on the Criterion DVD of a 1956 short produced in the Soviet Union(!) which sticks pretty faithfully to the story and does a pretty good job of capturing an American atmosphere, quite amazing considering the times.

Columbo: Negative Reaction (1974) Season 4, Episode 2

OK mid-level Columbo fare

[6/10 · 29 June 2015]

This Columbo entry is watchable enough, I suppose. But my attention wandered, admittedly. Two hours worth is a tough sell. I agree with some of the other reviews. Dick Van Dyke here doesn't make a very formidable villain. Moreover, his chemistry with Falk is not the strongest. As with many of the two-hour episodes there's some padding. This time the filler segments – with Joyce Van Patten and Larry Storch – are actually pretty good. Also, I'd have to say, as in some other episodes, the so-called evidence is pretty thin. The details were pretty circumstantial and shaky at best. Overall this is fairly good, if not top drawer Columbo.

Woman in Gold (2015)

Earnest, well-intended, and handsomely mounted, but ...

[6/10 · 13 April 2015]

As some of the other lukewarm reviews have pointed out, WIG is generally well acted, strong on production values, and reasonably suspenseful and compelling considering that the ultimate resolution is never much in doubt. However, it's also low-risk, predictable, slowish, and somewhat cliché ridden, in other words, for better or worse, a conventional Hollywood product. More important, we're never sure where the filmmakers' heart really is: with the family plight in the dark year of 1938, or the present, admittedly drier, legal struggle around art reclamation. I'm not familiar enough with the true life facts to comment on accuracy but I suspect some license was used.

Either way it's a beautifully filmed shell of a movie that, with the exception of some of the flashback scenes, somehow lacks much of an inner core, the final surrealistic memory montage in particular, which just didn't work for me. The writers give Miss Mirren a bevy of zingy one-liners which she delivers with her usual aplomb, but otherwise she seems curiously detached, as do most of the principals. Actually I thought the much-maligned Ryan Reynolds as the lawyer was pretty effective as a mechanical, legalistic type without much personality. For me the most interesting characters, arguably the best performances, were the supporting players, especially the Austrian cultural bureaucrats and the various judges and adjudicators.

Not so surprising then that the real star of the film - aside from the Woman in Gold of the portrait herself - is the city of Vienna, here lovingly presented front and center, resplendent in lots of Art Nouveau glory, all awash in, well, gold, also deep brown, dark brown, burnished brown, and off-brown. BTW was the ferris wheel the same one that appeared in The Third Man? But beneath all the surface polish something is missing, though it's not easy to articulate exactly what that something is. Beautiful to look at, WIG is, despite the weighty issues considered, ultimately rather spongy and flat. My six stars are mostly for production and the Vienna scenes.

Columbo: A Stitch in Crime (1973) Season 2, Episode 6

strong entry ... Leonard Nimoy shines

[7/10 · 2 March 2015]

This is one of the more enjoyable Columbo episodes. Leonard Nimoy is a formidable, arrogant murderer who almost gets away with it. There's great, if edgy, chemistry between him and Peter Falk throughout. Nimoy is a great villain with a creepily evil look about him, and I wish he'd played this type of character more often. Also kudos to the brisk direction and spot-on supporting cast, especially Anne Francis. This was a largely improvised murder and cover-up so despite the neck-and-neck story dynamic this case was fairly easy pickings for the detective. As much as this is a fine entry I have a few issues. Mainly the credibility stretching mechanics of the two murders themselves. The Nimoy character may have been a brilliant fellow but he had a pinch of luck working for him. But with our favorite detective luck always runs out.

Columbo: Lovely But Lethal (1973) Season 3, Episode 1

above average early episode; Vera Miles shines

[7/10 · 23 February 2015]

This strikes me as one of the most successful of the early-ish Columbo efforts. Falk is in good form and looks suitably befuddled as he stumbles his way through the labyrinthine world of Big Cosmetics. The villain this time is Vera Miles, who portrays cosmetics industry mogul Viveca Scott. She has an eye for the young chemists who work for her, but alas, one of said chemists gets a little too ambitious and thus must be eliminated. There's exceptional chemistry between Peter Falk and Miss Miles, even by Columbo standards, but much of the success of this episode resides with the tight script and crisp direction. Nice vistas of the ocean contribute to the vaguely exotic backdrop. Bonuses include cameos by a slimy Vincent Price and young Martin Sheen. And Fred Draper registers as the washed up, alcoholic plastic surgeon-in-chief who harbors a lifelong crush on his employer. But it's Vera Miles who dominates this episode. With her shapely figure, she looks terrific sashaying around in those awful 1970s mod clothes. Thus she's quite believable as a beauty industry tycoon who also moonlights as a health and fitness guru. She simply steals every scene she's in, giving some of the iciest stares that would freeze over the infernal realms while at the same time projecting a smoldering presence about to explode at any minute, pushed as she is to the edge by Columbo's questions and dogged persistence. It's a tribute to her professionalism that she accomplishes all with nary a curtain chewing scene anywhere.

Columbo: Requiem for a Falling Star (1973) Season 2, Episode 5

Anne Baxter sparkles

[7/10 · 26 January 2015]

This otherwise average Columbo episode is redeemed by the charismatic performance of the great Anne Baxter. She's incredibly beautiful and steals every scene she's in. Her deliciously campy take on a Norma Desmond-esque movie queen is a pure delight. She even has a Desmond-like, eminently noirish name of Nora Chandler. Anyway Nora is being blackmailed and of course resorts to murder. Baxter and Peter Falk have a nice, edgy chemistry. Their back-and-forth is remarkable even by Columbo standards of detective and suspect. Whether she planned it or not Miss Baxter manages to upstage Peter Falk in every scene they're in together. Nice movie business backdrop, including a cameo by Edith Head. Old pros Kevin McCarthy and Mel Ferrer add support, though the Frank Converse character seems unnecessary. Richard Quine's direction keeps things moving along.

Columbo: Suitable for Framing (1971) Season 1, Episode 4

early Columbo episode delivers

[7/10 · 15 December 2014]

This early Columbo is a good one, mostly for the chemistry between Peter Falk and villain Ross Martin. Martin is deliciously cast as a pompous art critic, and indeed Dale Kingston is a self-centered, arrogant sort even by the standards of Columbo murderers. And the interplay between Falk and Martin is superb throughout. Mary Wickes and Vic Tayback contribute nice cameos. And Don Ameche is fine as the well-meaning family attorney. And how about that blonde, nude (alas, strategically covered-up) model? I may be in the minority in that I felt the ending, while satisfying in a poetic justice sort of way, was a little too abrupt. Also the Kim Hunter characterization as the ditsy ex-wife didn't work for me. Small criticisms, however, in a most enjoyable offering.

Columbo: Dead Weight (1971) Season 1, Episode 3

early Columbo episode is a good one

[7/10 · 8 December 2014]

A solid early Columbo effort. Much of the success of any Columbo episode hinges on the chemistry between Columbo and the murderer. Here Peter Falk and Eddie Albert rate high marks. Albert is if anything a little too controlled and smug. Not unrealistic for a general who is accustomed to getting his way. And sometimes he dangles clues in front of the detective as if trying to get caught. The banter between Kate Reid and Suzanne Pleshette is also quite good. BTW Suzanne looks ultra fetching in those mod clothes she wears. A cameo by semi-regular Timothy Carey adds to the fun. I agree with the consensus that the ending is a little too pat and abrupt, but a minor quibble.

Death in Paradise (2011– )

Lightweight charmer

[8/10 · 2 November 2014]

I must confess it took me a while to warm to this series. But the more I watched the more I liked it. Death in paradise has become, in the lexicon, compulsively watchable for me, being as it is an amiable take on the old Agatha Christie formula. I didn't see the episodes with the prior star but have come to like the new sleuth. He's laid back, clever and refreshingly ordinary, and a bit insecure as far as his personal life is concerned. The main rub of the series is the lush Caribbean setting. 'Saint-Marie' is a fictional island comprised of half-Brit, half-French cultural references. How is it most of the local characters speak with Jamaican accents? Actually the filming location as I understand is the island of Guadoloupe. Whatever. With all the spectacular scenery and the sleuth's fetching island girl assistant, how can we worry about quibbles? Eight stars.

Columbo: Now You See Him (1976) Season 5, Episode 5

Nice variant on the old formula

[7/10 · 29 October 2014]

It's a clever, and appropriate, idea for a Columbo episode to be about magic and a magician. The many would-be successful murderers in the series have a bag of conjurer's tricks – ironclad, albeit fake, alibis; false clues; a gift for making incriminating evidence (and inconvenient witnesses) disappear; a seeming ability to be in two places at once. But as all the bad guys discover the Lieutenant always is able to pick the lock of the (illusory) perfect crime. Another clever aspect of this story is that Columbo, in the handcuffs scene, forces the villain to show his hand, as it were, in a very public way, by appealing to his sense of professional ethics and pride, much like Robert Donat and Mr. Memory in The 39 Steps.

Columbo: Identity Crisis (1975) Season 5, Episode 3

Offbeat Columbo episode has its moments

[6/10 · 20 October 2014]

However … for me this is one of the few misfires in a series otherwise distinguished for its consistency of quality. Patrick McGoohan does double duty as guest star and director and this could be part of the problem. Perhaps he just wasn't an experienced enough director. Even for a two hour episode there's plenty of padding; the general feeling overall is fragmented, clunky and long, and further suffers from a not so plausible denouement. Another minus is that McGoohan and Peter Falk have variable chemistry throughout, and Falk seems especially low-keyed and uninvolved even by Lt. Columbo standards. Maybe the real issue is that the shoe horning of an international spy story within the more localized Columbo gestalt never really works. Compensations include the fine supporting cast, especially an all to fleeting appearance by Leslie Nielsen, and Barbara Rhoades as an über-hot amusement park photographer.

Columbo: Forgotten Lady (1975) Season 5, Episode 1

One of the best Columbo episodes

[7/10 · 13 October 2014]

I don't have a lot to add to the positive reviews here. A radiant Janet Leigh plays a fading, Norma Desmond-esque movie queen who wants to revive her career, and resorts to murder to do so. What makes this one especially touching for me is that Miss Leigh and co-star John Payne are essentially playing themselves. Was she at a career low ebb when she did this episode? In any case Miss Leigh gives a finely nuanced, eminently sympathetic performance, and her chemistry with Peter Falk is terrific. As with most of the Columbo two-hour episodes this one has a little padding, but in this case the sub-plot actually has some substance, as it reflects somewhat on the Lieutenant's character and professionalism. Well done all around, and a treat for old movie buffs. A solid seven stars.